The Tyrant Dragon and the Lion King Dragon stood close to each other, yet they remained at peace. More astonishing still, not far from them another equally dominant dragon clan stronghold loomed—a colossal Stegosaurus-like Sword Dragon that sat upon a high ridge like a mountain of green jade, roaring up at the heavens.
It was over forty meters long. If one were to describe its overall appearance, it resembled a giant crocodile half-reared on its hind legs, though there were significant differences. A single, razor-sharp jade horn sprouted from its head, ten meters in length—a natural divine sword, peerless and indestructible. This was the origin of its name. Moreover, two rows of conical jade bone spikes lined its flanks, each several meters long, which could ward off powerful foes or be used in a sideward charge to inflict terrible wounds. Though the Sword Dragon's frame was smaller than those of the Tyrant Dragon and the Lion King Dragon, its body bristled with blade-like horns and spikes, allowing it to contend with the former two without falling behind.
These three fearsome dragons were all royal branches of the dragon clan. Among the nearby mountain ranges, several more dragons roared, suggesting they were likely no weaker than these three. Furthermore, Xiao Chen glimpsed several colossal silhouettes among the peaks, evidently other primeval savage beasts capable of contending with the dragons.
“What are they doing? Why are they gathered here…” Xiao Chen’s heart was full of questions.
“Ya-ya…” Keke leaped onto Xiao Chen's shoulder and pointed a tiny claw forward, as if offering an opinion.
Xiao Chen noticed that she was pointing at the sky. He found it strange and asked, “Keke, why are you pointing at the sky? There are no giant birds or winged dragons flying there.”
Keke blinked her big eyes and kept pointing at the sky with repeated cries of “Ya-ya.”
“Keke, what are you doing?” Xiao Chen was puzzled.
Feeling that her efforts were wasted, Keke huffed and tugged at a lock of Xiao Chen's long hair, then jumped off his shoulder and ran over to the three skeletons.
Xiao Chen shook his head in bewilderment, but just then he suddenly noticed an immensely towering mountain floating in the sky—a sacred mountain that exuded an aura of endless antiquity and desolation.
Xiao Chen was shocked. How could this be? But when he straightened his body and looked up, the colossal mountain vanished instantly.
“A matter of perspective?” Xiao Chen began to move, shifting his position more than a dozen times before he finally saw the hazy sacred mountain again.
“Strange. Could there be some divine formation there? Otherwise, how could such an effect occur? Only a few spots in this entire area allow one to see it.”
It was a sacred mountain that deeply shook Xiao Chen. It was so magnificent that even standing atop the stump of the fifteen-hundred-meter-tall primordial tree, he had to gaze upward.
Mist shrouded the peak. There were no plants, no birds or beasts. From afar, one could sense a dead silence. Many broken, majestic ruins could be seen—grand palaces of imposing scale. Some of the magnificent structures had collapsed, eroded by endless years.
The sacred mountain was majestic and towering, exuding a sense of boundless power. From halfway up its slope all the way to the summit, ancient shattered palaces stretched upward, radiating an aura of desolation and deathly stillness, making the place seem profoundly mysterious.
The fearsome dragons and primeval savage beasts were all gathered at the foot of the sacred mountain.
Clearly, they had assembled here because of the mountain.
Thick mist sealed the sacred mountain. Dragon roars and beastly howls were chilling to the heart.
Xiao Chen kept moving across the broken surface of the giant tree, discovering that within a hundred square meters only three spots allowed him to see the mountain. It was extremely peculiar. Based on his speculation, an ancient divine formation must be sealed there.
“Keke, have you seen that sacred mountain before?”
Keke shook her head, then with a soft sound she leaped onto the skull of the Samara King and began studying the sacred mountain with renewed curiosity.
“Have these savage beasts always lived in this area?” Xiao Chen asked again. He wanted to know whether the ancient beasts had only recently arrived or had been lingering near the sacred mountain all along.
Keke nodded, telling Xiao Chen that this region had always been a haunt of primeval beasts.
“So the sacred mountain hasn’t appeared recently. These ancient beasts have known about its existence for a long time.” Xiao Chen fell into thought. This was a sealed dragon island. In the boundless ages past, the dragons that lived here could contend with gods. If that were the case, then the ancient, mysterious palaces on that majestic, imposing sacred mountain must have been built either by the dragon race or by the divine palaces of ancient gods.
And in front of the sacred mountain stood a divine tree reaching to heaven, inviting even more boundless speculation. The breaking of this primordial tree was likely linked to the sealing of the dragons.
Xiao Chen and his companions climbed down from the primordial tree and began to secretly advance toward the sacred mountain, carefully circling wide around the primeval beasts. They had no choice but to avoid those fearsome dragons and vicious monsters.
However, when they had circled a large area and once again approached the mountain hidden in the void, they found that vicious beasts surrounded it from every direction. From afar, massive beastly shadows like small hills moved through the forest. A fierce, murderous aura filled the woods—the hallmark of terrifying beasts that had slaughtered tens of thousands of living creatures.
Xiao Chen realized with frustration that they simply could not get close. Primordial beasts roamed all around the sacred mountain. That little creature Keke—whether genuinely oblivious or truly fearless—wanted to charge straight through. If Xiao Chen hadn’t held her tightly, she would have dashed off in a flash.
Night fell. The roars of beasts diminished. The mountain ranges shook violently as many monsters roared and left, returning to their lairs.
Moonlight was like water. Xiao Chen and his group began to move. Such an opportunity was rare. He decided to approach the sacred mountain by night. The trees in this mountain region were sparse. In areas without vegetation, the ground had been trampled as hard as rock by the beasts—these were the paths of the primeval monsters.
Ahead, the towering sacred mountain flickered in and out of view. The bright moonlight poured down, draping the nearby peaks in a veil of hazy silver.
“Roooaaar!” A sudden great roar nearly deafened Xiao Chen. Leaves flew wildly in the mountain forests, and an endless fierce aura surged outward.
The Lion King Dragon had not yet left. Facing the sacred mountain, it roared at the moon. The faint yellow light of its body had almost completely transformed into dazzling golden radiance. A boundless bloody smell diffused—clearly the murderous energy accumulated from slaughtering countless beings.
It seemed to want to charge up the sacred mountain. After a series of roars, it suddenly lunged forward. The earth shook as if the heavens and earth were quaking; the nearby mountains trembled. The Lion King Dragon, massive as a mountain, smashed through endless trees, blazing with brilliant golden light, and rushed up the sacred mountain. But suddenly the dragon roar ceased. The Lion King Dragon had vanished without a trace.
A fifty-meter-long dragon king had evaporated into thin air!
A deathly stillness fell.
The Lion King Dragon was gone, as if it had charged into an unknown world.
No comments:
Post a Comment