“Man-Vulture bandits?”
Everyone looked over. True enough, a dark expanse of clouds sweeping toward them entered their sights. The black masses blotted out the sun and covered the sky with their sheer numbers.
“It really is Man-Vulture bandits!”
President Fred’s brows drew into a frown. “Those dirty, greedy fellows! They’re just like rats in the sewers—they’re everywhere!”
“Man-Vulture bandits?”
Meng Lei looked over as well—the so-called “dark clouds” turned out to be a group of half-human, half-bird creatures!
They had heads of vultures and bodies of humans, as well as the vultures’ wings and sharp talons.
They looked absolutely like a motley crew with their shiny, bald heads, filthy bodies, and tattered, shabby clothes.
“Man-Vultures? Why aren’t they Vulture-Men?”
Meng Lei was rather puzzled.
President Fred explained, “Typical half-human, half-beast creatures can be considered human because they possess a very high level of intelligence, so they are no different from humans. For example, Taurens, Tiger-headed People, and Dragon People like us.
“However, this isn’t the case for Man-Vultures. Although those guys have humans’ bodies, their innate character makes them no different from a pack of Magical Beasts dressed in human guises.
“They’re barbaric, uncouth, greedy, brutal, and foolish. In addition, they are fond of attacking humans. They commit all imaginable misdeeds, like arson, assault, robbery, and plunder!
“Thus, they are known as Man-Vultures and not Vulture-Men—because one cannot consider them humans at all. Instead, they are a bunch of beasts and bandits!”
Chapter 141: Extermination At A Finger Snap, Arrival At The Imperial City
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
There was a great number of Man-Vultures, and they formed a dark mass as though they were roiling, dark clouds crushing toward them. Their momentum alone was certainly enough to frighten one.
In truth, Man-Vultures didn’t suppress others with just their aura—most of them were around sixth-grade, with a fair number of them at seventh-grade. In fact, the ruler of the Man-Vultures could even match up to a ninth-grade expert.
Added to this their terrifying numbers, Man-Vulture packs were practically the nightmare of every passing trade caravan and ordinary villagers. Once they set their sights on them, the consequences would undoubtedly be very tragic.
Yet the Man-Vultures simply had to be nomadic by nature. They roamed about like homeless, wandering spirits and messed with whoever they came across. Those that they came across could only lament their misfortune.
“Sirs, please return to your rooms and take a firm seat. We must hurry and circle around them. Otherwise, once they come on to us, we’ll be dead meat!”
The beast tamer’s voice was somewhat trembling. As for the Floating Beast they were riding, it was even shaking like a leaf, fearful and uneasy.
The Man-Vultures had frightened them badly.
“It’s just Man-Vultures. What’s there to be scared of?” Meng Lei chuckled and said, “Please wait a moment for me, presidents. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”
“Meng Lei, it’s just a bunch of good-for-nothings. Why would a Saint Domain like you need to take any action? Let them do it instead,” the six academy presidents replied with a laugh as they gestured at the contestants.
“It’s fine. They can’t fly, so it’ll be pretty troublesome for them.”
Meng Lei gave them a smile. Then, he soared into the sky in an instant and transformed into a stream of light shooting toward the flock of Man-Vultures.
All of these were money, after all. How could he allow others to do it for him?
Squawk!
Squawk!
Squawk!
The Man-Vultures flew at high speed. They let out strange-sounding squawks, their cries sharp and shrill, messy and chaotic as though they were a murder of crows cawing carelessly at random.
Together with their sheer numbers, ordinary people would definitely be scared witless. However, they were the ones in for a tragedy today.
“Die!”
As Meng Lei pointed at the sky, an orange-sized fireball drew a fiery arc across the sky and shot abruptly into the flock of Man-Vultures.
It looked absolutely unassuming, and neither did it cause any commotion. However, the moment the fireball shot into the center of the flock of Man-Vultures, it went off with a blast.
Boom!
Violent shock waves swept through several kilometers of where they were in an instant. All the Man-Vultures within the range didn’t even have the time to scream before they were blown into smithereens and burned to ashes.
“Ding! 1 Man-Vulture killed, 310,000 gold coins gained!”
“Ding! 1 Man-Vulture killed, 80,000 gold coins gained!”
“Ding! 1 Man-Vulture killed, 170,000 gold coins gained!”
As system notifications rang out following his actions, his Wealth also began to increase. Meng Lei couldn’t help but smile at that. “As expected. Sounds like these are the most pleasant-sounding, after all!”
“Squawk!”
The sudden explosion had shocked the remaining Man-Vultures into a daze. They flapped their wings frantically and fled far away from the sea of fire with shock and horror in their eyes.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What have I done?
It was just a shame that no matter how fast they fled, they just couldn’t go any faster than Meng Lei’s speed of shooting fireballs.
Several orange-sized fireballs shot fiercely toward them like a machine gun. Then, they exploded one after another.
Boom!
Amid earth-shattering booming explosions, the entire sky was enveloped in a fearsome sea of fire. The vast ocean of fire also swallowed up the masses of Man-Vulture bandits.
A few minutes later, all the smoke and dust dispersed.
The black masses of Man-Vultures had disappeared—totally disappeared from the face of the earth, leaving behind not even a single feather.
“Alright!”
“Huh? No magic cores?”
Meng Lei was a little taken aback as he stared at the empty sky. The sea of fire just now had only been an ordinary eighth-grade to ninth-grade spell, meaning it shouldn’t have been enough to burn away the magic cores.
“In other words, those Man-Vultures don’t have magic cores at all? F*ck! I was all worked up over nothing!”
Meng Lei was sorely disappointed.
...
The vast and boundless Dragon God Empire was situated in the east of Heaven’s Vault Continent, overlooking the endless oceans in the east and facing the Magical Beast Ridge in the west. 15 Kingdoms and 48 Dukedoms were under its rule.
These 15 Kingdoms and 48 Dukedoms were sited at the Dragon God Empire’s periphery and were subsidiary nations surrounding and protecting the Dragon God Empire. The widest and most spacious, and the wealthiest and most fertile lands were still under the Dragon God Empire’s jurisdiction.
Due to its exceedingly vast territory, flying from Fire Dragon Kingdom to the Dragon God Empire was an extremely long and slow journey. It took a minimum of five days to reach there by flight.
If one took the ground route, they would need an even longer time.
Fortunately, five days’ time didn’t count as much to cultivators like Meng Lei. It was no more than a meditation session, a nap, or a round of seclusion.
Meng Lei didn’t stay idle during this period of time, either. He picked up dropped light balls casually, killed bandits and Magical Beasts they encountered along the way...
After five days, he had gained a handsome amount of rewards.
“We’re finally here at the Imperial City!”
On the fifth evening, the Imperial City finally came within sight. As the six academy presidents gazed at the grand and magnificent huge city sprawling across the land in the dis
tance, emotional looks appeared on their countenances.
“So many years later, I’m finally here at the Imperial City again!”
“The last time I was in the Imperial City had been 18 years ago. Who’d have thought that in the twinkling of an eye, 18 years had already gone by.”
“Haha, your Ink Splendor Academy has produced exceptionally poor results these recent years. As its academy president, there’s naturally no need for you to come to the Imperial City...”
Meng Lei and the other contestants also stood atop the Floating Beast as they gazed at the Imperial City from afar. There was still a great distance between their location and the Imperial City, but they could still see the Imperial City’s silhouette, nevertheless.
The Imperial City was just like a primeval behemoth prostrating on the great lands. Several routes accessible from all sides extended from the Imperial City like blood vessels, leading to every corner of the empire.
At the Imperial City’s outermost perimeter were lofty and towering city walls that stood tall and straight. The golden city walls that towered as high as 1,000 feet were mightier, more awe-inspiring, and more extravagant than any city walls that Meng Lei had ever seen. The rays at sunset shone upon the city walls and reflected an eye-catching radiance and dazzling brilliance.
“So, that’s the Imperial City?” all the contestants murmured to themselves, astounded by the sight.
Meng Lei’s gaze, however, had been captured by a gigantic tower that rose all the way into the clouds. That gigantic tower stood erect in the very center of the Imperial City like a holy tree that led into the heavens and connected the heavens and earth.
Big and tall!
Lofty and majestic!
One couldn’t see to the top of it!
Meng Lei couldn’t help but think of the Korin Tower in Dragon Ball1—that gigantic towering tower certainly bore a light resemblance to Korin Tower!
“That’s the Dragon God Tower!”
Upon noticing Meng Lei’s line of sight, President Fred twisted his beard and smiled as he said, “It’s the divine weapon protecting the Dragon God Empire. You can try challenging it during the exchange competition.”
“Alright!”
Meng Lei gave a heavy nod in response. He held great interest in the tower—he wanted very much to know how many levels he could reach.
The sky above the Imperial City was a no-fly zone. Apart from Saint Domains, all flying magic devices and flying mounts were prohibited from flight.
Left with no other choice, the Floating Beast could only land at a harbor outside the Imperial City. Then, Meng Lei and the rest rented a magic carriage and sped off toward the Imperial City.
The city gates were bigger and taller than any Meng Lei had ever seen in the past. Teams of golden-armored sentries guarded the gates and scanned every merchant and vehicle entering the city.
“The Imperial City was built 40,000 years ago.
“At that time, the Beast People Empire’s rule was starting to break down. As Heaven’s Vault Continent sank into unprecedented turmoil, all the various races that had laid low and silent emerged one after another.
“Unwilling to fall behind others, our Colossal Dragon forefathers also led 3,000 Colossal Dragons and flew out of the Dragon Island, beginning their noble conquest of Heaven’s Vault Continent!
“In the end, under the leadership of the founding Dragon Emperor, our Colossal Dragon forefathers forged through various troubles. It was only after several thousand years of efforts and battles that the current Dragon God Empire exists!”
Chapter 142: No. 1 In History, Timon Barton
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Whilst riding the lavishly decorated magic carriage, everyone looked around curiously at their surroundings.
The streets were wider, smoother, and more level than the kingdom’s.
The shops were more prosperous, and there were more of them than in the kingdom.
The buildings were taller and grander than the kingdom’s.
The population was denser and more complex than the kingdom’s.
Among the passersby going to and fro were Taurens with ox heads, Demi-Fairies with pointy ears, as well as Demigiants that towered at several meters tall...
But of course, what there was in abundance were still humans and Dragon People.
“The Imperial City’s degree of prosperity is something far beyond the capital city’s.
“The population is denser here, so there is naturally a higher concentration of experts here. And there is an astonishingly high number of influential officials and nobles.
“Even with just a casual turn of the head, you may just bump into an Earl. Therefore, during this period where the exchange competition is ongoing, all of you’d better behave and refrain from making any trouble, lest you rile anyone that you shouldn’t be messing with and embarrass the six of us old fellows...”
“Yes, President!”
With regard to the academy presidents’ repeated advice, Meng Lei felt it even more keenly because ever since he had stepped into the Imperial City... the system’s voice notifications had never once stopped!
“Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s Physical Body Constitution +116!”
“Ding! Assimilation successful. Host’s Wealth +1,290!”
“Ding! Assimilation successful. You have obtained the Third-Grade Spell...”
Meng Lei had already fallen in love with the system’s voice at some unknown point in time. Although it sounded icy cold, and emotionless, the moment an extended period of absence came about, he would end up anxious and restless as if something was lacking in his life.
Upon hearing the system’s constant voice notifications at this moment, Meng Lei felt greatly soothed, especially when he saw how his various attributes were continuously being refreshed. One could just imagine how pleased he was.
As expected, one certainly ought to come to big places like this more often. The attributes here were the plumpest and most fertile, as well as the highest in volume. His gains from being just a short while here could already match up to what he got in an entire day elsewhere.
Sweet!
By the time their group reached the inn, three hours had already gone by. They entered the inn and went through the check-in procedures.
And then, the academy presidents began their lectures.
“We have to assemble at the Dragon God Academy tomorrow morning, so have an early night. We’ll assemble in the hall tomorrow at 7 in the morning.”
“Yes, President!”
After the academy presidents left their instructions, all the contestants returned to their rooms to rest, including Meng Lei.
As he rested on the cottony-soft down silk comforter and took in the wonderful scent of the sheets, Meng Lei did something he rarely did—he didn’t go into meditation. Instead, he fell asleep in a good mood.
When he woke up the next day, he felt refreshed and invigorated.
By the time he went down the stairs and arrived at the hall, all the other contestants had already assembled. Then, Meng Lei found himself a seat somewhere.
At this moment, a Dragon Person contestant with a pair of horns on his head leaned over and asked carefully, “Lord Meng Lei, when are you going to challenge the Dragon God Tower?”
His name was Joel Elton. He was from the Fighting Dragon Academy and was born into nobility. As he had intentions of building good relations with Meng Lei, he had constantly tried to cozy up to Meng Lei during their whole journey to the Imperial City.
Meng Lei was well aware of his intentions. He cast a glance at him and replied calmly, “Aren’t we assembling at the Dragon God Academy today? If there’s time, perhaps I can go and take a look at it.”
Joel paid Meng Lei a whole lot of flattery with an obsequious expression on his face, and said, “With Lord Meng Lei’s abilities, I’m sure you can rank in the Dragon God Genius Ranking and awe the Imperial City to become the kingdom’s p
ride!”
“The Dragon God Genius Ranking?”
Meng Lei raised an eyebrow, a look of puzzlement coming over his features.
“Don’t you know about the Dragon God Genius Ranking, Lord Meng Lei?”
Joel was taken aback for a moment there. Then, he hurriedly explained, “There’s a magic light screen on the Dragon God Tower where the names of the top 1,000 people with the most outstanding results among those that entered will be listed.
“That’s the Dragon God Genius Ranking.
“After one enters the Dragon God Tower, the higher the level they go, and the longer they stay inside, the higher they’ll rank in the ranking.
“It can be said that the Dragon God Genius Ranking is a record of the 1,000 most astoundingly talented people in the empire’s 40,000-odd years of history!”
“A record of only 1,000 people over a period of more than 40,000 years?” Meng Lei was startled. “In that case, it’s going to be very difficult if one wishes to put their name on the list.”
“Yes, that’s right!”
Another contestant also came over and added, “This is because not only does the Dragon God Genius Ranking record the geniuses of our generation, but it also records the geniuses in history!
“It’s akin to having all the geniuses in history compete on the same platform. Therefore, there’s indeed an extremely high level of difficulty if one wants to enter the ranking.
“Because of this, every single one of those that could make their way into the ranking is a true genius that had gone down in history. Not only are they the kingdoms’ pride, but they are also the academies’!”
“I see...”
Meng Lei shook his head lightly. Then, he asked curiously, “Do you know who the one that places top is?”
“It’s Timon Barton, the one known as the Child of The Dragon God, of course. There’s no doubt about that!” a contestant replied without any slightest bit of hesitation whatsoever.
“The Child of The Dragon God? Timon Barton?”
Meng Lei was puzzled.
“Timon Barton is someone from 13,000 years ago and is also the highest-ranked person ever in history among those that have entered the Dragon God Tower.
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