Chapter 1085 - A Man Who Listens

The war between the giants and the Great Dragons didn’t play out as Han Wu wanted. When the giants realized that their forces couldn’t break through into the Great Dragon territory, a Skyreach Giant received orders and let out a war cry to signal the retreat.

The Great Dragons didn’t pursue. Hovering in the air, they cursed out the giants in Dragon Tongue, expressing their hatred for the species. Some Great Dragons with longer-range attacks spat parting dragon breaths at the retreating giants, mostly to insult them and taunt them with their victory. The giants responded by throwing boulders back at them.

It was like a fight between children, with one side spitting and the other throwing rocks, except on a much larger scale and considerably more gruesome.

Once the giants left, Han Wu descended to the battlefield. Wounded Great Dragons were everywhere. The healer dragons among them had exhausted their energy in combat and couldn’t treat many more of their kin. The injured would have to rely on their natural recovery.

It had been this way for centuries. Some of the more gravely wounded would not pull through.

Han Wu decided this was an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the Defier’s generosity and summoned a swarm of Blood Wraiths from his divine realm.

Blood Wraiths were only High Lord life forms. An adult Great Dragon could crush one without effort. Still, their healing ability was not to be underestimated.

They absorbed the blood of ?giants and Great Dragons from the ground, converted it into Life Energy, and used it to accelerate the Great Dragons’ recovery. A single maimed Microcosm Great Dragon needed at least 50,000 Blood Wraiths working simultaneously.

Han Wu’s divine realm was short on many things, but units weren’t one of them. He could summon 5 billion Blood Wraiths, much less 50,000.

The battlefield was soon blanketed with his Blood Wraiths. Dozens of Great Dragons watched in awe as their wounds healed rapidly. At least a hundred that had been on the verge of death were pulled back from the brink.

All four Dragon Emperors took note. Even the Demonfire Dragon Emperor, the one most obsessed with bloodline purity, had to admit Han Wu’s medical support made a significant difference.

While treating the wounded, Han Wu kept his eye on the corpses. Great Dragon remains were off-limits under so many watchful dragon eyes, but the giants’ corpses were fair game.

He could’ve dissected them then and there, and the Great Dragons would have applauded his precision with the scalpel. The giants who were still breathing were even more useful. Han Wu drove Peerless into their bodies and drained their blood to feed the Crimson Dragon Soul inside the weapon.

The Great Dragons largely turned a blind eye. Some of the recently healed Great Dragons even dragged half-dead giants over and handed them to Han Wu directly. They had already accepted him as one of their own.

Han Wu was overjoyed. This one battle between the Great Dragons and the giants had gained him over a thousand powerful undead for free. He had even leveled up the Crimson Dragon Soul on top of that. It was a massive haul.

Afterward, the four Dragon Emperors sent their subordinates to collect the fallen Great Dragon remains for a unified funeral. Han Wu was also invited.

The pained expression on Han Wu’s face as he watched a thousand Great Dragon corpses being incinerated by the gathered dragons’ breath was genuine. The Great Dragons mourned their fallen comrades, while Han Wu mourned wasted resources.

A single high-quality dragon corpse could yield over a hundred pieces of Divine equipment, thousands of pounds of crafting materials, and a powerful undead Great Dragon.

All of that, reduced to ash. What a waste.

This wasn’t a thought he could voice to the Great Dragons, though, so he could only keep the sigh to himself.

Unbeknownst to Han Wu, the Demonfire Dragon Emperor had kept an eye on him throughout the funeral. The sheer authenticity of grief on his face had softened its resistance another few notches.

A person capable of grieving so deeply for the Great Dragons couldn’t possibly have ill intentions. Han Wu wasn’t a Great Dragon by blood, but the Demonfire Dragon Emperor found itself silently acknowledging his status nonetheless.

Without the Demonfire Dragon Emperor’s interference, Han Wu could finally move freely within the Great Dragon territory. He released all the Great Dragons from his divine realm and let them mingle with their kin. They were members of the same race after all.

His reputation soared as the local dragons learned of Han Wu’s devoted care for the Great Dragons in his command. Some even proposed pooling resources to groom Han Wu as the fifth Dragon Emperor.

The four Dragon Emperors unanimously shot this down. At the end of the day, Han Wu wasn’t a true Great Dragon.

Pouring a mountain of resources into someone from the Divine Civilization was like throwing meat buns at a dog. More importantly, Han Wu’s prestige was largely a byproduct of the Defier title. None of his actions would’ve drawn this much attention without it.

The Great Dragon race needed a dragon capable of leading through strength, wisdom, or exemplary character. Even the Jade Dragon Emperor, Han Wu’s biggest fan, didn’t think he was the right fit.

The proposal to make Han Wu the fifth Dragon Emperor died before it ever even reached Han Wu’s ears. However, considering the special nature of the Defier title, the Jade Dragon Emperor still applied to have Han Wu presented to the Nine-Faced Dragon God. Their God could decide his future.

Han Wu was eager to see the power of the Great Dragons’ deity. Although the Nine-Faced Dragon God rarely involved itself in the Great Dragons’ affairs, nothing escaped its notice, and it approved the Jade Dragon Emperor’s request without delay.

The four Dragon Emperors escorted Han Wu to the palace of the Nine-Faced Dragon God. Before they entered, the Jade Dragon Emperor quietly advised Han Wu that appearing in his True Holy Dragon Transformation’s Dragonkin form would earn him more favor.

Han Wu was the type to listen to well-meaning advice, so he promptly activated the True Holy Dragon Transformation and shifted into Dragonkin form. The other three Dragon Emperors’ gazes softened when they sensed the pure Dragon Fear and the Defier’s aura radiating from him.

The Battle Dragon Emperor’s cheeks flushed. “What a handsome little brother! Fighting him would be so satisfying!”

Han Wu was speechless. He was honestly worried the Battle Dragon Emperor would lose control and beat him up in front of the Nine-Faced Dragon God. Thankfully, she had just enough self-restraint to hold back, no matter how badly she wanted to fight Han Wu.

Fortunately, the palace gates opened before things could derail.

Han Wu followed the four Dragon Emperors inside to meet the being that made even the Divine Civilization tremble with fear: the deity of the Great Dragon race, the Nine-Faced Dragon God.