The Elven Cultivator

Silence fell over the entire battlefield.

The allied elites all wore dazed expressions.

No one had expected that Anton and Valin had actually managed to kill the Azure Abyss Dragon.

Since the Dragon Slaying War began, this was the first peak-level Legendary Giant Dragon to be killed in battle.

And a royal one at that.

They could already imagine the immense uproar this news would cause when it got back to Darkness Fortress.

Many subconsciously looked toward Anton, their eyes filled with an indescribable awe.

After today, the name Anton Silver Moon would surely resound throughout the entire Dawn Continent.

The title of Fallen Dragon Sword Saint would also become even more well-deserved.

”Alright!”

Valin grinned and laughed heartily, his rough laughter shattering the silence that had settled over the battlefield.

”It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a satisfying fight.”

He put away his warhammer and strode toward Anton, clapping a rough hand on the latter’s shoulder with enough force to shatter an ordinary person’s bones.

”Good work, kid.”

”If it weren’t for those strikes of yours, we really wouldn’t have been able to take down this beast today!”

Valin looked at Anton with undisguised admiration.

Having lived for several hundred years, he had seen countless geniuses.

For example, each of the Fallen Dragon Association’s Five-Star Pillars was a top-tier genius, the kind that appeared only once in a millennium for their respective races.

He had once thought Ignatius was already outstanding for having ascended to the Legend realm at such a young age—a true rarity among the Dwarves.

But now, compared to Anton, Ignatius suddenly seemed far less remarkable.

Valin subconsciously glanced at Ignatius and sighed.

Ignatius: ”...”

”Lord Valin.”

Anton, ignoring their exchange, took the opportunity to speak.

”May I take charge of the Azure Abyss Dragon’s corpse?”

”Of course, I’m prepared to offer compensation you’ll find satisfactory.”

Valin hesitated for a moment before agreeing. ”Alright. Once you get the Contribution Points, just give me the equivalent amount based on its exchange value.”

Everyone had witnessed Anton’s performance in the battle.

It was safe to say that without him, they couldn’t have killed the Azure Abyss Dragon today.

What’s more, Anton was so young.

His future achievements would be limitless.

There was no downside for the Heart of the Mountains in being on good terms with such a genius.

The two parties quickly reached an agreement.

With a wave of his Daluo Celestial Sleeve, Anton instantly stowed away the Azure Abyss Dragon’s corpse.

Valin was momentarily taken aback.

’That… doesn’t seem to be a Space Ring?’

’Don’t tell me it’s another type of Power of Law?’

The others watched, their eyes burning with envy.

A Giant Dragon was a treasure trove in itself, to say nothing of a peak Legend-rank royal one.

Every material from its body was worth a fortune.

However, since Anton and Valin had taken down the Azure Abyss Dragon together, it was naturally up to the two of them to handle it.

The others could only watch.

”Alright, stop spacing out. It’s time to get down to business.”

Valin’s voice snapped everyone back to reality.

Seeing the Dwarf stride toward the giant, fleshy tumor in the center of the battlefield, the others were jolted from their reverie and prepared to act.

Without the protection of the Giant Dragons and the Dragon Race, the node’s core was like a fruit stripped of its protective peel—fragile and conspicuous.

With just a single round of concentrated attacks, the massive node core shattered, transforming into countless specks of dark red light that swept outward in all directions like a tide.

Wherever the specks of light passed, the fragments of flesh and bone on the ground began to crack and weather, turning into a grayish-white powder that drifted away.

The pulsating patterns also dimmed and vanished, one after another.

The entire space began to collapse.

Like shattered glass, spiderweb-like cracks spread out from the dome in all directions.

The dark-red sky shattered into countless fragments, revealing the distorted outline of the landscape behind it.

The distortion lasted for just over ten seconds before returning to normal, revealing the barren wilderness around them.

They were now outside the node.

However, because the spatial node had shifted its position, they were no longer in the same wilderness as before.

Valin put away his warhammer, let out a long breath, and his gaze swept over the crowd.

”You all saved your recording crystals, right? Submit them yourselves when you get back, and you should receive the corresponding Contribution Points in a few days.”

Everyone nodded, unable to suppress the joyful expressions on their faces.

The Contribution Points awarded for destroying the first spatial node were extremely high.

Although their contributions to this battle were far less than Valin’s and Anton’s, even a small share would be a considerable sum.

Some were already calculating what resources they would trade their Contribution Points for.

Valin said no more. He shot a glance at the other Dwarves in the group, then took out an Exit Scroll and tore open its seal.

A pale blue light flowed from his palm, enveloping his entire body.

Ignatius and the others also took out and activated their Exit Scrolls.

After the fierce battle, the allied elites present were either heavily drained or seriously injured. None intended to remain in the Subspace any longer, and without exception, they all chose to leave.

Blue lights flared up one after another.

The Silver Moon Squad was no exception.

When his vision cleared, Anton found himself back on the mountain path before the entrance to the Subspace.

Grayish-white rock formations spread out beneath his feet, and overhead was the familiar sky of the material world.

Sunlight poured through the gaps in the clouds, bringing with it a long-missed warmth.

The members of the Silver Moon Squad appeared beside him, one by one.

Romance took a deep breath of the fresh air and squinted.

”The air is so much better out here.”

The three elders and Cedric also wore expressions of great relief.

Although they had spent less than a month in the Subspace, it felt as though much longer had passed.

While in the Subspace, they had constantly felt the oppressive nature of the dimension itself.

It was a truly unpleasant sensation.

The other teams soon appeared on the mountain path as well.

Anton’s gaze swept across the area and met the eyes of Byron, who had just emerged from the Subspace.

The gray-haired man from the Wolf Race froze. Not daring to meet Anton’s eyes, he gathered his people and quickened his pace to leave.

From behind, he looked as if he were fleeing in panic.

A few of the nearby allied elites who had previously heard Byron’s shameless boasts smirked mockingly at the sight.

Relying on their backing from Blood Roar Fortress, the Blood Claw Wolf Race had often acted tyrannically.

Many clans were furious with them but dared not speak out.

Now that they saw Byron had picked on the wrong person, many of them couldn’t help but gloat at his misfortune.

Anton paid the clown no mind. After a single glance, he looked away, gave a slight nod to Ignatius and Alvin in farewell, and then turned to leave with his people.

Some Legendary Powerhouses had wanted to strike up a conversation with Anton and get on his good side, but by the time they looked for him, he was already gone, much to their disappointment.

...

After returning to his quarters, Anton told the Elves to get some rest, then left the fortress alone once more.

A streak of sword light flashed across the sky, rapidly leaving the gray-black fortress far behind.

About fifteen minutes later, Anton landed in a desolate mountain valley.

This place was far enough from Darkness Fortress that he didn’t need to worry about being spied upon.

Although the Sword Pill had devoured the corpses of all the dragons he killed inside the spatial node, that could still be explained away as a rather bloody and barbaric fighting style.

But devouring the corpse of the dead Azure Abyss Dragon in front of everyone would inevitably arouse suspicion.

To be safe, Anton had chosen to handle it in private after he left.

He raised his hand and waved. The Azure Abyss Dragon’s massive corpse flew out of his sleeve and crashed heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Even in death, its massive body still radiated a terrifying pressure.

The rippling patterns on its scales had dimmed, but their former splendor was still visible.

With a flicker of thought from Anton, the Sword Pill leaped from his chest and sank into the Azure Abyss Dragon’s corpse.

The next moment, the Azure Abyss Dragon’s massive body began to disintegrate.

Scales, flesh, bones, the Dragon Crystal… everything was stripped away, broken down, and reverted to its most primitive form of vital essence by the Secret Technique of the Devouring Spirit Dao.

A thick, scarlet mist of blood erupted from the corpse like a small volcano, churning and coalescing in the air.

Within the mist, the phantom of an Azure Abyss Dragon could be faintly seen, struggling and roaring.

It was the residual soul and will of Irad.

It was mounting a final resistance.

However, without the support of a physical body, a Residual Soul was ultimately like a tree without roots.

But in just a moment, the phantom disintegrated under the devouring sword light, breaking into countless fine motes of light that merged into the Sword Pill.

The blood mist was also swept away by the sword light.

When the last wisp of blood mist dissipated, the Azure Abyss Dragon’s corpse had vanished completely.

The Sword Pill hovered in mid-air, the Profound Light on its surface dramatically changed. It now flickered and danced like a flame, and with each pulse, it emitted a terrifying sharpness, as if it might break free from its vessel and manifest a new form at any moment.

At the same time, the vague, infant-like ’emotion’ from within the Sword Pill had also grown much clearer.

Anton could now feel the Sword Pill’s faint ’emotion’.

It was a joy born of satiety and satisfaction.

The corners of his mouth curved up slightly.

’A peak-level Legend of the royal Giant Dragon line really is a great supplement.’

’It allowed the Sword Pill to break through directly to a Top-grade Profound Artifact, bringing it one step closer to becoming a Spiritual Artifact.’

’The gains from this trip to the Subspace have far exceeded my expectations.’

’Not only did the Sword Pill advance to a Top-grade Profound Artifact, but my Light Splitting and Reunification has also broken through.’

’More importantly, we successfully destroyed the spatial node.’

’With my merits, I’m sure to receive a massive amount of Contribution Points.’

’It’ll be more than enough to exchange for six Thunder Prison Pillars.’

’As soon as I get the Thunder Prison Pillars, I’ll head to Wulei Valley, set up the Thunder Cage, draw the power of lightning into my body, and complete the final step of my breakthrough.’

The thought of soon breaking through the Shell Barrier put Anton in a cheerful mood.

Meanwhile, as the allied elites returned to Darkness Fortress, news of the spatial node’s destruction spread like wildfire, causing a massive uproar.

Along with it spread the news of how Anton had slaughtered numerous Giant Dragons and joined forces with Valin to kill the Azure Abyss Dragon.