Chapter 452 Ancient Dragon! Danger!
Permafrost tundra, icy rift valley.
The vast and desolate land is covered by solid ice that never melts. The cold wind howls, swirling up fine and sharp ice crystals that weave repeatedly under the gray sky, forming a hazy and lifeless veil that shuts out all life.
The deepest part of the rift valley is a desolate place where even the most cold-resistant moss can hardly survive.
However, at this moment, this long-standing silence was broken.
At the very bottom of the rift valley, inside a natural cave completely covered and sealed by an unknown layer of ice, came the groans and cracking sounds of the ice unable to bear the weight.
At first, the sound was extremely faint, like a hallucination, but it quickly began to intensify and spread.
The sound was like the gradually beating heartbeat of a sleeping beast before it awakens, growing louder and more rapid, echoing and overlapping in the sealed ice valley.
Crack—Boom!
The thick ice sheet suddenly shattered from the inside, sending countless tons of ice fragments, mixed with violent air currents, soaring into the sky and forming a pale fountain. Then, like meteorites and hailstones, they crashed down violently, striking the rock walls with continuous roars.
A massive, pale white figure, carrying a chilling aura, rose rapidly from within.
Its jagged bones were covered with thick, armor-like pale dragon scales with sharp edges and a cold, metallic sheen; its head was huge and majestic, with its snout protruding forward and jagged, sharp teeth peeking out from its lips like ice-cast spears.
That was a male white dragon, an... ancient white dragon!
He slowly stretched out his huge membranous wings, which were slightly stiff from his long slumber, and the joints made a sound like ice rubbing together.
His dragon wings were incredibly wide, with veins like frost flowers covering the wing membrane. With each flap, the surrounding air would freeze and crackle, condensing into countless tiny ice crystals and snowflakes out of thin air.
"The long slumber... has finally come to an end."
A deep, hoarse voice slowly rolled out from the depths of the ancient white dragon's throat.
"Power surged through my body like never before, and that solid, legendary barrier has been completely shattered in the final moments of my slumber."
He raised his head, his vertical pupils gazing at the gray sky above the rift valley, obscured by wind and snow.
Legendary Realm!
After a long period of accumulation and dormancy, and countless seasons of patient waiting and honing, the fruit has finally ripened and the final breakthrough has been achieved.
A long-lost, no, unprecedented burning ambition and desire for conquest began to ignite in his frozen chest.
At the same time, a shrewd and cunning glint appeared in his eyes.
"Before I fell into a deep sleep, I seized a fleeting opportunity and successfully ambushed and killed the son of the frost giant chieftain, shifting suspicion to the barbarians... a perfect provocation."
"With new and old grudges piling up, those two foolish races must be fighting tooth and nail, with blood flowing like rivers, by now, right?"
"Their strength must have been exhausted and weakened in the endless struggles..."
"And now, it's my turn! After I clean up this mess, I will become the new master of this permafrost land!"
The white dragon turned its enormous head, its cervical vertebrae making a slight popping sound.
“Now, I, Bescal the Frostblight, have stepped into the realm of legend. The legendary powers that I once had to look up to are now mine, and I no longer need to be afraid.”
"It is time to let my fame and frost cover this vast land completely!"
White Dragon Bescal naturally assumed that the frozen tundra was still the same as it had been before he fell into slumber.
The various savage and primitive tribes were scattered everywhere, constantly fighting and strife among themselves, and no powerful force emerged to dominate the entire situation.
His awakening is destined to end all this pointless chaos and establish a reign that belongs to him.
Compared to other dragons, the white dragon is inherently at a disadvantage from the start, but Bescal has always been known for his patience.
He lurked in the most desolate corner of the ice field, like the most patient hunter, day after day, year after year, silently honing his claws and mind, accumulating strength.
Finally, the hunting moment he had been waiting for arrived.
"Then let's start with... the nearest gathering place of life."
Bescal no longer hesitated.
He suddenly flapped his wings, and his massive body roared up from the ground, easily breaking through the wind, snow, and ice crystals that filled the sky above the rift valley, and arriving under the open gray-white sky.
The frigid air automatically gathered around his pale scales, lifting him up and allowing him to glide swiftly and silently across the sky.
The white dragon circled high in the sky, looking down at the vast white earth below.
He quickly identified his first target.
It was a settlement located in a huge leeward valley, with rough but sizable buildings arranged in an orderly manner, and even surrounded by what looked like a rather sturdy wall and several watchtowers.
Some tall, bluish-gray figures moved about among them.
Trolls are one of the most common and resilient savage races found on the ice plains.
However, this clan seemed much more orderly and organized than the messy troll shacks Beskar remembered.
Even more strangely, he also saw some burly cannibals wearing heavy armor.
They were well-equipped and mingled with the trolls, so they did not appear to be hostile.
Ogres and trolls live together peacefully?
This is a bit strange.
Not only ogres, but also some short goblins running around along the edge of the wall and near some fortifications.
But this brief observation and doubt were quickly overwhelmed by confidence and vanished.
In the eyes of the legendary white dragon, whether it is ogres, trolls or goblins, they are essentially just a group of slightly stronger or more agile lower reptiles and potential servants.
Perfect, they can be the first group of followers he recruits after he awakens.
After reaching the legendary level, the White Dragon's patience dwindled considerably, while his confidence swelled considerably.
call--!
He stopped circling, and with a sudden slam of his wings, he brought with him a raging wind that changed the very heavens and earth, and crashed down directly above the troll clan's settlement, his enormous shadow instantly engulfing the buildings and creatures below.
"Kneel down and offer your loyalty, or turn into ice dust and disappear completely from this land."
"From this moment forward, this icy plain, and everything that lives upon it, shall be under the rule of Beskar, the Frostblight!"
After he finished speaking, he had already envisioned what would happen next.
The trolls and ogres would tremble with fear before him, eventually prostrating themselves on the ground and swearing allegiance.
But the result was completely unexpected by the white dragon.
Several of the strongest, heavily armored ogres swayed.
They looked at each other, exchanged glances, and then one of the guys who seemed to be the leader stepped forward and raised his head without any fear.
He boomed, "Hey! You big white lizard in the sky, listen up!"
“We already have a master! We belong to the great Emperor Ignas, the supreme ruler of the North! This land is the territory of the Kingdom of Aura!”
Facing the legendary white dragon, the ogre chieftain showed no fear. Instead, his face revealed a mixture of pride and belligerence as he swung his massive mace.
"For His Majesty's supreme glory! To become immortal heroes!"
"You want to be an enemy of our Kingdom of Aura? Haha, you foolish white-scaled reptile, come on! Let me see how hard the bones of a legendary white dragon are!"
As he roared, several ogres and even some trolls beside him also roared, barking defiantly at the white dragon in the sky.
Their eyes burned with an almost fanatical fighting spirit, completely disregarding life and death.
This incredible courage and loyalty can be largely attributed to the long-term ideological enlightenment and loyalty education promoted by the Kingdom of Aura.
Loyal to the emperor, those who died fighting for the kingdom and the emperor.
Their souls will be guided to Valhalla, where they will enjoy eternal and beautiful life and receive endless glory.
Initially, this was merely a symbolic indoctrination and promising of goodwill by the kingdom in order to unite people's hearts.
But now, a Hall of Heroes has truly appeared within the Kingdom of Aura, and recently, the spread of such ideas has intensified around the Hall of Heroes, becoming a pillar of belief for many warriors.
In the sky, the white dragon Beskar narrowed his eyes slightly.
He lived a long life and was not directly provoked into killing; instead, he began to think.
This is so strange... The reactions of these low-level crawlers are completely different from what he expected.
Instead of panicking and collapsing, or kneeling and begging for mercy, they resisted and addressed each other as "Emperor" and "Kingdom".
This is definitely not the behavior of an ordinary, barbaric tribe.
“The Kingdom of Aura? Emperor Ignas?” Beskar quickly weighed the options in his mind. “While I was asleep, an unexpected power seemed to have emerged on this land… We cannot rashly slaughter them; perhaps we should first find out what is going on.”
His massive head was lowered, his gaze sweeping over the heavily fortified encampment below.
"First, we need to find out what exactly the Kingdom of Aura they're talking about and that so-called Emperor Ignas is all about."
White Dragon Beskar's mind raced, and he temporarily restrained his intention to destroy directly, but his dragon might remained undiminished.
He flapped his wings and slowly descended, preparing to interrogate the situation.
At the edge of this inconspicuous settlement, a short goblin warlock blinked.
A delicate alchemical prosthetic eye was meticulously recording the entire scene of the white dragon descending from the sky, as well as the reactions of the warriors in the settlement below, and transmitting it in real time to the distant Dragon Tooth Fortress through a built-in hidden magic array.
On the other side, in the Sel Wilderness.
Inside a seemingly ordinary hotel room in the Crimson Flame Royal City.
Aaron Leviberg, a seasoned diplomat from the Kingdom of Reiberth, did not wait for the agreed three days after relaying the Red Iron Dragon Emperor's request back home. Almost immediately, he received an urgent message from the Kingdom of Reiberth.
As a result, his heart sank.
"After emergency consultations, the kingdom's top leadership has decided that we cannot agree to the demands made by the Kingdom of Aura."
"Not a single high-grade spiritual crystal can be given."
Before Aaron, from the slightly floating communication magic device, came the familiar yet serious voice of his colleagues back home.
This outcome was unexpected by Aaron, and even seemed somewhat absurd.
"Why?" Aaron couldn't help but ask, even though he knew that diplomats shouldn't question their superiors' decisions too much.
"Although high-grade spiritual crystals are indeed rare resources, as far as I know, their applications are quite limited and they are not an irreplaceable strategic resource."
"Why can't we use it to gain the goodwill and support of the Kingdom of Aura, or rather, the Red Iron Dragon Emperor?"
"I think this price is completely worth it."
He paused, his tone becoming even more serious: "After personally facing that Red Iron Dragon Emperor, I felt the depth and power of this giant dragon even more profoundly."
"His existence is far more unfathomable than the rumors and stories about him."
"The Kingdom of Aura itself is still relatively weak, has been established for a short time, and its organizational structure may be rough. However, as long as the Red Iron Dragon Emperor is in charge, the situation will be completely different. Given the development potential and the level of threat this kingdom poses, it is absolutely worthwhile for us to invest resources to win it over, or at least not to push it to the opposite side."
Before arriving in the Kingdom of Aura, Aaron did not pay much attention to this emerging kingdom ruled by monsters.
But after that audience, his thinking completely changed.
This is by no means a barbaric country that can be ignored.
"Aaron, I understand your judgment and concerns."
The voice from the communication device interrupted his thoughts: "The orders from higher-ups are firm, and there is no room for negotiation."
Aaron fell silent.
He knew that this reply not only meant that the Kingdom of Reipos would no longer seek the Kingdom of Aura as an ally or neutral party, but it could also be said that the kingdom's decision-makers were prepared to explicitly list the Kingdom of Aura, or rather the Red Iron Dragon Emperor, as a potential hostile camp, and completely abandon the opportunity to ease and win over relations.
But why is that?
Aaron was deeply confused.
On the surface, the Kingdom of Aura and Lorthen are indeed very close, cooperating on many levels and in a honeymoon period.
but!
Aaron thought it was highly unlikely that a dragon emperor would trust Lortheon's human nobles so much, given that it was a monster kingdom ruled by dragons.
vice versa.
The Kingdom of Lorthen could not possibly trust a monster kingdom that takes the will of dragons as its standard without reservation.
Based on his years of diplomatic experience, Aaron could tell that the Red Iron Dragon Emperor was essentially an extremely calm, pragmatic pragmatist and a pursuer of interests.
As long as the Kingdom of Reibos is willing to offer tangible benefits and consistently demonstrate its sincerity, it will surely achieve results.
Even if we can't completely pull the Kingdom of Aura to our side, at least there's a high probability that we can keep it neutral and prevent it from completely siding with Lorthern in the potential future conflict between Lorthern and Reipos.
This should have been the most reasonable diplomatic strategy for Rebos towards the emerging kingdoms in the north.
However, the superiors' decision completely rejected this direction.
However, Aaron was, after all, an experienced diplomat, and he quickly suppressed his personal emotions and doubts.
He knew that he had limited access to information, and that his superiors' rejection of his ideas was not necessarily a sign of stupidity.
"The higher-ups made this decision perhaps because of deeper considerations, which is why they resolutely gave up trying to win over the Kingdom of Aura."
He pondered to himself.
"Could it be... that the Red Iron Dragon Emperor's request for 'high-grade spiritual crystals' itself touched a sensitive nerve in the kingdom?"
"Prior to this, the Kingdom's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had always been focused on winning over and easing relations with the Kingdom of Aura, hoping to use this to counterbalance the influence of the Kingdom of Lorthene in the North."
"But a high-grade spiritual crystal... it's strange that it's not some strategic material related to the foundation of the nation."
Aaron shook his head slightly, no longer futilely speculating about those mysteries beyond his authority.
Right now, he has a more practical problem to deal with.
Immediately afterwards, filled with trepidation and unease, he conveyed the official response from the Kingdom of Reipos, rejecting the request, to the foreign affairs department of the Kingdom of Aura through official channels.
Previously, he had confidently assured the Red Iron Dragon Emperor that Ripos would try his best to meet the demands to show his sincerity.
However, when the other party actually made a specific request, our side rejected it directly with such a tough attitude.
This is tantamount to a diplomatic disregard or even provocation.
Aaron could only pray silently that he would be able to leave this land alive.
However, his subsequent worries seem to have been unnecessary.
After receiving the reply, the official Aura Kingdom did not react strongly.
Emperor Red Iron Dragon did not hold a grudge against such a minor figure who was caught up in the grand scheme of things among the nations. Aaron was merely a pawn being manipulated; the real targets were the behind-the-scenes players.
"The request was rejected."
In the mountains behind the royal court, Garos withdrew his gaze from the direction of the Crimson Flame Royal City, understanding dawning on him.
"It seems that the high-grade spiritual crystal is indeed related to the Holy King, and the higher-ups of the Kingdom of Rebos have already noticed it, and may even have already grasped some key information, which is why they are so sensitive and have resolutely rejected it."
Garus thought to himself.
Not far from him, the golden dragon Natasha, much smaller in size but still majestic and beautiful, was launching a fierce attack on him with all her might.
Claw strikes, tail sweeps, and elemental attacks came one after another.
Garus was somewhat distracted. He casually deflected and parried Natha's attacks with only one claw, his mind mostly absorbed in analyzing intelligence on the various nations.
He had been consciously developing his own intelligence network for a long time.
After establishing its kingdom, Aura invested heavily in planting more spies and informants in other kingdoms, especially neighboring countries like Theo, through various channels such as caravans, mercenary groups, and underground intelligence brokers.
Although the intelligence was fragmented, it could be pieced together to outline a general picture.
"The Kingdom of Reipos and the Kingdom of Lorthern, these two powerful nations, do indeed have a far greater number of legendary experts, estimated to be over fifty each, or even more."
"This is the cornerstone of their power."
"As for the other kingdoms that separated from the former Lorthen Federation, their levels vary."
“These kingdoms are not newly established, and they have developed peacefully for hundreds of years within the framework of the Lorthern Federation, accumulating considerable resources.”
"Therefore, among them, there are no weak kingdoms with only a handful of legends."
"Even the most ordinary kingdoms usually have around ten legendary figures, while slightly stronger ones can have fifteen to twenty. The second-tier powerhouses, second only to Reipos and Lorthern, are estimated to have around thirty legendary figures."
Snap!
The red iron dragon almost instinctively swung its claws, parrying a tricky side claw strike from Natasha, and then seized her wrist. With a burst of immense power, it swung her entire dragon body around several times, and then, like throwing a hammer, easily tossed her high into the sky.
"As for the Kingdom of Theo, which is currently at odds with me and constantly in conflict... it is probably in the upper-middle range."
Galos turned his attention to his most immediate adversary.
"According to intelligence reports, there are currently eleven legendary powerhouses in the Kingdom of Theo. Of course, we cannot rule out the possibility of hidden forces that have not been recorded."
"As for the specific levels, job composition, and areas of expertise of those legends, some are difficult to access and little is known about them."
"This is very disadvantageous, but we can infer their levels. Most of them are between level 21 and 24. There will be very few high-level legends of level 25 and above. At most, there will be one or two, or even just one."
"Level 25 is a significant watershed moment, and it's not something that's easy to cross."
At this moment, Natasha, who had been thrown into the sky, adjusted her posture and swooped down from the sky again.
She skillfully combined the force of her fall with her own rotation, causing her body to spin rapidly around her spine, resembling a gleaming golden drill. Her body was also enveloped in surging energy of the four elements, making a formidable display of power.
Just as she was about to enter the attack range, the Red Iron Dragon lashed out with its tail, as fast as lightning, striking her and sending her flying like a spinning top.
Meanwhile, Galos carefully reviewed the contents of the inheritance and continued to organize his thoughts.
After reaching the legendary realm, the increase in strength is not a simple linear accumulation, but rather there are several key watersheds.
For example, when a legendary life breaks through to level 25, it has the opportunity to reshape or strengthen its own characteristics, while greatly deepening and expanding its own domain, and all attributes will experience a significant increase.
The gap between level 24 and level 25 is not as significant as the qualitative change when a mortal life form is promoted to legendary, but it is still a huge chasm.
Those who can advance to the legendary level are the elite of their respective races.
Each of them has their own unique skills, trump cards, and unique paths, so the battles after becoming legendary are far more difficult than those in the mortal stage.
Galus's case is an exceptional case among exceptional cases and cannot be judged by common sense.
His combat performance after becoming a legend was even more ferocious and unreasonable than when he was still in the mortal stage and challenged opponents of higher levels.
Even so, he was not absolutely certain that he could kill a human legend who had reached level 25.
The strength of the opponent's domain, its special effects, and its means of survival may all exceed expectations.
"My level is still too low. The slow growth rate of my life level is my weakness, and also the weakness of most long-lived species."
Galos thought to himself silently.
"Even though I enjoy the resources of the entire Kingdom of Aura, the best food, and the most suitable environment, the speed at which I level up is still too slow compared to those chosen ones among humans."
A century of achievements has created a legend, a growth rate that is already unbelievable among the dragon race.
However, compared to some legendary figures among humanity who could rise like comets in just one or two decades or even a few years, Galus sometimes felt a touch of envy.
Furthermore, compared to kingdoms like the Kingdom of Theo, the number of legendary figures he currently has under his command is still too small.
Although the Amethyst Dragon Yseramas resides in the Crimson Flame Kingdom, it is more out of interest for him, and he is a guest retainer. He will not directly participate in the direct conflicts between the Kingdom of Aura and other kingdoms at present.
Besides that, there is only one legendary heroic spirit left.
As for the other dragonborn, monster generals, and lords, the strongest is only level 20, and their role at the legendary level is limited.
"Ultimately, the foundation of my newly emerging dragon kingdom is still too shallow. The accumulation of legendary powerhouses requires time and opportunity."
Galos examined his own base of support.
"Stop fighting! Stop fighting!"
"I hate this kind of battle where I'm just getting beaten up! There's no sense of accomplishment at all!"
Jinlong Nasha crawled out of the collapsed pile of rocks in a disheveled state, shook her body vigorously to shake off the rubble and dust, and shook her still dizzy head a few times.
Although she was belligerent, she was not a masochist.
She glanced at the red iron dragon, who seemed to be deep in thought, flicked her tail, and shouted in dissatisfaction.
"Hey, Garus, you seem a bit distracted. That tail lash you gave me was pretty accurate though... Wait, what are you thinking about? The Kingdom of Theo? Or those messy things with the humans in the south?"
Red Iron Dragon snapped out of his thoughts and glanced at Natasha.
"I suddenly feel a little envious of those short-lived species, like humans."
"Although their lives are short and their bodies are weak, the true geniuses among them can often burst out with an astonishing growth rate in a very short period of time and quickly reach the peak of power."
"No wonder, giant long-lived species like us dragons, despite our individual strength, have gradually withdrawn from the center of the world stage."
"Our growth takes far too long."
He said with a touch of emotion.
Natasha rolled her eyes at him and exhaled two smoldering breaths from her nose.
She said irritably, "Come on! How many humans and other races secretly envy and are jealous of our dragons' long lifespan and naturally powerful bodies?"
"If you were given a second chance to choose your race, would you give up being a dragon and become a human who might not live past a hundred years and could die at the slightest carelessness?"
Galos didn't hesitate much and said, "I will most likely still choose to become a dragon."
Upon closer reflection, what he envied was actually just the single advantage of humans' rapid growth rate.
As for other aspects... the upper limit of the human body is too low, and in many aspects it is far from comparable to the dragon. Moreover, humans are actually very dependent on individual talent and opportunity, and the mediocre are ultimately the vast majority.
As long as a dragon doesn't perish prematurely and grows step by step, becoming a legend is almost a certainty.
"As expected, you are still a proud dragon at heart."
Natasha muttered to herself, not surprised by the answer.
Suddenly remembering something, she changed the subject and asked, "By the way, have you been to Alberto's territory recently? The place he named Law City."
Galos shook his head slightly.
"I focus on my own training and rarely go to inspect the territories of the various lords."
He admitted it.
"If you have time, you should really go and see for yourself."
"That kid... he seems to be really trying to build his ideal country, a land that operates entirely and completely based on the law and pursues so-called perfect justice."
The golden dragon's eyes revealed a strange look as it spoke.
"Operating entirely based on legal provisions? Pursuing absolute territorial fairness?"
Galos pulled his thoughts away from the power struggles between the nations and revealed a look of keen interest.
The Kingdom of Aura does indeed place great importance on order and the rule of law, and Garos is well aware that a stable kingdom needs rules to maintain it.
But he is even more aware that the so-called "rule of law" construction is a dynamic process that requires constant adjustment, improvement, updating and change.
The idea that any society can operate entirely based on legal provisions is merely a theoretical ideal.
As for "absolute fairness," that is an even more difficult goal to define and achieve. Individuals with different positions and interests often have vastly different understandings of "fairness."
He was indeed a little curious.
What exactly did Alberto do to his territory?
Perhaps it's time to take some time to inspect it.
Just then, a calm and steady message arrived.
"Urgent military intelligence has arrived from the front lines in the permafrost tundra."
“An ancient dragon has taken over one of our outposts in the tundra.”
Gu Long?!
Galos was suddenly startled.
Is the invisible curse of good fortune starting to take effect? Has it really brought about this level of trouble?
"What dragon?"
Galos asked in a deep voice.
Tie Long's voice was unhurried as he continued, "The White Dragon's size has barely reached thirty meters; it must have just broken through to the Legendary level."
Upon hearing this, Galos's heart, which had just been racing, slowly calmed down.
Oh, it's the White Dragon. Then it's alright. Garus was no longer surprised. After thinking it over, he even felt a little happy.
When a child has a fever, rushing to the hospital takes too much time and is too late.
(End of this chapter)
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