The Corruption Dragon God: Lust System Chapter 842 - I abandoned my name

"L-Lord Divine Blacksmith?!"

Shock was etched on the faces of the guards protecting the entrance to the divine forge. Their bodies stiffened instinctively, their shoulders tensing.

As expected, a man of such importance possessed an elite guard. However, the moment he appeared before those guards, it was not joy that took hold of their expressions.

There were four of them in total. None of them had yet reached the realm of Celestial Emperor, but they were close to breaking through, even though this very near step was an abyss that most would never be able to cross.

"I beg your pardon, Lord Divine Blacksmith, but this is a matter that must first be decided by the Council of Elders! You cannot advance into demonic territory now!" declared one of the guards, his voice wavering as he cast a quick glance at the golden guard, accompanied by a sound transmission.

In the next instant, the golden guard's face darkened. His eyes filled with murderous intent, and his fists clenched so tightly that the bones in his knuckles cracked audibly.

The Divine Blacksmith noticed it—and not just in the golden guard.

The four guards of the Divine Forge shared the same dark expression, and beneath their rigid faces, it seemed as though their blood was boiling with a fury.

"What happened?"

A single sentence from the Divine Blacksmith echoed through the corridor.

Everyone's heart sank at the same moment. The murderous intent accumulated over millions of years of existence, forged from billions of souls, crashed down upon those present like an invisible mountain of steel.

No one dared to open their mouth.

"Speak!"

The guards fell to their knees, coughing up blood as their armor creaked under the suffocating pressure.

Only Qingyi, virtually immune to that murderous intent thanks to the power of his body and lineage, remained standing serenely.

At his side, the golden guard—who was also a Celestial Emperor—had no trouble with it either.

"We're on our way to speak with Tianjin anyway. Let him answer these questions." Qingyi grasped the old man's shoulder firmly.

The Blacksmith sighed heavily, and the suffocating pressure dissipated, allowing the poor guards to breathe again in ragged gasps.

"The five of you can ask me for a weapon later, as compensation." The Divine Blacksmith said, taking out the highest-quality healing pills and handing them to the guards as an apology.

He didn't like the idea of hurting others for his own selfish reasons.

As expected, the guards tried to refuse, but the old man paid them no mind, simply moving on and leaving them behind.

A few not-so-serious internal injuries in exchange for a weapon from the Divine Blacksmith…

That was a deal that basically anyone in the Celestial Heaven would make without hesitation.

"Do you have any idea what it might be?" Qingyi asked, following the Divine Blacksmith in silence.

"Do you know why they call me Lord Divine Blacksmith?" The old man turned his face toward Qingyi, who shook his head in denial.

"Because on the day I lost my daughter and my wife, I abandoned my name." The old man's voice hardened.

"There's only one thing that could make those guards so anxious about me coming out…" He shot a sidelong glance at the golden guard following them.

The guard remained silent.

It was better for Tianjin himself to explain everything to the Divine Blacksmith.

In silence, the three crossed the wide corridors of the Martial Alliance's central palace.

Even Qingyi could already sense that the number of Celestial Emperors inside the palace had doubled, and more were arriving by the moment.

Soon, they reached the corridor leading to the elders' meeting hall.

Standing by the door were Rou'er and Qianyao, who immediately turned their heads upon sensing Qingyi's approach.

"Hubby! You're here!" Rou'er exclaimed excitedly, her eyes sparkling, while at her side, Qianyao rose to her feet with graceful movements.

Rou'er didn't recognize that old man, but Qianyao did.

With an elegant smile, she bowed in a graceful curtsy.

"Divine Blacksmith… It's good to see you here and in good health," Qianyao said politely.

Rou'er narrowed her eyes, observing the old man for another moment with curiosity, tilting her head to one side like a child trying to recall a distant memory.

"Ah… you're Lord Hammer!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands lightly as if she'd just solved a riddle.

That was the name by which she remembered him, from back when she was just a little girl.

The Divine Blacksmith paused for an instant.

His stern expression softened, the ice in his eyes melting into something paternal as he turned toward the two girls.

A radiant smile spread across his face as he ruffled their hair with his rough hands, calloused from millennia spent at the anvil.

"Little Yao'er, little Rou'er… This old man is happy to see you both well."

The next moment, his face hardened again, the cold returning to his features, and he moved on.

"Do you know what happened yet?" Qingyi approached Qianyao, whispering in her ear.

She nodded with an anxious expression.

"Everything will be all right." Qingyi placed a gentle kiss on Qianyao and then on Rou'er before following the Divine Blacksmith.

He stopped in front of the heavy doors and, with a light push, flung them wide open at once, immediately being struck by the echo of heated arguments from within.

"This is a declaration of war! How dare they announce something like this through our diplomatic channel for peaceful talks? We must rally our warriors and advance on them immediately!" one of the elders of the war faction bellowed, his aura at the peak of the Celestial Emperor Realm exploding.

"Yes! We've already taken too many slaps in the face! If we continue to let the Heavenly Demon go unpunished, he'll only grow bolder and bolder! We have to put an end to this once and for all!" another elder affirmed, slamming his fist on the table.

"Give the order, Lord Tianjin, give the order, and I'll have fifty million disciples ready to advance on those damned demons!" one of the sect leaders visiting the Celestial Orthodox Martial Alliance declared forcefully, his voice thundering through the hall.

An elder from the pacifist faction was about to offer his cowardly excuse for backing down on this matter when he suddenly sensed the Divine Blacksmith's presence there.

"What happened?"

The old man's voice echoed through the hall, sending a chill down even Tianjin's spine.