Ao Qing's speed was simply too fast—so fast that the guardian generals didn't even have time to react before being obliterated on the spot.
It was hard to believe that his massive body, over a thousand zhang long, could move with such agility and swiftness. The sheer contrast left everyone stunned.
Of course, the guardian generals weren't pushovers—they were at least quasi-Golden Immortal experts. With sheer numbers on their side, and under the command of their leader, one of the generals bellowed:
"Heavenly Generals, strike!"
As soon as his voice fell, the guardian generals gathered in formation with astounding coordination, all executing the same lethal strike in perfect unison.
BOOM!
At some unknown point in the sky, a colossal, radiant war spear formed—overflowing with killing intent. It came crashing down with immense force, aimed directly at Ao Qing's enormous dragon body, as if to slice him clean in two.
Even from a distance, Ao Qing could feel the intensity of the strike.
But in his eyes, it was merely… a bit stronger than average.
"Enough wasting time."
With a faint laugh, Ao Qing's giant dragon body shifted. Then—both of his front claws clapped together like thunder.
At first glance, it looked like a simple motion. But the moment he clapped his claws, it was like a grandmaster martial artist unleashing the Buddha's Palm—majestic, resonant, and devastating.
In that instant, countless phantoms of enormous dragons emerged in the sky, each one over a thousand zhang long, spreading like a storm across the heavens. They all mirrored Ao Qing's movement, raising their claws high.
"Myriad Dragons Bow to the Sovereign!"
With that cry, the countless dragon claws descended like Mount Tai, smashing downward in unison.
Each claw was larger than entire mountains—densely packed, overlapping across the entire battlefield. From afar, one could even see the individual scales and lines carved into the claws.
At that moment, the guardian generals clearly felt it: as if the entire sky was collapsing on them. The crushing force descended mercilessly, obliterating their divine senses, rendering them unable to move or even circulate their spiritual energy.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The mountain-sized dragon claws fell one after another, and in the blink of an eye, the entire Bashu region was flattened.
The guardian generals were all reduced to nothing but blood mist—brutally crushed, their remains strewn across the battlefield. The scent of blood filled the air, pungent and nauseating.
As the phantom dragons in the sky gradually faded, Ao Qing looked down at the devastated land beneath him.
He couldn't help but grin.
"So this… is the power of Myriad Dragons Bow to the Sovereign."
This was his first time using the skill from the eighth layer of Dragon God Art—and the result had stunned even him.
He hadn't expected it to be so overwhelming.
One move.
One skill.
Countless guardian immortals annihilated.
"Long live the Dragon King! Unifying the Three Realms is only a matter of time!"
"Long live the Dragon King! Unifying the Three Realms is only a matter of time!"
"Long live the Dragon King! Unifying the Three Realms is only a matter of time!"
The shouts resounded in unison.
Watching from the side, Prime Minister Turtle and the other dragon elders were utterly shocked—faces pale, minds still stuck in the awe of the moment.
They immediately dropped to their knees and kowtowed, paying respect to their Dragon King with trembling reverence.
Even now, the image of countless dragons blotting out the sky, their claws crashing down to shatter everything, was etched deep into their minds.
It was too overwhelming.
Too impossible.
Too divine.
"Rise."
With a flick of his claw, Ao Qing casually dismissed the threat. Having wiped out the guardian generals with ease, he now had a clear understanding of his current power.
His mutated purple-gold Eight-Clawed Dragon form…
Was now unquestionably among the top echelons of the mythic world's strongest beings.
Just days ago, he had barely qualified to approach the threshold of that realm.
He ignored the system's familiar string of "Your Dragon Clan's Luck has increased by 1!" notifications and turned to glance once more at Mount Shu.
It was time to leave.
This journey to Mount Shu had yielded immense rewards—a huge increase in luck and evolution points, the entire sect of Shu Mountain cultivators now enslaved to his will, and best of all:
Ao Qing's Water Tribe would gain their skills in alchemy, herbology, and sword cultivation.
All part of the plan.
But just as Ao Qing was preparing to leave, a new notification rang in his mind:
"Domain detected: Celestial Paradise – Mount Shu. Host has successfully conquered the territory. Would you like to allocate an evolution point?"
"Upon allocation, Mount Shu will evolve into 'Aqua Shu Mountain,' capable of merging with the Eastern Sea. Grants: Shu Sword Sect; teaches shrimp soldiers and Dragon Clan disciples alchemy, herbology, and Shu-style swordsmanship. All Water Tribe sword cultivators gain +200% cultivation speed. Chance to produce a 'Water Sword Saint.'"
Ao Qing blinked.
"Aqua Shu Mountain…? You can even evolve mountains now!?"
He had just been thinking about how to bring Mount Shu with him—after all, that knowledge was too valuable to leave behind. He never expected the system to anticipate his needs so perfectly.
"Sword Saints… Water Tribe Sword Saints!?"
His shrimp soldiers and crab generals might favor polearms, but many of his fish demons and aquatic cultivators preferred swords.
Now was their chance.
"Why hesitate!?"
Without a second thought, Ao Qing grinned and selected "Yes."
Next moment, the system responded with a pleasant chime:
"Evolution point successfully allocated. Mount Shu has evolved into 'Aqua Shu Mountain!'"
"All Water Tribe sword cultivation speeds increased by 200%."
"Chance to produce Water Tribe Sword Saints."
"Granted: Shu Sword Sect, including expertise in pill refining, herb gathering, and swordsmanship."
Ao Qing could barely contain his joy.
Moments later, a surge of blue light erupted.
In his palm, a miniature mountain appeared—a shrunken version of Mount Shu, shimmering with celestial light.
The original Mount Shu had vanished completely, as though it had never existed.
"D-Dragon King! T-that's Mount Shu! How… how is it in your hand?! And it's so small!"
Prime Minister Turtle was dumbfounded.
Ao Guang and the rest of the dragon elders stared, wide-eyed and speechless.
But after everything they'd seen in the past few weeks, could they really be surprised anymore?
"Back to the Eastern Sea."
Without bothering to explain, Ao Qing's figure flickered—and he vanished without a trace.
He had a new sect to install…
A new domain to merge.
And a Water Tribe to transform.
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