Chapter 1796: Crimson Destruction Dragon God
"It seems we have thoroughly underestimated Yun Che, and also the Northern Divine Realm," said the Azure Dragon God. His blue hair fluttered, his eyes like the vast ocean, and his towering figure exuded a weight never before felt: "The destruction of Nanming in a single day is impossible not to make one's heart tremble."
"Setting aside the dual emperors of the Brahma Emperor, I cannot fathom what means Yun Che used to make the Primordial Dragon Clan not only break through the realms but also go all out to aid the demon race."
The Plain Heart Dragon God wore a simple white robe, her figure slender, her appearance ordinary, and her gaze indifferent. She exuded no aura of power or sharpness—a woman so plain that one would forget her at the sight. No one who saw her would ever believe she was one of the Nine Dragon Gods.
Compared to that, how the Primordial Dragon God managed to evade everyone's detection and appear above Nanming was a secondary matter.
"Cyan, Plain Heart, are you afraid?" asked the Azure Abyss Dragon God. His face was iron-green, his eyes filled with killing intent, and his cold dragon eyes seemed capable of unleashing a destruction that could annihilate everything.
"Hmph, the Dragon God Realm has never known the word 'fear,'" said the Azure Sky Dragon God. "The fall of Nanming was primarily due to the self-inflicted damage from the Abyss God Cannons. As for the Primordial Dragon Clan, although they dominate the Tai Chu Divine Realm, they have yet to pose a threat to our Dragon God Clan."
Eight Dragon Gods, forty-three Dragon Lords, three hundred eight Master Dragons, and above all, the supreme Dragon Emperor.
The Dragon God Clan had looked down upon all living beings since the end of the Divine Demon Era.
"It's not fear, but unavoidable worry." The Azure Dragon God glanced at Azure Abyss and Azure Sky: "I believe that before his death, Ashes was as dismissive of Yun Che as you are."
All the Dragon Gods' eyes turned cold.
Ashes' death—none of them could truly accept it even now.
"Regarding Ashes' words," said the Jade Dragon God, "do you have any leads?"
[Be wary of Yun Che's dragon soul] ... This was the only soul sound transmitted back by the Ashes Dragon God before his death.
A moment of silence. The Azure Dragon God spoke: "When the Dragon Emperor went to observe the Divine Mystery Conference in the Eastern Divine Realm, he once wanted to publicly adopt Yun Che as his foster son. I believe you all have asked the Dragon Emperor about this matter, but he never responded."
"Adding to that, Ashes' words this time," the Azure Dragon God slowly closed his eyes to conceal the turmoil within him, "the dragon soul Yun Che possesses is likely far more terrifying than we imagine."
He thought of a possibility but dared not voice it.
"Previously, because the Dragon Emperor was away, we could not act rashly." The Azure Dragon God's dragon eyes snapped open, his gaze piercing: "But with Ashes' death, we can no longer remain silent."
Under these words, the atmosphere in the sacred hall abruptly shifted. The surging Dragon God aura that erupted in that instant made every inch of space feel oppressively heavy.
Zhou Xuzi, who had been silent all along, also raised his head at this moment.
"These hands of mine have not been stained with blood for a long time," said the Purple Li Dragon God, half-closing her charming eyes, lazily playing with her fingers. Her five fingers were slender and white, and her long nails shimmered with a translucent, dazzling purple—not from external dye, but when she returned to her true form, her dragon claws would transform into the most beautiful and most terrifying purple crystal in this world.
"If not for avenging Ashes, I wouldn't even want to touch that filthy demon blood," she murmured somewhat plaintively, caressing her flawless long fingers.
"Now?" The White Rainbow Dragon God was the first to rise.
Just then, the airflow within the Dragon God Sacred Hall rippled slightly. The expressions of the Dragon Gods changed slightly, and they all looked northward.
Here, the place was filled with the dragon aura of the Seven Dragon Gods. To be able to stir such a presence from a distant place, in the Dragon God Realm, only one person besides the Dragon Emperor could do it.
"Big Brother!" All Seven Dragon Gods stood up, including the ever-languid Purple Li Dragon God, who also became solemn.
Amid their chorus of greetings, a figure in crimson armor appeared at the entrance of the sacred hall and in an instant approached them.
The man wore crimson armor, his hands covered in red scales, his brows like flame swords, and his eyes like molten lava. His body was not tall—among the Dragon Gods, he was only average—but when he stood before them, it was as if an unassailable towering mountain loomed.
The head of the Nine Dragon Gods of the Dragon God Realm... the Crimson Destruction Dragon God!
Though the Nine Dragon Gods had a ranking, they addressed each other by their titles. Only the Crimson Destruction Dragon God was respectfully called "Big Brother" by the other eight Dragon Gods, never daring to be discourteous.
Because in terms of seniority, experience, and strength, he was the foremost among the Nine Dragon Gods—absolutely foremost.
Long Fei—as early as two hundred thousand years ago, this was a name known to all in the divine realm. His fame was even greater than it was now.
At that time, he was the most powerful heir to the Dragon God Realm's throne. Unfortunately, halfway through, Long Bai appeared, aided by Shen Xi.
It could be said that if not for Long Bai and Shen Xi, the current Dragon Emperor would be Long Fei.
After losing to Long Bai, Long Fei devoted himself to assisting the new Dragon Emperor, becoming his most loyal Dragon God. To avoid letting his brilliance overshadow the Dragon Emperor or provoke his suspicion, he had hidden his edge for over twenty thousand years, rarely appearing, and had not truly fought in countless years.
After more than two hundred thousand years, the divine realm had undergone vicissitudes, and even the Divine Emperors of other king realms had changed generations. The name of Crimson Destruction still existed but had gradually been forgotten. He was the one who almost became the Dragon Emperor.
No one would have seen the faint contempt that flickered across his face when Qianye Fantian and Nan Wansheng competed for the title of the strongest Divine Emperor after the Dragon Emperor.
"Big Brother!" The Azure Sky Dragon God was the first to step forward: "Ashes is dead."
"I already know." The Crimson Destruction Dragon God's eyes rolled like molten lava, his voice deep as an abyss: "However, the matter of destroying Yun Che can wait a bit."
The Dragon Gods were startled. The Azure Dragon God quickly reacted: "Did you see the Dragon Emperor?"
"I found him," said the Crimson Destruction Dragon God, "but I did not see him."
After the upheaval in the Eastern Divine Realm, the Crimson Destruction Dragon God no longer hesitated and personally entered the Tai Chu Divine Realm.
In the Dragon God Realm, the Dragon Emperor's supreme status was unshakable, and his authority could not tolerate the slightest defiance or questioning. Therefore, without the Dragon Emperor's order, such a large-scale war at the divine realm level, even a Dragon God would not dare to decide on his own.
"What did the Dragon Emperor say?" the Azure Dragon God pressed.
"At the extreme depths of the Tai Chu Divine Realm, the Dragon Emperor sensed my presence but did not appear," the Crimson Destruction Dragon God said, his brow furrowed and voice deep. "I reported to him the calamity of Yun Che and the Northern Divine Realm, as well as the fall of the Eastern Divine Realm."
"The Dragon Emperor transmitted a response: he will return in two months. Before that, no disturbance, no rash action."
Two months... no rash action.
These words immediately bound the retaliatory plans the Dragon Gods had just been contemplating.
"Does the Dragon Emperor know about Ashes' death and what happened to the Nanming Divine Realm?" asked the Plain Heart Dragon God.
The Crimson Destruction Dragon God shook his head: "The Tai Chu Divine Realm is too far apart; the Dragon Emperor probably could not perceive Ashes' passing. I only learned of Ashes' death and the collapse of the Nanming Divine Realm on my way back."
"No, the difference is vast," the Plain Heart Dragon God said, her expression indifferent, her voice cold yet heavy. "You must return to the Tai Chu Divine Realm immediately and report anew to the Dragon Emperor."
She was certain that if the Dragon Emperor knew of Ashes' death and the destruction of Nanming, he would put aside his indifference and return in a furious rage.
The Crimson Destruction Dragon God frowned but did not respond immediately. Because before "no rash action," the Dragon Emperor had also said "no disturbance."
Just then, a dragon shadow flickered outside the sacred hall, quickly transforming into a humanoid form that passed through the array and fell to its knees, speaking urgently: "Greetings, esteemed Dragon Gods. An abnormality has arisen in the Southern Domain."
"Speak quickly!"
"Just now, the Canglan, Ziwei, and Xuanyuan realms simultaneously ordered a full-scale pursuit of the 'remnants' of Nanming."
"What!?" All the Dragon Gods' expressions turned grim.
Bang!!
"Outrageous!" The Crimson Destruction Dragon God's fists clenched tight.
And that simple action was like two volcanoes erupting. The instantaneous surge of air caused the dragon guard delivering the message to tremble violently, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth. Yet he remained in his kneeling posture, not daring to move.
"This is quite serious," the White Rainbow Dragon God said slowly. "In times of crisis, beings like king realms will certainly try every means to protect themselves—that is understandable. But to go so far as to abandon reputation and retreat... it can only mean they have been scared out of their wits."
"..." No one refuted.
"The information we received is rather vague and fragmented. But the three emperors of Canglan, Xuanyuan, and Ziwei were with Ashes in the Nanming Divine Realm, witnessing everything firsthand. To scare them to such an extent..." The White Rainbow Dragon God involuntarily took a deep breath. "The true picture is likely far more serious than we imagine."
"Hmph, in the end, it's all about fearing death. These human Divine Emperors are just a bunch of cowards in the face of calamity."
The Azure Sky Dragon God spoke with hatred, his expression turning quite ugly.
When the various realms of the Eastern Divine Realm had successively knelt before Yun Che under the threat of annihilation and collapsing faith, the Dragon Gods were not overly shocked—they mostly watched with cold amusement.
But the actions of the three king realms of the Southern Domain forced them to feel deep alarm.
"Big Brother, we cannot hesitate," said the Azure Abyss Dragon God.
Without lingering too long, the Crimson Destruction Dragon God slowly nodded and turned around: "I will go to the Tai Chu Divine Realm again. I hope the Dragon Emperor has not moved far."
At that moment, Zhou Xuzi, standing in the corner, suddenly saw a strange black light flicker in his old eyes.
By the time he raised his head, the black light had vanished without a trace: "Honored ones, before you re-enter the Tai Chu Divine Realm, allow this old man to say a word."
The Crimson Destruction Dragon God stopped and turned back: "Zhou Tian Shen Di, please speak."
Though Zhou Xuzi was now living under another's roof, he had once been a Divine Emperor and had been on good terms with the Dragon Emperor for many years. Thus, no one in the Dragon God Realm dared to slight him.
Zhou Xuzi sighed and said, "If we speak of hatred for Yun Che, perhaps all of you combined could not match even a ten-thousandth of mine. Every day and night, my only wish is to slice Yun Che into a thousand pieces."
These words—not only the Dragon Gods present, but anyone in the world would agree. The blood-drenched Zhou Tian Divine Realm, the seized Zhou Tian Pearl, the crazily slaughtered descendants and clan members, and even the founding ancestor...
Ten thousand times of misery would not be enough to describe it.
"But," Zhou Xuzi looked forward, his tone sincere, "asking the Dragon Emperor again is rather inappropriate."
"Please elaborate," said the Crimson Destruction Dragon God.
Zhou Xuzi spoke slowly: "The Dragon Emperor may not know of Ashes Dragon God's passing or the calamity in the Southern Divine Realm. But for the Dragon Emperor, is Yun Che bringing disaster from the Northern Divine Realm and the upheaval in the Eastern Divine Realm really a small matter that he can take lightly?"
The Eight Dragon Gods all fell silent. The Crimson Destruction Dragon God raised his fiery brows: "Could it be... that Zhou Tian Shen Di knows something?"
Zhou Xuzi shook his head: "What the Dragon Emperor is up to, none of you Dragon Gods have told me, so how could it fall to a fallen outsider like me?"
"However," Zhou Xuzi continued, "aside from the Dragon Empress, you should be the ones who understand the Dragon Emperor best. Let me ask you, esteemed Dragon Gods: in this world, what matter could make the Dragon Emperor so utterly disregard everything?"
Without much deliberation, the Azure Dragon God quickly replied: "In his twenty thousand years on the throne, the Dragon Emperor has not been fond of women, not sought external possessions, and not been fond of conflict. He is a man with very few desires."
"If there is one thing in this world that can stir his emotions greatly and make him 'disregard everything,' it is only the Dragon Empress."
Among all in the Dragon God Realm, only the Azure Dragon God knew what the Dragon Emperor was going to do this time. But under the Dragon Emperor's strict orders, he had never revealed a single word. After all, the Dragon Emperor's reaction at that time was too terrifying.
The other Dragon Gods also slowly nodded.
This was not only true for the Dragon God Realm; it was common knowledge throughout the higher planes of the divine realm.
The Dragon Empress was the reverse scale that the Dragon Emperor could never tolerate being touched. The Reincarnation Forbidden Land where the Dragon Empress resided was also the most inviolable forbidden ground in the Dragon God Realm, and even the entire divine realm.
But the Dragon Empress Shen Xi had been in seclusion in the Reincarnation Forbidden Land over the years. The Dragon Emperor personally announced this matter, strictly forbidding anyone from approaching within a thousand miles of the Reincarnation Forbidden Land, and even personally laid down a new barrier.
The barrier personally forged by the Dragon Emperor—its power could be imagined. Moreover, a strong dragon aura coiled around it. Not only was it impossible to break through, but whoever dared even to touch it slightly would be instantly detected by the Dragon Emperor.
This showed how much importance he placed on the Dragon Empress's current seclusion.
The Dragon Empress was in the Reincarnation Forbidden Land, and the Dragon Emperor had gone to the Tai Chu Divine Realm. There should be no connection between the two.