Hearing this, Vik replied, "You did the right thing, but it's not enough. The dragon is currently heading toward the city with the Lin family members. Tell everyone you know to evacuate. I have a solution; I just need a few more minutes. You all need to help as many people evacuate or find safe places. I also contacted Louriel. She will handle the Lin family; you just need to assist her."
With that, Vik ended the call. His disciple immediately got to work. First, Lu Xiaoran told his father, Lu Ran, to take his mother to another city using Chariot drones. Then they headed straight to the city center, where they saw the government already deploying forces to help people evacuate.
The environment around the city looked apocalyptic. Thousands of lightning strikes hit the dark clouds above, turning day into night. During brief moments of illumination, people could see a shadow on the horizon. Only a few recognized it: the dragon, now coiled around the Azure Mountains. It continued to grow in size and power.
Lu Xiaoran and Roman questioned their ability to fight the dragon. They didn't feel weak, but the dragon's presence was so overwhelming that it made them feel small, even when they gathered all their strength. They had no choice but to fight, as there wasn't enough time to escape. The dragon was still gathering strength, while the Lin family members moved toward them, obeying the dragon's command.
Soon, chaos erupted in the city. Authorities, including police and military personnel, rushed to help. They could hear police sirens urging people to stay in their basements or safe places due to the emergency. The people of Azure Mountain city were terrified; in their thousand-year history, they had never faced such a disaster. Even the Mayor sought assistance from the federation and other cities.
Eventually, the Lin family members reached the outskirts of the city. They saw Lu Xiaoran and Roman standing in their way. Without a word, the Lin family members growled, roaring at them like animals. At that moment, they acted like mindless creatures, purely following the dragon's orders.
Lu Xiaoran and Roman easily handled them since most were at the foundation establishment stage. Soon, though, more arrived, this time at the Golden Core stage. They did not attack mindlessly but waited a distance away. Soon after, stronger individuals joined them, from Golden Core to Void Refining stage. A lineup of a hundred men stood before Lu Xiaoran and Roman. Originally, they had been thousands, but the dragon had killed 90% of the Lin family members.
Then the ancestors arrived, flying above. They saw the city and the two men blocking their path. Unlike before, the ancestors bore no arrogance, only solemn expressions. A leader among them approached and said, "Kneel before our great master. Our master, the heavenly dragon, ordered us to subdue this city and make everyone bow to him. He did not want us to cause a massacre, so we will give you a chance. We can forgive your earlier offense."
Hearing this, Lu Xiaoran smiled and replied, "I wonder how someone can be so shameless. Even after that dragon killed 90% of your family, you still follow his orders, wagging your tails like dogs. You must have thought that releasing that dragon would let you fulfill every wish. But you know, karma is something you can never escape. You used Lin Chen as your puppet, and now you have become someone else's slave."
Lu Xiaoran's words hit the Lin family hard. Some even gritted their teeth, remembering their dead family members. The ancestors were the most affected; one even had a tear in his eye.
Yet the leader among the ancestors regained his composure and lashed out. "You can never understand. We didn't want this to happen. We only wanted our family to regain its former glory. The Lin family is losing its dominance. Year by year, our bloodline is thinning along with the talent of our descendants. We only wanted to fulfill the prophecy, not knowing this would happen."
He clutched his head and added, "Trap! It was all a trap! That man lied to us. He gave us the prophecy and the means to harness luck. It was all his intention to use us and Lin Chen to release that dragon."
Seeing the leader of the ancestors clutching his head and blaming an unknown man for their troubles sent chills down Lu Xiaoran and Roman's spines. This meant the Lin family, whom they thought were the masterminds, were just pawns in someone else's game. The mystery of the Azure Mountains went much deeper than they had imagined.
Lu Xiaoran intended to question him about the man, but the ancestor, consumed by guilt over losing most of his family and making the rest slaves, was in a state of insanity. He looked at Lu Xiaoran and Roman and said, "It was your fault. If you hadn't interfered with our plans, we could have seen through this trap. Lin Chen was supposed to grow stronger. It would have taken five more years for our plan to commence, but because of you, we rushed things and now my family suffers as slaves to that dragon while you stand in our way, daring to talk back. I will kill you."
Under the immense pressure of losing his family, the ancestor didn't see his mistake and only blamed Lu Xiaoran and Roman. The Lin family members glared at them with hatred. Suddenly, the main ancestor ordered, "Attack them, but keep them alive. I want them to become slaves like us while I kill their family. They will suffer like we do."
At that command, a lineup of Golden Core to Void Refining Realm experts charged at them. A normal person would have panicked, but both Lu Xiaoran and Roman stood firm. Just before the attack, a large hand made of bones emerged from the ground, along with hundreds of similar hands, stopping even the Void Refining experts in their tracks. Those hands were poised to strike at any moment.
Angered, the Lin family members attacked the bone hands, trying to destroy them, but they couldn't. In fact, the hands became active, and soon another pair emerged, followed by a head a full body of giant skeletons rising from the ground. They stood in front of the Lin family like bloodthirsty sentinels, radiating the aura of the Void Refining Realm.
Seeing this, the ancestors prepared to move, but suddenly, the space above Lu Xiaoran and Roman cracked open. A void filled with purple light appeared, and from it emerged a lady with striking beauty and red hair. As she stepped out, she asked, "Where is Vik?"
With that, Louriel joined the fight, alongside Vik's disciples.