A Dragon against the Whole World

"Wish you good luck, look forward to our next meeting."

After leaving a final blessing, Aliya’s figure vanished into thin air.

All the Molten Iron Followers present, including the perceptive Russell, were unable to detect how she left or where she went.

"Russell."

The Iron Dragon’s voice reverberated in the werewolf’s mind, devoid of any emotion: "Take people inside and thoroughly search the hall, don’t overlook anything valuable."

"Yes!"

The werewolf obeyed and immediately led the followers into the hall.

On the other side, the drizzle continued to fall, coldly splashing on the Iron Dragon Solrog’s hard scales, causing tiny water droplets to scatter.

The so-called compensation from the Messenger of Good Fortune was insignificant compared to the true value of a Legendary Artifact.

The previous development strategy of the Molten Iron Tribe had always been stable and cautious; even without those so-called fortuitous blessings and Map King, the tribe would eventually break and annex them one by one.

As for the Red Dragon Gorsas.

He was certainly powerful, but his chaotic and frenzied mind was his greatest weakness. Even without the lure of madness, there would always be another way to deal with him.

Lucky blessings?

Nonsense!

The Iron Dragon sneered at this in his heart, a suppressed fire of anger silently burned in his chest.

But facing a Legendary Powerhouse willing to calmly reason and even apologize, what could he do?

Could he rage incompetently as if he were a young dragon and lead the tribe in a suicidal charge?

No, he chose to suppress all anger, bury it deep in his heart, and remember today’s events well.

Since the Molten Iron Tribe unified the Border Area, it had been a long time since it experienced such a thorough concession. Their triumphant return to the wilderness had almost made him forget the taste of being forced to compromise.

Tasting it again now, it was a unique flavor.

"If Galos were here, facing a formidable enemy hard to defeat, he might have made the same choice as I did."

"Temporarily endure, silently accumulate strength until the claws become sharper than the enemy’s, then seize the opportunity to reclaim everything with interest."

"Of course, this refers to his previous self."

"Now, under the influence of madness, the frenzied Galos might recklessly fight to the death against the Messenger of Good Fortune... that would be far from a wise choice."

He thought calmly.

Having deeply engraved Aliya’s appearance, voice, aura, and all details into his mind, the Iron Dragon Solrog no longer lingered. He suddenly flapped his wings, soaring into the sky against the dense rain curtain, carrying a sense of wet chill and gloom, heading straight toward the Quenching Plateau.

Time flowed like water, day and night alternating.

The Molten Iron Tribe temporarily halted its outward expansion, focusing instead on digesting acquired territories, with the Northwest Region of the wilderness seeing increasingly stable and profound dominance.

The Border Area, Dragon Valley, remained a world wrapped in ice and snow.

On a certain day, the blizzard was especially fierce, seemingly trying to submerge the entire valley.

During the roaring storm, the Red Iron Giant Dragon resting and sleeping in the depths of Burning Steel Castle slowly opened its massive eyes.

"Roar—!"

A deep dragon roar echoed from within the castle, penetrating the barrier of wind and snow, resonating through the valley.

Galos stretched his long-slumbering and somewhat stiff body, accompanied by a dense clattering sound as countless old and aged scales fell off, revealing the bottom beneath, thicker, harder, shimmering with a dark metallic luster of brand-new dragon scales.

His body had noticeably expanded since his sleep, muscles contracting and expanding beneath the heavy scale armor, filled with a sense of explosive power.

The emanating Dragon Qi also became more solid and imposing.

"Though the battle with Gorsas was brutal, the benefits it brought were concrete."

Galos felt the surging power within, casting an Investigation Technique on himself.

Life Level: 18.

Thanks to that frenzied and reckless life-and-death struggle, and the tribe’s continuous offerings of immense resources, he autonomously broke through the life-level bottleneck out of the Dragon Sleep state.

This was a rare achievement for a Giant Dragon with a long growth cycle.

Meanwhile, his combat level naturally rose to level 11, enhancing his mastery and application of his own power.

Galos raised his massive right forepaw, slowly extending a hooked claw, intensely focused.

Whoosh.

A strand of solid Dragon Qi emerged from the tip of the hooked claw.

But unlike the previous fiery feeling, this strand of Dragon Qi carried a cold and desolate sense.

This signified that Galos had officially embarked on the path of the Eternal Dragon, beginning to master its related powers.

Additionally, he naturally comprehended the first skill of the Eternal Path.

Life Extraction—forcing the extraction of a portion of life essence from surrounding creatures within a certain range to restore one’s injuries and vitality.

Galos was lacking recovery skills.

This, for him, was akin to a timely assistance, compensating for a personal shortcoming.

With the elevation of the Eternal Path, other powerful skills awaited acquisition, and these skills, combined with his evolved super dragon body, made him even stronger.

Currently, with no other living creatures around, Galos temporarily extinguished the thought of testing the new skill’s effect on the spot.

Instead, he turned his attention to the depths of his consciousness.

The cluster of invisible flames representing madness continued to quietly burn in his mind, accumulating Fury quietly, only with Galos’ adaptation over time, its speed had slightly slowed.

"Completely adapting and even mastering this madness, I reckon, won’t be a quick or easy task."

Galos was not discouraged; instead, he was eager to try.

"Good! It will serve as the best whetstone, for during the confrontation with it, my mental resistance is improving every moment. When I truly manage to harness it, most psychic attacks on me will cease to be effective."

Time always stands on the side of the Giant Dragon, and he gladly accepted this long and hazardous challenge.