The Dragon Rises

The south.

Jiangzhou Prefecture.

Poison Dragon, with his long arms and legs like an ape's, stared blankly at the sky.

Even in broad daylight, he seemed to have found in the heavens that Purple Star of the Emperor which represented the sovereign!

"The Purple Star is weak... changing several times a day. Great Pine's Heaven-mandated national fortune and lifespan seem to have suddenly been cut short by ten years?"

Poison Dragon kept calculating, then suddenly burst into laughter. "The Greedy Wolf Star in the north is blazing brightly... this is a scheme of inviting wolves into the house! The Great Pine Dynasty... is finished! The vengeance of my sect can be repaid!"

Back then, his lineage had selected a dragon lair for a prince of the realm. When the imperial court discovered it, they crushed them outright and slaughtered them mercilessly. He alone had escaped, and his hatred for the Great Pine court ran as deep as a sea of blood.

Now that he saw Great Pine's heavenly mandate breaking and the age of chaos arriving ahead of time, he practically wanted to dance with joy.

"The struggle for the dragon has entered its peak early. I fear many lineages never anticipated this... they'll surely be caught flat-footed. This is my chance."

Thinking of the auspicious lair he had discovered, Poison Dragon's heart burned hot.

"Though the Patriarch long ago warned that contending for the dragon is perilous, a nine-deaths-and-one-life venture that would endanger those around you as well... my old Daoist master, my senior and junior brothers, my disciples and grand-disciples are all dead. What is there left to fear?"

A dangerous gleam surfaced in Poison Dragon's eyes as he fixed a vicious stare on the map. "The lands south of the river are rich, and Jiangzhou Prefecture has