"Give me back the Lotus Lantern!"
Yang Chan was growing anxious, shouting at Zhao Feng with a face full of frustration.
"Now that's an amusing thing to say," Zhao Feng chuckled.
"You attacked me, yet you want me to return your treasure?"
"Planning to get it back just so you can strike me again?" he added, almost laughing.
"You…"
Yang Chan was at a loss for words completely silenced by Zhao Feng's reply.
"Enough."
"You two made a move against me did you think I wouldn't fight back?"
With a light smile, Zhao Feng stepped forward.
In an instant, he vanished from in front of Yang Chan and Ao Tingxin.
They could no longer sense even a trace of his aura.
"Suppress."
A low voice echoed.
A massive stele filled with soul-suppressing power descended from the sky. A ring of energy swept over both Yang Chan and Ao Tingxin.
One at peak Da Luo, the other at peak Taiyi yet under the might of the Soul Suppression Stele, their minds faltered for a brief moment.
Before they could recover
"Bind."
With a wave of his hand, Zhao Feng unleashed a streak of golden light.
Like a long serpent, it shot through the air and coiled around both of them, instantly binding and immobilizing them. Even their immortal and spiritual energy was suppressed by the Binding Immortal Rope.
"Peak Da Luo…"
"Can't be taken lightly."
Zhao Feng casually pulled out two talismans and flicked them toward the two women.
The talismans glowed as they struck their targets, completely sealing their powers.
Now bound by the Binding Immortal Rope and stripped of their cultivation, the two of them were no different from mortals.
With that done, Zhao Feng calmly studied them and smiled.
"So… how do you think I should deal with you?"
"If you've got the guts, then kill me! I'm not afraid!" Ao Tingxin shouted. "But if you dare harm Chan'er, her second brother will never let you go!"
"Do you even know who her second brother is?"
"You mean Erlang Shen, Yang Jian?" Zhao Feng smiled faintly.
"That's right," Ao Tingxin replied immediately.
But before she could say another word
Zhao Feng raised his hand, and in a flash, had her by the throat. The sheer force of his grip left Ao Tingxin despite being of the Dragon Clan struggling to breathe.
"You think I can be threatened?" Zhao Feng said with a smirk.
Though the two before him were undoubtedly beautiful, Zhao Feng was long past the age of being swayed just by a pretty face.
As the Crown Prince of the Great Qin and ruler of the world, he had seen countless women.
With a mere gesture, countless beauties would throw themselves at him.
Not just because of power but because of strength.
Celestial maidens?
Just pretty faces.
Showing mercy to women wasn't Zhao Feng's nature.
Of course
If they came to him willingly, he wouldn't refuse either.
"Don't!"
"Let her go!"
"I've lost. Do what you want with me, but she's innocent she only came because of me!" Yang Chan cried out anxiously.
"If anyone's to die, let it be me!" Ao Tingxin shouted in turn.
The two of them took turns speaking, clearly showing a bond that ran deep like sisters.
"Oh? Putting on a little sisterhood drama now?" Zhao Feng said with a faint smile.
Yang Chan and Ao Tingxin looked at Zhao Feng with a mixture of fear and unease.
At the end of the day
They truly were afraid he might kill them.
But to their surprise
Zhao Feng simply waved his hand, bringing the two of them to the cave he currently resided in.
He conjured a table and chairs out of thin air and took a seat.
"Let's talk about the Dragon Clan," Zhao Feng said, glancing at Ao Tingxin with a smile.
"What… what do you mean?" Ao Tingxin asked, confused.
"From what I know…"
"The Four Seas Dragon Clan isn't doing too well, is it?"
"Dragon heart, dragon liver, dragon meat aren't those the favorites of the celestial immortals above?" Zhao Feng asked again, casually.
At those words
Anger flickered across Ao Tingxin's face, along with a long-buried resentment.
"If you want to kill me, then do it! But don't humiliate me!" Ao Tingxin shouted in fury.
"If I wanted to humiliate you," Zhao Feng said with a smirk, "you'd already be lying here naked. After all, I've never ridden a dragon before."
"Of course"
"In my eyes, whether you're dressed or not makes no difference," he added, giving Ao Tingxin a slow, amused once-over.
"You…"
Ao Tingxin's expression changed.
Even though she was of the dragon clan, she was still a woman, after all.
"Does the dragon clan truly not wish to change?"
"Do you intend to remain nothing more than the celestial gods' appetizer? To let them slaughter you at will?" Zhao Feng's tone shifted as he asked in a low voice.
Ao Tingxin looked at him in confusion, not understanding why Zhao Feng was suddenly asking such a question.
But
After a brief internal struggle, Ao Tingxin spoke with unwillingness in her voice: "Change? How?"
"Our dragon clan is weak. Long gone are the days of our prime in the ancient era. If the Celestial Court wanted to wipe us out, it would be as easy as turning a hand."
"If we hadn't allowed ourselves to be used and slaughtered by the Celestial Court, our dragon clan would've been annihilated long ago," she said through gritted teeth.
"I'm not asking you how," Zhao Feng said in a deep voice, his expression solemn. "I'm asking you do you want change?"
Yang Chan, who was standing nearby, looked at Zhao Feng in astonishment.
"Change? And how would we do that?"
"Just relying on our dragon clan?"
She let out a bitter laugh.
But then
She seemed to finally understand something. Looking deeply at Zhao Feng, she asked, "Don't tell me… you plan to bring about that change?"
"You're currently wanted by the Celestial Court, hiding in the shadows. Even if you have quasi-saint-level strength, in the face of the Celestial Court, it's still not enough."
"You have no idea how powerful they truly are."
"The dragon clan has had quasi-saints before, yet even they couldn't stand against the Celestial Court. We could only endure it." Her voice was calm but bitter.
"I didn't ask for all this nonsense," Zhao Feng interrupted, eyes locked onto hers. "I asked does your dragon clan want change?"
His words struck a nerve.
"The dragon clan has suffered humiliation for countless years. If we could, we'd feast on the flesh and blood of celestial gods. Of course, we want change!" she growled through clenched teeth. "Is that answer good enough for you?"
"Very good," Zhao Feng replied with a satisfied smile.
"In the future, there will be a chance for change."
"The Celestial Court…"
"…is not invincible."
"And Haotian is not the sole ruler of the heavens," Zhao Feng said with a faint smile.
"What do you mean?" Ao Tingxin asked, staring at him.
"When you return," Zhao Feng replied, "tell the strongest elder in your clan: if they truly wish for change, they can meet me when the time is right."
"I will give the dragon clan dignity."
"I will give the dragon clan a chance to change."
"And I will give them a chance for revenge."
Zhao Feng's voice was low, firm, and powerful.
"You?" Ao Tingxin shook her head with a sarcastic smile. She didn't believe him.
Zhao Feng didn't argue.
He simply raised his hand.
A sword appeared in it.
And the moment that sword emerged
Ao Tingxin's entire body trembled. She felt a terrifying sword intent descend upon her, one sharp enough to slice her soul in two.
"The Xuanyuan Sword!" Yang Chan gasped.
Once upon a time, she had studied under a sage and seen many powerful treasures. She recognized it at a glance.
"The Xuanyuan Sword is the sacred weapon of the Human Sovereign how did it end up in your hands?" Yang Chan asked in shock.
"The disappearance of the sages doesn't mean the Human Sovereign has vanished."
"I," Zhao Feng said, lifting the Xuanyuan Sword high, his voice resonant, "stand as the Human Sovereign and represent the human race!"
As he held the sword, Yang Chan and Ao Tingxin both felt as if an ancient sovereign had returned.
"Our human race…"
"…has suffered under the rule of celestials and buddhas."
"We've been penned like livestock, our spiritual essence harvested, our flesh devoured, our souls controlled."
"Your dragon clan may be oppressed as well but you still have the strength to resist."
"Whereas the human race…"
"…has been completely caged."
"My opposition to the Celestial Court everything I do is for the sake of the human race," Zhao Feng declared in a solemn voice.
At that moment
After seeing the Xuanyuan Sword
Ao Tingxin's expression changed.
"To my knowledge," she said slowly, "the Human Sovereign is imprisoned in Huoyun Cave and cannot leave."
"Even if the Human Sovereigns support you what good is it if they can't leave?"
"If they could, would the human race be in such a state now?"
"They can't come out yet, doesn't mean they never will," Zhao Feng replied with a calm smile.
And just as he said this
Zhao Feng seemed to sense something.
"Enough."
"We've talked long enough."
"This jade slip can be used to contact me. When you return to your clan, if your dragon clan is willing we can speak again."
With a wave of his hand, a jade slip flew toward Ao Tingxin and landed on her.
"You're not going to kill me?" she asked in disbelief.
Zhao Feng chuckled, reaching out and lifting her chin. "How could I bear to kill such a beautiful she-dragon?"
Ao Tingxin's face flushed with a mix of shame and anger from the teasing but she quickly turned to glance at Yang Chan with concern.
She naturally understood that Zhao Feng's decision to spare her was likely due to his desire to win over the dragon clan as allies in his rebellion against the Celestial Court.
But Yang Chan was different.
She was human.
"If you truly let me go, I'm willing to speak with the elders of my clan," Ao Tingxin said seriously, "but you must not harm Chan'er."
Zhao Feng smiled again, then reached out and lifted Yang Chan's chin as well.
"You…"
Yang Chan blushed as she glared at Zhao Feng, gritting her teeth.
She had never been treated like this before.
Thinking back, she once nearly fell for a mere scholar during a moment of weakness. And that scholar was so beneath her it just showed how pure and inexperienced she was. Faced with Zhao Feng now, the shock to her heart and pride was unimaginable.
"Although she's reckless, she's still human and Yang Jian's younger sister at that," Zhao Feng said with a smile.
"I wouldn't kill her."
Then
With a wave of his hand, the Binding Immortal Rope recoiled, and both women were freed from their restraints, though the sealing talismans remained.
"You really won't kill us?"
Yang Chan was both ashamed and surprised.
"You're useful to me."
Zhao Feng smiled faintly, then looked outside the cave.
"Alright. You two stay here."
"Someone will be here to fetch you soon."
"And your savior has already arrived."
With a grin, Zhao Feng took a single step forward
And vanished right before their eyes.
"He let us go?" Ao Tingxin was still in a bit of a daze.
Yang Chan was no different.
But then
"Wait! He didn't return my Lotus Lantern!" Yang Chan suddenly panicked.
Without the Lotus Lantern, her strength was severely weakened!
Meanwhile, outside
High in the sky, a man clad in silver armor stood proudly above the clouds. He had three eyes, held a three-pointed, double-edged spear, and radiated a noble and awe-inspiring aura.
Beside him stood a large black dog.
Six powerful cultivators, all at least Daluo-level, stood at his side.
And behind them were 1,200 armored warriors exuding overwhelming killing intent grassroots gods. These warriors were stronger than regular heavenly soldiers, none below the realm of Celestial Immortals. Among them were even Golden Immortals and Taiyi Golden Immortals.
This was the retinue of the True Lord Erlang, Yang Jian.
A force capable of shaking heaven and earth.
Just then, a streak of light descended
Zhao Feng landed right in front of Yang Jian.
Seeing such a lineup, Zhao Feng merely smiled.
"True Lord Erlang, Yang Jian your name precedes you." Zhao Feng said with a calm smile.
"Zhao Feng."
Yang Jian's eyes fell on him, evaluating, but his expression was calm, with no trace of killing intent.
"Seems like True Lord already knows who I am," Zhao Feng said with a grin, his words layered with meaning.
If he meant that everyone knew Zhao Feng was wanted by Heaven, then sure it had spread throughout the Mortal Realm.
But to know his name meant only one thing: Nezha had told Yang Jian.
Clearly
Nezha had already spoken with him.
"By order of the Heavenly Emperor, I am here to apprehend you."
"Will you surrender quietly, or do you want me to act?"
Yang Jian raised his three-pointed spear and pointed it at Zhao Feng.
"I'm quite looking forward to a fight with True Lord Erlang," Zhao Feng replied, gripping his demonic sword and smiling.
The legendary Yang Jian Heaven's number one rebel, a quasi-saint.
The stronger the opponent, the stronger he got.
He was the original rebel against Heaven.
To Zhao Feng, a fight with someone like him would prove much about his strength.
"Very well."
"Everyone, fall back!"
Yang Jian gave a loud command.
The Six Devils of Meishan and the grassroot gods obeyed immediately, withdrawing from the area.
Then
Yang Jian stepped forward.
From the third eye on his forehead, a bolt of lightning burst forth, striking directly at Zhao Feng.
The moment it struck
Tens of thousands of miles of sky shattered instantly.
"The Heavenly Eye?"
"Perfect!"
Zhao Feng laughed loudly.
He raised his sword and slashed.
The sword's energy was like a rainbow
It met the thunderbolt head-on.
BOOM!
A violent clash tore through the heavens, the impact spreading in all directions.
The void for hundreds of thousands of miles trembled.
Thankfully, they fought above the sky had it been on land, everything below would have been reduced to rubble.
When gods fight, mortals suffer.
And this battle between Zhao Feng and Yang Jian was at an entirely different level.
"Excellent."
"Your strength is truly remarkable."
Yang Jian laughed heartily after Zhao Feng broke through his Heavenly Eye's lightning.
He immediately raised his spear.
Took a step forward
And appeared right above Zhao Feng, slashing downward.
What seemed like a simple strike carried the weight of rules and battle laws, sharp and unstoppable.
As the blade fell, the sky split apart, its brilliance like a meteor stretching across the heavens.
"Indeed, your path of body refinement has reached divine levels through the Eight-Nine Arcane Art."
"But I am not bound by a single path. I possess every attribute, and each one is as powerful as a focused cultivator."
"You want to fight with your body? Very well I'll crush you with mine!" Zhao Feng smirked.
His strength now was far from simple.
His physical body alone had reached the peak of a Great Witch.
Though he hadn't become a true Ancestral Witch, his body may have already surpassed Yang Jian's. Not to mention his full elemental enhancements.
Without hesitation
He raised his demonic sword and struck back.
BOOM!
Another earth-shaking collision.
Blade light clashed with sword glow
The entire sky was swallowed in their brilliance, their figures completely obscured.
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