Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Dragon’s Forbidden Scale!

The reason Jiang Yuan asked such an obvious question was simply to find any excuse to kill Ao Xi. A hundred points of Tyrant Value—why waste the chance? As soon as Ao Xi said something that displeased him, he would strike him down on the spot!

Ao Xi glanced at the man in front of him, who had just asked him such a baffling question, then at Zhang Kui standing respectfully to the side, and immediately realized that Jiang Yuan’s status must be extraordinary. Otherwise, how could someone as powerful as Zhang Kui be so deferential? Ao Xi also knew this was no time to act tough. He had already sent a distress message to his father and believed it wouldn’t be long before help arrived. For now, he would stall for as long as possible.

Barely clinging to life, Ao Xi spoke weakly, “My father is Ao Qin, Dragon King of the Southern Sea.”

Jiang Yuan raised an eyebrow and asked, “Oh? So you’re saying that the years of drought and famine in Echeng are partly your doing?”

Although Ao Xi didn’t know Jiang Yuan’s identity, he was certain the man was human. In front of a human, he could never admit to such a thing.

He hurriedly protested, “This has nothing to do with me. Every decision is made by my father. The entire Southern Sea is under his rule. As for rainfall, that’s not something I could decide!”

Jiang Yuan’s face darkened with fury. “Since you’re Ao Qin’s son, there’s nothing more to say. If you’re the son of such a traitor, I doubt your intentions toward my Shang Dynasty are any better. You deserve to die!”

Ao Xi was stunned. Was there no reasoning with this man? Was it his choice to be born as someone’s son?

“We, his children, have no say in father’s affairs. Might I ask your name, exalted immortal?” Ao Xi asked cautiously.

He was now certain Jiang Yuan was from the Shang Dynasty, and since he had referred to himself as the ‘lonely king’—unless he was mistaken, this must be King Zhou himself! No wonder the man treated him with such hostility. All Ao Xi could do was pray for his father to arrive in time to rescue him.

“Who am I?” Jiang Yuan sneered at Ao Xi. “Do you truly not know by now? If you’re hoping the traitorous Dragon King of the Southern Sea will come to your rescue, I advise you to abandon that hope at once!”

A chill ran down Ao Xi’s spine at these words. So it really was King Zhou! Now he knew he was in grave danger.

“Your Majesty, I have never done anything to harm the human race!” Ao Xi protested.

Jiang Yuan regarded him coolly and said calmly, “Whether you’ve harmed humans or not is irrelevant. What matters is that you’re from the Southern Sea, and your father is its Dragon King.”

“So I must die here today?” Ao Xi asked, unwilling to accept his fate.

“You could put it that way,” Jiang Yuan replied indifferently.

“Do you realize that the rainfall in the region surrounding Echeng is under my father’s control? If I die here today, don’t ever expect a drop of rain in Echeng again! The Southern Sea and your Shang Dynasty will be enemies to the bitter end!” Ao Xi snarled viciously.

Since Jiang Yuan had given him no hope, there was no need to feign civility any longer. Ao Xi’s face twisted with rage and malice.

Jiang Yuan seemed to have anticipated this reaction, which suited him perfectly. “Whatever the Southern Sea may do to my Shang Dynasty in the future, one thing is certain: you won’t be around to see it. Indeed, I can’t even say for sure whether the Southern Sea will survive at all!”

Ao Xi turned away from Jiang Yuan, refusing to speak further. He even averted his dragon head, no longer willing to look at him.

“You think that’ll stop me from acting?” Jiang Yuan asked coldly.

A long sword appeared in his hand, a magical weapon gleaming with lightning—it was the Thunderlight Sword!

Ao Xi stared at Jiang Yuan in terror, his voice trembling. “What are you trying to do, tyrant? My father will be here any moment! Think carefully—can your Shang army fight in the waters of the Southern Sea?”

“Ding! Recognition from Ao Xi received. Tyrant Value +5! Current Tyrant Value: 205!”

Well, what a pleasant surprise, but Jiang Yuan hardly cared about a mere five extra points. There were a full hundred Tyrant Value points to be claimed from Ao Xi!

“No need to trouble yourself. Even if the traitorous Dragon King doesn’t come, I’ll seek him out myself. As for you, you’ll go ahead of your father!” Jiang Yuan snorted coldly.

With a surge of magic, the Thunderlight Sword shone with crackling electricity! He drove it forward!

Half the blade plunged into Ao Xi’s dragon body!

A fierce dragon’s roar echoed; Ao Xi’s scales shone brightly even as his anguished cries grew fainter.

Jiang Yuan pulled the sword out, then, shaping his hand into a blade, thrust it straight into the wound he had just inflicted! With a sharp yank—

Another roar, harsher and more desperate than before! Jiang Yuan wrenched the dragon tendon from Ao Xi’s body. A translucent, pure-white tendon gleamed in Jiang Yuan’s grasp.

With a casual flick of his arm, the dragon tendon vanished, stored away in his system’s space.

Seeing Ao Xi’s wretched state, Jiang Yuan still felt unsatisfied. Chuckling darkly, he said, “Did you think this was enough? You underestimate me! For what your Southern Sea tribe has done to my Shang Dynasty, merely tearing out your dragon tendon is far from sufficient!”

Ao Xi barely lifted his dragon head, his eyes brimming with hatred as he looked at Jiang Yuan, as if wishing to say something. But now, he no longer had the strength to speak.

Zhang Kui held Ao Xi impassively. In fact, there wa