Chapter 14: Challenge the Giant Dragon

Despite his reluctance, Da Qingshan had to accept that his beloved Green was not just a cute little dog, but a magnificent, noble, and incredibly powerful ancient divine dragon. The thought of being a noble dragon knight was almost too much for him to bear—he couldn't imagine himself charging into battle, sword in hand, on the back of a giant dragon. He mused that he could be easily defeated by someone simply riding a donkey, while he, as the legendary dragon knight, fell before his opponent.

Reger had also told him that this divine dragon, capable of transforming into a human, would take at least 400 years to reach maturity. It meant Da Qingshan would have to wait until then to ride it. Remembering Reger's expression when he said this made Da Qingshan want to laugh and cry at the same time. Reger kindly patted his shoulder and said, "Young man, while most people live only 80 years, if you can enter the Wish Tower to undergo trials, you might live for several hundred years."

In this situation, Da Qingshan wanted to go to the Green Dragon Platform and ask that old man what forcing Green to sign a contract meant. Did it mean he had to take care of Green during its childhood?

The unique team for the expedition to the Green Dragon Platform consisted of two individuals with hidden agendas: a gloomy Da Qingshan, a clueless little Amy, and a young dragon recently exposed and unable to speak, whose intelligence was equivalent to that of a three-year-old human.

The Green Dragon Platform was located in the valley on the northern side of the western slope of Dragon Tooth Mountain, surrounded by mountains. A peak rose steeply in the center, with a flat summit reaching an elevation of 4,200 meters, significantly higher than the average elevation of the Green Dragon Platform at 2,300 meters. Three sides were steep cliffs, while one side featured a flat slope, perpetually covered in snow and rarely visited by humans.

The Dragon Tooth Mountain area was filled with wild beasts. Da Qingshan showcased his prowess as a hunter, and under the attack of his crossbow, most of the beasts either met a tragic end or were shot and chased away. Chi Hanfeng suddenly became intensely interested in this boy's skills and often engaged him in conversation. Based on Amy's understanding, she deduced that Uncle Chi was suffering greatly, having to study magic every day under Reger's insistence. Sure enough, on the fourth day, as they began to enter the valley, the snow became thicker, and for the first time, Chi Hanfeng summoned his combat-ready little Bai, fully equipped with knight's armor, a tiger-headed shield in his left hand, and a knight's lance in his right. Little Bai was even adorned in full iron armor, floating as he galloped in mid-air, exuding an impressive presence. Reger kept praising him, saying, "Not bad at all!"

Da Qingshan, caught in a daze, fell for the trap and stared blankly at Chi Hanfeng, then at his majestic mount—Princess Green. The boy's face reflected a mix of emotions, unable to tell if he should laugh or cry.

Seizing the moment, Chi Hanfeng said, "Da Qingshan, if you're willing to take me as your master, I'll teach you how to become a knight. Don't be sad; having more skills won't hurt you. Once Green grows up, you'll be able to ride him. Otherwise, you won't be able to ride him in the future." It was clearly an attempt at manipulation.

Amy wanted to warn Da Qingshan, but under Chi Hanfeng's expression that seemed to say, "You'll regret it if you ruin my plans," she could only keep quiet and let things unfold. The night before, Reger had been forewarned by Chi Hanfeng: "If you take one of my apprentices, you must leave someone behind to inherit my legacy!" Now, the archmage could only whisper, "Oh, divine dragon, bless this poor child, Amen."

Sigh… And thus, Da Qingshan slowly walked toward the dark abyss.

When the annals of history returned to this point in a reflective manner, the evaluation of Chi Hanfeng was extraordinarily high: "First, he is a man; second, a seemingly gentlemanly man; third, a man who appears gentlemanly yet is hard-hearted but soft inside; and fourth, a man with unique insight. This man has a close relationship with the three geniuses known as the strongest 'Human-Dragon God' in history."

Let's not discuss how Da Qingshan went astray from this point. On the Green Dragon Platform, the path twisted and turned.

As the small team rounded a mountain ridge, a loud dragon roar suddenly echoed in the sky.

The flat slope abruptly narrowed, with towering cliffs on either side, forming a long passage. In mid-air, a massive green dragon flew, while another giant dragon perched at the edge of the cliff, extending its long neck to curiously observe the few humans on the slope—presumably, these dragons were accustomed to such adventurers.

"Humans, halt!" a low, panting voice reverberated in the valley—not one produced by the two green dragons.

"You have entered the territory of the noble sacred dragon, Qisi Gelsei. You have three minutes to leave," the low voice gradually grew louder, reaching a point where it nearly roared.

"Noble dragon, we are friends of the sacred dragon, here to visit his kin," Reger said as he pulled Green forward and deeply bowed.

"One minute remaining," the roar echoed in the valley again.

"Get out of the way…" The valley suddenly rumbled like thunder.

"Ah—" After a long dragon roar, the flying green dragon opened its massive jaws and breathed out, "Puff—" a large fireball shot toward Reger.

"Watch out!" Da Qingshan shouted, immediately rushing forward. With a loud thud, he was struck by something and fell heavily to the ground, lying on his back.

"Foolish apprentice, come back! He's a master mage, and even this simple first-level magic won't harm him, even if cast by a sacred dragon. He's activated absolute magical protection; no magic below level four can penetrate it, and it will even rebound damage onto the caster." Chi Hanfeng summoned Little Bai, floating in mid-air.

Amy rushed over to help Da Qingshan up, while Green bounced back happily.

The fireball in front of Reger slammed against an invisible wall, exploding into a shower of sparks, with some of the fireballs ricocheting back towards the green dragon. If the dragon hadn't had innate magical resistance, it would have surely been hurt.

"Wow, that was spectacular!" Chi Hanfeng clapped excitedly. "Who do you think will win? I bet on the green dragon—ten gold coins! Ha—dragons are naturally resistant to magic; when a mage encounters a dragon, it's game over!"

"Ah—" The green dragon let out another long roar, and without any incantation, a massive lightning ball descended from the sky, striking directly at Reger's protective barrier.

The lightning ball released a powerful high-pressure electric shock, electrocuting all nearby enemies. While this spell wasn't as potent as Thunder Strike, it could target multiple foes regardless of location. The advantage of using high-pressure electricity is that normal armor generally can't block the flow of electricity, rendering any defense ineffective.

"Holy Wind Elemental, float!" The protective barrier couldn't defend against this electrical magic, and the most reliable method was to dodge quickly. However, it seemed that the lightning summoned by the dragon would follow its target.

A mage's weak physique would struggle to withstand lightning summoned by a dragon, even a grand mage or archmage would find it challenging.

"Be careful!" Amy shouted anxiously.

Reger moved swiftly, dodging to the left as the lightning approached, then to the right as it continued its pursuit. He went up, paused, and suddenly, the lightning twisted direction…

"Crack!" The lightning struck Chi Hanfeng, who was floating in mid-air—the armored beast knight became a natural lightning rod. Like everyone struck by electric magic, he felt intense pain yet maintained an impressive demeanor—being shocked would leave one momentarily paralyzed. Little Bai quickly took off with Chi Hanfeng.

"Ah, oh, that method of dodging the lightning seems to work quite well!" Amy watched her teacher skillfully defend against the lightning ball, then glanced at Da Qingshan. It seemed this guy would also become an impressive knight in the future, surely armored just like that… Little Amy's eyes blinked rapidly.

"O Wind Elemental, transform into a guardian dragon!" It appeared that a battle was unavoidable, as normal communication with ordinary dragons was futile. Reger began his counterattack—only a dragon's assault could work against a dragon. He summoned a fourth-level spell, the Wind Illusion Dragon.

The Wind Illusion Dragon was an illusion created by high-level mages using immense mental power. If the enemy couldn't see through the illusion, this indestructible dragon would unleash tremendous destructive power, causing irreparable damage until it vanished.

A yellow dragon emerged amidst the wind. Though the summoned dragon wasn't as agile as a real dragon, its physical attack power was formidable enough to warrant attention.

The yellow dragon soared quickly, its long claws slicing through the air and leaving several white scratches on the green dragon. The green dragon, belonging to the ice element, shared the same lineage as the wind element, flying with much greater speed than other types. As its wings fluttered, it zipped around the yellow illusion dragon like a green lightning bolt, continuously unleashing long bursts of dragon fire at the yellow dragon.

In a one-on-one confrontation, the illusion dragon could not prevail against the real dragon, and Reger, floating in the air, realized this. His intention was only to use the Wind Illusion Dragon to buy time; the real trump card had yet to be played. The incantation of magic resonated through the valley once again: "Dark Dragon Landa, I summon you in the name of darkness!"

Amidst the howling winds in the valley, he cast the fifth-level spell, a torrent of gathered magical energy swirling like waves in the ocean. Despite it being daytime, the massive hexagonal magical barrier formed during the summoning of a fifth-level fire dragon emitted a piercing blue light, stinging everyone's eyes: the magical hexagram in front of Reger shone brightly, and a dark giant dragon began to rise from the brilliance…

The dark magic dragon let out a thunderous roar, spewing forth raging flames…

Only top-tier mages could summon fire dragons, and this spell was nothing short of a nightmare. The dark magic dragon, an illusion born from magic, appeared from the void, unleashing powerful magical flames upon all its enemies. This overwhelming ravage could turn the battlefield into a slaughterhouse, instilling terror in even the mightiest foes, for no one could resist such fearsome power.

Even a real dragon could not.

The flames of magic exploded in waves against the massive green figure, and the green dragon let out mournful cries, turning to flee to higher skies.

Dragon lairs indeed exist; they are not merely found in records or the songs of bards. Throughout various continents, there are abandoned dragon lairs, some of which have even become scenic spots, attracting many visitors year-round.

The size of a dragon's lair varies depending on how long the dragon has resided there.

Few people know that all dragon lairs exposed to human eyes are merely lairs of giant dragons, and most of them are the lairs of young dragons.

The lairs of the sacred dragons have never truly been revealed to humanity. It is said that the lairs of the six sacred dragons are passed down through generations, and that low-level dragons of the same lineage guard the areas surrounding these lairs.

— "Classic of Mountains and Seas: The Dragon Clan"