111: Conquering the Royal Domain

Shen Xiaochuan stood on top of the Azure Dragon, just thirty meters away from the gate of the Main Hall.

He raised his palm, and golden chains extended from it, snaking through the cracks in the door into the Main Hall.

The door did not open, but voices from inside drifted out.

"Y-you... don't kill me... If I die, Dragon City will self-destruct, and Tang Long won't survive either..." Anbei Jinshi, his neck locked by the golden chain, spoke in stuttering gasps.

Shen Xiaochuan did not move. He looked down at the cracks on the ground.

Those cracks were not random; they were key points of the Formation. If one was destroyed, the entire dungeon would collapse.

He called out, "Shen Yan."

"Here!" Shen Yan ran out from behind the armored vehicle, his face covered in dust.

"Once you rescue him, carry him away immediately to the secret chamber in the east. I'll provide the medicine and the fruit; your only job is to protect him. Do not leave."

"Understood!"

Shen Xiaochuan nodded. He closed his eyes, and his Divine Thought followed the golden chains into the Main Hall.

He found it—buried beneath the third pillar in the southeast corner was a red crystal; that was the self-destruct core.

Two meters to the right, a man was tied to a pillar with iron chains, his head bowed, but his chest was still moving.

He raised his right hand, and five golden chains pierced the ground, pinning down five Formation eyes. With a click, the Seal loosened at one corner.

Someone in the Main Hall shouted, "He's breaking the Formation! Quickly, activate—"

Before he could finish, a flash of golden light streaked by. The man's neck twisted, and he collapsed.

Shen Xiaochuan said coldly, "Whoever moves again, it won't just be a throat lock."

The golden chains tightened, lifting the remaining enemies into the air. They struggled, and one person reached toward his chest, as if trying to detonate something.

"It's too late," Shen Xiaochuan said.

The golden chains twisted violently.

Pfft!

Blood sprayed out, staining half the Main Hall red. Severed limbs fell to the ground, emitting black smoke.

Only Anbei Jinshi remained suspended, his face full of disbelief.

"Y-you... how dare you..." he roared, "This is the Kings Domain! You aren't recognized by the System, don't even think about taking over—"

"I don't need your consent." Shen Xiaochuan walked over step by step, his feet splashing in the blood, making sounds.

He walked to the door and pushed it open.

The door opened.

It was chaotic inside, with corpses everywhere. Tang Long, tied to the pillar, opened his eyes. Seeing him enter, his lips moved.

Shen Xiaochuan stepped forward quickly, took out a short blade, and cut the iron chains. Tang Long's body went limp and he collapsed downward.

He caught him, pulled out a bottle of golden potion, pried open his mouth, and poured it in. He then took a golden spirit fruit from his pocket and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Swallow it," he said. "You can only take revenge if you're alive."

Tang Long's throat moved, and the fruit slid into his stomach. His complexion improved slightly, but his eyes remained closed.

"Is he going to be okay?" Shen Yan rushed in and crouched down to check.

"His life is saved, but he needs to recover." Shen Xiaochuan handed the person over to him. "Carry him to the secret chamber. Remember, no one is allowed to get close unless I come."

Shen Yan nodded, hoisted Tang Long onto his back, and left. His steps were steady and he didn't stop once.

Only Shen Xiaochuan and Anbei Jinshi remained in the Main Hall.

"You lost," Shen Xiaochuan looked at him.

Anbei Jinshi gasped for air, then suddenly laughed. "I didn't lose... Dragon City is mine... You can't take it away... The Believers won't acknowledge you... The incense burner pool won't be transferred to your name either... Hahaha... You won't get anything..."

Shen Xiaochuan did not speak.

He raised his hand, and a new golden chain shot out, piercing directly through Anbei Jinshi's chest, pinning him to the throne behind him.

Blood sprayed out, splashing onto the chair carved with cherry blossoms.

Anbei Jinshi's eyes widened, his fingers twitched. He wanted to speak, but could only make gurgling sounds.

"You were right," Shen Xiaochuan stepped closer, his voice low. "I don't want your consent."

He reached out and pressed his hand against the other's forehead.

"I want you dead."

Anbei Jinshi's body stiffened, then went limp. The light in his eyes faded.

Shen Xiaochuan withdrew his hand and walked toward the stone platform in front of the throne. A light screen appeared there.

[Dominator of the Kings Domain detected dead. Do you want to accept 'Dragon City' as a vassal divine domain?]

Below were two options: Yes / No.

He clicked "Yes."

Boom—

A beam of golden light descended from the sky, illuminating the entire city. The walls, towers, and incense burner pool all lit up, as if acknowledging a new master. In the distance, the mineral veins also lit up, and the Spiritual Veins began to flow toward their new owner.

[Vassal divine domain successfully accepted. Current available resources: Spiritual Vein × 18, metal mine × 7, incense burner pool × 3, Believers count: 236,000.]

Shen Xiaochuan looked at it for three seconds.

His Skydome City only had eight thousand people, two and a half Spiritual Veins, and relied on raiding for minerals. Here, the raw stones in any random warehouse were enough to build ten power armors.

"No wonder they dared to capture Tang Long," he whispered. "They're really rich."

Just then, an alarm sounded in his ears.

X-07's voice came through: "Detected high-altitude energy fluctuations in the northwest direction. Moving fast, will arrive in fifteen minutes. Preliminary judgment: reinforcements from the Wa nation, over two thousand people."

Shen Xiaochuan narrowed his eyes.

They were fast.

But he was no longer in the original location.

He opened the Faith Mall and took out two silver scrolls.

[Divine Domain Relocation Scroll] × 2.

Usage conditions: Target divine domain must be under control, and there must be no external blockade.

He slapped the scrolls onto the stone platform.

"Relocate!"

The entire Dragon City shook. The ground trembled, and the walls twisted as if pulled by an invisible hand. A tear opened in the sky, clouds churned, and the city was slowly pulled into the rift.

Ten seconds. Twenty seconds. Three minutes later, Dragon City vanished.

Only ruins remained in the original spot. Wind blew through the empty Main Hall, picking up a few blood-stained papers.

The new location was three hundred kilometers away, near the edge of the Huaxia forces. It was surrounded by wilderness, with mountains behind and open ground in front, making it easy to defend.

Shen Xiaochuan stood on the high platform, looking at the horizon outside.

The communicator rang again.

"Brother Shen!" Shen Yan's voice came through. "Tang Long is awake, he can't speak, he keeps pointing at you."

"I know," he said. "Guard him well, don't let anyone disturb him."

"And what about you?"

"I'm looking at the map." Shen Xiaochuan looked down; the light screen displayed the surrounding area.

He had already accessed Dragon City's defense System. The nine turrets were still usable, the incense burner pool could provide energy, and the mineral veins could be mined immediately. As long as he sent people in, it could resume operations in three days.

But he was not in a hurry to issue orders.

He knew the enemies would arrive soon.

They would go to the original coordinates and find nothing there.

Then they would panic.

That was the time difference he wanted.

He stood by the edge of the high platform, the wind blowing his work clothes, the copper gear on his cuff swaying gently.

Below, people were cleaning up corpses and moving supplies. Shen Yan stood guard outside the secret chamber, leaning against the wall, holding a hammer in his hand, his eyes fixed on the gap in the door.

Shen Xiaochuan watched for a while, then turned and walked into the Main Hall.

The throne was still there, stained with blood.

He walked to the throne but did not sit down. He reached out and gently wiped the bloodstains off the armrest. Then he took a soft cloth from his pocket and wiped it repeatedly, his movements very light, as if cleaning something very important.

Outside the door, the sun slanted westward, and shadows lengthened.

A troop appeared in the distance, wearing uniform armor, with blood-colored cherry blossoms on their flags.

They were running fast, and the leader was holding binoculars.

"We've arrived!" the man shouted. "Dragon City is right in front—"

He raised the binoculars.

It was empty.

Only half-collapsed walls remained, wind blowing through the ruins, picking up a few scorched papers.

"Where are the people?" he muttered. "Where is the city?"

The people behind him stopped, all stunned.

The leader smashed his binoculars and roared, "Search! Search for all movement within three hundred miles! There must be spatial fluctuations!"

No one answered.

The wind was too strong, and the flags flapped noisily.

Three hundred kilometers away, Dragon City stood quietly on the wilderness. On the wall, a dark blue flag rose; it had no words, only a gear pattern.

Shen Xiaochuan stood on the high platform, taking one last look at the light screen.

The faith points number was ticking steadily.

+1 per second.

He put his hands in his pockets and turned to walk toward the secret chamber.