The Dragon Emperor turned his gaze upon his brother, his jade-green irises burning with barely restrained fury. His very presence crackled with raw power, his fists tightening at his sides.
But now was not the time to lash out. Not yet.
He exhaled sharply, forcing the rage to the depths of his mind, locking it away like a caged beast. There were more pressing matters at hand. This insult—this humiliation—would be dealt with in due time.
For now…
His voice rang out like a divine decree, echoing through the vast hall.
"Let the meeting begin."
At his words, a deafening thunderclap split the sky, and golden lightning ripped through the heavens like the fury of a god. The air itself trembled, and every soul present felt their hearts tighten in their chests.
The seven Dragon Tribe Leaders immediately took their seats, their faces solemn as they prepared for the gathering.
The Dragon Emperor gave them a nod of acknowledgment, but just as his gaze drifted toward the white stone step, his eyes narrowed.
Dai Long was absent.
And in that instant—his fury erupted.
FWOOOM!
A cataclysmic draconic pressure burst forth from his body. The very world seemed to darken as if reality itself bent beneath his wrath. Which was true in its own self. A great maelstrom of clouds swirled violently above the capital, forming a spiraling vortex that devoured the light.
The earth groaned and cracked beneath the weight of his unleashed power. In the distance, mountains crumbled into dust, obliterated by the sheer force of his aura. The land of the Dragon Realm was reshaped in mere moments, deep craters tearing into existence as the air itself vibrated with his dominance.
Terror.
It swept through the gathered masses like an unrelenting tide. Every citizen felt their knees buckle—no matter their strength, their bloodlines, or their status. Even the seven Dragon Tribe Leaders, beings of untold power, turned slightly pale under the weight of the Emperor's wrath.
In the presence of the Jade Dragon of Heaven, all lesser beings were reminded of their insignificance.
This was not just an Emperor.
This was a force of nature, a celestial sovereign whose very existence embodied the pinnacle of dragonkind. A monarch among monarchs, a ruler above rulers.
A symbol of the heavens' eternal might.
This understanding etched itself into the hearts of everyone present, an unshakable truth that none dared to question.
And yet, in this storm of overwhelming power, a select few remained untouched.
Yu Shenlong. Mo Li. Venerate Dong Mei. The old purple-eyed man in the skybox.
Their expressions remained impassive, their auras unfazed.
Even Mo Wujin, standing beside Mo Li, remained unbroken—but only because Mo Li's own presence shielded him from the Emperor's crushing force.
Aside from them, however, everyone else was rooted to the ground like statues, their bodies refusing to move.
And they all knew why.
This wasn't just a display of might. It was a declaration of humiliation.
Dai Long—the very man for whom this entire meeting had been arranged—was not even present.
What greater insult could there be?
But, of course, what else could be expected? Dai Long was a Sage.
A Dragon Sage.
There were only ten known cultivators in the Dragon Realm who had ascended to such a level—and that number was merely what was known. The true number remained an unfathomable mystery.
And more importantly—You could not dictate a Sage's actions.
No decree, no demand, no order could ever bind a being of such unfathomable power. Not unless one was prepared to risk the annihilation of their entire race. Perhaps even their entire universe.
To demand obedience from a Sage… was to court destruction.
Mo Li, witnessing the Emperor's spectacle, scoffed internally.
Childish.
A simple speech would have sufficed—a few words of morale, some minor updates on the state of the Dragon Realm—until the Dragon of the Eclipse finally arrived.
That's all.
Yu Shenlong, Venerate Dong Mei, and the old purple-eyed man in the skybox all shared the same sentiment.
But what could they do? Cai Shenlong was the Dragon Emperor.
And some things—even if foolish—had to be allowed.
Yet, within the storm of his rage, Cai Shenlong saw an opportunity.
His original plan had been simple—drag his brother's reputation through the mud. To shatter his remaining prestige, to paint him as an unreliable figure, to force the undecided Dragon Tribes into submission.
And now?
Now, it was all ruined!
Because of Dai Long's absence, his declaration of getting an answer from a Sage had all gone up into smoke.
Originally, he had wanted to make Dai Long answer him. To show off his prestige infront of the entire world.
But now he needed to quickly shift the blame.
The Dragon Emperor exhaled slowly, his emerald-green eyes dark and unreadable. He clenched his fists, but there was nothing he could do at this moment.
He was only a late-stage Heavenly Venerate, after all.
In the grand scheme of things, he was nothing more than a weed caught in the wind—powerful, yes, but still subject to forces greater than himself.
All he could do… was go with the flow.
But fortune had finally smiled upon him. His brother—the infamous Sage Dai Long—had finally lost control.
Rumors spread like wildfire. Dai Long had rushed out of the Dragon Realm, abandoning his post, enraged over something no one fully understood.
It was a scandal waiting to happen.
His brother's reputation had already been stained over the years. His isolation, his disregard for politics, his unwillingness to bend to courtly expectations—these things had made him unpopular among many.
Now, the Dragon Emperor had a chance to break him completely.
If he could destroy Dai Long's reputation—if he could make the realm see him as reckless, unstable, unworthy—then the fear and respect his brother commanded would slowly erode.
And when that happened, a borrowed knife would surely appear in his hands.
He didn't have to kill his brother himself.
If he could make the world turn against Dai Long, another Sage would do it for him.
But, as always, his plans had crumbled to dust. The younger, more naive members of the court might not see it, but the elders—the seasoned warriors, the cunning tacticians—they knew.
They had seen through his petty machinations the moment he opened his mouth.
He was losing control of the room. And that meant he needed a scapegoat. His shimmering jade eyes flickered across the grand hall, searching, calculating. First, they landed on his brother, Yu Shenlong, who merely shrugged in response.
The Dragon Emperor's anger flared.
Then, his gaze swept toward the skyboxes where the elders sat in silent judgment.
"There."
A slow smirk curled his lips. His eyes locked onto an old man with deep purple eyes.
Ao Lian.
One of Dai Long's advisors.
The man who had relayed the summons for Dai Long to appear today.
The perfect target.
The Dragon Emperor straightened his posture, his expression twisting into a mask of righteous fury.
His voice boomed across the hall like the roar of a dragon.
"Ao Lian."
The room fell into silence.
In the skybox, Ao Lian sighed through his nose, already knowing what was about to happen.
Of course. It had to be him.
He rose to his feet, cupping his hands together in a formal bow.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The Dragon Emperor's sneer deepened.
"What? Have you forgotten how to approach the White Step?
He gripped the arm rest of his throne as he voice boomed. "Should I help you?!"
FAWAMMM!
An invisible force slammed into Ao Lian, swallowing him whole.
A crushing wave of pure draconic might descended upon him, an unfathomable pressure forcing the very air around him to tremble.
The other elders staggered back, their faces contorting with strain as they scrambled away from the suffocating aura.
But Ao Lian—Ao Lian had nowhere to run.
His bones groaned under the weight. His veins pulsed and constricted, burning as though molten iron had been poured into them. His joints cracked, the sound ringing in his ears like war drums.
The Dragon Emperor's voice rang out like a blade.
"If I'm not mistaken, Ao Lian, I sent Official Lun Zi to inform you that your lord was to be here on time. Correct?!"
Ao Lian clenched his teeth, ready to speak—
But the Dragon Emperor didn't let him.
The pressure doubled.
Ao Lian's robes began to fray, the very fabric withering under the sheer force pressing against him.
His face darkened, his blood boiling from the intensity. His knees threatened to buckle, his body screaming in agony.
And still—no one moved.
Even Mo Li remained silent.
Even Yu Shenlong—who merely rubbed his temple, annoyed by the display.
It might have impressed the younger generation, but to the seasoned warriors, this was nothing but desperation.
A ruler who resorted to public humiliation to assert dominance was not a ruler at all.
Yu Shenlong let out a quiet sigh.
"Foolish."
Yet, the Dragon Emperor was too blinded by his own arrogance to see it.
He pushed harder, increasing the pressure to the point that space itself began to warp around Ao Lian. At this point, Ao Lian knew the truth.
The Dragon Emperor had already made up his mind. There was nothing he could say, no excuse he could give, that would change the outcome.
But that was fine.
Because Ao Lian didn't care.
Through the pain, through the weight of an entire bloodline pressing down on him, his lips curled into a wicked smile. And despite the agony, despite the trembling of his broken body—
He forced himself to look up. Straight into the Emperor's eyes.
A defiant stare.
A challenge.
It was a mockery. The gathered crowd gasped lightly, in fear of drawing the Dragon Emperors wrath.
Even Yu Shenlong lifted his gaze in mild surprise.
But then—he felt it.
It something was coming from above.
CRACK!
The skybox trembled. The air shifted.
A chill slithered through the room, subtle at first—then suffocating. And then, high above—a black dot appeared against the setting sun.
The Dragon Emperor, lost in his own fury, did not notice.
He did not see his brother's gaze snap toward the sky, he did not feel the temperature plummet, did not hear the whispers of space groaning under an unseen force.
But the rest of the room did.
Ao Lian, now on his knees, bloodied and broken, forced himself to smile even wider.
The Dragon Emperor, still blind to the shift in reality, prepared to unleash his full wrath upon Ao Lian— To end him.
To erase a loyal servant of Dai Long.
But….It was too late.
A voice, distant yet absolute, shattered the heavens.
"Enough."