Chapter 354 Unifying the Northwest, Locking in the Mad King

The holiness of the Holy Spirit Deer, the eeriness and evil of the Eye Demon... Red Iron Dragon's gaze swept over the most powerful creatures on the battlefield below.

final.

His gaze was fixed on the firebird leader soaring above the flock of eagles, and a hint of pure amazement flashed across his eyes.

The dragons' broad aesthetic talent, which transcends their own species, allowed him to fully appreciate the beauty of the phoenix at this moment.

This is a female phoenix.

It is no exaggeration to say that her beauty and splendor surpassed any creature Garus had ever seen.

It was not a gentle, understated beauty, but an extremely gorgeous, dazzling, and flamboyant beauty that seemed to gather all the light in the world into one.

Every burning feather exudes a deadly allure, captivating and unforgettable.

However, compared to her stunning beauty, Galos cared more about other things.

He was even more eager to witness firsthand the phoenix's rebirth as recorded in the inherited knowledge.

For him, this was far more valuable than simply appreciating beauty.

The phoenix on the opposite side also immediately noticed the most conspicuous figure among these uninvited guests.

The Red Iron Dragon's incomparably strong body structure, its thick scales as if forged from steel through countless hammer blows, and its horns and other dragon-like features full of primal, violent beauty all made the Phoenix's eyes light up.

The phoenix does not possess the peculiar cross-species aesthetic talent that the dragons possess.

But judging solely from its purest appearance and sense of power, any creature with eyes can see that every inch of the Red Iron Dragon's structure embodies the beauty of violence.

This direct and intense visual impact won the phoenix's instinctive appreciation.

However, when their eyes met in the air, at the very moment their gazes collided...

The Phoenix keenly caught the hidden meaning in the Red Iron Dragon's eyes.

It was an appreciation of beauty, but also an assessment of a precious prey, or an examination of an experimental subject with research value.

This gaze made the phoenix's heart tighten for no reason, and a faint sense of unease quietly spread.

roar--!

Just then, a loud and deep lion's roar, like a war drum, broke the brief silence.

Ennus, the amethyst dragon-lion, flapped its powerful wings and leaped out of the dense jungle like a purple lightning bolt, landing steadily on a giant rock.

Its powerful aura, belonging to the former map king, spread out without any concealment, attracting the attention of several powerful creatures present.

"It's quite unexpected that several map masters from the Northwest region have gathered here together."

Red Iron Dragon grinned, revealing its massive snout.

It started as a conflict between the two map kings, the Deer King and the Eye Demon, but it was clear that the Iron King and the Phoenix had the same idea after receiving the news, and they led their armies to the scene almost at the same time.

Thus, the four most influential map masters in the Northwest region appeared on the same battlefield in this way.

This seems to have made the situation more chaotic than ever before.

But in Galus's eyes, it was quite the opposite.

He felt that things suddenly became much simpler and clearer.

That way he won't have to go looking for them one by one.

"My luck seems to have really improved a lot recently."

Hong Tielong thought to himself with delight.

At this moment, the amethyst dragon-lion that had just appeared suddenly let out a deep roar.

The roar carried with it a powerful psychic energy, like an invisible wave sweeping across the sky.

As a ripple of psionic energy spread out, a blurry figure that was sneaking away was forced out from not far away.

The illusion that it had originally used to mislead people shattered and dissipated at the same time.

It was the Eye Demon trying to escape!

The disguise was exposed, and the Eye Demon glared angrily at the meddlesome Amethyst Dragon Lion, its main eye bloodshot.

Immediately, in order to create maximum chaos and create more opportunities for its own escape, all its intact eye sockets, like wildly waving tentacles, issued final commands to all the enslaved creatures under its command through mental imprints.

The next moment.

Its enslaved creatures all let out twisted and unnatural roars, completely abandoning defense and formation, and like madmen, launched a reckless and indiscriminate attack on all creatures in all directions.

"Demon! Don't even think about escaping!"

The Holy Spirit Deer reacted swiftly, its clear voice tinged with anger, and immediately gave chase.

Some loyal demons and servants of the Eye Demon tried to stop it, but it was not fighting alone. Its powerful beasts and monsters unleashed their power to intercept these obstacles.

"Ennus, they are all in poor condition."

"The remnants of the defeated army are all your responsibility."

Galos turned his gaze to the Amethyst Dragon Lion.

【no problem! 】

The once mighty map king let out a low growl.

It leaped out suddenly and joined the Deer King's chase of the Eye Demon.

At the same time, the Iron Legion on the ground also mobilized, cooperating with the Amethyst Dragon Lion Lord to besiege the two Map Kings.

Red Iron Dragon slowly turned its head, its gaze once again locking onto the phoenix in the sky.

At this moment, the sky battlefield, apart from the ceaseless wind and rain, consisted only of several majestic dragons and an undead bird hovering in the air on the other side, surrounded by thousands of eagles.

"What? Haven't you ever seen such an exceptionally beautiful creature before?"

Under the intensely oppressive gaze of the Red Iron Dragon, the Phoenix raised its long, graceful neck and stretched out its magnificent, breathtakingly beautiful fiery wings, displaying its most perfect posture.

The torrential rain fell violently, but it was instantly evaporated by the extreme heat when it came within a certain range of her, forming a white curtain of steam.

This did not conceal her; on the contrary, it made her appear even more like a deity reborn from the ashes.

It is magnificent and beautiful, unlike anything found in the mortal world.

"It is indeed the first time I have seen you in person, and your beauty amazes me."

Galo readily acknowledged the phoenix's beauty and did not hold back his praise.

This praise comes from the heart.

"Very good, powerful dragon, I'm starting to admire you. Perhaps we can try to coexist peacefully?"

Receiving sincere praise from the other party, the phoenix's mood clearly improved, and the flames around its body became brighter.

She swayed slightly and said, "Look, this wilderness is big enough."

"How about we keep to ourselves, each developing our own paths?"

The red iron dragon across from her looked very intimidating, and her initial impression of it was also quite good. She didn't want to have an unnecessary conflict with such a powerful neighbor.

"Can."

Galos nodded slightly, acknowledging the proposal.

But then he changed the subject, saying, "However, before we can confirm our harmonious coexistence, I have a small request that I hope you will grant."

The phoenix tilted her beautiful head and asked, "What request do you have? Tell me first."

The rain shattered against the Red Iron Dragon's hard scales. He parted his snout, revealing a smile that appeared somewhat ferocious to the phoenix, and calmly said, "It's very simple."

"I know that the Phoenix Clan is exceptionally gifted, possessing the talent of rebirth."

"I am very curious about this... so I want to witness the legendary phoenix rebirth with my own eyes."

Upon hearing this, the phoenix was slightly taken aback, as if it hadn't heard clearly.

Immediately, boundless rage replaced the slight pleasure she had felt earlier, and the flames around her suddenly surged, causing the temperature to rise sharply.

"Insolent! You rude fellow!"

Her voice turned shrill: "This is not a request at all!"

"This is a blatant provocation! It's a declaration of war against me!"

Nirvana is her strongest talent, and she will definitely not use it unless absolutely necessary. Even a normal Nirvana will cause her to lose some of her memories and knowledge.

"It seems there's a small problem between us."

Hong Tielong shook his head regretfully.

All the gentleness and appreciation in his eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by a gradually rising sense of danger.

Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar!

As if in response to the leader's will, the dragons roared in unison.

They then flapped their wings and charged towards the phoenix.

The phoenix raised its head and let out a loud cry.

In an instant, the dark mass of eagles, birds, ferocious beasts, and demons, like an army receiving orders, let out noisy and sharp cries, and surged forward like a tidal wave to meet the charging dragons, swallowing their figures in a sea of ​​wings and claws.

"King against king, general against general."

Red Iron Dragon's voice pierced through the noisy battlefield, saying, "Come, beautiful firebird, dance before me and let me personally experience whether your power is worthy of your beauty."

As soon as he finished speaking, dazzling golden lightning bolts suddenly burst forth from the surface of the Red Iron Dragon's body.

Amidst the crackling electric snakes coiling around him, his body visibly expanded, his muscles bulging, becoming even more robust and powerful, brimming with explosive energy. At the tips of his dragon wings, dark red flames surged forth as if they were tangible.

Then, he simply flapped his wings seemingly lightly.

Boom!!!

The massive, robust body of the Red Iron Dragon vanished from its spot in an instant, leaving only the outline of a slowly spreading sonic boom cloud.

He approached the Phoenix at a speed beyond visual perception, while the deafening, sky-ripping sonic boom only began after he had already set off, shaking the entire battlefield.

A fierce wind, carrying icy rain, lashed at its face, and the phoenix's pupils suddenly contracted.

She dared not be negligent in the slightest. With a full flap of her magnificent wings, she stirred up a raging scorching wind and heat wave, instantly evaporating the surrounding torrential rain into a white, misty curtain of steam that obscured her vision.

At the very moment this steam curtain was formed.

The terrifying dragon shadow had already shattered the sound barrier and was attacking fiercely.

At the critical moment, the phoenix displayed agility befitting its magnificent appearance, reacting with lightning speed and suddenly flapping its wings to rapidly ascend upwards.

Galos's dragon claws, tearing through the wind and rain, grazed past its tail feathers.

"Arrogant dragon! You will pay the price for your ignorance!"

The phoenix gracefully spun amidst the billowing clouds of fire and steam, narrowly dodging the dragon's attack, while its sharp claws were already ablaze with solidified flames.

—The Claw of Destruction!

Her sharp claws swept fiercely across the red iron dragon's back scales!

However, the anticipated scene of scales tearing and skin being ripped open did not occur.

The claws created an extremely difficult resistance, leaving only a few deep cracks on the thick scales, but the flesh beneath remained unseen.

As for the raging flames carried on its claws, powerful enough to melt gold and iron.

For the Red Iron Dragon, which has extreme fire resistance, it is basically impossible to deal effective damage.

Clang!

Having missed its target and suffered a counterattack, Garus suddenly extended its dragon wings like giant blades, using the immense momentum from its previous charge to execute a spinning slash that was incredibly fast and disproportionate to its massive size.

His agility exceeded the Phoenix's expectations.

Dragon wings, like giant blades, tore through the thick mist and steam, sweeping past the phoenix's magnificent tail feathers.

However, no blood splattered out.

The phoenix's tail feathers did not break or dissipate after being hit.

She appears to have a gorgeous and realistic physical form, but in essence, she is a high-level elemental life form, capable of being immune to most physical and fire damage.

Physical attacks had limited effect on her.

"Foolish dragon! Your attacks have little effect on me!"

The phoenix let out a clear cry tinged with mockery, its graceful form dancing through the air, tracing complex paths, leaving behind dozens of indistinguishable, fiery afterimages that seemed both real and unreal.

At the same time, she raised her neck, and her sharp, hard beak moved with lightning speed, pecking swiftly and accurately at the red iron dragon's body.

Knock knock knock knock!

A series of dense, rain-like impacts rang out, each peck containing penetrating power, actually pecking out small, though not deep, but real blood holes in Garus's indestructible scales.

—My Star Arm!

—My face is a star!

Red Iron Dragon let out a deep roar, and the surging black and red dragon energy around its body suddenly boiled!

In an instant, a hideous mask covering his entire head materialized, and two enormous dragon arms, composed entirely of dragon energy and bulging with muscles, stretched out from near his shoulder blades.

The dragon's deep eyes on the mask instantly locked onto the phoenix's true form amidst the afterimages.

The next instant, Garus swung his claws fiercely.

The two dragon-shaped giant arms did not attack separately, but instead instantly merged and overlapped with his main arm.

boom!

The speed of this strike was beyond comprehension.

Garros's giant claw, carrying surging dragon energy and raging golden lightning, pierced through the phoenix's elemental body in an instant, causing her entire body to twist and dissipate violently. Golden lightning and black-red dragon energy could be vaguely seen surging wildly within her body, fiercely clashing with the flames that constituted her body.

Boom boom boom boom!

The Red Iron Dragon pressed its advantage relentlessly, its two thick, terrifyingly powerful dragon arms striking the Phoenix repeatedly.

The phoenix let out a painful scream.

Beak, claws, fiery wings... every part of his body that could be used for attack launched a frenzied counterattack against Garus!

However, as a top-tier fire-type extraordinary creature, her fire damage was almost like a tickle to Garos. Only her beak strikes, which contained powerful penetrating force, posed a certain threat, but even that was very limited and could not cause decisive damage.

As time relentlessly passed, the phoenix's body dimmed at a visible rate, losing its luster.

The golden lightning and black-red dragon energy that had previously invaded her body could no longer be suppressed and were now visible outside her body, jumping and flashing on her skin.

Her life force also weakened rapidly and became listless.

Suddenly, the phoenix seemed to have made up its mind. It spread its huge wings and, instead of attacking, directly embraced the dragon's body.

But it wasn't a warm hug.

Her body, which had already dimmed, suddenly burst into flames again.

It was not an ordinary flame, but a rebirth fire bursting forth from every feather and every inch of flesh. Golden-red light surged along the veins of the feathers, and her body gradually became transparent, as if it were made of pure energy, but the flames became even more turbulent.

"Damn dragon! Let us perish together!"

The phoenix's cry suddenly rose in pitch, transforming into a sharp whistling sound that pierced through the rain.

Her body suddenly swelled up as if inflated, and the firelight between her feathers abruptly changed from a brilliant golden-red to a blazing white that could destroy everything.

Boom! ...

The dim sky brightened up at that moment, as if it were daytime.

The phoenix's body almost transformed into a miniature sun, with extreme light and heat erupting instantly.

The expanding sphere of blazing white light, centered on her, instantly engulfed everything around her.

The terrifying shockwave swept wildly in all directions like a real tsunami, even briefly evaporating a huge, rainless, and cloudless vacuum zone in the sky!

Because the distance was too close, Garus was unable to completely avoid the suicidal outburst immediately.

He was engulfed by the white light, and the cold-burst scales on his body cracked inch by inch under the combined effects of the ultra-high temperature and the devastating impact, and then were completely pulverized and peeled off.

The heat energy absorbed from the dragon jade also reached its peak in an instant.

The phoenix's rebirth through fire is truly extraordinary.

Even Galos felt a burning pain for the first time in a long time.

He hadn't experienced such pain in a long time.

But that's all.

As the blazing white flames slowly dissipated, the shockwave turned into an aftershock.

The red iron dragon stretched out its giant wings and stood proudly amidst the gradually dimming flames.

The cold, explosive scales on his body had faded, leaving behind a layer of black and red scales covered with battle-hardened patterns, resembling flowing lava, making him look even more ferocious and powerful than before.

"The fire of rebirth... is indeed powerful."

"It's a pity you met me."

Galos's gaze was fixed ahead.

The surrounding flames of Nirvana, which had not yet completely dissipated and were out of control, suddenly seemed to be given life. They began to twist and change unnaturally, and finally, like rivers flowing into the sea, they converged and condensed towards the center point, forming the magnificent and dazzling outline of the phoenix once again.

Moreover, its life force had actually returned to its original peak state.

Her gaze was initially somewhat blank and unfocused, as if she had just woken up from a long dream.

But when he saw the seemingly unharmed dragon shadow in front of him, all his memories came flooding back, and intense hostility and a hint of undisguised fear immediately surfaced in his eyes.

call!

Without any hesitation, the newly resurrected phoenix flapped its wings, flames surged around its body, and it turned and ran without a second thought.

She pushed her speed to the limit.

However, Galus was faster.

Creatures with such great strength and defense are usually weak in speed, but he is an exception; speed is his strength.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With a series of continuous sonic booms, he easily caught up with the phoenix trying to escape and unleashed another merciless attack.

The phoenix fought with all its might, dodging, blocking, and counterattacking, unleashing various fire spells and agile movements.

However, in the face of such a huge gap, everything else seems pale and powerless.

Her body was ultimately forcibly filled with the Red Iron Dragon's domineering golden lightning and black-red dragon energy.

"Ah!!! I'll fight you to the death!"

The cry of the phoenix rang out.

Boom! ...

A second miniature sun rose again against the gloomy sky.

The phoenix was forced to undergo a second rebirth.

As her body struggled to reform in the flames, she saw in despair that although the Red Iron Dragon's scales were cracked by the massive explosion, he was far from seriously injured. His aura had not diminished much and remained as powerful as a furnace.

"I'm afraid... it would take at least ten consecutive self-destruction rebirths... to truly and severely damage him."

The phoenix made desperate calculations in its heart.

Ten times?

Once again, she would have to exhaust all her regular Nirvana attempts and be forced to initiate the final Rebirth Nirvana, turning into an Ember Egg.

The Nirvana Transmission might allow her to escape her current fatal trouble, but it would cause her to lose her personality from this life and become a completely new and unfamiliar version of herself.

Although the essence has not changed, she is extremely resistant to it.

"Let's continue."

The red iron dragon seemed tireless, and in the blink of an eye, it flapped its wings and charged forward again.

He wanted to experience the searing pain of rebirth once more.

"Wait, wait! I surrender!"

The phoenix hastily retreated, creating some distance, and begged for mercy: "I am willing to offer all my treasures and savings as compensation for defeat, in exchange for peace."

She has a habit of collecting glowing magical gems and precious metals, and has accumulated a considerable fortune.

She hoped to use these material possessions to get rid of her current troubles.

Galos paused slightly, not immediately continuing his attack.

He looked at the magnificent yet somewhat disheveled firebird before him and said, "The knowledge of the Dragon's Legacy tells me that phoenixes usually have the habit of hiding their wealth in their nests."

“I will utterly destroy you and personally go to your lair to take everything away.”

"Your treasure is something I could easily have for myself."

The phoenix's expression suddenly froze.

“Treasure cannot satisfy my appetite.”

Galos glanced at the phoenix and continued, "Let's change the terms. Sign a contract, stay by my side, and be loyal to me for a hundred years."

One hundred years?

For the immortal phoenix, this was not an unacceptable period of time.

However, the phoenix's expression still clearly showed resistance.

"I admit your power far surpasses mine, but—"

She blinked her beautiful, burning eyes and came up with a bizarre reason: "—My beauty surpasses yours! I don't want to pledge allegiance to a creature that... well, is less beautiful than me."

She seemed to be trying to preserve her last shred of dignity, or perhaps to bargain, in this strange way.

Galos: "…………"

After a second of silence.

The red iron dragon's figure vanished again in an instant.

The next moment, a fierce attack descended upon the phoenix once more.

After a merciless and swift attack, the phoenix's body was once again filled with violent dragon energy and lightning. Its magnificent and dazzling feathers became twisted, messy, and dull due to the energy impact, losing their previous brilliance and becoming ashen and disheveled, resembling a shabby bird.

Red Iron Dragon paused its attack.

He said unhurriedly, "After my personal care, my beauty should surpass yours. Whether you submit or be reborn is the choice for you."

The phoenix looked at its no-longer-glorious feathers with a pained expression, and then felt the violent energy within its body that was about to explode.

Ultimately, reason prevailed over pride, and she made the most pragmatic choice.

She lowered her once proud and beautiful head, and the flames around her completely subsided, signifying submission.

Galos turned his gaze to another battlefield where the activity was gradually fading, and understood.

After this battle, there will be nothing in the northwest region that can stop the advance of the Ironforge tribe.

As for Garros, the rising regional king in other parts of the wilderness, he has no intention of initiating cross-regional wars in the short term.

The Serbian wilderness is vast and boundless; it would take an enormous amount of time just to fully digest the northwest region.

The next step is to consolidate our existing vast territory and reap the rewards of our victory, rather than blindly continuing to expand our territory and destabilizing our foundation.

In fact, apart from the most uncontrollable red dragon Gorsas, Garros doesn't mind sharing this vast wilderness with other relatively rational regional kings.

This cake is too big.

Given the current size and stage of development of the Ironforge tribe, it is not yet capable of monopolizing the entire wilderness; forcibly occupying it could lead to its demise.

After unifying the Northwest region.

Galos could now relax and focus more on how to deal with his biological father, as he had a premonition that he would soon be facing him.

(End of this chapter)