Chapter 1268: Besieged
Hong Tianzhou was astonished after hearing this. If an existence like the Bloodshark Sovereign was regarded with such disdain, then just how fierce and domineering was this Jian Longwei?
At the same time, he felt his blood boiling because his lake would definitely be able to overcome this crisis with the Jian Clan’s help.
“I’ll do it myself.” Li Qiye voiced his refusal with a gesture and flatly said: “It is time for the sea demons to open their eyes before the proud human race. Let them know that even at the Dragon Demon Sea, humans can still suppress the heavens!”
Jian Longwei didn’t dare to compete for this merit against Li Qiye. They understood that this person was a supreme overlord. Even if a sea god came along, they would be annihilated. Li Qiye was someone who had killed Immortal Emperors after all!
Li Qiye told Hong Tianzhou: “If the enemies come sieging, then we shall fight and bury them beneath the sea.”
Hong Tianzhou opened his mouth, but no words came out due to some hesitation.
Li Qiye glanced at him and said: “No need for scruples, say what you want.”
Hong Tianzhou took a deep breath and made up his mind: “The ancestors, they, they want to negotiate for peace and are willing to accept the demands from Wyvern and the village.”
“Negotiate for peace?” Li Qiye laughed and coldly uttered: “Since when did Dongting Lake become so weak? Would your ancestors ever negotiate with their enemies? When they were still around, surrender was not on their minds even if they were down to the very last man on the battlefield! Their bones were cast from iron and their hot blood could erect the strongest citadel in this world!”
Li Qiye angrily scolded Hong Tianzhou: “In those years, Godkings and imperial lineages were nothing in your ancestors’ eyes. The banners of your clans symbolized a will made of steel and the most invincible corp that annihilated their enemies and crushed all cities in their way. But look at their descendants now. Even ants like Wyvern and the Bloodshark Village can walk all over you, subjecting you to servility! Have you no shame on letting down their supreme hard-earned prestige?”
Tianzhou felt his face and blood getting hotter. He recalled the glory days of his ancestors when Dongting Lake could look at the rest of the world with disdain. It was just as Li Qiye had said, his ancestors were invincible with nerves of steel.
When they were alive, they proudly trod through the nine worlds and swept through all of their enemies. Hong Tianzhou was ignited. If they were to kneel before these great powers today, it would be a great letdown to their ancestors!
Hong Tianzhou threw caution to the wind and clenched his teeth before declaring: “Young Noble, if you are willing to help me, I am ready to lead our disciples to battle instead of negotiating for peace even if the elders do not agree!”
“It is good that you have this determination.” Li Qiye looked at him and nodded: “Return to Dongting Lake and observe how Wyvern and the Bloodshark Village, these ants, shall be trampled by your ancestors! Let the descendants of the lake remember their invincibility once more so that they will never dishonor their ancestors’ prestige again!”
“We shall fight alongside you, Young Noble!” Hong Tianzhou’s blood was boiling at the moment as he clenched his fists.
Jian Longwei nodded his head approvingly after seeing this. He knew that Hong Tianzhou’s momentary burst of heroism had won Li Qiye’s favor. This will change the fate of the lake as well as his own.
If he had faltered earlier and wanted to negotiate, Li Qiye would drop this matter right then and there. From then on, the lake would never rise again after falling into the hands of the enemies.
***
Both Wyvern and the Bloodshark Village were furious at the murderer, Li Qiye. Shangguan Feiyan, who had suffered defeat to him, vowed to kill him as well.
In just one night, these two powers mustered a one-hundred-thousand-strong army. They quickly mobilized to Dongting Lake and released a message about their intent to destroy it.
This commotion made this marine region excited. Many cultivators and sects eagerly awaited the show. Some sea demons were quietly gathering in the dark as well.
Dongting Lake had been coveted by many due to its rich nature. So now, when the lake was about to fall, everyone would want to share a cup of soup.
This was especially true for the sea demon sects close to Dongting Lake. They were secretly waiting for this battle to end. If the lake were to lose, then they would divide it. If the other two powers were to lose, then that would signal an eventually decline, meaning that there would be more promising territories up for grab.
“Dongting Lake, listen up. Hand over the human brat, Li Qiye, and put down your weapons to surrender. We may forgive you then. Otherwise, your lake shall be crushed!” The village master and king of Wyvern personally led this expedition.
Before the grand army had even arrived, they already sent out this demand to the lake.
With the siege looming over their heads, everyone in the lake became quite nervous. The ancestors here held a meeting throughout the entire night.
The Xu, Lin, and Hong Clans were very unhappy with Hong Tianzhou for contributing to this trouble. It could even be said that they were furious. In their eyes, he was inviting a disaster to the lake.
Originally, they wanted to form a marriage pact with Wyvern and the Bloodshark Village. This development would be mutually beneficial since they could bolster their own status and authority. However, there is no longer any marriages, only enmity.
“Rumble!” On this day, this sea region was full of monstrous waves. Two great armies came from both sides of the lake in a pincer maneuver.
On the left was Wyvern and on the right was the Bloodshark Village. This was a premeditated military deployment.
Wyvern’s army consisted of many gigantic serpents soaring above the surface. This was a sea demon lineage that claimed to be descendants of true dragons; the blood of true dragons flowed inside them.
Of course, this was only them exaggerating their own worth. A more credible explanation assumed that their ancestor was a gigantic sea serpent. The dragon blood inside them was very thin. As for what type of dragon it was, this was still up for debate.
Therefore, the disciples from Wyvern were born as sea serpents. After becoming powerful enough, they would finally gain a humanoid form. Those who had humanoid forms at birth meant that their bloodline was extremely noble. 1
Of course, the masters of this country were willing to maintain their true forms because it had a greater battle prowess. This, in turn, was very unfavorable for passing down their bloodline.
At this time, a very long sea serpent that resembled a gigantic dragon swam closer with a ferocious momentum. It looked like 100,000 dragons were dancing in the sky.
At the same time, bloodsharks were cutting through the towering waves. Each of them was quite large, so whenever their tails swept by, surging tides were generated.
They had long and sharp white teeth. When they opened their jaws, these teeth looked just like swords; their cold glints instilled fear into the spectators.
Old men were standing on some of them. These were all elders with soaring blood energies that made it seem as if they wanted to tear the world apart.
“Dongting Lake, we give you one day to hand over Li Qiye and surrender or face the consequences!” Shangguan Feiyan finally showed herself in this great army with her divine halos.
She fled the Jian Clan after suffering a complete defeat and was able to stay alive. This time, she came back with help.
She didn’t only want revenge but also to take this opportunity to turn Dongting Lake into her own. She came prepared this time and had great confidence in herself. Even if Li Qiye and the lake were stronger than expected, they would still die!
The encirclement around the lake left the crowd with varying emotions. Some were happy, some were shocked, and some had ulterior motives. Of course, there were some spectators that were looking for pure entertainment.
Someone murmured while watching Dongting Lake under siege: “Shangguan Feiyan wants to wash away the humiliation from the Jian Clan. Li Qiye was really vicious then.”
“He is indeed very ruthless, he even dared to kill the concubine of the Profound Monarch. It looks like he doesn’t give a damn about anything.” A sea demon sect master said: “But he might have difficulty escaping unscathed this time, even with Dongting Lake’s protection. I heard Shangguan Feiyan didn’t only come prepared, she also brought a weapon of a sea god. More importantly, I heard some rumors where she has been able to convince the Bloodshark Sovereign to come and personally destroy the lake.”
“The Bloodshark Sovereign!” Both humans and sea demons were shivering after hearing this name.
“Wow, a legendary sea god. When he comes out, who will be able to contend against him?” A newly debuted cultivator was full of awe.
1. Just a clarification on the name Wyvern. The raw word means “a dragon with horns not yet grown”, thus a lower-level dragon. I consider wyvern to be closely related to dragons, but at a lower level, so I chose Wyvern. The issue here is that the author is talking about the traditional Chinese dragon, which is more of a serpent, to describe these creatures. If I knew this beforehand, I probably wouldn’t have chosen Wyvern. Maybe Hydra or Drake (not the rapper) would have been a better fit, or Hornless Dragon Country to play it really safe.