Chapter 4529 — True Purpose

"Humans have bullied and humiliated our spirit beast clan like this—tell me, my fellow spirit beasts, what should we do?" the Azure Dragon incited them openly, without the slightest attempt at concealment.

"Damn the humans, **! Blood for blood!"

"That's right, make the humans pay! We spirit beasts won't be cowards!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!..." In an instant, a killing intent that shook the heavens erupted from every spirit beast present, so fierce that even the sky itself was infected and the winds and clouds shifted. What had been a cloudless expanse of blue was now ominously dark, thunder rolling and lightning flashing.

That calculated provocation had thoroughly stirred the spirit beasts' towering fury. Any powerful spirit beast was by nature wild and untamable; in their eyes human cultivators were nothing but food. Now that it had suddenly dawned on them that their proud clan was being bullied to such a degree by humans, how could they possibly go on swallowing their pride and accommodating them?

"Quiet, everyone." Seeing that the effect had been achieved, the Azure Dragon signaled the assembled spirit beasts to calm once more, then said in a grave voice, "The cost of launching a war is too great. Unless we are absolutely driven to it, we cannot take that step. But by the king's decree, even if our spirit beast clan does not go to war with those shameless humans, we must at the very least keep our own territory firmly in hand. Southern Continent belongs to our spirit beast clan, and they humans will absolutely not be permitted to come and go as they please!"

Wei Zhao and the ghost-thing were startled at the same time. Judging by the Azure Dragon's tone, did he mean to drive every human out of the nearby Southern Sea waters entirely—even to wipe them out root and branch?

If that was truly the plan, then although it was not as severe as all-out war, it was still no small matter. Mishandled at any point in the process, it could easily escalate to a point beyond all control.

The two of them were secretly alarmed, but the powerful spirit beasts present, their passions already at a boil, harbored no such misgivings. Apart from a tiny handful of cautious individuals, the vast majority were out-and-out warmongers, and would have relished an all-out war. If the word came from above to wipe out these humans of the Southern Sea waters, they would have raised both hands and both feet in enthusiastic approval.

"Therefore, in accordance with the king's decree, Elder Vermilion Bird and I have deliberated and decided that we shall establish city lords and administrative bureaus across every main city of the Southern Sea waters, specifically charged with collecting taxes from each of these waters. From this day forth, every human cultivator who comes to travel or dwell in the Southern Continent must pay taxes to our spirit beast clan!" the Azure Dragon declared loudly, seizing the moment.

Taxes? Wei Zhao and the ghost-thing were both taken aback, and strange looks came over their faces. So that was the scheme. It seemed the Vermilion Bird and this new Azure Dragon were not about to start a war after all—they meant to use this pretext to rake in wealth on a grand scale...

"Among all the Southern Sea waters, the Demon Cold Sea is the most prosperous and peaceful, and its position is fairly close to our Anluo Cultivation City. So after deliberation between Elder Vermilion Bird and me, we have decided to hand this most lucrative stretch of water over to the spirit beast brothers gathered here. The king needs you to keep the peace, and even more, he needs you to collect the taxes on his behalf. Are you willing?" the Azure Dragon coaxed and stirred them on.

"We are!" the spirit beasts answered in a chorus at once, every one of them rejoicing, elated and eager. "The king is wise! Those shameless humans should have been paying tribute to the king long ago! We will serve the king and guarantee the mission is accomplished..."

Though the human sects were formidable, in the Southern Sea waters alone, all the human cultivators put together were no match for their spirit beast clan. A few powerful spirit beasts sent out at random would be enough to suppress every human cultivator in those waters—of that there was not the slightest doubt.

So once the order was given, the fate of these human cultivators in the Southern Sea waters was sealed. Confronted with a colossus like the spirit beast clan, they had no strength to resist at all. Any who refused would be ground to dust and splintered bone.

For the spirit beast clan this was a venture with no investment at all—a slab of fat, dripping with grease, hung right before their eyes. One word from above, and they could swallow it whole at any moment.

Listening to the voices rising and falling all around, the Azure Dragon turned and exchanged a smile with the Vermilion Bird. This was a plan they had arranged long ago. Levying taxes was only the first step; and judging by the reaction in the hall, this crucial first step had plainly succeeded.

"Just as I expected. That ambitious creature the Vermilion Bird truly has no notion of what it means to be content. No sooner has he seized control of the spirit beast clan than he begins raking in wealth on a grand scale. The scoundrel is far too greedy. If he is allowed to run rampant like this, the spirit beast clan will be doomed, alas..." the ghost-thing sighed helplessly.

Wei Zhao nodded in agreement. Levying taxes on the human cultivators of the Southern Sea waters—on the face of it, that sounded reasonable enough, and not unreasonable at all.

After all, the Southern Sea waters were attached to the Southern Isle and, in theory, really did belong to the spirit beast clan's territory. Even renting a house required paying rent; how much more so when this many human cultivators lived and multiplied in the Southern Sea waters?

But the problem was that the human cultivators had not come to the Southern Sea waters only in the last year or two. For a thousand years and more they had dwelt here generation after generation. Their understanding of and identification with the Southern Sea waters was, if anything, greater than that of the spirit beast clan. Judging purely by the span of time, one could call them the masters of these waters without any exaggeration.

For a thousand years, the human cultivators of the Southern Sea waters and the spirit beast clan of the Southern Isle had been separated by only a stone's throw, yet the two sides had always lived in peace. Now that rule was being broken for the sake of the Vermilion Bird's private ambition—could this multitude of human cultivators in the Southern Sea waters possibly accept it?

As the saying goes, every man for himself and the devil take the hindmost. For the sake of spirit jade, a mere worldly possession, many would cut down even their own blood brothers without a moment's hesitation. No one would willingly hand over the spirit jade in his grasp! Even if a human sect came to enforce the taxes, the Southern Sea waters could not avoid turmoil—let alone when the tax collectors were the spirit beast clan, their born adversaries...

Once the levying of taxes began without warning, it was foreseeable that a bitter fight would be unavoidable. Even if these human cultivators of the Southern Sea waters were no match for the spirit beast clan, when truly driven to the point where there was no retreat, there would always be those who could not help but rise up in revolt.

With the spirit beast clan's overwhelming strength, crushing these human cultivators of the Southern Sea waters would be more than easy!