Chapter 506: Boss Fang Was Taunted

The gauge of combat strength in the Desolate Sea Realm, where martial artists lingered in the nascent stages of their path and lagged a whole major realm behind cultivators, held no truth here in Lingzhou.

Rumors spoke of the martial artists in the Western Pole Realm, who possessed an exceedingly ancient system of heritage. In the deep recesses of antiquity, these sky knights, sworn companions of dragons, would ride their titanic beasts down from the western snow mountains. They had once dominated a glorious, unbroken epoch; though they later waned for reasons lost to time, theirs remained a formidable system capable of rivaling cultivators.

In this regard, they were truly beyond anything the newly awakened martial artists of the Desolate Sea Realm could hope to match.

And the King of the Western Pole was a paramount existence hailed as the Blood Dragon Martial Emperor. Not only was he the strongest among all martial artists across the continent, but he and his bonded Blood Dragon could also claim a place among the very pinnacle of living experts. The Western Barbarians had ever been renowned for their martial valor.

Over thousands of years, within that barren, bitterly cold wasteland of the northwest, they had chiseled ice to forge cities, thriving in steady solitude. Every member of the tribe possessed fierce martial prowess, holding fast against peril by leveraging the terrain. Upon the glacial peaks, natural strongholds stood everywhere, while blizzards and fierce beasts lurked as ever-present threats. The ultimate frost and snow could even cause the spiritual essence of any invading cultivator to stagnate.

Though cultivators had always held the upper hand against martial artists, and no Western Barbarian could ever match a Lingzhou cultivator of the same tier in single combat, the Western Barbarians had lived as neighbors with the Horned Dragon clan of the Frozen Mountains for generations. They had struck a covenant in the ancient past, living in mutual reliance. Taking the dragon as their surname, they shared a profound bond, fighting side by side against their common foes.

Such was the origin of the four great Dragon Clans of the Western Barbarians.

As for the warriors of the other ordinary clans, they possessed a complete method for taming flying beasts, accustomed since antiquity to acting as one with their mounts in battle.

Fighting two against one was not merely a matter of numerical supremacy. A Horned Dragon of pure lineage not only possessed terrifying physical combat power but was also proficient in spells, capable of compensating for every disadvantage a martial artist faced against a cultivator. In this manner, it was the cultivators who found themselves at an absolute disadvantage.

Thus, for thousands of years, there were only tales of Western Barbarians invading other domains, and never any account of external forces breaching the northwestern Frozen Mountains. Even during the height of the Heaven-Inquiring Sword Palace's arrogance, anyone they placed a bounty upon would find that once they crossed the deadline of the Frozen Mountains, no cultivator dared pursue them.

If the collective clans of the Western Barbarians were considered as a single entity, their comprehensive strength was by no means inferior to any of the Seven Great Clans.

Now, it resembled a waking lion, whereas Lingzhou, by contrast, seemed a dragon drifting into slumber.

"It is said... that during the days we spent traveling to Lingzhou... the Seven Great Clans of Lingzhou have been reduced to six?" Inside the guest house of the Western Pole Realm, several elders of the Frost Dragon Clan were discussing the current state of Lingzhou.

"I have heard such tidings as well." Another elder's face turned solemn. "Can such news truly be real? If it is...

It is simply too unbelievable."

"Eighty to ninety percent chance it is true. I have already sent word back. To think these ancient clans of Lingzhou could vanish just like that; this is an unprecedented calamity."

"They say the Nangong Clan had long harbored ambitions to crown themselves over the world. It seems the other ancient clans are not to be trifled with either. Their Heaven-Inquiring Sword Palace could naturally never be a match for the remaining six clans."

"No, no, no, I heard a different version. It is said the catalyst for their destruction was an outsider."

"An outsider?" That elder sneered. "A single outsider?"

One had to understand that in their eyes, the cultivators of Lingzhou were the most powerful beings under heaven.

"If it is true, then the cultivators of Lingzhou are truly living backwards as they age!"

"From what I see, today's Lingzhou is indeed growing more and more pathetic. I reckon this martial arts exchange was delayed precisely because they want to drag those fellows from the Desolate Sea Realm out to help cover their shame."

From outside, the resonant chiming of bronze bells rang out several times.

"The time has come. We should depart."

"Boring Lingzhou people," that elder said indifferently. "They wish to hide their shame, so when the time comes, we shall make them doubly disgraced!"

"Heh..."

...

The Martial Arts Arena of the Haotian Academy.

Never had there been a time more bustling than today.

Upon the arena, sword qi was currently flying across the sky, and the thunderous roars of descending sword light echoed through the entire grounds.

The woman on the stage possessed a heroic and martial bearing. Wielding a two-handed greatsword, her attacks and counters were driven almost by instinct, every single move executed to perfection.

Gabriel maintained his perennial expression of cold arrogance mixed with a touch of malice. Sitting high upon the elevated dais, he gazed down at the entire arena with a hint of disdain.

It was only at this moment that Owner Fang finally arrived on the scene. Taking his seat with somewhat bleary, sleepy eyes, it was obvious this martial arts exchange had already been underway for some time.

"Owner!" Jiang Xiaoyue called out softly from the side, patting the seat next to her. "Over here."

"Hey!" Gabriel frowned, watching this young man clad in a blue-and-white robe, hands stuffed in his pockets, carelessly seating himself directly behind him.

He felt highly annoyed that someone had actually missed his own magnificent entrance earlier.

What annoyed him even more was the man’s sleepy demeanor; such an attitude was truly infuriating.

Just as he was about to flare up, a woman clad in red-and-black skirt-armor stepped up from the arena. Removing her horned helmet, her golden curls cascaded down like a waterfall, revealing a stunningly wild and striking face.

"Finished?" Gabriel spoke with a teasing tone. "I didn't expect Miss Theia to take so long?"

"What a pity, I thought I might finally taste the flavor of defeat." Theia sat in an adjacent seat, asking with a hint of doubt, "The opponent's two-handed sword style had some substance to it. They said it was passed down from someone named Cloud. Do we have such a swordmaster in our Western Pole?"

"From what I see, it’s just someone taking an eccentric path. Still, to make Miss Theia take it seriously..." Gabriel smiled. "Somewhat interesting. At least it's worth watching."

The yawn Owner Fang had just started instantly froze on his face. He stared over, utterly dumbfounded: Even this could be won?!

Granted, the gap between a true genius and an ordinary person was by no means small, and this foreign woman before him was likely a genius among geniuses...

Seeing Owner Fang's shocked gaze, Gabriel let out a scoffing laugh. "What, was that martial artist just now very famous in your parts?"

His face carried a trace of contempt. "But then, there is inherently a gap between martial artists. I hope you Lingzhou people understand this point as well."

"Uh..." Owner Fang scratched his head, replying awkwardly, "I'm not from Lingzhou."

Gabriel’s narrow eyes instantly filled with even greater disdain. "The Desolate Sea Realm?"

"Allow me to ask, do you people of the Desolate Sea Realm truly know martial arts? It wouldn't happen to be dance, would it? The dancing kind of dance?"

"Hahahahaha!" The several youths of the Frost Dragon Clan following behind him all burst into loud laughter.