A while ago, the east of the academy had Violet Dragon Empress, the south had Metalkin War God, the west had Brightking Buddha, and the north had Holyfrost Emperor.
In terms of fame, the first three overshadowed Holyfrost Emperor.
Violet Dragon Empress had total authority and military power - virtually matchless among the young generation in terms of aura.
Metalkin War God was enamored with fighting, true to his title. He fought numerous battles and made his enemies wail in agony. Just mentioning his title alone made people shudder.
Brightking Buddha needed no introduction. His Buddhist arts were peerless, enough to save the living beings and make a name for himself as one of the greatest Buddhists.
On the other hand, Holyfrost Emperor kept a low profile and rarely showed herself outside of her system. Moreover, she was also the youngest of the four. Thus, she had less popularity outside of the academy.
The arrival of Violet Dragon Empress made people breathless. A few big shots were intimidated by her regal aura.
âNow this is interesting.â An expert quietly said.
The other side had just received an immense boost of power, especially the legion.
âRumor has it that when sheâs in command of the legion, she can summon a true dragon with immense power.â Another who has seen her in battle before revealed.
âI donât think anyone can stop her legion under her command outside of progenitors.â An elder added.
Not only was she powerful, but she was also a capable strategist. Divine Beast Legion was immensely effective under her control.
Thus, people felt that this could be a test for Li Qiye since he was facing something only barely beneath a progenitor.
âWeâll see how strong he is, depending on how he faces the legion.â Many were waiting to see both Li Qiyeâs true strength along with the empressâ leadership.
The empress stood on her dragon and looked around the crowd with her sword-like gaze, seemingly able to cut others.
âI commanded you here to train in both willpower and actual battle, not for personal feud or face!â She suddenly scolded the legion with a stern tone.
The members didnât expect this. They lowered their head, not daring to disagree.
âVenerable, you are the commander yet you act on personal feelings with wanton regards for your duty. I sentence you to 300 years of no salary and eight years of confinement, effective after this operation!â She then stared at Celestial Dragon Venerable.
âI accept.â The venerable didnât defy her in the slightest and bowed his head.
No one expected this development. In the beginning, they thought that she would personally take command to fight Li Qiye for the prestige of her court.
After all, a powerful entity normally cared about their image. This wasnât the case here. She seemed to be supporting and protecting Li Qiye instead of her own men.
âHmph, leave now.â She loudly commanded.
The venerable and the legion bowed towards her before departing towards the horizon of this desert.
The empress then jumped off her dragon and came up to Li Qiyeâs group, cupping her fist.
âDao Brother, my men were ignorant and let emotions cloud their judgment, please forgive them.â She said with a bow.
This act looked natural and full of sincerity to the astonishment of the crowd. The imperious empress was actually apologizing to Li Qiye?!
âYouâre far smarter than them. Very well, big shots are always benevolent, right? I wonât pursue this any further.â Li Qiye smiled and shook his head before leaving.
The empress actually followed along with the group.
Meanwhile, the spectators had no choice but to scatter away since a battle wasnât going to happen.
***
âDao Brother, I heard you were able to open Sir Yinxiâs boulder.â The empress asked Li Qiye.
âLooks like you have figured out something to come here.â Li Qiye smiled.
âMetalkin and Brightking were the first to come here. However, the matters here are above my station. Iâm not here for the treasures, only to train for a bit.â She smiled and said. Her style was different yet still on the same level as Holyfrost in terms of attractiveness.
âYouâve noticed then.â He smiled, not particularly interested.
âYes, this is the idea of those two. A progenitor has left several things behind here.â The empress revealed.
She didnât dwell on this matter, seemingly not interested in competing for the treasures.
âDao Brother, do be careful of the dangers here since youâve only just arrived.â She continued: âEvil comes out once night falls, impossible to destroy and hard to resist. Itâs best to hide in the temple at that point.â
One could easily imagine how dangerous it was considering her power. She was just as strong as Holyfrost and sincerely reminded them out of kindness.
âWeâll keep that in mind.â Li Qiye nodded.
She pondered for a bit and added: âIâm sure youâll go deeper eventually. Just be aware that Metalkin and Brightking are antagonistic towards you, tread carefully.â
She wasnât fond of gossip so she must have heard something to make a statement like this.
In fact, this wasnât strange at all since he had destroyed their dao avatars previously.
âIâll be waiting.â Li Qiye didnât mind at all.
The empress was moved to see his nonchalant attitude. Remember, those two were renowned for their strength.
Thus, Li Qiye was either an invincible master or insane. The latter was clearly not the case so she realized that her estimation was correct.
âYour court has a decent secondary dragon bone.â Li Qiye suddenly brought this up. [1]
The empress became frozen and shocked. Fewer than few people knew of this.
âThe purity of blood is indeed at the true dragon level.â Li Qiye continued: âQuite a big deal and very profound.â
âIâm afraid I donât quite understand, Dao Brother.â She smiled wryly, looking a bit nervous.
âDonât worry, I have no intention of taking it.â Li Qiye shook his head after seeing her unnatural expression.
âYouâre teasing me, Dao Brother.â The empress heaved a sigh of relief.
For some reason, she felt as if he could actually do it and they would only be able to watch him take it away. Her True Dragon Court could take on any other lineage or system in Immortal Lineage so she didnât get why she had this feeling.
âHowever, I actually thought about taking it before. The profundity inside a pureblood true dragon is worthy of pondering, quite precious indeed.â Li Qiye said.
Her heart skipped a beat again.
âBut, we can be considered acquaintances now and you have been courteous and proper. Iâm no longer in a position to rob your treasure. I would have had a good justification to do so if your legion attacked me earlier. I would have massacred everyone and then take that dragon bone later on.â Li Qiye continued on.
1. The word for secondary has too many meanings so Iâm not sure. Picking a neutral term just in case