Chapter 570 - 569: Won’t Be Coming

Chapter 570: Chapter 569: Won’t Be Coming

The war raged on. The forces of the Four Great Empires invaded with overwhelming force. An increasing number of cities were occupied, and a steady stream of bad news reached the Celestial Dragon Imperial City.

The ministers all wore solemn expressions. This wasn’t unexpected. The Empire had yet to recover from the exhaustion of its recent civil war, so its cities had fallen easily.

Had the Dragon Chancellor and his faction still been around, they could have at least fended off many of the enemy’s experts. But not much time had passed since their demise, and the Empire’s losses had not been replenished. The enemy was striking while they were vulnerable—kicking them while they were down!

At last, the enemy was at the gates. Two great armies had reached the outskirts of the Celestial Dragon Imperial City. A vast horde of Cultivators filled the sky, while others rode toward the city on Demon Beasts across the ground. Their sheer numbers were terrifying.

Some were even former ministers of the Celestial Dragon Empire, their presence a clear sign of betrayal. This, too, was not unexpected. They were cowards, afraid to die. Not everyone was like Moss, willing to sacrifice their life to defend a city.

Ren Long and the others stood atop the city walls, gazing coldly at the approaching army. What could they possibly say about such traitors?

"Emperor Ren, I advise you to surrender peacefully. Do you really think you can defeat us just by relying on the Celestial Dragon Treasure?"

The words came from one of two Spirit King Stage experts seated in a Dragon Vehicle. A Flood Dragon writhed through the sky, pulling the vehicle along. To command a Flood Dragon in such a manner was a sign of unimaginable prestige.

They were the Great Emperors of two of the invading Great Empires. It was a surprise to see them take the field personally, though not entirely unforeseeable. A Great Emperor leading the charge was a powerful way to boost his army’s morale.

The forces of the two Great Empires were indeed terrifying. Besides the two Great Emperors, there were at least ten Void Spirit Stage Grand Generals. They also had seventy to eighty Core Formation Stage experts, to say nothing of the countless others at or below the Spirit Pill Stage.

Those with lower cultivation levels had not been dispatched; they remained behind to guard their respective Empires. In a war of this scale, elite power was the foundation. Sheer numbers were meaningless; human-wave tactics were useless.

It was no longer a situation where more bodies meant a better outcome. The current campaign was a perfect example; their advance had been swift. If they had brought along weaker Cultivators, who knew how long it would have taken them just to arrive.

Ren Long’s gaze sharpened. ’What an immense force.’ They were surrounded from two directions. And this was only two of the Imperial Influences. The other two had yet to arrive, apparently still occupied with razing the cities on their side.

"Emperor Xiao, if I recall correctly, our ancestors had a rather amicable relationship. Why have you joined this war?" Ren Long demanded coldly, staring at one of the Great Emperors.

"There is no ’why.’ You need only give us an answer: will you surrender, or not? That is the only answer we require." Emperor Xiao couldn’t be bothered to offer any further explanation.

Emperor Xiao was the ruler of the Yunxiao Empire. Its relationship with the Celestial Dragon Empire had been passable; their ancestors had even been on friendly terms. But the previous emperor of the Celestial Dragon Empire was long gone, having likely ascended to the Celestial Realm or descended to the Netherworld. He had been absent from this world for a very long time.

Over time, the relationship had cooled, but the overall situation remained respectable. They still had occasional exchanges. To think they would now send troops to attack them was something Emperor Ren and his people had never anticipated.

They had originally assumed that out of all the Great Empires that might attack the Celestial Dragon Empire, the Yunxiao Empire would not be among them. But who would have thought they would be on that very list!

"Speaking of which, why haven’t the Celestial Net Empire and the Mengyun Empire arrived yet? Is it because there are more cities on their side, making them harder to conquer?" the other Spirit King Stage expert mused. He was lounging in the Dragon Vehicle, his handsome face betraying not a hint of imperial majesty. He looked more like a playboy.

He certainly looked the part. Two stunning beauties were draped over him, continuously feeding him Spirit Fruits. This didn’t look like an invasion; it looked like a pleasure cruise.

"Emperor Zhuge, the situation on that side is indeed more difficult. They have more cities, and their defenses are stricter. That front was originally established to defend against the Netherworld Empire, so of course it’s a bit stronger than this one." Emperor Xiao had clearly already familiarized himself with the situation.

"PFFT..." Emperor Zhuge sputtered with laughter. "So it seems they drew the short straw, and we lucked out?"

"It’s not as if I forced their hand. They made their own choice; it has nothing to do with me." Emperor Xiao smiled faintly. Thanks to their previously good relations, he had a very clear understanding of the Celestial Dragon Empire’s situation.

Ren Long’s expression turned grim. If this continued, once all Four Great Empires gathered, they would truly be trapped with no hope of escape.

"Emperor Ren, what is your answer?" Emperor Xiao demanded, watching him coldly. Ren Long’s continued silence was starting to irritate him.

"I have nothing to say to a piece of trash like you, you ungrateful traitor." Ren Long’s expression was calm. Even facing an army of thousands, he showed not the slightest hint of panic.

Worst case, they would fight to the very end. He would never choose to simply hand over the Imperial City. For them, that would be the ultimate humiliation.

"Me? Ungrateful?" Emperor Xiao roared with laughter. "If you must blame someone, blame yourselves for being too weak! Especially you, Ren. As a Great Emperor, you’ve gone this long without a breakthrough in your cultivation. It’s an absolute disgrace."

Emperor Xiao’s relentless mockery made Emperor Ren’s face turn livid. If he hadn’t been trapped in the Coiling Dragon Cave for so long, he would have broken through long ago.

As it stood, he was stuck at the peak of the Void Spirit Stage, just one step away from the Spirit King Stage, with no way to break through for the time being.

Emperor Xiao and Ren Long were close in age. The fact that his peer had broken through before him was indeed a disgrace. In their youth, Ren Long’s talent had been far superior to Emperor Xiao’s. To be surpassed now was undeniably humiliating.

"So you want to annex my empire just because you think we’re weak now?" Ren Long’s gaze turned cold as ice.

"Isn’t that only natural? Surrender peacefully, and I might spare your life," Emperor Xiao sneered. "Once everyone is gathered here, it will be too late! Don’t think you’re invincible just because you have the Celestial Dragon Treasure. In our eyes, it’s nothing but a tortoise shell—a shell that will shatter with a single blow! I hear you have a Prince who can also control the Celestial Dragon Treasure, but what difference does that make?"

The Celestial Dragon Treasure was powerful, but it wasn’t invincible. Especially since they didn’t even have a single Spirit King Stage expert, breaking through would be easy.

Although every word he spoke was logical, Ren Long’s gaze remained icy and filled with utter contempt.

"Then enough with the pointless talk. If you want to occupy our Imperial City, then come and fight!" Ren Long said coldly. "I will make you pay the price!"

"Is that so? In that case, so be it. When the other two Great Empires arrive, it will be your doomsday. I want you to savor the feeling—the terror of being surrounded by the Four Great Empires!" Emperor Xiao sneered.

"You don’t have to wait. The other two Imperial Influences won’t be coming." At that moment, a figure flew over and hovered in midair.

In an instant, all eyes snapped toward him. A young man had appeared at their side at some unknown point, his hands clasped behind his back as he stared at them coldly!