The Power of the East Sea, Flooding Jiangnan!

"Ao Guang, have you lost your mind?!"

At the sight of this, even Hao Zhong's expression changed drastically.

"Yes, I've lost my mind. I went mad over eighty years ago!"

"I failed back then and became the laughingstock of all races, mocked for decades!"

"Today, even if I have to pay with my life, I'll make you humans understand that I, Ao Guang, am not someone anyone can bully!"

"Morning Bell, I know your defense is invincible among those of the same rank, but with the power of the entire East Sea behind me, how long can your golden bell hold out?!"

Ao Guang swept in with the massive waves of the entire East Sea, churning rivers and overturning seas. Dragon blood spewed from his mouth, staining the seawater red!

This was his greatest trump card. Burning his life as the price, he used the entire East Sea as the source of his power. Both the damage and range of this skill had already surpassed the War King-level!

It was somewhat like the Forbidden Winds Ling Feng had used before. Just imagine it: the Forbidden Technique unleashed by a level 0, rank 1 Ling Feng had already been so terrifying. How horrifying would a Forbidden Technique unleashed by a supreme War King at rank thirty-nine be?

It could only be described with four words: world-destroying devastation!

Water manipulation was a common method among the Dragon Race and Flood Dragon Race, but commanding the entire ocean was another matter entirely. Though Ao Guang was only of the Flood Dragon Race, this move alone was enough for him to take pride in himself. No wonder he had been accepted into the upper ranks of the Dragon Race left behind on Blue Star despite his Flood Dragon Race status!

But powerful as this Forbidden Technique was, the price Ao Guang had to pay to use it was also immense!

This was practically a life-or-death move. Unless he was truly backed into a corner, who would be willing to use it?

Ao Guang's actions left everyone dumbfounded. Was this dragon really that hot-tempered?

But now was not the time to consider why Ao Guang was using such a terrifying killing move!

Because once this monstrous tsunami, gathering the power of all the East Sea's waters, crashed down, the hundreds of millions of people in Jiangnan Base City would likely have no survivors!

Under such heavenly might, Hao Zhong, who specialized in defense, might survive, but everyone else's chances of living were almost zero. Even Chen Gu, a rank thirty-five War King, would be no exception!

"Th-this... what kind of crazy skill is this? Is this the power of a supreme War King?"

Hao Jian's little face had gone pale with fright. Looking at the towering curtain of water, he spoke in a trembling voice. Before such power of heaven and earth, any resistance was futile. Was Hao Jian really going to perish together with all of Jiangnan Base City today?

Xu Kun also said bitterly, "So when that flood dragon appeared and said he would flood all of Jiangnan Base City, he wasn't joking!"

Mu Qingxuan beside them remained calm. "This is no longer a level of power that a War King should be capable of unleashing. Ao Guang, as a member of the Flood Dragon Race, was entrusted with such an important duty by the Dragon Race precisely because he narrowly escaped death in the Haotian Pagoda and obtained this forbidden skill. Each time he uses it, his own attributes are greatly weakened, but its power is indeed formidable. Even Hao Zhong's defense cannot withstand such force!"

"But it was precisely because he possessed such terrifying power that, after what happened back then, he was able to throw himself into the Dragon Race's embrace. The Dragon Race even granted him the entire East Sea as his territorial waters, earning him the title Dragon King of the East Sea!"

What happened back then?

Xu Kun had long been suspicious. Ao Guang had originally seemed extremely wary of the strength of his second father and second mother, even keeping a great distance from them. Yet now, he was burning his very foundation to unleash this great Forbidden Technique—all because of Chen Gu's earlier remarks!

Could there be some hidden secret behind this?

"Don't expose someone's sore spot when you insult them. Chen Gu may also be a War King, but she is too young. She only knows the surface details of what happened back then and doesn't understand that incident was Ao Guang's eternal pain. Because of it, he was abandoned by the entire Flood Dragon Race and became a laughingstock ridiculed by all races. With his S-rank talent and status as an experienced War King, breaking through the fortieth floor of the Haotian Pagoda should have been effortless. Yet he remained on the thirty-ninth floor of the Haotian Pagoda for decades..."

He had remained on the thirty-ninth floor of the Haotian Pagoda for decades?

Xu Kun's scalp tingled when he heard that. All races knew that even if one's talent was lacking, the higher one climbed in the Haotian Pagoda, the more attributes one gained from levels. More importantly, one could obtain even stronger external assistance!

Every ten ranks brought an evolution. Even if one's talent was several grades lower, as long as one's level was high enough, dealing with high-talent individuals of a lower level would be easy!

For example, an F-rank race boss at level 0, rank 1 could easily crush an S-rank beginner at level 0. That was only at low levels. The higher the level, the greater the gap!

No one could resist the temptation of higher levels unless some other limitation forced them to stop there!

What person or event on the higher floors of the Haotian Pagoda had made an experienced War King like Ao Guang hesitate for decades?

"Big Sister Chen, don't provoke him anymore! These are the lives of hundreds of millions in Jiangnan Base City!"

Sikong Zhen was panicking. The moment he saw Ao Guang get serious and sweep in with the ocean waves, his vision went dark and his footsteps grew heavy!

Once the monstrous waves fell, even if Sikong Zhen survived, he would have to die in the line of duty for causing the deaths of hundreds of millions of civilians during his tenure as the city's chief commander!

Even the entire Sikong Family would be held accountable!

Hao Zhong stopped Chen Gu, stepped out of the golden bell's protective range, and faced Ao Guang directly. "Old Dragon King, there is no blood feud between us. If my wife said anything wrong, I apologize to you on her behalf! I hope you will withdraw your divine power!"

"This concerns the lives of hundreds of millions in Jiangnan Base City. Old Dragon King, your divine power is overwhelming, and we admit we are inferior. But for your own sake, and for the sake of your descendants in the East Sea, consider this carefully. If you cause such a disaster, the upper ranks of humanity will surely seek revenge. By then, corpses floating across the East Sea surely won't be a sight you wish to see, will it?"

Compared to humanity, the East Sea's sea races were even more numerous. The entire East Sea was Ao Guang's territorial waters, and many of the aquatic races living there carried some of his bloodline. Those aquatic races were Ao Guang's descendants!

Hao Zhong's words were also a warning to Ao Guang. He was capable of flooding Jiangnan Base City and causing the deaths of hundreds of millions, but humanity would likewise retaliate without end!

Ao Guang, along with the countless sea races of the East Sea, would be buried alongside the human civilians who perished in this disaster!

"Morning Bell, are you trying to threaten me with that?" Ao Guang said coldly.

Hao Zhong remained neither servile nor overbearing. "I wouldn't dare. But surely the Old Dragon King does not wish to create unforeseeable consequences over a moment of anger?"

"Enough nonsense. If you want me to calm the tsunami, it's simple. Hand over the human trial participant, Kun, and I'll withdraw at once!"

"Impossible!" Hao Zhong refused without hesitation!

Leaving aside the fact that he had no idea who Kun was or where he was, even if he did know, Kun was a human who had created history. Merely through the beginner trial, he had brought enormous benefits to all humanity. Even if his talent was only F-rank, no one knew how great his future accomplishments might be. Such a person deserved the protection and admiration of all humanity!

For that reason, no matter who it was, no one would choose to compromise because of Ao Guang's threats!

"Then there's nothing left to discuss. Hao Zhong, you are still too young. Did you think threatening me with humanity's upper ranks and warning me with all the sea races of the East Sea would make me hesitate?"

"I'm not afraid to tell you that I stopped wanting to live eighty years ago!"

"Today is the perfect opportunity to settle old and new grudges together!"

"I, Ao Guang, will let all races know that the cowardly Ao Guang of the past is gone! With hundreds of millions of humans buried alongside me, it's worth it! Hahaha!"

Within the curtain of water, Ao Guang wore a crazed expression.

He continued sweeping the towering wall of water toward Jiangnan Base City.

"Brother Hao, what do we do now?!" Sikong Zhen was so anxious that he was nearly crying.

Hao Zhong's face was also filled with helplessness. Had this old dragon truly gone insane? Was he not even afraid of death?

Just as everyone was at a loss, Chen Gu, standing nearby with a face full of guilt, suddenly froze.

After confirming that she had not misheard, she made a decisive decision and rushed out of the golden bell's protective range.

"Auntie, where are you going?!" Hao Zhong's eyes nearly split apart. He thought Chen Gu regretted angering Ao Guang and was trying to atone with her own life!

But Chen Gu ignored him. Looking at the tsunami spreading across the entire sky, her face turned somewhat pale.

She took a deep breath and said coldly, "Ao Guang, you're still the same as you were eighty years ago—a complete and utter piece of trash! A coward mocked by all races!"

Hao Zhong and the others were stunned. It was not just Ao Guang who had gone mad—why had Chen Gu gone mad too at a time like this?

Was she not satisfied with angering Ao Guang already?

"Evening Drum, I told you that you would regret this!"

"Back then, you said the same thing to Heavenly King Li's family!"

The tsunami suddenly halted, nearly losing control and causing the tide to recede.

"You flooded Chen Tang Pass back then, and now you want to flood Jiangnan Base City. I have to say, Ao Guang, aside from this move, you truly have no real ability at all!"

"You couldn't beat them at the same rank. Their whole family climbed past the fortieth floor of the Haotian Pagoda long ago, but what about you?"

"You lingered on the thirty-ninth floor for decades, until even juniors born decades after you caught up!"

"What are you afraid of?"

"Aren't you unafraid of death? Then why don't you dare climb past the fortieth floor and fight their family to the death?"

"Or are you waiting for the Li Family father and son to leave the fortieth floors before you dare take another step forward?"

"Other than using the lives of the weak as leverage, what else can you do?"

"As a member of the Flood Dragon Race, you were abandoned by the entire Flood Dragon Race and became a lackey of the Dragon Race!"

"As a supreme War King, you lack the heart of a strong man. You halted in place and hid on the thirty-ninth floor, trembling in fear!"

"As a father, first, you couldn't teach your child properly. Second, you couldn't protect your child properly. Third... you didn't even have the courage to avenge your son!"

"Think about your son, who has been paralyzed in bed for decades. You have served the Dragon Race like an ox and horse for so many years—have they cured your son?"

"You're just a dog that knows how to bark but not bite. Humanity was not afraid of you, Ao Guang, eighty years ago, and we are not afraid today either. Even if I, Chen Gu, die, I will never become a coward like you, Ao Guang. If you have the guts, come at me! I, Chen Gu, am willing to live and die alongside the hundreds of millions of citizens in Jiangnan Base City, but I will never submit to the threats of a cowardly dragon like you!"

Chen Gu's voice, carried by the Evening Drum, resounded in the ears of every citizen of Jiangnan Base City.

Some people cursed. They cursed Chen Gu, the War King who had originally protected them. It was her loose tongue that had caused this disaster, and now she still was not satisfied. She even wanted to provoke Ao Guang further. Was she in such a hurry to die?

You, Chen Gu, might want to die, but we don't!

Yet after hearing Chen Gu's words, many people fell silent and sank into thought!

This included the group of powerful figures led by Hao Zhong in the sky.

As upper-echelon figures, they naturally understood that Ao Guang's anger was fake. His true goal was to seize this opportunity to threaten them into handing over Kun!

But was that even realistic?

No information about Kun had surfaced. They did not even know whether he was in another base city or Jiangnan Base City!

Under such circumstances, even if they wanted to hand him over, they could not!

Sikong Zhen kept contacting humanity's upper ranks, but the messages he sent vanished like stones sinking into the sea. The upper ranks' attitude was far too ambiguous. Could they truly disregard the lives of the hundreds of millions of civilians here?

Under such circumstances, there was very little Hao Zhong and the others could do!

Then what could they do?

The outcome was nothing more than dying in humiliation or dying in glory!

By further angering Ao Guang and ruthlessly exposing the scars hidden in his heart, Chen Gu was using her unyielding attitude to tell him one thing!

Humanity would only die standing, never live kneeling!

Want them to hand over humanity's genius? Not a chance!

If you have the ability, then make your move!

After Chen Gu's words, Ao Guang fell into a rare silence. Even the enormous tsunami that blotted out the sky seemed to lie dormant beneath his dragon body.

Just as everyone silently watched to see what Ao Guang would do in the face of humanity's defiance, they heard him burst into laughter.

"Li Jing, Nezha, very good! I, Ao Guang, suffered humiliation at the hands of you father and son back then, and today I have witnessed the backbone of these younger humans!"

As Ao Guang's body trembled, part of the seawater beneath him had already begun battering the golden bell. The golden bell's defense was strong, but it could not stop water from seeping through every gap. Before long, floods began spreading throughout Jiangnan Base City!

"Enough. I've endured a wretched existence for decades. Enough! Evening Drum, you're right. I, Ao Guang, am a coward. Back then, after Yang Jian threatened me, the entire Flood Dragon Race abandoned me. Now I serve the Dragon Race, yet I still cannot win back my genius son!"

"If that is the case, then rather than live in disgrace, I might as well die in a blaze of glory!"

"After I die, let the floods rage to the heavens, let rivers overflow their banks—what does any of it have to do with me?!"

"Be submerged, Jiangnan Base City!"

Chen Gu's face instantly went pale, and her fingers clenched tightly.

Sister-in-law, you really set me up. Are you sure this won't go wrong?

As the humans in every base city fell into despair, a complex rune appeared directly before the tsunami. Immediately afterward, an Earth Wall that reached from ground to sky rose from the earth, barely blocking the tsunami's further advance, while Hao Zhong's golden bell served as support behind the Earth Wall.

"Ao Guang, stop!"