Chapter 161: The Patriarch’s Divine Decree

The Patriarch’s Divine Decree

"S-Sal... Salv... THE SALVATORE FAMILY!!!"

The scream tore from his throat.

He looked upward in terror.

And then he saw him.

A majestic figure stood above the heavens.

Victor.

His shoulder-length black hair moved gently in the night wind.

His golden eyes were calm.

Almost frighteningly calm.

He wore a black robe embroidered with golden dragons.

The golden threads shimmered beneath the moonlight, giving the impression that countless divine dragons were moving across the fabric.

His face was so striking that even in a moment of death, it was difficult to look away.

Yet there was no warmth in those golden eyes.

Only absolute indifference.

Victor stepped forward.

The azure dragon lowered its enormous head.

Its proud body became a bridge.

Victor walked across its head as though stepping upon ordinary stone.

Rafael’s breathing stopped.

The sight burned itself into his mind.

A Lunar Sovereign dragon.

Lowering its head.

Allowing a human to walk over it.

At that moment, Rafael finally understood.

The dragon wasn’t the master.

The man was.

Victor didn’t even spare Rafael a glance.

"Destroy Azure Sovereign Kingdom."

His voice was soft.

Almost gentle.

But those three words carried the weight of an execution order.

The dragon immediately lifted its head.

"BY THE PATRIARCH’S COMMAND!!"

Its roar exploded across the heavens.

Behind Victor, the palace trembled.

The Salvatore Family disciples responded almost simultaneously.

"BY THE PATRIARCH’S COMMAND!!"

Their voices merged into a single thunderous wave.

One after another, they leaped from the dragon’s back.

They descended toward the Azure Sovereign Kingdom’s capital like an army of divine executioners.

Every disciple radiated killing intent.

There was no hesitation.

No doubt.

To the Salvatore Family, the Patriarch’s word was divine law.

If the Azure Sovereign Kingdom had earned his wrath, then its destruction was only justice.

Rafael watched them descend.

His pupils slowly shrank.

Then he noticed something.

Every single disciple possessed extraordinary talent.

Their foundations were terrifying.

Some carried forbidden techniques.

Some possessed special physiques.

Some had already formed embryonic Sword Intents.

Every one of them was a monster.

If even one such prodigy appeared in the outside world, countless ancient sects would fight over them.

Yet here...

They were merely disciples of the Salvatore Family.

Rafael’s lips parted.

His heart sank.

What kind of family could produce so many geniuses?

How terrifying must their foundation be?

The answer was obvious.

The Azure Sovereign Kingdom was finished.

Rafael’s expression turned ashen.

And yet, deep within his despair, another realization surfaced.

Victor alone could have destroyed the entire kingdom.

The Dragonlord’s Serpent Legion alone was enough.

There had been no need to bring these disciples.

So why?

Rafael stared at the descending figures.

Then he understood.

Temper them.

Victor had brought his clansmen here to temper them.

A true expert could not be forged inside a peaceful garden.

Without blood.

Without fire.

Without standing at the edge of life and death...

How could anyone become truly strong?

The battlefield was their furnace.

The Azure Sovereign Kingdom was simply the material placed inside it.

Rafael suddenly looked much older.

His shoulders sagged.

The color drained from his face.

He turned toward Victor.

"Patriarch Su... we were merely following orders..."

Rafael knew.

The Azure Sovereign Kingdom was doomed.

There was no escaping that fate.

But if he confessed everything, perhaps Victor would at least allow them a less painful ending.

As for survival...

Heh.

Even Rafael himself no longer believed in such a miracle.

With trembling fingers, he reached into his robes.

Then he produced the rice paper.

Victor’s golden eyes fell upon it.

He didn’t move.

A thought passed through his mind.

The rice paper immediately flew from Rafael’s hand.

It landed in Victor’s palm.

Victor unfolded it.

Only a few words were written.

"Destroy the Dawn Empire’s Salvatore Family."

Victor’s gaze became colder.

At the bottom of the page—

A signature.

Gremory!!

Even those two characters seemed to radiate sacred light.

Profound Great Laws of World rhythms lingered within the ink.

They weren’t ordinary characters.

They carried the authority of an ancient lineage.

Victor stared at the signature for several seconds.

Then his expression became completely cold.

"The Gremory family!"

His voice was quiet.

But the killing intent beneath it was unmistakable.

Wasn’t this the very family that had slaughtered the Salvatore elders and crippled his brother?

They had shown their hand faster than expected.

Victor folded the rice paper slowly.

His fingers tightened around it.

So this was the force standing behind the Azure Sovereign Kingdom.

Interesting.

Rafael immediately bowed his head.

"Patriarch Su, you are a great being with heaven-defying power. But the Gremory family are descendants of the gods—one of the most powerful families in the Heavenly Flamefrost Empire..."

"Their orders... I had no choice. I dared not disobey!!"

A bitter smile twisted Rafael’s lips.

There was no excuse in his voice.

Only helplessness.

In the games of the mighty, they weren’t even pawns.

They were pieces that could be discarded without anyone remembering their names.

The Heavenly Flamefrost Empire was one of the four mightiest empires across the nine heavens, ten earths, and three thousand great domains.

And the Gremory family stood among the foremost powers even within such an empire.

For Rafael, that name alone had once represented an unreachable mountain.

But now...

That mountain had pushed the Azure Sovereign Kingdom directly into the path of a storm.

And the storm had come.

Victor’s golden eyes remained fixed upon the distant horizon.

The night wind swept across his black robe.

Golden dragons embroidered upon the fabric seemed to come alive beneath the moonlight.

Behind him, the Dragonlord’s Serpent Legion continued its descent.

The Azure Sovereign Kingdom had entered its final night.

--------------------

Authors Notes: Dear Readers, Thanks so much for joining me on this adventure! Your enthusiasm, feedback, and encouragement really keep me motivated to keep bringing *Building an Eternal Dynasty: The Eternal Legacy System* into existence. If you’re loving the Chapters, I’d love it if you supported my book with a Powerstone, review, or even a Golden Ticket—it helps me develop as a writer and lets more readers enjoy the story. I look forward to hearing your ideas and thoughts, so please don’t hesitate to share!

With love,

sat_vir_777

Creator of Building an Eternal Dynasty: The Eternal Legacy System

--------------------