The two guards were both eighth level empyrean realm, and the kind very capable at fighting to boot. They were just a small step away from ninth level.

Though Imperial Prince Huo had several seventh level empyrean cultivators with him, there was a huge difference between the seventh and eighth levels.

Three seventh level empyrean experts could perhaps just barely maneuver against an eighth level one, and it would be a struggle to do so.

Moreover, these two guards were obvious veterans of battle. One guard could possibly take on four of them. 

If there was a fight, Imperial Prince Huo’s men wouldn’t necessarily have the advantage—even though they numbered more than a dozen. If two more guards were added to the other side, Rejuvenation’s forces would be trivially crushed.

These two guardsmen were broad-shouldered and well-built. They radiated killing intent. It was obvious that countless experts had died at their hand.

The one in a striped outfit was Azure Tiger. 

“Mouthing off in front of Master Han, eh?” He grinned toothily. “You’re the only one dumb enough to have done that in recent years. Remember, grow a better pair of eyes in your next life. Don’t be so stupid…”

He pounced like a real tiger as he said this, hands ferociously outstretched like claws. His right made a swipe at the imperial prince, the image of a phantom claw flickering in midair.

Suddenly, a rushing wind swept in.

Azure Tiger was halfway there when he felt an obstacle in his way. In the next moment, he unconsciously reached for his neck.

A different claw had materialized around it. A huge, scaly one shimmering with strength and nobility. A true dragon came into view, enshrouded in mist and cloud.

Snap!

The draconic claw closed on its prey. Azure Tiger’s neck snapped at a right angle and his eyes burst out of their sockets.

The corpse disappeared a second later, clearly having been eaten by the dragon.

Azure Ox wasn’t faring much better. Though he had been a bit slower in his charge, he discovered countless dimensional barriers around him. No matter what direction he slammed himself in, he couldn’t break free.

As he struggled vainly, a giant golden bell appeared in midair. The runic carvings upon it glistened with incredible radiance, as if recalling some ancient totemic entity.

The bell locked onto Azure Ox, who was stuck running in circles on the spot.

This was Jiang Chen’s handiwork, of course.

Though he was only sixth level empyrean realm, his treasures and abilities allowed him to fight ninth level empyrean experts evenly. Azure Ox would have been a worthy opponent for him to face.

However, Jiang Chen had surprise on his side. His opponent hadn’t been able to react before he was soundly trapped.

Under Jiang Chen’s control, the golden bell was too powerful to resist. It crashed down, sealing Azure Ox within.

The middle-aged man and the seductive woman beside him were completely astonished. They couldn’t believe the strange things they were seeing.

There was a tinge of change in the man’s proud expression. He had four personal guards. Yes, Azure Ox and Azure Tiger were weaker than the other two fellows, but not by much.

And yet, they’d been so trivially dealt with! One had died instantly, and another was now seized by a golden bell. Whether he was dead or alive was yet to be determined.

He had never dreamed that such a situation would come about!

They’d carefully calculated and considered every possibility before invading Rejuvenation. They were secure in the knowledge that it could not resist them, which was why they’d bit back when Imperial Prince Huo had arrived.

What was the reason for their confidence? They thought they had enough strength, of course.

But the bloody spectacle just now had smashed his confidence. His superiority had shattered into a million pieces, much like a mirror.

Imperial Prince Huo was overjoyed. The young lord had joined the fray!

Now that he had joined the field, what were these vermin worth? He had just now managed to roughly guess where this ‘Master Han’ had come from.

There was a very powerful second rate faction in the waters twelve hundred thousand miles away from Rejuvenation. In fact, it approached many first rate factions in strength.

The imperial family of those islands bore the surname Han.

The Heavenlight Isles was a well-known powerhouse in its region, but it rarely cared for weak factions like Rejuvenation so far away from its shores. Before this, there’d been almost no contact between them.

In Heavenlight’s eyes, Rejuvenation should have been a worthlessly remote place. Had news of the spirit stone veins gotten out that far?

To the imperial prince, this must indeed be the case.

The amount in the veins here was so abundant to be attractive to even first rate factions. It was natural that the second rate Heavenlight would covet this wealth.

For them, this could very well be the springboard into advancing in rank. If they could make this place theirs, it was a chance for them to finally take wing and join the ranks of the first rate factions. This prospect was too good for Heavenlight to pass up.

Moreover, there was minimal effort involved in invading Rejuvenation. Even before the disaster it had suffered in recent years, it had been no match whatsoever for Heavenlight.

This was a dog-eat-dog world.

Imperial Prince Huo was tremendously thankful for his extremely wise decision. Thank goodness Rejuvenation was under young lord Jiang Chen’s protection!

Otherwise, they would’ve engaged in a vain struggle against Tritalent before noticing far too late that Heavenlight had come in and plundered it.

“I’ve guessed where you’re from, Han. Has the well-known Heavenlight Isles begun to resort to banditry?”

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