CHAPTER 896: THE STORM ROC KING

"Since you surrender, give us these Immortal Grasses," Jun Mu Yang said calmly as he walked toward the leader of the Storm Rocs, stating his intention without hesitation.

"Didn’t you hear what my master said? Is this how you show surrender?" Xiao Qiu crossed his small arms, rolling his eyes with clear dissatisfaction as he noticed the Storm Rocs made no move to comply.

"This," the Storm Roc leader hesitated. He didn’t have the authority to give away what existed in this place; he was merely the leader of today’s patrol team.

At first, he had assumed they would be forced into forming slave contracts. After all, in every world, it was widely believed that beasts were born to serve others. Beasts like the Storm Rocs were seen as a low race with inferior bloodlines, nothing like the dragons and phoenixes that stood atop the hierarchy.

In the past, due to their special abilities, countless powerful immortals had attempted to force them into submission, hoping to make them slaves. But how could they accept that fate? They would rather die than lose their freedom. Even when offered immense resources and cultivation opportunities, nothing could outweigh the value of freedom and the will to resist. Without it, all else became worthless.

"Looks like you want to be beaten again," Lu Long said coldly, stepping forward and pulling Xiao Li with him. He didn’t wait for Xiao Qiu or the others to speak. To him, it didn’t matter what the Storm Rocs were thinking.

Even if they knew the reason behind the hesitation, none of them would have cared. In this world, the winner is king, and the loser has no right to scream for justice. That was the cruel truth.

Though Lu Long was a Dragon Pill Cauldron and lacked direct combat power, the quality of his pills was unmatched. He had countless pills at his disposal that could make even the strongest opponent suffer.

"Are you facing some kind of difficulty?" Shenlian Yingyue asked curiously, noting how their expressions darkened.

"We don’t have the right to give you the Immortal Grasses," the patrol leader replied weakly, still lying on the ground with a fatigued expression.

"Then call your king here. My sister has something to say," Shenlian Yinzhu said firmly, unwilling to waste any more time.

"Who dares summon our king after causing trouble in our territory?" a booming voice echoed from above as powerful auras surged down upon them from all directions.

The sky darkened as countless gigantic and majestic figures of Storm Rocs descended. Their presence was awe-inspiring. But apart from Shenlian Yingyue, who appreciated their majesty, no one else seemed impressed.

"Let’s keep this simple. We want these Immortal Grasses. I don’t need all of them; half will suffice," Xiong Zi Ying stated plainly, stepping forward after seeing Shenlian Yingyue remain silent.

"Oh? You want our Immortal Grasses?" The Storm Roc King tilted his head in amusement. He transformed into human form and strolled toward them. His stunning features radiated confidence and playful arrogance as he approached Xiong Zi Ying.

"And what do you plan to offer in exchange? Even if you managed to defeat a hundred of us, we still have far more. Let me count the numbers of my storm," he said mockingly.

(Note: "my storm" is used to reflect the poetic, ancient pride and unity of the Storm Rocs, rather than calling them ’people’ or ’clan’; terms deemed too mortal.)

"There are more than one hundred thousand in our storm. Are you sure you want to continue this battle?" The Storm Roc King’s tone remained flat, devoid of arrogance. He was simply stating a fact.

His storm wasn’t a weak race that could be trampled at will. By nature, Storm Rocs were prideful and unyielding.

Everyone’s brows furrowed. More than one hundred thousand Storm Rocs, even for them, that would take a long time to defeat.

Shenlian Sheshan had to restrain Wang Pei Zhi, who looked like he was about to launch a nuclear bomb in frustration.

Meanwhile, Tian Tian and Zhizhi hurried to stop Huan Huan, who was already brimming with rage and ready to rush forward. Huan Huan’s temper was famously explosive. He barely tolerated anyone other than his master and his close brothers like Xiao Yun.

"Oh, I almost forgot to mention something important," the Storm Roc King said with a smirk as he watched their reactions. "News of your control over the Glass Lizard Clan has already spread throughout the Ember Dune Desert. I’ve spoken with the other races here. To prevent you from running rampant and provoking everyone, they’ve agreed to join forces and drive you out."

"This is a signal flare. If I launch it into the sky, all races will gather in my territory at once." He raised a flare stick in his hand, playing with it casually.

Shenlian Yingyue and her companions exchanged glances. They were not ignorant. Over the past few days, they had collected treasures from various places, inevitably provoking the ire of other races. Though they hadn’t killed anyone, the immortal races that had been defeated by them were surely holding grudges.

The only reason no one had yet acted against them was that their actions hadn’t crossed any extreme boundaries. Even when they took resources and treasures, they never emptied an area or caused full-scale destruction.

"We tolerated your behavior until now," the Storm Roc King continued. "Why? Because our strength wasn’t enough to stop you, this unknown group of immortal beings who came from who-knows-where. But if you expect the races here to surrender and hand over all their treasures, then you’re mistaken." He chuckled lightly.

Around him, the other Storm Rocs glared coldly at Shenlian Yingyue’s group.

Shenlian Yingyue tilted her head thoughtfully. Just like her companions, she had expected that their recent actions had sparked resentment among the immortal races. However, she hadn’t anticipated such a coordinated response.

If the races had chosen to attack them individually, they were confident they could defeat them one by one. But if all the races banded together? Even the strongest immortal cultivators in this realm might hesitate to take that challenge head-on. Her group, though formidable, was not the strongest force in the Immortal Realm.

The atmosphere grew tense. Neither side spoke. Silent stares were exchanged like invisible daggers in the charged air.

A flicker of light passed through the Storm Roc King’s eyes as he silently gauged the strength and reaction of his opponents.