That cave was Goblen’s den. A thick layer of golden bricks paved the way and covered the walls, which were embedded with all sorts of glittering jewels. They lit up the entire cave and made it glitter with gold, forming a beautiful and spectacular sight.
As one went deeper into the cave, what entered their sight were gold coins piled like mountains, gold nuggets, and gold horse hooves1. All these stacked together into a gigantic dragon’s nest—it was Goblen’s den.
Surrounding the den was also piles and piles of jewels, elemental crystals, Laws of Nature Origin Crystals...
Every single item was a rare and precious treasure. Any random piece was enough to turn a beggar into a tycoon.
At the moment, aside from Goblen himself, a few other figures were also at the empty space in front of the den.
Comprising both men and women, old and young, every one of them had a strong, surging aura and vast, majestic divine power—they were half-deities!
Not one more and not one fewer, they made up exactly eight people—they were the Dragons’ eight other half-deities.
“That knave has killed my metal-elemental divine incarnation and cut off my path to deification!”
Goblen’s visage was contorted with rage, and deep hatred shot from within his eyes. “I, Goblen, swear that I will never become a god if I don’t cut him into a million pieces!”
“How dare a human be this traitorous and perverse! He should be killed!”
“Since the empire’s founding to this date, such horrifying events have never once happened during the last 40,000-odd years. His behavior is heinous to the extreme and unforgivable!”
“What else is there to say? These traitorous renegades should be slashed with a thousand swords and sentenced to capital punishment!”
“Looks like we’ve still treated the humans too well all these years. How dare those lowly monkeys show such insubordination and disrespect to those above them just because they think they have a bit of power? It’s time that we rectify things properly!”
“Kill him! Make his head roll! Make his blood flow unceasingly! Let those cheap, lowly worms know that they, humans, will only be befitting of being slaves for eternity...”
The other half-deities spoke up one after another, sentencing Meng Lei to death with just a few simple words and even decided the attitude that Dragon God Empire would take toward humans.
Goblen was greatly satisfied with the half-deities’ stances. He wasn’t a match for Meng Lei, so he needed everyone to attack together if he wanted to take revenge.
“Amolin, what do you have to say?”
Upon noticing one of the half-deities’ silence, Goblen couldn’t help but frown slightly, somewhat displeased.
An alarmed and doubtful Amolin asked, “Grandmaster, are you sure that the culprit is named Meng Lei?”
“That knave killed my metal-elemental divine incarnation. I’d recognize him even if he had been turned into ashes. How would I possibly mistake someone else for him?”
Goblen let out an icy snort and asked, “What, do you have some sort of history with that knave? Do you know him?”
“I indeed know a young fellow named Meng Lei, but he is only a Saint Domain. He shouldn’t be the same person as the knave that killed the Grandmaster’s divine incarnation.”
Amolin shook her head. For some reason, she had a rather foreboding feeling in her.
“No matter who he is and whether or not you know him, for daring to kill my divine incarnation, he has to die,” replied Goblen coldly.
“Grandmaster is right!”
The other half-deities indicated their stance one after another.
“Wonderful!” Goblen stood and said, “Since that’s the case, then let’s head to Heaven’s Vault Continent now and slay that knave.”
“We’ll follow what Grandmaster says!”
“As Grandmaster wishes!”
The other half-deities got up one after another.
“Goblen Frederick, did you think that I wouldn’t be able to find you just because you’re hiding on Dragon Island? Hurry up and get out here to face your death!”
At that moment, a long thunderous howl suddenly reverberated in the skies and boomed in everyone’s ears. The howl was as though rolling thunder, so loud that it almost deafened them all!
“Who is it?” exclaimed all the startled half-deities.
“It’s that knave!”
Goblen’s wrinkled old face was rather contorted as he spat, “To think he has actually charged all the way to Dragon Island. He’s too much!”
All the other half-deities were astonished. “Grandmaster, is the one shouting and ranting outside right now that knave named Meng Lei?”
“There’s no mistaking that voice! It’s that wicked knave!” replied a teeth-gnashing Goblen as a chilly gleam appeared in his eyes.
“How audacious!”
“How impudent!”
“How presumptuous!”
“How brazen!”
“To think he actually dares to storm Dragon Island. He’s utterly belittling us, Dragons!”
“To think he has actually come here before we’ve even gone looking for him...”
All the half-deities flew into a rage.
During the long passage of time that they, the Dragons, had stood tall and strong in Heaven’s Vault Continent, when had anyone ever pursued them all the way to Dragon Island?
Never! Not even once!
Yet someone was actually bold and brazen enough to carry out such a treasonous act.
“This is an insult to us! An impossibly great insult!”
One of the half-deities declared coldly, “This insult can only be erased by that knave’s blood!”
“Kill! Kill him! Show him the consequences of challenging the Dragons’ authority!”
“Follow me!”
Goblen let out a cold snort, and then he led the rest of the half-deities out of the cave.
“It really is you!”
Amolin was the first to leave the cave. She had spied Meng Lei, who was standing proudly in the sky, with just a glance. A huge shudder couldn’t help but come over her as disbelief flashed
