Free Web NovelGaroth emerged from the depths of the trench, dragging the chrome dragon's mangled body behind him.
At this moment, Claudia's charred scales occasionally released wisps of steam from the cracks, mingling with the hissing sound of seawater evaporating. He looked like a fish that had been gutted and roasted over charcoal.
The grip of the six massive arms had loosened.
One of the red iron dragon's foreclaws remained clamped on the broken scales at the back of his neck, dragging him upward as they swam. Claudia's body swayed helplessly in the seawater, his limbs dangling limp, without any voluntary movement.
But his chest was still faintly rising and falling.
Though it was so shallow it was barely perceptible.
Without a doubt, a sliver of life still lingered within this broken husk.
Very faint, like a candle flame swaying in a storm, threatening to be extinguished at any moment.
For any other creature—even a Mandate existence—suffering injuries this severe would mean death ten times over.
But dragons possessed an unparalleled advantage in physical resilience.
For a great dragon that had reached the Mandate level, as long as this breath hadn't been cut off and a shred of vitality remained, death was merely a temporary concept. Recovery was only a matter of time.
It was like wild grass: even if burned down to the roots, given time, it could break through the soil again and sprout new shoots.
This pleased Garoth.
He hadn't wanted a corpse in the first place.
The red iron dragon hoisted Claudia before him, his Eye of Truth scanning every inch of his body.
Damage exceeded ninety percent.
His internal organs were a mess, nearly every bone was broken, large areas of muscle had necrotized, and not a single intact scale could be found on his armor. He looked like a lump of rotting meat that barely maintained the outline of a dragon.
But he was alive.
Instinct was still functioning.
Waves of chilling cold were slowly seeping from the depths of his bone marrow, sealing the most fatal wounds, freezing broken blood vessels, and forming temporary support structures within his body.
Without external intervention, he could survive on his own.
The problem was, where would he put him during this time?
Garoth issued a call in his mind.
"Cerora."
A few breaths later, the green dragon's lazy yet cautious consciousness responded.
"Finished with the chrome dragon?"
She asked, "Did you capture him alive, kill him, or did he escape?"
"He has one last breath left—deeply comatose. I'm holding him by the scruff of his neck."
Garoth continued descending with the chrome dragon in tow. The low-pressure seawater parted around them, and light began to filter up from below, growing brighter.
"Your dream interference helped a little."
"Given his state after repeated injuries, he was completely unable to resist me."
He gave the green dragon a sense of involvement, then paused thoughtfully.
"I want to ask you something," he said. "Can you construct a long-term dreamscape to keep Claudia's will in a state of severe trauma, constantly trapped, unable to wake?"
There was a brief silence on the other end.
"No."
The green dragon's voice sounded again, more serious than before.
"A Mandate great dragon's will is not something I can oppose for long."
Cerora explained, "You should understand that combat on the level of will isn't just about technique—it's also about rank and foundation. Claudia is an Ancient Chrome Dragon. No matter how badly injured he is, his foundation is still there."
"Brief confusion is possible. I can set various traps and illusions in his dreams, making him unable to distinguish truth from falsehood."
Waves of chilling cold were slowly seeping from the depths of his bone marrow, sealing the most fatal wounds, freezing broken blood vessels, and forming temporary support structures within his body.
"Every additional day, the risk of failure multiplies. Once his body begins to self-repair, pain and hunger will tear apart any dreamscape. At that point, all restraints will fail."
Garoth wasn't discouraged.
Cerora's talent was indeed powerful when it came to interference and confusion, but using it to imprison a Mandate-level great dragon for an extended period was beyond her capabilities—he was asking too much of her.
He needed to find another way.
At the same time, Garoth broke through the surface of the sea.
The salty sea breeze, carrying splashing waves, struck his scales. He hovered in midair as sunlight fell, illuminating both dragons and casting distorted, massive shadows across the sea's surface.
"So, how do you plan to deal with him?"
Cerora's voice rang out again. "I know you want to tame him, but you need at least a place to confine him."
"He's a Mandate great dragon."
"Once he recovers even slightly, the places that can hold him are few and far between. Ordinary cages won't contain him. Legendary guards are nothing more than snacks to him. You can't just guard him yourself forever—you have your own things to do."
Cerora was right.
He didn't have a prison capable of holding a Mandate great dragon.
Even if he did, it wouldn't be safe.
Claudia's Law-Eating fangs could tear through space. Ordinary seals, barriers, or prisons were useless against him.
If he couldn't be confined, Garoth couldn't just tie the chrome dragon to himself and drag him along on campaigns.
But then...
Garoth hovered over the vast ocean, chrome dragon in claw, his gaze fixed on the endless, distant horizon.
He seemed lost in thought.
Then he spoke: "I know where to put him first."
Without further explanation, the red iron dragon tore open the space before him with his claws, cleanly ripping a rift. He stepped through, dragging the chrome dragon with him.
Meanwhile.
The surface of the Sacred Spring was as calm as ever.
The white sky hung low, reflecting off the water like a placid piece of cold jade. No wind stirred the lake. Even the smallest ripple was absent. The entire scene was nearly frozen, as if time had stopped flowing here.
The Silver Dragon King Nereus had submerged herself within.
She coiled around the rocks at the bottom of the spring, her silver-white body almost blending in with the surrounding stone. Her eyes were closed, her breathing nearly halted. Only the occasional fine stream of bubbles escaping from her nostrils proved she was still alive.
Twilight.
It had arrived.
Like a tide, it surged in wave after wave, trying to drag her into eternal slumber.
But here, the extreme cold helped her stay awake.
Under her deliberate guidance, the spring water continuously stimulated her scales, muscles, and bones. Countless fine needles seemed to pierce her body, forcing her to maintain the most basic vigilance.
This was the most primitive and effective way to combat twilight.
Use physical pain to suppress the weariness deep in the soul.
But this was only a delay—not a cure.
"Can't sleep..."
Nereus repeated to herself.
She knew that one day, even the deepest cold of the Sacred Spring would be unable to resist the drowsiness seeping from her very soul.
When that day came, she would close her eyes and become a part of dragon history—remembered by future dragons through legends and songs.
But not today.
The Silver Dragon King opened her eyes.
Her pupils lit up in the darkness, like two cold stars.
She sensed something.
The outer space of the Dragon Domain had been torn open.
A presence like blazing flames and forged steel had entered the airspace of the Vophal Dragon Domain.
This method of arrival was distinctive. She recognized it. But then, she sensed another presence.
Weak, yet concealing danger.
Like dying embers beneath the surface—no visible heat, but if the ashes were swept aside, it could reignite and burn everything down.
"That is..."
Nereus lifted her head. Her silver-white body rose from the lakebed, droplets of water rolling off her flawless scales like shattered pearls.
She surfaced and gazed into the sky toward the tear in the firmament.
A dark red rift hung across the heavens.
A great dragon covered in dark, pitch-black scales leaped out of it. His body was a size larger than the last time they had met. The color of his scales had deepened, nearly approaching pure black.
And clamped beneath his right claw was the broken, charred body of another great dragon.
...A chrome dragon?
The Deep Freeze Tyrant?
There were only so many dragons above crown-level.
Among them, only one was a chrome dragon.
Nereus had naturally heard of the Deep Freeze Tyrant.
Claudia. An Ancient Chrome Dragon. Known for his cruelty and madness. A recognized unstable factor within dragon society. Many dragons preferred to take detours rather than provoke him.
But now, this evil dragon—who had struck fear into countless creatures—was being dragged by the scruff like a dead fish.
Her eyes widened slightly as her perception swept over the chrome dragon.
His condition was tragic.
His body was charred and carbonized. His injuries were horrifying even by dragon standards—teetering on the brink of death.
But what caught Nereus's attention the most was Claudia's expression.
On his nearly carbonized, terrifying face, the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned. Beneath his closed eyelids, there seemed to be traces of something wet at the corners of his eyes.
It was a little strange.
Like a tortured soul that had finally found some kind of satisfaction in the last moment.
Nereus was puzzled.
What had Claudia experienced before he fell into unconsciousness to leave him with such an expression?
But she didn't dwell on it.
At the same time, the dragons within the Vophal Dragon Domain were disturbed.
Several figures rose from different directions, warily gazing toward the sky.
But once they recognized who it was, they quickly calmed down.
After all, Garoth wasn't a first-time visitor, and it wasn't the first time he had undergone such a dramatic transformation. The last time he had come, he had been sharp and aggressive—looking even more dangerous than now.
"Is that the Scarlet Emperor Cangxing?"
"What dragon is he carrying? Given its size, it must be at least crown-level."
"Look at the curve of those horns—it looks like a chrome dragon."
...
Murmurs spread through the dragon crowd.
Soon, a command came from the direction of the Sacred Spring.
The Silver Dragon King had given orders to welcome him.
Garoth, carrying the chrome dragon, ignored the countless eyes upon him. He flew straight across the Dragon Domain's airspace, heading toward the Silver Dragon King's location.
He passed through mountain peaks and over dense forests. The surface of the Sacred Spring came into view.
On the lake's surface, a silver-white figure stood there.
Nereus's body shimmered with a silver-white luster under the sunlight. Every scale looked like polished metal, arranged in perfect order.
Garoth descended.
The wind pressure from his dragon wings bent the treetops below, producing a rustling sound as he landed.
The Silver Dragon King glanced at the chrome dragon first, then shifted her gaze to the red iron dragon's faceplate.
"If I'm not mistaken, this is Claudia."
She tilted her head slightly. "How did you manage this? Bringing him here?"
"I used some methods that weren't particularly gentle."
Garoth said, releasing his claw and dropping the chrome dragon.
The chrome dragon hit the ground with no reaction, lying on his side.
Nereus took two steps closer and looked down at him.
Her gaze lingered on his wounds for a few seconds, then shifted to his face, observing that eerie smile.
"He's not dead."
She said, a hint of confusion in her tone. "You spared his life. Why? If you wanted to kill him, given the severity of these wounds, one more strike would have been enough."
"Because I don't want to kill him."
Garoth said, his voice low.
His gaze also fell on the chrome dragon. "Killing him isn't hard, but losing a Mandate great dragon is a loss for the entire dragon race."
Nereus's eyes showed surprise.
She looked at Garoth, waiting for him to continue.
Then, Garoth roughly explained his thoughts and intentions to the Silver Dragon King. He wanted to tame Claudia—to turn this mad dragon from chaos to order, from enemy to ally.
After hearing him out, Nereus was silent for a while.
"Are you serious?" she asked.
Garoth nodded. "I never joke about such things."
He hadn't considered such matters before because there was no need.
But now, as he was gradually reaching corresponding heights, he needed to consider more macro-level matters.
"Garoth, few dragons can maintain such clarity in the face of hatred and self-interest."
Nereus said, her tone carrying approval.
"You are still young, yet you have already become more powerful than many ancient dragons. But the broad perspective you possess surprises me even more than your strength."
She paused, her gaze shifting from Garoth to the distant mountains and forests.
"The dragon race has been pushed to the margins in this era. Other races are rising, deities are lurking, and dragons continue their internal conflicts and mutual slaughter."
She withdrew her gaze, looking directly at Garoth.
"Every Mandate is precious."
"In this era, losing one Mandate great dragon could mean losing a chance to turn the tables in some future war. If Claudia can be guided from chaos to order, from tyranny to control... that would indeed be a good thing."
She paused again, then continued, "But it will require time, patience, and a safe enough place to confine him. Somewhere he can't escape while you try to guide and change him."
"Do you have such a place?"
"This is precisely why I've come."
Garoth stated directly, his tone sincere. "I want to confine him here in the Vophal Dragon Domain. Please, Your Majesty, temporarily watch over him."
"I believe that with your power and experience, you can ensure that even if he wakes, he won't be able to cause chaos."
"On Bernardo, I can't think of a more suitable place, nor a more trustworthy being."
Nereus was momentarily stunned.
Then she gave a helpless smile.
"Garoth Ignas..."
"Not long ago, I promised to open the Dragon Domain's gates to you, and now you've brought me a mad dragon that could snap at any moment—and you want me to be his personal warden."
"I'm an old dragon already. You really know how to cause me trouble."
She sighed, but there was no real refusal in her voice.
Garoth smiled back, lowering his massive head slightly in respect.
"It's because I admire the Dragon King that I thought of the Vophal Dragon Domain first."
He said, "Across the entire Material Plane, the places capable of confining a Mandate-level being are few. And the one willing to help me with this... is likely only you."
"Besides..."
Garoth lifted his gaze, meeting the Silver Dragon King's eyes.
"This isn't simply a burden."
"You are fighting twilight. And one of the most effective ways to combat twilight is to keep yourself occupied—to find purpose."
"Protecting the Dragon Domain is a great duty, but most of the time, it's tedious."
"Day after day, year after year, nothing changes."
"You need a new challenge."
"And confining a Mandate great dragon, treating his mental illness, guiding him from madness to control—that is undoubtedly a challenging enough task. At least for a long time to come, you won't find yourself bored."
Hearing this, Nereus blinked.
The corner of her mouth twitched upward, forming an ambiguous smile.
"Foisting a mentally unstable Mandate evil dragon on me, and then claiming you're helping me fight twilight?"
"Garoth, you have a silver tongue. No wonder you managed to gather a group of metallic dragons who should have been hostile to you around you when you were still very young."
The red iron dragon grinned. "So, you agree?"
Nereus looked down at the broken body of the Ancient Chrome Dragon. Then she tilted her head slightly, shooting a glance at Garoth.
"Leave him with me for now."
She finally said. "You're right. I do need a challenge to fight against twilight."
"But don't expect me to train him for you. Taming dragons isn't my specialty—and you seem to have become quite skilled at it. I'll only help you keep an eye on him, make sure he can't escape if he wakes up, and can't cause chaos once he's awake."
Garoth said, "That's enough."
He only needed a safe place to confine Claudia—a place where he couldn't escape during his recovery. As for the taming, he would do it himself.
Once Claudia's body had recovered enough for his consciousness to begin awakening, he would return.
That would be the real beginning.
After finishing the serious topic, the Silver Dragon King's gaze fell on Garoth's dark-black scales.
She observed them carefully for a few seconds, then said, "I can feel the destructive energy within you. I didn't expect the Fury Curse could be utilized like this."
Then, she changed her tone.
"But, Garoth, I must warn you."
"Behind this curse, there is likely the hand of a Primordial God."
Her tone turned serious. "Just as when you gaze into the Abyss, the Abyss gazes back. You are using its power, but it is also observing you, influencing you."
"This kind of power definitely comes at a cost."
The red iron dragon nodded his massive head. "Everything has a cost. Before doing this, I weighed the risks and benefits."
He had indeed thought it through carefully.
What was the source of the Fury Curse's power? What was its true nature? What effects would mastering it have on his own will and soul?
He couldn't claim to know everything.
But he knew what he was doing, and he knew the possible consequences.
"Since you have a clear head about it, I won't say more."
The Silver Dragon King said, then suddenly continued, "Above Legendary lie the deities and immortals, Garoth. You will likely choose the Path of Immortality."
Garoth didn't deny it.
The path of deities wasn't suitable for him.
A dragon's power came from within, and he didn't want to be constrained by faith.
"But there are differences among immortals as well."
The Silver Dragon King asked, "Do you know how immortal beings become stronger? I mean stronger in essence—not just an accumulation of power—but a more important leap in Potency."
Garoth shook his head.
The Dragon Legacy wasn't all-knowing.
When it came to realms beyond immortality, the knowledge recorded in the Legacy grew increasingly sparse. Much of it was vague or even contradictory.
Some knowledge only existed among those who had truly stepped into that realm—passed down through word of mouth or circulated through more secretive means.
A top-level Mandate like the Silver Dragon King surely knew more than he did.
Garoth spoke seriously, "If the Dragon King knows the secrets within, please enlighten me."
Nereus looked up at the high, distant sky.
The clouds were thin. She could faintly see distant stars and the void beyond.
"There are also distinctions of strength among immortals."
She said slowly. "Legendary is breaking free from the shackles of the mundane. Mandate is pushing one's own potential to its limit. And immortality... is a process of constantly breaking and reshaping limits."
She withdrew her gaze, looking back at the red iron dragon.
"You already know that immortals must condense Potency—elevating their most fundamental talents."
"But Potency is not static."
"When one first enters immortality, their Potency is just a seed, a seedling—or rather, a branch. It needs to be watered to truly grow into a towering tree with lush foliage, covering a broader domain."
"And the way to water Potency..."
The Silver Dragon King paused, a cold gleam flashing in her eyes.
"Is blood."
Hearing this, Garoth's mind trembled slightly.
He maintained his composure, but his attention was completely focused.
The Silver Dragon King said solemnly, "More precisely, it is hunting down immortals who possess the same type of Potency, seizing their Potency, and integrating it into your own."
"For example..."
Nereus's gaze grew deep, the reflection of the red iron dragon in her pupils.
"Suppose the Potency you eventually condense is related to evolution. Then, if you want to raise the upper limit of your evolution Potency—to let it grow from a seed into a great tree—you must find other immortals who possess evolutionary-type Potency."
"Defeat them. Kill them. Seize their Potency."
"Every branch you seize makes your Potency more complete. Your potential cap rises by another notch. This is the only way for immortals to grow stronger. There is no second path."
Garoth was lost in thought.
The Silver Dragon King's words essentially pointed out that he possessed an evolutionary-type talent.
But he wasn't too surprised by this.
His growth trajectory was obvious. As long as someone carefully examined his path here, discovering this was not surprising.
"Evolution..."
Garoth said, "It's just a vague concept with a broad scope. Different creatures have different understandings of evolution."
"That's correct."
Nereus nodded slightly.
"Evolution is just a general direction. It can be further subdivided into many specific paths."
She extended a claw and listed them one by one. "For example, the mutation brought by the Fury Curse is essentially a violent and uncontrollable transformation—an extreme form of evolution."
"Besides that, there is adaptive evolution, devouring evolution, killing evolution, bloodline evolution..."
"Each subdivision of Potency shares common ground but also has essential differences. They all fall under the same general direction, but their implementation paths and final forms may be completely different."
She retracted her claw, her gaze returning to Garoth.
"If an immortal with evolutionary Potency wants to make their Potency stronger, the best way is to hunt down immortals of the same type. Every time you kill one, you absorb the parts of their Potency that complement yours."
"Only then can your Potency gradually approach perfection."
Garoth's gaze fell on the lake's surface.
His reflection in the water was being cut into countless fragments by ripples, light and shadow interweaving, making it impossible to see a clear outline.
"So,"
He slowly said, "the path of immortality is a web of mutual hunting. Every being with similar Potency is both a potential prey and a potential hunter."
At the same time, Garoth also caught the warning in the Silver Dragon King's words.
The source of the Fury Cataclysm—the true master of mutation Potency—would likely be his future competitor for evolution-type Potency.
At the same time, this being might have already taken notice of him, sharpening its fangs and licking its lips.
He had to approach this matter cautiously.
"Exactly so." Nereus said, her voice heavy.
"This is why, over the long ages, the number of immortal beings has been decreasing."
"Not because achieving immortality is difficult—though it is extremely hard—but mainly because once you step into immortality, war never ends."
"You must hunt, and you will inevitably be hunted."
"If you don't hunt others, others will hunt you. If you grow stronger, you attract stronger hunters. If you weaken, you become someone else's prey."
"Every path of immortality is paved with the bones of other immortals."
Her voice paused, then she continued, "In comparison, the path of deities is much gentler."
"Deities only need vast faith and the devotion of their followers to gradually strengthen their divine essence and expand their domain of priesthood."
"But that path doesn't belong to us."
"Deities are bound by faith and their priesthood. They are powerful, but not free. Once the faith of their followers wavers or their domain of priesthood is challenged, their power wanes."
Garoth fell silent.
On the lake, a water bird skimmed past, its wings breaking the surface and stirring a ring of ripples before disappearing into the distant forest. The water slowly calmed, reflecting the sky and the trees on either shore.
He thought of the journey he had taken.
From surviving in the wilderness, to establishing a clan, to founding a kingdom—every step of growth was steeped in blood.
The blood of enemies.
And his own.
The Path of Immortality would only be more brutal than this.
Hunting and being hunted. Taking and being taken. And every target would be no weakling—terrifying existences who had risen from countless competitors.
Even the deities who truly ruled over countless planes and worlds would not want to see overly powerful immortals rise.
Consider that the Primordial Gods were also, in essence, immortal beings.
This path had no end.
Once he set foot on it, countless dangers and conflicts would follow in relentless succession, never ceasing for a moment.
But, Garoth found that he wasn't afraid.
In fact, he was vaguely looking forward to it.
If there was a storm, let it rage even fiercer.
He looked at the Silver Dragon King and said, "Since birth, I have known that comfort and gentleness are not meant for me. My heart is often restless, and this restlessness only grows stronger as I become more powerful."
"There is only one choice before me, or rather, only one goal."
"And that is, to stand at the very top, with nothing forbidden."
The Silver Dragon King asked, "Have you considered the consequences of failure? This road is paved with mountains of corpses and seas of blood. No one who walks it has met a good end."
Stand at the very top?
The gods and deities of the heavens would not permit such a powerful existence to be born.
The further one walks on this path, the greater the resistance, the stronger the enemies. Every creature that dares to tread this path will eventually face those who sit atop the heights. At some stage, they will either stop advancing or fall into the mire.
"If I fail, it will only be my body shattered into pieces, turning to dust."
Garoth answered thus.
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