Mere Ants

Murong Gong and the others gazed up at the sky.

Many were frightened by the sight before them.

White Guifeng and his group, as well as the Lianyupai cultivators, all shared the same reaction.

Above their heads, a middle-aged man had appeared. 

As soon as he manifested, his immense cultivation aura flared outwards in a grandiose manner, as if announcing to the world, "I am powerful."

Murong Gong sensed this middle-aged man's aura. Unlike Luo Tianyu and the others, he did not appear shocked. This was because the aura felt familiar to him – it was similar to Su Ling's.

Longtiao Tian had also encountered Su Ling before, and even Su Yi. To him, this aura did not seem particularly intimidating.

However, he still frowned. A being of this level was undoubtedly a celestial immortal. How could such an entity appear here?

Zhen Dianteng shared Longtiao Tian's experience with the formidable Chen Ping'an and Su Ling, and he too furrowed his brow.

In the sky above, Chen Yanming had traversed this mortal realm. Finally, in this realm, he sensed an anomaly – the presence of celestial cultivators!

The shattered mountain was what first caught his attention, prompting him to track it down to this place. Now, after surveying the formation array, he paid it no further heed.

He glanced at Murong Gong and the others on the ground, but merely gave them a cursory look, as if he could see through the array and discern each person's cultivation level.

Ultimately, his gaze settled on the black flood dragon in the clouds.

"Hmm? This black flood dragon seems rather unusual."

After staring at the dragon intently, Chen Yanming's eyes suddenly widened. Meanwhile, the black flood dragon had been warily observing him too.

Being scrutinized so intently by Chen Yanming made the dragon uncomfortable. Nevertheless, it did not dare speak up, clearly aware of how powerful this being was – the kind who could effortlessly pin the dragon down.

Chen Yanming frowned slightly after studying the dragon. "It seems more than meets the eye!"

He then began to murmur some abstruse phrases. Closing his eyes, two beams of white light shot forth from them, piercing through the array to envelop the black flood dragon.

In that instant, the dragon felt as though it were a woman being stripped naked by this man, its entire body exposed and scrutinized. If its face were not black, it would surely have turned crimson from humiliation and shame.

Yet it could only endure this indignity in silence. After all, who told it to be weaker than this being?

After using his Celestial Vision technique, Chen Yanming's face broke into a wide grin of delight. "Haha, I never expected to make such a rewarding discovery on this casual trip to the mortal realm! This flood dragon has traces of undigested dragon essence – it has the potential to shed its skin and become a true dragon!"

The beams had faded from Chen Yanming's eyes, but they still gleamed brightly. If he could capture this flood dragon and cultivate it in the celestial realms, it could potentially rival even the true dragon mount of a celestial emperor!

He turned his gaze towards the people on the ground and declared in a voice like rolling thunder that echoed across the sky, "You have three breaths of time. If you don't want this array shattered, disengage it now."

Upon hearing those words, Murong Gong flashed and reappeared outside the array, standing before Chen Yanming. He cupped his fist in a salute, though not nearly as deferentially as when addressing Chen Ping'an.

"Esteemed Immortal, I am the sect leader here. May I ask your business?" Murong Gong's tone was neither arrogant nor servile.

Having witnessed much in his life, this celestial immortal – though powerful – did not compare to his senior predecessors.

Seeing Murong Gong's nonchalant manner, Chen Yanming's brow furrowed slightly. My, these mortal realm ants have quite the mental fortitude.

Throughout his recent journeys to various mortal realms, never had a cultivator failed to kneel before him upon seeing his might. Yet this old fellow actually addressed him so casually with a "May I ask your business?"

Chen Yanming did not dwell too long on this matter. Murong Gong's attitude merely indicated a firm, unshaken heart. Even so, he was still just an ant to Chen Yanming.

"I want that black flood dragon. Of course, I won't bully you – I'll offer some compensation." Chen Yanming spoke with the lofty, condescending air of one bestowing a favor.

Murong Gong froze momentarily upon hearing this, then shook his head with a wry smile. "Esteemed Immortal, I must apologize, but this flood dragon belongs to another...entity. It is not my sect's guardian beast."

Chen Yanming had expected Murong Gong to resignedly agree after his declaration, perhaps inquiring about the compensation. He never anticipated an outright refusal!

Given the vast gulf in their cultivation realms, refusal was tantamount to seeking death.

As for the "entity" Murong Gong mentioned, Chen Yanming scoffed inwardly. To him, even the strongest beings of this mortal realm – or any celestials who might have descended here covertly – were mere ants before his might.

He was at the peak of the Celestial Element realm, merely a step below Celestial Sovereign! In the celestial realms, his status was formidably exalted, able to exterminate thousands of Celestial Infant cultivators or hundreds of Celestial Spirit cultivators with a casual wave of his hand.

"You had best recognize reality. I am not requesting – I am informing you. Do you understand?" Chen Yanming narrowed his eyes as his aura exploded outward. 

The clouds in the sky churned violently, and the air grew bitingly cold. 

Murong Gong was startled by this display of power, but he gritted his teeth and persisted seriously, "My apologies, but perhaps the Esteemed Immortal should consult that entity instead..."

He could not claim to be completely unaffected by that overwhelming aura. However, Murong Gong could only steel himself and press on.

Chen Yanming chuckled coldly upon hearing this. "It seems you think I'm jesting with you!"

Had this ant simply complied, Chen Yanming might have offered him some boon. But the other's lack of deference grated on him.

As those words left his mouth, Chen Yanming's eyes narrowed, and Murong Gong suddenly felt an immense pressure weighing down on him, as if a thousand-ton boulder had dropped onto his body.

Murong Gong's eyes went wide as he half-knelt, his entire being seeming to crumble as he gritted his teeth to endure. Inside the array, Murong Xue and the others turned deathly pale in fright.

"Hmm?" Seeing Murong Gong merely half-kneeling, Chen Yanming frowned, feeling his authority challenged. Just as he prepared to increase the pressure, a figure suddenly appeared before him – Longtiao Tian.

Longtiao Tian looked at Chen Yanming and said solemnly, "Esteemed Immortal, I implore you, do not go too far!"

Soon after Longtiao Tian's arrival, Zhen Dianteng and White Guifeng also appeared. 

Chen Yanming regarded the trio as mere ants. "Hmph, so what if I do go too far? What can you do about it?" He scoffed coldly.

Ants, the lot of them. How dare you instruct me?

Seeing Murong Gong's face turning deathly pale on the ground, Longtiao Tian swiftly retrieved a token from his robe – the one given to him by Su Yi.

Longtiao Tian was unsure if Su Yi was truly a Celestial Emperor, or if showing this token would give the man pause. However, he could only try