Ch. 1564 - Ancient Dragon God-Empire’s Pressure

“I’ll help you,” Deng Linyu said as she turned around.

Seeing that Xiao An’an was moving too slowly, she reluctantly stepped forward and pushed the wheelchair herself, quickly heading toward the sect gate.

When they arrived at the gate, they saw a massive divine dragon ship hovering in the sky. The vessel floated in the void, exuding waves of draconic might, its dragon head looking almost alive as it faced True Martial Sect.

“I don’t know why the Ancient Dragon God-Empire has come here today,” Wang Hengzhi said, his face changing slightly when he saw the ship. “What business do you have with us?”

He understood immediately that the other side hadn’t come with good intentions.

A figure stepped down from the dragon ship, walking through the air. He wore a golden dragon robe, though strictly speaking, the embroidery was only of a flood dragon; true dragon robes could only be worn by the Grand Emperors of the Ancient Dragon God-Empire. Two horns grew from the man’s head, marking him as someone with dragon blood and not a human.

He stood in the air, his aura rippling around him with thunderous booms. His eyes shone with draconic authority as he spoke.

“People of True Martial Sect. It’s time to pay your protection fee.”

“Didn’t we just pay a few months ago?” Wang Hengzhi replied. “We agreed it was once a year.”

The so-called protection fee was humiliating. Ever since the destruction of the former True Martial Sacred Ground, the land that had once been a celestial treasure ground, rich with energy nearly turning into substance, had been ruined. It was said someone drained the celestial veins, leaving behind a wasteland.

Wang Hengzhi brought the disciples here to rebuild True Martial Sect, but by then the Ancient Dragon God-Empire had already claimed this region as its territory. They harassed the sect endlessly, forcing Wang Hengzhi to pay “protection” just to stop the trouble.

At the peak of the old True Martial Sacred Ground, the Ancient Dragon God-Empire wouldn’t have even been qualified to carry their shoes, let alone extort them. Only the Ten God-Clans would have had the authority to speak with them. But now, the fallen tiger was being bullied.

The airborne man sneered. “We set the rules for the protection fee. It is now collected monthly.”

“A monthly payment? Where would we get that kind of money?” Wang Hengzhi trembled with anger. “You’re pushing us too far!”

“No money? Then leave this land. That’s your problem, not ours,” the man said flatly. “Will you pay or not? If not, you’ll be expelled today.”

“Ocean Dragon Prince, you’re doing this on purpose,” Wang Hengzhi snapped, realizing the man had come spoiling for trouble.

“Yes, I came to cause trouble. What of it?” Ocean Dragon Prince said arrogantly. “This land belongs to the Ancient Dragon God-Empire. I’ll handle it however I want.”

Wang Hengzhi tried to speak again, but a nearby elder stopped him.

“Sect Master, don’t be impulsive. Their Grand Sorcerer, Situ, could destroy us alone.”

True Martial Sect was weak now, so weak that anyone could bully them. Their strongest, Elder Changliu, was only at the God Meridian Realm. He had once fought Situ and was defeated, and now, with his life nearing its end, he remained sealed away. No one knew how long he had left.

If he died, the sect would be in even greater danger. Perhaps extinction.

Trying to calm Wang Hengzhi down, the Second Elder stepped forward and said with a forced smile, “Ocean Dragon Prince, we will pay. But can you give us some time?”

“I’m not unreasonable. Three days,” Longhai said. “If you don’t hand over the money in three days, get out. If you don’t leave, I’ll kill you.”

He jumped back onto the dragon ship. The massive vessel roared and shot through the void, vanishing from sight.

…

Once they were far out of view, Ocean Dragon Prince returned inside the ship with a sycophantic smile and approached a black-robed figure sitting cross-legged in a corner.

Though the man didn’t release any overt pressure, simply sitting there made him feel like the center of the world, radiating an invisible oppression.

Ocean Dragon Prince tiptoed toward him. “My lord, I told them. Three days. Either they pay or they’re gone.”

The black-robed man nodded slightly. With a casual flick of his hand, a genuine dragon scale flew toward Ocean Dragon.

“Your reward.”

Ocean Dragon Prince bowed repeatedly, accepted the scale, and retreated.

When he was gone, the robed figure slowly raised his head. His features were youthful and handsome, looking no older than twenty, completely at odds with the depth and stillness he radiated.

He produced an incense burner and lit three sticks. As smoke curled upward, the void twisted, revealing three more black-robed figures.

“How’s the situation, Chilian?” one asked.

“I’ve already begun investigating Xingliang,” the man replied.

The three figures, all wearing black robes that hid their faces, murmured among themselves. One sounded like an old man.

“Last night, the stars shone unusually bright. True Martial Sacred Ground has been destroyed for so long, yet I’ve never seen that kind of omen. Can a dead sect revive itself?”

“Don’t forget, the item still hasn’t been found,” one of them said.

“Or maybe that thing was never with the True Martial Sect to begin with,” another argued. “Or someone took it before the destruction.”

“No matter what, this time True Martial Sect must be wiped out completely. Not a single root left behind. But before that, we must locate the item. Don’t kill everyone at once. Someone may know a lead.”

Their debate continued until the incense-lighting young man cut them off.

“Enough. I’ll infiltrate True Martial Sect myself. Give me three months. If I still haven’t found anything, we’ll end this by force.”

“Fine, Chilian. Don’t disappoint us.”

Their forms vanished as the incense went out. The young man stored the burner away and sat motionless like a meditating monk.

…

Inside True Martial Sect, the atmosphere was filled with anger.

“This is outrageous!”

“We should just fight them!”

“Don’t be reckless. Staying alive matters more. Think about a solution first.”

“What solution? Where are we supposed to get the protection fee?”

“Should we borrow from the Sage Heaven God-Empire?”

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