Chapter 142: The Disgrace of Yan (1)

Chapter 5: The Disgrace of the State of Yan

The Yan Capital Parade Ground!

Backed by a towering mountain, the parade ground was paved with white stones at the base and enclosed by high walls. Inside the walls lay a vast expanse.

Soldiers clad in five different styles of armor stood at attention behind five distinct factions.

At the northernmost end sat the Emperor of Yan in his dragon robe upon the imperial throne. Surrounded by a retinue of high-ranking officials and formidable experts of Yan, fine wine and delicacies were laid out before him. Yet at this moment, no one had the heart to touch the feast; instead, they watched the center of the field with anxious expressions.

In the center of the arena, two powerful martial artists were locked in fierce combat.

Swords and sabers clashed, radiating brilliant flashes of red and blue light. The battle was intense, and victory remained undecided.

At the head of the eastern side sat another faction.

Among them was Liu Gang, a state honored guest of the State of Zheng, indicating that this delegation represented the State of Zheng in the summit.

One of them wore a four-clawed dragon robe, clearly the Crown Prince of Zheng.

However, this group did not seem to revere the Crown Prince above all else.

Liu Gang sat beside the Crown Prince of Zheng, his status visibly no lower than that of the prince. At this moment, Liu Gang was speaking flatteringly to another middle-aged man.

"Third Senior Brother, I heard you have already refined essence into Qi and stepped into the Qi Realm?" Liu Gang asked in a low voice.

"Indeed. Just a few months ago, while you and Master were heading to that Feng Shui formation, I broke through to the Qi Realm! The Qi Realm feels completely different," the middle-aged man said proudly.

"Naturally! Third Senior Brother is blessed with supreme talent, something this junior has long admired. In the future, should I have any doubts, I ask that Third Senior Brother not withhold your guidance," Liu Gang fawned.

"Hahaha! We are martial brothers from the same school; it is only right!" the middle-aged man replied with satisfaction.

"I heard that Senior Brother possesses two demonic beasts of rare breed. The first is this Tricolored Divine Ox, possessing boundless strength and terrifying might, far surpassing my former demonic snake by several fold," Liu Gang said, glancing at a giant ox standing two zhang tall behind them.

"That demonic snake of yours? Hah! How could it ever compare to my Divine Ox? Though both are at the Essence Realm, ten demonic snakes would be no match for my Divine Ox," the middle-aged man said dismissively.

"Quite right, quite right! And I heard you have another demonic beast, a rare airborne creature of flight, which even Eldest Senior Brother views with envy!" Liu Gang praised.

"Hahahaha! Indeed. Eldest Senior Brother is stronger than I in cultivation, but when it comes to demonic beasts, he cannot help staring with envy every time he sees my 'Bat God'," the middle-aged man said with self-satisfaction.

"Where is the Bat God now?" Liu Gang asked.

"I ordered it out to forage for food. Pay it no mind," the middle-aged man chuckled.

"Third Senior Brother's demonic beasts can even be let out to roam freely—it shows that your mastery in enslaving beasts has reached the realm of perfection. Among Master's disciples, surely no one can surpass you," Liu Gang continued to shower him with flattery.

"Hahahaha!" The middle-aged man was overjoyed by the praise.

While buttering up his Third Senior Brother, Liu Gang cast a glance toward the center of the arena.

"Speaking of which, this Five-Nation Hegemony Tournament is somewhat different from what I imagined," the middle-aged man said gravely, watching the duel below.

"Oh? Why does Third Senior Brother say that?" Liu Gang asked, puzzled.

"Originally, I intended to catch a glimpse of that little bastard Yan Chuan, but unfortunately, he is not here," the middle-aged man remarked with a hint of regret.

"Ah, perhaps he didn't dare to show his face," Liu Gang flattered with a smile.

"And besides, weren't the honored guests of each nation supposed to be at the pinnacle of the Force Realm? Why are there so many in the Essence Realm? Yan has three, Han has eight, Chu has seven, and Wei has eight?" the middle-aged man asked in confusion.

"Them? They are just like me, dragged into the Feng Shui formation by the ancestral patriarchs of our respective dynasties on that day. Those people truly had incredible luck. When the dragon qi in the Feng Shui formation finally erupted, it shattered into countless wisps of minor dragon qi. Each of them likely managed to absorb a share, which is why by sheer fortune—"