Chapter 43: The True Dragon's Contempt

Chai Qingshan’s words were sincere and, upon reflection, quite reasonable, yet they were entirely mistimed. The youth in the purple robe glanced at Chai Qingshan, a flicker of surprise crossing his face, but his tone remained haughty. "For your sake, I will give them one more chance. Step aside!"

Hai Qing shook her head, stating firmly, "No matter how you intend to enter the city, this road shall not be cleared today." She made no attempt to hide her desire to shift the trouble elsewhere; if they were so powerful, why not simply fly over the walls? Why insist on using the city gate? As this thought crossed her mind, Hai Qing felt a surge of irritation. Where were the guards? Where was the police force? How could they be unaware of such a massive disturbance?

The youth in purple did not bother with such trivial thoughts. He merely cast a faint glance at Hai Qing, his eyes devoid of anger or agitation. It was only natural; why would a dragon feel anger toward an ant? One would simply crush it if it became a nuisance. To the youth, Hai Qing was nothing more than an ant.

Aside from the frost dragon, the other three dragons took flight simultaneously, unleashing such powerful shockwaves that not only ordinary people but even some low-level cultivators were knocked to the ground.

Only then did the spectators realize in horror that these mountainous beasts were not merely for show.

Three consecutive dragon roars erupted—deep, resonant, and echoing as if from an ancient era, reaching into the present. They struck an instinctive fear into the hearts of all who heard them. It was not just the humans; the horses pulling the carriages collapsed entirely, their heads pressed against the earth as they whimpered incessantly. Hai Qing’s expression turned deathly pale; at this point, she realized she could not leave even if she wanted to. As the three dragons circled in the air, one suddenly dove downward, sending the surrounding crowd scrambling in a panic.

The dragon caught two horses in its jaws and began to chew loudly. Seeing this, the remaining horses trembled even more violently, burying their heads deeper into the ground. Hai Qing’s face was ashen, and she was at a loss for what to do. As for the people, some had already begun to retch, and the rest looked equally ghastly.

One of the green dragons, perhaps growing impatient and bored, charged directly toward the Hai family’s retinue.

"Audacious beast!" a voice boomed like a thunderclap.

Hai Qing breathed a sigh of relief. It was one of the Hai family’s venerated protectors. She sat cross-legged, produced a zither, and began attaching false fingernails to her fingers. The time had come to build her reputation! No matter how powerful a monster was, what of it? Even the fierce beasts of the primordial era had been largely captured by humanity, hadn't they? How many dared to show their faces openly now?

"Haha, we shall have meat to eat today!"

"Prime dragon meat, at that."

"Hearing you say that, my own appetite is whetted."

"Let’s capture one to raise; we can eat it once it’s grown."

"Is this one not large enough for you?"

"My appetite is vast."

Voices rang out one after another, and waves of powerful momentum surged into the sky. The spectators grew excited, wondering if they might get a few pounds of dragon meat to taste.

"Audacious!" the youth in purple roared. Two balls of flame manifested in his hands, which he swung fiercely, transforming them into two massive whips of fire.

"A fine divine art. I shall be the first to taste it; none of you are to snatch it from me," declared the old man who had boasted of his vast appetite. He stepped forward, neither dodging nor evading the giant flames. He opened his mouth and inhaled sharply, swallowing both fire whips in one go before letting out a loud, satisfied belch.

"We are short on time," the elder known as Elder Quan said coldly. The frost dragon, which had seemed somewhat languid, slowly raised its head and exhaled a breath that grew increasingly massive.

A gust of icy wind.
Transforming into a storm.
A glacial onslaught!

The seven or eight Hai family protectors, who had made such a grand entrance, were killed instantly, with no power to resist. Only the old man who had swallowed the fire stood there, stunned and motionless. He could feel a chill pass right by him, and as he slowly turned his head to look—

His companions were nowhere to be found, and the ground was a desolate, slate-gray. The culprit, the frost dragon, began to lazily exhale mist once more.

"What kind of power is this?"
"Why did it spare me?"

These two thoughts flickered through the old man's mind.

"Ziyan, keep an eye on that person. You are not his match yet, but you must kill him within three years. He shall be your whetstone," Elder Quan said slowly. He then stepped into the city. This time, no one dared to block his path. Those who had been watching from afar fled, and the loyal guards of the Hai family retreated again and again.

Hai Qing’s heart shook violently. What kind of people were these? Although they were all at the God-Binding stage, Hai Qing could sense that she was no match for this youth! As for the dragon and that elder, she dared not even contemplate them.

Ziyan respectfully acknowledged the order, though he did not even look at the fire-swallowing elder. Seeing the others retreat, Ziyan nodded to himself. *That is more like it,* he thought. *We have already shown them great face; were it not for that fellow, I would have razed this city and left none alive.*

Ziyan glanced at Hai Qing from afar, and she instinctively took two steps back. Chai Qingshan, standing beside her, smiled slightly. Ziyan paused upon seeing this, but gave a small nod. In that seemingly dull and simple young man, Ziyan could sense the aura of his own kind.

As for Hai Qing? She was merely a woman who lacked the eyes to see. As for the fire-swallowing elder, he was a dead man walking. Only that youth was worthy of being his opponent.

Hai Qing watched helplessly as the four of them walked into the city. The last two, one clad in gold armor and the other in red, possessed an air of supreme arrogance. They did not even glance at her. This feeling left Hai Qing utterly defeated. From the battle at Chu River to this moment, a profound sense of powerlessness enveloped her. She looked down at her zither—a new instrument.

Then, a shadow crossed Hai Qing’s heart: *Where had all the city police gone?* A thick, suffocating sense of conspiracy hung in the air.

Sometimes, insight has little to do with one's cultivation level.

"A brilliant scheme, Young Master. You have weakened the Hai family's influence without a sound. This old servant admires you," the gray-robed elder said with a humble expression.

The youth in white sat by the window—the very same book-loving youth. Upon hearing this, he was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. "This was not my doing. One can only say the Hai family is having a streak of bad luck."

The gray-robed elder bowed even lower at these words.

The youth in white could only sigh lightly; he truly had not plotted this. Yet, he offered no further explanation.

"I suppose many in the Council of Elders believe this was my design," the youth in white said, lowering his head to turn a page of his book.

"Young Master, please be at ease. No one will have any grievances. Eradicating the Hai family benefits everyone; the cake that is the Eight Directions Pavilion is simply too large, and the Hai family should never have tried to swallow it alone."

The youth in white gave a soft hum. While that might be true, he suspected that many hearts would be lost, but what did that matter? This city was, after all, nothing more than a plaything of his.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble. A massive fissure snaked its way from the center of Black Curtain City all the way to the city gate, widening as it went.

Elder Quan, who had been striding into the city, stopped dead in his tracks, for there was no longer a path ahead.

"Do you truly think my Hai family has no one left to defend it?"