The Lord of Iron Dragon City was both shocked and furious. He never expected that his eldest son, ‘Iron Dragon Yunshan,’ who had already reached the late-stage Divine Emperor realm, would cry for help within his own mansion and be captured so swiftly.
“And I didn’t even sense the slightest disturbance of battle. It seems it ended without even a fight?” The Lord of Iron Dragon City couldn’t believe it. He was right inside the mansion—if there had been a real battle, how could the commotion have escaped his notice?
“Lord of Iron Dragon City,” Dongbo Xueying spoke.
“Who are you?” the lord said coldly. “Scheming against my son—what do you truly want?”
In the lord’s eyes, the other party must have planned this long in advance to silently capture his late-stage Divine Emperor son. And now that he had been taken, the real target was likely the Lord of Iron Dragon City himself.
“Speak! Whatever you want, just say it,” the lord said icily. “I advise you not to harm my son in the slightest, or I will never let you go.”
Dongbo Xueying shook his head. “Lord of Iron Dragon City, I truly had no scheme against your son—nor against you. Everything was brought upon himself by your son.”
“Hmph.” The lord sneered. “Enough of this. What will it take for you to release my son?”
“Release him? Very well—treasures worth a hundred thousand Meta Crystals,” Dongbo Xueying stated. “Hand over that much, and I will let him go.”
The eldest son of Iron Dragon Manor had forcibly seized treasures before, but he had no intention of killing. Given that, Dongbo Xueying was naturally willing to spare his life. However… though the treasures on the young master had already been taken, the loss might sting him deeply. But for the Lord of Iron Dragon City, it was likely only a fraction of his wealth.
They needed to feel the pain.
“Treasures worth a hundred thousand Meta Crystals?” The lord was slightly surprised. Though it pained him, he was more shocked by how ‘low’ the demand was. He had expected something far more severe—perhaps forcing him to act on some task.
“If I give them to you, can you guarantee my son’s release?” the lord asked darkly.
“You have no choice,” Dongbo Xueying replied.
Gritting his teeth, the lord flicked his wrist, sending a storage bracelet flying toward Dongbo Xueying. Catching it, Xueying sensed its contents and couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. As expected of a powerhouse ranked seventh on the Divine Emperor List—his accumulated treasures were vast. Even with the spoils taken from the young master, the total loss of over a hundred thousand Meta Crystals must have dealt a heavy blow to the lord’s wealth.
“Here you go.” Dongbo Xueying casually tossed the captive Iron Dragon Yunshan back.
The lord swiftly caught his son, who gradually regained consciousness. Only then did the lord relax, immediately storing his son within a pocket-dimension treasure.
Then, his gaze turned back to Dongbo Xueying, his killing intent thickening, a cold smirk tugging at his lips. “You truly have nerve. I thought you’d flee beyond the city before daring to return my son. Yet here you are, handing him over right inside my Iron Dragon Manor? It seems you’re quite confident.”
“Indeed. Since achieving my current level of cultivation, I’ve yet to truly test myself against a peak Divine Emperor,” Dongbo Xueying said with a faint smile. “Since the opportunity presents itself, I thought to exchange a few moves with the Lord of Iron Dragon City.”
“Oh? Hahaha—” The lord laughed, his voice shaking the surrounding void like rolling thunder. “Daring to face me in battle? Then let me see just how capable you are.”
In an instant, the entire Iron Dragon Manor was engulfed in surging energy.
Array formations activated.
Countless bolts of lightning coiled around them, sealing off the area. Clearly, the lord had no intention of letting their battle’s shockwaves harm the others in the manor.
“Come.” The lord stared at Dongbo Xueying, too proud to suppress him with the manor’s formations. At the same time, the lord’s body began to transform—his robes vanished, replaced by layers of black scales covering his skin. Even his face bore scales, while two curved horns sprouted from his head. From the base of his spine, a six-to-seven-meter-long scaled tail unfurled.
His legs thickened, bending in reverse joints.
His hands morphed into razor-sharp claws.
At this moment, the Lord of Iron Dragon City resembled an upright draconic beast. His scaled body was enveloped in layers of power—an inner layer of colorless energy, a middle layer of blood-red force, and an outermost layer that crackled violently, causing the surrounding void to continuously collapse and regenerate. His aura erupted fully, shaking the very heavens.
“A semi-Meta lifeform, yet few possess a physique as formidable as yours, Lord of Iron Dragon City,” Dongbo Xueying praised. “Truly worthy of being ranked second in close combat within the Divine Realm.”
In overall strength, the lord ranked seventh. But in direct combat, he was second only to the Lord of Cloud Phoenix City.
“You wished to spar with me? Claimed your cultivation had reached new heights and sought a test? Choosing me was your greatest folly.” The moment the lord finished speaking, though his body remained still, his tail lashed out with terrifying speed.
As it whipped through the air, the tail expanded violently.
The sheer force compressed the void into overlapping layers, some of which even cracked, revealing the golden lightning beyond the Divine Realm’s membrane.
The scaled tail, now colossal, swept toward Dongbo Xueying with overwhelming ferocity—so savage that even Xueying felt a pang of alarm.
*Hum.*
A terrifying illusionary realm instantly enveloped the Lord of Iron Dragon City with but a thought.
The lord felt as though an immense world was violently dragging at his soul. Having cultivated to this level, his soul and willpower were extraordinary, allowing him to resist—but barely. The illusory world continuously assailed his soul, sending waves of excruciating pain, as though countless blades were slicing into his very essence. The agony was unbearable, forcing him to divert most of his focus to resist, leaving little to confront the mysterious foe before him.
The once-devastating tail strike weakened drastically, its technique growing crude.
*Boom.*
Dongbo Xueying waved his right hand, summoning layers of spatial barriers that effortlessly deflected the now-diminished attack.
“The third killing move of the Illusory Realm of Emptiness is indeed formidable. The late-stage Divine Emperor young master barely clung to consciousness before succumbing,” Dongbo Xueying mused inwardly.
The Divine Emperor realm was a vast tier, but the disparity in soul and willpower among its practitioners wasn’t extreme. Back in the Heart Realm Continent, his earlier illusory techniques could already subdue some mid-stage Divine Emperors (equivalent to Divine General rank). Now, with the third killing move, his power had undergone a qualitative leap—several times stronger. Most late-stage Divine Emperors would likely fall instantly.
As for peak Divine Emperors, judging by the Lord of Iron Dragon City’s weakened strikes, his strength had dropped by seventy to eighty percent.
“What kind of technique is this…?”
The lord felt a surge of dread.
The torment was unbearable.
His soul was being dragged relentlessly into an endless illusory world. He knew that once he succumbed, it would be over. He had to resist with everything he had, leaving only scraps of focus to fight. Even his control over his own body grew hazy—his soul could no longer perfectly command his mighty physique, rendering his techniques sloppy.
*Boom.*
The white-robed man didn’t even draw his sword, merely striking the lord’s claw with a palm.
The impact sent the lord stumbling back several steps, strange forces worming their way into his body.
“Array reinforcement!” The lord could no longer afford pride. Despite his status as the seventh-ranked Divine Emperor, he had initially disdained using the manor’s formations—at his level, ordinary arrays offered negligible boosts. Even his stronghold’s formations provided minimal aid. But now, he had no choice. Any advantage was worth taking.
*Rumble—*
The power of multiple arrays surged. Some enveloped the lord’s body, while others sought to suppress Dongbo Xueying. “No good—I can’t even control the arrays properly now!”
Most of his focus was spent resisting the soul-dragging illusion.
The remnants of his will were split between fighting and manipulating the arrays. Though the Iron Dragon Manor’s formations were intricate and powerful, his weakened mind could only harness a fraction of their might.
“Where did such a monster come from? How did my son provoke someone like this?” The Lord of Iron Dragon City felt a pang of desperation. Never had he imagined that within his own mansion, he would find himself in such dire straits.
…
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage