Sacred Spring Lake gradually returned to calm.
The crisp breath is still lingering in the air, condensing into a thin layer of frost visible to the naked eye, clinging to the rocks and dead grass roots on the shore. Looking around, the whole world is rendered silent.
Nereus breathed gently and stared at Red Iron Dragon in front of him.
His scales had turned from red to dark black, and traces of light were still running through the cracks in the scales, like embers that had not been completely extinguished.
There is no hesitation or fear in a pair of eyes, they are deep and sober.
It's like after weighing all possibilities, I still choose to move forward.
"Shattered into pieces and turned into dust----"
Silver Dragon King whispered the declaration Garos just made, and an elusive smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"Once upon a time, I said something similar."
She said, looking into the distance, "I was still very young at that time."
"I have surpassed many of my peers and become what they call Legendary Realm. I feel that I can fight against everything and am determined to achieve Immortal Realm's life."
"But time changes a lot of things."
"Hot blood will cool, determination will be worn away, and sharp claws will become dull in the endless passage of time."
"You think you will never change, but when you look back, you realize that you have come a long way and lost many of the original edges and corners."
She paused for a moment, looked away from the distance, fell on Garos again, and changed the subject slightly.
"But I won't use these words to warn you."
Her tone was a little more serious than before.
"I have seen too many ambitious dragons quickly turn into dust after saying similar words."
"Most of them don't even wait for the real test to come, and are swallowed up by their own arrogance or the vagaries of fate, but you are the first to make me feel that these words may be more than just rhetoric."
"You said you want to stand at the top? Okay, then I'll wait and see."
"Let's see how high you can climb while I'm still alive."
Garos nodded slightly, and the huge dragon head hung down, but there was no humility in the action, it was mainly respect.
"Then I must not let down Dragon King's attention."
He said, "I will let you see the birth of the legend with your own eyes. No matter who stands in front of me, they will eventually turn into ashes under my Dragon Breath."
Nereus looked at him a few times.
"Your personality is more showy than before."
She said with a very casual tone, "Well, in other words, you are more direct than before. You directly said some things that you would have hidden in your heart before."
Garos was non-committal and had no rebuttal.
He had also discovered it long ago.
When he is in his mutated form, he will indeed have some subtle emotional changes. The changes are not drastic and will not cause him to act completely contrary to his nature, but they do exist.
However, in his opinion, this is just a small and innocuous problem, not worth paying too much attention to.
There are more important things to discuss than this.
At the same time, Red Iron Dragon raised his head.
"But----I have a question."
"What?"
"About the promotion of Immortal Path."
Garos said, "You said, Divine Power needs to hunt and kill similar Immortal One to water it and complete the branch."
His vertical pupils shrank slightly, his eyes looking deep in thought.
"If we rely solely on hunting, Divine Power will only continue to condense upwards and converge into the hands of the few surviving strong ones."
"Then, Immortal One in countless worlds will be extremely polarized. The strong will devour the weak, the strong will always be strong, and the newly promoted Immortal One----"
He paused and said seriously, "Isn't there no way to survive? There is no way to ascend?"
This is a tough question.
Garos has already sketched out such a picture in his mind.
In countless worlds, the few Immortal Ones standing at the top are like huge Black Holes, devouring everything that comes after them.
Before the newcomers had time to fully understand their own Divine Power, and before they had time to gain a firm foothold, they were torn apart and taken away by the older hunters, turning them into nutrients for others on their way forward.
How can such a system be sustained?
How can new Immortal One dare to set foot?
"This is illogical."
Garos spoke bluntly and continued, "Even the most chaotic level Abyss will leave room for the new student Demon to grow. The chaos itself also needs fresh blood to maintain it, rather than swallowing everything up."
"If newcomers must die, this road should have been deserted long ago, and no more Immortal One will be born."
"But the fact is that although Immortal One is rare, it has never been extinct."
"There must be some mechanism, or some kind of rule, that maintains some kind of balance. Otherwise, this road would have been deadlocked."
Nereus was slightly startled.
She obviously did not expect that Garos would immediately throw out such a direct question after listening to her cruel description of Immortal Path. A trace of surprise flashed in her silver eyes, and then turned into deep thought.
"The question you raised is very reasonable."
She said, "It is a good quality to be able to question the more authoritative Ancient One. Too many younger generations will only blindly accept what their seniors say and regard those words as unchangeable creeds. In the end, they trap themselves in other people's perceptions."
"You have to know that what I said may not be completely correct."
Silver Dragon's tail curled around his side, his posture relaxed, but his tone was more solemn than before.
"I am Destiny Rank, after all, I am still within the scope of the Legendary Realm."
"I know some of the things above Immortal Realm, but I dare not say that I know everything."
"My knowledge comes from three parts: the few words left by Dragon King in the past, contacts and conversations with other Destiny Rank and Immortal Realm beings, and my own deductions."
She said one by one, "The records of our predecessors are either unclear or contain errors."
"When they wrote those words, they may have only had a partial understanding of it. Those Destiny Rank and Immortal Realm that I have come into contact with may not have any reservations about me, because they do not have to tell me all the truth, nor do they have this obligation."
"Even now, I may be hiding something from you."
"As for deduction, it is essentially a guess, not empirical evidence. It may always be wrong until it is verified."
She looked at Red Iron Dragon with calm eyes.
"You can refer to what I tell you, but you can't believe it entirely. You need to find your own answer. And that answer can only be verified after you actually step into the Immortal Realm."
"I understand."
Garos nodded, expressing understanding. "But even incomplete knowledge is better than knowing nothing. At least I know which direction to think in."
On the opposite side, Nereus also looked thoughtful.
"As for your doubt, it does make sense."
She said, "The battle between Immortal One will be fierce, but maybe - it is not as we thought, all the time, without dead ends, there are some constraints that we do not fully understand yet."
Garos took over the conversation.
His thoughts moved very quickly, and he had sorted out his opinions almost as soon as Silver Dragon King finished speaking.
"For example, Immortal One, who is different from Divine Power, can live together peacefully."
He mused, his voice neither fast nor slow: "A Immortal One who masters evolution"Divine Power" and a Immortal One who masters "destruction" or time "Divine Power" have paths that do not overlap, and Divine Power cannot compete with each other."
"There may be conflicts of interest between them, but there is no natural hostility."
"If you don't rob me and I don't rob you, there is no need to fight to the death."
"Moreover, the plane is very large, with countless worlds, and the number of Immortal Ones is rare. They are scattered in the vast Multiverses, and they are not all crowded on the same battlefield."
"If you want to avoid the competition with Divine Power, you can always find enough space."
Silver Dragon King deeply agrees.
Her head moved slightly, and her mind, which was dull due to old age, rarely became active.
While she was thinking, she said, "There is another key point."
"The improvement of Divine Power makes the upper limit of potential higher and the performance at the same level more outstanding, but it does not mean that it will become stronger immediately. It is not a simple increase in strength, but more like an expansion of possibilities.
She thought for a while and organized her words to make sure her expression was clear enough.
"Let's use an analogy."
She said, "When two Immortal One meet, one Divine Power has high perfection and the other has low perfection."
"The one with higher perfection will be able to go further in the future and may have an advantage in competitions of the same level."
"But if the person with the lower perfection level is stronger in Life Level, combat experience, or his own Divine Power skills, the outcome may not be one-sided. Divine Power perfection is not everything."
Garos Tap your chin lightly.
"So, there must be some Immortal One who didn't care about the perfection of Divine Power at first."
He said, "They may be satisfied with the status quo of their Divine Power, continue to dig deeper within their own Divine Power framework, not provoke competitors of the same type, and quietly focus on the improvement of Life Level."
"At a certain stage, the upper limit is reached."
"When there is no way to go further, you will probably choose to find and hunt Immortal One of the same kind Divine Power, and raise the upper limit by expanding Divine Power."
"Before that, the risks and benefits of taking risks to hunt similar species are not proportional."
Silver Dragon King glanced at him approvingly.
Both can keep up with each other's thinking, and they can understand each other in just one click.
If there is a slow interlocutor, every sentence needs to be explained repeatedly, and that kind of communication will only make people tired, but this kind of efficient communication makes both parties feel happy.
She said, "Even for Immortal Life, there are only a few who can develop their own Divine Power to the limit."
"Most people never get to that point in their lifetime."
"For example, Odhos, if he condenses the time type Divine Power and achieves Immortal Realm, even if he does not plunder other Time Divine Power, he will already have a very high potential limit. I don't know how long it will take to reach the limit.
Garos fell into thinking.
Immortal One Normal years may be full of confrontation, testing, and games.
They will travel between different planes and have various interactions with other Immortal Ones. There will be cooperation and conflicts. A confrontation may last for hundreds or even thousands of years, waiting for the other party to reveal its flaws.
But it may not always be a life and death battle.
More often than not, they may just keep a distance, observe each other, occasionally contact each other, and then retreat when they are not sure.
And...
If the pure Adaptive Evolution is condensed into Divine Power, the upper limit is definitely not low.
Moreover, since it is evolution, why can't it start from itself and evolve more similar branches? Logically speaking, it should be possible.
"I generally understand."
Garos said, and then changed the subject, "But I still have a question."
"Say it."
"Is it possible to set foot on Immortal Path and Divine Path at the same time?"
"At the same time?"
"Yes." Garos said, "Become Immortal Life, shape Divine Power, also become Deity, condense Divine Spark, expand Divine Domain."
"Two roads go together."
Nereus blinked, and then let out a chuckle.
"This question is better answered than your last question."
She said, her tail wagging slightly behind her. "Theoretically, the answer is yes."
"For example, all of you Dragon God are actually Immortal Life, but they are also Deity."
"They have their own Divine Kingdom, accept the prayers of believers, and also have Divine Power and essence that are unique to Immortal One, and their Divine Power as Immortal Life are even stronger than their own Dragon God Divine Domain."
"In other words, they are walking on two roads at the same time, and they are both walking well."
"But as for how to do it--"
She shook her head and said calmly, "I don't know. I'm just like you, just Legendary Realm."
"Becoming a god and Immortal One at the same time - the specific steps, the price to be paid, the conflicts and risks that may be encountered - I know nothing about these.
The voice paused slightly, and Silver Dragon King said seriously, "You need to find the answer yourself, Garos."
"Maybe it's praying to a certain Dragon God, maybe it's getting some clues in prayer; maybe it's sneaking into the country of Deity and observing with one's own eyes how those beings who possess both Divine Spark and Divine Power operate; maybe it's finding an ancient being walking on two roads at the same time deep in the Astral Realm, and asking him for advice face to face."
"But no matter what, it won't be an easy road."
Her voice deepened, becoming more serious than before.
"Deity and Immortal Realm may seem to have the same goal, but they are completely different in nature."
"One is dependent on faith and bound to Divine Domain, and the other is dependent on self and bound to Divine Power. The two roads run parallel, but the same thing is that there is competition on both roads."
"Divine Power battle, battle of faith."
"Having two positions means you have to bear more risks. Facing double swords, you may offend enemies on both levels at the same time, or you may not find allies on both levels."
Garos listened quietly without showing any disappointed expression.
It is enough to know that it can be achieved. As for the specific method, he can find it himself.
"Thank you for your answer."
He said solemnly, with his head slightly lowered to show respect. "This knowledge is more precious than a golden mountain, and it can save me many detours."
Silver Dragon King smiled slightly.
"You're welcome."
"For a dying dragon, it is a comfort in itself to be able to pass on these things to the descendants who are worthy of passing them on."
"Go ahead."
She said, her voice regaining its original calmness, "Do what you have to do."
"Claude I will take care of him, but it is your responsibility to tame him. Don't make me wait too long."
Phew!
A strong gust of wind picked up Chromium Dragon's body and dragged it into the lake.
Silver Dragon King himself also took steps towards the lake, and his figure gradually disappeared under the water.
And before she disappeared completely, the last words came.
"If you have any other questions, you can come here again and talk to a dragon full of ambition and passion like you. It makes me feel that my dying heart has become a little more active."
"I haven't had this feeling for a long time."
Garos nodded without saying much.
He tore open the space in front of him, stretched out his dark wings, and submerged his huge body into it, disappearing on the lake shore.
The spatial rift closed behind him.
The dark figure reappeared in the sky above Blackstone Wasteland.
The wind here carries the smell of burnt and Bloodshed, which is stronger than before departure.
The dust cloud was thicker than before, like a curtain soaked in ash, covering the sky so tightly that the light above the clouds was almost invisible. The land below was unrecognizable, with lava flowing in the ravines.
This is his masterpiece.
Garos passed through the clouds and landed on a slightly raised hill.
The dragon's claws crushed the cooled lava shell on the surface, revealing the dark red lichen that was still smoldering underneath. He used his front paws to push aside a half-melted rock, then crouched down, folded his wingspan, and quietly admired the scene created by his own hands.
At this time, Nausir's pursuit force had gathered.
Some Elf warriors were cleaning up the battlefield, turning over corpses with spears to check if there were any Orc who were not dead yet.
Occasionally there was a short scream, and then silence fell.
In the distance, the Giants were carrying tower shields covered with minced meat, digging a series of deep pits in the scorched earth, and were slowly retreating to the camp. The flames on the battlefield had not yet been completely extinguished, making the surrounding air even hotter.
Soon, two figures came forward.
The silver-white war deer walked through the air, as if stepping on invisible stairs, but Elarian's posture was not as upright as before. She covered her left shoulder, where there was a deep crack, and the red blood stains had dried.
The situation of Talamond behind her is similar.
The Sun Yao Grand Knight's armor was covered with dents and scratches, and the center of the breastplate was dented inward by some kind of Colossal Strength, as if it had been hit head-on by a huge fist.
He was still upright, but his face was a little paler, and his breathing was not as steady as usual.
It seems that these two Destiny Rank have gone through a fierce battle.
Elarian raised his head, his eyes reflected the figure of the dark black dragon.
"Are you going after that Deep Frost Tyrant?"
she asked.
Garos nodded. "Yes."
"What was the result?"
Elarian asked.
Red Iron Dragon said with an expressionless face, "He is dead. I chased him into the deep sea, broke every bone, and burned out the last drop of his blood."
Nausir's Elven Moon hang high in the sky.
There are few things happening that can escape its detection, but the vast deep sea is one of them, so Claude will place its nest in the deep sea.
Garos is currently in the same camp as Elf, but that does not mean that he will confide in Elf.
There is nothing wrong with concealing some of your true intentions and actions.
When Talamond heard this, he was stunned for a moment, and then laughed loudly.
"Okay! This is a great thing!"
The Great Knight of Sun Yao couldn't help but said, "Claude——This crazy dragon is a cancer growing in Orotara. I don't know how many towns and villages have been treated as dinner plates by him."
"If you get rid of him, you will pull out the sharp teeth hanging over the heads of countless living beings."
"But from now on, his name is just a legend."
After speaking, he stopped smiling, looked at the still smoking earth, and his voice became a little distant.
"However, sometimes I really feel that you Dragonkin are fighting each other too hard."
He said, "In Nausir, different Elf branches have their own opinions and interests, but when encountering dangers and troubles, they can always put aside their differences and stand together."
"When the storm comes, we will stand side by side instead of running away separately."
"Think about it, if you could be like Elf, and regard the bond of blood as a covenant stronger than a rock, and regard the glory of the same clan as a common crown, instead of biting and fighting when you meet——"
"Today's world may be a different story."
"Your weakness may not be due to the fact that the blood of each other has been shed too much, forming a long river that drowns you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Elarian bumped his waist with his elbow.
Talamond's expression froze and he subconsciously closed his mouth.
Only then did he realize what he had said.
To talk about Dragon Race being weakened by cannibalism in front of a giant dragon that had just killed its own kind Destiny Rank - this is too presumptuous and disrespectful.
These thoughts quickly passed through his mind, and his ears began to feel hot.
"Uh----"
The Grand Knight of Sun Yao coughed dryly and said immediately, "What I just said was not thought through. I'm sorry. I was not comparing your Dragon Race's pain with Elf's pain to show off, nor did I mean to ridicule your tribe."
He paused and added, "You know, the tongue is sometimes harder to control than the sword."
Garos looked at him quietly.
The eyes of this great knight are very clean, as if they have remained clear and magnanimous after experiencing countless battlefield baptisms.
Garos can distinguish the vast majority of malice and kindness.
It can be seen that the Elf in front of you does not have much thought.
"Nothing.
He said calmly, "What you said is not unreasonable."
Talamond breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and said no more.
Elarian took a step forward on the war deer at this time.
She stretched out her right hand and handed the space cube with the meteorite sealed to Garos.
"According to the previous entrustment, we will settle the settlement for you after this war is over."
She said, "However, your performance far exceeded our expectations."
"The war is not over yet, but in order to show sincerity, the empire has decided to pay one more in advance. This is what you deserve."
Garos took the cube, looked at it for a few times and then put it away.
"Just to show sincerity?"
He plays with taste.
"It's not just that."
Elarian said bluntly, "Because from now on, I have to rely on your strength."
"Bloodskull retreated, and the other two major tribes were also retreating steadily, moving towards the hinterland of Cantum. However, the war will only become more intense, and it is not over yet."
"The closer we get to victory, the crazier the opponent's counterattack becomes."
Red Iron Dragon is thoughtful.
Elf is not stupid.
They must have discovered that his change was related to the meteorite. In order to have a stronger ally in the future, they decided to pay the reward in advance.
This is both sincerity and investment.
After all, Cantum and two Saint Realm exist, and a more violent storm is yet to come.
Talamond's expression became solemn and he spoke.
"During our pursuit, we encountered the final counterattack by Chief Bloodskull."
"Saltoya----She burned all the remaining life, destroying herself in exchange for a short period of glory. Elarian and I were all injured by her."
He pointed to his dented breastplate and then looked at the crack on Elarian's shoulder.
"Veylan is worse."
Elarian said, "When she tried to use secret techniques to block Saltoya's outbreak, she suffered severe backlash. Although Saltoya's outbreak was indeed weakened, in a short period of time - she could no longer fight.
"Her current condition is much worse than that of Talamond and I."
Just as he was talking, a horn sounded in the distance.
Depressing and long, it's like ringing a giant bell in deep water.
Nausir Legions in other theaters blew the horn of victory, which also meant that this war was about to enter the next stage.
Elarian glanced at the direction where the horn sound came from, then withdrew his gaze and fell on Garos again.
Under Elf's gaze, the dragon suddenly spoke.
"What do you think of the picture I created in this wilderness?"
The two Elf Destiny Rank were startled at the same time, obviously not expecting this problem.
They thought Garos would ask about the next battle plan or discuss compensation, but they didn't expect that he would ask such a seemingly irrelevant question.
Afterwards, the Great Knight of Sun Yao showed a solemn look on his face.
He didn't rush to answer. He looked at the surrounding scene seriously before speaking.
"Like the sun falling."
He solemnly chose an adjective, and then said, "Like a punishment from heaven, like the first trumpet at the end of all things."
Elarian pondered for a few seconds, his eyes wandering between the charred earth and the flowing lava.
Then, she said in a chanting tone, "Like an elegy without lyrics, like the first frost in autumn, falling on the wheat field that has just been burned by the flames."
"Beautiful, deadly, irredeemable."
After speaking, she lowered her eyes.
Garos let out a deep laugh, and dark red light lines slowly flowed under the scales.
"What a beautiful description and metaphor. Ha, I like to hear your praise Elf."
As he spoke, the dragon's smile gradually faded.
"But that's just the prologue."
"You have witnessed the stars falling, but next, continue to witness, I will create a more magnificent and magnificent picture, let lava replace rivers, let flames outlaw forests, let ashes turn into snow all over the sky."
"----With this, let's have a feast in the world."
Hearing this, the two Destiny Rank looked at each other in confusion.
They saw the same worry in each other's eyes.
The giant dragon in front of me seems to have some kind of madness and hunger hidden in the shell of reason.
In order to win the war with Cantum, the empire gave him what he desperately needed, pouring it on the flames like fuel, making the dragon burn even more fiercely. I don't know if it was good or bad.
However, they didn't think too much.
No matter how we develop in the future, if we cannot win now, there will be no future.
At least, being in the same camp as Red Emperor Pale Star did give them a rare sense of peace of mind.
At the other end of the battlefield, facing Cantum's Saint Realm and the endless Orc army, having such an ally is always much stronger than having such an enemy.
As for future troubles, leave them to be considered later.