Chapter 131: Preparations

"Is that really your only reason?" Although his tone remained calm, Zhou Tian felt a surge of anger rising within him. While he understood that Afra’s actions were intended for their own good, such misguided concern was something he simply could not accept. If Afra had met with misfortune, or if he hadn’t come after her or lacked the ability to find her, he would have spent the rest of his life in regret upon discovering the truth.

Seeing Zhou Tian’s face, now nearly as dark as ink, Afra couldn't help but feel a flicker of guilt. Yet, even now, she refused to admit she was wrong. Glancing at him, she retorted stubbornly, "Isn't that reason enough? A Dragon Elder is a demigod-level powerhouse. With so few of us, we wouldn't even be enough for him to warm up. If he really tracked us down, it’s better for me to die alone than for all of us to perish together!"

*Slap!* Zhou Tian delivered a sharp, expressionless blow to Afra’s backside, then demanded, "What do you think we are to you?" Without another word, he hoisted her over his shoulder and began heading back toward the capital.

"What are you doing?"

"Going back to the capital."

"Are you insane? He’s about to descend upon us! If you go back to the capital now, do you want the entire city to be buried along with us?"

*Slap!* Striking her again, Zhou Tian suddenly asked, "Who am I?"

"You're Zhou Tian! Are you an idiot? Why ask such a question?"

"Exactly, I am Zhou Tian. From the moment I appeared in this world to becoming a Bishop of the Church of Light and a Lord of the Yanhuang Empire, how many years has it taken me? Do you think I could have achieved all this if I were just an ordinary magical beast? You underestimate me far too much! While a demigod's strength is indeed formidable and I cannot guarantee victory, if you think we are destined to lose, then you underestimate me, Zhou Tian, even more." After delivering one last swat, he added, "Besides, I am your man. There is no way I would let you face such an opponent alone. If you were harmed by that creature, do you really think I could live the rest of my life in regret?"

"But..."

"But nothing. Remember, you are my captive now. Captives have no say. Just stand to the side and watch; I will hold that giant lizard back."

"Mm."

Whether convinced by his words or moved by his sentiment, Afra finally fell silent. The group turned back and returned to the capital.

Despite how dismissively Zhou Tian spoke of the Dragon Elder in front of Afra, he was, in truth, deeply anxious. Apprentice, Primary, Intermediate, Advanced, Knight, Master, Grandmaster, Saint, and finally Demigod and God—though the ranks were numerous, the power gap represented by each ascending level was staggering. A Saint-level powerhouse could make the king of a small nation tremble and possessed the power to slaughter an entire city. As a step beyond, a demigod’s strength was beyond comprehension.

While news of demigods was rare, Zhou Tian suspected that the reason the Empire remained an Empire and the Church held its current status was because each possessed one or more demigod-level guardians. This only deepened the aura of dread surrounding such beings.

Compared to others, Zhou Tian possessed a significant advantage. Most would have no confidence in resisting a demigod unless they were of equal or greater standing, but Zhou Tian’s strength relied largely on his arsenal of powerful artifacts. In terms of raw, inherent power, he stood no chance against the Dragon Elder, but by utilizing the element of surprise and his collection of artifacts—some of which seemed capable of threatening even gods—he believed he had a fighting chance.

Of course, having a chance did not mean he could afford to be careless. Necessary preparations were essential.

Preparation for Zhou Tian meant one thing: Spiritual Qi. For him, this was now a manageable resource. With his vast wealth and connections to the Snake King of the Magical Beast Forest, he had a steady, abundant income of Qi. Had he possessed the cultivation level to wield even more powerful artifacts, he could have even purchased something as legendary as the Pangu Axe.

For now, the Binding Immortal Rope and the Fantian Seal were sufficient; given his current cultivation, the energy consumption of these two items alone was enough to tax his spirit. Adding more artifacts would be beyond his capacity.

With the artifacts settled, Zhou Tian focused his remaining resources on bloodline evolution and skills.

"Divine Dragon Bloodline: 3 million Spiritual Qi."

"Eight Trigrams Divine Binding Array: 2 million Spiritual Qi. Effect: Perfectly integrates the strength of eight practitioners, capable of repelling powerful attacks while binding the enemy and suppressing their true power."

After purchasing these, Zhou Tian spent his time adjusting to his own physiological changes and organizing his men to practice the formation. Adapting to his evolved bloodline was relatively swift, as he was already a snake cultivating Dragon-kin techniques. He was confident that with a few days, he could gain basic control, and full mastery would likely take a few months.

The true headache, however, was the array. While magical arrays existed in this world, they were based on magic power and cores, serving mostly as technical applications rather than tactical combat tools. A formation like the Eight Trigrams Divine Binding Array was complex, even by the standards of his past life. In a world with no concept of such arrays, training his subordinates to assemble it was an immense challenge.

Initially, he hoped to fully unleash the array's potential, believing that the combined strength of thousands of apprentices could threaten a demigod. The results were disappointing; his men could not grasp the principles, and even Zhou Tian himself found it difficult to execute perfectly.

Desperate, he lowered his expectations. If he couldn't unleash its full, devastating power, he would train them to use specific aspects of it under certain conditions.

With this shift in strategy, progress became easier. The array was finally functional in a combat setting. Through constant preparation, Zhou Tian’s confidence grew, believing that if he had a year, he could effortlessly slay the Dragon Elder.

However, the Dragon Elder did not grant him that time. Due to the pride inherent in the dragon race, the Elder had not bothered to gather intelligence, instead flying to the Holy City based on old memories. There, he had clashed with the Church of Light, suffered a defeat, and retreated to the Dragon Island to heal. Only then, by force, did he coerce other human factions to reveal that Afra had moved to the capital.

This delay gave Zhou Tian the time he needed to prepare.

When the Dragon Elder finally arrived, he was accompanied by two young dragons. Arrogant as ever, he did not bother with investigation or negotiation. As he approached the capital, he launched his attack.

*Whoosh!*

From a distance, the Dragon Elder unleashed his dragon breath toward the city. The heat was so intense it distorted the air, cracking the city walls before the breath even made contact. It was an attack with power nearing that of a Forbidden Spell.

Had it landed, the capital would have been reduced to ruins. But Zhou Tian had been waiting.

As the breath descended, eight beams of white light erupted from the perimeter of the city, weaving into an invisible barrier of energy. When the dragon breath collided with this shield, a deafening explosion echoed through the air—and the attack was successfully held at bay.