"The Bohai Dragon Palace's gifts are far too generous. I really cannot accept them in good conscience," Yi Tianxing said calmly. Although these items were indeed rare aquatic treasures hardly seen on land, they weren't enough to make him feel compelled.
"Nonsense. These are merely greeting gifts. For King Yi to agree to open a land-sea trade route is of immense benefit to our Bohai Aquatic Clan. This is a win-win cooperation," Ao You replied with a smile.
It had to be said—being born of dragon lineage—her demeanor exuded nobility and composure.
Yet the look in her eyes toward Yi Tianxing carried something else. A strange feeling welled up within her. Even with her identity as a pure-blooded dragon, she felt an inexplicable sense of deference before Yi Tianxing. It was almost as if… she instinctively acknowledged him as superior, even developing a kind of reverence.
This feeling had no logical basis—as if it came from bloodline resonance itself. It was a sense of being naturally beneath him, but curiously, it didn't evoke resistance. It simply felt... right.
"What is going on? Why do I feel as if King Yi is nobler than I am? That I should respect him? Could he have dragon blood within him? If so, his bloodline density and grade must be higher than mine… but if that were true, he wouldn't be human. He'd be a dragon."
The thought crossed Ao You's mind like a flash of lightning.
Yet no matter how she examined him, she couldn't detect any trace of dragon blood within Yi Tianxing. And still, that mysterious resonance remained. This left her utterly puzzled.
"Very well. I'll accept these gifts," Yi Tianxing finally said after a brief pause. Seeing that refusal would only cause offense, he accepted the spiritual herbs. Gifts could be returned later with proper courtesy.
"King Yi, do you… have dragon blood within you?" Ao You couldn't help but voice her curiosity.
"Why does the Seventh Princess ask that?" Yi Tianxing replied, glancing at her calmly. "This king's blood is purely human. I have no dragon lineage. There's no reason to lie about such a thing."
"Then why do I feel such a deep closeness to you?" Ao You asked in confusion.
Yi Tianxing only chuckled, giving no real answer.
In his heart, however, he had already formed a theory.
"Ao You is a pure-blooded dragon. If she senses something, then it must be real. The only thing related to dragons within me is the 'Heavenly Emperor's Dragon Subjugation Sutra' (天帝御龙经). This was evolved by combining the Dragon Subjugation Sutra I birthed from the heavens and earth with the Soul Insight Sutra, creating a supreme cultivation technique unique to me. It aligns with the Ancestral Dragon. As the Heavenly Emperor, I command dragons to serve me. Even true dragons must submit. I have already condensed the Heavenly Emperor Dharma Body. Its suppressive power over dragonkind is beginning to manifest."
This was no ordinary technique. As a true celestial scripture, it stood at the very pinnacle from its inception. The concept was vast—Heavenly Emperor reigning above all, even above true dragons.
And now, its effects were beginning to show.
Even Ao You, a pure-blooded dragon, instinctively responded to its aura. What of the lesser dragonkin and mixed breeds? They would only feel this influence more acutely.
The scripture contained the Ancestral Dragon as the object of visualization, a Chaotic Dragon Transformation Pool, and the Heavenly Emperor's Dragon Subjugation Mandala as its fate diagram. It was only natural that its resonance was profound.
Sensing that Yi Tianxing had no desire to continue the topic, Ao You fell silent.
ROAR!!!
Suddenly, a majestic dragon's roar echoed across the entire territory of the Great Yi Dynasty.
Above Xuanhuang City, within the sea of fortune clouds, the golden five-clawed flood dragon began to surge, unleashing a roar that shook the heavens. Though still technically a flood dragon, the aura it exuded rivaled that of a true dragon. Since the founding of the Destiny Dynasty, the golden dragon had grown from just nine zhang long to over ninety zhang.
With the Great Yi's prosperity, its fortune increased by the day. Citizens lived in peace, and with the fortunes brought back from the Divine Demon Battlefield, the fortune dragon's growth was nothing short of astonishing. Recent events—such as the success of the imperial examination and the integration of tens of millions of troops—had made Great Yi stronger than ever.
As a result, the golden fortune flood dragon had undergone multiple transformations.
Now, suspended in the air, it looked like a titanic being of gold. Each of its scales gleamed vividly, exuding majesty.
Everyone within the borders of Great Yi—no matter where they were—could sense it. Not just see it with their eyes, but with their very souls.
Even the underground city of anonymity could feel its presence.
"The Fortune Dragon has grown so large… once it breaks a hundred zhang, it might become a true dragon," Ao You murmured in awe.
"What's going on? Why is the Fortune Dragon manifesting like this? It normally hides within the fortune sea, rarely showing itself unless absolutely necessary," many citizens whispered in confusion.
The Fortune Dragon was the embodiment of Great Yi's national destiny—a source of strength and belief for all citizens.
Yi Tianxing, of course, sensed it sooner than anyone.
"There's danger. The Fortune Dragon senses an immense threat. It's gazing west… outside the borders of Great Yi. Could it be a powerful enemy?"
With a thought, Yi Tianxing's divine sense entered the Hall of Ten Thousand Immortals in the sea of fortune, merging with the seated Fortune Dharma Body.
As if one and the same, he looked west—and what he saw made his heart grow heavy.
"That's the territory of the beastman tribes… and the direction of the Behemoth Clan."
He could see it clearly: a massive surge of beastman fortune, rising like war smoke. Pressure and oppression filled the air, sweeping across the land.
At that moment, on the Beast Plains, a towering golden city rose into the heavens.
Its walls stretched dozens of zhang high, imposing and indomitable. Soldiers patrolled in dense numbers—wolfmen, kobolds, minotaurs—almost every beastkin race imaginable.
And atop the walls stood massive Behemoth warriors, radiating ferocious power capable of shattering the world.
Outside the city, legions of beastkin armies formed into grand square formations, their numbers overwhelming. The entire region's beast tribes had gathered here.
At the center of the city stood a colossal stone sacrificial altar.
Upon it stood the golden-skinned Behemoth King, Mong Wudi, holding a mysterious blood pool inscribed with arcane runes. All eyes turned toward him.
"Fellow beastkin of all tribes! Today, I, Behemoth King Mong Wudi, summon the beast tribes of the world. To prevent our people from suffering at the hands of other races… to grow stronger and survive in these chaotic times… I hereby declare the founding of the Beastman Royal Court! May all beastkin aid me in this endeavor!"
With his declaration, Mong Wudi lifted the blood pool high. It rapidly expanded to tremendous size.
"Today, we swear a blood oath alliance, and forge the Beastman Royal Court!"
With no hesitation, he drew a golden blade and cut open his wrist, letting golden blood stream out.
The blood pool, glowing ominously, absorbed it instantly.
"By blood, we swear! Let Mong Wudi be the sole ruler of the Beastman Royal Court! Heaven and Earth bear witness!"
All around the altar, tribal elders and chieftains unsheathed their blades and did the same—sacrificing their blood to the pool.
One after another…
Even the warriors and citizens of the beast tribes joined in from every corner of the plains. Wherever there was beastkin blood, it was drawn into the pool.
BOOM!!
As rivers of blood poured in, the pool underwent a shocking transformation. Golden flames erupted from within, igniting it into a blazing inferno—a Bloodfire Pool.