"Can't kill you, huh? Then let everyone see your true colors!" Ryan Ling sneered coldly. He didn't hesitate for a second—his Golden Core qi swept out in a flash, instantly wiping away all the Dragon King's so-called dragon aura. The next moment, that layer of "dragon skin" was stripped right off, exposing a grotesque gray snake for all to see.
"Holy crap, it's just a gray snake demon! He actually became the Dragon King of the World Dominion Society, and he even represented the dragon totem for a while—what a joke!" Instantly, a bunch of people started shouting, clearly feeling like they'd been totally fooled.
"Cult Master, save me! Please, save me!" The Dragon King screamed at the top of his lungs, knowing full well this was the end of the road. He howled like crazy, hoping some powerhouse would swoop in and rescue him, but Ryan Ling wasn't about to give him a single chance.
"Scum, even if the King of Heaven showed up today, he couldn't save you. Die!" Ryan Ling didn't hesitate—he shouted, and his dragon-slaying saber swept out. In an instant, the Dragon King's head was sliced clean off.
"Raise the troops! Wipe out the World Dominion Society!" Kenneth Li roared, clearly ready to tear off all pretense with the higher-ups—at this point, it was war with the Society, plain and simple!
Even if Ryan Ling hadn't taken out all four Dharma Kings, the World Dominion Society's actions had already sparked outrage across the country. They'd brazenly stolen other people's hard-won victories, and, even worse, they'd staged a military coup, arrested Daniel Deng, and seized control of all Yan Capital. That meant they'd basically grabbed the reins of China's leadership, then issued lightning-fast orders to every war zone, snatching up military power and locking down the country. They were openly trying to take over the whole nation.
And the worst part? They even targeted war heroes and secretly helped the Japanese scum. There’s no way Ryan Ling would ever let those bastards off the hook!
And with the uprising in Jinling, all of Jiangnan was instantly set ablaze!
Even though the Jinling Military Region took some hits in the war against Japan, those losses led to a huge boost in combat power. More importantly, the army’s reputation skyrocketed—especially in Jiangnan, where Ryan Ling’s crew had totally won over the people’s hearts.
Those four words—Anti-Japan War God—were enough to suppress every evil spirit out there!
With the Jinling Military Region now in open rebellion, all the dirt on the anti-Japan campaign, the World Dominion Society’s traitorous dealings with foreign powers, their sellout behavior, and the way they seized control of Yan Capital—every bit of it spread like wildfire. In no time, all of China—and the whole world—knew the truth!
Meanwhile, in Yan Capital, deep inside a secret base on West Mountain, all of China’s top power players were holding an emergency meeting!
Clearly, Jinling’s rebellion had thrown all of China into a massive crisis!
"I said from the start that locking up Daniel Deng was a bad idea. The guy’s been in the military forever—his reputation is off the charts. There’s no way you can just sweep that under the rug. Now look, Jiangnan’s finally blown up!"
"Old Liu, don’t be so absolute! We spent three whole months planning how to deal with Daniel Deng—every little detail was covered. And with Chairman Hua leading the charge, even the top brass at the Military Commission could keep things stable. No way the rank-and-file would start a rebellion so easily. If you ask me, the whole problem boils down to one person—Ryan Ling!"
"Ryan Ling really is a wild card. How the hell is this kid so strong? Not even your World Dominion Society’s Four Great Dharma Kings could stop him? With things like this, maybe we should consider backing off a little?"
"Back off my ass! The punk’s openly rebelled and you want to retreat? Are you brain-dead or what?"
"What did you say? Don’t act like the whole world is just your World Dominion Society! If it weren’t for Chairman Hua, I—"
...
"Enough! What the hell are you all arguing about? Right now, the priority is to come up with a plan—because that kid wants to wipe out every single one of us in this room!" barked a guy with serious authority.
"Please, just one guy? You think all the masters in Yan Capital are just here for show? Taking him out will be a piece of cake!" sneered another cold, sinister voice.
Clearly, these people included China’s ruling elite, the real military top brass, and peak martial arts powerhouses—they were basically standing at the summit of the nation.
Just then, a fat middle-aged man strode in. The moment everyone saw him, they all shot to their feet.
"Chairman Hua!" the crowd called out in unison.
"Sit down, all of you!" Chairman Hua waved his hand, telling everyone to chill out. He lit a cigarette and continued, "I’ve heard about the Jiangnan situation—just a small matter. Sure, that punk survived, but there’s no way one guy can flip the whole game. Forget our ironclad Yan Capital—just the World Dominion Society’s power here is unbreakable. Plus, we’ve got the even stronger Kunlun League backing us. If that brat dares rebel, he’s just banging his head against a brick wall. I’ll be right here, waiting for him to show up!"
"Kunlun League? Isn’t that the World Dominion Society’s real backer? I heard the folks there aren’t even human—they’re all immortals, right?"
"With immortals on their side, that punk’s as good as dead!"
"That settles it—even if half of Jiangnan falls, there’s nothing for us to worry about!"
...
The moment the top brass heard ‘Kunlun League,’ their spirits perked right up. The World Dominion Society’s bosses just snorted, looking down on everyone else for being so clueless.
"Given the current situation, there’s no need for us to bully the weak. Right now, public opinion across all of China is totally one-sided—we can’t keep playing hardball. Soften up when needed! For example, with Daniel Deng, we can use his release as bait to lure Ryan Ling to Yan Capital, then quietly take him out with a soft knife!" Chairman Hua added.
"Chairman Hua, you might not know, but that kid’s sharp as hell. He probably already guessed we’d use Daniel Deng as bait—he won’t just stroll into the capital. If I were him, I’d dig in and hold Jiangnan, build up my base, stir up public opinion, and force us to negotiate. He knows we won’t dare kill Daniel Deng so easily!" a top adviser blurted out.
(This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^—click next page to keep reading!)
"That’s because the bait isn’t big enough. I’ve got two more pieces—guaranteed to hook him! He won’t be able to resist!" Chairman Hua pulled two photos from his pocket—one of Cindy Nang, the other of Sophia Long. Clearly, both of them were now in his clutches.
"Brilliant move, brilliant move! With those two, that punk is guaranteed to show up for his own funeral!" cackled a high-ranking World Dominion Society exec.
...
While China’s top brass were busy scheming their ‘big plans,’ Jinling was eerily silent.
"Ryan Ling, Yan Capital’s a bone that’s not easy to chew. Latest intel says the Fortune Gate is basically finished, and even though the World Dominion Society lost the Four Dharma Kings, they’re now the undisputed number one syndicate—and they’re working hand-in-glove with the authorities. Overthrowing them and shaking the capital is way tougher than we thought!" Kenneth Li walked over to Ryan Ling. Even though they’d raised the flag of rebellion, the mess they faced was way bigger than anyone expected.
"I already know—Yan Capital isn’t easy to take, but we’ve got no way out. Even one step back is a dead end. All we can do is move forward!" Ryan Ling opened his eyes. He’d seen this coming; with the World Dominion Society in charge, Fortune Gate was doomed from the start.
"And here’s another update—the entire Nang Family’s been locked up, Cindy Nang is captured, and the Dragon Squad has been totally purged. Both Black Tortoise and Sophia Long are in their hands. They’re using all this as leverage to lure us into the capital!" Kenneth Li steadied himself as he spoke.
"Got it—whew!" Ryan Ling took a deep breath. It was clear he’d grabbed them by the throat, but now they were squeezing his weak spot right back. This wasn’t just a brutal fight—it was a battle of wits and nerves.
"Alright, get some rest. If I hear anything new, I’ll let you know." Kenneth Li could see Ryan Ling’s frustration, so he didn’t linger. Right now, Ryan Ling was the anchor for all of Jiangnan.
As soon as Kenneth Li left, a figure and a shadow appeared—Guihai One-Blade in the flesh, Ghost Elder in spirit!
"What do you two think?" Ryan Ling asked them.
"From what I see, in Yan Capital, the World Dominion Society’s leader Ouyang Zhentian is at least at the Five-tier God Realm. Chairman Victor Hua, who oversees the whole capital, is probably about the same. These two are no joke, and their God Realm experts are at least twenty strong. Facing them head-on would be suicide!" Guihai One-Blade said coolly.
"Exactly. These guys are the peak of power in China, and behind them is the even scarier Kunlun League. The name ‘KL’ is short for ‘Kunlun’—they’re the toughest enemy of all. Ryan Ling, do you know why your parents have so many powerful enemies?" Ghost Elder’s eyes glinted with insight, as if he’d grasped the key to it all.
Hearing Ghost Elder mention his parents, Ryan Ling shot to his feet. "You mean the force my parents offended is this mysterious Kunlun League?"
"That’s right. But to really figure out what happened, we’ll need to break the ghost-face seal behind your father. There might be a huge conspiracy hidden there. Too bad my power hasn’t recovered yet—otherwise, I could help crack it. Plus, the Underworld’s in chaos right now, so we can’t count on their help either," Ghost Elder sighed, a bit helpless.
"Given the current situation, with the mysterious Kunlun League in play, Ryan Ling, your current Golden Core strength isn’t enough to really change China’s fate. Odds are close to zero," Guihai One-Blade added.
"You all treat this Kunlun League like it’s a big deal—what kind of organization is it, really?" Ryan Ling pressed.
"It’s the world’s scariest organization. The most terrifying beings gather there—stuff you couldn’t even imagine. I won’t say much, but they’ve got top-tier Nine-tier God Realm experts and cultivators. They’re everywhere. The highest leaders in countries like America and Russia are picked by the Kunlun League. Looks like China’s about to join the club too!" Guihai One-Blade said, shivering as he spoke.
"If the Kunlun League’s already here, and they’re about to control all of China, then what should we do?" Ryan Ling asked, shocked.
"The core of the Kunlun League won’t stay in China. If you want to change the game now, Ryan Ling, you’ll need to break through to Nascent Soul. Only at that level can you hope to turn the tide. And Guihai One-Blade, you’ll have to get your strength back too. I know your real power is at the Six-tier God Realm. If you recover, our chances go way up!" Ghost Elder said.
"Nascent Soul!"
"Six-tier God Realm!"
Hearing those two terms, Ryan Ling and Guihai One-Blade both paused, clearly yearning for those realms.
"Ghost Elder, if you could break the seal and recover your strength, we’d have a hundred percent chance!" Guihai One-Blade grinned.
"I wish! But the timing’s not right. Once we take all of China, then we’ll clean up the Underworld mess!" Ghost Elder sighed, his eyes filled with hope.
"Alright, so how do we boost our strength right now?" Ryan Ling calmed himself and asked.
"I think there’s only one true sage who can help us now!" Ghost Elder said, steadying himself.
"Who?" Ryan Ling and Guihai One-Blade asked together.
"The true Huaxia Divine Dragon!" Ghost Elder said, gritting his teeth...