"Your Majesty, what is it?"
A man in red robes appeared out of thin air, kneeling before the weary old man on the Dragon Throne.
The old man wore yellow imperial robes. Though his face was gaunt, his aura was majestic, and his eyes shimmered with a faint golden light.
This was Dominic Su, the current Martial Emperor of the Heavenly Martial Empire. He had reigned for over fifty years, leading the empire to become the strongest of the Seven Southern Nations.
"To the Southwest... a thousand miles away... I sense Dragon Qi soaring into the heavens!"
Dominic Su's voice was grave as he gazed toward the horizon.
"Dragon Qi?"
The man in red, Julian, looked shocked.
In the entire Heavenly Martial Empire, the only place with Dragon Qi should be the Imperial Palace. How could a second source appear?
Dominic Su looked deeply troubled.
As the Emperor, his cultivation was the highest in the land. Furthermore, the Dongfang Imperial Family had an ancient pact with a Flood Dragon . A young Flood Dragon slept beneath the palace, guarding their lineage. That was the source of the palace's Dragon Qi.
But the Qi he just felt? It was at least ten times more potent than what they had in the palace.
Even with his immense power, Dominic Su felt a primal tremor in his bloodline.
Awe.
It had been years since he last felt true awe.
"Julian, go to the Southwest for me. Find out the source of this Dragon Qi."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Julian bowed and vanished instantly.
Dominic Su stood alone in the great hall, frowning, the weight of the empire on his shoulders.
"My empire has been peaceful for years. But recently, strange omens have appeared. Is a great chaos approaching?"
Julian left the capital that very day, racing toward the Southwest.
As a top-tier expert and Emperor Dominic's personal guard, he moved with incredible speed. In just three days, he arrived near Cloud-Drifting Mountain.
"Huh?"
Julian looked at the mountain with suspicion.
"I remember this place having an ancient ban. Why is it gone?"
He immediately suspected the Dragon Qi was coming from here.
"I need to investigate."
Julian started hiking up the mountain. Halfway up, he stopped.
A young man with a dog was walking down the path.
"A mortal?"
Julian scanned the young man. No cultivation. Just a regular guy.
This was, of course, Quinn Ye, who was heading down the mountain again.
"Oh? Another visitor?"
Quinn saw the man in red and looked curious. Lately, his lonely mountain was getting a lot of traffic.
Julian took a single step and flashed right in front of Quinn.
Quinn jumped back, startled. "Whoa!"
Big Fuzz, however, remained calm, staring at Julian with lazy eyes.
Julian looked Quinn up and down, confirming he was indeed a powerless mortal.
"This isn't a place for mortals like you. Leave immediately."
Julian said coldly. Without another word, he ignored Quinn and continued toward the summit.
Quinn turned around, but the man was already gone.
"What's his problem?" Quinn muttered, confused.
He didn't want to get involved with weirdos. But then he remembered his house.
"Wait. Is he going up there to steal my vegetables?"
Quinn gasped.
Those were his precious crops! He planted them one by one!
It's fine if I give them away, but you can't just go up there and steal them!
"No way. I have to go back."
Quinn turned around and chased after him. Unfortunately, with his mortal legs, he had no hope of catching up to a flying cultivator.
Julian reached the summit and saw the courtyard.
"Someone lives here?"
He was stunned.
A simple yard. Filled with... weird plants.
"Are... are those all Heavenly Treasures?"
Julian froze.
Just like Lance Xu and Dustin Lee before him, the sight of a garden filled with extinct god-tier herbs nearly gave him a heart attack.
As an Imperial Guard, Julian had seen the world. But this? This was insane.
He suppressed his shock and tried to step inside.
Suddenly, a bald rabbit jumped out.
"Such strong Demonic Qi!"
Julian's expression changed. He sensed a threat.
This was clearly a Rabbit Demon. And its aura was strong enough to make him nervous.
"Who are you?"
The rabbit spoke in a cold, female voice.
"I am the Personal Guard of Emperor Dominic. You little beast, do not be presumptuous!" Julian shouted.
Usually, hearing the Emperor's name would make any monster tremble. But this bald rabbit didn't care.
"This is my Master's territory. Leave now," the rabbit said indifferently.
"Your Master?"
Julian was surprised again.
He thought the rabbit was the owner. But even this powerful demon was just a pet?
Who is the real owner? Is it related to the Dragon Qi?
Suddenly, Julian felt a trace of it.
The Dragon Qi! It's nearby!
He followed the sensation to the backyard pond.
"The Dragon Qi... is coming from here!"
Julian stared at the small pond, suspicious.
Why would such a tiny pond have Dragon Qi? Did a True Dragon die here and leave its corpse in the water?
Just as he was wondering, the water began to churn.
A whirlpool shot into the sky.
Julian was alarmed and braced himself for combat.
In the water, a massive, slender shadow flickered in and out of view.
"A Dragon?!"
Julian was terrified.
That thing in the water was definitely a dragon. And not just a flood dragon like the one back home.
This was a True Dragon!
The water surged and then calmed down. Julian was still reeling from shock when footsteps approached from behind.
"Hey! What's your deal?"
"Why did you barge into someone's house without knocking?"
Quinn's annoyed voice rang out.
Julian spun around.
"Are you the owner of this place?"
Quinn rolled his eyes and walked to the edge of the pond.
"Duh. Who else?"
He looked at the pond, then at Julian.
"Were you trying to steal my fish?"
Steal your fish?
Julian was speechless.
I'll steal your grandma's leg! This mortal is unbelievable.
"This man has no cultivation. He can't be the owner," Julian concluded coldly.
"You ant. Get out of my way."
Julian raised his hand, intending to shove Quinn aside.
But then...
A head popped out of the water right next to Quinn.
A Dragon Head.
Its cold, vertical pupils locked onto Julian.
It seemed to say: If you dare touch him, you die.
Julian's hand froze in mid-air.
He watched in absolute horror as the dragon looked at Quinn... with the gentle, submissive eyes of a pet looking at its master.
"Am... am I dreaming?"
Julian began to question his entire existence.