161: War breaks out

Above the Eastern Sea, the fires of war had already been ignited. It was the East Duke who had taken the lead in deploying troops against the Dragon Clan.

A vast army of immortals descended upon the waters of the Eastern Sea, engaging in a standoff with the Dragon Clan's camp.

"Listen up, Dragon Clan! If you know what's good for you, surrender now. Otherwise, once our Immortal Emperor of the Immortal Court arrives in person, he will surely raze your Crystal Palace to the ground."

Immortal soldiers of the Immortal Court continuously shouted threats.

But the Dragon Clan was truly tenacious, relying on the Great Sea-Protecting Water Vein Array to contend with the Immortal Court.

In any case, the Immortal Court wouldn't be able to break in anytime soon.

All they were doing was waiting; someone would naturally come to deal with them.

Above the Eastern Sea, rosy clouds intertwined with surging waves. The Immortal Court's army pressed down, yet they remained unable to break through the Dragon Clan's defensive line.

Myriads of immortal soldiers stood atop auspicious clouds, forming an inescapable net over the Eastern Sea. Immortal light poured down like rain, only to be firmly blocked by a layer of deep blue water-curtain barrier.

On a fragmented lonely island, Qing Wu and his companion, along with Nüwa, had long been waiting here, all just to catch a glimpse of the Immortal Emperor of the Immortal Court's presence.

After hearing that the East Duke had declared war on three parties at once, even Qing Wu, who had always thought he knew what kind of person the East Duke was, couldn't help but lose his composure.

Is this not just actively seeking death?

To do such a thing, the East Duke had either become completely overinflated with ego or his mind had been influenced by something.

With the Immortal Court's strength, they could have handled the Dragon Clan and left it at that.

Now, not only had he declared war on the Yao Race, but he had also provoked the Wu Race—an existence that was notoriously unreasonable.

It was as if he was truly afraid of living too long.

When the time came for the Wu and Yao Races to team up for a "mixed doubles" beatdown, the East Duke would likely regret it when it was already too late.

But those were good shows that might happen later.

At this moment, as the numerous immortal soldiers pressed in, the Dragon Clan's defensive line shrank further and further.

"If the Dragon Clan can't hold out, should we intervene?" Nüwa asked.

Although she felt indifferent toward the Dragon Clan, she disliked the East Duke's self-important and domineering attitude even more.

Yuan Feng tilted her head slightly, also turning her gaze toward Qing Wu.

Shaking his head, Qing Wu said slowly, "We came this time only to watch the show; there's no need to act yet."

That said, Qing Wu still kept his eyes on various parts of the Eastern Sea, watching whether the battle would affect certain existences concerning the stability of heaven and earth.

After all, the Sea Eye existed within the Eastern Sea. If the East Duke pushed the Dragon Clan too far and the Ancestral Dragon broke his seal regardless of the consequences, things would become difficult to handle.

Thus, they came here partly to watch the show and partly to signal to the Ancestral Dragon that everything was still under control and there was no need to resort to extremes.

In truth, there was an even deeper consideration: he wanted to see if the East Duke was indeed being influenced by some entity; otherwise, he couldn't have made such an unwise move.

Given the Dragon Clan's current situation, normally no one would actively target them.

After all, while the Dragon Clan still had some foundation, their heavy Karma was no joke.

If the Immortal Court wanted to absorb the Dragon Clan, they would have to bear a significant portion of that Karma.

And compared to that, the benefits the Immortal Court could gain from the Dragon Clan would likely only barely break even.

The Dragon Clan was also a truly tough nut to crack, preferring to fight to the death rather than yield.

Under these circumstances, the Immortal Court's attempt to forcibly subdue the Dragon Clan was purely a losing proposition.

Suddenly, the Eastern Sea was enveloped in infinite immortal light, and many more immortal soldiers appeared.

Amidst their gathering, dressed in the imperial robes of the Immortal Court and wearing a majestic expression, the East Duke descended.

The moment he saw him, Qing Wu frowned slightly.

The East Duke at this moment was no different from the one in his memory.

The same arrogance and the same conceit.

But the aura of Karma clinging to him was truly a bit too much.

Although as the Immortal Emperor of the Immortal Court, he enjoyed the Luck of the Immortal Court while inevitably being influenced by its various Karmic ties.

However, the various types of Karma on the East Duke still exceeded expectations.

Furthermore, a portion of it didn't look like he had actively incurred it; it seemed as if it had been forced upon him.

Seeing that the Dragon Clan's array could not be breached for a long time, the East Duke, positioned in the center, grew somewhat impatient.

Taking a step forward, he arrived before the assembly of immortals.

He pointed his Dragon Head Staff toward the Void Realm, and a golden dragon phantom roared forth, crashing against the array.

The array immediately vibrated violently.

"The Immortal Emperor's strike is indeed extraordinary!"

"The Immortal Emperor is mighty!"

His subordinates immediately began to flatter him.

The East Duke also smiled smugly.

After giving a show of force, he called out to the inside of the array, "Zhu Long, come out and see this venerable one immediately."

The surrounding space-time shifted for a moment, and Zhu Long appeared abruptly before his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist, I hope you have been well. Why have you brought arms against my Dragon Clan?"

Seeing Zhu Long's Divine Ability again, the East Duke couldn't help but be a bit startled.

This old fellow was truly becoming unfathomable.

However, as he was now the Immortal Emperor of the Immortal Court, taking down a mere Dragon Clan would be as easy as flipping his palm.

With a cold snort, the East Duke began to list the Dragon Clan's crimes.

"First, your Dragon Clan is tainted with boundless Karma and deserves to be executed."

"Second, your Dragon Clan does not recognize the mandate of heaven. We invited you to join when the Immortal Court was first established, yet your clan insisted on resisting."

"Third..."

The East Duke kept talking, and Zhu Long kept listening. In any case, there was no rush; what was the harm in playing along for a bit?

He listed more than ten crimes in a row. "These... does your Dragon Clan admit to them or not?"

The East Duke was ready; as long as the Dragon Clan refused to admit guilt, he would immediately use it as a pretext to launch a full-scale offensive.

To his surprise, Zhu Long softly uttered, "I admit it. How could I not?"

Upon hearing this, the East Duke was stunned for a moment. Clearly, he hadn't expected him to play his cards so unconventionally, and he ended up swallowing the words he had just prepared.

"In that case, your Dragon Clan shall submit to my Immortal Court from now on and be driven by this venerable one."

Zhu Long thought for a moment. "As for this matter, I'm afraid I must decline."

The East Duke flew into a rage instantly. "Then was your admission of guilt just now an attempt to deceive this venerable one?"

Zhu Long smiled and did not answer. So what if he was playing him!

He casually pointed behind him.

Having been played once, the East Duke was determined not to be fooled again.

"Zhu Long, take a strike from this venerable one!"

Just as the East Duke raised his Dragon Head Staff to attack Zhu Long...

...the chime of a bell rang out, echoing across the entire battlefield.

A beam of Golden Crow light appeared, sweeping toward him with extreme speed.

"East Duke, you take a strike from me first!"

In the blink of an eye, Tai Yi had appeared above his head.

The East Duke felt the surrounding space-time being sealed for a brief moment.

In the next instant, the chaos bell made intimate contact with his head.

With a loud "clanging" sound, the East Duke's entire body was smashed down from the clouds, falling into a whirlpool in the Eastern Sea.

And facing the vast army of immortals, Tai Yi remained completely undaunted.

Boundless Solar True Fire gushed forth, surrounding his body like a brilliant sun, as his pressure swept across the entire battlefield.