Chapter 313 Dragon Jade

Galos focused his mind and calmed his spirit, covering his face with a hazy mask, and quietly activated [Starry Face].

In this state, his perception and insight were elevated to an unprecedented peak, enabling him to penetrate the barriers of dragon scales and flesh in a near-introspective manner and meticulously examine the changes brought about by his dormant evolution.

With this extraordinary insight, Galus saw clearly.

Apart from that energy heart pulsating in the right chest cavity.

Around his normally beating biological heart in his left chest cavity, and throughout his entire body, countless additional basal blood vessels had emerged.

These newly formed veins are like intricate energy networks, hundreds of times more complex and dense than before evolution.

They connect the heart more closely to every muscle, bone, and organ in the body.

Moreover, the changes extend far beyond the heart and vascular system.

All of his organs—the resilient dragon lungs, the powerful liver, the digestive stomach, the efficient kidneys—have undergone significant strengthening and remodeling.

Their structure becomes denser, their functional efficiency is multiplied, and their surface and interior are covered and entangled with far more neovascularization than normal.

A strong, instinctive premonition told him that even without the aid of any alchemical tools, he could now unleash his Blood Explosion state on his own, solely through his transformed body.

and.

This amplification, originating from the essence of life, will far surpass the strength and effect of previous times when external aids were used. Furthermore, it will continue to grow as Galos himself becomes stronger, becoming the most core part of his power system.

"Shall we try it now?"

The moment this tempting thought arose, Galos immediately suppressed it and shook his head slightly.

He clearly sensed that his body was still in a state of extreme depletion, far from the best time to study the new form of Blood Explosion.

Moreover, compared to the changes in the body's structure, there are unknowns brought about by that newly formed energy heart.

This made him even more excited.

"Just what kind of power does this energy heart possess?"

Galos's consciousness was focused on his right chest cavity.

Under the extraordinary insight of the Star-I-Face, the form of the energy heart is revealed in exquisite detail.

It is not a semi-illusory form, but has long been completely materialized, presenting a profound, hard, crystalline texture that seems to condense the essence of life.

Calling it the heart isn't entirely accurate.

It's more like an energy core perfectly embedded in the chest cavity.

Adaptive evolution is highly uncertain, and its emergence was completely beyond Galus's initial expectations.

He thought that being able to stably master the Bloodburst state during this evolution was already a huge success, but he didn't expect to receive such a pleasant surprise.

He pondered for a few seconds and decided to give this energy core an official name first.

"Crystal core? Dragon crystal?"

"This name sounds like a cheap magic core dug out of the head of a third-rate magical beast in an old Western fantasy novel, too mediocre."

Hong Tielong was not very satisfied with this and shook his head.

After pondering for a moment, he recalled the general structural outline of this thing before its evolution and referred to the game settings from a distant memory, and finally came up with an idea.

"It's decided!"

"Let's call it—[Dragon Jade]!"

The energy contained within the Dragon Jade is exceptionally pure and concentrated, but Garos currently has no idea what specific effects it can produce.

He wanted to continue his research, but the intense feeling of emptiness inside his body surged like waves, growing ever stronger.

The extreme weakness even made him feel dizzy and his vision blurred, as if he had returned to the state of being seriously injured after his bloody battle with the Dragon Hunting Group.

"Besides the Dragon Jade, my body is too weak and I need to replenish my energy immediately."

Galos folded its wings, slowly descended, and returned to the ground of Red Maple Valley.

As soon as he landed, the intense dizziness struck again, and the extreme weakness from the inside out made him almost want to lie down on the ground.

"Here, the food I prepared for you in advance."

Seeing that Garos was in such a bad state, the Crimson Silver Dragon Deborah didn't have time to ask for details. She immediately swung her dragon claws and quickly dug open a cellar.

Inside are displayed the bodies of large, ferocious beasts and monsters, completely preserved by ice.

These are all high-energy blood food that Deborah personally hunted and carefully stored up while Garros was asleep.

But at that very moment, something unexpected happened.

Deep within his right chest cavity, the energy crystal core, which had just been named Dragon Jade, suddenly lit up without warning.

Buzz—!

A powerful, almost tangible light, so dense it seemed to burst forth from the core of the dragon jade.

It was so intense, so powerful, that it even pierced through Garus's tough bones, thick muscles, and the heavy metallic scales covering his entire body.

Under the astonished gazes of Deborah and the curious fairy dragon Vera.

On Galus' right chest cavity, it was as if a miniature, rising sun had been embedded out of thin air, its dazzling light illuminating the surrounding area.

Immediately afterwards.

A powerful, profound, yet not at all violent or rampant, warm current of life energy surged forth from the Dragon Jade!

It rushed into Galus's limbs and bones without any hesitation, washing over every dry blood vessel and soaking into every muscle on the verge of exhaustion!

then!

Under the gaze of the Crimson Silver Dragon and the Fairy Dragon, whose eyes widened in disbelief, the Red Iron Dragon, whose muscles had been withered and whose skin clung to its bony bones like a dried specimen just a moment ago, began to expand and swell at a visible speed, inch by inch, as if a withered tree had been infused with the spring of life, or a bladder being frantically inflated by an invisible air pump.

The withered muscle fibers swelled up again, full of power.

The skin, which was tightly attached to the bones, was stretched open by the newly formed, elastic, and strong muscles.

In just a dozen or so breaths.

Galos went from being emaciated and weak, as if he might fall apart at any moment, to being as robust as a red dragon of the same size.

Although it is still slightly inferior to his peak physique, which he honed through countless trials before falling into slumber.

Even as he stood quietly on the ground, the oppressive aura emanating from his massive body was enough to make the surrounding air stagnate.

at the same time.

As his body recovered, the dragon jade that had been shining like a small sun in his chest cavity quickly dimmed and became dim.

Galos stretched his body in surprise, feeling the surging power and vitality returning within him, lost in thought.

A few seconds later, he raised a front paw and gently stroked his solid chest, feeling the dragon jade that had now subsided within. A startling guess formed in his mind. Immediately, without hesitation, he began to feast on the frozen blood food in the cellar.

Click! Click!

The dragon opened its massive jaws, filled with ferocious teeth, and easily tore apart, chewed, and swallowed the beast's flesh, including the unmelted ice.

Although it was far less delicious than carefully prepared food, the dragon's natural palate did not reject this primitive blood food, which had a unique, rugged flavor. However, despite eating a large amount of food, Garos did not feel full at all, and his newly recovered body did not continue to become stronger.

On the contrary, after being efficiently absorbed, all the energy prioritizes its convergence towards the Dragon Jade in the chest cavity, as if there were a bottomless pit inside that urgently needs to be filled.

"Not enough, far from enough. I need to return to Dragon Valley immediately."

The red iron dragon suddenly flapped its wings, its massive body soaring straight into the sky obscured by wind and snow.

The Crimson Silver Dragon and the Fairy Dragon exchanged a glance, then took flight without hesitation and followed closely behind.

Three dragon shadows broke through the swirling snow and soared swiftly towards Dragon Valley.

"Um?"

During the flight, Galos's gaze pierced through the thick snow curtain, sweeping across the land below. The sight before him caused his pupils to shrink slightly.

"How did the border area become like this?"

As far as the eye could see, all that remained in the world was a desolate and boundless expanse of pure white.

The land is frozen solid, and all things wither.

If he hadn't clearly remembered waking up in the iconic red maple forest of Red Maple Valley, he would have almost thought he was deep in the distant permafrost.

It's not that the border area has never seen snow.

But this was the first time Galos had ever witnessed such a brutal, frigid scene that seemed to freeze the entire world.

He temporarily suppressed his doubts and accelerated his flight.

Not long after.

The familiar outline of the valley, surrounded by towering cliffs, finally appeared amidst the swirling snow.

It was completely different from the apocalyptic, frozen landscape outside.

Due to its unique terrain, the towering mountain walls of Dragon Valley act as a natural barrier, keeping out most of the raging winds and blizzards.

Although there were sporadic snowflakes falling in the valley, and the ground was covered with a layer of snow that wasn't too thick, and the temperature was much colder than outside, the overall scene presented a tranquil atmosphere, as if early winter had arrived. Some hardy, dark green vegetation still survived tenaciously, and the lake water, which was not yet completely frozen, flowed gently under the thin ice.

It seems that things are much better than Galos had anticipated.

At the top of the valley, the Steel Burning Fortress still stands majestically.

Thanks to the meticulous care and repairs of the family members over the past decade, this magnificent fortress remains as imposing as ever, standing like a silent steel giant, quietly bathing in the snow and overlooking the valley.

When Galus's figure appeared on the horizon.

In the valley below, the family members who were busy or on guard all looked up.

Countless gazes, filled with awe and surprise, were all focused on the red iron dragon in the wind and snow.

"roar--!"

"It's the leader! It's Lord Garus!"

"My king! Our king has returned!"

After a brief silence, deafening cheers and roars erupted like a volcano.

Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Garus circled briefly, as if surveying his long-lost territory. Then, he folded his wings and landed steadily on the highest watchtower of the fortress.

"People of the Ironforge!"

A roar like rolling thunder was the first to ring out.

Mobel, the leader of the bears, was so excited that his mane was trembling. He was the first to raise his arm and shout, and then without hesitation, he stuck out his rear end and prostrated himself on the ground!

"Celebrate! Rejoice!"

"Our king—Lord Garus!—has returned!!!"

Like a lit fuse.

Throughout the fortress and the valley, all the relatives who witnessed this scene stopped what they were doing. With the deepest awe and ecstasy, they knelt down in unison towards the fortress's high platform, like wheat fields swaying in the wind!

A dark mass stretched all the way to the edge of the valley.

"Send the order to open the granaries and distribute the grain! All members of the Ironforge tribe, prepare a grand feast tonight to celebrate with me."

Having successfully survived a long slumber was something to celebrate, and given that the extent of his evolution far exceeded expectations, Garus immediately decided to hold a banquet to announce his return to the entire tribe and boost their morale.

After entrusting the specific details of preparing the banquet to the head of the family members,

He then used blood ties to inform all the iron and red dragons scattered in different places about his awakening and return, as well as the banquet he was hosting, and instructed them to gather other dragons.

Afterwards, Garus first went to the treasury inside the fortress and retrieved some high-energy reserves. Then, he selected a spacious and bright place in the valley and ordered his servants to continuously bring him various kinds of food.

He couldn't wait for the banquet to officially begin, so he decided to eat early to satisfy Long Yu's needs.

Magic gems, precious metal ingots, fresh blood, concentrated black oil... Garus devoured these various substances rich in energy or nutrients one after another.

His digestive system works efficiently, absorbing nutrients and energy rapidly, while metabolic waste is excreted and collected by his family for other uses.

(End of this chapter)