Time ticked by, and Bai Qi had already assembled the army and begun issuing orders to the generals guarding the city gates.
This time, even the ten thousand Guanghan Fairies were deployed to the battlefield.
Regardless of gender or race, all soldiers of the territory had to take to the battlefield in times of crisis.
Zhou Yan, along with many civil officials, also arrived on the city walls of the territory. They were all gazing into the distance, watching the approaching half-dragons.
"Crack!"
Thunder roared, and lightning struck from the heavens. Streaks of bloody lightning permeated the entire void.
Everyone in the territory could see the towering figures of the half-dragons in the distance.
Roars of dragons echoed through the heavens and earth, and the ground trembled with increasing intensity, as if it were about to split apart. From afar, the monstrous figures were drawing nearer.
The territory's defensive towers were already prepared to launch their attacks, and the soldiers in the city stood ready, poised to march out and engage the enemy in battle.
The number and size of the half-dragons that had arrived were overwhelming. They were not only the ones they had seen recently but also many more they had never encountered before.
There were hundreds of types of flying half-dragons alone, covering the sky like a vast black cloud.
The territory had no prior experience in simultaneously confronting so many powerful half-dragons, nor did they know what other tricks these creatures possessed, so Zhou Yan and the others lacked confidence.
Just then, Li Chungang contacted Zhou Yan via communicator and said, "Zhou Yan, we've located the Dragon King."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan wondered, Dragon King? Could it be that all these half-dragons were its offspring?
After all, Zhou Yan knew that dragons were naturally inclined to nurture their young, a species that understood the importance of lineage.
Besides, it was a natural inclination for most males.
Another possibility was that this entire area was the territory of that ancient dragon.
"What did it say?" Zhou Yan asked.
"It said we've gone too far, not only capturing over five hundred thousand of its descendants but also killing hundreds of thousands of them. We won't be let off easily," Li Chungang replied.
After listening, Zhou Yan realized that the dragon had indeed come to trouble him because of this matter.
When he first arrived here, he hadn't known that these half-dragons were its descendants.
At that time, Zhou Yan didn't have the support of top powerhouses like Li Chungang and Zhao Xuansu.
Thinking of this, Zhou Yan couldn't help but feel a shiver of apprehension. If a Dragon King at the level of a Land Immortal were to attack his territory, Zhou Yan doubted if the territory could withstand it.
Fortunately, Lady Luck still favored him, allowing him to successfully lure two powerful experts from "Sword Snow Stride" to his territory.
"What does it want in exchange for letting us go?" Zhou Yan asked.
"This ancient dragon says we should release the five hundred thousand half-dragons we captured," Li Chungang replied.
Zhou Yan immediately rejected this condition. After all the effort put into capturing them for so long, releasing them just like that was out of the question.
A killing intent flared in Zhou Yan's eyes as he asked, "Do we have a chance of killing that ancient dragon?"
Li Chungang: "..."
"The other side has five Dragon Clan members at the Land Immortal realm," Li Chungang replied.
"Holy crap! Five!" Zhou Yan was also speechless, never expecting there to be more than one.
This put Zhou Yan in a difficult position. If the opponent's strength were inferior to Li Chungang's, killing them would resolve the issue, and this place could even become a hunting ground for his future mounts.
But with five Dragon Clan members at the Land Immortal realm on the other side and only two on his, they had no chance of winning. Furthermore, battles between such powerful beings would not be decided quickly.
And the combat power of the Dragon Clan was immense. Li Chungang mentioned that they were true dragons, incomparable to lesser bloodline dragons like the half-dragons.
"Ask if they have any other way to resolve this matter." Over five hundred thousand mounts, including over two hundred thousand flying mounts! Zhou Yan absolutely refused to give them up.
"They do," Li Chungang replied.
"What are the conditions?" Zhou Yan quickly asked.
"It says it has a child that needs you to look after it," Li Chungang said, sounding completely bewildered.
"What???" Zhou Yan was stunned. He had never expected things to turn out this way.
Zhou Yan pondered deeply, feeling as if the ancient dragon had orchestrated this. If it truly wanted to stop him from capturing mounts, why would it wait until he was about to leave to make its move?
He still couldn't figure out the reason. However, Li Chungang transmitted a message to Zhou Yan: "The ancient dragon wants to see you."
"See me?" Zhou Yan thought that with Li Chungang and Zhao Xuansu present, he would be safe.
Besides, if the other party harbored hostility towards him, they would have attacked by now.
"Alright, I'll be there," Zhou Yan nodded.
He glanced at the attacking half-dragons outside. They had stopped at a certain distance and were no longer advancing, nor did they show any intention of attacking.
Zhou Yan ordered Zhang Liang, "Do not attack. Things have changed. We'll discuss any issues after I return."
"Yes," Zhang Liang nodded, believing it must be a good thing, even though he didn't know what it was.
Zhou Yan unfurled his Yin-Yang dual wings and soared into the sky, heading towards Li Chungang's location.
However, after a long while, Li Chungang and Zhao Xuansu met him halfway because his speed was too slow over such a long distance.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan felt a pang of unease. Was it implying he was weak?
Led by the two, Zhou Yan experienced a speed akin to teleportation. Although he could also use spatial magic, he couldn't do it so frequently.
Arriving in the sky, the three of them entered space together.
As soon as they entered, Zhou Yan felt a denser aura of spiritual energy. This place was a self-contained world, more powerful, more mysterious, and vaster than the outside.
Zhou Yan hadn't expected such a place to be hidden here.
A dragon's roar echoed in all directions. Then, Zhou Yan saw several enormous dragons, hundreds of meters long, soaring through the air, blotting out the sun. These were true dragons, not comparable to the half-dragons.
"It's quite peculiar, isn't it? When we first found this place, we were also very surprised that a true Dragon Island was hidden here," Li Chungang said with a smile.
"Dragon Island!" Zhou Yan was shocked, not expecting this to be a genuine Dragon Island.
"Isn't this a real space?" Zhou Yan inquired.
Li Chungang straightened his expression and replied, "How would I know? This is my first time here. The ancient dragon itself said it's Dragon Island, so it's Dragon Island."
Zhou Yan then realized that Li Chungang and Zhao Xuansu had only been in the territory for a short time. They probably knew less than he did.