Reborn as a Hatrack in the Mystical Land-Chapter 694 - 151: Domain Locking

"Insolence," Yue Jinghua had just put forward her conditions when Zhan Tian rebuked her furiously.

In his view, Yue Jinghua was far too arrogant. She was but a brash youngster, with neither military exploits to her name nor a notable family background, daring to speak so coarsely and bombastically; it was the epitome of arrogance.

As the adage goes, "Jade must be carved to become a gem," under Zhan Tian’s furious chastisement, the Dragon King Domain had already been deployed.

That vast dragon’s oppressive might, like a Hurricane Storm Dragon opening its gaping maw, engulfed Yue Jinghua in a tempestuous force as overpowering as floodwaters and wild beasts in an instant.

Her spine and bones felt as though they were bearing a mountain, making it difficult to take even a single step.

The Dragon King Domain of Zhan Tian was extremely domineering, and its power was not to be underestimated. Even a physically strong Sub-Asian Dragon, under such Dragon Power, had no choice but to bow its noble head.

The scions of the family within the Dragon Rider Team, including Peng Bo and Jin Nuo, had all once fallen to the Dragon King Domain.

But today, Yue Jinghua had indeed broadened the horizons of both Zhan Tian and Princess Long Xue.

A mere youth waiting to grow up, yet Yue Jinghua bore a pride that commanded attention.

Under the Dragon King Domain, her expression remained unchanged, her knees straight but trembling slightly, and only a thin sheen of sweat appeared on her brow, while her demeanor remained easy and composed.

"!!"

Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet cracked open like a reptile, and a surge of Dark Energy, like a sharp arrow, collided directly with Zhan Tian’s Dark Energy.

Then, she leaned slightly forward, taking a step ahead.

Inside the Imperial Study Room, two forces, one strong and the other subtle, clashed as if armies in a game of strategy came crushing together.

Surprise on Princess Long Xue’s face turned to shock.

Could it be? The power of a Domain?

Yue Jinghua, she had actually grasped a Domain too?

Zhan Tian’s expression also took on a strange cast. He had lifted a stone only to drop it on his own feet, for Yue Jinghua’s Dragon King Domain had been taught by him.

He had originally only sought to find an heir for himself and never anticipated that one day, he would be competing with his junior, Yue Jinghua.

He also never expected that Yue Jinghua would grasp the essence of the Domain so quickly.

But what surprised Zhan Tian even more was yet to come. Though Yue Jinghua’s Dragon King Domain originated from his teachings, compared to his own, it was vastly different.

She had actually modified her Dragon King Domain directly?

The Domain Powers of the two, Zhan Tian’s was dominated by aggressiveness, with his Domain like a piercing hurricane, seemingly intent on crushing everything within.

Whereas Yue Jinghua’s Domain was dominated by softness, akin to an inch of water, a thread of moonlight, concentrated and composed—not sweeping over the area overwhelmingly but pinpointing Zhan Tian with utmost accuracy.

Yue Jinghua had also used the Dragon King Domain a few times after initially learning it.

But after using it, she had only one assessment: prodigal.

The Dragon King Domain was too overbearing, and when it came to consuming Dark Power, it was like a bottomless pit, quickly exhausting a person’s Dark Energy in a flash.

The reason why there are only a few Dark Heavenly Peak and Dan Realm masters who can use Domains on the Canglong Continent is that the consumption of Dark Power by Domains is too great, and ordinary Dark Practitioners simply cannot bear such a huge expenditure of Dark Power.

Yue Jinghua’s cultivation time in Dark Power was very brief. Without considering her own Miracle Techniques and Star Sea, her real cultivation could only support half a moment of using the Dragon King Domain.

Therefore, after much contemplation and meditation, she finally thought of locking the Dragon King Domain onto a specific individual, which she called: Domain Locking.

With the refined Domain, the Dragon King Domain she now utilized was only targeted at Zhan Tian alone, leaving Princess Long Xue beside him completely unaffected.

Her Dragon King Domain was more yin in nature, and more focused, slowly eroding the enemy’s will and mental defenses.

In the initial phase of the duel, Zhan Tian had the upper hand, but using a Domain is after all very consuming of Dark Power. Even a Dark Heavenly Peak expert like Zhan Tian felt strained in the later stages, struggling with insufficient stamina despite ample will.

But Yue Jinghua only used a portion of her Dark Power to establish Domain Locking; compared to Zhan Tian, she was at ease.

Princess Long Xue watched from the side. Seeing Zhan Tian’s increasingly furrowed brows and the sweat on his forehead grow from the size of beans to torrential, soaking his clothes. Even worse, the Dark Energy in his dantian was about to run out. If he really were to lose to this young girl, Zhan Tian would truly have no place to hide his face.

How strange, where could this young girl have obtained such immense Dark Power? Could it be that her cultivation has already broken through to the Dark Heavenly Peak?

Zhan Tian dared not think further; he already felt the last bit of Dark Power in his dantian desperately holding on.

At that moment, Yue Jinghua’s shoulders slumped as if she ran out of energy, and she stumbled backwards, revealing an awkward smile: "Jian Rider, well played."

Zhan Tian also breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Yue Jinghua was intentionally conceding. He grunted and his previously unsightly expression eased somewhat, grunted again, and stepped aside.

Princess Long Xue knew Zhan Tian’s temperament well. Clear-eyed and keen-minded, how could she not understand Yue Jinghua’s intentions.

Another Domain expert has emerged within the Imperial City.

Since ancient times, to win over a Domain expert, as long as you could capture the support of one, it wouldn’t be an issue to offer the prosperity of the imperial capital, let alone two remote counties in the mountains.

Moreover, Yue Jinghua has now mastered the Dragon King Domain, thereby increasing her chances of success in her mission to the Shang Kingdom.

The Dragon King Domain is immensely useful against both Dark Beasts and Demon Beasts.

It can be said that aside from Zhan Tian, Yue Jinghua is the most suitable choice for assignment to the Wangshang Country.

Princess Long Xue weighed her options carefully, making calculations as precise as a water-tight drum: "Yue Jinghua, concerning the points you just mentioned, I can only agree to the first and second ones. Fengdan County has always been Duke Mansion’s territory; there’s no need to change its registry. Once the mission is accomplished, I will indeed order the Ministry of Revenue to deliver the registry of Bailu County to Duke Mansion as well. Regarding the second point, the Dragon and Yue families have a marriage agreement; both parties are of marriageable age. It’s just that National Guardian General Residence is still in mourning; after a month, we can discuss the marriage. The third point, about granting the July Mercenary Team as the premier Mercenary Group, because it involves the Mercenary Guild, I don’t have the authority to promise. But if your team successfully completes this mission, I will personally confer you as the Empire’s number one Mercenary Group."

Princess Long Xue had a talent for winning people’s hearts. Yue Jinghua’s proposed conditions were half-accepted and half-rejected by her. However, each condition was based on the premise that Yue Jinghua must successfully quell the rebellion.

"Additionally, I have a request. The one to quell the turmoil of Shang Kingdom must be Peng Bo, Jin Nuo." Princess Long Xue’s intention was clear—the southward campaign had earned Yue Minzhi early merits, and Duke Mansion had garnered enough credit. She had managed to suppress the influence of the National Guardian General Residence; she definitely wouldn’t prop up another "Duke Mansion."

"The Princess need not worry. The principle of a mercenary is always to keep a low profile and operate privately, but the cost of our hush money is not small," Yue Jinghua said with a smile.

The matter of Shang Kingdom was quickly settled as well.

Princess Long Xue secretly tasked the July Mercenary Corps Group to venture into the Mist Forest of the Shang Kingdom to rescue Peng Bo, Jin Nuo. However, right after, the princess transferred Yue Min to the Forbidden Army. On the surface, it seemed that Yue Min was responsible for the Imperial City’s security, but in reality, she intended to use Yue Min to keep Yue Jinghua in check.

To put her family at ease, Yue Jinghua did not mention to the Duke Mansion’s people about going to suppress the rebellion in Shang Kingdom. She only mentioned that there were some issues with the territory development that needed her to return to Fengdan County for a while.

Two days after returning to Wohua Imperial City, Yue Jinghua, accompanied by Qian Luo, Chi Xi, and Shalman, used several secretly built Transmission Arrays to travel back and forth from the Imperial City to Fengdan County.