Chapter 433: Only Third Lord!
There were 3000 tables in the plaza, and they were full. Zhao Guang raised his wine glass and stood up. He accumulated sufficient nature essence and said with a powerful voice, "Today is the day to worship the Dragon God! It is also a day to treat the soldiers!"
His voice echoed to every corner of the plaza.
"Our East Ocean Dragon Palace has a history of thousands of years, and it's still standing today. It is you who are sitting here right now and those who came before us that dedicated their lives and efforts to defend our East Ocean Dragon Palace! I, Zhao Guang, give a toast to everyone!"
Zhao Guang raised his wine glass and chugged the drink down in one breath.
Hua, hua, hua... Tens of thousands of people stood up at the same time and raised their glasses. The sound of glass clinking against each other gave out a loud noise and created a spectacular scene.
"All hail the dragon king! Shall the Dragon God bless our East Ocean!" Tens of thousands of soldiers shouted at the same time.
These soldiers trained for day and night and were very mighty and strong. With all of them shouting at the same time, they created a vibrating sound effect.
"All hail the dragon king! Shall the Dragon God bless our East Ocean! All hail the dragon king! Shall the Dragon God bless our East Ocean!"
The soldiers' nature essence empowered the loud shouts. They may not be highly skilled cultivators, but the sound waves that they created were quite amazing.
"All hail the dragon king! Shall the Dragon God bless our East Ocean!"
All the soldiers shouted at the same time, indicating that their hearts were dedicated to their clan! They had the confidence to fight off all enemies who would try to invade their territory and protect the big family known as the East Ocean Dragon Palace.
Different from how the Dragon God Shrine uses the selection system and employment system, the people in the East Ocean Dragon Clan lived here for generations, and the East Ocean Dragon Palace was their root.
Hao Ren remembered the time when Zhao Kuo underwent the Heavenly Tribulation after seeing this spectacular scene. Back then, tens of thousands of soldiers willingly took damage from heaven in place of Zhao Kuo.
The combined power of even low-leveled cultivators could not be underestimated!
"All hail the dragon king! Shall the Dragon God bless our East Ocean!"
When their last shout ended, even the protective grand array formation of the East Ocean Dragon Palace showed signs of vibration. That was shout alone! If these soldiers formed arrays, their combat power would be insane.
This was also the reason why Oldman Zeng was so surprised when he saw Hao Ren let out 40,000 sword energies at the Dragon God Shrine's general exams. In a sense, Hao Ren was able to create 40,000 strong soldiers!
Each of those sword energies was powerful and could pierce through walls. It was even more powerful than well-trained soldiers. How could this power not scare Oldman Zeng?
"Sit!" Zhao Guang said with might while he waved his hands.
Hua, hua, hua, hua... Tens of thousands of soldiers sat down.
Barrels of good liquor were moved from the storage place to the plaza.
The small bottles of alcohol on the table was only a starter. The real good liquor was stored in a particular place and was being moved out continuously!
There were 3,000 tables, and each table got six big barrels of good liquor.
The liquor was all made from rare herbs from the Hundred-Flower Palace. Ordinary people would instantly get drunk while those who cultivated could improve their cultivation strength.
For those who come from smaller forces in the Dragon Tribe, the Hundred-Flower Liquor of the East Ocean Dragon Palace was an extremely rare treat. Even those dragon kings of lakes and rivers might not be able to try such great food and liquor.
However, at the East Ocean Dragon Palace, even the lowest level soldier would be able to drink such good liquor.
The great food with great liquor helped cheer everyone up, and the atmosphere at the plaza was vivacious.
It was the first time that Xie Yujia tasted the Hundred-Flower Liquor, and she got a bit drunk from it. Her cheeks were bright red, making her look even cuter.
Lu Linlin and Lu Lili weren't afraid to get drunk. They took turns giving toasts and chugged down cups and cups of good liquor; they were delighted and relaxed. Although they had plenty of opportunities to drink good alcohol, it was rare to have such a relaxing environment for them to do so.
Zhou Kuo in his black robe was silent; the surrounding noises didn't seem to affect him at all. He grabbed a big bowl and began drinking in silence.
"Third Uncle, let me give you a toast!" Zhao Yanzi held a small ceramic cup and presented it to Zhao Kuo.
Zhao Kuo looked up at Zhao Yanzi and also raised his ceramic bowl.
He drank the liquor in his bowl at once.
Zhao Yanzi put the little cup by her mouth and swallowed it.
"Ahhh! It burns! It burns!" Zhao Yanzi put her cup down on the table quickly. Then, she stuck out her tongue and waved her hands at her mouth to fan at the burning sensation.
Zhao Kuo looked at Zhao Yanzi and couldn't help but laugh. Although she looked silly, he suddenly realized that it was her first-time drinking; she only wanted him to be happy.
"Third Uncle, let me give you a toast." Hao Ren raised his cup toward Zhao Kuo and said.
Hao Ren deeply respected Zhao Kuo, so this toast was sincere and honest.
Zhao Kuo threw a ceramic bowl toward Hao Ren.
Hao Ren caught it and understood what Zhao Kuo meant immediately. He lifted a barrel of liquor on the side and poured until the bowl was full.
Dang!
Hao Ren and Zhao Kuo's ceramic bowls clashed together, spilling some of the good liquor.
Hua! Hua!
Hao Ren and Zhao Kuo both looked up at the sky and chugged down the liquor, emptying the bowls!
"Slow down a bit." Xie Yujia who sat next to Hao Ren couldn't help but warn him.
She knew that Hao Ren knew how to drink, but the liquor at the dragon palace was strong, not like the beers, wine, or hard liquor outside the school.
Hao Ren put down his ceramic bowl, and his face turned bright red. No one could see any changes on the Zhao Kuo's dark face.
Zhao Yanzi only drank one tiny cup, and her throat was burning. She immediately ate a few bites of food, but her face was still bright red.
They were both wearing red clothing. With their face bright red, it suited the celebration and was like a practice for their wedding.
Since Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi sat at the main table, they were in the spotlight of thousands.
Zhao Yanzi didn't grow up in the dragon palace and didn't come back to the dragon palace with Zhao Guang often. Hao Ren was Zhao Yanzi's fiancé but rarely came here as well. Both Zhao Yanzi and Hao Ren were somewhat strangers to the soldiers of East Ocean.
The soldiers were eating and drinking but were also looking at them to see what was happening. It was normal for them to be curious.
"Third Lord, I'm not convinced!"
A golden-armored general suddenly stopped eating and stood up.
This general's table and the main table was only one table apart, and that table belonged to the blue-robed elders. This meant that this golden-armored general had a high ranking in the dragon palace.
"Liu Yi, what are you doing!" Zhao Kuo jumped up violently.
"Third Lord! Only you can be the Commanding General!"
"Bullsh*t!" Zhao Kuo violently threw his ceramic bowl, breaking it into pieces.
This general, however, was not startled. He pointed his finger at Hao Ren and said, "What abilities and credentials does he have to lead one million soldiers! The Commanding General we want is Third Lord!"
This general had a firm and robust aura. Even though he didn't use much nature essence, everyone around was able to hear him loud and clear.
What he said was actually what many of the soldiers thought, but most soldiers were too scared to express themselves.
"Liu Yi. Sit down!" Zhao Kuo shouted at this golden-armored general. He held the broken pieces of ceramics so tightly that they turned into white powder.
This general called Liu Yi took advantage of the courage he gained by getting drunk and yelled loudly. "I'm not convinced! I only follow Third Lord!"
In the midst of this intense argument, the purple-robed elders beside the main table all became concerned. "Who does he think he is, only following Third Lord? What do they think of the dragon king? Is he trying to rebel?"
"How dare you!" Zhao Kuo opened his eyes widely and shouted at him, "Take him out and give him 500 stick beatings as a military penalty!"
Hao Ren knew that Zhao Kuo was trying to protect this general. This penalty would only give this general some physical injuries, but the situation would be resolved. However, if the elders were to find him at fault, he could be expelled and sent to the uninhabited borders!
"Wait!" A general sitting beside them suddenly stood up and also started pointing at Hao Ren.
Hao Ren looked at the general and then looked at Zhao Kuo. He calmly said, "Third Uncle. You no longer are in the army; how can you punish this general?"
Although Hao Ren was calm, each of his words were loud and clear; the tables around them all heard what he said.
The tables around the main table were the high ranked elders and generals of the Dragon Palace.
Zhao Kuo paused and didn't know how to respond.
"Since he's under me, I can decide what to do, right?" Hao Ren said.
Zhao Kuo was speechless, and so were the generals around them.
Hao Ren took out the Commanding General's Gold Token from his necklace and put it by his waist.
The Golden Token on top of his red clothes looked especially bright.
Hao Ren's composure and strong aura immediately overwhelmed the experienced soldiers.
"What are you not convinced about?" Hao Ren raised his eyes and looked at the General called Liu Yi.
This general had been compulsive but was shocked by Hao Ren's calm words.
He looked around and saw tens of thousands of soldiers and hundreds of generals staring at himself. He held tight and stood straight. "You're not suited! I, Liu Yi, am not scared of dying! But the hundreds of thousands of courageous soldiers should not die because of you!" He paused and then started shouting again, "You don't have the capability of leading three armies. If you dare, I challenge you to a fight!"
"Liu Yi, you really don't want to live?!" Zhao Kuo had now really exploded. His eyes were mad red.
Although Liu Yi only led soldiers, he was not at a low realm; he had reached Xun-level and was the general in charge of the East Ocean Dragon Palace West Gate.
There were five gate generals in the East Ocean Dragon Palace, the main gate, the east gate, and gates at the other three directions.
None of the gate generals were weak.
Just when everyone thought this general would be sentenced to death, Zhao Guang who was wearing the golden dragon robe said softly while waving his hand, "Let them fight."