Long Zhengqing, however, thought otherwise. He sneered, "I say we go for it. As long as Jiang Yan dares to show up, with only a single Level Five rat squad on their side, my Xuanjian Division will wipe them out in one sweep and spare us the daily headaches."
Wan Tianhong fell silent the moment Long Zhengqing spoke, his eyes flickering. Looks like the common folk will have to suffer again; all I can do is pad the casualty compensation a little.
Perhaps because he was getting old and had seen too much, the ordinary people he once disregarded now stirred a different feeling in him.
Soon, under Long Zhengqing's order, every media outlet and network platform in Nanwu Country released the story in unison.
[The mastermind behind the monsters appearing around the world finally surfaces!]
[The most evil man in human history—Jiang Yan!]
[The accidental deaths of his mother and sister gave birth to a demon!]
The news stunned every onlooker; a twenty-something youth had turned out to be the source of the terrifying monster incidents.
If One Day I Fall for Your Wife: "Holy cow, Revenge Warrior. Song Qing floored the gas and birthed a demon; so many people are buried with him."
Master Li Guan of Hezhen Temple: "Jiang Yan's actions are the only fitting answer to his mother and sister's deaths. The Buddha, enraged by the crimes he would commit in the future, visited retribution upon his past self—let this remind us never to do evil."
Taoist Kid of Feng Shui: "Bald donkey upstairs, quit the hot air. With your con-artist level, no wonder your temple's shutting down."
Gui Fu's Secret: "Jiang Yan's off the rails. So he lost a mother and a sister—why keep stirring trouble everywhere? Song Qing's already dead; isn't that enough?"
Hua Tuo Online Weapon Enhancement: "Damn you, Jiang Yan. Your family's gone, so you take it out on us?"
The internet blew up, with insults against Jiang Yan and his family flooding every corner.
Ten thousand meters above a foreign land, Jiang Yan sat cross-legged in the sky.
Veins bulged on his face as he read the online abuse.
He was no saint; he lacked the so-called great heart to laugh it off.
Behind him stood Han Qi's trio, the Blood Master, Tyrant, King of the Deep Sea, Ghost Buddha, and the pillar of despair.
The evolved Cloud Ray carried them all without the slightest strain.
Jiang Yan's face twisted into a savage grin. "You asked for death. I meant to deal with you later."
He glanced at the media outlets that had spoken out; he didn't need to guess—it had to be the Xuanjian Division's handiwork.
Though furious, Jiang Yan wasn't blinded by rage. Everything he did followed a plan; a mere provocation wouldn't rob him of reason.
Han Qi and the other two felt their hairs stand on end at Jiang Yan's anger; they didn't dare speak, barely daring to breathe… August 23, 1760.
That night, a white cloud appeared ten thousand meters above the capital of Anna Country.
Jiang Yan held the yang-fallen evil seal; the relief heart in its center beat continuously, as though a living creature were sealed within.
With icy eyes he gazed down at an utterly ordinary city.
The world holds many kingdoms, each with its own myths and legends.
In these tales there are creator gods, or beings governing life and death, reincarnation, land, sea, and disaster—entities of such overwhelming power they could destroy the world with ease.
After ruling out the special existences the yang-fallen evil seal couldn't materialize, Jiang Yan chose, from among the viable targets, a mighty creature whose legends were found in every nation on earth.
Some symbolized justice, others ultimate destruction—the dragon recorded in the mythology of every country.
"Then let everything begin here!" Jiang Yan stretched out his left hand, the yang-fallen evil seal hovering above his palm.
His will poured into the seal.
Bzzt! An indescribable ripple burst forth as the seal erupted in blinding light.
Boom! A yellow beam shot from the heart straight into the sky.
The beam grew ever brighter, illuminating the once pitch-black heavens.
In a narrow alley of Anna Country's capital…
A drunk youth, cigarette in mouth, peed against a utility pole while a streetlamp cast hazy white light a few meters away.
Just as he was about to let go, the dark surroundings suddenly flared with a dazzling light from above, making him squint instinctively.
Splash! The little bird he'd taken out sprayed water straight onto his pants.
"Who the hell turned on the lights?!" he snarled, looking up.
One glance and he froze, the cigarette dropping from his mouth in shock.
"I-is this a miracle?!" In his eyes…
The entire sky was lit, the source a yellow beam that had suddenly appeared high overhead.
The pillar of light, at least a thousand meters tall, bathed everything in day-like brilliance.
By now, stunned citizens across the city were looking up at the beam.
Not knowing its origin, the superstitious dropped to their knees, palms together, fanaticism on their faces: "This is the Lord's coming; the Lord has descended to end all disasters and monsters!"
In a heavily guarded villa compound at the capital's center, a Fourth-level Awakener and senior member of the Darth Group…
A trendy blue-haired youth stared at the sky in disbelief.
"This energy signature!!!" As a Fourth-level Awakener, he knew far more than the clueless masses.
The energy inside that beam was more terrifying than even his boss, Huo Tian—and then, as though struck by a realization, his face changed drastically.
"Don't tell me this is another Gray Mist-level disaster!" At the thought, he lost all composure and bolted desperately for the city's outskirts.
After all, the Gray Fog Incident had killed even Fifth-Level Awakeners.
As he fled, the yellow light in the sky shifted again.
The entire pillar condensed into a glowing orb nearly two hundred meters across.
"Roar!" A mighty dragon's roar burst from within.
Below the orb, Jiang Yan spread his arms, a faint smile on his lips: "From myth comes the evil Dragon God that commands lightning and storm, whose arrival heralds the annihilation of nations—awaken, Dragon God Margoth!!!"
Wei Gaocheng and the others gazed upward in fervent awe at the miraculous sight.
As if answering Jiang Yan's call, the huge yellow orb overhead suddenly exploded.
A terrifying entity over a hundred and fifty meters long stepped out of myth into reality.