Red Cloud City, Winged Throne Room
When Lin Fan decided to fight Dragon Zen, part of him knew that it was like declaring war on the Dragon Kin Race. However, he would've felt a lot differently about declaring war on the Dragon Kin if he saw what was happening in the large opulent hall that Dragon Zen's father ruled from with an iron fist.
Hundreds of humans were working at iron tables with what appeared to be chains connecting their feet in front of cauldrons. Many of them had once been renowned as upcoming Breakthrough Alchemists, but most of them had their villages destroyed and even their families were not spared.
One small girl that looked somewhat similar to Mimi Fan was currently working with a wok instead of a cauldron because that's how she learned to do alchemy. Many had come from far and wide to watch her make pills with a wok before the Dragon King offered her a cauldron. She refused, but went with the Dragon King because she heard he had good working conditions compared to her home. Frankly, she would've rather stayed at home, but as long as her Iron Fist Wok existed, she'd keep doing alchemy with a smile.
However, besides for eating, she was still the best treated of all the humans, and put many of the other alchemists to shame who were three times her age by eating in front of them. Even Lin Fan, who was thinking about his own sweat shop, would have better conditions for his workers and feed them sometimes. As for the Dragon King, there was little to no hope on Thursdays for their to be food to eat.
In the throne room, the only one who truthfully seemed to be enjoying herself was the little girl. Her hands brandished quickly as she took three supplies and started a small purple spiritual flame under the wok. She then used her hands to rapidly melt and reheat the ingredients as she looked at a pill formula and quickly ate her sandwich as the others cried from the smell...
"Her hands are getting so fast, Dragon King... I wonder who her father was?" An extremely beautiful lady said as she talked to the Dragon King, "however, have you heard about the battle between Lin Fan and Dragon Zen?"
"That stupid son of mine got in a fight?" Dragon King Annex said as he shook his head and tossed a egg at one of his workers heads that seemed to almost have died from lack of sleep. "Who would be brazen enough to fight a Dragon Kin with such grand lineage? Does he wish to get the entire Dragon Kin Race to attack him?"
"That's just it..." The girl talking to him had beautiful blonde hair and a nice figure that seemed too perfect to be human. In fact, she was a hybrid between the two races, and her wings flapped as she described Lin Fan excitedly. "This Lin Fan apparently got lucky enough to have an Empyrean Temple fall on his sect, and apparently the Empyrean Owner, Ja Ran, considers attacks near that sect a slight against him."
"Basically, attacking the Fan Sect is the equivalent of declaring war on the Empyrean's, and your fool headed son obstinately decided to fall in love with a girl and then attack the Fan Sect."
"However, now that girl is watching him die as she cheers for the other man. All I could do was send in a team of assassins to see if Lin Fan is brazen enough to leave his mountain. Also, I must mention that his hotel rates are insane... I wouldn't recommend traveling their during the Summer Season..."
"Nadia Lon..." The Dragon King responded with a mixture of disbelief and contempt, "Are you really telling me this Lin Fan thinks he can get away with murdering my son... " Annex couldn't believe such a man existed and wanted to see how expensive his hotel rates were! "Tell me... If this is really happening, then were is it happening..."
"Here... I have someone watching from the most expensive seats they could find... It took one blaze treasure to get these seats, but at least our assassin doesn't have to work in the underwater mine again..." Nadia Lon bowed her head as the Dragon King dropped his mouth with shock and disbelief. Why? Why would their assassins be working in an underwater mine?
"So, let me get this straight? Lin Fan had the courage to charge people to watch my son die? What else could he possibly charge for? It's like he turned the Empyrean Temple into a tourist trap..."
"Well, apparently, some of the women who were wives," Nadia Lan bowed her head she reflected on Lin Fan's harsh rules with blush spreading up her cheeks.. "...were... were taken because of unclear contracts by the Fan Sect are now dancing for more money... I'm told a few of the husbands of those wives don't even care and just want to try and win an Empyrean Treasure..."
"Let's not forget how hard it is to go to a bathroom in the Fan Sect... You really have to pay an arm and a leg to even breathe air there, but as of yet, that's still mostly free..."
Dragon King Annex slammed his hand against the table and sent a shock wave through the room. He'd already reached the Apotheosis Realm, which was the realm after the Enchanted Realm, and was even nearing the Demi-God Stage thanks to his Dragon Throne.
The Apotheosis realm was considered the pinnacle realm for a mortal, and was one extremely large step away from the Demi-God Realm thanks to the harsh requirements to become a god. However, with Dragon King Annex's factory, and the Dragon Throne, he was able to somewhat speed up the process by having his workers not eat and barely sleep.
Lin Fan would definitely find this man a fierce competitor when it came to causing people suffer, but even Dragon King Annex was shocked as the battle between Lin Fan and Dragon Zens started. It turned out that Lin Fan even had become friends with one of the assassins, and was charging him to record the battle on a Century Wheel.
Dragon King Annex could also only watch if he paid a somewhat exorbitant amount to access the footage. He slammed his hand into the large golden throne and scoffed as Lin Fan appeared in front of Dragon Zen in the Fan Sect.
"This brat... Make sure he loses at the Forbidden Tournament..." Dragon King Annex said as he pulled Nadia Lon by the cheeks and picked her off the ground. "If he thinks he can go against the Dragon Kin Race, let's see how he feels when we use science to murder him at the tournament..."