Chapter 174: I Will Eventually Become a Dragon Rider
The colossal dragon’s might permeated the air, and the crimson and black dragon flames swept over in an instant, devouring the land.
The laws of space itself warped under the heat capable of incinerating stars, let alone the air.
Even for a Mythical Creature, this was a genuine full-power burst, a dragon’s breath capable of destroying demigods.
However, Shaya did not evade the dragon flames that surged like a tide.
“What a familiar feeling.”
Although the form of expression was different, the authority contained within the dragon’s breath gave Shaya a sense of similarity.
It was very much like the Lord of Ashes, whom he had “bull-headed” with a supreme sacred artifact.
“The Divinity and Authority of every True God are unique.”
“And unless their Divinity is usurped, even if their physical bodies are annihilated, they can still return from the distant Astral Realm through the passage of long Time.”
“Since the Lord of Ashes appeared in later generations, it means this Mythical Creature dragon did not live to see the Second Era.”
Shaya looked at the black dragon roaring before him, its dragon pupils filled with withered dead silence, like an inanimate object, and couldn’t help but sigh.
Following that, a strange, demonic pattern slowly appeared in his eyes.
*Crack—*
This was the sound of something shattering.
In that instant, it was as if ten million pitch-black petals bloomed and then shattered.
The monstrous dragon flames froze before Shaya’s eyes, then turned to ice.
Shaya walked through the desolate ruins, with myriads of pitch-black cherry blossoms falling like rain in the background.
“Hiss hiss hiss~ (Master, you’re alright?)”
The Quicksilver Snake in Shaya’s hand cautiously opened one eye.
Seeing the immense momentum, it had already braced itself to be a cannon fodder, then trigger its fate to rewind and reload.
It never expected its newly recognized Master to be so formidable.
In the past, because of its complete lack of combat power, it was merely a “little brother among little brothers” in the First Era, despite being a mythical creature.
Let alone offending other Mythical Creatures, even some Legends could step on it. It could only survive by relying on the Authority of Fate.
Now that it had recognized a powerful figure, wouldn’t it be able to strut around?
In an instant, the little snake concocted a five-million-word plot for “Rebirth in the First Era: The Arrogant and Unrestrained Snake.”
“In my previous life, I lived a pathetic existence, bullied by every god. This time, I will reclaim all the dignity I lost.”
*Clang—*
Shaya’s sharp rap on its head jolted the snake, which was lost in its fantasies, back to reality.
Feeling the “little snake, endure,” and “the appointed time of the three eras has arrived, welcome back, Snake King,” and other such fantasies transmitted from their Soul Pact, Shaya couldn’t help but get a headache.
Did this “five-combat-power snake” always think such things?
However, Shaya quickly withdrew his scattered thoughts.
His footsteps paused at the center of the desolate ruins.
Before him, the giant black dragon had just unleashed its dragon’s breath, clearly expending a great deal of energy. Even the crimson and black radiance permeating its scales had dimmed slightly.
However, sensing Shaya’s approach, the black dragon still raised its head.
Its massive leathery wings unfurled.
A hint of hostility suddenly appeared in its withered, dead, dim eyes.
Crimson and black radiance slowly gathered in its maw, about to erupt once more.
However, facing the black dragon’s undisguised hostility and killing intent, Shaya simply chuckled softly.
“It’s quite a reckless burst.”
“Your body has long been corroded to the point of near desiccation. Each such burst is equivalent to suicide, only further weakening your already fragile will until you completely lose control.”
“Although Mythical Creatures cannot truly die… in this era where True Gods walk the world, losing control of one’s Divinity is akin to becoming a lamb ready for slaughter in the eyes of other Deities.”
Shaya shook his head slightly.
His gaze fell upon the dragon egg shrouded in darkness behind the black dragon.
“Your will is already on the verge of corruption and collapse, yet you still acted in a way that is tantamount to suicide…”
“All of this is because of…”
“Her, isn’t it.”
As Shaya spoke, the dead silence and turbidity in the black dragon’s dim, withered pupils slightly receded.
Instead, a ferocity, as if its deepest pride had been touched, emerged.
Crimson and black dragon flames, far more potent than before, gathered and transformed into the roar of the ultimate dragon.
However, facing the attack at such close range, Shaya simply extended his hand calmly.
Then.
Gently, he placed it on the head of the black dragon, whose fury seemed capable of destroying the world at any moment.
The next moment—
The crimson and black dragon flames slowly receded, and then dissipated into nothingness.
If it were any other Mythical Creature, such unrestrained, seemingly insane outburst would require Shaya to be cautious. After all, physical defense was never his strong suit, and he didn’t have the reckless courage to charge head-on like Little Ai.
However, this was a black dragon with the same Authority as the Lord of Ashes.
And after usurping that supreme sacred artifact, Shaya could, to some extent, be considered a “mini Lord of Ashes.” Flames of this magnitude could not harm him in the slightest.
The dragon’s breath failed twice consecutively.
Even though this black dragon’s Divine Sense was clearly not very clear, with most of it corrupted and polluted, it still sensed something was wrong with the sliver of rationality remaining.
However, before it could react.
The next moment.
A radiant silver moon appeared in Shaya’s eyes.
Among Shaya’s many Familiars, if one were to speak of who had improved the most during the ten years in Eden, it would undoubtedly be Silver.
Not only was “Amaterasu” perfected with the sponsorship of the Lord of Ashes, but “Tsukuyomi” also received sponsorship from the Crimson Moon.
And unlike the Lord of Ashes, who had only his wool plucked by the loss of a sacred artifact, the unlucky old fool, Crimson Moon, had directly donated his body to the Sun Furnace, refined into a sarira within it.
By devouring Crimson Moon’s sarira over the past few days, Silver had also allowed Tsukuyomi to be perfected and advance.
Tsukuyomi could now be considered a genuine “Mythical Skill.”
And as is well known, illusions have always been the greatest bane of Tailed Beasts that have lost control.
A gigantic silver moon slowly reflected at the edge of the sky.
Then, it occupied the entire field of vision of the black dragon.
“I have no interest in communicating with a half-mad beast, even if this rampaging beast is a genuine Mythical Creature.”
A distant voice echoed at the edge of the sky.
“So, awaken.”
“In your original form.”
…
Time seemed to freeze in the sub-plane, with only the crimson and black lava flowing endlessly on the ground.
After a long while.
The ferocious black dragon opened its eyes again.
However, unlike the previous withered, ashen, corpse-like dead silence.
This time, the black dragon’s pupils carried a hint of clarity.
This was the radiance unique to intelligent beings.
Its pitch-black dragon scales also shed a few layers, revealing their original golden radiance.
It gazed at Shaya, fragments of its shattered memory slowly resurfacing, tinged with disbelief.
*Roar, roar, roar—*
A majestic dragon roar echoed between heaven and earth.
“Although I can understand it, I don’t particularly like communicating in Ancient Dragon language.”
“It’s a language designed specifically for dragons, with pronunciation that goes against human physiological instincts.”
Shaya’s thoughts stirred, and a small silver cube appeared in his hand.
He played with it for a moment, then tossed it to the black dragon before him: “A small device that can convert mental fluctuations into corresponding languages. You can call it a translator.”
The black dragon took the metal cube.
With the wisdom of a Mythical Creature, mastering the use of such a novel object was not difficult.
However, its gaze towards Shaya became even more astonished.
“You awakened me from my disordered madness… and you possess a sacred artifact I’ve never seen before.”
“But you appear to be a pure human?”
“As far as I know, the strongest among humans have only just reached the threshold of Legend.”
The peak is barely entering Legend, not even reaching the Throne?
So, the sixth-tier king in that kingdom was already considered a top-tier human.
First Era humans were truly quite weak then.
Then again, according to the Quicksilver Snake’s description—
In the First Era, Dragons, Elves, and Giants were the protagonists of the era.
And humans were merely insignificant supporting characters.
Shaya’s thoughts flickered, but he did not reveal them.
“It’s quite a coincidence, I was actually nominated by some humans below to be your sacrifice.”
Shaya smiled at the black dragon before him.
“However, it seems… the sacrifice won’t be happening now.”
“So, if you don’t mind, could you tell me—”
Shaya spoke calmly.
“About the origin of the Great Calamity era, and the details of the ‘Calamity of Light’.”
“And, why you, a Mythical Creature, have fallen into such a state.”
“Also—”
Shaya paused slightly.
“The location of that island belonging to the High Elves, the Lost Island.”
…
Shaya’s voice was gentle, as if he were genuinely negotiating.
The black dragon looked deeply at Shaya.
It could sense that the other party’s physical body was very young, brimming with unparalleled vitality.
Not to mention among Mythical Creatures, even compared to the most ordinary humans, he could be called a youth.
But at this moment, the faint aura emanating from the black-haired, black-eyed youth gave him the feeling of gazing upon the clouds.
It was as if the one standing before him was not a human of flesh and blood, but one of those Deities superior to him.
Too many mysteries surrounded the other party—why could a race like humans, whose peak was barely Legend, produce such a formidable being that made him tremble? Why could he suppress the disorder and madness that even other Mythical Creatures could not handle? Why was his dragon’s breath useless against him? He even sensed a similar Authority from the other party.
However, the dragon did not ask.
Given its previous state of uncontrolled madness, coupled with the other party’s revealed Status, if he had malicious intentions, it would have already perished.
Since he had awakened it, it meant that, at least at this moment, the other party held no ill will towards it.
“The Calamity of Light…”
“That is truly a distant memory.”
…
As experienced at the beginning of every era.
The First Era also had a glorious, prosperous, peaceful, and flourishing golden age.
It was a paradise and utopia for higher races like Dragons, Elves, and Giants.
The supreme Sun God resided on the Throne of Heaven in the clouds.
The Dragon Kingdom, the Royal Court of Elves and Giants spanned the mortal realm.
It was an era bathed in golden light.
And the dragon before him was not its current pitch-black appearance, but a Golden Dragon, highly revered even among Pureblood Dragons.
If the previous Dragon King had advanced further and become a true subordinate god, constantly accompanying the Throne of Heaven, then the Golden Dragon would have had a chance to become the new Dragon King.
However—
The peaceful Glorious Era never lasted forever. Only chaos and disaster were the main themes of this World.
No one knew why that pure white Sun God fell from the Throne of Heaven.
But it did happen.
And thus, the sun, which once brought warmth and order, became the source of forbidden calamity.
The “Calamity of Light.”
The opposite of the most brilliant light is extreme darkness.
And all who bathed in the sunlight would suffer varying degrees of erosion and corruption.
The higher one’s Status, especially those races who had once received the Sun God’s blessings of Divinity and Authority, the more severe the erosion and corruption they would suffer.
Thus—
A disaster that engulfed the entire World descended.
“The first to lose control were the subordinate gods who once served the Sun God.”
“During the Glorious Era, almost every Mythical Creature envied their status of being close to the Throne of Heaven, but when the Great Calamity descended, those who stood higher in the Glorious Era fell harder.”
“And I, as a Golden Dragon who once stood at the apex of the dragon race… naturally suffered the most severe blow.”
The black dragon turned and looked at the withered ruins behind it.
From the broken walls and ruins scattered everywhere, a vague image of its past magnificent splendor could be discerned.
“This was once the Dragon Royal Court.”
The Golden Dragon spoke with a dry voice.
From the clouds to the dust.
The races that once ruled this land, such as the Dragons, Elves, and Giants, all disintegrated in that Calamity of Light.
The vast majority of them died in the initial loss of control and madness, with only a very few suppressing their impulsive madness and hiding in various parts of the Continent.
Only these ruined Royal Court ruins remained, recording their past glory.
“Conversely, humans, due to their low Status and never having received the Sun God’s blessings—”
“Were not greatly affected by the Great Calamity and retained their complete civilization and kingdoms.”
So, that’s how it is.
I was wondering why races like Dragons, Elves, and Giants were so powerful. Once they reached adulthood, they would be at least Tier 3 or 4, and adult Pureblood Dragons were directly at the Legend rank.
Moreover, these races had intelligence not inferior to humans and lifespans that were incomparably long compared to humans.
If they had developed normally, humans would likely never have had a chance to rise.
Under the Calamity of Light, the powerful perished, and the weak survived—
It was reminiscent of the meteor extinction of dinosaurs, which gave primates the opportunity to reproduce and develop.
Shaya’s thought flashed by.
The next moment, he heard the Golden Dragon speak again.
“You said you were going to find the Lost Island where the High Elves reside, right?”
Light ignited in its withered dragon pupils.
Then, it slowly shifted its gaze to the center of the ruined palace, upon the pitch-black dragon egg.
“I can help you find the location of the Lost Island.”
“But, in exchange, I have a request.”
