Faced with the threat to its life, the Frost Wyrm finally realized the foolishness of its previous actions and chose to surrender sincerely to the Silver Dragon.
Losing to a pureblooded Great Dragon was nothing shameful—after all, it wasn’t losing to some lowly species.
Comforting itself with this thought, the Frost Wyrm reluctantly pried off a small piece of blue ice crystal from its abdomen and presented it to the detestable Silver Dragon.
“Take it, leave my palace, and never come back!” The Frost Crystal Wyrm’s voice was filled with bitterness and resentment.
‘Looks like it’s still quite unwilling,’ Lu Qiuchen thought quietly. But considering she had regained her confidence from this Wyrm, and the other had made an indelible contribution to calming her mentality, she could generously forgive the loser’s meaningless wailing.
Lu Qiuchen grasped the ice crystal, peering through the pale blue crystal formed from ice elements. Inside, she indeed saw the fragment of the Celestial Dome and sensed the special power contained within.
After confirming the authenticity of the Celestial Dome fragment, Lu Qiuchen carefully applied various binding magics to the Frost Crystal Wyrm once again before finally releasing her grip.
Striding proudly out of the palace, Lu Qiuchen transformed into human form and tossed the ice crystal to Zhang Cheng, standing tall and confident, “How about that? Finishing the fight quickly is so much better than your usual dithering and wasting time, right?”
Zhang Cheng smiled helplessly as he caught the ice crystal, ready to stow it away, but then noticed something strange about it. Frowning, he said to Lu Qiuchen, “Something’s off… This Celestial Dome fragment is much weaker than the one from Leti.”
Zhang Cheng spent every day with Celestial Dome fragments, so naturally, his words carried weight.
He took out the fragment he carried with him and compared it with this crystal. Seeing his focused expression, Lu Qiuchen also leaned in to examine it closely.
With the comparison made, Zhang Cheng immediately spotted the problem.
The piece given by the Frost Crystal Wyrm contained only a tiny shard of the Celestial Dome. The Wyrm had cleverly connected the fragment with a crystal condensed from ice elemental magic, controlling and altering the crystal’s color to create a perfectly counterfeit effect.
Lu Qiuchen frowned and concentrated her spiritual power to gradually decompose the ice elemental magic within the crystals. In the end, she was left with a crystal barely one-sixth the size of the original Celestial Dome fragment.
While Zhang Cheng pondered the situation, Lu Qiuchen’s face twisted with anger as she turned on her heel.
“Let’s go. We need to go back and get this cleared up!”
“Qiuchen, don’t get angry just yet. What if the Wyrm really only received a fragment this small from the Dragon Clan?”
Seeing Lu Qiuchen ignore his words and transform back into a dragon to continue forward, Zhang Cheng was helpless.
Looks like that Frost Crystal Wyrm was about to get beaten up again. Better for him to stay hidden here and keep his distance.
In the past, Lu Qiuchen always complained that he acted too hastily. Who would’ve thought their personalities would reverse like this?
He wouldn’t dare claim to be mature and steady yet, but after Lu Qiuchen’s influence from the Dragon Clan, she was almost a different person, which in turn made him seem more composed.
Thinking of this, a dark shadow fell over Zhang Cheng’s expression.
Changing Lu Qiuchen’s self-perception regarding the Dragon Clan had to be put on the agenda—but how to solve that?
Just as Zhang Cheng wanted to catch up with Lu Qiuchen, he caught sight of a figure appearing on this mountaintop from the corner of his eye.
It was the half-dragon he had met on the mountainside! Hadn’t she gone down the mountain? Earlier, he’d seen a group of half-dragons camping at the foot, probably her people waiting for her, so why had she come back?
The figure’s eyes lit up upon seeing Lu Qiuchen enter the palace. She quickly hurried past Zhang Cheng but was grabbed from behind by him.
“Miss, don’t go in there yet. A fight is about to break out.”
Natasha was somewhat annoyed by Zhang Cheng’s interception, but when she saw the Celestial Dome fragment still in his hand, her eyes widened. The look she gave Zhang Cheng turned strange.
Natasha recognized that crystal—it had been embedded on the Frost Crystal Dragon King not long ago.
Her mind involuntarily recalled how she and her kin had painstakingly collected gifts according to the Frost Crystal Dragon King’s preferences, begging for the crystal’s loan, only to be mercilessly rejected.
And now, this man of the same Saint-level strength had somehow bewitched the Silver Dragon Lord, effortlessly obtaining the Frost Crystal Dragon King’s fragment, and he even had a larger one to begin with!
‘Damn it, I’m so jealous. I want to get close to the Silver Dragon Lord too. I don’t want to work so hard anymore!’ Natasha couldn’t help but feel envy and jealousy toward this human male.
To all half-dragons, the Silver Dragon was not only their creator but also their spiritual faith.
All of this stemmed from the teachings of the Matron. Though many half-dragons’ faith was fading nowadays, Natasha was very traditional.
Now, seeing a lucky one favored by the Silver Dragon Lord right before her, who not only rides the noble body but was given such a precious item!
‘Damn it, so jealous, I want to punch his face hard!’
Natasha had lived as a princess for over thirty years and earned recognition as the next chieftain through her efforts.
Though the half-dragon race had gradually weakened over the past centuries, they were still strong within the Beast Kingdom.
According to her estimates, her talent would allow her to reach Legend rank without much trouble and extend her lifespan by about twice as long. With about 500 years to live, she could still enjoy a carefree life for more than 400 years.
This was already a life most creatures couldn’t dream of, and she thought of herself as extremely lucky—until she saw this young human and felt the vast gulf between them, like a Dragonborn facing a Great Dragon, filling her with crushing defeat.
‘Is the Silver Dragon Lord fighting the Frost Crystal Dragon King inside the palace?’
Calming herself, Natasha recalled what was said earlier and was momentarily shocked, but she couldn’t think of a reason why a Great Dragon would lose to a Wyrm, so she no longer worried about the Silver Dragon Lord.
Since the crystal was in this human’s hands, could she get it from him?
Of course, she wouldn’t forcibly take it. Whether she got it or not, she didn’t want to anger the Silver Dragon Lord.
……
“Miss, are you alright?” Zhang Cheng asked.
Though this half-dragon was beautiful, her intense gaze was unsettling. Could she be planning to steal my Celestial Dome fragments while Lu Qiuchen’s away?
He felt a chill from her eyes, took a step back, and tucked both fragments into the space within his Mythril armor, silently raising his guard.
Natasha’s rank was roughly equal to his, but he had never fought half-dragons, or any beastfolk for that matter. He didn’t know their abilities or if he could win.
But considering his huge advantage in weapons and equipment, Zhang Cheng felt more confident.
Just as he asked, Natasha’s frown melted away, her expression changing instantly as she smiled sweetly, “Hello, sir. My name is Natasha, the next chieftain of the half-dragon tribe.”
“I’ve come here to obtain an item…”
Zhang Cheng watched her cautiously, trying to gauge her intentions. At that moment, a tremendous explosion echoed from the palace direction.
Turning his view just in time, he saw the entire Crystal Palace collapse with a resounding crash.
“If you want to fight, fight, but why destroy my home?”
Amid the raging snowstorm and anguished dragon roars, a massive blue figure rose from the ruins, only to be pulled back down by an invisible force, shaking the mountain slightly as it landed.
Seeing this, Zhang Cheng gave a wry smile. Maybe there was an avalanche happening down the mountain by now.
“Where are the remaining fragments? Are you going to tell me or not?” Zhang Cheng’s familiar voice rang out around them, but compared to before, Lu Qiuchen’s tone was icy cold.
“There really aren’t any more! I only have this little bit!” The Wyrm’s earlier roar was full of grievance.
“Still not telling the truth? I’ve already investigated. The Great Dragons give each clan fragments of nearly equal size. Even if the fragments were later split up, if the others aren’t with you, then as the lord here, you must know where they are!”
Another loud bang sounded, and the pitiful wails of the Frost Crystal Wyrm from within the palace made Zhang Cheng feel embarrassed.
“I’m telling you, I’m telling you! Keep hitting me and I’ll be a dead dragon!” The Wyrm’s voice was now very weak but stubbornly made one request, “But what I say is important. You have to set a strong barrier to prevent eavesdropping.”
A white curtain rose along the edge of the ruins, cutting off Zhang Cheng and Natasha’s sight and any awareness of what was happening inside.
The two exchanged a glance. Natasha’s eyes were filled with regret, while Zhang Cheng received a mental transmission from Lu Qiuchen and quietly stepped aside.
“Since you already know this, there’s no point in hiding it any longer. The remaining Celestial Dome fragments really are with me.” The Frost Crystal Wyrm’s voice echoed in their minds, though still full of grievance.
“But even if I hand over the fragments, don’t be too happy. Taking them from me won’t just bring me bad luck—the other five lords here won’t let you off either.”
Zhang Cheng heard Lu Qiuchen click her tongue, “Let them try. Even all six of you together might not be able to beat me.”
Indeed, that was the truth. Neither of them feared this. They only had about half a year to complete the mission, and after a few years, who even knew where the Celestial Dome fragments would be. Zhang Cheng internally scoffed at their empty threats.
“If you have that confidence, fine. But what I want to say isn’t just that. We hold the Celestial Dome fragments tightly, not merely to strengthen ourselves.”
The Frost Crystal Dragon King paused before continuing, “This is a task given to us by a certain Great Dragon. What you took earlier wasn’t a problem, but if you take them all, it will disrupt that lord’s plan. Then not only will we act, but he will come after you too.”
“What plan? And who is this Great Dragon lord you speak of?” Zhang Cheng knew without looking that Lu Qiuchen’s face must be full of confusion.
“That lord is Odyn, the Dragon King!” The Frost Crystal Dragon King’s tone was filled with pride, seemingly sure that upon hearing this, Lu Qiuchen would be terrified and obediently return the Celestial Dome fragments taken from him.
Well then, talk about a flood ruining the dragon shrine! Zhang Cheng thought bitterly.
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