The afternoon sun poured into the main pavilion of the estate, its golden light glinting off the polished surface of a beautifully carved board. The air was filled with the gentle scent of jasmine from the garden and the soft, almost imperceptible click of game pieces being moved across wood.
They were playing "Imperial Court," a complex strategy game Zhang Tian had introduced to them months ago. The board was a map of a fictional continent, and the pieces represented armies, assassins, chancellors, and spies. It was a game of conquest, diplomacy, and betrayal, a perfect training ground for the minds of those who would one day rule the world.
Zhang Tian sat with a relaxed, almost lazy posture, his right arm resting on the table, his fingers idly tracing the rim of his teacup. Ning Rongrong sat to his right, her brow furrowed in a mask of intense, frustrated concentration. And next to her, a picture of serene, elegant grace, was Qian Renxue.
On Zhang Tian's left was Zhu Zhuqing. She was leaning forward slightly, her magnificent, heavy breasts pressing against the edge of the table, her gaze fixed on the game board. To any casual observer, she would have looked like a player who was deeply engrossed in the match.
But her concentration was a lie.
Her mind was a swirling vortex of a completely different kind of sensation.
Zhang Tian's left arm was not resting on his lap. It was a hidden, predatory snake, its path concealed by the heavy, ornate tablecloth. His hand had found its way to her side, his fingers a warm, possessive presence on the bare skin of her waist. He was tracing slow, lazy circles on her soft skin, his touch a feather-light caress that was sending shivers through her entire body.
The game was a four-way battle of wits. Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing, seated diagonally from each other, were one team. Their goal: to defend their fledgling empire from the aggressive, expansionist ambitions of the other.
Zhang Tian and Qian Renxue, also seated diagonally, were the invaders. And they were winning. Badly.
Zhang Tian's fingers crept higher, slipping under the loose fabric of her top. His palm came to rest on the underside of her magnificent, heavy breast. The warmth of his hand, the gentle, possessive weight of it, sent a jolt of pure, delicious electricity through her. She had to bite her lip to keep from letting out a small, sharp gasp.
Ning Rongrong made her move, a desperate, ill-advised lunge with her "General" piece, trying to break through Qian Renxue's perfectly constructed defensive line.
"Ha! There!" she declared, her voice a triumphant chime. "Your northern flank is exposed! Prepare to be crushed!"
Qian Renxue just smiled, a serene, almost pitying expression. She moved her "Chancellor" piece, a move that was so simple, so elegant, and so utterly devastating, that it was a work of art.
"Checkmate, little sister," she said, her voice a calm, melodic sound. "Your General has just walked into a trap. And your Empress is now… mine."
Ning Rongrong stared at the board, her jaw slack. She had not just lost a piece; she had lost the game. She let out a frustrated huff and threw her hands up in the air.
"No fair! Renxue, you cheated! There's no way your 'Chancellor' piece could move like that!"
"Perhaps," Qian Renxue replied, her voice a smooth, honeyed melody, "you should pay more attention to the rules."
It was at that moment, in the middle of Ning Rongrong's pouty, petulant tirade, that a soft, almost inaudible beep echoed in the quiet pavilion.
The three women immediately fell silent, their attention snapping to Zhang Tian. The small, elegant pager on his belt was glowing with a faint, insistent light.
Zhang Tian's right hand, which had been idly playing with his teacup, moved. He retrieved the pager. His left hand, however, did not move. It remained in its hidden, secret paradise, his thumb now gently, almost absentmindedly, teasing Zhu Zhuqing's hard, erect nipple through the thin fabric of her top.
A long, detailed, and encrypted message was displayed on the pager's small screen. He read it, his expression calm, unreadable, a mask of stone. The only sign of his inner thoughts was the slow, almost imperceptible tightening of his fingers on Zhu Zhuqing's breast. She let out a small, silent whimper, her body a live wire of pleasure and anticipation.
After a long moment, a slow, appreciative smile spread across his face. "Well," he said, his voice a low, satisfied purr that made the hairs on the back of the women's necks stand up. "It seems my father-in-law has been… busy."
He then, with a great deal of relish, recounted the entire, beautiful, and wonderfully, joyously satisfying story that Ning Fengzhi had just sent him. He told them of the trap. Of the poisoned dragons. Of the exploding vault. He described, in vivid, gleeful detail, the final, glorious confrontation, the crippling of the eight Titled Douluos, and Ning Fengzhi's final, chilling warning.
The three women listened, their expressions a mixture of shock, awe, and a deep, profound, and almost religiously profound glee. Qian Renxue's teacup, which she had just raised to her lips, paused, a look of genuine, professional respect in her violet eyes. Zhu Zhuqing's usual cold composure cracked into a small, sharp, and incredibly, beautifully, and wonderfully, joyously cruel smile.
Ning Rongrong, however, was not satisfied. She slammed her game piece down on the board, the sharp crack of the wood a testament to her renewed, and now even more intense, fury.
"Crippled them? That's it?! Why didn't he just kill them all?!"
Her voice was a high, furious sound that echoed in the quiet pavilion. "They were there to steal our secrets! They murdered one of our elders! They deserved to die! To leave them alive… it's a weakness! They'll just come back for revenge!"
Zhang Tian just listened to her tirade, a patient, almost indulgent smile on his face. He waited for her to finish, then took a slow, deliberate sip of his tea. His left hand, which had been gently teasing Zhu Zhuqing, now moved, his fingers slipping inside her top, his bare hand now cupping the full, heavy weight of her magnificent breast. She let out another silent, choked whimper, her body melting against his side.
"Because, my love," he said, his voice a calm, gentle sound that cut through her furious outburst, "your father is not a brute. He is a brilliant man. And a brilliant man knows that sometimes, a living, broken enemy is a far more powerful weapon than a dead one."
Ning Rongrong stared at him, her expression a mixture of confusion and a lingering, fiery indignation. "A weapon? What are you talking about?"
Zhang Tian began to explain his father-in-law's brilliant, multi-layered strategy. His tone was not that of a lover, but of a teacher, a grandmaster of a game that was far more complex, and far more dangerous, than the simple one they had just been playing.
"Think about it, Rongrong," he began, his voice a low, analytical murmur. "If he had killed them, all eight of them, what would have happened? The Blue Lightning and Clear Sky sects would have been dealt a devastating blow, yes. But they would not have been destroyed. And their loss, their grief, would have been replaced by a single, all-consuming emotion: hatred."
His fingers gently, almost absentmindedly, kneaded Zhu Zhuqing's soft, full breast. She had to bite her lip so hard she tasted blood to keep from moaning aloud.
"They would have declared a war of annihilation against our sect," he continued, his gaze fixed on Ning Rongrong, his expression serious. "A bloody, public war that would have dragged on for years. And in that war, the true, hidden strength of our Seven Treasure Glaze Tile Sect, our nine Titled Douluos, our new weapons… it would all have been exposed to the entire world."
He then looked at Qian Renxue. "The Emperor, Xue Ye… he is a paranoid man. He sees threats in every shadow. If he were to learn that one of the Upper Three Sects, a power whose status is nearly equal to that of his own Imperial Family, possessed a force that could challenge his own army… do you think he would see us as a loyal subject? Or as a threat to his throne?"
Zhu Zhuqing, her mind a dizzying, wonderful haze of pleasure and a strange, sharp, and incredibly focused lucidity, picked up the thread of his logic. Her voice was a low, analytical murmur, though her breath was coming in short, shallow pants. "And the Star Luo Empire… our sect's foundation is in Heaven Dou. Our grip on their territory is not as solid. If we were to reveal our full strength, if we were seen as a direct, military threat… the Star Luo Imperial family could easily sever our trade routes. They could choke off a significant portion of our revenue."
Qian Renxue added the final, most dangerous piece of the puzzle. Her voice was a low, grim sound, her earlier playful mood completely gone. "My grandfather's influence in the Elder Hall provides you an alliance, yes. A shield. But you must not forget who truly sits on the Supreme Pontiff's throne. Bibi Dong is the true head of the Spirit Hall. If she were to decide that your sect is a threat, she will act. Even if it means going against the Elder Hall. In the end, the Spirit Hall, as a whole, would be forced to follow her command. And her wrath… it is not a thing to be taken lightly."
Zhang Tian smiled, a slow, satisfied expression. "Exactly. By crippling them, by letting them live, my father-in-law has achieved a far more profound, and far more useful, victory."
He looked from one to the other, his gaze sweeping over the three beautiful, powerful, and now deeply, profoundly, and wonderfully, joyously thoughtful women before him. "He has not created an enemy who will fight to the death," he explained. "He has created a broken, terrified enemy who will do anything to keep their humiliation a secret. They will not declare war. They will not seek revenge. They will hide. They will lick their wounds. And they will fear us."
He leaned back, a look of genuine, profound admiration on his handsome face. "He has not just won a single battle," he concluded. "He has established a new order. He has put a leash on the dragon and the hammer. And he has done it without revealing his own, true strength to the rest of the world."
Ning Rongrong listened, her initial, fiery anger slowly, inevitably, transforming into a deep, profound, and almost religiously profound pride. Her father was not just a merchant. He was a master of a game that she was only just beginning to understand.
A comfortable, thoughtful silence settled over the group. The only sound was the soft, gentle melody of the zither, and the faint, almost inaudible hitch in Zhu Zhuqing's breathing as Zhang Tian's hand continued its slow, wonderful, and exquisitely torturous exploration.
It was Qian Renxue who finally broke the silence. Her gaze was fixed on Zhang Tian with a new, more profound respect. "But there is still one variable," she said, her voice a low, cautious sound. "The one you spoke of before. Tang Chen."
She leaned forward, her expression serious. "Your father-in-law's plan, it is a brilliant one. But it relies on the Clear Sky Sect remaining a broken, manageable threat. What if this humiliation, this crippling of their new elders, is the very thing that pushes them to a new level of desperation? What if it is the catalyst that awakens the sleeping volcano?"
Zhang Tian just smiled, a calm, almost lazy expression. "It is a risk," he admitted, his voice a light, conversational sound. "But a calculated one. And a very, very small one."
He began to explain the true, hidden nature of Tang Chen's imprisonment, his voice a low, conspiratorial murmur. He told them of the Slaughter City, of the Asura God's inheritance, of the insidious, corrupting influence of the Rakshasa God.
He painted a picture of a grand, cosmic game of Go being played on a level that they could barely even comprehend. A game between two rival gods, with the most powerful mortal in the world as their unwilling pawn.
"From what I guess, for him to break free," he explained, his voice a low, final sound, "would require an external stimulus of an almost unimaginable magnitude. A direct, divine intervention. Or the complete, and utter, annihilation of his clan. Not just their defeat. But their extinction."
He looked at them, at the three beautiful, powerful women who were the pillars of his own, small, but rapidly growing empire. "By crippling them," he said, "by leaving them alive, but weak, my father-in-law has actually… stabilized the situation. He has created a buffer state. The Clear Sky Sect is now a wounded animal, too proud to surrender, but too weak to pose a true, existential threat. They will not be annihilated. And so, the sleeping volcano will continue to sleep."
He finished speaking, and they saw it. The look in his eyes. It was not just the look of a brilliant strategist, of a powerful Spirit Master. It was the look of a god, playing a game of chess with the fate of the world.
They did not question him. They did not doubt him. They simply… accepted. His knowledge, his vision, it was on a level that was so far beyond their own that it was a thing of pure, unshakeable faith.
He stood, stretching lazily, the heavy, world-shaking conversation seemingly forgotten. He finally, reluctantly, withdrew his hand from Zhu Zhuqing's top. She let out a small, almost inaudible sigh, a sound of profound disappointment.
"Well," he said, his voice a light, playful sound. "Now that the fate of the world has been settled, who wants to help me prepare dinner?"
The Lake of Life was the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest, a place where the very air was a gentle mist of pure life force that seemed to heal the soul with every breath.
It was a sanctuary, a sacred ground where the ancient rulers of the forest gathered.
On an island of emerald grass in the center of the lake, Di Tian, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King, lay coiled, a mountain of obsidian power, his presence a silent, heavy weight on the world.
By the shore, Bi Ji, the Emerald Swan, stood like a statue of gentle grace, her aura a soft, life-giving glow. And around them, a silent, imposing court of ancient, monstrous power had assembled: the Bear Lord, the Myriad Demon King, and the other Fierce Beasts.
Di Tian had been in a state of deep, silent contemplation ever since Yao Ling's report. The news of the human, of his impossible knowledge, had been a stone dropped into the tranquil, ancient lake of his existence. He had finally made a decision.
"This human," his telepathic voice boomed, a sound that was the very rumble of the earth itself, "is a threat we cannot ignore. His knowledge of our Lord… it is an existential danger. This cannot be allowed to stand."
A low, rumbling growl of pure, untamed fury answered him. The Bear Lord, a creature of simple, brutal logic, lumbered forward, his massive form shaking the very ground. "Then let me go!" his mental voice was a roar of pure, bloodthirsty excitement. "I will find this human! I will crush his city! I will feast on his bones! We should not wait!"
Before the Bear Lord's aggressive energy could infect the others, a gentle, melodic chime, a sound that was as soft as a breeze yet held the unshakeable strength of a mountain, cut through the tension.
"And what then, old bear?" Bi Ji, the voice of reason, of peace, countered him. "You will kill him, yes. A single, insignificant human. But his threat is not his body. It is his knowledge. And the god he spoke of, the Asura. To act with such brute force without understanding the situation is to invite a calamity we cannot possibly withstand."
Di Tian's golden eyes, which had been fixed on the distant, misty mountains, now settled on the two of them. "Bi Ji is right," his voice was a final, absolute authority that silenced all debate. "We cannot be reckless. But the Bear Lord's sentiment is also correct. This human cannot be allowed to live while possessing such knowledge."
He looked at his court, his gaze sweeping over the assembled kings of the forest. "We will send a party," he declared. "They will find this human. They will investigate his background, his status, his connections. Understand the source of his knowledge. If he is a true threat, if there is any chance he will reveal our Lord's secret... they will eliminate him."
The kings of the Star Dou Forest, who had not concerned themselves with the petty squabbles of the human world for ten thousand years, were now players in a new, and very dangerous, game of assassination.
Di Tian's golden eyes swept over his court, his gaze sharp, analytical, as he began to choose the members of his elite, secret mission.
"Yao Ling," Di Tian's voice boomed, the sound a direct, telepathic command that made the ancient tree's thousands of eyes blink in unison. "You will lead. You have felt the human's mental signature. You are the only one who can find him. And you know the most of their pathetic world. Do not fail me."
The Myriad Demon King, its ancient, powerful mind still reeling from its humiliating encounter, gave a silent, mental bow of assent.
"And you will need protection," Di Tian continues, his gaze settling on a massive, terrifying figure at the edge of the lake. It is a dog. A colossal, three-headed mastiff, its fur the color of dried blood, its six eyes a burning, hellish red. "Chi Wang. The human world has its own powerful experts. If they ambush Yao Ling, your power will be his shield. And their sword."
The Three-Headed Scarlet Devil Mastiff let out a low, rumbling growl of bloodthirsty excitement.
He then looks at a different figure, a creature of sleek, serpentine grace and a deep, abyssal power, who has been a silent, watchful presence. "The humans are weak, but numerous. You will need more raw power."
His gaze settles on Zi Ji, the Abyss Dragon Demon Empress. "Zi Ji. Your bloodline is powerful. Your abyss attribute is a force they will not be prepared for. You will go as well. Be the final, decisive blow if it is needed."
Di Tian addresses the three. "Yao Ling will be your guide. Chi Wang, Zi Ji, you know nothing of the human world. You will listen to his commands. Do not cause unnecessary trouble. Do not reveal your true forms. Your mission is to investigate, and if necessary, eliminate the target. Nothing else."
The three chosen envoys stepped forward. Yao Ling, the ancient, all-seeing tree. Chi Wang, the incarnation of pure, brutal destruction. And Zi Ji, the beautiful, deadly wielder of the abyss. It is a team of gods, in the guise of mortals.
"You have all formed your Spirit Cores," Di Tian states. "Transform."
The change was not a simple illusion. It was a profound, physical restructuring, a manifestation of a power that was almost divine.
Yao Ling's massive, tree-like form seemed to fold in on itself, the ancient, gnarled bark smoothing, shrinking, coalescing into the form of a tall, scholarly old man, his long, white hair tied back in a simple knot, his eyes holding a deep, ancient wisdom.
Chi Wang's colossal, three-headed form was consumed by a torrent of blood-red energy. When it faded, a massive, powerfully built warrior stood in his place, his skin the color of burnished bronze, his face a mask of brutal, silent strength.
And Zi Ji… Zi Ji's transformation was a thing of breathtaking, almost divine beauty. Her long, serpentine body dissolved into a cloud of shimmering, abyssal purple energy. And from that cloud, a woman of breathtaking, almost divine beauty emerged, her long, dark hair cascading down her back, her presence a thing of pure, irresistible charm.
Di Tian gives them their final, absolute command. "Go. Find this human. Understand him. And if you deem him a threat to our Lord... erase him from this world. Leave no trace."
The three of them bowed, and then, with a silent, almost imperceptible shimmer of distorted air, they vanished, their destination the distant, and now very dangerous, world of men.
Di Tian is left alone on his island throne. He looks out over the tranquil, beautiful waters of the Lake of Life. But for the first time in ten thousand years, the great, unshakeable Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King feels a flicker of something, a hint of a deep, profound, and unfamiliar emotion.
Unease.
Away from the main council, hidden in the deep, ancient forests that surrounded the Lake of Life, another, far smaller, and far younger creature had been listening. It is a lion. A small, golden lion, no bigger than a large dog. Its fur is the color of pure, molten gold, and in the center of its forehead, a third, vertically oriented eye is closed, as if in a deep, peaceful sleep. This is the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, a creature of only five thousand years, a mere child in the ancient, timeless world of the Fierce Beasts.
She has heard it all. She has heard the name of the human. She has felt the fear, the rage, the profound, almost religious awe in the voices of the kings. And her young, curious heart is filled with a single, all-consuming question.
'Who is this human?' she thought, her own mental voice a soft, childish chime. 'Who is this creature that can make even the great Di Tian feel… uneasy?'
She knew of the power that resided within her. The power of her third eye. The power of Destiny. It is a power she had been warned never to use lightly. A power that can show her glimpses of the future, of the great, cosmic river of fate.
'Lord Di Tian always says not to look into the fate of beings stronger than myself,' she thought, a small, rebellious pout on her feline features. 'He says it's dangerous. That it can… hurt me.'
She looked in the direction that the three envoys had disappeared. 'But… I'm so curious! Just a little peek. A tiny, tiny one. It won't hurt, will it? I just want to see what he looks like.'
Her curiosity, her desire to know, is a fire that is stronger than her fear. She finds a quiet, secluded spot in the forest, a small, sun-dappled clearing surrounded by ancient, silent trees. She sat down, her small, golden body trembling with a mixture of fear and a delicious, thrilling excitement. She closed her two outer eyes.
And she opens her third.
The world dissolved. It is no longer a world of green and gold. It is a world of pure, white, and almost blinding light. And in that light, she sees images. Fragmented. Chaotic. A whirlwind of a future that is not yet written.
She saw him. She did not know his name, but she knew it was him. She saw glimpses of a crimson spear that seemed to pierce the very heavens. She saw a throne of woven, blood-red vines, a throne that seemed to sit at the very pinnacle of the world. She saw the world itself, weeping crimson tears as a new, and terrifyingly beautiful, god was crowned.
And then, she sees the final, most world-shattering vision of all.
She saw the sky turn to blood. She saw the world itself, the very fabric of reality, being remade, reforged, in his image. She saw his Blood Silver Emperor spirit, which was no longer a simple plant, but a thing of pure, divine power. It was a sun of blood and gold, a living, breathing god that was a reflection of the man himself. The Blood Silver God Emperor.
The vision is too much. It is a torrent of pure, undiluted divine power, a glimpse into a future that is so vast, so profound, that her own, young, and still-developing mind cannot possibly contain it. The fire of destiny, the very power she had so casually, so foolishly, unleashed, turned on her. It burned her mind.
A silent, agonized scream tore through her mind. She was thrown from the vision, a broken, golden doll tossed from the hands of a cruel, indifferent god. She collapsed to the forest floor, her small, golden body trembling, a thin trickle of golden blood running from her now-closed third eye. The backlash is immense. The pain is a fire that consumes her very soul.
But as she lies there, broken and in agony, a new, and infinitely more powerful, emotion is born in her heart. Not fear. Not awe. But a deep, profound, and slavishly devoted desire. She has seen the future.
She has seen the one who will stand at the very pinnacle of the world. And she knows, with a certainty that is as absolute as the sun in the sky, that she must meet him. She must know him.
She must… be a part of his world. The little golden lion has found her new, and very, very dangerous, obsession.
~~
A/N: Check out my other novels like "Harem Master: Seduction System" and the "Villain: Manipulating the Heroines into hating the Protagonist" and I hope you like this story and those stories as well.
Check out more chapters on my P.atreon. The P.atreon will have 20+ Chapters ahead for this story. I hope you like it.
The link of p.atreon is: bit.ly/evildragon