Once he had thought everything through, Seranox waved his large hand, wrapping Starlight and the others in a shroud of golden light that streaked toward the entrance like a meteor.
“I hope this buys us some time!”
After sending the group into the tunnel, Seranox immediately condensed a golden sphere in his palm and hurled it toward the ceiling.
Whoosh!
The sphere of light shot toward the dome like a reverse meteor, exploding silently the moment it touched the rock wall. There was no earth-shattering blast; instead, countless golden runes spread across the rock like a spiderweb.
A few seconds later, the entire ceiling began to groan under an unbearable weight, and massive boulders began to rain down.
This was the self-destruct mechanism of the Dragon Valley Holy Site. Only the successive leaders of the Dragon Race knew how to activate it; not even the other Dragon Kings were aware of its existence.
“Now, I have no choice but to sacrifice this holy site...”
The Gold Flame Dragon King stole one last glance at the black dragon, which was temporarily blocked by the falling rocks, before turning and transforming into a streak of light to charge into the tunnel.
Behind him, a roar echoed out, only to be buried deep underground as the entire cavern collapsed.
...
Meanwhile, in the Dragon Treasury.
Starlight and the others were tossed roughly into the center of the treasury by the golden light. Before they could even steady themselves, a deafening sound of collapse echoed from the direction of the tunnel.
The entire treasury trembled violently. The treasures on the display racks clinked together, and fine dust showered down from the ceiling.
Boom!
Just a second before the entire tunnel collapsed, Seranox’s burly figure shot out like a cannonball and landed heavily on the ground.
As the last of the dust settled, the entrance to the tunnel was completely sealed.
“Follow me. I’m going to seal the treasury now. As for your reward, that will have to wait!”
Without any hesitation, the group followed the Gold Flame Dragon King through the treasury’s display area, which was filled with a dazzling array of items.
Starlight noticed that the priceless treasures were being automatically transferred to a hidden space. Clearly, the treasury was activating its highest-level defense mechanism.
Thud—
The moment the heavy gilded doors slammed shut, Seranox’s fingertips moved rapidly across the surface.
With every inch he traced, an ancient Dragon Race seal lit up. By the time the thirtieth rune was completed, the entire door had transformed into an impenetrable golden barrier.
“Your Excellency Dragon King, will this be enough to stop the Obsidian Dragon King?” Moen asked as the final layer of the seal fell into place, her sapphire eyes filled with worry.
“It’s hard to say. Although the treasury is incredibly strong—its overall durability is close to that of a Divine Artifact—it is ultimately a dead object,” Seranox replied, shaking his head. “I can’t judge what Salenzo’s strength will be after he finishes merging with the divine body.”
“Are you saying that guy’s power might reach Godhood?” Po Kong’s expression shifted as he pressed for more information.
“It’s hard to tell. Actually, I can sense that what Salenzo is doing isn't the optimal method; he was simply forced by the situation to choose a forced fusion with the Ancestor’s body.”
“While I don’t know why the Ancestor’s body has become like that, the body of a god is not so easily usurped. Furthermore, with the Dragon God's Heart being a sacred relic, his power will definitely be limited by that level.”
Seranox spoke slowly after a moment of reflection.
“Huh? Why? Wouldn’t having both a Dragon Race sacred relic and the body of the Dragon God make him even stronger?”
This time it was Xia Duo who was curious. Whether it was a Dragon King, a sacred relic, or a divine body, any one of those three was a rarity in this world. Mixing them together should at least be a simple addition that would make him the strongest, even if it didn't cause a qualitative change.
Before the Gold Flame Dragon King could think of an explanation, Starlight spoke up first, holding up three fingers as he explained while they walked.
“If our previous information is correct, I think there are three issues here. First, Salenzo does not possess the purest Dragon God bloodline, so he definitely won't be able to exert the full power of the divine body. Second, after the divine body was polluted, it likely lost its original strength, as we could see from the attacks just now by Your Excellency and Po Kong.”
Xia Duo nodded thoughtfully. “And the third point?”
“The third point is the most critical... the Dragon God's Heart.” Starlight pointed to his own chest. “I can feel it. The essence of its power... is the exact opposite of that corrupted divine body!”
Seranox looked at the human youth in surprise. In such a short amount of time, he had actually analyzed so much? Was this the capability of the holder of the Elemental Saint Body?
He nodded approvingly and added, “Starlight, your analysis is very thorough. However, all of this assumes he doesn't have much time. If he is given enough time, his strength after fusion would be at least at the peak Half-God level...”
After hearing the Gold Flame Dragon King’s words, everyone fell silent.
They had witnessed the power of a Half-God before. If that terrifying entity composed of death power were to appear on the continent, what kind of scene would that be?
The safest course of action now was to return to the hatching area and regroup with You, Yserazor, and the others.
With so many Saint Rank powerhouses working together, they should be able to come up with a countermeasure. However, the previously escaped Cantia and Yuta were still significant variables.
While Starlight was deep in thought, Seranox suddenly reached out a hand toward Po Kong. “Mars kid, come here.”
“Me? What is it?” Po Kong was surprised, but he still obediently walked over to the Gold Flame Dragon King’s side.
Seranox pressed his fingertip against Po Kong’s chest, and a golden aura flowed from his finger into the youth’s body.
The moment that power entered him, Po Kong’s eyes widened.
Although the color was similar, this wasn't War God Battle Qi, though there seemed to be countless links between the two.
This power was not only restoring the depleted energy in his body but was also recharging the sleeping Divine Artifact within him at an incredible speed.
He could feel the blade of the greatsword emitting a joyful hum that only he could hear. The energy that would have normally taken him ten days to fill was back to its peak state in just a few seconds.
“This...?”
Po Kong was so shocked he was almost speechless, but Seranox merely nodded calmly.
“With this, that Divine Artifact of yours should be usable one more time, shouldn't it? It might serve as an unexpected trump card at a critical moment.”
“Your Excellency Dragon King, what is the principle behind this?” Po Kong asked urgently.
“The principle? Go back and ask your grandfather when you have the time. It’s not like he’s dead. We have other things to attend to now!”
Seeing that Seranox was unwilling to explain, Po Kong could only rub his nose ruefully, though he couldn't help but grin.
After all, being able to use the Divine Artifact one more time was a massive help.
As they spoke, they had already returned to the dragons’ lounge. The moment they stepped into the empty cavern, Xia Duo frowned.
“Something’s wrong... a battle has already broken out above!”
Hearing this, everyone immediately held their breath and focused. Sure enough, they caught the faint vibrations coming through the rock ceiling.
Those weren't ordinary tremors; they were dense energy impacts! A rhythmic shock occurred every few moments, clearly the result of someone casting high-tier magic.
“As expected, Cantia and the others have returned for a counterattack! Let’s move!” Burning rage instantly ignited in Seranox’s eyes. Although he had anticipated this, he hadn't expected them to put their plans into motion so quickly.
Before the group could react, the faint vibrations above turned into a deafening roar.
Countless small rock fragments rained down like pebbles. In the next second, a piercing blue-purple light actually blasted directly through the rock layers above and exploded in front of them.
There were no special defensive measures set between the dragons’ lounge and the hatching grounds; after all, no one would have ever imagined that someone would actually come here to cause trouble.
One had to realize that even without any magical protection, the lounge was separated from the hatching grounds above by over a hundred meters of natural rock. Even if one were using cannons to bombard it, it wouldn't be something that could be blasted through anytime soon.
Rate on N.U.
