The Slaughter Proclamation

"A Slaughter Proclamation? Quite the bold claim!" War Clan King Jing Pu's eyes shot forth two beams of icy light as he stared at Xiao Chen. "After you finish killing the Yecha, do you plan to kill off the War Clan, the Fallen Angels, the Divine Race, and the Sacred Dragons as well?"

His words were a venomous slander, placing Xiao Chen in opposition to all the Hundred Races.

Xiao Chen fixed his gaze on the War Clan King. "Your clan's combat prowess is unmatched. Why resort to sowing discord? It only demeans you. When did I ever say I would annihilate the Hundred Races? The Yecha are the ones who have pushed too far, wantonly slaughtering human experts. They deserve to die!"

The Fallen Angel girl beside him let out a silvery laugh. "Before the expedition, the hero died a hero's death, leaving the world to mourn. Sir, you had best ensure your own safety first..."

"Bam!"

A loud crash came from the private room that had long since been opened but from which no one had emerged. A door flew outward, and then a strange figure strode out, two meters tall and exuding an oppressive presence. He had a human body but an ant's head, which looked somewhat ferocious. "Let me see who's being so arrogant!" It was a young king of the Ant Tribe. Though called the Ant Tribe, he radiated a pressure as heavy as a mountain. He approached directly, fixing his gaze on Xiao Chen.

An Ant King, a War King, and a Fallen Angel King—three kings surrounded Xiao Chen. The entire Misty Rain Tower was sealed by an unimaginably powerful force. At that moment, no one could enter or leave; it was completely locked down.

Xiao Chen was not afraid. He was perfectly calm. "The emergence of the Hundred Races is a blessing for the Nine Provinces. The cultivation world is bound to welcome a golden age, a hundred schools of thought contending—this is what any knowledgeable person would love to see. But the Yecha are brutal and ferocious, bent on annihilating human cultivators. Such an evil race, if they can destroy the humans today and grow strong enough tomorrow, they might also destroy the War Clan, the Fallen Angels, or the Ant Tribe. My so-called Slaughter Proclamation is merely a counterstrike."

If it were only for himself, Xiao Chen would not have said so much; he would simply have started a fight. Even if all the Hundred Races' kings joined forces against him, he could still protect himself in this chaotic world. But if he did not explain, the malicious would incite the Hundred Races to unite against humanity and begin a slaughter.

At these words, the Ant King fell silent. The Yecha had always been violent and cruel, rarely bothering to get along with other races. If they were allowed to develop swiftly and take root in the Nine Provinces, when a torrent of Yecha appeared, it would truly be a disaster for the other races.

The Fallen Angel girl chuckled softly, swaying in her misty radiance. Her pair of black wings fluttered gently, and her long, snow-white legs were faintly visible, making her look exceptionally seductive and alluring. She said nothing.

"In truth, the greatest threat is still the human race. With such a vast population, there is no way to kill them all. Currently, they are at a low ebb, but once they break out of their predicament and produce a batch of experts, they will not need long to recover before they become the most terrifying race," Jing Pu said in a low voice, his gaze sharp as a sword.

Xiao Chen had to reassess this War Clan king. Jing Pu was not only a formidable warrior but also a chillingly calculating schemer. His hostility toward humanity seemed aimed at setting human cultivators against the Hundred Races. He was definitely a dangerous opponent.

"War King, your prejudice is too strong. In terms of combat power, apart from the people of the Nine Provinces, which of the Hundred Races is not naturally gifted? Compared to humans, they could be called gods. Without even training, growing up normally makes them half-god experts. Humans pose no threat to the Hundred Races." Xiao Chen looked at the alien kings before him unhurriedly. "You, on the other hand... seem to have forgotten your true enemies. I heard that among the Hundred Races there is a Battle God Clan, the mortal enemy of the War Clan. They are not completely annihilated as the rumors say. Who knows if they might rise again? I also heard that the Ancient Paradise was not destroyed. In the distant past, it once seriously threatened the Fallen Angels. The Ant Tribe also has things to worry about..."

Xiao Chen spoke casually, and although he was obviously deliberately sowing discord, the three young alien kings could not refute him. Each of their clans did have fearsome opponents.

The three alien kings were clearly unsettled. Their ancient enemies were no ordinary foes.

Xiao Chen had achieved his goal. He wanted to plant a thorn in their hearts, to keep them from uniting against human cultivators. One Yecha race was already enough to make the Nine Provinces tremble. If all the Hundred Races joined forces to slaughter human experts, humanity's annihilation would only be a matter of time.

In truth, he had already formed some plans—to move among the Hundred Races, to persuade some of them, to prevent them from forming a united front, and preferably to provoke wars between the more powerful races.

Of course, those that could be killed directly should be killed. The annihilation of the Yecha was imperative. Sometimes, the effect of establishing authority was immeasurable.

War Clan King Jing Pu sneered, "Humans may seem weak, but their potential is boundless. Throughout the ages, who knows how many supreme experts have been born? Of the legendary figures who shook past and present, human cultivators account for more than half."

"Rise and fall are the most natural cycles. The golden age of humanity has passed. Those legendary figures are dead or vanished, all exhausted in the False God Calamity. Now, we are heading into decline and ruin. I never expected the War Clan King to be so farsighted. Have you already gained the strength to contend with eternity and begun laying plans for a thousand generations hence?" Xiao Chen's spiritual fluctuations were calm, but his tone was clearly laced with sarcasm. "I heard that a few days ago, War King Jing Pu fought a battle with the Giant King, drenching the skies in blood and causing that divinely powerful Giant Clan expert to fall on the spot. When the War Clan prepares against the Battle God Clan's return, you should also be wary of the Giants' revenge. They say that the true king of the First Giant King bloodline, one who flows with golden blood, has awakened."

'Farsightedness for eternity' was best left for solving the immediate crisis. That was Xiao Chen's mockery of Jing Pu. Planning for a thousand generations was not something a king of his level should be worrying about.

War King Jing Pu stared at Xiao Chen. "I'm considering whether to eliminate you right now. When it comes to people, things, that are dangerous, I always like to nip them in the bud."

The Ant King said nothing, but the Fallen Angel King clapped her hands. "Wonderful! I get to see the War King in action. What a rare treat!" she said, like an innocent, carefree girl, full of excitement.

"I am not afraid of you. If you want to fight, then fight." That was Xiao Chen's reply. Although he had no certainty of victory, he also wanted to risk killing Jing Pu. This was an extremely terrifying opponent—not only overwhelming in combat but also dark-minded and hostile toward human cultivators. Eliminating him would be the best choice.

"Good! Today, I will cut you down!" The War Clan King radiated an overbearing aura, his posture of dominance and scorn for all the world utterly undisguised.

"Do you take me for a decoration here?!" At that moment, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion King stood up. He was also of one of the Four War Clan Royal Bloodlines, with combat power that could shake the ages. Like a war god who had survived a hundred battles, his might was overwhelming.

Jing Pu had not expected the Golden Lion King to completely break with the War Clan. That he would move against him under these circumstances infuriated him. "Someone wanted to deal with the Sacred Dragon King and asked you to block me. Out of respect for you, I did not leave. But now I want to kill this man. Why do you still intervene? No one asked you to do this!"

"I agreed to a condition: you are not to make a move," the Golden Lion King said only this. His massive frame blocked War King Jing Pu, his battle intent soaring. His golden hair blazed like divine golden fire.

The two kings faced off.

At that moment, a faint, indistinct dragon roar came from afar. It belonged to a Sacred Dragon King. As the young king of the Winged Dragon Clan, his strength was beyond question. He reigned supreme against any foe. The roar was so faint that it came from at least a hundred li away.

From the sequence of events, Xiao Chen had already gathered that the Sacred Dragon King seemed to be allied with the Yecha King. He was surprised. It appeared that Jin Sanyi and the others had made preparations, intending to eliminate the Sacred Dragon King today.

"Interesting. I'll go take a look..." the Fallen Angel girl said with a light laugh, gracefully floating out the window.

But no sooner had she rushed into the sky than a dark light shot across the distant horizon like a colossal rainbow piercing the heavens. A young man in black blocked her path. "Fallen Angel King, please stay," he said.

Many in the Misty Rain Tower saw the valiant young man in black through the windows. When they noticed the two Ancestral Dragon horns in his black hair, everyone was shocked. That was a Dragon King!

The Fallen Angel girl said with a bright smile, "Why are you blocking my way?"

"I don't want the Queen to be drawn into unnecessary trouble."

"Hehe, can you stop me?" The misty radiance around the Fallen Angel girl gradually grew brighter.

"We'll only know after trying," the young man in black said calmly and composedly. "Clang!" A sacred sword slowly and automatically pulled itself from his back, bright and dazzling, impossible to look at directly.

"The Dragon Clan's Sacred Sword! That's the Black Dragon King!" Many people cried out in shock at this moment.

The Fallen Angel King's expression turned grave. She had long heard that the Dragon Clan kings were no easy opponents. The Red Dragon King was violent and fierce; once he entered a battle, he would go berserk, sweeping away all resistance. The Defiant Dragon King trained through self-sealing, and no one had yet forced him to fully unseal his seals. The Black Dragon King was unfathomably deep and controlled the Dragon Clan's Sacred Sword, which nothing could withstand. He had never been defeated, and no one had ever received his earth-shaking sword light.

The Black Dragon King had once followed Niu Ren. Clearly, the Bull Demon King was also involved in this operation. Xiao Chen guessed that those few were serious this time. Their ultimate goal was probably to deal with the Yecha King.

The Yecha King must be exceptionally terrifying. Otherwise, Jin Sanyi and the others would not have gone to such lengths. First, they dealt with the Yecha King's ally, the Sacred Dragon King. The Yecha King was to reach Chang'an tomorrow. Jin Sanyi and the others were trying to race against time, first eliminating the Sacred Dragon King—or perhaps using him as bait to catch a bigger fish.

In the Misty Rain Tower, War King Jing Pu faced off against the Golden Lion King. In the sky, the Fallen Angel King faced off against the Black Dragon King. The atmosphere was extremely tense.

The Ant King let out a cold laugh and then rushed out of the Misty Rain Tower, intending to fly toward the direction of the Sacred Dragon King's roar.

"Ant King, please stay." A figure flew over swiftly like a meteor streaking across the sky.

Everyone gasped in surprise. This imposing young man also had a pair of Ancestral Dragon horns among his black hair. Without a doubt, this was also a Dragon King!

"It's the Defiant Dragon King!" someone exclaimed.

The Ant King had clearly heard the rumors of the Defiant Dragon King's self-sealing. He naturally did not dare to underestimate an enemy of unknown depth. The most terrifying opponents were those one could not fathom.

Three pairs of kings faced off, the tension thick enough to cut.

"Roooar..." A dragon roar came from the distant sky.

A Sacred Dragon approached, like a colorful cloud. This colossal creature's wings vibrated, sending down gale-force winds, casting a great shadow over the ground.

This was clearly not the Dragon King who had just left. It came from another direction, passing by Chang'an. It did not descend but was heading to rescue its kin, whose angry roar it had heard.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion King was locked in a standoff with the War King. The Defiant Dragon King and the Black Dragon King were also blocking two other kings, leaving them no room to intervene.

Xiao Chen glanced at the last private room. Undoubtedly, there was an alien king there, but it had not yet emerged. Without hesitation, he shot into the sky and blocked the path of the passing Sacred Dragon.

This colossal creature was seventy or eighty meters long, like a colorful cloud, radiating a sacred aura, its dragon scales densely packed and glistening. It boomed, "Contemptible human, why do you block my path?"

It seemed extremely angry and had no patience for conversation. As it spoke, it charged forward, spewing a fierce bolt of lightning from its mouth.

"Contemptible... Do you think yourself great?" Xiao Chen had no intention of dodging. While releasing his spiritual fluctuations in reply, he blended part of the Origin Heavenly Sound into them, instantly dispersing the lightning bolt as thick as a water barrel and simultaneously forming a powerful resistance that stopped the charging behemoth in its tracks.

The gale-force winds howled. The Sacred Dragon was charging at high speed and, suddenly blocked by a force, was sent reeling in the sky.

Everyone in the Misty Rain Tower was stunned. A tiny human stood in the sky, actually blocking a behemoth the size of a mountain. What kind of power did that require?

The Sacred Dragon King was enraged. That its massive body had been stopped by a human dozens of times smaller was an insult.

"Contemptible insect, you dare to block my path! I grant you death..." the Sacred Dragon roared.

Xiao Chen walked through the void, step by step approaching it, pointing at its massive head. "The contemptible and the sacred are not determined by your will. You want to grant me death? Go cultivate for another thousand years, and you still won't be able to do it."

The Sacred Dragon King roared in fury, spreading its enormous dragon wings like a terrifying heavenly blade, slashing at Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen did not dodge. He stood still, then raised his right hand like a blade, meeting the giant dragon wing rushing down like a black cloud.

"Pfft!"

The dragon wing like a cloud engulfed Xiao Chen, but a wave of blood quickly shot into the sky.

Xiao Chen's blade-hand charged upward, piercing straight through the great dragon wing, bringing up a spray of blood.

"Aooow!" The Sacred Dragon roared, shaking the heavens. One of its wings was pierced. The pain caused it to flap uncontrollably, blood dyeing the sky red.

The crowd below was stunned. In just one exchange, he had severely wounded a Sacred Dragon. Such means were truly terrifying.

"According to your logic, I grant you death..."

Xiao Chen leaped into the air like an indestructible blade, his entire body disregarding the thick purple lightning spewed by the Sacred Dragon, charging straight through it and punching a hole through the Sacred Dragon's other wing.

Though this was a Sacred Dragon, it was nowhere near the level of a Sacred Dragon King. Against a powerhouse of Xiao Chen's caliber, it posed no threat.

The 'Weng' sound, hidden within his words, vibrated outward, instantly wounding the Sacred Dragon's soul. A part of its chest collapsed, a horrifying hole piercing through it as blood rained down from the sky.

The earth-shaking dragon roar echoed through Chang'an.

For human cultivators, this scene was beyond shocking. This was a dragon slaying!

Even the War King and the Fallen Angel King were taken aback, beginning to reassess Xiao Chen's combat power.

"Bam!"

Xiao Chen ascended against the sky, his Hand of the Supreme Being striking out. Blood rained, shattered dragon scales flew everywhere, and the agonized dragon roar carried for dozens of li.

He was truly going to slay the dragon!

With such strength, the Slaughter Proclamation against the Yecha did not seem to be an empty threat. That was the thought in everyone's mind. Many human cultivators felt their hearts surge with excitement.