Chapter 1188: Switching Sides

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The screen of light from the matrix crumbled when the rise was made. It was as if something was broken. Blinding light was then seen showering below.

Countless eyes in the castles were all focused at one single spot—the place where the five stood above the crimson dragon. Yu Sheng drew a great majority of the attention.

All five of them rose from the Rising Dragon Platform.

The rules of the Rising Dragon Platform at the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon said anyone capable of breaking out of the opening was considered to have succeeded.

A sacred beast level demon saint was guarding the place, and without its permission, none who were deemed qualified were allowed to make it through the opening.

The crimson dragon deemed that the other three were inadequate, while only Yu Sheng and Ye Wuchen made the cut.

However, Yu Sheng managed to fling a demon saint away using his overwhelming strength, barging outside with all of the other four.

No one dared to do something like that in the past.

What Yu Sheng did right there was challenging the rules, and yet, he was still playing by the rules.

That crimson dragon glared at Yu Sheng, having the great urge to chomp down on him and swallow him right there and then.

It was an insult like none other!

The dragon was actually flung away by a challenger of the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon, whom it was tasked to guard against. The higher-ups were probably going to blame the dragon for slacking off.

However, that man’s strength was comparable to a saint’s, as it would not have been able to fling something with its size away otherwise.

Furthermore, his defense capacity was infinitely near that of a saint’s as well. The flames of the great path were unable to burn him down, after all.

Yu Sheng lowered his head and looked at the dragon. There was no fear to be found in those pitch-black eyes of his. The dragon refused to let them pass, so he resorted to doing it the hard way instead.

“You really are something.” A voice was heard from the crimson dragon before it headed below. The image on the ground lit up. It went into the matrix and disappeared.

The saint who had been announcing the rules previously appeared once again in the air. He looked at all five of them and took out five tags, which he then handed to them. “Congratulations. These are the Rising Dragon Tags. Hold onto them.”

Regardless of what methods they used to achieve the objective, they had played by the rules of the Crimson Dragon Realm, and it was only the outcome that mattered.

Yu Sheng and the rest put their tags away, and many below Saint Plane looked at them with envious eyes.

With Rising Dragon Tags in their hands, they were able to join the Crimson Dragon Army anytime if they were willing.

Everyone who made it through the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon was awarded a Rising Dragon Tag.

That saint who gave them the tags did not explain what the tags were for. Anyone in Crimson Dragon Realm would have known anyway. There was no need to elaborate.

It was given that they were the ones participating in the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon.

The saint who handed them the Rising Dragon Tag, scanned the castles and left soon after.

One silhouette after another was seen taking to the air from the platform, heading for the castles. They were all people who survived on the battlefield.

As for those perished, people would go to pick up their bodies.

The Battle of the Sleeping Dragon had about a quarter of its participants die. The death count was very harrowing, and it served as a testament to the battle’s brutality.

Furthermore, those were all top-notch fighters, to begin with. However, there was always someone stronger.

For instance, Yu Sheng managed to overpower extremely formidable ones, like Yan Tong and Zhuo Xu.

Yu Sheng and the others headed to where the ones from Qianye City were. Ye Futian and the others were able to sense many cold eyes clearly, and they did not seem friendly.

In truth, Yu Sheng had gone easy on everyone during the later stages of the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon, instead of being as brutal as he could have been.

Yan Tong and the others had been out to kill Yu Sheng right from the start, yet Yu Sheng pummeled them to the ground instead of killing them.

Regardless, both Flaming Prison City and the Black Flame clan had invested a great deal in the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon. The losses they suffered were harrowing.

All of that happened because Yu Sheng showed up.

Other than that, the group of mighty ones from Tianyin City, who had been out to kill Xu Que earlier, including Bai Qianluo of the city lord’s office, were all cut down by Yu Sheng.

All of that made for a score that remained to be settled.

“Rest assured, Brother Ye, the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon has been held for many years, and all participants were participating out of their own will. They knew that there would be casualties, and there were grudges. But then again, most forces were still able to tell that they were inferior, so even if there were grudges, since Yu Sheng and the others were participating as representatives of Qianye City, those forces will not go wage wars between cities.”

Shen Jun spoke to Ye Futian with an amicable tone, appearing friendly.

Ye Futian looked at him and was thinking that Shen Jun was a snake for having duped Yu Sheng into participating in the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon.

If he were to lose, there was the risk of dying.

If he were to win, he would have definitely offended someone.

If they offended someone, they would need protection from Qianye City to ensure their safety, as the cities in Crimson Dragon City had come to some consensus a long time ago. The Battle of the Sleeping Dragon had been held for too many years, after all.

Unless there was a party proving capable of gobbling up other cities, wars would not happen.

But then again, there was still another option—joining the Crimson Dragon Army.

“Thank you for your hospitality, young city lord,” Ye Futian smiled and said.

“That would be my duty as host. Yu Sheng and the others performed perfectly this time. Qianye City will be able to reap benefits for having you all participate in the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon. I should be the one thanking you instead, Brother Ye. I shall throw a feast for all forces in Qianye City when I return and introduce you to them, welcoming you to the city once again,” Shen Jun said with a smile.

A peculiar look was seen deep in Ye Futian’s eyes.

Shen Jun seemed to have been a lot more polite.

And he seemed to have been more sincere.

He had previously duped them into participating in the event, and yet he made it clear that Qianye City had something to gain from it.

If things had gone that far, Ye Futian was ready to keep playing along.

“Right. I see that Yu Sheng, Huang Jiuge, and the others are practicing different arts. It seems like my speculation before had proven erroneous. I take it that you all are not of the same force, Brother Ye?” Shen Jun asked in a probing manner.

Due to Ye Futian and Yaya being sword wielders, and later seeing Ye Wuchen and Xu Que being swordsmen as well, Shen Jun thought all of those people came from some top-notch holy land of the sword in Emperor Xia’s Realm.

“Most of us are, and there are some who are friends coming on the same trip,” Ye Futian smiled and said. Most of them came from the Holy Zhi Palace.

“Right. Huang Jiuge emanated quite an extraordinary aura. I assume he is from some extraordinary clan then?” Shen Jun took a look at Huang Jiuge and continued to probe.

Ye Futian smirked deep down. It seemed that Yu Sheng’s frightening powers, as well as the abilities shown by Wuchen, Jiuge, and the others, had made Shen Jun concerned. He then went about beating around the bush, trying to get to know who they really were.

“He had some mystical encounters,” Ye Futian smiled and replied, not bothering to go into detail.

Ye Futian just did not bother to deal with putting up an act that looked sincere.

“Ye Futian.” A voice was heard at that moment.

Ye Futian and the others turned around and saw a group of people at the castle across them, coming their way and then hovering before them.

The group was none other than those from the Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm. The one who took the lead was Kong Xuan.

Her alluring body looked flawless. Her perfect curves, long legs, intricate features sporting a feral grace, were astonishing to any graced by her beauty.

Princess Kong Xuan of the Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm was someone of the same status as Xia Qingyuan in Emperor Xia’s Realm.

“What brings you here, Princess Kong Xuan?” Ye Futian called with a smile.

Kong Xuan seemed to have gotten a good grip on her emotions, refraining from fighting him right there and then.

Back in Empty Realm all those years ago, Kong Xuan was practically looking at him with eyes saying that she wanted to flay him alive. That went for the bird as well.

They had been inciting Kong Xuan one too many times after all.

The eyes of the Black Wind Condor at the side sparkled. It missed the days back in the Empty Realm. It no longer dared to say anything it had said back then, for the power difference between them did not allow it to.

Jialou Feng, who was at the side, had eyes filled with murderous intent, but it kept it in check nonetheless.

It wanted nothing more than to tear Ye Futian and the animal apart.

However, as it came to sense Ye Futian’s aura up close, it found that he had indeed become a saint. If they were actually to fight, it would have probably lost.

If Jialou Feng were to be the princess, it would have ordered them all to fight right there and then.

“Ye Futian, you all serve Emperor Xia’s Realm, and I wonder what the realm has given you? How about you come to the Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm? What Emperor Xia’s Realm can give you, we at Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm will be able to give you more. Furthermore, we shall do away with our past grudges,” Kong Xuan said, and Ye Futian felt somewhat surprised. He never expected the princess of Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm to be there to recruit them instead.

Kong Xuan once lost to Ye Futian, and he had been able to steer the direction of the Battle of the Empty Realm single-handedly. Now that he became a saint, there was little to say about his powers and talents.

Yu Sheng had crushed everyone else single-handedly and overwhelmed many top-notch figures in the Crimson Dragon Realm, going so far as to toss a dragon demon saint aside, just to make way for Ye Wuchen and the others.

The unnaturally powerful fighting prowess displayed by the two of them alone made it worthwhile for her to try to take them to her side.

Those two would have definitely become top-notch fighters spoken about in legends.

Xia Qingyuan frowned and glared at Kong Xuan with cold eyes. Are you here to recruit my people? she thought, bewildered.

A cold aura was faintly sensed emanating from her.

There was no way Ye Futian would have agreed to Kong Xuan’s proposal. There was no doubt about it.

Speaking of Kong Xuan’s invitation, Emperor Li’s Realm had been very generous to Ye Futian as well. The imperial advisor of Dali had taken Ye Futian in as his student and taught him the Deed of Thorough Comprehension. Emperor Li of the Dali Dynasty had wanted to marry off his daughter to him to make him a son-in-law to the emperor.

Conditions, eh?

Just what kind of conditions could Kong Xuan offer?

Is she going to offer herself to me? Ye Futian thought.

“If you’re willing to become his servant girl, we might consider it,” Xia Qingyuan replied coldly.

“Damn!” The Black Wind Condor blinked as it looked at Xia Qingyuan.

The bird was thinking that she was indeed quite the devil, stealing a line that it wanted to say but dared not to.

Kong Xuan’s eyes were cold, and there seemed to be divine light shining in them. She locked gazes with Xia Qingyuan, and formless fighting intent seemed to have spread all over the place.

“Thank you for your invitation, Princes Kong Xuan, but I’m doing rather fine in Emperor Xia’s Realm,” Ye Futian smiled and replied.

Kong Xuan had only pulled her gaze back and looked at Ye Futian, saying, “Fine then, we’ll see about that.”

She then took her people and left soon after.

Xia Qingyuan shot a cold look at Ye Futian after she left.

Shen Jun’s eyes shifted around those before him. He was relieved deep down.

It seemed that Ye Futian did not lie to him. Ye Futian was indeed from Emperor Xia’s Realm, and he was not a member of royalty; he was instead a subordinate serving Emperor Xia. But then again, he would have probably among those close to the royal members, which explained why Kong Xuan would want him to switch sides.

As for Xia Qingyuan, there was no way she would have been Ye Futian’s wife. However, there were secrets between the two of them, as she was very naturally hostile against that beautiful princess from the Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm.

However, Shen Jun did not go so far as to deduce Xia Qingyuan’s status as a princess of Emperor Xia’s Realm.

Ye Futian was the one who called the shots in the group, after all, which made him the leader. Even Xia Qingyuan was standing by his side while he was at the center.

If Xia Qingyuan were the princess, this would have really been a mess!