Fontane’s own dragon was nothing but sword energy condensed into form, whereas the one looming behind Jared was vivid, lifelike, and carried a majestic draconic might that felt undeniably real.
“Form the array, open the Mountain Defense Formation!” Finally grasping the depth of Jared’s power, Fontane roared the order at the top of his lungs and rushed to activate the Mountain Defense Formation.
As Drake and the others thrust beams of light from their palms into Destiny Peak, a pale radiance blossomed around Destiny Sect, announcing that the Mountain Defense Formation had been deployed.
“Pathetic trash…” Jared snorted, and the golden dragon behind unleashed a thunderous roar.
Under the pressure of that roar, the Mountain Defense Formation groaned and cracked; the light at Its focal points dimmed and, In the blink of an eye, the barrier collapsed.
“T-This golden dragon isn‘t an illusion?” Feeling the dragon’s regal might, Fontane’s pupils shrank, blood drained from his face as though every ounce of strength had been sucked from his body.
He staggered back several paces, stammering, “Who… Who are you? Are you of the Golden Dragon clan?”
Legends of the Golden Dragon clan had long circulated throughout the Celestial Realm. Among all dragon bloodlines, the Golden Dragon was the most exalted.
To meet a clansman here in the Third Heaven?
Fontane could scarcely believe it, yet the dragon behind Jared was right there, undeniable and solid.
With each rise in Jared’s cultivation, his bloodline had grown purer, and the golden dragon had become ever more tangible.
“Isn’t it a bit late for that realization?” Jared’s smile remained calm and faint.
“Spare me… Sir, please spare me!” Fontane, hearing that unspoken confirmation, could not maintain even a scrap of dignity.
With a thud, dropped to his knees, knocking his head repeatedly against the ground. “I was blind… l, and Destiny Sect, were utterly blind! I beg you, sir, show mercy and overlook our transgressions!”
Drake and the rest of Destiny Sect’s higher-ups, seeing what had occurred, fell to their knees in unison, bowing so furiously that their foreheads struck the ground again and again.
Had they known Jared belonged to the exalted Golden Dragon clan, even a gift of ten thousand borrowed courages would not have tempted them to raise a finger against him.
Throughout the Celestial Realm, the Golden Dragon clan was an existence beyond imagining, a single careless sneeze from one of its members could wipe not only Destiny Sect but even the entire Third Heaven from existence.
“Please, venerable sir, spare our lives, we failed to recognize your superiority!”
“We beg your mercy, sir! We’ll surrender every resource we own, just give us one shred of hope to live!”
“It was all Lefwald’s doing! He snatched your treasure of his own accord and angered you. Please, sir, punish alone and let the rest of us go!”
Moments earlier, these Destiny Sect members had brimmed with arrogance; now, not a trace of their dignity remained, only a field strewn with fear and frantic pleas for mercy.
Jared stood above them, his gaze icy, offering not the faintest glimmer of pity to the mob bowing at his feet.
In a world where the strong devoured the weak, playing the saint amounted to negligence toward oneself. Had his strength been lacking today, every one of those people would have seized the chance to destroy without hesitation.
“It’s too late to beg…”
The softly spoken words drifted from Jared’s lips with the finality of a judge’s gavel proclaiming death.
With a casual sweep of his right hand, the Golden Dragon plunged downward, its crushing might pressing upon everything beneath it.
“N-No!”
“Help…”
Screams echoed across Destiny Peak, only to be drowned an instant later beneath the dragon’s suffocating pressure. Every attempt at resistance collapsed like soggy paper before Jared’s power.
The pleading Fontane, the once-overbearing Drake, the multitude of ordinary disciples, none lasted a heartbeat, all were erased like ants under an avalanche.
Flesh and bone turned to crimson mist, and the once-glorious Destiny Sect became a blood-drenched ruin in the span of a few breaths.
A thick metallic scent mingled with the fading crackle of spiritual energy. Jared withdrew the Golden Dragon, his face expressionless, as though had merely crushed a handful of insects.
“Search!”
Everett, long since stunned, Jolted back to awareness at the command. Thankful that every Azurecloud Sect disciple had arrived, immediately led them to scour the mountain for spoils.
