Chapter 497: Mythical Dragon Species, Battle of Dragons
The second match of the Warless Contract took place in the Asura Field, the same location where the Destruction Dragon God and the Ancient Death God had once battled.
This arena was built to withstand battles between gods of intermediate strength, and even though it was used for battles of lesser godly power, it was clear that the participants were not ordinary lesser gods.
In reality, without the restriction of certain godly powers, the battles of lesser gods were not much different from those of intermediate gods.
Only the final battle of supreme godly power would take place in the boundless Astral Plane, as there was almost no venue capable of withstanding such a clash. When supreme gods, who stood at the pinnacle of the divine hierarchy, fought, the entire plane became their battlefield.
Before the second match of the Warless Contract began, the incarnations of the gods descended upon the Asura Field.
The dazzling divine lights illuminated the previously heavy and solemn Asura Field, making it resplendent and majestic, like a mountain in the heavenly realm.
The Celestial Emperor, as always, stood tall and imposing on the throne atop the imperial dragon's head.
The arrival of the dragon gods immediately drew the attention of the other deities.
Upon seeing the dragon gods, the other deities were momentarily stunned.
In their vision appeared two nearly identical silver dragons, both covered in dark silver scales, majestic and extraordinary, with multiple pairs of dragon horns. One of them wore a crown of thorny flowers on its head, while the other radiated a bright divine light, with extraordinary divine power surging within it.
These were the true form of Garon, the Lord of Heroic Spirits and the Dragon Court, and the divine avatar of Garon, the Time Dragon God.
This was the first time the true form of Garon and the divine Garon appeared simultaneously in the same place.
Under the watchful eyes of the gods, the two silver dragons spoke in unison, "I, Garon Aurelian, will represent the dragon god faction in the second match of the Warless Contract."
At the same time, the silver dragon bathed in divine light transformed into a vast extraordinary divine power and merged into the body of the silver dragon with the thorny flower crown.
The two became one, and the silver dragon's aura surged instantly, like a hurricane.
With a gentle flap of its wings, the dragon shone brightly, and time seemed to flow around it.
An aura that combined the ancient and the future intertwined in the present, creating an unparalleled majestic and profound presence around the silver dragon.
The divine power and dragon might intertwined, sweeping through the arena, creating waves of pressure that caused all gods and god-like beings present to change their expressions. Those with lesser godly power felt almost suffocated, while those with intermediate godly power looked extremely solemn and filled with dread.
"This is the leader of the legendary dragon species?"
"What a terrifying aura."
Although many had heard of Garon Aurelian, the Time Dragon, and his deeds, the gods who faced him for the first time, especially at his peak combining intermediate godly power and god-like power, were still deeply shaken.
Under the focus of the gods' gaze, the silver dragon closed its eyes slightly, its head held high, feeling the seemingly omnipotent power within itself.
Although this was the first time Garon had merged with his divine avatar, their minds were already unified, essentially one soul in two bodies. Thus, Garon was equally adept at using extraordinary divine power.
Within Garon, the power of time and extraordinary divine power coexisted in a dual-color spiral structure, clearly distinct yet intertwined.
Centered on Garon, the river of time trembled, creating ripples and waves.
This indicated that the time around Garon was no longer a straightforward line but a tangled, chaotic mess.
If an ordinary, vigorous creature were to appear beside Garon, it might instantly become frail and elderly, only to then rejuvenate as if time had reversed, shifting chaotically between past, present, and future states.
At this moment, Garon opened his eyes and glanced towards the gods of the celestial realm, focusing on the Celestial Emperor Aotian.
Sensing Garon's gaze, Aotian looked back momentarily but quickly averted his eyes, lowering his head again, remaining as still as a statue.
With a flash of silver light, Garon entered the duel arena built from countless iron blocks.
In his normal state, Garon still had a body length of over five hundred meters and a shoulder height of over a hundred meters, his majestic form resembling a silver mountain.
"Your Majesty, please present your representative," Garon said, his deep voice echoing as he looked towards the Celestial Emperor.
The Celestial Emperor smiled slightly and said, "Though the time has not yet come, starting now is fine. As you wish."
Simultaneously, a profound yellow light appeared like a line, winding its way into the Asura Field, manifesting before the gods.
A dragon with a body length of a thousand meters appeared. It had the serpentine form typical of imperial dragons, with long, slender bodies covered in rich, textured yellow scales and dragon horns resembling floral deer antlers.
As it moved, clouds and mist arose, accompanied by wind and rain.
At the same time, the dragon's true might, belonging to a true dragon, emanated from its body.
"The Celestial Emperor's representative is also a true dragon."
"It seems to be an imperial dragon."
"No, it's not an imperial dragon. Imperial dragons have no wings."
The dragon resembled an imperial dragon but had distinct differences. On its back was a pair of large wings, spanning even longer than its body, shimmering with light, alternating between various elements like wind, rain, thunder, clouds, and fire.
The Celestial Emperor addressed the dragon beside him, "Gengchen, this is Garon Aurelian, the Time Dragon, the leader of the legendary dragon species, and your opponent."
Gengchen nodded silently, looking at Garon with clear battle intent in his eyes.
The Celestial Emperor then introduced, "Garon Aurelian, your opponent is named Gengchen, an Azure Dragon."
"In the celestial realm, the Azure Dragon is considered one of the four mythical dragon species and the leader of the mythical dragon species."
The four mythical dragon species were the Azure Dragon, the Candle Dragon, the Blue Dragon, and the Ice Yi.
Like the legendary dragon species, the mythical dragon species were also legendary true dragons, their tales only circulated within the celestial realms, unlike the legendary dragon species whose legends were widespread across countless planes and worlds.
"I am curious to see what kind of sparks will fly between the leader of the legendary dragon species and the leader of our celestial realm's mythical dragon species," said the Celestial Emperor.
Simultaneously, the gods' gazes wandered between the two true dragons, full of surprise.
Many gods had never heard of the mythical dragon species.
The dragon gods were also unfamiliar with the mythical dragon species.
Observing the dragon's imperial dragon-like appearance and sensing its dragon might, the dragon gods confirmed, "It is similar to the imperial dragon species, likely an imperial dragon variant, hence its legends only circulate within the celestial realm."
They felt no concern for Garon.
After all, the legendary dragon species were universally recognized across the multiverse as the pinnacle of true dragons, while the mythical dragon species were just variants within the celestial realm, perhaps powerful but not on par with the legendary dragon species.
"I would like to experience the might of the leader of the legendary dragon species," said Gengchen, his gaze fixed on Garon, their eyes locking with such intensity that the space around them seemed to warp.
As he spoke, Gengchen transformed into a deep yellow stream of light, flying towards Garon, intending to engage in close combat despite the significant size difference between him and the silver dragon.
Garon narrowed his eyes, time power and extraordinary divine power intertwining on his body. He too flapped his wings, launching a powerful assault towards Gengchen.
In an instant, the two massive dragons, resembling silver and yellow stars, collided violently.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The deafening sounds echoed through the duel arena and the Asura Field.
Terrifying shockwaves erupted, instantly turning the arena into ruins, countless iron blocks shattering into dust. Despite continuous replenishment, the repair rate couldn't keep up with the dragons' destructive pace.
The shockwaves extended in all directions.
Some unfortunate weak divine incarnations caught in the shockwaves felt time slow down, their lives flashing before their eyes, their memories resurfacing, and many incarnations were destroyed.
Since incarnations are part of a deity, their destruction slightly weakens the deity's true form.
Seeing this, many divine incarnations quickly retreated.
"The battle between these two can no longer be considered a normal intermediate godly power duel."
Observing the intensifying battle, the gods thought silently.
In the duel arena, the two dragons engaged in close combat.
Garon's time-wrath claws and Gengchen's dragon claws, surrounded by yellow light, clashed billions of times per second, sending shards of yellow dragon scales flying like continents in the material world.
The battle between Garon and Gengchen was fierce and intense, yet the outcome was becoming clear.
The larger silver dragon advanced relentlessly, forcing Gengchen to retreat step by step, enduring Garon's storm-like onslaught, his defenses breaking each time he was struck by the time-wrath claws.
Conversely, Gengchen launched a frenzied assault with his claws, tail, wings, and teeth, all formidable dragon weapons, relentlessly striking the silver dragon.
However, the silver dragon's body was protected by an invisible, invincible temporal barrier, an eternal and indestructible defense. Although it rippled with every blow like a lake in
a storm, it remained unbroken.
The temporal barrier was one of Garon's unique abilities, and combined with his divine avatar, its effectiveness was exponentially increased.
"Strength, speed, defense, attack, reflexes... He surpasses me in all aspects."
After a period of contact, Gengchen's heart sank.
Before meeting Garon, Gengchen had prided himself on his attributes, especially his defense, which could withstand continuous attacks from several peers without breaking.
Yet, under Garon's time-wrath claws, it felt like merely tougher leather, unable to resist.
Even his secondary defense, the robust dragon scales, were shattered, leaving Gengchen covered in wounds and blood.
However, Gengchen's recovery was swift.
Yellow light enveloped his injuries, healing them rapidly. He continued to fight fiercely, seemingly still capable of challenging Garon.
But the gods knew that Gengchen was merely relying on his god-like resilience to hold on.
Much like the Destruction Dragon God, slowly succumbing to the power of death, Gengchen was steadily heading towards defeat.
"The leader of the legendary dragon species is truly far superior to me?"
Facing Garon, Gengchen felt a profound sense of despair and powerlessness, a complete dominance not just from time-based abilities but from every aspect of combat.
However, realizing his disadvantage in close combat, Gengchen ceased his direct confrontation.
He exhaled deeply.
A vast white mist like a galaxy poured from his mouth, filling the duel arena instantly.
Garon's senses were significantly dulled, and Gengchen's form vanished into the mist.
Simultaneously, a fierce wind arose, not dispersing the mist but enveloping the silver dragon, cutting with countless wind blades every second.
Additionally, a torrential downpour followed, each raindrop carrying the weight of an entire ocean, hammering down on the silver dragon.
Thunder and lightning also erupted, countless bolts flashing and crackling around the silver dragon, forming arcs of electricity across his body.
These weather phenomena were part of Gengchen's abilities.
But they were mere distractions.
Hidden in the mist, Gengchen stared at the silver dragon caught in the storm, his expression solemn as he opened his mouth again.
A bead surrounded by mist, wind, rain, and lightning appeared, within which a miniature Azure Dragon swam.
This was Gengchen's dragon pearl.
As the dragon gods had surmised, the mythical dragon species within the celestial realms were indeed variants of the imperial dragon, capable of forming dragon pearls.
The dragon pearl, the energy core of imperial dragons, was also their most powerful weapon.
Silently, Gengchen's dragon pearl transformed into an inconspicuous lightning bolt, striking towards the silver dragon's head.
Bang!
The dragon pearl broke through the temporal barrier, shattering scales and leaving a gaping wound on the silver dragon's head, causing the silver dragon to bleed for the first time.
However, this scene had not yet occurred; it was merely reflected in the depths of the silver dragon's eyes.
At that moment, Gengchen had just released the dragon pearl, aiming it like a lightning bolt at the silver dragon.
As the dragon pearl was about to hit, a mirror suddenly materialized in front of the silver dragon, reflecting Gengchen's form.
The reflection of Gengchen in the mirror then broke through the surface and entered reality.
The mirrored Gengchen snapped at the dragon pearl.
Startled, Gengchen quickly redirected the dragon pearl, swallowing it back into his body.
The mirrored Gengchen raised its head, inhaling deeply.
The mist, wind, rain, and lightning were sucked into its mouth, clearing the duel arena.
The mirrored Gengchen then wielded the stormy elements, clashing with the true Gengchen, while the silver dragon watched as if the battle had nothing to do with him.
The mirrored Gengchen, though slightly weaker than Gengchen, fought fiercely.
Gengchen, with part of his focus on Garon, fell into a slight disadvantage.
The two entangled in combat, with no clear winner emerging quickly.
As time passed, Gengchen's battle spirit waned, internally acknowledging his inferiority to Garon.
After a while, Garon, feeling bored, joined the fight alongside the mirrored Gengchen, launching a ferocious assault on Gengchen.
Facing both himself and the more powerful Time Dragon simultaneously, Gengchen quickly found himself overwhelmed, his injuries multiplying, his life force dwindling rapidly.
He was like a lone boat in a stormy sea, ready to be shattered by the raging waves.
Finally, as Garon's claw struck down and broke one of his dragon horns, Gengchen, feeling the intense pain and fatigue, saw Garon's claw approaching again and said, "I surrender."
Hearing this, Garon paused his attack.
As an Azure Dragon variant, Gengchen would join the dragon god faction after the Warless Contract, so Garon spared him. Besides, even if he wanted to kill, the Celestial Emperor watching wouldn't allow it.
The Celestial Emperor, with a regretful expression, announced, "The second match of the Warless Contract, victory to the dragon god faction."
Garon, expressionless, shrank to his normal size and left the nearly destroyed duel arena.
With a flash of divine light, the vast extraordinary divine power left Garon's body.
The divine Garon separated from the true Garon, and the two silver dragons appeared once more.
This battle hadn't required Garon to use his full strength, and it wasn't even satisfying.
After all, except for the dragon pearl, Gengchen's attacks couldn't even penetrate Garon's defense.
Though Gengchen was strong, he didn't seem as formidable as the Ancient Death God to Garon.
If Gengchen had faced the Destruction Dragon God and Garon had fought the Ancient Death God, those battles would have been more evenly matched and exciting.
However, the Celestial Emperor had his considerations, preferring to fight winnable battles, thus keeping the final outcome of the war to the supreme godly level rather than risking defeat at the lesser or intermediate godly levels.
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