"Hmph! That Nine-Headed Insect is always stirring up trouble here at the Eastern Sea, relying on his backing from the Southern Sea Dragon King. On the surface, he says he's just coming to collect some treasures or equipment, but in truth, he's just trying to use this as leverage to force us to give up territory!"
"That's right! That Nine-Headed Insect and the Myriad Saints Dragon King are both nothing good. Greedy beyond measure. Him showing up now? He's definitely up to no good. I also heard the Nine-Headed Insect's strength has recently skyrocketed—he's not going to be easy to deal with!"
"Hmph! Even if he's strong, so what? As long as our new Eastern Sea Dragon King is here, why should we be afraid of him?!"
When word came that the Nine-Headed Insect was on his way, the dragon elders all began speaking at once, dragon eyes blazing with fury. Clearly, their pent-up anger toward this pest ran deep.
Moments later, all eyes turned toward the newly crowned Dragon King, Ao Qing. Their gazes were intense, waiting for him to make the call.
At this point, in all their hearts, they had already fully acknowledged Ao Qing as the true ruler of the Eastern Sea.
Even Ao Guang, the former Dragon King, was staring at him earnestly. "Dragon King, please decide our course!"
In Ao Guang's heart, he no longer saw himself as Ao Qing's father or as the leader of the Eastern Sea. That title now rightfully belonged to Ao Qing. Third Prince Ao Bing said nothing, but his gaze, too, rested on Ao Qing.
"We Eastern Sea dragons have suffered under oppression for far too long. It's time to unify the Four Seas—and it all begins with the Nine-Headed Insect."
Ao Qing's lips curved into a faint smile. From what he remembered, the Southern Sea Dragon King was a power-hungry schemer—but sorry, his own ambition ran even deeper. This, in fact, was the perfect opportunity to rack up some reputation points!
As soon as he finished speaking, the elders of the Eastern Sea clan felt their blood boil. Their eyes gleamed, and they nodded firmly.
Yes! Their clan had been downtrodden for too long—it was time to strike back!
Just then, a loud and arrogant voice echoed across the shores of the Eastern Sea:
"Just what kind of lousy welcome is this!? This king, the Nine-Headed Insect, has arrived, and you dare not come out and greet me properly?!"
As the voice faded, a young man with nine insectoid heads atop his shoulders strode forward, surrounded by over a hundred underlings radiating demonic energy—shrimp and crab soldiers all. Even as he approached the Eastern Sea palace, his nostrils were flared arrogantly toward the sky, as if everything around him were beneath his notice.
Don't be fooled by the fact that he wasn't even a proper flood dragon. Though a demon insect who had cultivated to spirit form, he relied on his Southern Sea Dragon King ties to act with utter arrogance in the ocean realms. He had been a constant thorn in the Eastern Sea's side.
And because the Eastern Sea dragons had long been wary of giving the Southern Sea Dragon King an excuse to attack, they had always chosen to endure these provocations. Over time, the Nine-Headed Insect grew increasingly brazen.
"Hmph? Has the Eastern Sea forgotten all manners?!" the Nine-Headed Insect frowned as none of the dragon elders came to greet him. He barked again in an insolent tone.
But just as his words fell—
BOOM! A brilliant golden light erupted out of nowhere. A hundred-zhang-long Six-Clawed Golden Dragon appeared, without warning.
Its razor-sharp claws came crashing down from the sky, one after another.
"So fast!"
"One claw… two… three!"
"Five claws… six claws!?"
"The Eastern Sea has produced a Six-Clawed Golden Dragon?!"
An immense pressure slammed down on the Nine-Headed Insect like Mount Tai. He couldn't breathe, couldn't move—under the crushing weight of that six-clawed dragon might, all he could feel was an overwhelming urge to submit…
BOOM!
The terrifying impact sent the Nine-Headed Insect flying like a ragdoll, blood spraying across the skies as he tumbled through the air like a broken kite.
His underlings—the shrimp and crab soldiers—instinctively tried to respond, but under the awe-inspiring pressure of the six-clawed dragon's aura, they couldn't even lift a hand.
Wounded and terrified, the Nine-Headed Insect quickly reverted to his original form—a giant, ten-zhang-long snake-like body with nine heads. He tried to flee at full speed.
But he wasn't stupid. He knew what the appearance of a Six-Clawed Golden Dragon in the Eastern Sea meant. He knew this was no longer a place he could mess with.
Unfortunately for him, no matter how fast he fled, he could never escape Ao Qing's grasp.
With a casual swipe of a dragon claw, the Nine-Headed Insect—so massive just moments ago—looked like nothing more than an ant in Ao Qing's palm.
SPLAT!
With a sickening pop, he exploded like an overripe caterpillar, bursting into a cloud of gore and blood mist—dead beyond all doubt.
Bathed in golden radiance, Ao Qing slowly transformed back into human form in full view of the stunned Eastern Sea dragons—now appearing once more as a refined, elegant young man, his face bearing a calm and faint smile.
The gathered elders still hadn't recovered from what they'd just seen.
They had clearly felt the terrifying power in that attack from the Six-Clawed Golden Dragon—just a single move had utterly annihilated the Nine-Headed Insect, a being of Taiyi True Immortal strength!
And the overwhelming dragon might that had radiated from him… even they, veteran dragons of the sea, could not resist it.
They dropped to their knees in unison.
"All hail the Dragon King! The unification of the Four Seas is within reach!"
"All hail the Dragon King! The unification of the Four Seas is within reach!"
Their furious resentment—years of humiliation and suffering—melted away in an instant, replaced by a powerful sense of pride and hope.
Once upon a time, they had endured miserable days under the shadow of the Southern Sea Dragon King's schemes and ambitions.
Now, the tides had turned.
The Eastern Sea had birthed a true power—a Six-Clawed Golden Dragon—to lead them to glory!
Ao Qing smiled faintly.
"The Nine-Headed Insect was nothing. Grand Minister Turtle, rally all aquatic clans of the Eastern Sea. We're going to the Southern Sea."
With that single strike just now, his Dragon Clan Reputation had increased by another 2 points!