Chapter 723 : The Gathering of True Lords

As the saying goes, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. With the rise of the Chen Clan, it was inevitable that they would find themselves fundamentally opposed to the Azure Flood Dragon Demon Emperor.

Eldrin Chen understood clearly. In previous years, the Azure Flood Dragon Demon Emperor had remained inactive for two reasons. First, it had suffered a setback at the hands of Dorian Ji. Second, it had expended considerable time dealing with the Demonic Abyss Cataclysm and reforging its Fleshly Body Bloom [the peak state of a demonic cultivator's physical form].

Now that the Ji Clan had departed the Eastern Region Great Wasteland, the Azure Flood Dragon Demon Emperor would likely make a move sooner or later to settle the old score.

Although Eldrin Chen harbored some apprehension towards the Azure Flood Dragon Demon Emperor, he could not allow that fear to paralyze him into inaction.

A cultivator in this world who acts with constant hesitation, perpetually fearing this and dreading that, will seldom accomplish anything of significance.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Violet Consort Yan, Ethereal Mistress Ling, and several other True Lord [a high-ranking cultivator title] arrived at Verdant Lotus Isle and gathered together by the shores of Verdant Lotus Lake.

After exchanging pleasantries, they sat facing each other upon the Lotus Throne [a throne carved from spiritual lotus material]. Ethereal Mistress Ling then cut straight to the heart of the matter. "Esteemed friends," she began, "the establishment of a new continent is no trivial affair. We must deliberate upon it with the utmost care."

"We understand completely,"

Violet Consort Yan nodded in agreement. With a wave of her hand, she conjured a shimmering, illusory map using her spiritual power.

The map clearly marked Verdant Lotus Isle, the seat of the Chen Nation; Violet Consort Mountain, the domain of the Feast Kingdom; and Ethereal Mist Lake, the heartland of the Ling Nation. This chapter appears courtesy of audio-novel.com (official site).

Beyond these three nations, there were several other Demon Emperor territories in the surrounding region. These were Azure Wave Lake of the Azure Flood Dragon Demon Emperor, Violet Jade Lake of the Violet Jade Demon Emperor, and the lineage of the Golden-Winged Great Roc Demon Emperor.

Eldrin Chen gazed at the three Demon Emperor territories before him, his expression turning slightly grave. "Among these three domains," he stated, "the most formidable is undoubtedly Azure Wave Lake."

"Before our previous battle with Azure Wave Lake, they boasted a full eight Infant Soul Demon Emperor. However, Sage Lord Dorian's transformation into a Purple Radiance Thunder Dragon and the subsequent betrayal by him and his disciple, the Melancholy Inscription Lord, inflicted severe losses upon Azure Wave Lake."

"In that fateful battle, we managed to slay three of their Demon Emperor: the Five-Colored Heaven-Devouring Python, the Crimson Flood Dragon, and the Frost Flood Dragon. Only three remained: the Golden Flood Dragon Demon Emperor, the Black Crocodile Demon Emperor, and the Azure Flood Dragon Demon Emperor himself."

"Yet, from what I have learned, their strength has recovered significantly over the intervening years."

"Let us review the current situation first."

Exquisite Jiang took over, handing a dossier to the assembled group.

As they perused the contents, solemn expressions settled upon their faces.

Over the past eight hundred years, the forces under the Azure Flood Dragon Demon Emperor had grown considerably. It was said the Black Crocodile Demon Emperor had now broken through to the Infant Soul 7th Tier, while the Golden Flood Dragon Demon Emperor had cultivated to the Infant Soul Mid Stage.

Furthermore, within Azure Wave Lake, four new Demon Emperor who had reached the Infant Soul Early Stage had emerged during those eight centuries. All were of the flood dragon bloodline, descendants of the Azure Flood Dragon Demon Emperor's Dragon Blood lineage.

Violet Consort Yan set down the roster, her expression grave as she declared, "A full seven Demon Emperor [powerful rulers of demonic realms]. It seems the Azure Wave Lake [a demonic territory] has recovered a great deal over these years."

"If that were all, it would not pose too great a threat. But the true problem lies elsewhere."

Eldrin Chen then handed them another list. Recorded upon it were the Violet Jade Demon Emperor, the Gold and Silver Demon Emperor, the Hundred-Poison Celestial Scorpion [a legendary venomous weapon], the Crimson Blood Demon Snake [a ferocious serpent demon], and another Demon Emperor—five in total.

After everyone had examined this second list, Eldrin Chen continued, "According to intelligence gathered over the years, after their defeat at our hands, the Violet Jade Demon Emperor and the Gold and Silver Emperors pledged allegiance to the Azure Flood Dragon Demon Emperor [a mighty draconic demon lord]."

"The Azure Flood Dragon Demon Emperor values them highly. He specifically used a high-grade Dragon Transformation Fruit [a rare spiritual fruit that can purify and elevate draconic bloodlines] to assist the Golden Dragon Fish and Silver Dragon Fish—both Demon Emperor—in evolving their bloodlines."

"Now, the Gold and Silver Emperors have leapt through the dragon's gate [a metaphor for a transformative breakthrough]. They have broken through to the Infant Soul Late Stage [an advanced stage of spiritual cultivation]. Their power is truly not to be underestimated."

Exquisite Jiang also nodded, a slight frown creasing her brow. "The Violet Jade Demon Emperor has also broken through to the Great Perfection of Infant Soul [the pinnacle stage of the Infant Soul realm]. His strength, too, cannot be taken lightly."

Hearing this, everyone's brows furrowed with concern. Violet Consort Yan took a deep breath and said, "Currently, we have a full twenty Infant Soul [powerful cultivators at the Infant Soul realm]."

"If we invite a few more allies to lend their fists, we can still contend with the forces of Azure Wave Lake and Violet Jade Lake. The true uncertainty lies with the Golden-Winged Great Roc Clan [a powerful clan of avian demons]."

At this point, her words trailed off into a meaningful pause.

All those present wore solemn expressions, and Eldrin Chen could not help but slightly furrow his brow.

The strength of the Golden-Winged Great Roc Clan was truly formidable. Situated north of Qi Nation and bordering the Heavenly Star Continent, they posed a constant threat.

As early as seven hundred years ago, the Golden-Winged Great Roc Clan had already cultivated to the Great Perfection of Infant Soul realm. Back then, the Golden-Winged Great Roc Demon Emperor had even obstructed Dorian Ji's path to enlightenment.

Later, after Dorian Ji achieved his enlightenment, the Golden-Winged Great Roc Demon Emperor retreated deep into the Vast and Misty Marsh. There, by some stroke of immense fortune, it managed to cultivate to the Half-Step Primordial Spirit Realm.

This demon had become the fifth Demon Emperor within the Vast and Misty Marsh to reach the Half-Step Primordial Spirit realm. With its power greatly increased, it was no longer content with merely occupying two Fifth Rank Spirit Mountain [mountains imbued with potent spiritual energy]. In recent years, it had been relentlessly attacking both the Heavenly Star Continent and the Heavenly Dawn Continent.

Rumors held that the Heavenly Star Continent had already lost thirty percent of its territory, while the Heavenly Dawn Continent had suffered the deaths of four Infant Soul [powerful cultivators] a century prior in the fighting. Immerse yourself in the complete world at audio-novel-dot-com.

By now, the lineage of the Golden-Winged Great Roc Demon Emperor alone controlled as many as four Fifth Rank Spirit Mountain, a clear testament to its vastly expanded strength.

Mention of the Golden-Winged Great Roc Demon Emperor prompted Path Master Mo-ink, whose foundation lay in Qi Nation, to speak. "That Golden-Winged Great Roc Demon Emperor has grown exceedingly arrogant over the last two centuries, having slain five of our Human Race Infant Soul cultivators in succession."

"In recent years, it has also repeatedly probed the borders of our Qi Nation. Were it not for the considerable strength of our Ji Continent, it likely would have launched a full-scale assault already."

Eldrin Chen frowned once more. The Ji Clan had long since begun shifting their focus to the newly established 'Dorian Sacred Land'. To them, Ji Continent was little more than an expendable outpost.

The total resources produced by the entire Ji Continent are not even one-thirtieth of those from a single Dorian Sacred Land archipelago. It is therefore inevitable that their focus would not be placed here.

Currently, the Ji Clan has a host of messy affairs to deal with in the Eastern Sea, and the Ji Continent is also immeasurably distant from the Dorian Sacred Land. Thus, it is impossible for them to concentrate their main efforts here.

The Golden-Winged Great Roc Demon Emperor was well aware of this fact. Seizing the opportunity, he has been continuously expanding, aiming to steadily accumulate a foundation to be used for a future attempt to break through to the Primordial Spirit Realm [the spiritual core realm beyond the Infant Soul stage].

Fortunately, the strength of Ji Continent is not weak. Even without the Ji Immortal Clan presiding over the overall situation, one of the Ten Great Immortal Clan of the Three Veins Ancient Domain, the Chen Clan, stands guard here. The Golden-Winged Great Roc Demon Emperor has always restrained his desire to make a move against the Chen Clan.

However, as time passes, the day will inevitably come when the Golden-Winged Great Roc Demon Emperor can no longer restrain himself and decides to confront the Chen Clan.

At this moment, Verdant Consort chuckled and said, "The Golden-Winged Great Roc Clan and the Flood Dragon Clan are mortal enemies. They are also locked in internal strife amongst themselves, so there is no need to worry about them joining forces against us."

Hearing this, everyone present nodded with faint smiles.

The Golden-Winged Great Roc Clan and the flood dragon lineage of Azure Wave Lake have actually been sworn enemies for thousands of years. The enmity between them runs even deeper than that between the Ji Clan and the Azure Flood Dragon Demon Emperor.

According to Eldrin Chen's knowledge, over the past several millennia, at least six Infant Soul [the nascent soul cultivation stage] flood dragons have perished at the hands of the Golden-Winged Great Roc Clan. Conversely, the Golden-Winged Great Roc Demon Race has also lost several of its Demon Emperor [powerful demon rulers] to the Azure Flood Dragon Demon Emperor.

This is because Golden-Winged Great Roc [a mythical giant bird of prey] feed on flood dragons. By devouring their bloodline power, they can rapidly increase their cultivation. Therefore, any possibility of an alliance between the two sides is fundamentally nonexistent. Visit audio-novel-dot-com to enjoy the complete series.