Dragon Tamer

The painted boat descended.

It landed atop the city wall.

Zhu Minglang watched Zhu Xuehen disappear into the distance and a longing for old friends and family began to burn in his heart.

The way back revealed itself.

It was time find an opportunity to go back and explain his situation to them.

Some would still worry about him, and some relatives didn’t care whether he was once the dazzling God and Mortal…

The appearance of extremely powerful beings still instilled great panic in the citizens of the Ancestral Dragon City.

After all, news had traveled from the west that six cities of Lingxiao City State had been slaughtered, and not just the soldiers of Lingxiao City State had died, but civilians as well.

However, seeing the Purple Dragon man and that nun-like woman leave, the people breathed a sigh of relief.

At least they were not directly crushed to dust by these god-like beings!

In the Li Imperial Palace, the grand hall for discussions.

The Li Family’s Old Grandmother began to gather everyone to discuss the current situation.

Several vice-dean level figures from the Dragon Taming Academy sat among them, and the newly reshuffled personnel of the Nan Family of the Li Family sat in the hall in utter silence.

Clearly, everyone was aware of the destruction of the Sect Palace.

Fortunately, the two powerful beings from the Mysterious Continent had left, otherwise, even with all the powerful figures of the Ancestral Dragon City gathered, it would have been very difficult to withstand the power of those two.

No one in the hall wanted to speak, the appearance of the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent had everyone feeling anxious and fearful.

“Dean, Dean Duan, you’re finally here!” Bai Hongbo suddenly saw someone approaching and felt an immense relief as he hurried to meet them.

In front of the grand hall’s doors stood a middle-aged elder dressed simply, much like a storytelling master from a tea house, with a woman at his side. Zhu Minglang recognized the woman at once, it was Duan Lan!

Zhu Minglang looked over and realized for the first time that the dean of the Dragon Taming Academy had the surname Duan and this was also his first encounter with the elusive Dean Duan.

So Teacher Duan Lan was the daughter of the head dean, and judging by Duan Lan’s current complexion, she had recovered a lot.

It was said that Dean Duan Changqing was a Monarch Level Dragon Shepherd, a figure on the Li Chuan Continent whom even the Sect Palace greatly feared, truly a highly respected leader of this land.

“Please, take a seat,” said the Li Family’s Old Grandmother.

“No need, let’s first talk about those two guests from the Mysterious Continent. I heard that someone recognizes one of them, may I ask who that is?” Dean Duan Changqing spoke.

Mister Wu, Bai Hongbo, and Nan Lingsha all turned their gazes towards Zhu Minglang.

“It’s me, Dean,” Zhu Minglang said.

“How do you know the Orderer from the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent, could it be that you too were swept here by the Void Vortex?” asked Dean Duan Changqing.

“Too?” Zhu Minglang looked surprised at Dean Duan Changqing.

“What’s your name?” Duan Changqing inquired.

“Zhu Minglang.”

“The Zhu Gate, known for its exceptional Casting Art?” Duan Changqing said.

Zhu Minglang didn’t quite know what to say at that moment, his gaze fixed on this mysterious and powerful Dean of the Dragon Taming Academy.

Could it be that this dean had gone through the same experience as him!!

Was he also from the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent, mysteriously transposed to this place???

The Dragon Taming Academy…

Indeed, there had always been a Godly Mortal Academy and a Dragon Taming Academy on the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent, and Zhu Minglang had thought the Dragon Taming Academy here was merely a coincidence in the developmental history of every continent’s Human Race.

It turned out that Dean Duan Changqing, who founded the Dragon Taming Academy, was also from the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent!

Unable to find his way home, just a few years had passed for himself, while the dean had been searching for decades… his daughter was already so grown up!

“Yes… yes, I am indeed a disciple of Zhu Gate. I accidentally fell into a rare Void Sea whirlpool and when I woke from unconsciousness, I found myself amidst Wu Tu Zhi,” Zhu Minglang said.

So both he and the Dean were strangers in a foreign land.

The founding of the Dragon Taming Academy was no coincidence.

It was Dean Duan Changqing who continued the academy’s philosophy of the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent and established it on the Li Chuan Plain! “The emergence of Wu Tu Zhi made me understand some patterns of this vast world. Over these years, I’ve been beyond the Sea of Nothingness, in Ancient Mountain, on Hidden Fog Island, at Jinmen Pass, hoping to uncover the secrets of the Void Sea Vortex. Little did I expect… little did I expect that the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent would descend from the sky. For a long time, I thought the past was nothing but a ridiculous dream…” said Dean Duan Changqing, his voice tinged with bitterness.

Zhu Minglang understood that bitterness.

If he, like the Dean, had settled here for decades, he surely would have begun to doubt whether the world he once lived in was just an illusion, a fantasy constructed from trauma.

If thier weren’t so many people present, Zhu Minglang feared he might burst into tears and embrace the sorrowful Dean Duan Changqing!

“You two, please clarify things for us first. Life and death are at stake, we can’t afford any delay,” the Li Family’s Old Grandmother said with a long sigh.

“Start by telling us about the Supreme Court Courtyard Continent,” Bai Hongbo said.

Zhu Minglang glanced at Dean Duan, feeling it was better to let Dean Duan explain.

Dean Duan nodded, indicating that if Zhu Minglang misspoke, he would supplement and correct.

“The Supreme Court Continent has an empire and many city-states, with the empire strong and setting national laws.”

“Other city-states stand like forests, with varying strengths, constant disputes, but all must abide by the imperial laws.”

“In addition, the Supreme Court Continent has powers like Sect Forests, Family Doors, Dragon Palaces, Cathedrals, and Academies, which do not interfere arbitrarily in wars between city-states.”

The Dragon Taming Academy has explicit regulations not permitting involvement in any war, and especially forbidding the slaughter of soldiers and civilians on the battlefield.

Once entering the battlefield, one has effectively left the Dragon Taming Academy!

This principle is adhered to by all powers.

Unless it’s a land with no master, and a land of sin!

“Sect Forest, Family Door, Dragon Palace, Cathedral, Academy… Does that mean there are four other powers on the Supreme Court Continent that can compete with your Li Chuan Dragon Taming Academy, Dean?” an elder from the Nan Family asked.

Dean Duan Changqing shook his head, speaking bitterly, “The Academies are divided into the Godly Mortal Academy and Dragon Taming Academy. Both of these main academies are within the Supreme Court Empire. Our Li Chuan Dragon Taming Academy’s scale is nearly equivalent to one of the many smaller countries, perhaps even less.”

Everyone was shocked. The Dragon Taming Academy was after all a power that even the Sect Palace dared not provoke, so to speak, any of those powers like the Sect Forest, Family Door, Dragon Palace, or Cathedral on the Supreme Court Continent could easily trample over Ancestral Dragon City-State!

“Just like the previous case of Wutu, any city-state on our Li Chuan Continent, if it mobilized a large army, could crush them. Now, we are seen as Wutu by the Supreme Court Continent, as lower-class people, as backward barbarians,” continued Dean Duan Changqing.

This statement made everyone feel as if something was stuck in their chests.

Lower-class people.

So their prosperous Ancestral Dragon City- State actually had such a day of decline!

When Wutu first appeared, so many city-states wanted to carve it up, many lives were lost, not to mention the annihilation of numerous clans, stockades, tribes, and cities…

Ultimately, Li Yunzi intervened, gradually driving out other city-state forces, thus establishing some order.

That is to say, now the entire Li Chuan Continent faces the same tragic circumstances as Wutu once did. Until a true powerhouse unites everything, everyone’s wealth, life, and dignity will be plundered, reaped, and trampled at will!

Moreover, not all powerholders are like Li Yunzi, who governed with the philosophy of establishing order and living in harmony. If they encounter a tyrant, their existence could be over in an instant!

“Yunzhi has always wanted to establish her own nation. Could it be that she also knew about the Supreme Court Continent, aware that such a day would come??” Suddenly, an elder from the Li Family realized.

The eyes of the Li and Nan Family members all fell on Nan Lingsha, due to the resemblance in appearance, everyone almost subconsciously looked to Nan Lingsha for an answer.

But Li Yunzi was not here; she was in the western territory of Ancestral Dragon City-State, at Long Gorge Defense Line. More than half a month ago, she had gathered the armies of the four great city-states, stationed at Long Gorge!

Yes, she was already at the border welcoming the approaching armies of the Supreme Court Continent’s city-states!

“I will protect all of this,” Zhu Minglang recalled the words Li Yunzi said in his head.

To establish her own nation was to prevent Ancestral Dragon City-State from becoming the next Wutu.

Wutu was still fortunate because, in the end, order was established, and a city-state was formed by her.

Even so, as a ruler treating everyone equally, Li Yunzi’s hands, too, were stained with blood…

The rulers of the Supreme Court, would never treat everyone equally.

Li Yunzi was very clear about this.

Unity was a must, power was essential.

Otherwise, once the foreign armies advanced, with no soldiers or generals to resist, the people of the city-state would be left to the slaughter!

“Dean Duan, if we surrender, can we barely keep ourselves intact, after all, even the Sect Palace was destroyed by those so-called Orderers,” Li Family’s Old Grandmother spoke up and asked.

“Absolutely not!! Many city-states on the Supreme Court Continent practice slavery. In general, any leaderless land that is captured, all the people must first serve as slaves for ten years, after which they may gradually transition to lower-class citizens,” said Dean Duan Changqing, his voice involuntarily rising.

“Slaves, not protected by national laws, nor sheltered by powers; their life and death unaccountable,” Zhu Minglang said gravely.

Slaves…

To become slaves!

Those present were all prominent figures in the city-state; they never could have imagined they might fall to slavery!

“We cannot fail, or we become a Slave City-State! Six cities from Lingxiao City-State were slaughtered, with no accountability from the Orderers; this is precisely because Lingxiao City-State had already become a Slave City-State, where the lives of the citizens were less than livestock!” exclaimed Duan

Changqing forcefully.

Cities had already been slaughtered.

This indicated that the ruler who stepped over West Cliff was tyrannically cruel, without any regard for the lives of the people.

If Li Yunzi was defeated, the fate of Ancestral Dragon City-State would not be much better than those six cities of Lingxiao City-State!

“What… what should we do??”

“We’ve been frogs in a well, we’re all frogs in a well.”

“Yunzhi must win; I don’t want to be a slave, I don’t want to be a slave!”

Once, many from the Li and Nan Families stated in the clan meeting that they wanted to make Wutu a land of slaves to Ancestral Dragon City-State, making them build cities tirelessly, lay paving stones day and night, and become expendable soldiers on the battlefield…

But now, just imagining such a fate falling upon each one of them, they nearly collapsed in despair..