Chapter 405: Pick the Soft Targets
Chapter 405: Soft Targets First
Overseas, billions of acres of seawater crashed down violently.
A rainbow light appeared on the horizon, within which Lü Yang stood, his sleeves flapping wildly. Gazing into the distance, he immediately spotted an island comparable in size to an entire continent.
The Four Seas Sect.
The Dragon Palace was located on the eastern island, its halls stretching endlessly, pavilions and towers resplendent in gold and jade, interspersed with countless formations and restrictions—truly a paradise for ten thousand monsters.
In the past, Lü Yang would have lacked both the ability and the courage to gaze directly at the Dragon Palace like this. After all, the Dragon Lord of the Four Seas Sect resided deep within the palace. Such brazen peeping would undoubtedly result in being seized and refined on the spot. But times had changed, and things were different now.
What an impressive Dragon Palace.
Lü Yang activated his [Exquisite Heart], observing from afar, unable to suppress his admiration.
The Dragon Palace clearly had formations laid by the Dragon Lord. Unless he used his precious opportunity to temporarily hold the Golden Seat, barging in recklessly would only bring trouble.
But conversely, as long as I don't intrude, there shouldn't be any major issues.
With this thought, Lü Yang calmed himself.
"Foundation Establishment Perfection! How could it be Foundation Establishment Perfection!?"
While Lü Yang was still contemplating, the remaining monster soldiers below were panicking, their faces pale as they scrambled backward in terror:
"Boom!"
At that moment, a clear light suddenly rose from the direction of the Dragon Palace, traversing tens of thousands of miles in an instant before splitting apart right in front of Lü Yang.
Immediately after, a handsome young man stepped out from within. With sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, his heroic bearing was undeniable. Between his thick locks, a pair of ruler-length horns protruded, their sharp tips marking his identity as a True Dragon Bloodline descendant. His molten-gold dragon pupils locked onto Lü Yang with fiery intensity.
"I am Tian Qiu."
Despite his noble lineage, this Dragon Palace Crown Prince carried little arrogance, speaking courteously: "Fellow Daoist, with cultivation as profound as yours, why trouble yourself with these juniors?"
"Hardly troubling."
Lü Yang chuckled lightly before spreading his palm to reveal two souls—none other than Suiying and Sui Ling, whom he had just crushed to death with a single hand.
Seeing this, Tian Qiu inwardly sighed in relief.
As long as they were alive, it didn't matter. At worst, they could reincarnate and start anew. Suiying and Sui Ling were still young; rebuilding their cultivation wouldn't take long.
But the next moment—
"Crack!"
Before Tian Qiu could even request the two Dragon Kings' souls, Lü Yang clenched his fingers, shattering both souls into nothingness!
"This is what I call troubling."
As Lü Yang's words fell, Tian Qiu's expression darkened instantly.
His initial politeness had been solely out of respect for Lü Yang's strength. Otherwise, he wouldn't have wasted words—he would have acted immediately, just as he had with Suo Huan.
Yet he never expected Lü Yang to show no face at all, killing Suiying and Sui Ling right before his eyes. As the Crown Prince of the Dragon Palace, if he continued to endure such humiliation, not only would his authority over the overseas territories collapse, but even within the True Dragon Clan itself, unrest would boil over!
With this thought, Tian Qiu discarded all pretense of courtesy.
"You refuse the face I give you? Then die!"
As he spoke, his lips split apart, revealing razor-sharp teeth, while his molten-gold dragon pupils locked onto Lü Yang's entire body.
The next second, he closed his eyes.
In that instant, as Tian Qiu's eyelids shut and Lü Yang vanished from his sight, Lü Yang himself felt an overwhelming force sweep over him.
His form began to fade into nothingness!
Tian Qiu had closed his eyes, erasing Lü Yang from his vision—this imagery directly interfered with reality, attempting to wipe Lü Yang's true body from existence!
[Encircling the Sun and Moon]!
Such a domineering and sinister divine ability even drew a flicker of surprise from Lü Yang. Yet he remained utterly composed, calmly observing Tian Qiu's technique.
Immediately after, Tian Qiu's human form shattered, revealing scales beneath his flesh as a dark radiance surged skyward, forming a celebratory cloud. His true form emerged—a hornless azure dragon, coiling amidst thousands of golden serpents, its draconic maw splitting wide into a bloodthirsty grin.
His posture suggested he intended to devour Lü Yang whole!
Outsider rogue cultivators, frogs at the bottom of a well—what could they know of my methods?
With this bite, your Physical Form shall crumble!
Tian Qiu steeled his resolve, his fangs clamping shut like a guillotine. No matter how indestructible one's body was, it would be torn to shreds!
Yet the next moment, he felt only emptiness in his jaws.
No resistance. No impact.
Looking back, the Lü Yang he had immobilized with [Encircling the Sun and Moon] had already dissipated into a phantom, his true body standing unharmed a hundred meters away.
"Hm? Dodged?"
Missing his strike, Tian Qiu immediately dismissed his oversized dragon form, reverting to human shape. A trace of astonishment flickered across his handsome face:
No... this doesn't seem like an outsider rogue cultivator...
What appeared to be a simple attack was actually one of his deadliest techniques.
If an opponent lacked sufficient Cultivation Depth and couldn't discern the intricacies of karma, failing to predict the subtle shifts in this move, a single bite would cost them half their life.
Yet Lü Yang had evaded it effortlessly.
At this realization, Tian Qiu grew inwardly wary.
Just what is this man's origin?
While Tian Qiu wavered in doubt, his thoughts racing, Lü Yang on the other side exhaled in genuine relief, even a hint of relaxation surfacing in his eyes.
This Tian Qiu isn't strong at all!
After all, this was the remote overseas frontier—nothing compared to the Four Great Powers.
As expected, coming overseas first was the right choice... Charging recklessly into the mainland would have carried risks. Soft targets should always be dealt with first.
Compared to the Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivators of the mainland, Tian Qiu was undoubtedly among the weaker ones. In his previous life, he had even been solo-killed by Suo Huan—who, while also at Foundation Establishment Perfection, had the Dao Court's Official Position empowering him. This spoke volumes about Tian Qiu's actual capabilities. By Ancestor Nether Whisper's standards, he was merely rogue cultivator-tier.
With this realization, Lü Yang's heart burned with fervor.
Each Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator is one Metal Essence... If devoured by the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes], that's one golden-tier talent! How many perfected cultivators are there in this world?
Lü Yang was beginning to understand the True Lords' perspective.
They were all such lush, thriving crops!
It was just a pity that with the True Lords now reclusive, these crops went unharvested... He'd have to take on the laborious task himself!
Restarting with the [Book of a Hundred Lifetimes] to select talents is too inefficient—and there's no guarantee of good results. Directly seizing Metal Essence to refine talents is much faster!
The True Dragon Clan would be his first target!
"[Heavenly Mandate]!"
With a flick of his sleeve, Lü Yang expanded the divine halo behind him, revealing sun, moon, stars, mountains, and rivers before clapping both hands together violently.
"Boom!"
In an instant, deafening roars erupted across several surrounding seas.
In an era where True Lords remained hidden, battles between Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivators already represented the pinnacle of combat, instantly drawing the attention of countless onlookers.
"Who is that?"
"An outsider cultivator... actually fighting evenly with the Dragon Palace's Crown Prince?"