One castle after another formed a ring, and in the middle of the ring of castles, there was a huge cylindrical screen of light.
"Brother Ye, tell Yu Sheng to follow him. There is a special entrance for them," Shen Jun said to Ye Futian. A saint stepped out to lead the way. Ye Futian nodded. Yu Sheng and the rest of the participants followed the guide and headed for the lower parts of the castles.
Shen Jun brought Ye Futian and the ones who remained to the top of the ring of castles. Guards were verifying their identities. Shen Jun said to Ye Futian, "Those who were brought by the city lords are allowed to watch the show from the very top."
Ye Futian nodded, and everyone headed for the top of the castle and walked until they reached the edge.
He took a look at the buildings before him, which consisted of huge castles connected in a ring pattern, and there was a huge space at the center. A layer of a formless pillar of light shrouded the entire place. It was completely transparent and did not hinder the view in any way. However, cultivators were all able to easily feel the barrier's presence.
Every floor of the castles had corridors at the edges, enabling spectators to see the inside of the screen of light.
There was where the Rising Dragon Platform was located.
Ye Futian scanned the area and found that the corridors of the tall, majestic castles became swamped by crowds.
Some of them were seen looking at the ones at the top of the castles, who were of the highest status. They did not even need to spend anything to watch the battles. The ones in the castles, however, were all required to pay for their tickets with sacred spirit stones before being able to make it into the internal space of the castles to watch the battles.
There were quite a lot of people who looked up at Ye Futian's group. They, too, were all standing at the top of the castle—the ones from the city lord's offices of other cities in Crimson Dragon Realm.
"There are people from Qianye City who dare to go onto the Rising Dragon Platform?" A voice was heard not far away, and the one who spoke was a saint who was of the same age group as Shen Jun. He, like Shen Jun, was someone from the city lord office of another city.
Shen Jun took a look at the other party and said, "The ones from Qianye City this time will be able to rise."
"That so?" The other party smirked and said, "Isn't that something to look forward to, indeed?"
More and more people arrived, and the numbers began to get so staggering that the place was boisterous.
A group of people appeared at the top of the castle across from where Ye Futian was. They walked to the stands at the edge of their castle.
Those people felt extremely extraordinary. A man and a woman took the lead, with the man looking extraordinarily handsome and dashing, while the woman's appearance seemed to be near perfection. Her body was of golden proportions, and that gorgeous face of hers had a demonic grace to it, making her look incredibly alluring.
They took their seats, and many who looked in their direction mumbled to themselves.
Are the siblings here to watch the battles? Are they here to see who will be their future opponents? they wondered.
The two of them then turned their eyes below the cylinder of the Rising Dragon Platform. The bronze gates leading from the castles to the cylinder remained shut, and the ones who participated in the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon had yet to appear.
Everyone wondered if there would be any top-notch fighters appearing.
"Your Highness, why does the princess need to come all the way here? Even if there are actually extraordinary ones among the fighters, how would they possibly be able to be of a match to the Princess and you, Your Highness? I'm afraid there won't even be anyone capable of even getting to our level," someone at the side quipped. His eyes were incredibly sharp, and his body seemed to be basking in golden light.
"Jialou Feng, bear in mind that this is the Crimson Dragon Realm and not the Demon Peacock Emperor's Realm. Mighty ones are abundant here, and there are mighty ones from other imperial realms here as well. We can't afford to let our guard down," the woman with incredible beauty said. Her eyes, however, remained cold and aloof.
The very reason they participated in the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon was to break through their limits and see if they could make it to Saint Plane. They treated the fight as an ordeal.
It went without saying that since she was already there, she would give her all to be awarded by the Crimson Dragon Emperor.
"Yo." A familiar voice was heard from far away.
"Master, over there."
That voice had Kong Xuan lift up her head and turn in the direction where the voice came from. When she finally made clear of the silhouette of the one who had talked, her eyes froze.
An icy aura emanated from her at that very next moment. However, both parties were separated by that formless cylinder of light. While it did nothing to hinder vision, it nonetheless blocked the aura.
That filthy animal, she thought.
Kong Xuan's eyes were filled with cold, murderous intent. She then spotted Ye Futian, who was at the Black Wind Condor's side, right away.
Is he here at Crimson Dragon Realm? And his bearing. Wait, no… she thought.
Voom. Extremely dazzling golden light burst from Jialou Feng's body as killing intent burst, drawing attention from many around them.
What is with the beast from Peacock City? Ye Futian thought.
"Ye Futian." Jialou Feng roared, its killing intent laid bare for all to see.
The insult that it suffered during the Battle of Empty Realm all those years ago could have never be forgotten; it was an insult like none other.
Jialou Feng had actually been enthralled by Ye Futian and was made to turn against its own kind, causing the Demon Peacock Emperor's Realm to be a laughing stock in that year's Battle of the Empty Realm.
"Kong…" The Black Wind Condor was about to open its mouth when Ye Futian slapped the bird, telling it to shut up.
They were connected with a telepathic link, and he knew what that thing was trying to say.
The bird was trying to say the same, classic line that it had been harping all those years ago in the Empty Realm.
"Kong Xuan, come and serve my master…" the bird had once said.
Is the bird getting addicted to yelling that back in the Empty Realm?
Look at where we are now, you stupid thing, Ye Futian thought.
They were currently at the Crimson Dragon Realm. The fact that the Kong siblings were around meant that mighty ones surrounded them. If the bird were to harp that classic line, Kong Xuan would have stopped at nothing until she killed the bird.
Does this *sshole think that we're still back in the battlefield in the Empty Realm?
He had only allowed the bird to pull that back then to have the plans for the battle set up by inciting Kong Xuan.
There was currently no longer any need to get on the bad side of the princess of the Demon Peacock Emperor's Realm.
The Black Wind Condor shot a dejected look at Ye Futian, wondering why his master allowed it to do all that back then, yet, not at the moment.
Kong Xuan shuddered at the very first word that the Black Wind Condor blurted, which almost made her leap out of her seat. That animal's voice had traumatized her back in the Empty Realm.
"The bird needs to work on its manners, and I've already given it a lesson. I've apologized for what happened during the Battle of Empty Realm, and I hope that you no longer hold any grudges over what happened." Ye Futian nodded to Kong Xuan as a gesture of apology, looking dashing as he did so.
Kong Xuan managed to calm herself down due to how he behaved. She glared at her with cold eyes and said nothing in return.
She naturally noticed Xia Qingyuan as well. In the eyes of Kong Xuan and her people, however, Ye Futian and the bird had proven to attract more attention than she did.
Jialou Feng, who was at her side, still had thick killing intent oozing out of its eyes.
Ye Futian smiled and nodded after seeing that Kong Xuan did not bother to reply, before turning his eyes away.
Shen Jun, who was at his side, shot a surprised look at Ye Futian and asked, "You are acquainted with Princess Kong Xuan, Brother Ye?"
"Emperor Xia's Realm is right beside the Demon Peacock Emperor's Realm. We have fought in the Battle of Empty Realm. Despite both of us being participants of that battle, we were on opposing sides, which is why they hold a grudge," Ye Futian replied, and Shen Jun nodded. He did at least know that Emperor Xia's Realm was neighbors with the Demon Peacock Emperor's Realm.
It was no surprise why Ye Futian apologized right there and then. It seemed that he had gotten on Kong Xuan's bad side back then. With both parties currently at Crimson Dragon Realm, he was naturally wary that Kong Xuan sought revenge.
"Kong Xuan was able to rise on the Rising Dragon Platform in last month's Battle of the Sleeping Dragon. No one else had been able to shine more brilliantly than she did. I do hope Yu Sheng and the others would be able to do the same this time," Shen Jun said, and there was a peculiar look in his eyes.
If Ye Futian was on Kong Xuan's bad side before, then we will probably have to say our condolences to Yu Sheng and the others, Shen Jun thought.
"You have offended Kong Xuan before?" Situ Yan asked Ye Futian telepathically.
"Indeed," Ye Futian replied.
"Several demonic beasts participated in last month's battle. The Kong siblings burst with their nine-colored light of the peacock, and they were almost invincible. They were tremendously powerful," Situ Yan reminded him.
"I've fought her myself," Ye Futian replied.
Kong Xuan was indeed extremely powerful back in the Battle of Empty Realm. She was the daughter of the Demon Peacock Emperor, after all.
Kong Xuan was probably at the pinnacle among the Sages in the pinnacle stage. She was simply a step away from becoming a saint, so she was probably there to try to make a breakthrough into Saint Plane.
However, if she were to end up fighting Yu Sheng…
Situ Yan did not say anything more, hoping that luck would be with Yu Sheng and the others. She hoped that there were not any fighters who were too powerful in that Battle of the Sleeping Dragon.
They might have ended up dead in the battle otherwise.
Shen Jun did not have any good intentions in baiting Yu Sheng and the rest to participate in the battle. He was doing all of that for himself.
If there were anyone among Yu Sheng's party who managed to rise, they would have participated as members of Qianye City. As such, the award from Crimson Dragon Emperor would have fallen into Qianye City's hands.
As for the price of losing, Shen Jun probably paid no heed to that.
Deafening sounds were heard at that moment, and the countless crowds in the castles were in an uproar. Low rumble of dragons seemed to be heard, and dazzling matrixes on the ground seemed to have lit up. Matrix diagrams were activated, and at the very next moment, a huge, imposing figure was seen on the diagram.
That huge figure had a fiery crimson color all over it. It was a crimson dragon and a demon saint.
The dragon rose to the top, and with a deafening roar, the heavens shook, and it shot up to the top, circling in the air.
"The Rising Dragon Platform." A human voice was heard from the crimson dragon, howling at the ones below, and the bronze gates were opened.
Blinding light burst and from with the gates in different corners, came cultivators who had participated in the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon, emerging one after another.
The tension in the group of castles hit a critical point within a mere instant. Deafening cheers were heard everywhere, seeming out to rupture peoples' eardrums.
Ye Futian turned his eyes and saw Yu Sheng's group walking to the Rising Dragon Platform.
There was only a single battle within the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon, one where all mighty ones were to fight a brutal battle at the same time!