Chapter 134: The Pride of Empires [Part 2]

The Pride of Empires [Part 2]

Lucas Moreau merely smiled.

It was the smile of someone watching children throw meaningless tantrums.

Without saying a word...

He gently tapped the head of the Half-Blood King Beast with the tip of his shoe.

The enormous beast immediately understood.

ROOOOOAR!!

Its deafening roar exploded across the mountain.

Black demonic energy surged from its body like a tidal wave.

Even the clouds overhead were shattered apart.

At that exact moment—

BOOM!!

BOOM!!

BOOM!!

Three overwhelming auras erupted simultaneously.

The Fourth Prince.

The Fifth Prince.

The Seventh Prince.

Their True Spiritual Power flooded into the sky, distorting space itself.

The pressure spread outward in visible waves.

It felt almost tangible.

Like an invisible ocean crashing down upon everyone present.

Silence.

Absolute silence.

The furious shouting vanished instantly.

Every prodigy from the Dawn Empire found themselves unable to speak.

The oppressive pressure weighed upon their shoulders like mountains.

Their breathing became difficult.

Their hearts pounded uncontrollably.

The dense True Spiritual Power surrounding the three princes had nearly condensed into a higher form of energy.

Only one explanation existed.

They had already stepped into...

Half-Step Astral Manifestation Realm.

Three...

Half-Step Astral Manifestation Realm prodigies.

The realization struck everyone like lightning.

Several younger disciples instinctively took a step backward.

Others clenched their fists in frustration.

No matter how unwilling they were...

The gap in strength was undeniable.

James Dawn’s expression became exceptionally grave.

He had always been regarded as one of the Dawn Empire’s greatest young talents.

Yet before these three...

He suddenly felt insignificant.

Jessica Dawn’s beautiful face also turned pale.

She had anticipated that the Azure Sovereign Empire would send powerful geniuses.

But she had never imagined the difference would be this overwhelming.

Under these circumstances...

We can only place our hopes on the Salvatore Family...

She silently sighed.

Far away...

Hidden among the crowd...

Victor stood calmly with his hands behind his back.

His long shoulder-length black hair swayed gently beneath the morning breeze.

The golden dragon embroidery upon his black robe shimmered beneath the sunlight.

His handsome face remained completely expressionless.

Golden eyes quietly observed everything unfolding before him.

Not excitement.

Not anger.

Simply calm observation.

Nearby...

Austin Salvatore, Damien Salvatore, Nux, and the others exchanged brief glances.

None of them appeared intimidated.

Watching the entire gathering fall silent beneath their overwhelming strength...

Lucas Moreau’s smile became even brighter.

Before coming here...

"My father specifically warned me..."

"...to be wary of the Salvatore Family."

His gaze slowly swept across the sea of faces.

Though his expression remained pleasant...

His tone became openly mocking.

"I don’t know which of you belongs to that so-called Salvatore Family..."

He chuckled softly.

"But forgive me for being blunt..."

"...everyone standing here is tra—"

Before the final word could leave his mouth—

Whimper...

A pitiful cry interrupted him.

Everyone froze.

The Half-Blood King Beast...

Was trembling.

Its enormous body shook uncontrollably.

Its arrogant posture completely disappeared.

Its massive legs gave way.

BOOM!!

The beast collapsed onto the ground.

Its head buried itself into the dirt.

Its entire body quivered violently.

Moments later...

An unbearable stench spread through the area.

The terrified beast had completely lost control of itself.

Lucas Moreau and his two brothers were thrown violently from its back.

Caught entirely off guard...

The three princes landed directly beside the filthy mess.

Their pristine robes instantly became stained.

The Fifth Prince’s expression twisted with disbelief.

"What—"

"The beast..."

"What’s happening to it?!"

Before anyone could answer—

ROOOOOOOOAR!!

A majestic cry descended from the heavens.

It sounded neither like a dragon...

Nor like a horse.

Yet it carried supreme authority.

The Half-Blood King Beast convulsed violently.

Foam spilled from its mouth.

Its eyes rolled backward.

Then...

It fainted.

Complete silence engulfed Red Cliff Mountain.

Everyone slowly raised their heads toward the sky.

Three magnificent figures descended through the clouds.

Each rode upon a dazzling Divine White Pegasus.

Their snow-white wings stretched majestically across the heavens.

Every beat of those wings summoned streams of spiritual wind beneath their hooves.

Golden sunlight surrounded them like halos.

They looked less like mounts...

And more like divine creatures descending from the celestial realm.

Someone in the crowd recognized them first.

His eyes widened in utter disbelief.

"Pure-blood King Beasts..."

"Divine White Pegasus!!"

"What?!"

"The legendary King Beast that inherited the complete Wind Great Laws of World?!"

"My heavens..."

"Even Sacred Lands and immortal sects possess only a handful of them!"

"Who are they?!"

The entire mountain erupted into chaos.

Lucas Moreau and his brothers climbed back to their feet.

Their expressions had darkened to the extreme.

Embarrassment.

Anger.

Humiliation.

Their eyes locked onto the three newcomers.

Lucas forced a smile, though the veins on his forehead had already begun bulging.

"Fine mounts."

He slowly brushed the dust from his sleeves.

"A truly impressive display."

He narrowed his eyes.

"May I ask who you are?"

"To make such an... extraordinary entrance..."

His smile became noticeably colder.

"You frightened my beast."

"I shall be sure to repay your kindness in full."

The three riders didn’t answer immediately.

The wind continued blowing.

Their white cloaks fluttered quietly.

An invisible pressure spread across the entire mountain.

Then—

A cold...

Indifferent...

Merciless voice descended from the heavens.

"What worthless noise dares to speak of the Salvatore Family?"

The instant those words fell—

An icy killing intent swept across Red Cliff Mountain.

The vibrant colors of the world faded away.

Blue skies became gray.

Green forests became pale.

Everything transformed into black and white...

Except for one color.

Blood.

Only blood remained a vivid crimson beneath that overwhelming aura.

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Author’s Note

Thank you for reading my story!

The confrontation has only just begun. The Azure Sovereign Empire arrived with overwhelming confidence, but they quickly discovered that true supremacy isn’t measured by loud words or powerful mounts. In the next story, the identities of the mysterious riders will finally be revealed, and the younger generation will witness why the Salvatore Family is feared even by those who have walked among the Sacred Lands.

As always, thank you for your continued support. Your comments, reviews, and power stones motivate me to keep bringing this world to life. The best is yet to come!