89: Chapter 89 I am the Dragon Lord, the Lord of the Heavenly Court!

In the Eastern Continent of the Spirit Realm, winds and clouds surged for a time.

Of course, this was only for ordinary Sects.

For the behemoths standing at the very top of the Eastern Continent's pyramid, Feng Jiuge' minor affairs weren't even worth being conversation topics over tea.

A junior at the Golden Core Stage wiped out a few Sects?

Interesting.

But that was all.

What truly made the entire Eastern Continent, and even the whole Spirit Realm, take notice was another name.

Heavenly Court.

This organization was strange; to this day, it only had one person on the surface.

Yet, it was this one person who stirred up the entire Spirit Realm, leaving it with no peace.

That person called himself Duke Long.

There were many rumors regarding his origins.

Some said he was a descendant of the Ancient True Dragon, others said he was a hidden powerhouse who had undergone Possession to Cultivate again.

Still others said he was a confidant of the Yao Emperor who had crossed over from the Monster Realm.

The only thing everyone agreed on was that this person's strength was terrifying to the extreme.

All Mahayana and Tribulation Crossing Realm Cultivators who had fought him gave surprisingly consistent evaluations.

Unfathomable.

Some speculated that Duke Long's cultivation was at least at the Tribulation Crossing Peak, and he might even have one foot in the Human Immortal Realm.

As for why they reached this speculation...

About forty years ago, Duke Long first appeared in the Spirit Realm.

Since then, the Spirit Realm had never been quiet.

Wherever good things appeared, Duke Long's figure was bound to be there.

Whether it was Thousand-Year Spiritual Lingzhi, Ten-Thousand-Year Cinnabar Fruit, ancient Secret Realms, or Immortal Caves—as long as there was something good, Duke Long would inevitably show up on time.

Then, he would pack everything up and take it all away.

Leaving not even a single hair for anyone else.

Some were dissatisfied and wanted to reason with him.

Duke Long would look at them and calmly ask back, "What kind of thing are you?"

Naturally, that person wouldn't accept it and would bring up their Sect's name, saying something like, "I am an Elder of such-and-such Sect. If you act like this, aren't you afraid of our Sect's Old Ancestor taking action?"

Duke Long would nod.

Then, he would punch them into a bloody mist.

A true bloody mist.

The kind where even the Primordial Spirit was blown apart.

Later, people discovered that Duke Long didn't reason at all.

The only thing he "reasoned" with was his fists.

You say you have reason?

He says he has fists.

And then your reason is gone.

According to incomplete statistics, the number of Void Refining, Body Integration, and Mahayana Cultivators who died at Duke Long's hands had already reached double digits.

There were also three in the Tribulation Crossing Realm.

Two in the Early Stage and one in the Middle Stage.

Without exception, all were instant kills.

A matter of a single punch.

Later, the various major powers of the Spirit Realm grew smarter and would take a detour upon seeing Duke Long.

Even if there were good things, they would pretend not to see them, waiting until he finished taking what he wanted before coming out to scavenge for leftovers.

However, in recent years, Duke Long's actions had become increasingly overbearing.

He began to pay direct visits.

He would go to this Sect today and that aristocratic family tomorrow, asking upon entering, "I heard you have a spiritual plant here?"

If the owner said no, he would look for it himself.

If he found it, he took it.

If he didn't find it, he would nod and leave.

If the owner said yes but didn't want to give it...

He would give them a punch.

That was how things were.

On this day, in the Eastern Continent, at the Tianyan Dao Sect.

The Tianyan Dao Sect was considered a giant in the Spirit Realm, having been established for over three hundred thousand years with deep foundations.

On the surface, the Sect had two Tribulation Crossing Ancestors presiding over it and over a dozen Mahayana Cultivators, making it a true top-tier power in the Eastern Continent.

Yet at this moment, outside the Secret Realm small world of the Tianyan Dao Sect, a figure stood with his hands behind his back.

The figure wore a mysterious black robe, had a pair of horns on his head, purple hair falling to his shoulders, and a cold countenance.

It was exactly Duke Long.

He looked up at the void before him and nodded slightly.

The Tianyan Dao Sect's Secret Realm small world indeed had some tricks to it.

The entrance was hidden within the layers of the void; an ordinary Cultivator wouldn't discover it even if they passed by ten thousand times.

However, to him, it was as if it didn't exist.

His true body's haotian mirror had already seen this place clearly.

Duke Long raised his hand and threw a punch.

The void trembled, and a rift slowly tore open.

He stepped inside.

Inside the Secret Realm, there was a whole different world.

Mountains rolled, spiritual mist swirled, waterfalls and springs flowed, and cranes fluttered about.

The air was filled with extremely dense Spiritual Qi, more than ten times higher than the outside world.

Duke Long stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping across this world.

According to the information sent by his true body, the Tianyan Dao Sect possessed a supreme treasure called the heavenly heart enlightenment lotus.

This item was no ordinary spiritual plant; it could significantly increase a Cultivator's chance of enlightening to the Dao.

Of course, the most important thing was that it could produce dense Spiritual Qi, even if it was only Acquired Spiritual Qi.

Anyone cultivating near the lotus would comprehend Cultivation Techniques and Divine Abilities several times faster than ordinary people.

If one could obtain a single lotus petal to consume, they could even directly have an Epiphany regarding a Divine Ability, saving a hundred years of hard work.

The fact that the Tianyan Dao Sect could stand for three hundred thousand years without falling and Cultivate countless experts was largely thanks to this heavenly heart enlightenment lotus.

Duke Long had come here specifically for it.

Just as he stepped into the Secret Realm, several streaks of light streaked over from afar.

In the blink of an eye, five figures landed before him.

The leading three were all Elders with white hair and beards, their auras as deep as the sea, all at the Peak Mahayana Stage.

Following behind were two middle-aged-looking Cultivators, also at the Middle Stage of the Mahayana Realm.

Five Mahayana Cultivators.

In the outside world, this force would be enough to flatten an entire region.

At this moment, the gazes of all five landed on Duke Long, their expressions solemn.

They naturally recognized the newcomer.

Over the past few decades, Duke Long's name had already become like thunder in the ears of the Spirit Realm's higher-ups.

"Duke Long," the leading white-haired Elder said in a deep voice.

"My Tianyan Dao Sect has never had any dealings with your Heavenly Court. Why have you intruded into our Sect's Secret Realm today?"

Duke Long looked at him without speaking.

Just then, another Elder nearby suddenly sneered, looking Duke Long up and down.

"I wondered what kind of extraordinary figure it was, but it turns out to be a half-human, half-dragon hybrid Variant."

"Look at this appearance of yours—neither human nor dragon, with horns on your head and scales on your body. I wonder which human woman coupled with a beast to give birth to such a vile spawn."

"Junior Brother!" The leading Elder's face changed, and he sharply shouted to stop him.

However, it was already too late.

Duke Long lifted his eyelids and glanced at that person.

In the next instant, he vanished.

When he reappeared, he was already in front of that Elder.

He threw a punch.

There were no flourishes, no Moves—just a simple, plain punch.

The Elder's face changed drastically, and the spiritual energy within his body surged out frantically in an attempt to block.

It was useless.

Wherever the Fist Gang passed, all defenses were like paper.

Boom!

A dull thud.

The Elder was reduced to a cloud of bloody mist, unable to even let out a scream.

Not even his Primordial Spirit escaped.

He was completely and utterly reduced to ashes.

The remaining four were stiff all over, cold sweat instantly soaking their backs.

Duke Long withdrew his fist, his expression calm, as if he had just swatted a mosquito.

He looked at the slowly dissipating bloody mist and spoke slowly:

"This old man hates it most when others call me a Variant."

"I am Duke Long, the Lord of the Heavenly Court."

"Born of the Human Race, I have achieved the status of a True Dragon."

"If there are any more who are disrespectful—"

His gaze swept across the remaining four. "This will be the consequence."

Silence.

The remaining four Mahayana Cultivators stood where they were, not even daring to breathe loudly.

The Elder just now was at the Peak Mahayana Stage, a figure of the same level as them.

One punch.

Just one punch.

If it were them, the result would be no different.

The leading white-haired Elder swallowed hard, forcing himself to calm down.

He knew that if he didn't handle things correctly today, the Tianyan Dao Sect's three-hundred-thousand-year foundation would be ruined in an instant.

"Du... Duke Long, Senior."

He spoke, his voice somewhat dry.

"My Junior Brother misspoke just now. He... has already paid the price."

"May I ask what business brings Senior to my Tianyan Dao Sect today? If there is anything you need, my Tianyan Dao Sect is willing to..."

...is willing to cooperate to the best of our ability."

Duke Long glanced at him.

A smart man.

"This old man has come to take something."

The white-haired Elder's heart tightened, but he didn't dare show it on his face. "What does Senior want?"

"The heavenly heart enlightenment lotus."

Upon hearing these words, the expressions of the remaining four all changed.

The heavenly heart enlightenment lotus!

That was the foundation of the Tianyan Dao Sect!

The three-hundred-thousand-year Legacy and the rise of countless experts were all inseparable from this supreme treasure.

It could be said that half the credit for the Tianyan Dao Sect's current status belonged to this Enlightenment Lotus.

Now that Duke Long was asking for it, what was the difference between that and asking for their lives?

"Senior!" another Elder couldn't help but speak up, his voice urgent.

"The heavenly heart enlightenment lotus is our Sect's supreme treasure and has never left the Sect. Could this matter be..."

"No."

Duke Long interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

"This old man only wants this item."

"I will give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to consider."

"After an incense stick's time, either hand over the Enlightenment Lotus, or—"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.

"The Tianyan Dao Sect will be wiped out from this day forth."