Chapter 28: Forcing the Dragon Clan to Surrender

“Is it the Supreme Sumeru Sublime Heavenly Emperor?”

Within the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea, Ao Guang, the Dragon King, was resting when he heard this voice and was instantly startled. After all, in these past hundreds of years, Li Tian's reputation had soared to the heavens; any creature in the wilderness with even a modicum of insight knew him as the first disciple of a saint, possessing boundless magical power, and the founder of the great force that was the Heavenly Court.

“Report!”

At that moment, a guard with a fish-like face rushed into the palace, eager to inform the Dragon King that someone was visiting outside.

“Flustered and frantic! What a disgrace! Get out!”

Ao Guang was already agitated, so naturally his expression toward the guard was far from pleasant. The guard, seeing that the Dragon King was in a foul mood, became as timid as a mouse, and upon hearing the command to leave, could only retreat meekly.

In the vast ocean, the dragons had considerable authority, and nearly all sea creatures were afraid of them.

“Wait, come back!”

Just as the guard was about to reach the palace entrance, Ao Guang called him back. Though he felt puzzled, he dared not disobey.

“Dragon King?”

“Tell them I am not here!” Ao Guang thought for a moment, pondering where he might hide to avoid being discovered.

“Yes, Dragon King.” The guard did not understand, but still obeyed and withdrew.

Li Tian stood atop the sea. He could use his divine sense to see the palace below, but could not discern what was happening within it; after all, the Dragon Palace had been built at the height of the dragon clan’s power and could easily block his divine sense.

He frowned, and immediately prepared to forcibly enter the palace, to compel the Eastern Sea Dragon King to surrender, then in turn force the other dragon kings—he had done such things more than once and thought little of it.

But just then, a fish-faced soldier surfaced, trembling from the overwhelming pressure Li Tian exuded. Forced by the Dragon King's orders, he braced himself and approached.

“Se-Senior, our Dragon King is n-not here today. We ask that you m-might return another day?”

“Not here?” Li Tian could not help but laugh at the feeble excuse.

“No matter. I can wait.”

He smiled, then commanded the guard, “Take me to the Dragon Palace.”

“Yes, yes!” The guard, cowed by Li Tian’s imposing aura and drenched in cold sweat, dared not utter a word of protest. He led Li Tian into the palace, trembling with every step.

---

“Dragon King, it seems you are not very welcoming.”

Li Tian entered the palace, swept it with his divine sense, and quickly spotted Ao Guang lurking in the shadows. He gave a cold laugh; indeed, the dragon clan had declined—such a dignified Dragon King, reduced to such cowardice!

“I did not know the Heavenly Emperor was visiting; Ao Guang is at fault.”

Knowing he could not escape, Ao Guang had no choice but to step forward with a forced smile, bowing low, his demeanor humble. With the dragon clan weakened, he had no grounds for arrogance.

“Mm.” Li Tian nodded, satisfied with Ao Guang’s attitude. “Do you know why I am here?”

Seated upon the throne in the great hall, Li Tian gazed at the cowering Ao Guang below.

“Whatever the Heavenly Emperor requires, Ao Guang will do his utmost to fulfill...” Ao Guang replied cautiously.

Though he did not know Li Tian’s true purpose, he was certain it was nothing pleasant, so he steeled himself for heavy losses. As long as he could preserve the dragon clan, he felt any price was worth paying.

“Good.”

Li Tian smiled and nodded, rising to stand with hands clasped behind his back.

“My demand is simple: from now on, your dragon clan must submit to me and obey the Heavenly Court. What say you?”

“…Heavenly Emperor, surely you jest.”

Ao Guang’s lips twitched; he could never have imagined Li Tian would make such a demand. Though the dragon clan had declined, he could not bring himself to submit to another. There was still pride in his blood.

“You have no choice!” Li Tian sneered.

“I give you three days. Within three days, you must give me an answer: submit, or be my enemy?”

“Heavenly Emperor…” Ao Guang wanted to refuse, but the cold sweat streaming down his forehead made it impossible to utter a word of denial.

To oppose Li Tian—he simply did not have the courage.

What should he do?

Ao Guang was anxious beyond measure.

“Heavenly Emperor, three days is too short. This is a matter of great importance; I must confer with the other Dragon Kings.”

Ao Guang wiped the sweat from his brow, resigned, but he could not make such a decision alone. He needed to consult with the other Dragon Kings.

---

After all, leading the entire dragon clan to submit to another would surely earn him the scorn of all dragons. He did not wish to bear the blame alone.

“Ten days. I will give you only ten days!” Li Tian considered for a moment.

Though the Four Dragon Kings were said to reside in the Four Seas, those seas referred only to four regions, not the four cardinal directions of the wilderness. The south and west of the wilderness had no seas—only the east was entirely ocean, and the north had a small stretch of sea, which belonged to Kunpeng.

Otherwise, if the Four Dragon Kings were scattered in the four corners of the wilderness, gathering together would take even the swiftest Golden Immortal centuries to accomplish.

“Very well!” Ao Guang gritted his teeth and nodded. Ten days would suffice for the other three Dragon Kings to arrive.

---

With a resonant chime echoing across the Four Seas, the Southern Sea Dragon King Ao Qin, the Western Sea Dragon King Ao Run, and the Northern Sea Dragon King Ao Shun immediately set aside their affairs and hurried to the Eastern Sea Palace with all haste.

“Big brother, what’s the matter?” The Southern Sea Dragon King Ao Qin, being closest, arrived first.

Ao Guang remained silent, clearly waiting for the other Dragon Kings to arrive before speaking. Soon after, the dark-skinned Northern Sea Dragon King Ao Shun arrived, followed by the Western Sea Dragon King Ao Run, who looked much like Ao Guang.

“Sigh, you are all here.”

Ao Guang let out a long sigh, then gently recounted the situation. To avoid appearing weak and incompetent, he depicted Li Tian as extremely domineering, the sort who would kill at the slightest provocation.

“At this moment, the Supreme Sumeru Sublime Heavenly Emperor still sits within my Dragon Palace. He has given us only ten days; now just one day remains…”

“Big brother, what should we do?” Ao Qin, the Southern Sea Dragon King, was immediately anxious after hearing this, a trace of fear flickering in his eyes.

“At this point, we have no choice but to agree.” Ao Shun, the Northern Sea Dragon King, was silent for a long moment, then sighed deeply.

How quickly had the dragon clan declined, to be bullied to such an extent!

The Four Dragon Kings, having resolved themselves, entered the grand hall of the palace together. At that moment, Li Tian was still enjoying the songs and dances of several aquatic beauties; among them, a clam spirit whose supple form made him nearly drool with desire.

This old dragon truly knew how to enjoy himself.