"All citizens of our Great Han shall be rescued, no matter how far!"
"Human Emperor, Ao Qing has been apprehended by the orthodox bloodline Azure Green Flood Dragon clan. According to the intelligence from the Embroidered Uniform Guard's secret agents, the strongest among them is merely at the fifth layer of the Venerable realm."
"They are subservient to the Heavenly Demon clan and have thus gained a foothold on the Southern Crimson Realm of the Eastern Wilderness Continent. Such a small tribe dares to apprehend an official of our Great Han court. For the sake of the nation and the law, they deserve to be exterminated, to reassert the might of the Great Han Imperial Dynasty!"
Li Si stepped forward, myriad laws and lightning flashing behind him. His words were laced with killing intent.
Ao Qing was the naval commander of the Great Han Imperial Dynasty, personally appointed by the Human Emperor. He commanded three million iron-blooded soldiers, maintained peace in the Great Han seas, and enjoyed the honors and titles bestowed by the dynasty.
Ao Qing's detention by the Azure Green Flood Dragon clan was not merely a matter of honor for the citizens of Great Han; it was a direct challenge to the authority of the Great Han court!
"Yuan Tiangang!"
Yang Hao turned his gaze to Yuan Tiangang, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, standing beside him. The teleportation arrays connecting Great Han to the five realms of the Eastern Wilderness Continent were all constructed by Yuan Tiangang.
"Human Emperor, the orthodox Azure Green Flood Dragon clan is located in the Dragon Palace east of the Crimson Night Imperial Dynasty in the Southern Crimson Realm. The teleportation arrays have all been stabilized!"
Yuan Tiangang held his horsetail whisk and said respectfully.
Yang Hao's gaze fell upon Yan Tiancheng, who was guarding by his side. Yan Tiancheng had already stepped into the sixth layer of the Venerable realm.
"Human Emperor, your humble subordinate is willing to go forth, to crush the Dragon Palace and rescue General Ao Qing!"
Before Yang Hao could even glance his way, Yan Tiancheng strode forward with a roar. His imposing physique pulsed with the aura of a Venerable. His shout vibrated through the entire hall, causing waves of primal energy to surge, illuminating the hall's ceiling with golden light that resembled a dragon of destiny weaving through the air.
Yan Tiancheng, at the sixth layer of the Venerable realm, was a beacon among the emerging heroes under Yang Hao's command. He was a top-tier general, possessing terrifying combat prowess. He dared to challenge even a Venerable who was two minor realms above him!
A golden hammer, which he had nurtured for several months, pulsed with an explosive, unyielding force.
"Good."
Li Si smiled, stroking his beard. With Yan Tiancheng leading the charge, Ao Qing would surely be safe. The honor lost by the Great Han Imperial Dynasty, the humiliation inflicted by the orthodox bloodline Azure Green Flood Dragon clan, would be thoroughly avenged.
"Approved!"
Yang Hao's expression was solemn, his eyes burning with a fierce killing intent. Since Great Han unified the Savage Realm, they had prioritized recuperation and rebuilding the populace, temporarily sheathing their martial edge.
The iron-blooded army of Great Han had not seen battle in two years. The myriad tribes of the Eastern Wilderness Continent likely underestimated, or even scorned, the supreme imperial might of Great Han!
This battle shall see the Dragon Palace annihilated, and our national prestige elevated!
"Your subject obeys the imperial command!"
When the ruler is insulted, the subject dies. Yan Tiancheng, already a man of straightforward principles, felt that the Azure Green Flood Dragon clan's blatant disregard for Great Han and the Human Emperor demanded their extermination!
If one Venerable's blood was not enough, then two. If two were not enough, then the entire clan would be wiped out. An unbridled killing intent surged within Yan Tiancheng's eyes. He intended to use the orthodox bloodline Azure Green Flood Dragon clan to elevate the supreme imperial might of Great Han to even greater heights!
...
The northernmost reaches of the Great Han Imperial Dynasty.
Xu Chu gazed at the golden skeleton before him, no more than ten feet away, his eyes alight with excitement. Ever since entering the Imperial Dynasty's secret treasury, he had absorbed the pure blood essence of Emperor Wu. This blood essence was different from that of Li Bai or Wang Yue.
Upon entering the blood cave, Xu Chu's own blood energy was drawn by a peculiar force. The most concentrated and energy-rich blood essence in the entire blood refining pool was the essence of primal energy left behind by Emperor Wu. Su Dan's Novel Network.
Later, he heard Emperor Wu's primordial spirit say that it was not he who chose Xu Chu, but the legacy he left behind that chose Xu Chu.
The blood essence of Emperor Wu was the supreme imperial blood nourished by the destiny of an empire. While not as precious as the blood within Yang Hao, it still possessed terrifying energy, one-fifth that of Yang Hao's dark golden blood.
Emperor Wu himself was an unparalleled prodigy. He had managed to repair his incomplete cultivation technique, which had been broken by the Five Yang, and deduce the realm beyond nirvana. Under the blessing of national destiny, he had also forged a skeleton of an Great Emperor.
The Great Emperor skeleton before Xu Chu was cultivated and condensed by Emperor Wu. After Emperor Wu's demise, his remnant primordial spirit had further embedded his Great Emperor skeleton at the bottom of the blood refining pool, using the blood essence of past emperors to further perfect it.
Now, it was time to reap the rewards...
"Xu Chu, this Great Emperor skeleton required no small effort from me. It has been nurtured by a million years of imperial aura. I need not elaborate on its value, do I!"
"Now that you have reached the peak of the Spiritual Nurturing realm, by merging with this Great Emperor skeleton, you will be able to step into the Venerable realm. Once you emerge, even the Five Yang will likely be unable to contend with you!"
"Only then will you possess the strength to protect your nation!"
A primordial spirit, rather heroic and emanating supreme imperial presence, spoke.
"Emperor Wu, do you truly believe that merging with this Great Emperor skeleton can break through to the Venerable realm?"
Xu Chu frowned. "This is a path you explored yourself. How certain are you?"
"This..."
Emperor Wu smiled awkwardly. "Let's try it. It can't hurt, after all. At worst, the breakthrough will fail."
"You..."
Xu Chu's eyes widened as he looked at the spectral Emperor Wu's primordial spirit beside him, then rolled his eyes.
Gazing at the Great Emperor skeleton before him, which pulsed with dragon's might and faintly emitted dragon roars.
"I've stayed here long enough these past few years. I'm going to do it!"
Xu Chu nodded, under Emperor Wu's tense gaze, he strode forward to the golden skeleton and placed his hands directly upon it.
"Weng~~"
The golden Great Emperor skeleton erupted with an intensely brilliant golden light. The dazzling golden rays, like a raging storm, further weakened Emperor Wu's primordial spirit. A faint blue liquid trickled from the corner of his mouth, vanishing into nothingness in a single breath.
"Boom!"
The golden Great Emperor skeleton melted like liquid, and layers of golden light gradually enveloped Xu Chu's entire body.
"Roar~~"
"Roar~~"
Golden five-clawed dragons, entwined with the golden skeleton, transformed into golden ferocious tigers upon touching Xu Chu's body. On top of the ferocious tigers, layers of golden illusory flames blazed!
"This..."
"Xu Chu..."
Emperor Wu could not believe what he was witnessing. He never expected Xu Chu to be able to transform the kingly aura into the overbearing aura that suited him best.
In other words, he had transformed Emperor Wu's imperial aura into a noble's aura. Although it was a step down, this noble and overbearing aura was the path Xu Chu ought to take, and the one most suited for him.
After all, on the land of Great Han, there could only be one supreme emperor!
What Xu Chu ought to do, even at the cost of his own life, was to slay all disloyal and rebellious ministers for his emperor!
To safeguard Yang Hao's ascension to an imperial dynasty!