Chapter 463: Chapter 1: The Mortal Countries Roam Without Fighting, the Celestial Vault People Are the Main Force Against Chaos
Outside his retreat, Su Yue looked much the same as before. Aside from a trend of becoming more prosperous by the day, there hadn’t been any major changes. The territory’s people had long grown accustomed to the rapid, constant progress.
Under Duke Qinghui’s radical push for progress and development, even the once-peaceful, nature-loving Purity People had been forged into hardcore industrialists, accelerating with a vengeance.
When Westheid returned to his mansion, he was immediately greeted with an enthusiastic hug from a certain Elf Lolita:
"West! Congratulations! I was the first to know! You did it!"
"It’s all thanks to you, Xiao Ai."
Westheid ruffled the Elf Lolita’s hair, letting the Wind Law Queen nuzzle against his chest as he looked around.
"Where are Reiya and the others?"
Having ascended to Demigod and mastered the power to freely wield Divinity, Westheid was now undoubtedly far ahead of his companions. He was in high spirits and couldn’t wait to share the news with his lovers.
’I’m terrifyingly strong now. I wouldn’t be afraid even if they all came at me at once!’
Westheid was even ready for a wild party. A reward was definitely in order.
Yolanda stepped forward to greet him and said,
"The two Highnesses are not in Su Yue at the moment. They are preparing for war, just as you wished."
"Preparing for war?"
Westheid was stunned for a moment before his expression turned serious. "The Dragon Race? Have they descended upon the Empire? Where? How many of our fortified strongholds have fallen?"
If the "Return of the Dragons" scenario had been triggered, they would be facing a devastating strike from the True Dragons, prepared over two thousand years of dormancy. The Empire, battered and broken as it was, likely wouldn’t be able to withstand the Dragon Race’s assault. The thought of dozens of Legendary True Dragons attacking at once was simply terrifying.
Duke Qinghui stared intently at Yolanda’s face, even steeling himself for the news that the Imperial Capital had fallen.
"Well... you could say that, yes. But it’s not the Empire that’s being invaded."
The platinum-haired girl wore an odd expression as she said,
"You’ve been in seclusion for quite a while this time. There’s some information I need to bring you up to speed on."
"While you were in seclusion, the Qinghui Territory... no, not just the Qinghui Territory, but all the Mortal Countries, received a request for aid from the Celestial Vault Kingdom."
"Huh?"
Westheid blinked, asking for clarification.
"A request for aid *from* the Celestial Vault Kingdom? Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Not a request for aid *to* the Celestial Vault Kingdom?"
Yolanda sighed. "I’m quite sure about that. And honestly, you really see the Celestial Vault Kingdom through rose-colored glasses, don’t you? Even for them, being caught between a Chaos Demon Tide and a Dragon Group, all while suffering an unprecedented disaster... they couldn’t possibly handle that with ease, could they?"
"...No, just... tell me everything in detail, from the very beginning."
Westheid gently set down Ailorus, who was still in his arms, and spoke with a grave tone.
He then heard a rather surreal story from Yolanda.
After he had entered his seclusion, the Qinghui Legion and the Knight Expeditionary Army continued to establish defensive fortresses throughout the Empire. This activity caught the attention of the Imperial Capital, and the Regent King sent envoys to inquire about the reason. The Purity People, having nothing to hide, naturally shared the intelligence that "the Dragon Group might return."
In the past, any Imperial Citizen would have dismissed this as baseless paranoia. After all, the narrative of the Holy Tree Believers crushing the Dragon Group was a proud cornerstone of the Empire’s history.
Hah? The Dragon Race? If they dare to invade, we’ll send them packing in utter defeat!
We who are protected by the Radiant Holy Tree are invincible!
But from the Age of Strife to the present day, under the Plague of Corruption, the backbone of the Imperial Citizens had been all but broken. Duke Qinghui had forcefully propped them back up, allowing them to barely hold on to the Empire’s territory, having "merely" lost a quarter of their population. Compared to the Thousand Laws Royal Court, that was considered a decent outcome.
The Empire was in a state of utter disrepair, waiting to be rebuilt, and it was only by chance that they weren’t currently at war. If the Dragon Group were to launch an all-out assault... the nation would fall, its people would be annihilated! They couldn’t let that happen!
Even the Empire at its peak broke into a cold sweat when facing the Dragon Race and had to go all out, let alone in its current half-crippled state. They would inevitably be brutally ravaged. So, after receiving the news from the Qinghui Territory, regardless of whether it was true or not, the Imperial Capital practically went mad with anxiety and immediately began setting up defenses, mimicking the Qinghui Legion.
The plans to rest and recuperate were scrapped. Legions that were meant to be disbanded were kept active. Beating swords into plowshares? Putting the warhorses out to pasture? Forget it.
’This is no time for casting swords into plowshares! Everyone, defend with your lives!’
After some time had passed like this, the Imperial Capital patiently watched the skies for any movement. And, wouldn’t you know it, the Dragon Group actually arrived.
However, they didn’t descend upon their great enemy to once again destroy everything with their wings and flames and establish their rule. It wasn’t that the Dragon Race intended to shake hands and make peace with their old foes, agreeing to disagree. When it came to this unending blood feud, the Dragons’ hatred was surely more deeply ingrained, more unforgettable, than that of the Imperial Citizens.
Given the choice, the Dragon Race would have undoubtedly headed straight for the Empire to exact their revenge. But they didn’t have that luxury. Because upon their return to the Mortal World, the Dragon Group didn’t even touch the ground before they were immediately swept up into the chaos unfolding in the Celestial Vault Kingdom.
Yolanda frowned, trying her best to describe the situation to Westheid.
"An unprecedented Chaos Tide surged forth. The Dragon Race, which should have descended within the Empire’s borders, was instead swept into the Domain of the Celestial Vault Kingdom. And the Celestial Vault Kingdom was already at war with the Great Chaos Enemy. Their situation is very strange. Those Celestial Vault People... they seem to have lost track of what era they’re in. Furthermore, they’ve undergone a massive internal schism. Nearly half of the Floating Cities have broken away from the kingdom’s rule. They... they..."
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