Beneath the Red Dragon

Karon, even in deep sleep, constantly explored the use of his abilities and perceived the manifestations of the World Tree’s space-opening through its core’s resonance. The tireless activity of the sub-brain network constantly recorded this information and data.

One could say that even as the Red Dragon dreams, he is perpetually learning, researching the real laws governing the world.

Although the Red Dragon’s current abilities are insufficient to fully comprehend, at some point in the future, this accumulated knowledge will transform into the steps to ascend to the heavens. This is the foundation, the underlying strength.

Karon himself never imagined that now, as a Giant Dragon with the ability to lay down, he works a thousand times harder than when he lacked this qualification.

However, from the behaviors of those ancient mages and the words of the Squinting Mage, the Red Dragon, with his overly rich imagination, had both the worst and best guess.

This guess was further reinforced by some things the former White Tower Mage Lapus told the Red Dragon. Perhaps those mad ancient mages weren’t wiped out overnight for researching the divine beings, but because they poked a far greater hornet’s nest.

A hornet’s nest so grave that the mighty divine spirits from above the Star Realm, who see the erosion of endless ages as merely a gentle breeze, had to intervene!

The night flew by in haste, and Karon’s slumbering main consciousness awoke from rest, disturbed by the clamor outside the Blood-colored Holy Hall.

Stepping past the other Giant Dragons still in their lazy slumber, Karon advanced amidst the praises of the Heroic Spirits, striding out of the Holy Hall.

The forest at dawn was enveloped in a damp and dense fog, and within this mist, a massive, strange creature wandered.

Many Jackal-Wolf Warrior faced off with this peculiar creature from a distance, not daring to launch an attack rashly.

This strange creature had limbs and a neck elongated like a giraffe, a skull resembling that of a giraffe, yet its mouth was like a bird’s beak.

Its flesh appeared dried up, with no hair, leaving only a thin layer of red skin stretched over its emaciated body, and its bone joints bore unmistakable sunken marks.

On either side of its skull, above the eye sockets, antler-like structures resembling withered, slender twigs grew, and similar horn-like growth appeared on its neck.

Karon’s sub-brain network searched through his inheritance and knowledge, yet no records of this bizarre creature were found.

Nonetheless, Karon knew that even the Dragon God of the Giant Dragons lacked some knowledge, let alone the inheritance specific to dragons.

He noticed that the strange creature seemed to linger only within the heavy fog, not daring to step out and showing no hostility toward Karon’s group.

Naturally, Karon refrained from initiating an attack on it. Handling all unknowns with caution is the cardinal principle for survival in this infinite world.

Karon merely instructed his warrior subordinates to keep their distance from the peculiar creature, as his presence had stirred the warriors, who were eager to attack.

Only the Dragon Descendant Werewolf Saha and the tall Imperial Guard Warriors remained steadfast beneath the Holy Hall, guarding the dragon’s resting place without any intention of making a display.

As the sun rose higher, dispersing the forest’s fog, the strange creature also vanished quietly with the dissipating mist, slipping away unnoticed by Karon, who couldn’t discern what ability it used to leave.

Karon spread his wings, landing among a group of mages. These mages were discussing the peculiar creature and even used a Magic Crystal to record its appearance. Clearly, they were also unaware of its origins.

Upon the Red Dragon’s arrival, these mages nodded slightly in respect, as the Red Dragon’s current strength and deeds had dispelled their rigid prejudices.

In the eyes of these mages, the Heroic Spirits inhabiting the high, suspended Blood-colored Holy Hall were tantamount to this Red Dragon’s devoted followers. With such development, it wouldn’t be surprising if this Red Dragon ascended to a divine throne in the future.

After all, if the tens of thousands in the Dragon Group Territory were to become followers of this Red Dragon, it would be enough to elevate a Giant Dragon to a Weak God with Weak Divine Power.

But this is only the beginning. Under the Red Dragon’s development, the potential of the Dragon Group Territory has just started to reveal itself. Perhaps, in the future, this territory will be among the many coveted by the divine spirits.

However, they did not understand the Red Dragon’s thoughts. In Karon’s view, achieving godhood through the Power of Faith, while powerful, also had its limitations. Karon hadn’t decided to take that path, considering it merely an alternative.

Just like the dragons’ own path to divinity, the Divine Sealing Dragon, was merely another alternative for this Red Dragon. Regarding the dragons’ road to divinity, during his exploration and research, Karon had vaguely grasped some methods on this path.

Resisting the innate tendencies brought by inheritance and bloodline is one of the conditions for godhood. Those dragons who embrace their inherent nature to the fullest are the most ordinary, with extremely limited upper limits.

The few dragons who became gods did so because they were inherently powerful, not because godhood made them strong. Even the Five-Colored Dragon Queen Tiamat couldn’t entirely discard the influence of greed tainted in her bloodline and divine position, highlighting how strict this condition is for dragons.