Rustle, rustle, rustle...
After a thunderous shout, Jade Water Forest, which had just erupted into commotion, fell deathly silent again. Only the soft patter of rain on leaves and branches remained, along with the smoke and flames in front of the sealed manor.
Over a hundred Imperial Guards dressed as overseers slowly retreated, weapons in hand, before the smoke drifting toward them on the wind, stealing glances at Hua Junchen.
Hua Junchen might have had a loud voice, but his head was not full of water. After announcing his identity, he tensed his legs, ready to flee at any moment, lest the visitor turn out not to be his son-in-law and he actually lose his life.
But after he waited a moment, even the explosions outside the manor stopped. No fiend emerged from the smoke; instead, it only grew quieter.
Hua Junchen was somewhat puzzled. With the intruder yet to appear, simply turning tail would clearly be inappropriate. Maintaining his imposing air, he spoke coldly again:
"Since you're here, why hide yourself? Do you dare show your face?"
Step, step...
These words produced an immediate effect.
Footsteps sounded within the billowing smoke before the manor. Though slow, every step carried the weight of a mountain, seemingly pounding against the chests of everyone present.
The overt and covert sentries outside the manor all looked as though they faced a formidable enemy and retreated behind Hua Junchen.
From the footsteps alone, Hua Junchen knew that a great dragon was approaching through the smoke, someone on an entirely different level from him. His nerves instantly stretched to their limit.
Step, step, step...
They had barely held their breath for a moment when the outline of a figure gradually emerged amid the firelight and smoke ahead.
The figure was rather tall and wore a