"China's Divine Dragon?" Ryan Ling froze for a second when he heard that name. It'd been ages since he'd seen the dragon, but he could still picture its power clear as day—just one Dragon Breath could wipe out everything in front of it. If he could really get the dragon's help, he'd be totally unstoppable. All those problems Ghost Elder and the others just rattled off? Wouldn't even be a problem anymore.
Guihai One-Blade sighed. "China's Divine Dragon really is the ultimate backup. If we get its help, everything changes. But the real question is, where do we even find it? That dragon's always popping in and out—it's not like we can just call it up whenever. I've spent years by the sea, so I know just how scary it is." Guihai glanced at Ryan Ling—the only one here with any 'connection' to the Divine Dragon.
Ghost Elder jumped in, "Ryan Ling, China's in a tight spot. The World Dominion Society has the top brass on lockdown, and they could strike back any minute. We've got to give it a shot. You saved the Divine Dragon's kid once, right? That means you might actually get another shot at meeting the dragon. Why not rush to the South Sea and see if you can pull it off? Right now, leveling up is our only winning move."
"Alright, got it. This time, we go in fast and finish quick—just me and Guihai One-Blade!" Ryan Ling nodded. If he could break through to the Nascent Soul Stage on this trip, then when it came time to march north, victory would be in the bag.
But just as Ryan Ling and Guihai One-Blade were gearing up to head out, Kenneth Li and Gabriel Xue came running in, looking totally frantic.
"What's going on now? Something else blown up?" Ryan Ling shot them a look.
Gabriel Xue blurted out, "We just got a weird encrypted signal—looks like it came from Marshal Black Tortoise of the Dragon Group. The coordinates are in the outskirts of Hebei Province. We're pretty sure it's a distress call, and it seems like the whole Dragon Group is trapped there!"
"The Dragon Group? Where exactly are they stuck?" Ryan Ling’s heart skipped a beat—if Marshal Black Tortoise was sending out an SOS, things had to be dire. The Dragon Group helped him out big time in the Kyoto war, especially Sophia Long. If they're in trouble, there’s no way he could just sit this one out.
Kenneth Li added, "Looks like they're trapped at the Chow Family Manor, out in the Hebei Province suburbs. The Chow Family is one of Yan Capital's Eight Great Clans, and they're hardcore World Dominion Society loyalists. Security's tight as hell!"
"Hell, I'm still a little wary of the World Dominion Society, but the Chow Family? Please, I'm not scared of those guys. Right now, they're probably betting I wouldn't dare show up. Screw it—I'm gonna bust in and show them just how wrong they are!" Ryan Ling made up his mind.
"But the Chow Family’s defenses are definitely locked down tight right now. If we go charging in, aren’t we basically asking for trouble? Hebei Province is the World Dominion Society’s home turf!" Kenneth Li steadied himself and continued, "Actually, I’ve got a theory—what if this whole thing is just a baited trap, set up by the Society to reel us in?"
"Yeah, Commander Li’s got a point. I’m worried this is a setup too. That’s why we hesitated about even telling you!" Gabriel Xue chimed in, voice full of concern.
"Ryan Ling, we have to be careful this time. The World Dominion Society plays dirty. Getting a message like this right now? It screams trap. If we can avoid going, we really shouldn’t!" Guihai One-Blade added, clearly thinking the odds of a trap were sky-high.
Just then, Gabriel Xue jumped in again: "We’ve got more intel—the situation’s critical. Looks like the Dragon Group is in deep trouble, and the Nang Family’s caught up in it too…"
But right as Gabriel finished, Kenneth Li’s secure military comm device started beeping like crazy.
"This is my direct line to Daniel Deng. He’s been put under house arrest—wait, could this be…?" Kenneth Li’s heart skipped a beat. Just as everyone started suspecting Marshal Black Tortoise’s message was a trap, the device suddenly went off.
"Open it!" Ryan Ling snapped, already convinced this was some kind of setup.
Kenneth Li nodded and activated the device. Instantly, a cold, chilling voice came through the speaker.
"You guys are pretty sharp. Since you’re not biting, I’ll just lay it out—Dragon Group and Nang Family are all in my hands. If you don’t come to the rescue, I’ll slaughter every last one, especially Sophia Long and Cindy Nang. Such tender, pretty skin… hahahaha!"
"Victor Hua?" Kenneth Li’s face went pale as soon as he heard the voice.
At that moment, everyone went stiff—nobody expected the voice to belong to Victor Hua, the top dog at the Central Military Commission and the one who personally locked up Daniel Deng. He’d set the trap himself. No question, he was dying for Ryan Ling’s head.
Seeing Ryan Ling and the others frozen, Victor Hua let out a cold laugh: "Ryan Ling, if you don’t have the guts to come, just wait to pick up their corpses! I’m giving you one night to think it over. Do what you want!"
Victor Hua finished speaking and the line went dead—just like that!
Instantly, the whole room fell silent.
After ten seconds of dead silence, Ryan Ling clenched his fists and said, "I’ll go to Hebei Province tonight—alone."
"That’s way too dangerous! It’s obviously a trap!" Kenneth Li and Gabriel Xue shouted at once.
"So what, we just sit here and watch the Dragon Group and the Nang Family get butchered? Besides…" Ryan Ling bit his lip, not finishing his sentence, but everyone knew he meant Sophia Long and Cindy Nang. It wasn’t just about their feelings for him—those two literally risked their lives to save his. Even if Hebei Province was a death pit, he had to go.
Watching those two women who nearly died for him get tormented by scumbags—even the most disciplined guy would lose it!
The room went quiet again.
A few seconds later, Guihai One-Blade suddenly spoke up: "With things this bad, even if Hebei Province is a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, we have to go! That’s just basic human decency. But if we’re going, we need some insurance. Ryan Ling, come with me—I’ve got something for you!"
Ryan Ling saw how calm Guihai One-Blade looked and hurried after him. The two of them headed to Guihai’s room, while everyone else stayed outside.
"Senior, what do you have that can get us out of this mess?" Ryan Ling asked anxiously.
"This!" Guihai One-Blade said, pulling out a round pearl from his chest. The whole thing glowed blue and looked insanely bright. Even crazier, it felt like there was endless power swirling inside—totally unfathomable.
"What kind of treasure is that?" Ryan Ling blurted out, clearly never having seen anything like it before.
But right then, Ghost Elder freaked out: "Guihai One-Blade, what are you doing? That’s your Life Core! It’s the sum total of your lifetime’s power—if anything happens to it, you’ll be crippled for good!"
"Life Core? Something that precious—I can’t take it!" Ryan Ling instantly understood. Guihai One-Blade’s strength was legendary, but now he was so weak because he’d already extracted and sealed away most of his power, hoping to make a comeback someday.
"Take it. This isn’t the time for back-and-forth. Saving people comes first, everything else is secondary. Even if I end up crippled, I want to help you achieve something greater. With my Life Core, you’ll be able to explode with power—almost on par with the Nascent Soul Stage. That kind of boost will catch Victor Hua and Zane Ouyang totally off guard, and you should be able to save Dragon Group and Nang Family. But listen: the Life Core only lasts half an hour, max. Whether you save them or not, you have to get out within thirty minutes, got it?" Guihai One-Blade didn’t hesitate, face grim as he shoved the pearl into Ryan’s hand.
Ghost Elder sighed, then urged, "Since Guihai One-Blade’s gone this far for you, just take it and go—hurry!"
"Senior, I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me!" Ryan Ling said, nose stinging as he gripped the Life Core. Instantly, a torrent of power surged through his body.
No more hesitation—Ryan Ling set out for Hebei Province right away. He knew the road ahead was pure hell, but there was no turning back. If he was being forced onto the battlefield, then he’d just have to go all out and fight to the death…