I'm Really Timid

Wang Hao was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked a seemingly irrelevant question: "Old Wei, what is the annual output of the spirit stone mines in Dark City?"

Wei Zhongxian was taken aback, then rapidly flipped through the intelligence hidden in his sleeve: "According to the intelligence I have gathered, Dark City controls seven major spirit stone mines in the southern part of the continent, with a total annual output of about twelve billion spirit stones, accounting for more than thirty percent of the continent's total spirit stone production."

"In addition, there are fifteen medium and small mines and dozens of rare divine material deposits, the total value of which is incalculable."

"An annual output of twelve billion." Wang Hao's eyes lit up.

"Then the three hundred billion they owe me is merely two and a half years' worth of production. Why are they unwilling to repay it?"

"Because of face." Wei Zhongxian hit the nail on the head.

"Dark City has stood for seven thousand years and has never bowed to anyone. If they bow their heads and repay the money to Your Majesty this time, the prestige of the Eight Alliance Lords will plummet. Not only will the Central Continent Holy Lands take this opportunity to suppress them, even the smaller factions within their own alliance will grow disloyal. To them, face is more important than spirit stones."

"Face is more important than spirit stones." Wang Hao stood up, walked to the window, and gazed southward in the direction of Dark City. "Old Wei, would you say I am the person who cares the least about face?"

Wei Zhongxian's mouth twitched slightly: "Your Majesty cares about substance."

"Exactly." Wang Hao turned around, a smile appearing on his face—one that had chilled countless opponents.

"So I give them two choices—either lose face but keep the substance, or lose both face and substance together. Dark City, I am determined to take."

He walked back to his desk, picked up a brush, and wrote eight large characters on a blank sheet of Xuan paper:

"Those who follow me shall prosper; those who oppose me shall perish."

Then he paused and added a line of smaller characters beneath:

"In three days, I will personally lead an army of seven hundred thousand to march on Dark City. At that time, those who open their city gates shall be spared. Those who shut their gates and hold firm—once the city falls, their entire families shall be enslaved. Pass this word to the lords of the Eight Alliance Lords—this is my final act of mercy. No extensions."

Wei Zhongxian took the paper, looked at those bloodthirsty small characters, and silently mourned for Dark City for three breaths.

Then he suddenly remembered something: "Your Majesty, there is one more matter. The Canglong Saint King sent a letter, expressing his desire to meet with you, with the location to be chosen by Your Majesty."

"The Canglong Saint King?" A gleam of sharp light flashed in Wang Hao's eyes. "That old dragon finally can't sit still? Let him come to Jieyin City. I'll wait for him here."

"Your Majesty, are you not afraid he comes with ill intent?"

"Ill intent?" Wang Hao laughed. "Old Wei, what do you think that old dragon fears most right now?"

Wei Zhongxian thought for a moment: "That Your Majesty will clash with Dark City, and the Central Continent will seize the chance to stir up trouble, robbing him of the opportunity to reap the rewards in the Southern Border?"

"No." Wang Hao shook his head.

"He's afraid I'll actually swallow up Dark City."

He sat back in his chair, a calculating gleam in his eyes. "The Eastern Wasteland, Dark City, and the Demon Domain—these three regions linked together make up nearly half the continent. If I swallow Dark City, the military strength of the Eastern Wasteland will swell to a level that unsettles the demon clans. The Canglong Saint King isn't coming to meet me; he's coming to probe my intentions. He wants to know just how big my appetite is."

"Then how much does Your Majesty plan to tell him?"

"Tell him the whole truth." Wang Hao smiled.

"I am going to swallow Dark City, and I am also going to bring the Southern Border under the Eastern Wasteland's sphere of influence. I am going to build the Eastern Wasteland into the most powerful empire on the continent. Even if he doesn't ask, I will tell him. Since he asked, I will embellish it even more. I will make him afraid, make him anxious, make him lose sleep."

"Then he will do something very interesting—he will send someone to inform the Central Continent, letting those old fossils know of my ambitions. When the Central Continent finds out, they will act hastily. And once they act, I will have a reason to strike back."

"Using a borrowed knife to kill?" Wei Zhongxian suddenly understood.

"No, it's luring the snake out of its hole." Wang Hao stood up.

"There are sixteen holy lands in the Central Continent. Li Tianxing has already retreated, but the others haven't. I need a reason to draw them all out and cut down their arrogance. The Canglong Saint King will be my mouthpiece. He will spread the news to the Central Continent, and the Central Continent people will naturally hand me the excuse I need."

He paced a few steps across the room, then stopped suddenly, looking toward the southern sky outside the window.

"Three days from now, we march on Dark City. In seven days, take down the Eight Alliance Lords. In fifteen days, completely control the spirit stone mines south of the Black Mountains. Then, use Dark City's spirit stones to support the Eastern Wasteland's army, and use the Eastern Wasteland's army to strike the holy lands of the Central Continent."

He turned to face Wei Zhongxian. "Old Wei, within one year, I will completely reshape the landscape of this continent."

Wei Zhongxian immediately spoke with flattery: "I swear to follow Your Majesty unto death."

Outside the window, in the southern sky, the ten-thousand-year dark clouds over Dark City were slowly churning, with eerie green lightning flickering deep within the cloud layers.

That was the phenomenon produced when the Eternal Night Sky Shield operated at full power.

This underground city, which had stood for seven thousand years, was preparing to welcome the most formidable enemy it had ever faced.

Meanwhile, in the Demon God Temple of the Demon Domain, the Canglong Saint King was staring at Wang Hao's reply letter, his vertical pupils reflecting the brief response—

"Black Mountain City, tomorrow at noon. I'll prepare tea and wait for you."

After reading the letter, the Canglong Saint King was silent for a long time, then spoke a meaningful phrase to the white-feathered woman beside him:

"This human is more dangerous than I imagined. He's not trying to be an emperor—he's trying to be the sole master of this land."

The white-feathered woman hesitated: "Saint King, then we—"

"Heh." The Canglong Saint King rose, a complex light flickering in his eyes.

"I want to see for myself what other tricks this human, who dares to tear a hole in the sky, still has up his sleeve."

One day passed in an instant.

On that day, in the Black Mountain defense zone, seven hundred thousand Eastern Wasteland troops were fully arrayed.

This was the first time since the founding of Great Xia that it had displayed its entire military might beyond its borders, signaling its unyielding stance. Seven hundred thousand men—two hundred thousand cavalry from the Mobei Legion, one hundred fifty thousand infantry from the Western Regions Legion, two hundred fifty thousand elite troops from the Central Army and border garrisons, and one hundred thousand logistical support troops. The five armies were organized according to the Eastern Wasteland military system, each commanded by a general, with ten ten-thousand-man commanders beneath him, a hundred thousand-man commanders, and a thousand hundred-man commanders. The chain of command was as clear and swift as an arm guiding a hand.

The formation of seven hundred thousand stretched from outside the southern gate of Jieyin City all the way to the edge of the horizon. Banners stood like a forest, armor stood like a wall. The Black Dragon banners snapped and fluttered in the morning wind, the golden dragons on them shimmering in the sunlight.

Among the ranks were fighters below the Royal Emptiness Realm, three thousand pinnacle True Intent Realm experts, and over one hundred thousand elite warriors above the Meridian Awakening Realm. This number might not mean much in the Central Continent—where any holy land could field three to five Royal Emptiness Realm experts—

But these seven hundred thousand men were battle-hardened.

The Border Legion had annihilated the Northern Barbarian King's Court. The Western Regions Legion had crushed the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions. The Imperial Guard had fought centuries of border wars against the demons, and on Tianxu Peak, they had withstood the combined assault of eight Martial Gods and Demon Gods. Even though they lost, their spirit was admirable.

This army had crawled out from mountains of corpses and seas of blood—it was nothing compared to the pampered guardian legions of the sacred lands in the Central Plains.

Wang Hao stood atop the military tower, clad in a black imperial robe, a newly forged Sword of the Heavenly Son hanging at his waist, while the Thunder Abyss Demon-Suppressing Tower slowly revolved above his head. He gazed down at the dense, pitch-black formations below, and an indescribable feeling welled up inside him—not pride, not heroism, but a sense of "I’ve finally reached this point."

Two years ago, he had still been a tyrant relying on his heritage. Two years later, he was leading a seventy-thousand-strong army to conquer the oldest underground force on this continent.

"Your Majesty,"

Lu Chenzhou rode up to the tower, reining in his horse. He raised his fist in salute. "The army is fully assembled. Please issue your order, Your Majesty."

Wang Hao did not answer immediately. His gaze swept past the seventy-thousand troops and landed on the official road stretching southward behind the army.

A lone figure was walking slowly along that road.

The man’s pace was unhurried, but each step carried him dozens of yards, leaving a long afterimage in the morning light. He wore a cyan robe, and an ancient jade pendant hung at his waist, carved with a coiled azure dragon. His hair was streaked with white, yet his face was as youthful as a man in his thirties. A faint, enigmatic smile lingered on his lips. His vertical pupils reflected the seventy-thousand-strong formation.

The Azure Dragon Sacred King.

Wang Hao’s lips curled slightly. He whispered a few words to Wei Zhongxian beside him, then leaped down from the tower, landing steadily in front of the Azure Dragon Sacred King.

"Sacred King, good morning." He cupped his hands in greeting, grinning like an old friend reunited after years apart. "I thought you’d be late, but you came early."

The Azure Dragon Sacred King withdrew his gaze from the massive army and fixed it on Wang Hao. A flicker of complex emotion glimmered in his vertical pupils. "If I had come late, would I have missed such a spectacle? Seventy thousand troops, two Martial Gods, over thirty Flight Realm cultivators, three thousand peak True Intent Realm warriors—Your Majesty, are you planning to uproot the Dark City entirely?"

"Uproot it entirely?" Wang Hao shook his head. "You misunderstand, Sacred King. I’m just going to collect a debt. The Dark City owes me three hundred billion spirit stones. I gave them three days to prepare. Today is the deadline. I’m going to ask if they’re ready to pay."

The Azure Dragon Sacred King’s lips twitched. "You bring seventy thousand troops to collect a debt?"

"Safety in numbers." Wang Hao laughed. "I’m a coward, see. I’m afraid of being bullied."

The Azure Dragon Sacred King stared at his "I’m truly cowardly" expression, took a deep breath, and made a visible effort not to punch him.

"Your Majesty, I came today to talk serious business."

"Serious business?" Wang Hao raised an eyebrow. "By all means, Sacred King."

The Azure Dragon Sacred King glanced around. Wang Hao understood and waved his hand, casting a soundproof barrier around the two of them.

"I don’t object to you moving against the Dark City. But I have one condition—the three spirit stone veins in the southern part of the Dark City will belong to the demon race."

Wang Hao’s smile remained, but the warmth in his eyes faded. "Sacred King, you came to carve up the spoils?"

"Not carve up the spoils," the Azure Dragon Sacred King replied, shaking his head. "This is an exchange of interests. If Your Majesty is willing to cede those three veins to the demon race, the demon race can deploy fifty thousand troops to aid you. Fifty thousand elite demon soldiers, all at least at the Meridian Opening Realm, with me personally leading them. Together, we can break the Nightless Curtain of the Dark City’s Eight Guild Alliance."

Wang Hao was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "Sacred King, you disappoint me."

"Disappoint you?"

"I thought you came to discuss cooperation. Instead, you’ve come to exploit the situation." Wang Hao shook his head, his smile vanishing entirely, replaced by an icy calm. "You help me fight the Dark City, and then you take the three southern veins. Do you know the annual output of those three veins? Fifty billion spirit stones. You help me fight one war, and you demand fifty billion spirit stones every year. Sacred King, you’re an even better businessman than I am."

"But you have no choice," the Azure Dragon Sacred King said flatly. "If you refuse, the demon race will remain neutral. As for the Central Plains, I can’t guarantee their inaction. You know full well that the Sixteen Sacred Lands of the Central Plains have been watching you. If they learn you’re moving against the Dark City, they will not stand idly by."

"Threatening me?" Wang Hao’s eyes narrowed.

"Not a threat—just stating facts." The Azure Dragon Sacred King’s vertical pupils reflected Wang Hao’s face. "Your Majesty, you are a clever man. You know there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. The demon race needs spirit stone veins. You need to ensure the Central Plains stays out of it. It’s a mutually beneficial exchange."

Wang Hao stared at the Azure Dragon Sacred King for a long time, then suddenly smiled—a smile so bright it sent a chill down the Sacred King’s spine.

"Sacred King, you’re absolutely right. Mutual benefit." He withdrew a jade slip from his sleeve and tossed it to the Azure Dragon Sacred King. "Take a look at this."

The Azure Dragon Sacred King caught the jade slip and probed it with his spiritual sense. His face changed immediately.