Chapter 163: Hongjun Takes Action

East Sea, Crystal Palace, Ancestral Dragon Hall.

The Ancestral Dragon sat upon the towering imperial throne, with the Candle Dragon and the Eight Dragon Kings of the Heavenly Ministry standing in order below.

In the center of the Ancestral Dragon Hall, a memory crystal floated suspended in mid-air, spinning and releasing a stream of clear light.

This stream of clear light transformed into a void projection above, displaying the entire process of the battle between the Divine Emperor Nan Luo and the Qilin Emperor.

Only after the Qilin Emperor was cast into the turbulence of the black hole by Nan Luo's single punch did the void projection finish playing, dissolving back into a stream of clear light that returned to the memory crystal.

As the sovereign ruling the Dragon Clan, the Ancestral Dragon naturally would not speak first. He sat with majestic dignity upon his imperial throne, gazing down at the Candle Dragon and the Eight Dragon Kings of the Heavenly Ministry below.

The Candle Dragon and the Eight Dragon Kings stood within the grand hall with solemn expressions, deep in thought, clearly pondering the subsequent ramifications of this event and, above all, what impact it would have on the Dragon Clan.

A moment later, the Candle Dragon, as the supreme powerhouse of the Dragon Clan second only to the Dragon Emperor, took the initiative to speak when it was inconvenient for the Dragon Emperor to do so.

"Reporting to Your Majesty. The Qilin Emperor was defeated by the Divine Emperor with a single punch; clearly, the Divine Emperor's strength is unfathomable."

"This subject believes we should adjust our strategic plan of attacking the Divine Clan first, and instead adopt the strategic plan of targeting the Fierce Beast Clan first."

With the descent of this Great Calamity, the Five Emperors were locked in a struggle for supremacy, destined to decide a single victor who would become the Saint Emperor ruling over all the myriad clans of the Primordial World.

As the most powerful of the five imperial clans, the Dragon Clan naturally desired to claim the ultimate crown in this calamity, elevating the Dragon Emperor to that final victory and making him the Saint Emperor ruling all the myriad clans of the Primordial World.

To seize final victory, the Dragon Clan had formulated four corresponding strategic plans targeting the Phoenix Clan, the Qilin Clan, the Divine Clan, and the Fierce Beast Clan.

If the Dragon Clan adopted the plan targeting the Divine Clan, they would have to annihilate the Divine Clan first before contending with the other imperial clans.

Similarly, the Dragon Clan had formulated comparable strategic plans for the other four imperial clans.

According to the Dragon Clan's original plan, attacks on the Phoenix Clan and the Qilin Clan were ruled out from the start, leaving only a choice between the Divine Clan and the Fierce Beast Clan to attack first.

After all, the Dragon Clan, Phoenix Clan, and Qilin Clan had always shared a single breath and branch, allowing them to muster the combined might of all three clans to strike at will against either the Divine Clan or the Fierce Beast Clan.

Among the Divine Clan and the Fierce Beast Clan, the Divine Clan had been established for the shortest time—no more than one hundred thousand years—and possessed the weakest strength among the five imperial clans.

Among the five sovereigns, the Divine Emperor was also the most ordinary and unremarkable, completely devoid of any special traits, let alone peerless combat prowess. He was not even a powerhouse of the Demi-Saint level, hardly qualifying as a true Divine Emperor.

Had Nan Luo not obtained the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Pantheon, and founded his clan relying upon it, the Divine Clan could never have been considered an imperial clan.

Of course, in March of this year, Nan Luo successfully broke through to the realm of the Demi-Saint, becoming a true Divine Emperor in name and deed.

Yet, just how formidable could a newly breakthrough Divine Emperor possibly be?

Among the five sovereigns, aside from the Divine Emperor, which one of them did not possess the cultivation of the Great Circle of the Demi-Saint?

Facing such a weak Divine Clan, if the Dragon Clan did not wipe them out first, would that not be letting down the Divine Emperor's kind intentions?

However, changes happen far faster than plans.

You can never guess what the world will be like in the next moment.

The Dragon Emperor, the Candle Dragon, the Eight Dragon Kings, and indeed the entire Dragon Clan woke up one morning to suddenly discover that the world had undergone yet another new transformation.

The weakest among the five sovereigns, the Divine Emperor, had actually defeated the Qilin Emperor with a single punch?!

The Divine Emperor had only just entered the realm of the Demi-Saint, while the Qilin Emperor was a powerhouse at the Great Circle of the Demi-Saint. How could the Divine Emperor possibly defeat the Qilin Emperor? And defeat him with a single punch?

Shouldn't the plot twist the other way around?!

Were my ears playing tricks on me, or was I hallucinating?

The entire Dragon Clan, from the Dragon Emperor above down to the prawn soldiers and crab generals, refused to believe the rumors they had heard.

Yet, there is a saying in this world: "There is no smoke without fire."

Rumors, at times, are truly facts.

Upon receiving the report from the Dragon Clan scouts in Qilin City, the Dragon Clan was finally able to confirm that this was the truth.

In an instant, the Dragon Clan, the East Sea, and even the Eastern Wilderness were sent into an uproar by this heavyweight news.

Soon, the Dragon Clan received the memory crystal sent by the Qilin Clan, accompanied by a letter addressed to the Dragon Emperor from the Qilin Emperor.

Within the memory crystal, the scene of Nan Luo casting the Qilin Emperor into the black hole turbulence with a single punch was replayed over and over again.

By now, the void projection suspended in the center of the grand hall was already replaying the scene of the Divine Emperor battling the Qilin Emperor for the third time.

After witnessing it three times, the Dragon Emperor, the Candle Dragon, and the Eight Dragon Kings had acquired a crystal-clear understanding of Nan Luo's terrifying power.

That was a terrifying strength that a Demi-Saint could by no means resist; it was the physical bodily power belonging to a Saint Immortal.

Indeed! The physical bodily power of a Saint Immortal.

Although the Dragon Emperor and the others did not know how Nan Luo had achieved physical sanctification, they could recognize that the force capable of driving the Qilin Emperor into the black hole was unquestionably Saint-level power that far surpassed the Demi-Saint realm.

"Indeed! Your Majesty, the Divine Emperor has clearly achieved physical sanctification, and our Dragon Clan is likely unable to handle him. It would be better to alter our strategy and attack the Fierce Beast Clan first."

"This subject seconds this!" "This subject seconds this!" "This subject seconds this!"...

In an instant, the Candle Dragon and the Eight Dragon Kings all concurred on altering the strategic plan, switching to attacking the Fierce Beast Clan first.

"Nan Luo has achieved physical sanctification, and his strength far exceeds your imagination. You want to shift to supporting the attack on the Fierce Beast Clan first. But is that freak, Fierce Shitian, someone easy to mess with?"

Gazing at the Candle Dragon and the Eight Dragon Kings who spoke with one accord below, and thinking of Fierce Shitian's physical body—which was no weaker than Nan Luo's—the Ancestral Dragon felt rather vexed in his heart.

Just as the Ancestral Dragon was caught in a dilemma, a lofty, cold, and merciless voice suddenly rang in his ear: "Attack the Divine Clan first! This Saint commands the Dragon Clan, the Phoenix Clan, the Qilin Clan, and the Fierce Beast Clan to jointly besiege the Divine Clan."

"Saint Immortal Hongjun!" A flash of astonishment crossed the Ancestral Dragon's golden dragon pupils as he thought to himself, "He has actually spoken out, and even ordered the Dragon Clan, Phoenix Clan, Qilin Clan, and Fierce Beast Clan to besiege the Divine Clan."

"Heavens! How did Nan Luo manage to anger this supreme existence?!"

"Saint Immortal Hongjun is clearly determined to drive Nan Luo to his doom!"

Yet, even amidst extreme shock and confusion, the Ancestral Dragon immediately replied respectfully in his mind: "Your will is my command!"

The Saint Immortal standing behind the Dragon Clan was none other than Saint Immortal Hongjun.

It was precisely with the support of Saint Immortal Hongjun that the Dragon Emperor had been able to unify the East Sea, attain the status of a Demi-Saint sovereign, and even compel the Lion Emperor to cede the lands of the Eastern Wilderness, completing the grand enterprise of unifying the lands and oceans of the Eastern Wilderness.

Therefore, as the leader of the Dragon Clan, the Dragon Emperor could never violate the will of Saint Immortal Hongjun.

Otherwise, Saint Immortal Hongjun could banish the Dragon Clan to extinction with a single thought, just as easily as he had elevated them to an imperial clan with a single thought.

Now that Saint Immortal Hongjun had spoken, the Dragon Emperor no longer needed to hesitate.

However, how was he to persuade the Candle Dragon and the Eight Dragon Kings?

As the head of the Dragon Clan, the Dragon Emperor could certainly issue a mandatory decree for the Dragon Clan to attack the Divine Clan, but if he did so, the hearts of everyone in the Dragon Clan would become disaffected.

The Dragon Emperor pondered for a moment, and recalling the letter sent by the Qilin Emperor, a scheme formed in his mind. He spoke up: "This is a letter from the Qilin Emperor. Take it and read it yourselves!"

As he spoke, the Dragon Emperor produced a letter stamped with a nine-colored Qilin and tossed it to the Candle Dragon.

The Candle Dragon caught the letter, read through it carefully, and then passed it on to the Eight Dragon Kings.

After both the Candle Dragon and the Eight Dragon Kings had finished reading the letter, the Dragon Emperor spoke again: "The Qilin Emperor has invited Us to besiege the Divine Clan. When that time comes, the four imperial clans—the Dragon Clan, the Phoenix Clan, the Qilin Clan, and the Fierce Beast Clan—will launch a joint military campaign to besiege the Divine Clan and utterly annihilate them."

"A four-clan coalition army?! To annihilate the Divine Clan?!"

Hearing the heavyweight news released by the Dragon Emperor, the Candle Dragon and the Eight Dragon Kings were momentarily speechless. These two phrases echoed endlessly in their minds, plunging them into a state of utter chaos.