Those who have not been crowned kings, nor possessed the phantom image of dragon scales, cannot understand Chen Jiuyang's feelings, nor can they comprehend the scene Chen Jiuyang had just witnessed.
Seeing Chen Jiuyang's solemn and heavy demeanor, the Palace King's Consort pondered for a moment and said, "As King Qian suggests, go and invite the Sword Master."
"Yes, Mother Consort!" Gong Liexian said. As someone from the Sword Master Legion, it was natural for her to invite the local Sword Master.
Chen Jiuyang stood up, wiped the bloodstain from the corner of his mouth, and paced back and forth in the room. "Who is that terrifying old woman, and why does she give me such a terrifying feeling?"
"Even King Gong fell into her hands. I'm afraid my combat power is insufficient to bring King Gong's soul back."
"Moreover, the scene just now was too sudden, and I couldn't pinpoint her location."
"We'll discuss what to do next after meeting the Sword Master."
Not long after, a middle-aged man wearing animal skins and holding a long sword appeared before Chen Jiuyang. His gaze towards Chen Jiuyang shone brightly. "Sixth King? Not bad!"
The moment Chen Jiuyang saw this Sword Master, the golden dragon scale phantom image in his sea of consciousness felt a sense of danger. He cupped his hands and bowed. "Greetings, Sword Master. The matter is of great importance, and I had to invite the Sword Master to discuss it."
"Speak," the Sword Master said.
Chen Jiuyang recounted everything that had happened.
"Hmm?" The Sword Master's expression changed slightly. "Is what you said true?"
Chen Jiuyang said sternly, "King Gong and I both possess national destiny dragon scales. How dare I lie?"
"If it weren't for the national destiny dragon scales' sensing, I wouldn't have been able to determine that it was King Gong's soul."
"All soldiers, withdraw!" The Sword Master's voice was deep and stern.
"Yes!" The dozens of guards who protected King Gong immediately retreated, guarding the vicinity.
The Sword Master looked at Chen Jiuyang and said, "Since it is confirmed by the national destiny dragon scales, then what you said should be true."
The Palace King's Consort, Gong Luoque, and Gong Liexian's expressions changed drastically. Such a bizarre event was actually true!
The Palace King's Consort's face turned pale. "If that's the case, it can explain why my husband has been unable to wake up for twenty years."
Chen Jiuyang said, "The reason I invited the Sword Master is to discuss how to rescue King Gong's soul."
The Sword Master paced back and forth. After a long while, he said with an unfathomable tone, "Rescuing King Gong cannot be done rashly. We must first locate where King Gong's soul is. Gong Liexian, convey my order: invite the Grand Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain and the Abbot of Southern Shaolin Temple to rush to City 318 within a day. Then, send a message to the Dragon Capital's cabinet and report the matter truthfully."
"Gong Jingmeng is a pillar of our Dragon Kingdom. He cannot be lost. We must prepare a foolproof plan."
"Yes!" Gong Liexian turned to carry out the Sword Master's orders.
The Sword Master's tone was cold and slow. "Over the years, we have sought countless doctors, even venturing into the Medicine King Valley secret realm, but we still couldn't wake Gong Jingmeng. I never expected that his soul was captured."
"If my guess is correct, the person who captured Gong Jingmeng's soul and turned him into sustenance is that legendary old fellow..."
In his words, the Sword Master also carried a hint of deep apprehension, likely having guessed the terrifying old woman's identity.
"No." After much thought, the Sword Master still felt it was not secure enough. He said to Chen Jiuyang and the Palace King's Consort, "To ensure absolute safety, I must make a trip to the north."
Immediately, the Sword Master also drew his sword and left, disappearing without a trace.
The Palace King's Consort finally realized the gravity of the situation. King Gong was not merely injured; he had been ambushed by a terrifying enemy.
The Palace King's Consort said sincerely, "King Qian, thank you for this. If it weren't for you, we would still be in the dark and unaware of the truth."
Chen Jiuyang said sternly, "It's too early to thank me now."
His heart was also heavy. If King Gong himself had fallen into the hands of that old monster, who could step forward to rescue King Gong from that old monster?
He had initially thought King Gong was merely ordinary injured, a difficult case that others couldn't cure. Chen Jiuyang had come today to cure King Gong and then leave.
But now, it seemed he couldn't leave City 318 for a while.
The complexity and depth of the matter exceeded his imagination.
Chen Jiuyang said, "I will not leave City 318 until King Gong has recovered."
The Palace King's Consort said, "Then please reside in the King Gong's residence, Qian. Luoque, please prepare a place for Qian to stay and cultivate."
"Yes, Mother Consort," Gong Luoque replied respectfully.
"There's no need for that. I'll just find a hotel in City 318 to stay in." Chen Jiuyang politely declined the Palace King's Consort's kind offer, as staying in the King Gong's residence would be inconvenient.
The Palace King's Consort said, "Then as King Qian wishes. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to speak up."
"I will," Chen Jiuyang nodded. "When the Grand Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain and the Abbot of Southern Shaolin Temple arrive, I will then enter the King Gong's residence."
After speaking, Chen Jiuyang strode out of the King Gong's residence.
Leaving the King Gong's residence, Chen Jiuyang began to survey the giant city built by the torrent of steel.
Everywhere, soldiers of the Zhenxi Army, clad in bulletproof vests and armed with firearms, patrolled the streets, maintaining order.
Although King Gong had been unconscious for twenty years, the order in City 318 remained as usual.
There were many people coming and going. Dragon Kingdom citizens came for tourism, wealthy and influential people came to spend, foreign martial artists entered the city for trade, and more domestic and foreign martial artists were sparring, creating a scene of bustling and peaceful prosperity that was almost unbelievable.
Here, martial artists were more numerous, while ordinary people were few. The ordinary Zhenxi Army soldiers did not possess strong martial artist auras; they relied more on their firearms.
Chen Jiuyang checked into a presidential suite at the best hotel in the city.
By now, he was no longer the ordinary college student Chen Jiuyang from a rural background, but the newly appointed Sixth King of the Dragon Kingdom, King Qian!
Chen Jiuyang called his women, informing them that King Gong's matter would take some time to resolve and that he couldn't return to Fengcheng immediately, but that all matters in Fengcheng were to be handled by them.
Fengcheng was currently incredibly lively, all because Feng Province had produced a King!
The forty-six Marquises of Feng Province were to be incorporated into the Sixth King's new army. The Apocalypse Legion and the Sharp Blade Legion each dispatched over ten thousand troops to Fengcheng to establish the Sixth King's subordinate legions.
The entire Feng Province was abuzz with excitement.
Those martial artist families and sects immediately became low-key, no longer daring to act ostentatiously.
Chen Jiuyang freshened up and changed his clothes in City 318, then went out to continue exploring the city.
He noticed that the number of non-Dragon Kingdom martial artists in City 318 was extremely high.
Outsiders who came here tended to stick together, partly for convenience and partly out of fear of being bullied.
Chen Jiuyang went to a bustling restaurant to eat. As soon as he sat down, he overheard foreign martial artists speaking in broken Dragon Kingdom language nearby:
"The Dragon Kingdom's Zhenxi Army is nothing special, just a bunch of weaklings. I had a conflict with some Zhenxi Army personnel just now, and they didn't dare to say a word. Such cowards."
This foreign martial artist deliberately spoke loudly in Dragon Kingdom language, provoking some Dragon Kingdom martial artists in the restaurant to feel angry but dare not speak out.
"Tch—"
A pair of chopsticks shot out, piercing the foreign martial artist's body and pinning him to the ground. A cold, indifferent voice echoed in the restaurant:
"What did you just say? I don't think I heard clearly. Could you repeat that?"