"You're…the future Emperor of the Daxia Empire?" The Yin Dragon asked in surprise before nodding in understanding. "Right, you're a Star Imperial Meister. In that case, it makes perfect sense."
It then sighed, saying, "It seems there's no other choice for me, is there? Even though I won't die, I have no hope of leaving this trap either."
"I'm glad you understand the consequences." Krune smiled before telling it, "However, you don't need to worry. You'll become an existence on par with a Demon in the future."
Hearing his words full of confidence, the Yin Dragon was surprised for a moment before laughing. "Interesting! You're different from all the other Imperial Meisters. Alright, I, the legendary Yin Dragon, would see what you accomplish in the future."
"Okay, now let's return first," Krune said as the second ring of his Imperial Arms flashed around, turning transparent before sliding under the Yin Dragon. Slowly, the gravitational fields fluctuated before the body of the Yin Dragon was lifted up.
"A-Amazing!" the Yin Dragon said in shock as it hovered in the air.
Summoning his Cloud Whale, Krune and the other two sat on top of it, beginning to fly away.
As for the soldiers that had died in vain, he didn't have the time of time to bury them. Then again, as he sensed another batch of troops arriving at the scene, he didn't bother with them, leaving the scene immediately.
Until now, none knew that he, Wang Hao and Chen Xue had taken action. Even the four Imperial Meisters that had been dispatched were only given the instruction of dealing with the Yin Dragon while supporting a mysterious Imperial Meister.
As they were only tasked with slamming their attacks from afar before making a swift retreat, Daxia Ting was confident that Krune's identity wouldn't be found out by them.
"Let's go," Krune said as the Cloud Whale began to fly. And in response, the Yin Dragon had also followed them, being carried by the two rings from his Star Imperial Arms.
'There are a variety of ways I can use these abilities. Plus, I can harness the power from nature. A Star Imperial Arms cannot be wielded the same way as a Sun or Moon Imperial Arms,' he thought, understanding that the recharge duration of a Star Imperial Arms was of no problem.
As long as he didn't expend its inherent power, he would be able to use it constantly without trouble. This was probably the true extent of a Star Imperial Meister's power.
They didn't fly too fast, though, only proceeding at a speed at which the two rings were able to sustain by harnessing the energy of nature. If he went any faster, then they would need to expend their energy, which would weaken them.
'So, my strongest state is when I don't expend their energy. But if I plan to do that, I should pour out everything in a single attack. Otherwise, I'll just be weakening myself.' He understood the concept at play now, smiling. 'In any case, I never thought I would be able to capture the Yin Dragon, a famed Yin Beast of the legends.'
A couple of hours later, they arrived at their manor, watching Daxia Ting wait for them in response.
"Are you okay?" She hurriedly hugged Krune in concern, inspecting his injuries, sighing in relief when he wasn't hurt.
She then looked at the Yin Dragon, asking, "What do you plan to do with this?"
She was already briefed about everything along the journey. So, she wasn't alarmed by the sight of the famed Yin Beast of legends.
"Where's father? I need his help with what I have in mind," Krune spoke.
"I'm here." Liu Heng's father walked out of the manor, holding a large iron chain in his hand, looking like he had been preparing to chain down the Yin Dragon.
"That won't be necessary, dad." Krune laughed, pointing at the Yin Dragon. "No iron chain is able to restrict it."
"Well, that is true," the Yin Dragon said nonchalantly. "Even a full-powered attack from an Imperial Arms can at most injure me a little. If I could fly, I would have ruled this world already."
"…" Liu Heng's father broke out in cold sweat after that.
Once the group entered Krune's manor, Krune gently placed the Yin Dragon on the ground, casually retracting both the rings restricting it, surprising it for a moment.
But, as its interest was already captured, it didn't take any action, only relaxing its body before curling up on one corner, saying, "Boy, tell me your plan."
"It's pretty simple, actually." Krune smiled before looking at it, asking, "Do you know about Demon Arms?"
"I've seen them once. They're nothing special," it replied.
"They might seem like that only to you," Krune retorted. "Since even an Imperial Arms cannot kill you. However, there's a hidden gimmick behind their creation."
"Oh?" The Yin Dragon was curious, raising its brows.
"Cultivation," Krune continued. "Every activation of the Demon Arms consumes a bit of the user's lifespan. After enough time passes, the Demon would consume the Demon Arms to grow stronger than before. This is how they continue to grow in strength."
"Are you planning to do something similar using me?" The Yin Dragon shook its head, telling Krune, "But it's impossible. I'm a Yin Beast and not a Nightmare. There's a fundamental difference between us, even considering the similarity that you have figured out."
"If I did something similar, then the Demon would be able to take advantage of it in the future." Krune shook his head, pointing at Wang Hao. "What I am planning is like an inferior version of them. You'll be sharing a connection with the created ones that would constantly be supplying you with vitality."
"Vitality? And not lifespan?" The Yin Dragon quickly noticed his choice of terms.
"Yes, vitality. Or rather, stamina is the more accurate term," Krune replied. "Even though this is inferior to your growth, this is what is necessary to evolve you. Since you aren't a Demon, lifespan is useless to you. You cannot harness that."
"Interesting…" the Yin Dragon muttered, partly able to understand his scheme.. "Go ahead, tell me more."