Chapter 144: The Dragon Clan Prepares for War

The Eastern Sea, Crystal Palace, Ancestral Dragon Hall.

The Ancestral Dragon wore a robe embroidered with a nine-clawed golden dragon and sat majestically upon the imperial throne. Below him stood the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings, led by the Candle Dragon.

The Dragon Clan was divided into three upper branches and five lower branches. The upper branches were the Golden Dragons, White Dragons, and Black Dragons; the lower branches were the Azure Dragons, Crimson Dragons, Yellow Dragons, Blue Dragons, and Violet Dragons. Together, they formed the Eight Heavenly Dragon Divisions.

Whenever a matter of great importance arose within the Dragon Clan, it was generally decided jointly by the Candle Dragon and the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings. Any matter they could not resolve was submitted to His Majesty the Ancestral Dragon Emperor for final judgment.

Seated upon the throne, the Ancestral Dragon listened to the Candle Dragon and the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings debate below him, yet his thoughts were nowhere near their discussion. His eyes were half closed as he quietly rested his mind.

The Candle Dragon and the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings were the mightiest beings in the Dragon Clan beneath the Ancestral Dragon, and they naturally knew what their emperor was thinking and waiting for. Seeing the Ancestral Dragon with his eyes slightly lowered, they all fell silent of their own accord, afraid to disturb him as he contemplated upon the throne.

The vast Ancestral Dragon Hall fell into utter silence, leaving every creature present feeling unbearably oppressed.

The pressure was especially severe because the Ancestral Dragon was a half-sage emperor. The invisible majesty of an emperor and sage radiating from him was a tremendous trial upon the spirit.

Had the Candle Dragon and the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings not been waiting for news as well, they would have withdrawn long ago. Who would willingly endure such oppressive suffering?

“Report! An urgent dispatch from the Northern Wastes!”

Suddenly, a golden-armored Dragon General appeared outside the hall. He bowed his head and respectfully held out a memorial sealed with a nine-clawed golden dragon.

The Dragon Clan divided its memorials into several grades according to the golden dragon depicted upon their covers. The nine-clawed golden dragon ranked highest, followed by the eight-clawed, seven-clawed, six-clawed, and five-clawed golden dragons.

This urgent report from the Northern Wastes bore the Dragon Clan’s highest seal: the nine-clawed golden dragon.

Any memorial bearing that seal concerned the life and death of the entire Dragon Clan. It had to be delivered immediately to the Crystal Palace in the Eastern Sea and placed before the Ancestral Dragon Emperor for inspection.

Anyone who secretly read a nine-clawed golden dragon memorial would be executed without exception.

That single cry of alarm struck like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, instantly jolting the Candle Dragon and the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings awake.

“At last!”

The Candle Dragon and the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings all let out long breaths. At least they no longer had to endure that suffocating oppression.

“Bring it here!”

The Candle Dragon stood nearest to the Ancestral Dragon Emperor. He looked toward the golden-armored Dragon General outside the hall and spoke in a solemn voice.

The Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings stood in two rows along either side of the great hall, their gazes likewise fixed upon the Dragon General and the nine-clawed golden dragon memorial in his hands.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The golden-armored Dragon General entered the Ancestral Dragon Hall. His expression calm, he held the memorial securely and hurried forward with swift but orderly steps. Reaching the center of the hall, he raised it high with both hands.

With a sharp sound, the memorial shot from his grasp, accompanied by a faint whistle as it cut through the air, and flew directly into the Candle Dragon’s hand.

After receiving the memorial, the Candle Dragon did not dare read it in secret. Instead, he turned toward the Ancestral Dragon Emperor upon the throne.

The instant he turned, he was struck by the emperor’s half-sage majesty.

At some point, the Ancestral Dragon Emperor had opened his golden dragon eyes. His gaze was imposing without the slightest trace of anger as he stared down at the Candle Dragon and the memorial in his hands.

The Candle Dragon felt that those golden eyes were incomparably majestic. He did not dare look directly at them and hurriedly raised the memorial before him.

“Urgent report from the Northern Wastes,” he announced respectfully.

With a calm expression, the Ancestral Dragon Emperor drew the memorial into his hand. He opened it and read its contents with meticulous attention.

The memorial stated:

The Southfall Divine Emperor secretly departed the City of the Gods several days ago. He is said to have traveled west toward the Great Snow Mountain. His whereabouts are currently unknown.

There were only a few short sentences, yet the Ancestral Dragon read them for a long while. Before he knew it, he had fallen into deep thought.

“Secretly. Said to have. Unknown.”

The Ancestral Dragon Emperor savored those three phrases carefully, and immediately understood what Southfall was trying to do.

“Southfall secretly left the City of the Gods, spread word that he was traveling west to the Great Snow Mountain, and then disappeared without a trace.”

“Clearly, Southfall has another plan.”

“But what trick are you planning this time, Southfall?”

Sitting upon the throne, the Ancestral Dragon stared quietly at the nine-clawed golden dragon memorial in his hands and gradually sank into contemplation.

While the Ancestral Dragon sat there thinking in silence, the Candle Dragon and the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings grew frantic below him, unable to understand why their emperor had fallen into thought once again.

They were even more curious about the contents of the memorial. They wanted to read it, yet none dared do so.

At last, under the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings’ eager gazes, the Candle Dragon could no longer restrain himself and spoke up, rousing the Ancestral Dragon from his contemplation.

After all, the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings were burdened with countless affairs. They could not remain here waiting indefinitely.

“Your Majesty!”

The Candle Dragon stepped forward slowly and reminded him in a quiet voice.

At the Candle Dragon’s call, the Ancestral Dragon instantly emerged from his thoughts and gathered his mind.

He looked up at the eager Candle Dragon and the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings. Knowing that he had allowed his thoughts to wander, he nevertheless spoke with calm indifference.

“I was distracted just now. Read the memorial.”

As he spoke, he tossed the nine-clawed golden dragon memorial to the Candle Dragon.

The Candle Dragon caught it and read through its contents. Without further thought, he passed it directly to the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings.

After the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings had read it in turn, they likewise offered the memorial back to the Ancestral Dragon Emperor.

“Speak. What do you think Southfall intends to do?”

The Ancestral Dragon looked down at the Candle Dragon and the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings and questioned them in a commanding voice.

“This…”

The Candle Dragon and the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings exchanged glances, speechless and at a loss for words.

Southfall had vanished without a trace. Clearly, he intended to shake off the surveillance of every other race. Who could possibly know what he was planning?

In the end, the Candle Dragon stepped forward, bowed respectfully to the Ancestral Dragon, and said, “Your Majesty, we do not know where Southfall intends to go.”

“However, there is no need for us to concern ourselves with what Southfall wishes to do.”

“We need only proceed according to the original plan and act together with the Phoenix Clan and the Kirin Clan, forming an overwhelming force.”

“What could Southfall do then?”

After hearing the Candle Dragon’s words, the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings below all nodded in agreement, their eyes shining.

“Indeed! His Highness the Candle Dragon speaks wisely.”

“Your Majesty, let Southfall do whatever he wishes. We need only carry out our own plan. Southfall and the Divine Clan are doomed to die!”

The hall filled with a chorus of discussion.

As he listened, countless thoughts raced through the Ancestral Dragon’s mind. His golden dragon eyes gleamed with majestic and mysterious light. At last, he made his decision and spoke.

“Silence!”

Within the Dragon Clan, how exalted was the authority of the Ancestral Dragon Emperor?

The moment he spoke, the Candle Dragon and the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings immediately shut their mouths. They straightened their chests, lifted their heads, and stared intently at the emperor, awaiting his command.

Nothing revealed a difference more clearly than comparison.

Within the Divine Clan, Southfall still needed to use the majesty of a half-sage to intimidate the Twelve Heavenly Venerates.

Compared with the Dragon Emperor’s single command, which brought ten thousand dragons to their knees, Southfall—who had secluded himself for a hundred thousand years—could no longer fully control the Divine Clan.

The difference in foundation between the Dragon Clan and the Divine Clan was simply too great.

“Convey my command. Let the Dragon Clan’s three hundred million soldiers occupy every major fortress. Prepare for war at the highest level and be ready to launch an offensive at any moment!”

The Dragon Emperor’s golden eyes swept across the Candle Dragon and the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings. His gaze was sharp as lightning, and his voice thunderous as he issued the solemn command.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The Candle Dragon and the Eight Heavenly Dragon Kings had waited a full hundred thousand years for this day. Their eyes lit up at once, and flames named war blazed within their dragon pupils as they shouted in unison.