At this moment, Guo Ran raised his crossbow, but Long Chen gestured for him to stop and simply smiled.

“No need to rush. A bloody battle is unavoidable today. If they want to play, let’s make it big.”

“Boss, do you want to bait more people into attacking us?” Guo Ran instantly understood.

For the Celestial race to target Long Chen, it seemed that their intentions extended beyond mere assassination. Perhaps they wanted to use him to draw out everyone’s wrath, dragging even the Heavenly Desolation Long clan into the fray.

From their tone, it was clear that neither the Celestial race nor the Long clan were simple existences. Once this battle started, perhaps even more factions would be forced to get into conflict.

With a small voice, Long Chen said. “If one fight is done right, it is possible to avoid a hundred other fights. If the Dragonblood Legion wants to stand in the Sovereign Emperor Heaven, we must show our power and bare our fangs. Otherwise, it will be hard to take a single step in the Sovereign Emperor Heaven. That’s why…”

“Understood. When the fight starts, we won’t hold back. We won’t show any mercy,” said Guo Ran.

Guo Ran understood what Long Chen was saying. Under the Celestial race’s bewitchment, the situation would quickly go out of control, and countless hotheads would be drawn into the battlefield. However, it didn’t really matter much. As long as they attacked the Dragonblood Legion, they were the Dragonblood Legion’s enemies, and the Dragonblood Legion would show no mercy. After all, compassion for their enemies was cruelty to themselves.

Long Chen’s words were not just for the Dragonblood warriors but also for the academy, the Starry River Sect, and the mixed beast race’s disciples.

If they wanted to live in the Sovereign Emperor Heaven with dignity, they couldn’t rely on anyone else. They could only fight with their lives on the line. Showing kindness to their enemies could jeopardize their own survival; it wasn't compassion but foolishness.

“Elder Xihe, Long Chen might be a member of our Long clan, but we…” said one of the Long clan’s disciples quietly. The fact that Long Chen had killed Long Xiuyang and kicked them out of the High Firmament Academy was hard for them to accept.

“Shut your fucking mouth! Who do you think you are to talk to me about conditions? Do you not know what little ability you have? Do you not realize that a single finger from my Long clan would be enough to crush your whole clan like an ant?!” Long Xihe cursed that disciple.

That disciple was left baffled. What does that even mean? Am I not a member of the Long clan like you? Why would this senile old man crush his own people?

However, while that disciple was baffled, the Sage King who had mentioned Long Chen knew that these words were for him. It was a threat.

Although he came from a rather ordinary clan, they had their own dignity. In truth, medium-sized factions like them often searched for a sense of existence. Amongst all these factions, normally he wouldn’t even get a chance to speak.

He immediately demanded, “So what? Your Long clan’s disciples are people, but my clan’s disciples aren’t? Long Chen can kill our disciples, but we can’t avenge them, is that it?! From your tone, it seems that you think the entire Sovereign Emperor Heaven is under your control! No matter what, I swear that Long Chen must pay for the lives of our disciples today!”

This Sage King was surprisingly tough. Despite knowing that this would offend the Long clan and that the consequences were severe, he still responded this way. After all, if the Long clan really wanted to destroy them, it would really be as easy as crushing an ant.

Also, if the Long clan really came to attack them, his clan would very likely send his head over to appease their anger. However, this fellow still acted tough, infuriating Long Xihe. The latter hadn’t expected to encounter an idiot with a death wish.

At this moment, he stealthily glanced into the distance. In a far-off location, a spatial current concealed a group of observers watching the unfolding events.

Their number exceeded ten, led by a white-haired elder with a scholarly and refined appearance. His gaze was penetrating, as if capable of piercing through all illusions.

Behind him were a dozen Sage Kings with restrained auras. If someone’s senses were not strong enough, they would be unable to tell that they were Sage Kings.

Only a true expert could suppress a Sage King’s pressure to the point that it could not be sensed. Within this space, they watched the situation unfold before the gate.

The white-haired, white-robed elder shook his head. “Long Xihe, you truly are unreliable when it comes to matters of importance.”

“Heaven Overseer, Long Xihe is protecting Long Chen. Furthermore, that old fellow isn’t from a first-tier faction. If such a fellow provokes the Long clan, he should be taught a lesson. Otherwise, how will the Long clan protect its prestige?” said one of the Sage Kings behind the elder. He thought that Long Xihe was actually doing quite well.

The white-robed elder was the Heaven Overseer, the person with the highest position in the Long clan’s law department. His authority was second only to the clan head. Furthermore, as the head of the law enforcement department, he even had the authority to impeach the clan head. As a result, even the clan head was respectful toward him.

The Heaven Overseer shook his head in response to this person’s remark. “Long Xihe only protects Long Chen because he saw me. From Long Chen’s expression, I can tell that Long Xihe has completely failed the mission that the Long clan entrusted him with. Also, while he is supposedly protecting Long Chen now, you can see no sincerity in it. It is entirely an act for me to see. Perhaps if he were to act properly, there would be no problem. With his intelligence, he wouldn’t make such a low grade mistake, but he did. In other words, he intentionally left an opening for the Celestial race to use against Long Chen, as he didn’t want Long Chen to join the Long clan.”

“Heaven Overseer, I don’t understand. The first Heavenly Saint is already mortal enemies with the fourth Heavenly Saint. Why would you send Long Xihe to do this?” asked a Sage King.

“This was my test for Long Xihe. In terms of scheming and intelligence, Long Xihe is top tier. Regretfully, he didn’t understand my intentions. In the end, he was unable to put the clan’s needs ahead of his own. It’s too bad. When you get back, draw up a document stripping him of his post,” answered the Heaven Overseer as he sighed with disappointment.

In the distance, Long Xihe had no idea that his clever moves had been completely seen through. Furthermore, after he spoke, Yue Wuxu immediately said, “Everyone, did you see? The Long clan’s mouth is quite domineering! Alright, then today I want to see if your Long clan really can protect Long Chen! If your Long clan dares to make a move today, the Celestial race will fight you to the death! Let’s see if you have the guts!”

Yue Wuxu waved his hand, and the space quivered, revealing a spatial gate.

“This spatial gate connects directly to the headquarters of the Celestial race. Let me see if your Long clan has the guts to fight to the death with the Celestial race for a single disciple!”

After saying that, Yue Wuxu shouted to the crowd, “I will deal with the Long clan! Whether or not you can avenge your disciples is up to you!”

Seeing the Celestial race take on such an attitude, as if they were about to move out in full force, these experts roared and took out their weapons.

“Kill!"