Madman's Plan

On the other end of the communicator, Han Tieshan's voice warped for an instant under the weight of his extreme shock.

"What did you say? Martial Emperor Rank?"

This was not a question. It was confirmation.

Every word carried a chill and irrepressible horror.

"Yes." Li Zhengyang's reply was concise and clear.

His gaze remained locked on the savage dragon head forcing its way out of the rift. "Dark-gold Dragon Scales, vertical pupils. There's no mistaking that aura. It's breaking through the spatial barrier. At most five minutes before it fully descends."

Five minutes.

That unit of time smashed viciously into Han Tieshan's heart.

In five minutes, a Martial Emperor Rank Demonic Beast could reach Fortress No. 7 from Blackwind Pass.

That would not be a battle. It would be a one-sided slaughter.

"Hold on!" Han Tieshan's voice suddenly rose, decisive without the slightest hesitation. "No, don't hold on! Retreat immediately! Use your fastest speed! Forget the intel, forget the samples. Stay alive! I'll request support from the military district's highest command at once!"

"There's no time." Li Zhengyang said.

"It has locked onto me."

The instant the dragon head emerged from the rift, an invisible will carrying an ancient, primordial aura nailed him firmly in place.

It was absolute suppression stemming from the difference in their levels of life.

Run?

Where could he run?

Under the will-lock of a Martial Emperor Rank Demonic Beast, any thought of fleeing seemed pale and laughable.

The moment he dared turn around, he would be met with a devastating, thunderous fatal blow.

On the other end of the communicator, Han Tieshan fell into deathly silence.

He knew Li Zhengyang was telling the truth.

A Second-Rank Martial King locked onto by an Emperor Rank Demonic Beast had zero chance of survival.

"Li Zhengyang..." Han Tieshan's voice was incomparably strained. "The military district will remember you."

This was a farewell.

"Don't be so quick to write me off." Li Zhengyang suddenly laughed. The laugh was soft, carrying a trace of madness.

"Commander Han, what you can do now is transfer every bit of money you can command into my account as fast as possible."

Han Tieshan: "..."

"Stop dawdling. The more money, the better! This is the only hope of staying alive."

Li Zhengyang spoke incredibly fast, yet his logic was frighteningly clear.

He was racing Death itself.

Han Tieshan was so stunned by this move that he could not speak for a long while.

Was this something a person could do on the verge of death?

"You motherfucker..." Han Tieshan was so furious he almost laughed, yet his eyes reddened slightly. "You're a madman!"

"Do you agree or not?" Li Zhengyang asked.

"I agree! Of course I agree!" Han Tieshan roared. "The highest authority I can mobilize is thirty million! I'll have someone transfer it to you immediately! You'd better hold on, damn it! Do you hear me?!"

"I hear you."

Li Zhengyang ended the call.

He had no time for more nonsense.

Because the Dark-Gold Dragon Emperor's second claw had already emerged and gripped the edge of the rift.

Boom!

The Spatial Rift was forced wider once more. Its upper body, along with nearly half its torso, was squeezed forcefully out of the pitch-black passage.

Only then did Li Zhengyang see its full form clearly.

It was not some winged giant lizard from Western mythology, but a divine dragon from Eastern legend!

Its body was long and slender, clad in dark-gold armor, every Dragon Scale gleaming with cold light. Its dragon head was imposing, long whiskers flowing in the air. Those golden vertical pupils stared indifferently at the unfamiliar land beneath it—and at the ant upon it.

Majestic, sacred, and brimming with oppressive destructive power.

[Funds received: 30000000 yuan]

The notification from his personal Terminal sounded incomparably pleasant at that moment.

"System, recharge it all!"

Li Zhengyang roared inwardly.

[Recharge successful!]

[Recharge amount: 30000000]

[Blood-Qi Value gained: +300000]

[Current Blood-Qi Value: 478628]

[Blood-Qi Value threshold exceeded]

[Realm breakthrough: Second-Rank Martial King → Sixth-Grade Martial King!]

Boom! Boom!

Four immense yet fundamentally connected powers exploded one after another within his body!

His Blood-Qi Value instantly soared past four hundred and seventy thousand!

The True Essence vortex in his dantian expanded wildly, its dark-red color shifting toward an almost black-gold hue.

His bones groaned in agony, while his meridians tore apart inch by inch before instantly reforming.

Indestructible Golden Body operated passively at its limit, and the pale golden radiance on his body turned directly crimson-gold!

Sixth-Grade Martial King!

The surging sense of power within him gave him the illusion that he could challenge the heavens themselves.

But he knew this truly was only an illusion.

A Sixth-Grade Martial King was still an ant before an Emperor Rank existence.

He had merely changed from an ordinary ant into a somewhat stronger one.

The Dark-Gold Dragon Emperor had clearly sensed the change in his aura. For the first time, emotion appeared in those indifferent golden vertical pupils.

It was not surprise, but... interest.

It seemed to find this ant's struggle before it quite an entertaining performance.

It did not attack at once. Instead, unhurriedly, it continued pulling its enormous body out of the Spatial Rift.

Li Zhengyang tightened his grip on the Dragon-Gallbladder Golden Spear.

He knew the other side was toying with him.

But he knew even more clearly that this was his only chance.

He chose neither retreat nor defense.

He made a decision that even the Dragon Emperor found unexpected.

He was going to attack!

The ground beneath his feet exploded. Li Zhengyang turned into a streak of golden light rushing against the current and charged directly at the descending Dark-Gold Dragon Emperor!

"Madman!"

At Fortress No. 7's distant command center, Han Tieshan watched the scene through the satellite feed and muttered to himself.

He saw what Li Zhengyang intended.