Beneath the Red Dragon

Afternoon, the sun was fierce.

But atop the mountain peak of the Dragon Nest, which logically should be the domain of the Evil Dragon’s Nest, it was expected to be a dark and terrifying place.

Yet the Azure Thunder Fortress standing atop the peak resembled a Divine Hall inhabited by a Divine Spirit.

The entire Azure Thunder Fortress was built from sea-forged stone from the ocean. The grayish-blue sea-forged stone was smooth and delicate, naturally exuding a scent like seawater, much like the scales of an elder Blue Dragon.

Under the sunlight, the grayish-blue fortress reflected specks of light, which fell upon the coarse sandy ground weathered by the Blue Dragon Nest’s effect into a gradually desertified plateau-like surface.

The reflection from the ground and the castle’s glow adorned the vast sandy expanse, making it shimmer like a midday desert under the bright sun, with scattered golden grains spilling across the earth.

But with the two Blue Dragons in the Azure Thunder Fortress beginning their sleep cycle to transition to the next stage, their magic power started to permeate the surrounding environment through the nest’s field effect.

A heavy lead-like cloud quietly gathered above the Azure Thunder Fortress, rotating with the slow and deepening breathing rhythms of the two Blue Dragons.

Within the cloud, deep rolling thunder began to rumble, accompanied by flickering electric sparks flashing through the air.

Blue Dragon Carlette and her mate, Blue Dragon Akzhi, the two eldest Giant Dragons among the initial Dragon Group, had reached the end of their adolescent stage and began sleeping through the Youth Stage.

The adolescent, youth, and adulthood stages of a Giant Dragon are considered the golden periods of the Dragon Race and are crucial transformation periods.

Unlike other races, such as humans, who must undergo the Legendary Stage to achieve a qualitatively similar leap in growth.

Each sleep stage that a Giant Dragon experiences from its infancy brings substantial growth leaps.

The accumulative growth from these repeated sleep metamorphoses, at a certain age, allows them to gain transformations akin to the destiny choices that other races must endure to reach the Legendary Stage.

The Blue Dragon species, for the most part, can rival the Legendary stage when transitioning from an ancient dragon to an Ancient Dragon.

While other races, having experienced the destiny choices of the Legendary stage, those legendary beings can gain mighty power beyond the imagination of the mortal world.

Of course, the destiny choice of the Legendary stage isn’t necessarily some powerful force; it might just be a special talent.

The world, based on a creature’s learning, thoughts, control, and possession, comprehensively examines everything, granting a creature its innate transformation when rising to the Legendary stage.

Just like the Legendary Demon Sakres, upon investigation by the Ancestral Red Dragon, it was discovered that this guy’s destiny choice talent is the ability to carry hundreds and thousands of Abyssal Root Source Powers.

And the Law of Destiny of the Legendary stage is a step beyond, a power only the outstanding among legends can attain. It is the destiny that legendary beings create through their own choices.

Among these, the most exceptional can even break through the barriers of destiny, imprinting their unique mark upon the world’s origins.

The Dragon Race, merely by continuing their sleep cycles, can acquire the power that the Legendary stage beings obtain through arduous efforts.

Beyond the Ancient Giant Dragon, there are clear paths like the Demigod Dragon and Divine Sealing Dragon.

And Blue Dragon Akzhi and Blue Dragon Carlette have steadily taken a step towards a grand goal.

Silence on the mountain peak, only the occasional explosion of clouds, storms, and thunderbolts.

The Golden Dogman Guards of the Golden Empire, clad in special battle armor, resolutely guarded around this mountain peak fortress, watching every corner to prevent any daring but foolish intruders from disturbing the sleep of the King of Azure Thunder and his mate.

These Golden Dogmen, having iterated over several generations in the unique environment of the Golden Empire, have stabilized into a slowly evolving state from the former group beneficial mutations.

An adult Golden Dogman now stands about 1.7 meters, comparable to the poorly nourished farmers of ordinary human adulthood.

However, the Golden Dogmen are far stronger and smarter than those poorly nourished farmers in other noble territories.

More terrifyingly, these Golden Dogmen, once in long-term contact with dragons, are more susceptible to infectious mutations, becoming Dragon Descendant Dogmen.

Among the Dragon Descendant Dogmen, the emergence of Dragon Descendant Warlocks has been increasing exponentially, according to the Imperial bureaucratic statistics.

This is thanks to the growing strength of the Dragon Group within the Golden Empire, the influence of Dragon blood. With the Life Tree, revitalized within the empire’s major cities, nurturing its growth, along with abundant resources.

Apart from humans and elves, races with relatively long lifespans and slow iterations exhibit more subtle changes, typically showing that newborns are generally stronger, have higher survival rates, and easier enlightenment.

Other short-lived races, like goblins and Jackal-Wolf Men, have begun to undergo beneficial mutations similar to the Dogmen, among their original species.

Just like among the goblin species: the ordinary goblin, Earth Goblin, and Bear Goblin.

Earth Goblins are larger cousins of goblins, taller and fiercer than ordinary goblins. Bear Goblins are the most powerful leaders and warrior class among goblin-like creatures.