Chapter 393 Ten Years Later, The Sleeping Champion Dragon
Rolling heat waves surged from Red Iron Dragon's body, scorching the air around him until it distorted slightly.
The intense collision and crushing of high temperature and cold air produced a faint hissing sound, and a thick cloud of white steam rose up, enveloping his massive body, making it appear and disappear, adding to his imposing and dangerous aura.
Galos had just finished a long workout.
He took deep breaths, and his crimson scales slowly returned to normal. The high temperature on his body also subsided, and the steam gradually dissipated.
Click! Click!
He shuddered slightly, and with a series of dense and crisp sounds, the cold, explosive scales covering his body suddenly shattered along countless tiny cracks, falling to the ground as a pile of broken scales, revealing his battle-hardened black and red scale armor covered with battle markings.
"Cold Scales is gradually becoming too much for my current training intensity."
Garus looked down at the broken scales scattered on the ground, making an assessment in his mind.
Leaving aside the Crimson Lotus state and the Blood Burst state, even the most ordinary Frenzy state, if it lasts for a slightly longer period of time, will generate enough high temperatures to cause the outer scales to become unbearable and gradually collapse.
Its only effect on Galos right now is that it can absorb and convert heat energy, which serves as a key to unlocking the Crimson Lotus state.
Apart from that, the defensive bonuses it provides are negligible.
Moreover, Galos had an increasingly clear feeling.
With his relentless and brutal training day after day, Cold Scale undergoes a cycle of breaking and regenerating.
However, it did not become stronger and more solid as a result. Instead, with each collapse, the structure seemed to become more and more fragile, and the regeneration cycle was quietly lengthening.
On the contrary, his underlying primordial scales are becoming increasingly hard and even beginning to gain resilience.
Beneath the scales, there were often faint, tingling sensations, as if something was growing and reshaping.
Galos knew very well what this meant.
Although it is not usually obvious, his body is constantly adapting to external and environmental influences, undergoing a slow but steady evolution.
Scale armor, which is constantly subjected to various attacks, is naturally of paramount importance.
The Cold Scales, which were no longer suited to his current power level, were being instinctively adapted to by his body, gradually undergoing a transformation that was more suitable for his future path.
"The dormancy of youth, at that time, the core lies in the evolution of blood."
"However, I have never stopped honing my scale armor defense and wing maneuverability, and these two aspects may also undergo corresponding adaptive evolution."
Garus spread his dragon wings, carefully sensing every subtle change in his body.
Just then, a strong gust of wind swept in, carrying snowflakes.
Natasha, with her heroic bearing and shimmering golden scales, landed on the ground not far from the Red Iron Dragon.
She had intended to invite Garos to another round of martial arts exchange, but before she could even utter a word, her gaze was drawn to the Red Iron Dragon's powerful body, which still radiated warmth after he had just finished training.
The black and red scales covered with battle marks looked like the hardest steel under the sunlight.
The bulging muscle lines exude explosive power.
Natasha instinctively raised her golden-scaled forepaws and placed them on the red iron dragon's broad, hard chest.
It feels warm to the touch, and the scales are hard, as if you are touching a dormant volcano.
"Um?"
Garus snapped out of his daze and looked at the golden dragon who had suddenly made such a move. Under his gaze, Natasha seemed to be struck by an electric current and swiftly withdrew her claws.
She felt her face getting hot, but thankfully the golden scales covered it.
"I exercised too intensely recently, and my claws are a bit out of control. I don't know why, but they just stick out on their own."
She hastily made up an excuse, her tone tinged with barely concealed embarrassment, while inwardly berating herself.
Natasha, Natasha, you haven't even thought this through yet, how come your claws are already moving on their own?! Even if you do have some ideas in your mind, you can't just put them into practice like that!
Oh no, will I be seen as a frivolous golden dragon?
Red Iron Dragon glanced at the shifty-eyed, somewhat guilty Golden Dragon a few times, but didn't think much of it. He simply said slowly, "Since there's a problem with body control, then rest for a while longer."
"For Martial Dragon, the inability to perfectly control one's own body is a major taboo."
Upon hearing this, Natasha breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking at rice: "You're right, I'll be careful."
Galos stopped dwelling on this little incident.
He then asked, "What brings you here?"
Because of the embarrassing incident that just happened, Natasha temporarily gave up the idea of a martial arts exchange.
She changed the subject, saying, "I wanted to ask you if you'd be interested in taking a trip to the Metal Dragon Realm?"
Upon hearing this, Galos did not immediately respond, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.
On the planet Bernardo, there are five main metal dragon domains, each under the protection of a metal dragon king.
For example, the Raging Waves Dragon Domain, where the Crimson Silver Dragon Deborah and her family reside, is ruled by the Bronze Dragon King; while the Fubo Dragon Domain, where the Gold Dragons Alberto and Natasha belong, is under the rule of a Silver Dragon King.
Garos has never set foot in any of the metal dragon domains.
His records about the Dragon Realm in the Dragon Legacy are also quite scarce and vague.
After all, his ancestors were mostly notorious evil dragons, and there was really no friendly interaction between them and the Metal Dragon Realm.
However, to be honest, he was indeed somewhat curious about the Metal Dragon Domain.
Seeing that he did not refuse outright, Natasha continued enthusiastically, "In order to enhance the competitive spirit and ambition of young dragons, the major dragon domains will jointly hold special competitions every once in a while."
"Any dragon that has not yet reached adulthood or has not gone through a period of slumber is eligible to participate."
"Ultimately, the five strongest young dragons from the five major dragon domains will compete for the title of Dragon Domain Rising Stars and receive generous rewards from the Dragon Domain."
"These five rising stars of the Dragon Domain will then engage in a final showdown under the watchful eyes of countless people, vying for the sole championship title!"
"The rewards for becoming a champion dragon are even more generous than you can imagine!"
"It is said that there is even a chance to receive the favor and blessing of the Dragon God's will."
Natasha's intention in saying these words was quite clear.
She wanted to encourage Galos to get involved in the Metal Dragon Domain's competition.
Looking at the strong, red iron dragon before her, Natasha said in an inflammatory tone, "Garos, why don't you give it a try? With your strength, you might be able to overpower all the metal dragon prodigies and become the ultimate champion dragon!"
Deep down, she had a tendency to enjoy watching the drama unfold.
Natasha felt that she shouldn't be the only dragon who was awestruck by the young Red Iron Dragon.
Those proud and arrogant young metal dragons in the other dragon realms should also have a good look at the charisma of this monster.
Moreover, she was eager to see what kind of interesting expressions would appear on the faces of her fellow clansmen if Garos were to sweep through the younger generation of the five major dragon domains.
"Even evil dragons can participate in competitions held by metal dragons?"
Galos looked at Natasha and asked a crucial question.
"There is no explicit prohibition in the rules."
Natasha explained, "In fact, many metal dragons have the habit of adopting and teaching chromatic dragon hatchlings, and there are actually a small number of chromatic dragons who have chosen the Lawful Path living within the Dragon Realm."
“I can get my parents to vouch for you and make sure you can compete in the Fubo Dragon Domain.”
Just then, a figure in shades of silver and honey flapped its wings and gracefully landed beside them.
It is the Crimson Silver Dragon Deborah.
She overheard part of the conversation and immediately interjected, "Fubo Dragon Domain? No, no."
She turned to the red iron dragon and said, "Garos, if you really want to see the Dragon Realm, you can start from our Raging Dragon Realm. I'll take you back to the Raging Dragon Realm; that's my hometown."
“Besides my parents, whom you have already met, I also have some elders.”
They will welcome you.
On the other side, Natasha glanced at Deborah with some surprise and reminded her, "Deborah, I've heard that there's a powerful figure in your Raging Dragon Domain who's known as the Wrath of Justice."
“One of the sons of the Bronze Dragon King, Siano Sheffield.”
"His attitude towards evil dragons is notoriously aggressive. He has killed many five-colored dragons, and even some five-colored dragons who have lived in the Raging Dragon Domain for many years and have performed well have been forced to leave by him."
She said in a serious tone, "If Garros were to go there, would that righteous wrath be able to resist the urge to kill him?"
Upon hearing this, the Crimson Silver Dragon hesitated for a moment, then recalled, "I know about the Bronze Dragon you're talking about."
“When I was a child, my father did solemnly warn me to stay away from this elder and not to have any contact with him, but he did not explain the specific reasons.”
Natasha said confidently, "You'll know once you go back and ask around."
"That righteous wrath is renowned throughout the major dragon realms, especially... within the small circle of the five-colored dragons."
Hearing Jinlong speak so confidently, as if it were not a lie, Deborah turned her head away in frustration.
She looked at Garos and said helplessly, "If that's the case, then for safety's sake, you might be better off competing from the Fubo Dragon Domain. The Raging Wave Dragon Domain might cause some unnecessary trouble."
Galos silently memorized the names "Siano Sheffield" and "Wrath of Justice" in his heart.
He shook his head slightly, then said to the two female dragons, who had already assumed he would participate, with a hint of helplessness, "My two beautiful dragon ladies, you both seem to believe that I really want to participate in this competition?"
The Crimson Silver Dragon flicked its long, silver tail, a look of surprise on its face.
"Don't you want to go?"
She said matter-of-factly, "To defeat all the younger generation of the five major dragon domains with the power of a single dragon, and to gain honors and countless praises under the spotlight, doesn't that sound like something you should really enjoy doing?"
Is my vanity that strong?
How come I didn't know?
Galos straightened his expression and explained, "I admit, I am indeed somewhat curious about the Metal Dragon Domain."
"But that's not my territory after all, and to be honest, I'm not very interested in ring fights."
He was telling the truth.
On the one hand, having experienced life-and-death battles with many powerful figures such as the Red Dragon Father and the Blue Dragon Leader, Garos's vision has long surpassed that kind of competition that only goes so far as to stop at the point of contact.
He has many suitable opponents if he wants to spar, so why bother going all the way to the Dragon Realm to compete with a metal dragon?
Instead of wasting time and energy, it would be better to use it to further improve one's own abilities.
On the other hand, in the Dragon Realm, there are probably more than one metal dragon like the Wrath of Justice that Natasha mentioned, whose good and evil are judged solely by bloodline.
If a powerful and prestigious legendary metal dragon also held this extreme view and was deep in thought, seeing him, an "evil dragon," so blatantly sweeping through the younger generation of the dragon realm, he would see him as a threat that must be eliminated.
The consequences would be unimaginable.
"You really have absolutely no interest?"
Natasha was still persistent and continued to tempt her: "You may not know this, but almost every champion dragon in history has been able to break through the legendary barrier in a very short time."
"The rewards prepared by the Dragon Realm for the champion are so generous that even many legendary dragons would be envious."
"It contains a large number of rare treasures that can enable dragons to grow in leaps and bounds."
Upon hearing keywords such as "breaking through to legendary status in an extremely short time," "even legendary dragons are envious," and "leapfrog growth," Garos's eyes involuntarily flickered slightly.
He indeed showed little interest in the Dragon Domain competition itself.
But then again… those rewards… Red Iron Dragon shook his massive head violently, banishing the temptations from his mind and quickly regaining his composure.
"Let's talk about it later."
"At least for now, I have no plans to go to the Dragon Realm, and I will not let those external things that I am not sure I can obtain sway my mind."
He paused slightly at this point.
He asked, "From what you're saying, none of the past champion dragons were originally legendary?"
The Crimson Silver Dragon answered first: "Of course not! The rules clearly state that any dragon that has passed through its adult slumber, regardless of its strength, is not qualified to participate."
"If someone is already a legend without going through an adult slumber... then what's the point of comparing?"
"Just award him the title of Champion Dragon and all the prizes. A monster like him only appears once every few years."
That's true.
Galos internally agreed.
Examples of people entering the realm of legends before reaching adulthood and falling into slumber are extremely rare.
Each one of them is a top genius recorded in the history of the dragon race, a true dragon among dragons.
Even someone as confident as Garros, despite possessing immense talent and undergoing rigorous training, wouldn't dare say he was absolutely certain he could achieve this.
However...deep down, he felt that he might have some chance.
As they chatted, Natasha and Deborah shifted their topic to interesting anecdotes from their respective dragon realms, and the atmosphere gradually became relaxed and harmonious.
After a full rest, Galos returned to training.
The defense of his scales, the mobility of his wings, and the potential of his blood—these are the three main areas he is currently focusing on honing, hoping to achieve crucial evolution during his slumber in his youth.
In addition, he never relaxed his efforts to fight against and adapt to the madness.
He often allowed his anger to build up to a certain level during intense training, but instead of immediately venting it through fighting or destruction, he forced himself to engage in complex thinking in this restless and disturbed state, honing his ability to remain calm in the face of rage.
And so, time flowed gently amidst the howling wind and snow of the border region.
At this point, three full years had passed since Galos awoke from his last slumber.
In just three years, he led the Ironforge tribe to conquer the two major regions of the northwest and central wilderness, forging his own hegemony.
Today, the Ironforge tribe's rule over the wilderness is increasingly entrenched and orderly.
The other two regional kings, the Mountain King and the Fungus King, adopted similar strategies. They had no intention of expansion and were racing against time to transform the wilderness resources under their control into real military strength and resources.
The regional war that swept across the entire Serfland has come to an end.
Now is the harvest time for all parties to digest the gains and accumulate strength.
Then, in the year 278 of the new calendar, the blue dragon Hriam lived up to expectations, leading a carefully assembled pioneering legion northward into the harsh, permafrost tundra, paving the way for the Ironforge tribe.
In the midst of stable development, time seems to fly by exceptionally quickly.
Meanwhile, the war between the southern kingdoms entered an unprecedentedly intense phase.
In early 279 of the New Calendar, King O'Brien, clad in armor and armed with weapons, personally led the legendary guards who had awakened from the heart of the kingdom on a royal expedition!
A emaciated lion is still a lion.
The Kingdom of Lortheon possesses an incredibly deep foundation, and the legendary guards displayed overwhelming combat power from the moment they appeared.
Even though the opposing camps unleashed their most powerful forces, they still couldn't withstand this torrent that combined the will of a king with ancient power, and were forced to retreat in defeat.
For the next six years, the pro-King camp was on a roll, with frequent victories.
King O'Brien seemed like a saint reborn. Under his wise command and personal leadership, the allied forces swiftly recovered all the strategic locations they had previously lost, and their advance was aimed directly at the enemy's heartland.
However, the turning point of the war came in 285 AD.
A battle erupted over the ownership of the strategic waterway, the Great River Becton.
The Kingdom of Reipos deployed a large number of unprecedented weapons of war in this battle.
Alchemical cannons powerful enough to injure legendary warriors, top-tier golems capable of confronting legends head-on, and a variety of new weapons with bizarre functions and astonishing power.
Caught off guard by the enemy's sudden surge in strength, the Lorthern coalition suffered its heaviest casualties since the start of the war.
King O'Brien himself was seriously wounded and in grave danger as he was besieged by several rival legends and war golems.
In the end, thanks to the legendary guards' desperate cover at all costs, the king was escorted to safety and escaped the crisis of death.
The Battle of Becton River became a turning point in the war.
In the four years that followed, with the emergence of a series of powerful weapons of war, the anti-king camp led by the Kingdom of Ripos successfully reversed its previous decline.
They recaptured the strategically important locations that had been occupied.
They began to advance slowly but surely towards the core territory of the Kingdom of Lorthen.
By the year 289 of the New Calendar, the Kingdom of Lorthen was already showing signs of defeat. Its defenses were constantly shrinking. Although it was still putting up a stubborn resistance, it was clear to anyone with eyes to see that the situation was already precarious.
It was also in this year that the seventy-year-old King of Iron, after ten years of persistent and frenzied training and the supply of massive resources, reached his physical and mental limits and prematurely entered his youthful slumber.
Generally speaking, young dragons will naturally enter a dormant period around the age of eighty.
Time flies like an arrow, and ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.
At the border, deep within Dragon Valley, the Red Iron Dragon raised its majestic head, gazing at the swirling snow.
During this decade of steady development, apart from daily training and honing their skills and handling necessary tribal affairs, there were basically no major battles as dramatic as the previous three-year period of vying for supremacy.
Therefore, he felt that time seemed to pass by particularly quickly.
The scenes of leading the tribe to conquer all directions and fighting bloody battles with powerful enemies ten years ago are still vivid in my mind, as clear as yesterday.
"The power of the Mountain King and the Fungus King is becoming increasingly stable, and their activities are becoming more frequent; the war in Lorthene in the south is also nearing its end."
"Now is not the best time to go into hibernation, but time waits for no one, so we can only adapt to the situation. Right now, going into hibernation and becoming stronger are the most important things."
Galos thought to himself.
Soon after, he began to arrange various affairs of the tribe.
This includes entrusting good allies and metal dragon friends to take care of things, and explaining specific strategies to the dragons under your command, their leaders, and lords.
After it was almost properly completed.
The Iron King swallowed the accumulated black oil crystals, various rare gems, and a large amount of magical precious metals, and then entered the slumbering place that had been prepared in advance.
(End of this chapter)
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