Chapter 404 – Ao Yi Explodes with Rage

The East Sea King’s current actions perfectly illustrated the phrase “watching a fire from across the river—delighting in others’ misfortune.”

Both sides were his enemies, so the East Sea King had no qualms about secretly stoking the flames.

However, while he could sit back and watch the tigers fight, the Dragon Palace had no intention of being drawn into the conflict.

—Whether during the discussions within the Dragon Palace when the decision was made, or upon entering the territory of the East Sea Kingdom, the Dragon Palace had always believed they were certain to win.

But this victory came with a precondition: that the Dragon King of the Dragon Palace would use his superior strength to bully the weak, thereby crushing Mu Lin.

This was exactly how the East Sea King had dealt with Mu Lin all along.

As a result, it gave the Dragon Palace Aquatic Tribe a misconception, leading them to believe that Mu Lin had no influence or backing, and that if the East Sea King could bully and crush him, so could they.

But now, Mu Lin’s actions had delivered a resounding slap to their faces, telling them clearly: You are not the same as the East Sea King.

The conflict between Mu Lin and the East Sea King, no matter how it unfolded, remained an internal affair of the Human Race. However, if the Dragon Palace Aquatic Tribe intervened, it would become a dispute between the Human Race and Foreign Races.

Under such circumstances, if the matter escalated, the Human Race would never stand by and allow Mu Lin to be bullied. Otherwise, it would chill the hearts of all humans in the world.

“To actually call for backup…”

Mu Lin’s approach gave Ao Huan, who was leading the team, a headache. For the first time, he felt a sense of regret.

‘Perhaps we shouldn’t have gotten involved in this matter.’

Though feeling regretful, Ao Huan did not make an immediate decision. Instead, he contacted the Dragon Palace Aquatic Tribe.

He had no choice but to do so. On this mission, their main combat strength was Ao Huan himself, not the prodigies of the Dragon Palace Aquatic Tribe. He had no confidence whatsoever in sending the latter into battle.

However, while Ao Huan wanted to avoid an immediate fight, the East Sea King would not miss the opportunity to stir up trouble.

Especially since Ao Yi had previously mocked and looked down on him in every possible way, leaving the East Sea King seething with anger. Now that he had a chance for revenge, he naturally wouldn’t let it slip.

Thus, while Ao Huan was contacting the Dragon Palace Aquatic Tribe and discussing with them, the people of the East Sea King’s Manor, under the East Sea King’s instructions, had already spread the news of the hornless dragon being skinned and its tendons extracted throughout Skysea City.

At the same time, Ao Yi’s deeds were also being spread far and wide.

“Have you heard? The Dragon Clan is about to back down.”

“Really? How could the Dragon Palace Aquatic Tribe, such a massive force, possibly fear Mu Lin?”

“Heh, the Dragon Palace is strong, but our Human Race is no pushover either. Our great powers won’t stand by and let a human prodigy be bullied by Foreign Races. If you want to kill Mu Lin, fine—you have to send someone of the same rank to fight him! But you all know Mu Lin’s strength. He’s the number one prodigy of our Human Race. Before, the Dragon Palace dared to get involved because they thought they could bully the weak. But now, realizing they can’t do that, they’re panicking.”

“Pfft, so the Dragon Clan is just a bunch of bullies who only pick on the weak.”

“Exactly. The funniest part is Ao Yi of the Dragon Clan. When he had his elders backing him up, he mocked and looked down on our Lord Mu Lin in every way, saying things like how he wished he could fight Mu Lin, or that Lord Mu Lin couldn’t satisfy him… Back then, he was so full of himself, acting like he was invincible.”

“Heh, but now, as soon as he heard his elders couldn’t intervene, he instantly fell silent.”

“Relying on elders to act arrogantly and unrestrained, yet weeping in terror when forced to act themselves—such a despicable villain can still call himself a dragon, even claiming to be part of some golden race? Pah! Now I truly think Mu Lin is right—he’s nothing but a little snake in the gutter.”

“Same here. I’ve never seen someone so shameless…”

In a tavern, a large crowd of the Human Race was discussing the current hot topic, openly mocking Ao Yi.

In their words, Ao Yi had become a despicable, two-faced coward who only bullied the weak by flaunting others’ power.

Coincidentally, the subject of their gossip was seated in a private booth within the same tavern.

“Boom!”

Hearing himself so thoroughly disparaged, Ao Yi—a being of inherently proud temperament—could hardly contain his fury. An overwhelming draconic aura erupted from him instantly.

“You mongrels! How dare you slander me like this!”

The immense draconic pressure silenced the tavern for a moment, but soon, a low murmur arose from nearby.

“What’s the use of showing off in front of us? If you have the guts, go deal with Mu Lin…”

“Exactly, only bullying the weak and fearing the strong—is this how all of the Dragon Clan are?”

“Boom!”

“You deserve to die…”

Finding that his draconic aura still couldn’t stop the mockery, Ao Yi’s eyes flushed crimson with rage.

As his fury surged, the sky above the tavern darkened, and violent Thunder descended, striking toward the humans.

Unfortunately, the patrons dining in this tavern were somewhat capable, and the establishment itself had protective measures. The relentless bolts of heavenly Thunder failed to kill anyone.

Meanwhile, the Prince’s Residence disciples who had invited Ao Yi out for amusement rushed forward together, embracing him and offering various words of persuasion.

“Seventh Prince, don’t be angry. There’s no need to bother with a bunch of lowly commoners—they know nothing.”

“That’s right, losing to Mu Lin is nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Your Highness Ao Yi, I’ll ask my father to ban such talk within Skysea City…”

“Brother Ao, you absolutely must not go looking for Mu Lin. If you don’t go, you’ll only be mocked as a braggart for life. But if you do go, Mu Lin will skin you alive and pull out your tendons.”

“…You’re no match for Mu Lin…”

“!!!”

Though they were ostensibly “dissuading” him, the East Sea King’s Manor disciples repeatedly emphasized that Ao Yi was no match for Mu Lin and was nothing but a braggart.

This behavior was like rubbing salt into Ao Yi’s wounds.

The scene nearly made Ao Yi explode with rage.

“Bastards! You dare slander me too!”

Enraged to the extreme, Ao Yi immediately lashed out at the Prince’s Residence disciples.

This, too, was unsuccessful. A Mortal Shedding guard stepped forward at once, blocking Ao Yi’s attack.

Meanwhile, the Prince’s Residence disciples below continued their “persuasion.”

“Ao Yi, wake up! We’re not insulting you—we’re just telling the truth.”

“Exactly, you really aren’t Mu Lin’s match. Are we wrong for advising you?”

Nearby, someone else fanned the flames:

“Truly a waste. Only daring to attack the weak. If you had any guts, you’d go find Mu Lin.”

“Find Mu Lin? Hah, as if he’d dare even if you gave him the courage…”

“…”

The relentless barrage of insults turned Ao Yi’s eyes bloodshot.

If it were an ordinary person, they might have endured such furious insults.

However, Ao Yi was a prodigy born as a True Dragon. From childhood, he had been met only with flowers, applause, and endless praise, rarely even hearing reprimands. Now, suddenly confronted with so much mockery and scorn, how could he possibly bear it?

More importantly, he had indeed heard claims that Mu Lin was powerful, but he had never witnessed Mu Lin in action, nor had he personally experienced Mu Lin’s strength.

And he himself was a member of the Dragon Clan, a race endowed with formidable might, which led him to genuinely believe that he was not weaker than Mu Lin—at least, not by much.

“Even if I can’t defeat Mu Lin, I can still escape. And that Mu Lin might not even dare to kill me… Killing a hornless dragon and killing a True Dragon are two entirely different matters.”

“I must go. Otherwise, if I don’t even dare to fight, I’ll be mocked by humans, the Dragon Clan, and even the Aquatic Tribe for the rest of my life.”

The thought that even the lowly Aquatic Tribe, whom he had always looked down upon, could secretly ridicule him behind his back and scorn him as a coward made the fury in Ao Yi’s chest impossible to suppress any longer.

With a resounding “Roar!” and an impassioned Dragon Roar, Ao Yi revealed his true form and soared toward Mu Lin’s direction.

Yet, until the moment he left, he never noticed that in a corner of the tavern, a Strange Statue was emitting a mesmerizing black light.

The East Sea King had made his move.

Not only had he sent members of the Prince’s Residence to lure Ao Yi out and stage a performance with a group of people, but to ensure Ao Yi was provoked, he had also used an anomalous magical artifact to amplify certain emotions within Ao Yi, driving him into a complete frenzy.

(End of Chapter)