The Legend of Futian

The castles around the Rising Dragon Platform were in an uproar.

The countless people in the ring of castles all looked at the ones below.

The castles served as places to watch the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon, and the huge cylindrical area had been blocked off by a screen of light from the matrixes, which served to isolate attacks, as well as preventing participants from running away from battle.

The battlefield was completely sealed off.

There was only one opening, which was at the very top, where the crimson dragon kept watch.

The Battle of the Sleeping Dragon was a battle where all of its participants were caged within the vicinity of the Rising Dragon Platform. Only a handful of the most extraordinary was able to make it out from the opening where the crimson dragon kept watch.

That was known as the “Rise of the Dragon,” where the caged or sleeping dragon emerged.

If a participant lacked in powers displayed within the battlefield, one could only keep fighting at the platform. If one were to rise and escape, that demon saint level crimson dragon would have then acted to slap anyone who dared to make that attempt.

There had even been cases in the history of the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon, where only one was eventually left standing. The last survivor attempted to leave and was still clapped down by the demon saint above.

What that meant was no one had been deemed fit enough to rise.

Other than that, the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon was one where life and death were totally up to the participants. It was very common to see deaths on that battlefield. The participants were, after all, trapped in one place to battle. If there were anyone out to claim someone’s life, there would have been no escape, and the target could have only ended up killing or be killed.

As such, the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon had always been known for its extreme brutality. After years where it had been held, only top-notch warriors dared to participate in the battles. One would have easily ended up as cannon fodder and stood no chance of making it out alive.

It was a good thing that the mighty ones from Crimson Dragon Realm were powerful enough. Mighty ones from all realms gathered at Crimson Dragon Realm, and powerful people kept showing up to test themselves out.

Top-notch geniuses from all realms wanted to test themselves in the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon.

The Battle of the Sleeping Dragon was a symbol of Crimson Dragon City, as a testament to the popularity of martial arts in Crimson Dragon Realm.

One who sought perfection in the arts they practiced would have cornered themselves, battling top-notch figures from all realms.

Anyone capable of accomplishing the Rise of the Dragon would have been awarded. They were even given the right to be a part of the Crimson Dragon Army that served directly under the Crimson Dragon Emperor, becoming a part of the strongest army in the Crimson Dragon Realm.

Under such a background, the top-notch forces from the cities surrounding the Crimson Dragon City hardly ever let their younger generations participate in the battle unless said younger generation members were extreme geniuses who were tremendously confident in their powers.

While Shen Jun was the young city lord of Qianye City, it was equally difficult for him to get fighters to participate in the battle. Even less so when it came to finding ones capable of rising from the battle.

That was why he deliberately got near Ye Futian’s party when he first met them, and it was why he wanted to test them out later.

He went so far as to dupe Ye Futian into letting Yu Sheng and the others participate in the battle.

A figure descended from the opening above the Rising Dragon Platform at the moment, shrouded in holy light as he scanned the vast area surrounded by castles. He briefly announced the rules of the battle.

“Young city lord, the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon sure sounds very dangerous,” Ye Futian said to Shen Jun, who was by his side.

That was not what Shen Jun told him before.

“Don’t you believe in their capabilities, Brother Ye?” Shen Jun smiled and asked Ye Futian.

Ye Futian nodded after seeing the smile in Shen Jun’s eyes. He then turned his eyes back at the Rising Dragon Platform and did not say more.

The two whom Shen Jun had selected to fight with Yu Sheng and the others did not participate in the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon, so it was easy to tell how tricky Shen Jun was.

He had already been scheming against them right from the first time he met them.

If they were of insufficient strength, they would have been in danger after their scuffle with Bai Ze back then. Shen Jun would have had other plans for them if that were to happen, such as taking them in as his subordinates.

Ye Futian did not know that even at that very moment, Shen Jun still had such thoughts playing out in his head.

It did not matter if they were to die in the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon. However, if any of them were able to rise, they would have gotten on someone’s bad side one way or another. All of them still would not have been able to escape from his plans eventually.

That saint who was basking in dazzling light on the back of that crimson dragon took out a list and opened it. He then declared the names of the participants one by one. That list had actually been announced to the public prior to the battle, and many knew who the participants were.

However, everyone remained attentive in listening. Every name read went along with a beam of light shining on a participant below, drawing the attention of the spectators.

The noisy environment had surprisingly turned completely silent. Everyone was listening and watching.

“Pang Xiao of Crimson Cloud City.” A beam of light shone on one of the participants when the name was read. He was wearing golden, lavish clothing, which was emblazoned with fiery images. He looked steady and stood like a mountain.

Pang Xiao of Crimson Cloud City finally participated in the battle.

The spectators were on the lookout for notable top-notch figures from every city before every Battle of the Sleeping Dragon was held, speculating who was going to participate in the battle.

Crimson Cloud City was more than just a city in Crimson Dragon Realm; it was also one that was established and managed by a Renhuang from someone from an imperial realm in the Crimson Dragon Region near the Crimson Dragon Realm. It served as said realm’s territory in Crimson Dragon Realm. Such situations were not all that rare, and there were many places like that in Crimson Dragon Realm.

The surname “Pang” of Crimson Cloud City was the surname of a Renhuang.

Pang Xiao was of Renhuang blood and a direct descendant of a Renhuang.

Despite Pang Xiao’s extraordinary background, there was a possibility of someone like him showing up in every Battle of the Sleeping Dragon. As such, his appearance was hardly surprising. That was how prosperous and powerful the primary realm of a region was. It also showed how intense the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon was.

In the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon held last month, the Kong siblings from the Demon Peacock Emperor’s Realm had brought several powerful demonic beasts and almost reigned supreme in that battle.

Who would be the ones to do so this time?

Pang Xiao was the most renowned participant of the month.

The saint continued to announce the names, and when he called Yan Tong of Flaming Prison City, the crowd gasped yet again, looking at the stout figure who was dressed in red.

Yan Tong was the son of the city lord of Flaming Prison City, and he was now participating in the battle. It was said that he possessed invincible combat capacity in his current plane. There was hardly anyone below the Saint Plane in Flaming Prison City capable of withstanding his attacks.

Other than that, there was yet another extremely powerful figure participating in the month’s Battle of the Sleeping Dragon—Zhuo Xu of the Black Flame clan. He was a descendant of the Black Flame Emperor, which made him yet another of royal blood. It was a testament to his terrifying power.

Pang Xiao of Crimson Cloud City, Yan Tong of Flaming Prison City, and Zhuo Xu of Black Flame clan were the three most highly anticipated participants on the list.

Many claimed if that if the three of them were not to end up fighting each other in the Battle of Sleeping Dragon, all three of them would have been able to rise.

“Yu Sheng, Ye Wuchen, Huang Jiuge, Xu Que, and Qin Zhuang of Qianye City.” The names were read, and a beam shot down on them. The ones who participated in the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon that time were the five of them.

Gu Dongliu felt that what he lacked was not something to be found in actual battles, so he did not participate. As for the others, their powers were lacking, and there was no need for them to participate. In truth, other than Yu Sheng, Ye Wuchen was the only one who was notably stronger among the remaining four. Huang Jiuge, Xu Que, and Qin Zhuang stood little chance of actually standing out in the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon.

Qin Zhuang was considered extremely powerful in the Nine States, but they were in Crimson Dragon Realm. Knowing the background and identities of the participants would have given anyone a good idea of how difficult and terrifying the battle was.

“There are five from Qianye City?” Many from other cities looked puzzled, finding the occurrence to be odd.

They looked at the five led by Yu Sheng and had no idea which force of Qianye City they belonged to. They were wondering if those five had death wishes.

Some knew Shen Jun personally and looked at him, feeling puzzled. Did Shen Jun dupe them into participating in the battle?

Only Kong Xuan took Yu Sheng and the other four seriously. There was no doubt that Ye Futian had been the brightest star in the Battle of Empty Realm back then, but Yu Sheng and the rest were still able to ambush Emperor Li’s City and took the imperial flag, after all, which was a testament to their immense power.

With Ye Futian daring to let Yu Sheng and the others participate in the battle, she was, unlike many others, thinking that there was a high possibility of Yu Sheng’s party being able to stand out and to rise from the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon.

The saint who had been reading the names closed the list when he was done and said, “You may place your bets on the dragons now.”

One figure after another stepped into the castles as soon as he finished.

What he meant by “placing bets on the dragons” was to bet who would be able to achieve the Rise of the Dragon. The rules were simple. The list had been read, and one was allowed to place a bet on the participants one thought the most possible of making the rise. The odds were one to one.

The rules were easy, as the likes of Pang Xiao and Yan Tong had an extremely high possibility of success in making the rise. In truth, however, with so many mighty ones participating in the battles, unforeseen circumstances were also very common. Judging from the statistics in every battle, the biggest winner had always been the banker.

The Battle of the Sleeping Dragon and the Rising Dragon Platform were both properties of the Crimson Dragon Emperor. While he did not lack such resources, he nonetheless needed support from such properties to maintain the greatest army in Crimson Dragon Realm. The Emperor couldn’t spend all his money.

As such, those properties were managed by those serving the Emperor.

Furthermore, absolute fairness was practice. The Emperor was of such status that he couldn’t tell the dragon to get in the way of those who had earned the right to rise. No one would have dared rub dirt on the Emperor’s face in public, after all.

“Place the bets on Yu Sheng of Qianye City,” Kong Xuan ordered the ones behind her and handed the person a storage ring.

It was apparent that she wanted to join in the fun.

She turned her eyes to look at Ye Futian, who was sitting across her. While she hated Ye Futian for letting her lose in such an insulting manner in the Battle of the Empty Realm, she nonetheless had complete faith in his capabilities. Such was her respect for the one who had bested her.

“Place a bet on Yu Sheng,” Shen Jun, who was at Ye Futian’s side, said as well. Judging from the results of the test at that inn in Qianye City, he was confident that Yu Sheng would be capable of rising.

Ye Futian took a look at Shen Jun and asked, “How large of a bet can you place?”

“They take bets in any amount under imperial level,” Shen Jun answered. However, few would have placed crazy bets. Any accident would have resulted in dire consequences, after all.

There were all manner of tricks that could have been played in the Battle of the Sleeping Dragon. Anything could have happened, and no one would have had absolute certainty of anything.

“Could I borrow some?” Ye Futian looked at Xia Qingyuan as he asked.

Xia Qingyuan glared at him and handed him a storage ring.

Ye Futian smiled and said with a low voice, “Damn pity I’m poor. I would’ve bankrupted them otherwise.”

There was no way he would have missed out on such an opportunity, so he bet everything he had on Yu Sheng!