Blue Dream

Boom!

The explosion of the stockpiled gunpowder was so violent that the powerful tremor traveled all the way to the imperial palace. Even the ground seemed to shake.

"Looks like Virus and Electric Eel did a good job." Facing the tremor, Firebird merely nodded in praise, as if he had expected it. Then he turned back. "Your Majesty, we have no intention of waging an all-out war against you. Please hand over the Prism Pillar. Otherwise, I'm afraid some unspeakable things may happen."

"Firebird, why are you taking so long?" Before Zhu Zhengxing could reply, a deep male voice came from the great hall. Bai Cinan strode through the doorway. "Surely, in a situation like this, our dear emperor has already figured out where things stand?"

"You, you..." To have two mere men lord it over him was an unprecedented humiliation. His extinguished rage flared up again. Zhu Zhengxing's mind went blank as he reached out, wanting to hurl insults about treacherous rebels and the like.

But—

"? What were you going to say?" Bai Cinan blurred forward. Before anyone could react, he was right in front of Zhu Zhengxing. His powerful, muscular frame eclipsed the emperor completely, and his cold, merciless eyes met Zhu Zhengxing's as he looked up.

It was as if he'd been doused with ice water on a scorching day, then hurled into the frozen wasteland of the Arctic. In an instant, all his anger vanished. The pungent smell of blood and gunpowder flooded his nostrils. Zhu Zhengxing instinctively stumbled back three steps, then forced a smile. "N-nothing... What are you waiting for? Go get the things Commander Cinan wants! Hurry!"

"Hmph. Wouldn't it have saved everyone a lot of trouble if you'd done that from the start?" Bai Cinan sneered at the so-called emperor, who was now scared out of his wits—one of the most powerful people in the world. "Firebird, did you get the footage from earlier?"

"I did, Commander Cinan!" Firebird's eyes were ablaze with fervor. "Commander Cinan humiliated the Crimson Cloud Empire! Commander Cinan is invincible!!!"

"Don't even think about trying anything behind our backs." After receiving confirmation, Bai Cinan nodded. "Your Majesty, you wouldn't want this footage copied hundreds of millions of times and distributed to the public for free, would you?"

"I-I understand." No matter how bitterly he cursed the useless Imperial Guards in his heart, or the officials who drew their salaries without doing their jobs, he was no match for the situation at hand. Zhu Zhengxing could only nod helplessly, never having realized just how weak he was. "We'll do everything according to Commander Cinan's arrangements."

"Then first, hand over the Prism Pillar. And since we've come all this way, we can't go back with just one Prism Pillar." Bai Cinan smiled. "Firebird, is there anything you want?"

"Nothing! It's my honor to serve Commander Cinan. I want for nothing!!!" Firebird, who had been recording nearby, snapped to attention and answered with a fervent expression.

"Then let's get you some gold. Virus and Electric Eel probably don't want anything either, so get them some gold, too. After this operation, I'll give you all some time off. Don't go getting yourselves killed."

It wasn't obvious from his appearance, but Bai Cinan was actually quite generous—to his subordinates and to anyone who couldn't threaten him.

So, after this massive operation, his first thought was to bring back a few perks. Once he had taken care of his subordinates, he began thinking of good things to bring back for his master and junior fellow disciple.

"Master likes martial arts best. Get me a copy of every Secret Martial Art and secret medicine in the imperial palace. I hear my junior fellow disciple has recently taken an interest in antiques from the Lost Empire. What antiques do you have here? Bring along ten or so."

"Have all of these things ready to load onto the ship before sunset." Ignoring everyone else's opinions, Bai Cinan made the decision himself. "Otherwise, you won't want to find out what happens."

With that, he left the great hall without a care for how this group of weaklings would handle things.

A haul to be proud of!

The ship sped across the sea, beneath the moon hanging high where the sky met the water. Led by Bai Cinan, the members of the Dream Creation Beast Group celebrated an unprecedented victory.

They weren't afraid of being caught by the Crimson Cloud Empire's warships.

First, the Dream Creation, modified with the Lost Empire's advanced technology, was the fastest ship in the world. Second, they had already sunk every nearby warship to the bottom of the sea.

And even if the Crimson Cloud Empire somehow pulled a batch of warships out of its pants and surrounded them without their noticing, they should know that sinking the Dream Creation alone would be meaningless.

There was only one reason: the Dream Creation's strength didn't lie in its speed or firepower, but in the people aboard.

The Demonic Martial Arts experts, all of whom had undergone Gene Modification multiple times.

And the invincible Bai Cinan, commander of all the Demonic Martial Arts experts!

"Everything went perfectly this time thanks to our invincible commander, Commander Bai Cinan!" Firebird raised his cup high in praise. "The commander single-handedly smashed through the entire Imperial Guards and killed every fighter who was so obsessed with the glory of Secret Martial Arts that they refused to forge ahead! Long live the commander! The commander is invincible!"

"You all did well, too," Bai Cinan encouraged them. "I watched Firebird's footage. The filming was excellent. It could easily be used as material for a movie at our next film festival."

"Virus's poison arts have improved, too. The rest of you worked well together and held off all the reinforcements."

"Electric Eel played his part as well, blowing up all the gunpowder stored in the city. Otherwise, they might have gotten the impression that they could still keep fighting. Every one of you contributed to this victory!"

"It is all the commander's glory. We are but stars dimmed by his radiance." Electric Eel was a sturdy, middle-aged man who rarely smiled, but even he wouldn't spoil the mood on such a joyous occasion. He offered his flattery.

"After this, we'll have nearly half of the Prism Pillars assembled. We're one step closer to fulfilling the prophecy, one step closer to Blue Dream!" Firebird drained his cup in celebration. "I never thought I'd live to see Blue Dream come true!"

"Yes, the prophecy is close to being fulfilled. Once I've finished my next round of modifications, the moon will be next." Bai Cinan stroked his heart, as though he could sense something buried beneath it. "On this joyous day, there are no superiors or subordinates. Everyone—celebrate to your heart's content!"

At Bai Cinan's command, the entire Dream Creation erupted into wild celebration...

Bai Cinan smiled and drank one cup after another as easily as if he were drinking water. His happiness looked so sincere, as though he truly was glad that Blue Dream was about to come true.

Blue Dream?

Heh. Blue Dream!

If this world had a true king, an emperor of the earth who ruled all under heaven and guided humanity forward,

then that emperor would have to be me, Bai Cinan!

And certainly not some meaningless Blue Dream!