Phwap!

“What is the meaning of this!?”

A bellowing roar of anger and confusion along a flap of scarlet wings blinded everyone’s vision as a massive maw lined with razor-sharp teeth swallowed the explosion!

****

Bumph!

A muffled blast went off in the mouth of the beast that swallowed the detonation, sending a wave of rocks and dust flying once more!

The small fragments broke apart on contact with the two dragons’ hide.

Even the falling rocks and the ruin of the court was halted following this being’s arrival. However, they didn’t pay attention to any of this.

They only paid heed to the existence that devoured the result of their combined attacks!

Even the Long family that had now reached one of the entrances of the court stopped to see who this heaven-defying existence was.

It didn’t take long for the dust and debris to clear up, revealing a large scarlet dragon. Its scales were blood red, like the most precious rubies. Its striking eyes were of the same hue, with a faint rune deep within the depths of its pupils.

Its teeth were exposed with plumes of fire billowing out between the cracks. This beast was somehow able to use its own fire to quell the explosion that it took in.

“F-First Claw!” Long Cang was shocked that their commotion was loud enough to garner the attention of the First Claw amongst the royal council!

“Long Cang!?” The First Claw looked at one of the perpetrators of the mishap in mild shock.

“No wonder the water essence energy mixed within this is so pure. It’s the genius of the Veristic Water Sage Dragon race.”

The fire billowed between his teeth, flickered out, leaving only a trail of smoke as the only evidence of his doing anything.

Long Cang was shocked to know that the First Claw would know of him!

“It’s an honour to have First Claw Long Jin know of me!” His respect for this wise and powerful existence seconded only two other existences.

“Your reputation precedes you young one,” Long Jin responded. He then turned to face the other person responsible for this mess.

What he saw was a grey dragon looking to the side with a somewhat chagrined expression.

“Long Baofu,” Long Jin expected this. Only a few members of the Twilight End Dark Dragon race was able to pull off an attack of such profundity as the Fated Ruin.

“I have nothing to say to you,” Long Baofu responded without looking at the First Claw.

“How could you attack a younger and weaker member of the dragon race!? Are you going through such a tragic battle deprived dry spell that you had to act against his consent!?” The First Claw roared.

Long Baofu’s cheek twitched in irritation, “I don’t have to explain anything to you!”

“Oh!? Then do you want me to call upon the other three Claws to have a word with the King!? Why don’t you act according to your exalted station as a Claw!?” Long Jin didn’t relent in his scolding.

“Screw you, that’s why!” Long Baofu cursed.

Without another word, Long Baofu left the ruined court. In truth, he was embarrassed to be caught in such a state.

He was actually engaging in a fight with a dragon from the younger generation. Sure, the latter was a genius who managed to become a royal emissary, but if word of this was to get out, it would be nothing but a loss of face.

“This young one thanks First Claw Long Jin for his interjection,” Long Cang placed a claw on his chest as a show of respect to the older generation dragon.

Long Jin nodded in admiration, “Worthy of being a genius of the Veristic Water Sage Dragon branch indeed. To be able to wound Second Claw Long Baofu is no small feat. Be careful though, had I not interfered when I had he could have gotten serious resulting in more than just serious injuries on your end.”

Long Cang was aware that Long Baofu was not going all out in his fight against him. One example was the claw strikes that the latter levied against him.

They were all just normal claw strikes that carried none of the dangerous attributes from his branch of dragons. The power of his Ruined Fate was also restrained or the scope of the attack would more than damage him the first time and would have overpowered his Azure Squall the second.

“Oh! I was not the one who wounded Long Baofu, First Claw,” Long Cang admitted.

As a dragon, Long Cang had his own pride and he would never accept praise for a deed or work that wasn’t his.

“Oh?” Long Baofu’s interest was enkindled. If it wasn’t Long Cang, then who else could have possibly harmed the Second Claw of the Council Of Dragons?

“Then who was it?” He finally asked.

“Him,” he gestured to the group of the humans at the far end of the court.

Long Jin’s pupils shrank at the sight of this, “What is that!?”

The First Claw of the dragon race refused to believe that he was seeing what he saw.

“They are the reason why I am here today. I came to seek an audience with the king to allow them a stay here to train,” Long Cang revealed his intention.

“Are you mad, royal emissary!?” Long Jin reeled back in anger and shock at the mere thought that humans wished to stay and train at the Dragon’s Domain. This was further exacerbated by the fact that a fellow dragon would make this wish.

“Long Cang, I admire your talent and so I will advise you this. Take those things away from here and banish the thought!” Long Jin was angry, no doubt about it. He could never allow a race as lowly as humans to taint the very sanctum of their race’s most powerful people!

In truth, the mere fact that he didn’t fly up in a rage like the Second Claw did to wipe them out was already a testament to his great self-control. Especially when you consider he was giving them a way out.

Long Cang was unresigned, “First Claw, I-”

“Enough!” Long Jin wanted to hear no more of this! “I can tolerate only so much. I am sorely disappointed in you Long Cang!”

“Hey!”

Long Jin looked around to see who dared to address him in such a manner before his gaze shifted downwards to see the group of humans walking towards him. They were being led by a woman who seemed to be looking him straight in the eye.

A step behind was a man that was clearly a cut above the rest, but even his light was dimmed in the face of this woman.

“Hmph!?” Long Jin snorted at this. He disdained to spare this lowly race even a word.

“I could care less about your feelings or need for prestige or whatever. I’m only here to get stronger so I can tear down the heavens in an act of vengeance!” Long Nuhuang wasn’t about to be looked down upon by this overgrown lizard.

Another snort was what greeted her. Long Jin then looked back to Long Cang before responding, “amusing for sure. However, they are not worthy of this place. Take them from here.”

“First Claw, two of them took the salve!” Long Cang finally revealed.

“What!?” Long Jin was shocked, near speechless. He then looked back at the woman and indeed, he could smell the draconic salve on her body, and the man behind her as well, though to a lesser extent.

“You wasted the salve on mere humans!? Wait, they’re alive!? How is this possible!?” Too many thoughts were swirling around Long Jin’s head at the moment.

The draconic salve was an extremely precious medicine amongst the dragons. Able to heal any hidden injuries whilst also fixing the defects in one’s cultivation foundation. There were more uses unique to it, but the prerequisite to experiencing any of these was to possess a will comparable to a dragon. If this qualification wasn’t met, then the salve would turn from medicine to poison and eat away at one’s body and mind slowly, until the will of the salve itself destroyed the victim’s entire self.

This was what was happening to Long Huangdi in the beginning, before the ignition of his will saved him.

“How can this be!?” Long Jin’s world was turned upside down with this revelation.

“Oi! Dragon! We’re not going anywhere until we get my wife’s wish!” It was Long Huangdi’s turn to show his domineering side. He was backing up his wife to the very end.

Long Jin was so shocked that he didn’t realise Long Huangdi’s mocking tone and looked back down at them, seeing them in a slightly better light.

He still found this entire thing extremely hard to believe. Long Cang most likely used the lowest grade draconic salve that required the lowest grade will of a dragon to draw from its effects. Even so, there shouldn’t be any humans with wills comparable to a dragon.

Dragons, even the weaker-willed ones, sought to go against the very Heavens itself. Humans and most other races saw the heavens as above them and lived under its rule.

“So you’ve come here to train, have you?” Long Jin finally spoke directly to them!

“No!” Long Nuhuang responded.

Long Jin’s interest finally peaked, “Then what have you come here to do?”

D-D-D-Dum!

An invisible wave of draconic might unfurled and crashed upon the entire Long Family!

This draconic might was completely different from the one that Long Baofu or Long Cang gave off before.

It was practically alien in nature. It didn’t possess any weight like the other’s draconic might, but it was more arrogant than theirs, more aloof, clearly superior.

“F-First Cla-”

“Silence!” Long Jin snapped at the young emissary, signalling him to be quiet. If he was going to even entertain the possibility of maybe, almost, nearly having them stay here, they had to pass this test.

Long Cang knew what this was. This was a higher level of draconic might that very few in the dragon race were able to exude.

It might not carry the same weight that normal draconic might did, but it was capable of not only crushing another weaker dragon’s will but was capable of crushing their mind as well, turning them into an idiot.

Long Cang looked at the humans, and its effects were clear as day.

All the members of the Long family found the floor. Their knees were nought but fragile gears under its onslaught.

They looked down in despair as their minds were being eaten away by the draconic might.

“I ask you once again,” Long Jin stared down at Long Nuhuang and Long Huangdi, who were the only two able to remain standing, much to Long Cang and Long Jin’s surprise.

“Did you say you came here to train?” he asked in a mocking tone.

Both Long Huangdi and Long Nuhuang looked up at him and opened their mouths, but no sound escaped their lips.

Even their bodies trembled while their legs bent under the prestige of Long Jin’s draconic might.

Long Cang turned his head away, not wanting to see something like this.

“N-N-N…”

A garbled sound broke the silence, causing Long Cang to look back in surprise while Long Jin’s eyes widened in shock!

Long Huangdi was struggling to get the words out to repeat his wife’s answer, “N-No…”

“Then what are you here to do?” Long Jin asked.

Dum!

The pressure magnified, silencing Long Huangdi, causing his knees to buckle even more and any hope he had to say anything more. Long Cang wanted to say something, but stopped after seeing Long Jin’s glare.

“I…”

“What!” Long Jin was shocked that someone was able to speak in the face of his draconic might!

Who else could it be but Long Nuhuang? She held the hand of her man behind her, to keep him from falling.

She looked them in the eye with an expression of extraordinary resolve.

“I!”

A single word was a chore to say, but her will compelled her to answer his question. With this in mind, her own knees straightened before Long Jin and Long Cang’s continuously widening eyes.

“I’ve come…”

Her jaw tensed as her entire body wavered before she dug deep to finish it!

“To do the dragons’ work for them!”