Chapter 1446: Long Jun's Proposal
Riding on the sacred rooster, Tian Ji started heading toward Dragon Society's main hall. The main hall was grand and imposing. Two massive jiao beasts spiraled around the hall, emanating the strength of peak Demon Sovereigns. Anyone meeting their ruthless eyes would instantly tremble with fear. The moment they saw Tian Ji, their auras pressed down toward him.
Tian Ji was greatly fearful of the two beasts, but he assumed a calm expression because he couldn't afford to embarrass the Ziling Sect. Abruptly, the sacred rooster cried out. Its proudful eyes glanced at the two jiao beasts. With one look, the two beasts seemed to have sensed something that caused them to instantly withdraw their auras. Fear covered their eyes, and they no longer dared to create trouble for Tian Ji.
Even if Tian Ji was a complete idiot, he could see that the sacred rooster had helped him scare off the two beasts. The rooster was probably the one who had helped him during his battle earlier.
"How surprising. You're actually quite a powerful chicken," said Tian Ji cheerily.
The two then entered the main hall. The Dragon Society's higher-ups all looked at Tian Ji as a pressure heavy enough to cause anyone to suffocate descended upon him.
Tian Ji stopped in the middle of the hall and slightly bowed toward Long Jun before saying, "Ziling Sect's Tian Ji greets Long Jun."
"Audacious, why are you not on your knees in the presence of our society master?" berated someone from the crowd.
Tian Ji replied, "I'm a member of the Ziling Sect, not the Dragon Society. Also, I'm here to give all of you a chance to surrender. Before long, all of you will become one of us and get to enjoy the benefits of being a part of a tier-8 organization."
Tian Ji had a proud expression as he spoke. He had long seen the Ziling Sect as his home. Thus, he was proud of how strong his home was, proud of being a member of this powerful organization.
Tian Ji had joined the Ziling Sect during Xiang Yangzhan's era. He was an orphan and had remained in the sect all these years. However, his talent in cultivation wasn't too impressive, so he hadn't received much attention from the sect. The turning point in his life arrived when he encountered Xiang Shaoyun. Thus, he greatly treasured what he had, and he refused to become an embarrassment of the sect.
"How boastful. The Dragon Society gave your sect 10 years' worth of peace, but you actually failed to appreciate the peace. Get on your knees!" roared a Saint Realm elder who was becoming infuriated. With a snort, he released his aura, attempting to force Tian Ji to kneel.
Just as the aura was about to reach Tian Ji, the sacred rooster stood before him. With a flap of its wings, the aura was blasted away. Even the Saint was nearly slapped away by the momentum. All the Dragon Society members in the hall were shocked. None of them had imagined that a chicken so ugly would be so powerful. That was definitely a Demon Saint!
Long Jun frowned and said, "Go back and tell Xiang Shaoyun that we will meet him in battle if that is what he wants. It is impossible for us to submit to him."
From how a normal envoy had a Demon Saint as a mount, it was clear the Ziling Sect was no longer the same. Even so, the Dragon Society would not submit.
"Are you really not going to think about it? My young sect master is ranked first on the Saintly Forest Ranking. He is also the disciple of a lord guardian. It will be beneficial for the Dragon Society to submit under my young sect master," said Tian Ji.
Of course, everything he said had long been spread throughout the dominion. Everyone knew about Xiang Shaoyun, and the Dragon Society was naturally aware of his recent feats as well. In fact, some of them seemed like they were really interested in the offer.
Even if they were to neglect the lord guardian Xiang Shaoyun had as his master, with the potential he had showcased, he was destined to grow into one of the strongest individuals in existence. It was truly quite a decent choice for the Dragon Society to submit to him.
Long Jun narrowed his eyes and said, "A few years ago, the Dragon Society had agreed to a match of three rounds to determine the result of the war. This time, I suggest that we have a match of five rounds. The side with three victories will be considered the victor. The loser shall submit to the winner. Tell that to your young sect master. If he disagrees, the Dragon Society will fight to our last breath."
When Tian Ji saw that Long Jun finally relented somewhat, he decided not to push his luck. He bowed slightly and said, "Tian Ji will deliver your message. Farewell."
He then left with his head raised high.
"Are we letting him go so easily?" asked someone unhappily.
Not only had they failed to suppress the envoy, but they had even gotten their own people injured. That was a total embarrassment for the Dragon Society.
"It is common courtesy to not kill envoys in wars. It doesn't matter if we allow him to leave," said Long Jun. "In the coming fight, we must be the victor. Let us decide on the participants."
"Society master, I thought you were going to fight till the end? Why are we compromising?" asked Long Qianqiu, the deputy society master.
Long Jun smiled and said, "Of course we will fight them, but isn't it better if we can conquer the Ziling Sect without suffering too many losses? Even if we do end up losing the fight, this is still our territory. We have the final word as to whether we're going to abide by the agreement."
Everyone's eyes flickered. They had a feeling that Long Jun must have planned something for the upcoming fight.
...
From that day on, Tian Ji's name started spreading in both the Celestial King Province and the Soaring Dragon Province. One man and one chicken had entered the Dragon Society fearlessly before leaving unscathed. Just his courage alone was enough to earn him the respect of numerous people.
Tian Ji traveled rapidly and returned to the Ziling Sect's group before telling Xiang Shaoyun about the match.
"A three-out-of-five match? Looks like Long Jun still hopes that he can defeat us," said Xiang Shaoyun with a sigh.
"That is merely their final struggle. We will definitely emerge victorious," said Tian Ji.
"Um. I guess that's fine. We will be able to reduce the casualties of both sides and obtain an undamaged Dragon Society," said Xiang Shaoyun with a nod. "Increase our speed. We will end this as quickly as possible."
Xiang Shaoyun was confident that the people he brought would be enough to deal the Dragon Society a crushing defeat. Soon, they arrived at a wasteland near the Dragon Society. On the wasteland was a pavilion named the Dragon Gazing Pavilion.
From the pavilion, one could get a glimpse of the Dragon Society. Many commoners would come here with their children to gaze upon the Dragon Society, hoping that a day would come when their children could rise up and enter the Dragon Society. That was how the pavilion came to be named the Dragon Gazing Pavilion.
The Dragon Society enjoyed a high reputation in the over 20 nearby cities, and it was a holy land of cultivation for the countless children residing in this area. The Ziling Sect's provocation had seriously challenged their reputation. They only had their strength to rely on if they wanted to survive this challenge.