Dormant Dragon

With all matters settled, Keosius dragged his dragon body into the cave alone. The warm cave, which was almost hollowing out the mountain, would undoubtedly become his perfect resting place.

"Finally."

In the cave illuminated by the Eternal Bright Flame, surrounded by numerous glittering Gold Coin and treasures, the Red Dragon slowly lay down on the ground, gradually curling up its massive body, its broad wings loosely folded at its sides.

Hot white steam rose everywhere, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of sulfur.

His body surface was covered with ripples like flowing magma, radiating unimaginable high temperatures.

Red Dragon used to slumber in lava environments to obtain abundant Fire Elemental energy. Now, however, Red Dragon, possessing the Progenitor Dragon Blood, are themselves an inexhaustible source of energy. As the name suggests, fire-wielding dragons grow hotter with age, their Base Blood Vessels unable to contain the overflowing heat.

All he needed to do was release the power hidden within the seed of his bloodline—those light waves were simply energy overflowing from his body.

"Clanging and banging."

A soft, rustling sound came from the air.

The Red Dragon's long, thick tail gently swept across the ground, pushing aside the scattered Gold Coin and clearing a large open space, allowing him to reserve more room.

"I hope there will be some pleasant surprises when I wake up."

A look of anticipation shone in Keosius's golden eyes.

He slowly closed his eyes, his breathing became longer and deeper, and the ripples on his body moved rhythmically with his breath.

The abundant Fire Elemental energy gradually gathered on the surface of the scales, forming a thick, almost solid light film that tightly enveloped the Red Dragon's body.

Thus, a rare spectacle appeared in the cave—a huge "cocoon" with a diameter of nearly thirty meters appeared. However, unlike ordinary cocoons, its surface was covered with magma-like ripples, and what was encased inside was Red Dragon about to undergo metamorphosis, rather than a butterfly larva.

However, considering the species, it seems more appropriate to call it a "Dragon Egg".

This is a subconscious self-protection measure of Keosius. He used the surplus energy to weave a spell similar to the "Shelter Egg". Any creature that touches this light membrane will be turned to ashes by the extreme heat. This can protect the Red Dragon, which is in a vulnerable period, from external harm.

Hot lava gushed from the ground.

And so, Keosius into a deep sleep, not knowing when he would wake up.

At the entrance to the cave, Iron Dragon Wing Palace.

"Hurry up!"

"You bunch of lazy idiots."

Lang Pu's impatient shouts rang out.

The tall, Dragon Vein Ogre Mage was leading dozens of spellcasters from the kingdom, busily setting up a magic array.

They crammed all sorts of explosions, Poison Mist, Acid Rain, and even Ground Spike into it, turning the only passage into the cave into a dangerous place full of traps, a graveyard that all adventurers would avoid at all costs.

Suddenly, Lang Pu grabbed a mage who was casting a spell and yelled, "Idiot! Who told you to put the ice spikes here!"

"If someone really does invade, they'll definitely trigger the fire wall on the ground first. Your damned ice spikes will evaporate into a puddle of water before they even hurt anyone!"

The mage trembled and replied in a tearful voice, "Lord Lang Pu, yes, I was wrong."

The Ogre then put it down and turned to look at the constant Protection Array on the other side—the flashing runes would appear at the junction of the cylinder and the ground or other surfaces, and creatures would not be able to voluntarily enter the cylinder area by non-magical means, but could only go through the areas covered with traps.

However, Lang Pu, with his keen eye, immediately noticed something was amiss and asked, "Who set up this Protection Array?"

A black-robed mage stepped out from the crowd with a fawning smile on his face. He believed that the magic array was set up perfectly and might earn Lang Pu's praise.

But to his surprise, he was met with a barrage of insults as soon as he stepped forward.

"Take another good look?"

"Fool! Your magic is working backwards! It's designed to keep people out, not in!"

"Yes, Mr. Lang Pu."

The Ogre's foul-smelling spittle flew onto his face, but the black-robed mage could only force a smile, cold sweat pouring down his forehead—after all, Lang Pu's status in the kingdom was self-evident, and his magical experiment funding depended on this rude Ogre.

Lang Pu raised his staff, pointed at a dim array on the wall, and roared, "Who's in charge of these damned Guardian Inscriptions?"

The hall fell silent; no one dared to respond to Lang Pu, who was still furious.

"The materials for the Guardian Inscriptions are incense and Diamond Powder worth at least two hundred Gold Coin. Which idiot replaced the Diamond Powder with Bone Powder?"

"Even those goblins with brains Goblin than fruit pits couldn't come up with such a low-level method of embezzlement. Do you really think I can't see through it?"

Before Lang Pu had finished speaking, a gust of hot air suddenly blew into the hall.

"Call--"

The scorching heat made even Lang Pu, who possessed the blood of Red Dragon, feel somewhat uncomfortable. The delicate human mages were even more scalded, jumping up and down as if their skin was about to peel off, and hurriedly casting various protective spells.

However, the temperature inside the hall continued to rise, reaching nearly forty degrees Celsius in just a few breaths—a temperature that would be impossible to reach in the natural environment of Anzeta.

Lang Pu frowned slightly and said with a serious expression:

"It's the master; he has entered a deep slumber."

"He had been deliberately suppressing the immense energy within him, but now he can't control it anymore and has no choice but to release it."

Thinking of this, Lang Pu said to the spellcasters, "Gentlemen, leave. This place is no longer suitable for you to stay."

He casually waved his staff, and a Space Rift leading to the Mage Tower appeared before him.

The spellcasters were immediately relieved and rushed into the portal to leave the place that had become like purgatory.

Among the crowd, a gray-robed man even breathed a sigh of relief and quietly followed—he was the slacker who had cut corners, and he was secretly glad that he had escaped a disaster.

But the mage was unaware that his mere sigh had been keenly noticed by Lang Pu, who revealed a sinister smirk on the Ogre's face, determined to settle accounts with him when he returned—but now was not the time.

After all the mages had left, Lang Pu flew out of the palace alone, the Red Dragon blood flowing through his veins allowing him to stay there.

He stared at the sealed cave entrance, feeling the increasingly scorching air on his skin. He could almost imagine what a magnificent sight and what a powerful and majestic force lay within the cave where the Red Dragon slumbered.

May you become stronger.

"Until... surpassing the gods."

The Ogre muttered to himself, his ugly face filled with a believer's fanaticism and an indescribable sincerity.