"So what if he is a Sixth Grade Great Adept?" Willis straightened his body in fury, "The upper limit of strength that this plane can contain is only Fourth Grade. The most power he could draw out here would be the peak of a Fourth Grade. If we threw everything we had at him, we could have exterminated his projection, crushing his foothold here in this plane!"
"Things are not as simple as you think!" Elder Singe shook his head painfully, "He is a Sixth Grade Great Adept. This means that if he ever activated his personal origin domain, he could still break through the limit of this plane and project all of his strength here. Even though the price he would have to pay for doing so would be expulsion by the planar forces, as long as he could kill us in an extremely short time, the remaining low-grade adepts would still be able to gain control of this plane!"
"That is why I said that this world's fate had already been determined when its coordinates were revealed to the evil adepts! If us Taerar Green Dragons had been any more powerful, we might have been able to beat them back where they came from. But if the price we needed to pay for that was you, Aufreyr, and the other dragons' lives, I would rather give up on this plane!" Green Dragon Clan Leader Raistlin looked down on the surrounding forest silently. His large dragon eyes were filled with an indescribable sadness.
After all, this plane had been the home that the Taerar Dragons had managed for several thousand years. It was impossible for them to not feel heartbroken now that it had been forcefully taken over by the adepts. The Taerar Dragons were still too weak. If they fought with the adepts, more than half of the adolescent dragons would forever be left on the cruel battlefield.
And this was something that Raistlin would never be able to stand for!
"…… " Willis dejectedly lowered his large dragon head.
Even though he was reluctant to admit it, he knew that this was the only thing that his father could do for the sake of the clan!
"Let's return!" Raistlin suddenly unfurled his wings and roared angrily, "The adepts movements will be quick. We must hurry back to Dragon Valley. Moving the ancestors' graves and shifting the Dragon Altar; all of these need time! Let's go!"
The few green dragons rose to the skies, accompanied by their loud and magnificent dragon roars, beating their wings and heading towards the distance.
…………
The battle had concluded once and for all.
However, the flames of war that had been ignited were not that easily extinguished.
The war tower, having experienced a brutal plane war, had finally ceased functioning and revealed its bruised, battered, and ugly body.
The materials used to hurriedly construct the tower were not proper magical stones. Naturally, its functions couldn't be compared to a proper adepts' tower. During the war, all of the tower's flaws had been hidden by the activation of its powerful defense system. It had seemed so impenetrable.
However, once the magic radiance surrounding the tower dissipated, the adepts were finally able to see the deep fissures and countless fine cracks that ran along the tower's structure. Some of this damage had been caused by external attacks, while others were caused by inferior materials bending under the stress of massive energy circulation.
In conclusion, the war tower would hardly be able to exhibit the kind of incredible dominance it had previously without a large-scale renovation.
Just as the clan adepts were busy clearing up the battlefield, creating new voodoo beasts, and guarding the tower, Greem and the other adepts who performanced well on the battlefield received an audience with the great Lord Sarubo.
Moreover, it was a private audience for each one of them.
The location of the audience was set in a dim, dark, and mysterious hall.
Having experienced the massive battle earlier, Greem finally had a basic understanding of Sixth Grade Great Adept Sarubo. He was definitely a powerful Immortal who had elementium affinity with negative energy and walked the path of an Undead Adept.
That said, Greem had absolutely no idea which class advancement Sarubo specifically chose.
Adepts that had negative energy affinity could choose to deepen their elementium affinity and walk the path of the Dark Adept, master of magic curses. Alternatively they could also learn knowledge about biological dissections, commonly belonging to the Esoteric Adepts, and craft undead creatures, walking down the path of a Summoning Adept that used undead to do their bidding. Of course if he didn't prefer entrusting his strength to other external entities, he could also walk the path of a Necromancer that strengthened his own body.
Other than these mainstream adept class advancements, there were countless other powerful adept classes that one could choose based on their own affinity and preferences. It was extremely hard for Greem to figure out the Great Adepts' path based solely on his performance today.
However, there was no doubt that he was powerful.
At least the dragons had chosen to yield before his intimidation instead of pitching their all into a final fight!
As such, Greem displayed his utmost respect when he finally met this powerful Sixth Grade Great Adept's projection in the dim hall, paying full respects to his vast knowledge and terrifying prowess.
"I have always been monitoring your growth!" The Great Adept surprised Greem the moment he spoke, "You are a fellow with plenty of talent for an outsider. You might be weak now, but there will be a day when you become strong."
Greem bent his body to hide his shock.
"There's no need to panic or fear!" The face of the projection was obscured within the shadows, but his tone was mild and gentle, "Foreign souls like you aren't that rare of a sight in the World of Adepts. As long as you have completed your advancement in the World of Adepts, it means that you have obtained the Will of the Plane’s acknowledgement. Your identity as an adept cannot be stolen from you by anyone!"
Greem could no longer hide the shock on his face.
"You are still too weak to understand these things." The Great Adept was clearly in a good mood today, and unlike what he commonly did, he explained, "Lethon. The World of Adepts we live in. Every year several dozen, and even up to hundreds, of planar eruptions will happen here. These creatures or souls that came from outside might be a potential threat for weak planes. However they are a hard-to-come-by assistance for large planes like Lethon."
"Are the adepts not worried that these outsiders could endanger the plane's development?" Greem couldn't help but ask.
"Endanger the plane's development?" The Great Adept's projection nearly laughed at the idea, "Little fellow, you have pretty wild ideas. Even us Great Adepts don't dare to disrupt and steer the development of an entire plane. And a small First Grade adept like yourself dares? Hahaha… "
"But… but isn't it mentioned in the books that the most powerful adepts are able to embed part of their personal origin laws into the planar laws, thus allowing their own laws to become part of the planar laws?"
"As you have said, only the most powerful adepts can do that! In our World of Adepts, the ones that can do that need to be at least an Eighth Grade Adept! And how many Eighth Grade Adepts are there in our world? Three. Only three!"
Greem was stunned for a second.
There were only three Eighth Grade Adepts in the World of Adepts? This number seemed to be the same as the number of large adept organizations in the World of Adepts. Could it be…
"Alright, there's no need for suspicion or doubt. The reason I called you here is because your performance in the planar war was exceptional. As your reward, you can now take this Flame Fiend's heart for yourself."
Having said that, a massive heart the size of a skull was tossed into Greem's hands. Its heavy weight left even Greem breathless.
The crimson flesh, the thick tendons, and the disgusting aura of corruption. The large heart was still beating stubbornly, and one could vaguely feel an intense aura of life radiating from it.
The heart of a Flame Fiend.
This was a powerful Fl
ame Fiend's heart!
The Flame Fiends had always been Second Grade creatures from the terrifying World of Abyss.
Just as Greem was still reveling in joy over the Flame Fiend's heart, the projection spoke once again.
"I heard you are extremely interested in the runic knowledge of this plane. Very well. I have a task here for you to complete! You need to… "
Greem quickly stored the Flame Fiend's heart and paid attention to the Great Adept's words.
Chapter 235
Skandre.
As the capital of the knights' kingdom, Skandre was undoubtedly a magnificent and glorious city.
It had been built on the mountain, with no city walls to speak off. Most of the architecture had become part of the mountainous geography.
One was able to see the entirety of Skandre standing atop Mount Mingsu.
Tall obelisks and domed hall roofs could be seen everywhere in the extensive palace. Fine corridors connected the numerous buildings as maids in court dresses hurried to and fro. If one were to look at an even closer angle, they would even able to see the tiny ant-sized human figures crowded in the busy market.
The neat, orderly streets and the rowdy traffic all contributed to a pleasant and peaceful atmosphere that permeated Skandre!
Yet at this moment, something was happening within the highest palace located on Mount Mingsu. Edward VII, an elderly yet energetic man, leaned against the edge of a wide balcony, looking silently upon the vibrant city below. Behind him Knight William, dressed in his exquisite knights' armor, loudly made his reports while holding his helmet with one hand.
As a radiant knight at the peak of Second Grade, and on the verge of advancing to Third Grade, Knight William was the Captain of the Guards. And as the king's most trusted man, bore the great responsibility of the capital's safety.
These days, most of the capital's defense had been redirected from the city as the knights followed Willis and the three dragons knights into Greenland Forest to exterminate the invaders. As the capital’s Captain of the Guards, the burden on Knight William's shoulders had been getting heavier.
"Is there still no news from Willis?" Edward VII interrupted William's report with a frown on his face. He asked with a great deal of concern in his tone.
"Still no news as of yet. The last message we got was from Blue Hillock City seven days ago. Apparently, the knights have successfully found the invaders' den. Even though they have been met with stubborn resistance, the overall progress is still considerable. It is only the lack of supplies and reinforcements that keep them from crushing the enemy's last foothold. That said, Count Vanlier of Blue Hillock City has already sent all of his subordinates to help with the transportation of supplies. News of victory is expected within four or five days!"
This was clearly good news, but Edward VII still could not drive away the haze in his heart. He wasn't sure why, but it felt like there was some illusory or phantom voice from the void sending messages of warning to him.
What was happening? Even though victory was right before him, where did this lingering worry from the bottom of his heart come from?
"Have there been any odd actions from the heretics in prison?" Edward VII suddenly stopped walking about but turned and asked loudly.
"This… " Knight William betrayed an awkward expression, as if there was something he wanted to hide.
"Speak… tell me quick… " Edward VII lunged forward and grabbed William's shoulders. He was practically shouting at this point, "Has there been anything odd?"
"Those heretics that claimed to be sages and prophets have killed themselves in their cells. Almost all of them were frantically screaming before their deaths… " Knight William hesitated for a second, but finally spoke, "It seems they had all been spouting insane words like… evil befalls and the dragons betray!"
"Evil befalls, the dragons betray?" Edward VII took a step backwards in shock when he heard this and started mumbling to himself in his panic, "Impossible, this is impossible! The dragons signed the Dragon Covenant with my ancestors. There is no way… "
Before he could finish his words, a deafening dragon's roar rumbled across from the distant horizon.
Almost immediately a wave of ferocious and chilling dragon's aura instantly covered the capital.
Knight William rushed forward, grabbed the balcony railing, and looked closely into the distance. He then turned around and shouted, "My king, it's a flight of dragons. A flight of dragons… "
It had been one thousand seven hundred years since the founding of the knights' kingdom. The kingdom had a history of friendly relations with Dragon Valley and the two parties had even signed the Dragon Covenant. This was what allowed the kingdom to gain the aid of the dragons in the continuous battles against other races, as well as helping suppress the rebellious nobles. Today, several magnificent and elegant palaces had even been built behind Mount Mingsu to serve as the quarters of the dragon companions to the three dragon knights.
Despite their alliance, it was an unavoidable issue that the dragons radiated their terrifying aura of might everywhere they went. It was not something that common folk could bear. Thus, in accordance with the Covenant, no dragon was to harass or break into any city of the kingdom. And this Covenant had been properly upheld for up to a thousand years!
But today, the dragons suddenly arrived in a flight.
This… what were they trying to do?
The panicked sounds of horns continuously blared out on the mountain ridges to the side of Mount Mingsu.
Lookouts had been constructed there, and it was obvious that the diligent soldiers had also discovered the appearance of the dragon flight.
As the sound of horns passed throughout the entirety of Skandre, the citizens of the capital started to swarm out of their homes, looking about in confusion.
It was clear that they didn't understand the meaning of the warning!
Two bright spots of light flashed on the faraway horizon. Then the rocks near the lookouts started to crumble, and the soldiers stationed there fell along with the platforms they had been standing on.
Edward VII, who saw this happen right before his eyes, felt a tug in his heart.
The dragons… the dragons were publicly assaulting the kingdom's military facilities? The situation at hand was clear, even without an explanation for it!
The silhouettes of the dragons slowly expanded under the two's fearful gazes. A dense aura of strength so thick that it could drive men to suicide fell upon the city. The dragons had arrived at the City of Skandre.
The dragons that were present were obviously adolescent green dragons. Even their appearances were extremely intimidating!
Their bright and reflective dark green dragon scales were all at least as large as washbasins. They had lean bodies with protruding bones and wicked claws that gleamed with a metallic sheen. Terrifying bone spikes covered their backs from head to toe, reflecting with a chilling light under the sun.
Their bodies weren't as fat or bloated as some large beasts in the forests, and their fine scale armor grew closely against their skin. Their perfect and flowing body lines provided them with the monstrous ability to dominate the top of the food chain on this plane.
Chaos spread throughout the capital when the dense aura fell upon the city.
Countless civilians that had never experienced such aura ran about frantically, screaming for their lives as if this was a scene out of the apocalypse.
The leading dragon radiated an imposing aura and looked down upon the panicking humans as he raised his neck to let out a great roar of satisfaction.
This dragon's roar seemed to be an order!
As the roar rumbled across the sky, a dozen massive green dragons also followed his lead and let out reverberating roars, before beating their wings and flying towards the tallest or most lavishly decorated halls in the city.
From his lookout spot high atop Mount Mingsu, Edward VII clearly saw one terrifying green dragon dive downwards at the massive s
torehouse of a famous merchant and let out a thick green dragon breath.
The human guard stationed there instantly dissolved into a pool of green liquid amidst his tragic screams!
Having gotten rid of the pesky bug, the green dragon tackled the storehouse. It used its thick dragon claws to tear apart the roof, revealing the mountains of wealth and goods within.
The shattered beams and bricks of the roof fell down in a cascade. The dragon reached forward with its claw, gripping box after box of treasure before beating its wings and flying towards the largest square of the city.
Numerous dragons flew in every direction. All of them had a sense of purpose and direction when they flew, either heading towards merchant storehouses, storage facilities for auctions, or even the city's treasury itself. All guards and soldiers that dared to obstruct their paths would be reduced to withered bones under their poison-mist breath. Even unarmed civilians and servants were attacked if they were near where the green dragon was.
Storehouse after storehouse was reduced to debris, while treasuries were torn apart as treasure chests and mountains of gold coins were grabbed by the green dragons before being piled together at the city square.
There, three green dragons had transformed into large, muscular men. They were busy packing their spoils into boxes with neat and orderly movements!
Under Edward VII's shocked gaze, the flight of dragons beat their wings, took to the sky, and broke into his palace. They started ransacking there as well. Whenever their gigantic bodies landed on a roof, the bricks and tiles would fall like an unending rain.
Countless weak and frail princesses and princes escaped their palaces under the escort of guards and maids, screaming as they did so. He even saw with his own eyes his favourite concubine crushed under a crumbling building before she could escape.
A chaotic gale blew in front of him and Edward VII stumbled backwards.
The dragon in the lead, with the most domineering physique, flapped its wings and slowly rose from below. Its emerald dragon eyes, large as washbasins, were staring unblinkingly at the two men on the platform.
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