The golden carpet shimmered beneath Wu Tianlong's boots as he descended from the Celestial Dragon Ark, the noise of its spirit-engine fading into the murmur of the crowd below.
He looked around and inhaled the air in Jade Hollow Plains. He frowned as it carried a faint tang of foreign energy, something every cultivator had experienced. It was sharp, unfamiliar, and faintly unsettling.
He adjusted the crimson sash across his chest, the weight of the royal insignia grounding him as his gaze swept over the gathered cultivators.
Some who recognized him and the royal insignia stared up in awe, their eyes wide with the reverence due a Crown Prince of the Southern Wu Kingdom. Others stared at him with a neutral gaze, neither surprised nor terrified of his appearance.
Behind him, the Dragon General's heavy footsteps echoed on the carpet. His spirit-grade armor clanked faintly as he followed half a step behind.
