Chapter Forty-Four: The Onset of Chaos

The Candle Dragon rose from the golden dragon throne and slowly walked toward the exit of the Dragon Palace, saying nothing. Ao Run and Ao Yan exchanged a glance, unable to fathom the Candle Dragon’s intentions. They could only follow in silence as he left the hall.

This particular Dragon Palace from which the Candle Dragon set out was composed of ninety-nine levels, each with its own hall. As far as the eye could see, jade towers and celestial pavilions abounded, countless divine beings and spirits resided, and radiant splendor soared to the heavens. The Candle Dragon dwelled on the ninety-ninth level, in a hall known as the Hall of Dragon Splendor.

Clad in a robe embroidered with eight-clawed golden dragons, the Candle Dragon stood by the balustrade outside the Hall of Dragon Splendor, gazing down upon the palace below. His eyes were as deep and unfathomable as still water. Ao Run and Ao Yan looked at the Candle Dragon at the rail, surveying the Dragon Palace, yet they could not discern what it was he saw.

To them, the Candle Dragon seemed inscrutable, and for a moment, they thought they glimpsed the shadow of the Ancestral Dragon within him. They exchanged another glance and thought, His Highness truly bears the majesty of the Emperor!

“Tell me, do you think we need to worry about Lion Xiong’s treachery?” The Candle Dragon continued to look down at the palace below, but suddenly spoke.

“Of course not!” Ao Yan answered loudly at once, his face resolute. “We dragons rule the Eastern Sea, command countless mighty armies—how could we possibly fear the lions? Let alone a mere Lion Xiong.”

“That’s not quite right,” Ao Run said, brow furrowing slightly. “Our forces on this journey are about equal to Lion Xiong’s. If he were truly ruthless and plotted against us, we would surely suffer.”

A soft laugh escaped the Candle Dragon as he stood with his back to the two Dragon Kings of Water and Fire. “What Lion Xiong seeks is nothing more than to capture or slay this king.”

A mighty, awe-inspiring dragon’s roar suddenly sounded. A golden longsword, radiating with boundless light, appeared out of thin air before Ao Run and Ao Yan. In that instant, the world seemed to lose all color—only the golden sword remained, proud and solitary.

Upon the blade, the stars of the heavens were arranged, and a nine-clawed golden dragon weaved among them. The Dragon Sword, having just emerged, unleashed an overwhelming aura of kingship and dominance. It became the very center of the world, and both Ao Run and Ao Yan felt a deep sense of awe.

Staring at the golden dragon sword, Ao Run and Ao Yan felt as if their very bloodlines were being suppressed by its presence, an oppressive discomfort settling over them. As the Dragon Kings of Water and Fire, they knew well that this sword, which suppressed their own dragon blood, was none other than the Ancestral Dragon’s life-bound divine weapon.

A divine weapon is a treasure unique to the gods, capable of evolving as its master grows in power. Likewise, only with their life-bound weapon can a god unleash their full strength. The Ancestral Dragon’s sword, the Heaven-Cleaver, was formed from his own horn, infused with his blood, and could suppress all dragons.

The dragon horn is the hardest part of a dragon’s body, and the Ancestral Dragon’s horn rivals the finest innate spiritual treasures. The nine-clawed golden dragon weaving along the Heaven-Cleaver’s blade was a manifestation of the Ancestral Dragon’s power.

As for the stars upon the Heaven-Cleaver, those were the work of the Celestial Star Deities. They harnessed the power of the stars, merging them into the sword, granting it the might to shatter the heavens and earth.

Formed from the Ancestral Dragon’s horn and imbued with the stars, the sword was aptly named “Heaven-Cleaver.”

“To think that His Majesty the Ancestral Dragon, to protect his only brother, has entrusted the Heaven-Cleaver to the Candle Dragon for his defense.”

With deep reverence, Ao Run and Ao Yan bowed before the Heaven-Cleaver, silently marveling at this gesture.

“With the Heaven-Cleaver in hand, what have I to fear from schemers and villains?” The Candle Dragon turned, his golden eyes blazing as he fixed Ao Run and Ao Yan with a proud and commanding gaze.

“Your Highness’s divine might! His Majesty’s sacred power!” Ao Run and Ao Yan immediately bowed low, offering their flattery.

The Candle Dragon’s face softened with satisfaction, and he nodded with a gentle, pleased hum.

“But, Your Highness, what troubled you earlier?” Ao Run, recalling the Candle Dragon’s earlier look of unease, asked in puzzlement.

The Candle Dragon turned back to gaze beyond the palace, pointing ahead and shaking his head. “It is not Lion Xiong who troubles me, but rather Nan Luo.”

“Nan Luo? Isn't he like a fish in a barrel?” Ao Run and Ao Yan followed the Candle Dragon’s gesture, looking toward Nan Luo, who sat serenely atop the Water and Fire Mountain.

Nan Luo sat upon an icy crystal throne, exuding an air of calm and detachment. Sensing the dragons’ gaze, Nan Luo looked up at the palace and smiled faintly.

“What is with this Nan Luo?” Ao Yan, brash by nature, felt a chill in his heart as he saw Nan Luo’s smile.

“Nan Luo is up to something. Otherwise, how could he appear so fearless?” Ao Run’s eyes flickered as he stared at Nan Luo, speaking in a low voice.

“Indeed, he is scheming,” the Candle Dragon replied, his gaze steady as he looked at Nan Luo.

Ao Run and Ao Yan looked at the Candle Dragon in confusion, bowing respectfully. “Please, enlighten us, Your Highness.”

“Nan Luo has become a Divine Lord,” the Candle Dragon said calmly, as though it were a trivial matter.

Yet that calm pronouncement struck Ao Run and Ao Yan like thunder, leaving them stunned.

“A Divine Lord?!”

Ao Yan’s fire-dragon eyes widened as he stared at the unruffled Nan Luo, finally understanding the odd, unsettling feeling Nan Luo had given him. Nan Luo was no helpless prey, but a terrifying beast in disguise!

Ao Run was equally shocked, inwardly exclaiming, What a Nan Luo! What a master of deception—he lured us here like fools!

“Your Highness, how did you learn that Nan Luo has become a Divine Lord?” Once the shock subsided, Ao Yan could not help but ask. After all, both he and Ao Run were Dragon Kings, yet they had not known of Nan Luo’s ascension. They had followed the Candle Dragon’s lead—how could he know what they did not, unless the Ancestral Dragon himself had told him?

The Candle Dragon replied in a steady tone, “It was my intuition.”

“Intuition?” Ao Run and Ao Yan nearly coughed up blood at this answer, thinking to themselves, If you don’t wish to say, then don’t—why give such a clumsy excuse?

“Hahaha, it was His Majesty who told me,” the Candle Dragon suddenly laughed, seeing their awkward expressions. Hearing this, Ao Run and Ao Yan’s expressions returned to normal, their suspicions confirmed.

“Your Highness, if Nan Luo is already a Divine Lord and we cannot hope for victory, why have we come to fight at all?” Ao Run looked at the Candle Dragon in confusion.

Ao Yan, too, waited expectantly for the Candle Dragon’s explanation. If the Ancestral Dragon had known from the start that Nan Luo was a Divine Lord, why send the Candle Dragon and the dragon armies here to battle him at all? Surely he must have known that the forces at their disposal could not subdue Nan Luo. If they were not careful, their forces might be wiped out.

Of course, with the Heaven-Cleaver, the Candle Dragon, Ao Run, Ao Yan, and other high-ranking dragons could easily escape. But as they awaited the Candle Dragon’s answer, he turned, his gaze complex as he looked toward Nan Luo, and said quietly, “An age of chaos is upon us.”

No sooner had he spoken than a thunderclap split the skies above the Dragon Palace, deafening in its intensity. Ao Yan and Ao Run blanched, staring silently at the sky.