Blackwater Dragon King Mobilizes His Forces, Guixu's First Crisis

News of the Blackwater Dragon King mobilizing his forces soon reached Guixu.

The source of the news was simple.

Ao Lie.

Though he had been punished and assigned to guard Dragon-Suppressing Pass, he still possessed secret Dragon Clan arts that allowed him to vaguely sense large-scale troop movements within the Blackwater Dragon Palace.

The moment he sensed the Blackwater Dragon King personally mustering troops, his expression changed on the spot.

At Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

Ao Lie coiled atop a black reef outside the pass and said in a low voice, "My father is mobilizing his forces."

Han Jue tightened his grip on his spear.

"How many?"

"Three thousand Blackwater Dragon Army soldiers."

Battle intent immediately flared in Han Jue's eyes.

"Perfect."

Ao Lie gave him a cold look.

"Do you know what three thousand Blackwater Dragon Army soldiers represent?"

"The Blackwater Dragon Army is an elite force personally trained by my father."

"Even the weakest among them possess Celestial Immortal cultivation."

"There are at least a dozen Golden Immortals."

"There are likely three Supreme Unity Golden Immortals."

"And my father himself will be taking action."

"You cannot stop them."

Han Jue grinned.

"Even if we can't stop them, we still have to."

Ao Lie fell silent for a moment.

For the first time, he did not mock Han Jue.

Because he knew Han Jue was telling the truth.

If Guixu retreated, the weaker races beyond Dragon-Suppressing Pass would all fall back into the Dragon Clan's hands.

The news reached the Northern Darkness Dao Palace.

Lan Shuang's expression was grave.

Lady Mingzhu had also lost her usual composure.

Three thousand Blackwater Dragon Army soldiers.

The Blackwater Dragon Palace had truly developed killing intent.

Since Guixu had been established, it had suppressed Ao Zheng, punished Ao Lie, and built Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

Yet Guixu had never faced a true, organized Dragon Clan army.

What was more, the Blackwater Dragon King was a Daluo Golden Immortal.

A powerhouse of that level could suppress countless small races by himself.

Before long, the leaders of Guixu's various divisions gathered at the Northern Darkness Dao Palace.

Han Jue was the first to speak.

"My Realm Guard is willing to defend Dragon-Suppressing Pass."

Lady Mingzhu said, "The Mystic Clam Tribe can open its treasury and provide spirit pearls to stabilize the formation."

Jing Yue, chief of the Cold Whale Tribe, said solemnly, "The Cold Whale Tribe can transport Beiming Mystic Stone to reinforce the pass walls."

Han Cang cupped his hands. "The Cold Sand Clan has only recently joined Guixu, but we are willing to use our city-building arts to strengthen the outer walls."

As Lan Shuang listened to everyone speak, warmth rose in her heart.

Guixu was no longer what it had been at the beginning.

Back then, these races had merely been refugees.

Now, they had begun to regard Guixu as their home.

But it was still not enough.

Three thousand dragon soldiers and one Daluo Golden Immortal far exceeded the limit that Guixu's races could easily endure.

Lan Shuang raised her head and looked toward the depths of Guixu.

"We must seek the Emperor's instructions."

In the depths of Guixu.

Lu Chen had already heard all the news.

He was in a very bad mood.

A very, very bad mood.

The Blackwater Dragon King had come personally.

Three thousand dragon soldiers.

And Supreme Unity Golden Immortals.

This had completely blown up.

Lu Chen's first thought was whether he should close the Guixu Womb Membrane and simply play dead.

But the problem was that Dragon-Suppressing Pass had already been built.

There were thirty-six races inside, along with fifteen newly arrived ones.

There was no way to hide so many people completely in an instant.

Besides, Ao Lie was still outside.

The Blackwater Dragon King had clearly come to settle the score this time.

The more Lu Chen thought about it, the more his head hurt.

The system's voice rang out at that moment.

"Detected that the Blackwater Dragon King is personally leading three thousand dragon soldiers in an attack. Please choose, Host."

"One: Manifest the Black Tortoise True Form and kill the Blackwater Dragon King. Reward: ten percent of Northern Water Fortune."

"Two: Abandon Dragon-Suppressing Pass and retreat into the Guixu Inner Realm. Reward: Calamity-Averting Divine Light."

"Three: Do not reveal your true body. Face the enemy with the Guixu Dharma Body and the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Formation. Reward: Guixu Dharma Body."

Lu Chen barely hesitated.

He chose the third option.

Manifest his true body?

Wouldn't that be the same as placing himself right before the Dragon Clan?

What if the Blackwater Dragon King went back and described him, and the Ancestral Dragon came personally to study his turtle shell?

Retreat into the inner realm?

That would not work either.

If Dragon-Suppressing Pass was abandoned the moment it had been built, the morale of Guixu's races would surely collapse.

More importantly, the enemy would see Guixu as weak.

There would only be more trouble in the future.

The third option was the safest.

Do not reveal his true body.

Use the Dharma Body.

Fight if he could win.

Hide again if he could not.

"I choose three."

"Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the Guixu Dharma Body."

A profound force flowed into Lu Chen's Primordial Spirit.

The Guixu Dharma Body was not merely an avatar.

It was more like a projection formed from the Guixu Womb Membrane, the Black Tortoise Sea-Calming Formation, and Lu Chen's divine sense.

The Dharma Body did not possess all the combat strength of his true body, but it could draw upon the power of the Guixu Inner Realm.

Most importantly, it could continue concealing Lu Chen's true body.

Lu Chen was very satisfied.

This reward suited him perfectly.

Outside Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

The Blackwater gradually began to churn.

In the distant sea, a dense black tide was approaching.

Within that black tide, three thousand dragon soldiers advanced in formation.

At the very front was a crystal dragon carriage drawn by six Black Flood Dragons.

Upon the dragon carriage sat the Blackwater Dragon King, dragon might as heavy as mountains radiating from his body.

Three Dragon Clan elders at the Supreme Unity Golden Immortal level stood on either side of him.

More than a dozen Golden Immortal dragon generals stood in ranks behind them.

The three thousand dragon soldiers strode across the waves, their military formation's aura joined as one, like a black behemoth rolling across the Northern Sea.

Atop Dragon-Suppressing Pass, the faces of Guixu's races were pale.

They had seen Dragon Clan pursuers.

They had also seen Dragon Clan prodigies like Ao Lie.

But for many of them, this was their first time seeing a true Dragon Clan military formation.

That oppressive force was enough to make weak races tremble instinctively.

Han Jue stood at the very front, spear in hand, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"So this is the Dragon Clan elite? Truly strong."

Ao Lie said coldly, "Don't let your guard down. Once the Blackwater Dragon Army forms its formation, even Supreme Unity Golden Immortals can be worn to death."

Han Jue raised a brow. "Are you warning me?"

Ao Lie replied flatly, "I simply don't want Dragon-Suppressing Pass to be smashed apart right after it was built."

Han Jue laughed.

"Don't worry."

"With the Emperor here, it won't break."

Ao Lie did not refute him.

After all these years, he had also developed an extremely complicated reverence for that never-seen Mysterious Abyss Emperor.

Before long, the Blackwater Dragon Army stopped outside Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

The Blackwater Dragon King slowly rose to his feet.

The pressure of a Daluo Golden Immortal spread outward.

The seawater across Guixu's entire outer region froze with it.

"Guixu Black Tortoise."

"Come out."

His voice was like thunder as it crashed into Dragon-Suppressing Pass.

Quite a few Guixu beings with low cultivation turned deathly pale.

Lan Shuang stood atop the pass walls, forcing herself not to step back.

The Blackwater Dragon King continued, "You have sheltered Dragon Clan runaway slaves, detained my son, and privately established Dragon-Suppressing Pass."

"Today, you must give the Dragon Clan an explanation."

Above Dragon-Suppressing Pass, the Guixu Womb Membrane trembled slightly.

The next moment.

A ten-thousand-foot Black Tortoise phantom slowly condensed.

The phantom carried a black sea upon its back, its four legs hanging down, while patterns resembling mountains and rivers flowed across its shell.

The instant it appeared, the hearts of those at Dragon-Suppressing Pass immediately settled.

Lan Shuang was the first to kneel in worship.

"Greetings, Emperor's Dharma Body!"

Guixu's races all knelt and called out together.

"Greetings, Emperor's Dharma Body!"

The Blackwater Dragon King's eyes narrowed slightly.

A Dharma Body?

Even at a time like this, this Black Tortoise still refused to reveal his true body?

Lu Chen's voice emerged from the Dharma Body.

"Guixu does not involve itself in the conflict among the three races."

"Your Dragon Clan has repeatedly forced its way into Guixu."

"And now you demand an explanation from me?"

The Blackwater Dragon King sneered.

"What a claim of staying out of the conflict among the three races."

"You have sheltered Dragon Clan fugitives."

"You suppressed my son Ao Lie."

"And now you have even erected Dragon-Suppressing Pass."

"And you call that staying out of the conflict?"

Lu Chen fell silent for a moment.

He realized that reasoning seemed useless.

From the Blackwater Dragon King's perspective, Guixu had indeed taken in a great many fleeing clans.

But from Lu Chen's perspective, he only wanted these small clans to survive.

Their positions were different; no matter what they said, they could not see eye to eye.

So he could not be bothered to explain.

The Black Tortoise Dharma Body slowly lowered its head.

"Then enter the formation."

The Blackwater Dragon King's gaze turned cold.

"This king was thinking the same."

He raised a hand.

Three thousand Blackwater Dragon Army soldiers advanced in unison.

A black tide surged into the heavens.

The army formation was like a dragon.

Before Dragon-Suppressing Pass, the first true battle erupted.