Chapter 654 - 262: The Dragons Bow, Transcendent Skill, the Mechanism Upgrades Again
Chapter 654: Chapter 262: The Dragons Bow, Transcendent Skill, the Mechanism Upgrades Again
There was no hesitation.
"Claudius Regner..."
"Aurelian Liliana..."
The two titans of the Dragon’s Nest, almost in unison, turned toward Lin Ye and performed the highest rite of the Dragon Race. They stretched their four claws out flat, then bowed their massive heads, pressing them deep into the ground.
"We pay homage to the Progenitor!"
WHOOSH—
As their two leaders submitted, the hundreds of thousands of dragons present, who had been writhing in agony from the ringing sound, fell like fields of scythed wheat. In perfect unison, they offered their most devout prostration toward Lin Ye!
A torrent of thoughts, like a mountain collapsing into a tsunami, merged into a single sentence.
"We pay homage to the Progenitor!"
Only Augustus trembled violently, his wizened old face a mask of utter disbelief and terror.
"No... You... You’re not the Progenitor..."
His legs grew weak, his knees buckling against his will.
The last shred of royal dignity remaining in his bloodline resisted. He did not want to kneel. He did not want to bow his head to an outsider.
But he was powerless against the absolute authority that seemed to emanate from the dawn of creation, a pressure etched into the very core of every dragon’s DNA!
The moment before he collapsed to his knees completely,
a calm voice spoke from above him.
"Forget it."
"Seems like keeping an old coot like you around is pointless."
Lin Ye silently calculated in his head.
’The Aurelian Clan controls the Word Spirit and handles political affairs. They’re useful.’
’The Claudius Family are seasoned warriors, the military muscle of the Dragon’s Nest. Even more useful.’
’As for the Caesar clan... besides lording their bloodline over everyone, they’re completely useless.’
’Keeping them around would be pointless.’
The instant the thought formed,
Augustus suddenly felt the meager life energy and Bloodline Power remaining in his body being forcibly drained at a terrifying rate!
Only then did he truly realize that the being before him held the power of life and death over him—all it took was a single thought!
"No! No! This old servant is still useful! I’m still useful!"
Utter terror completely shattered his last shred of dignity.
Snot and tears streaming down his face, Augustus collapsed to his knees and began kowtowing frantically.
"My Lord! Please spare this old servant! The Caesar clan is willing to serve you as slaves for all generations to come!"
As he cried out, a dozen or so figures flew in a panic from the resplendent Sun Palace above.
These dragons were bloated and corpulent, their Scale Armor a dull gold. They were the last remaining members of the Caesar clan.
However, before these clan members—summoned by Augustus to kowtow and beg for mercy—could even land,
Lin Ye’s verdict had already been delivered.
The bodies of all the Caesar clan dragons, including Augustus, seemed to have been instantly drained of all moisture and life force.
Their flesh shriveled and weathered at a visible rate, turning to dried bone.
Finally, even the bones turned to ash, scattering on the wind.
A Dragon King, along with his noble clan, was thus silently and utterly erased from existence.
A deathly silence fell.
All the dragons stared dumbfounded at the empty space, at the golden ash drifting through the sky, their minds a complete void.
The Caesar Imperial Family, rulers of the Celestial Dragon’s Nest for millennia...
...was just... gone?
Wiped from the face of the earth in a manner akin to divine punishment!
After a long silence,
"Good riddance!"
a low growl, thick with suppressed glee, shattered the silence.
The sweet bliss of vengeance glinted in Regner’s massive, single eye.
Beside him, Liliana also let out a long sigh of relief. Her gaze toward Lin Ye now held not just awe, but a deep, heartfelt approval.
The two of them didn’t need to say another word.
Behind them, the members of the Claudius and Aurelian clans had already begun to roar at the sky, their primal draconic cries a torrent of joy at their liberation and fealty to their new king!
Lektorn watched the scene, his entire body trembling with excitement.
He beat his wings fiercely and shot into the air. Then, with all his might, he issued a deafening proclamation to the entire Dragon Race.
"My brethren! The tyrant of old has been turned to dust!"
"It is my King who has granted us true freedom!"
"It is my King who will lead our Inkshadow Clan—no, who will lead our entire Dragon Race to unprecedented glory!"
"Praise be to my King!"
"Praise be to my King—!!!"
A tsunami of dragon roars erupted from every corner of the Dragon’s Nest, converging into a torrent powerful enough to rip the sky asunder!
[Ding! The entire Claudius Family has accepted your Master-Servant Contract and become your minions!]
[Ding! The entire Aurelian Clan has accepted your Master-Servant Contract and become your minions!]
...
[Ding! A total of 315,671 dragons have now become your minions!]
Lin Ye felt the number of spiritual links in his mind instantly explode, becoming as vast as a sea of stars. He slowly deactivated his avatar state and returned to his human form.
He gazed down at the grand spectacle of countless dragons bowing in worship and sighed to himself.
’To be honest, I only ever wanted to enter the ancestral lands.’
’But somehow, I ended up taking over the entire Dragon’s Nest...’
...
「Longyin Academy, Conference Room.」
Watching the scene on the screen—hundreds of thousands of dragons kowtowing in a fanatic, roaring frenzy—even this group of top-tier experts, who had seen it all, fell into a long silence.
Hou Guanghe leaned back in his chair, fingers drumming unconsciously on the armrest. No one knew what he was thinking.
The corners of Zhu Mingyi’s mouth, however, curved up uncontrollably, his grin growing wider and wider.
Yi Jiugao’s expression was the most conflicted.
He recalled how, not long ago, he had sworn up and down that it was impossible for Lin Ye to take control of the entire Celestial Dragon’s Nest.
And yet...
The kid not only took control, he even wiped out the old imperial family and crowned himself emperor.
The sting of being proven so wrong was a little painful.
"Ahem..."
Sun Lie was the first to break. He shot to his feet, his voice booming.
"What’s the point of even having a selection process anymore!"
"Let’s cut to the chase! I want this kid! I’m sending him a special admission offer right now, okay?"
Hearing this, Yan Che shot him a cool glance and rolled his eyes, not even bothering to reply.
Mu Qingyin, who had been silent until now, spoke up, a thoughtful glint in her cool eyes.
"Even if he gets a special admission, I doubt it’ll be for your Strong Attack System."
"I feel... the All-Rounder Department would be a better fit."
Just then, Yi Jiugao, who had been silent, tapped his earpiece. He seemed to have received some news, and his expression changed drastically.
The bickering in the conference room died instantly.
All eyes in the room turned to him.
Yi Jiugao’s face was grim. He took a deep breath and spoke in a heavy tone.
"Xiao Lingchen..."
"Has been eliminated!"
The words sent a shockwave through the room.
The smile vanished from Zhu Mingyi’s face.
"How... how could he have been eliminated before even reaching the World Tree?"
In Zhu Mingyi’s mind, after all,
Xiao Lingchen was an expert on par with Xia Lianxue, a top-seeded contestant in this selection.
’Even if he were to be eliminated, it should have been at Lin Ye’s hands, right?’
Yi Jiugao shook his head, his expression growing graver. He slowly uttered a name no one had expected.
"He ran into..."
"Yui Hanyi!"