Chapter 275: North Wind Temple

Beneath the eternal starry sky of the Silver Heaven, Lunia, two massive dragons spread their wings. They glided silently through the air and touched down on an unnamed mound of dirt in the gentle breeze.

"Amos Aldrich, from the Large Material Plane of Nordhill."

"Vernosi Starhall, from the Golden Heaven. I recently reached adulthood and set out to travel."

The copper dragon, Vernosi, introduced himself with great excitement. A Titan had been slain, and although he hadn't landed the killing blow himself, he was still in an excellent mood.

After the White Dragon Lord introduced himself, he took out the bundle of tobacco leaves he had purchased from the Azure Hand. He used magical heat to dry them out while the copper dragon watched curiously from the side. Vernosi recognized the plant; it was very common in the Golden Wilderness of the Golden Heaven.

About ten minutes later, the bright green tobacco leaves lost their moisture and turned a dry, withered yellow.

The White Dragon Lord felt the dried leaves and nodded in satisfaction. A tiny flame ignited the tobacco, sending up a wisp of ethereal white smoke.

The pale smoke was light and ethereal. It hung in the air without dispersing, rising in thin tendrils before finally vanishing into the breeze.

The White Dragon Lord leaned his head forward and inhaled slightly. A wisp of smoke slipped down his throat and into his lungs.

A wave of coolness surged straight into his brain, instantly jolting his mind with refreshing clarity!

Two plumes of smoke billowed from the White Dragon Lord's massive nostrils. His eyes lit up. Perhaps due to the presence of magical energy, the tobacco leaves of this world possessed a unique, refreshing fragrance on top of their mind-clearing properties.

As for smoking being harmful to one's health, that saying held true for ordinary creatures. For a magical species like dragons, they could down two jugs of poison and be perfectly fine.

The White Dragon Lord took another puff.

The copper dragon watched the entire process. Seeing the White Dragon Lord's look of enjoyment, his curiosity got the better of him. He leaned his head forward, opened his large maw, and took a massive inhale.

He ended up inhaling far too much, and tragedy struck.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

A pungent heat pierced straight into his lungs. The copper dragon bent over, hacking violently until tears squeezed from his eyes.

The White Dragon Lord cast a sideways glance at the copper dragon.

"Kids shouldn't pick up smoking."

A moment later, the copper dragon recovered his breath. He stared at the burning leaves in the White Dragon Lord's hand in horror.

'What the hell is that thing?!'

"Vernosi, what are your plans now?"

Vernosi froze at the question, a headache coming on. He had only just set out on his travels, yet he had already been dragged into an incident between a white dragon and a Titan, managing to offend the Wild Beast Plains Mercenary Corps in the process.

At his current level of strength, the copper dragon simply couldn't afford to provoke a behemoth like the Wild Beast Plains.

The Wild Beast Plains Mercenary Corps boasted tens of thousands of members. The absolute minimum requirement for entry was to be a High Tier professional. Master Tier professionals served as squad leaders, legendary practitioners formed the core backbone, and their supreme commander and two vice-commanders were all High-Tier Legend powerhouses.

The commander of the Wild Beast Plains, the Iron-Hand Mad Beast—Senag Blood Butcher, had personally slain three High-Tier Legends on the battlefield.

The copper dragon let out a heavy sigh.

"I'll go back to the Golden Heaven and sleep for a while. I can come back out after some time has passed."

The White Dragon Lord nodded. It was a prudent choice.

The White Dragon Lord didn't think the Wild Beast Plains would actively seek trouble with the two dragons. After all, it was the mercenaries who had first meddled in the racial grudge between dragons and Titans. Of course, if they happened to run into each other by chance, there was no guarantee the members of the Wild Beast Plains wouldn't decide to teach the copper dragon a harsh lesson.

The copper dragon pulled out a targeted Teleportation Scroll.

"Sen... Lord Amos, what are your plans?"

Although the White Dragon Lord was far stronger than the copper dragon, their horns indicated that they were around the same age. Calling a dragon of similar age his "senior" presented something of a mental hurdle for the copper dragon.

The White Dragon Lord didn't mind the shift in address.

"I also plan to make a trip to the Golden Heaven. Now that I've come to the Seven-Layered Celestial Mountain, I naturally have to visit the North Wind Temple and pay my respects to His Majesty, the Dragon God of the North Wind."

The copper dragon Vernosi's opinion of the White Dragon Lord instantly shot up a level. As a Metallic Dragon who had grown up in the Golden Wilderness, he had been raised on stories of His Majesty Bahamut, and was a devout believer.

However, the copper dragon stared awkwardly at the targeted Teleportation Scroll in his hand. He only had one. He stowed the scroll gifted by his elders away.

"Then let's go east to Jueluo City together. The city has a Portal leading to the Golden Heaven."

"Do you know the teleportation coordinates for the Golden Wilderness?"

The copper dragon's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected the White Dragon Lord before him to also be a Mage.

The Dragon Race possessed innate magical abilities. Unless the White Dragon Lord explicitly said so, someone inexperienced wouldn't be able to distinguish whether the magic he wielded came innately from his Dragon Inheritance or from his own dedicated studies.

The copper dragon immediately rattled off the coordinates for the Golden Wilderness.

The White Dragon Lord stood still and rapidly chanted an incantation.

As the magical words left his lips, purple magical energy gathered around him. A profound purple magic array materialized beneath his feet, and the two dragons vanished from the spot.

...

Golden Heaven—Mercuria.

The White Dragon Lord and the copper dragon appeared atop a massive, circular Teleportation Platform.

The White Dragon Lord surveyed his surroundings as he stepped down from the platform.

A majestic fortress sprawled before him. The smooth, pristine City Wall soared a thousand meters high, gleaming with a platinum luster. Rows of enormous banners hung along the ramparts, embroidered with the holy crest of Bahamut. Inside the walls, an eye-catching temple pierced straight into the clouds.

That was the holy land of the Metallic Dragons—the North Wind Temple. It also served as the entrance to the Platinum Dragon God's Divine Kingdom.

The city lacked gates, simply because dragons had no need for them.

Beneath the cloudless sky and the eternal sunlight of the Golden Heaven, tens of thousands of dragons took to the air, flying in such numbers that they blotted out the sun.

Gold, silver, red, yellow, green... Dragons of every conceivable hue filled the sky. There were not just Metallic Dragons, but also a small number of Gem Dragons and Chromatic Dragons. The White Dragon Lord even spotted several legendary dragon species.

The White Dragon Lord couldn't help but be swept up in the sheer majesty of the sight. A breath swelled in his chest, demanding release.

Roar!

With a resonant draconic roar, the White Dragon Lord and the copper dragon beat their wings, soaring into the sky to join the flock of dragons flowing in and out of the fortress.

The view from the sky was vastly broader. The White Dragon Lord gazed down at the panorama of this draconic holy land.

At the very outermost perimeter stood the thousand-meter-high platinum City Wall. Brilliant and imposing, it showed no trace of brickwork. It was utterly seamless, cast as a single perfect monolith. Even soaring high in the air, the White Dragon Lord couldn't see where the wall ended, a true testament to the immense scale of this holy land.

This wall was called the Wall of Bahamut. It was a Divine Artifact personally forged by the Platinum Dragon God, Bahamut, to protect the holy city.

Within the protection of the Wall of Bahamut lay an endless stretch of unique draconic architecture. These buildings resembled spheres with holes opening at their peaks. The spheres came in all different sizes and colors, and every so often, a dragon would launch itself out from one of the circular openings at the top.

This distinctive architectural style had been passed down from the Star Realm era.

In the distant ancient times, dragons had been highly social creatures, living together within dragon fortresses in the Star Realm. Since the Star Realm saw no rain, and every dragon possessed wings, they naturally placed the exits to their buildings at the very top.

As for the varying colors of the spheres, they served to differentiate the major dragon branches. A gold dragon's home would be gold, a silver dragon's silver, and so on.

The White Dragon Lord even spotted several iridescent, rainbow-colored spheres. Barring any surprises, the owners of those homes had to be a legendary dragon species—Rainbow Dragons!

The spheres varied greatly in size. The smaller ones were generally the private estates of small draconic families, while the large ones were either the luxurious mansions of powerhouses, or commercial buildings like inns and restaurants. The latter were incredibly easy to spot, given the sheer number of variously colored dragons coming and going.

This was a true dragon's paradise, in every sense of the word.

The White Dragon Lord turned his gaze outside the city. Across the boundless golden plains, Very Young Dragons chased and frolicked with joyful abandon, while unhatched dragon eggs rested atop several high platforms.

Dragon eggs incubated around the holy city of the Platinum Dragon God, Bahamut, would never result in a dragon beast, for Bahamut's divine power sheltered the future of the Dragon Race.

Because of this, many capable Metallic Dragon couples would bring their eggs here. They would construct a wooden platform, carefully place their egg on top, and pray for Bahamut's blessing. Once the egg hatched, they would either take the Very Young Dragon away or leave it to grow in the Golden Wilderness.

The Golden Wilderness had no shortage of food, and the holy city had dedicated dragons to care for the eggs. Furthermore, no miscreant would ever dare stir up trouble right under Bahamut's nose. Thus, the safe growth of these newborn dragons was virtually guaranteed.

Though the Golden Wilderness was a paradise for dragons, staying in one place for too long would inevitably bring boredom. Once these dragons reached adulthood, they would leave the Golden Wilderness to travel the world, just like the copper dragon, only returning when they grew tired or weary of their journeys.

"Lord Amos, will you pay your respects at the North Wind Temple first, or would you like to visit my home?"

The copper dragon's voice snapped the White Dragon Lord out of his reverie.

"I'd rather pay my respects to His Majesty the Dragon God first."

The two dragons flew toward the grand, majestic temple at the dead center of the city, its spire piercing straight into the clouds.

Standing on the steps before the North Wind Temple, the White Dragon Lord gazed up at the main structure. Despite his twenty-five-meter body length, he couldn't help but feel incredibly small, like an ant staring up at a towering tree.

Grounding their claws firmly, the White Dragon Lord and the copper dragon climbed the steps leading to the temple doors, step by step. All around them, the other dragons did the exact same. None joked, and none ran; they all marched toward the temple with solemn expressions, taking it one reverent step at a time.

The atmosphere was deeply solemn and sacred.

After the ancestor of all dragons, the Nine-Faced Dragon God, and the supreme existence of heaven and earth—Io—disappeared alongside the natural deities, the laws of the world underwent a drastic change. Draconic bloodlines degraded, the Star Realm became fraught with peril, and the entire Dragon Race was left teetering on the edge of ruin.

Setting aside their past conflicts, Bahamut, Tiamat, Sardior, and dozens of other Dragon Kings banded together to jointly uphold the Dragon Race.

Brothers quarreling within the walls, yet uniting against external threats, became the truest reflection of the Dragon Race.

That brief era of unity had been their most glorious age, elevating the Dragon Race to the status of undisputed overlords of the Star Realm.

However, a united Dragon Race was far too high-profile and far too powerful. They drew the hostility and vigilance of countless factions, inviting a relentless tide of schemes and conspiracies.

As to what happened next, the White Dragon Lord didn't know. That segment of history had been deliberately buried by the three great dragon gods. Even the White Dragon Lord had only managed to glean a few scant clues from the Dragon Inheritance of an Ancestral Dragon.

However, the White Dragon Lord did know that their bitter blood feud with the Titans had been forged during that exact period.

He also knew that after that ancient upheaval, out of the dozens of Dragon Kings, the only ones left alive were the Platinum Dragon God, Tiamat, and the Gem Dragon King of the Star Realm—Sardior.

It was precisely through the sacrifices of those predecessors that the Dragon Race had survived to this day.

Because of this, one of the universally observed rules of the Dragon Race was this: You can choose not to worship a dragon god, you can refuse to obey their commands, and you can even harbor hostility toward them—but you can never disrespect them.

And thus, the current scene before him played out.

The eternal sun of the Golden Heaven cast down a gentle golden glow, shining upon the towering Northern Temple. Upon the sprawling steps at the base of the North Wind Temple, a flock of variously colored dragons wore solemn expressions, stepping methodically over their own shadows as they ascended at a steady, reverent pace.

...

At the same time the White Dragon Lord made his pilgrimage.

In the Silver Heaven, within Willis City.

Inside a roughly decorated hall, the berserk demon ape, Murphy Bloodthirsty, and the orc Old Shaman, Moyl Mist Raven, stood silently on a beast skin rug in the center of the room, shivering like cicadas in winter.

Before them sat the terrifying commander of the Wild Beast Plains Mercenary Corps, the Iron-Hand Mad Beast—Senag Blood Butcher. He sprawled aggressively in a chair padded with black wolf skin, his signature saw-toothed short sword, which served as his left hand, resting casually on the armrest.

In his early years of vicious combat, the commander of the Wild Beast Plains Mercenary Corps, Senag Blood Butcher, had lost his left hand at the wrist. Furthermore, because the wound bore a Curse, it couldn't be healed using limb-regeneration divine spells. Thus, Senag Blood Butcher had replaced his lost hand with a jagged, saw-toothed short sword.

After years of endless slaughter, the saw-toothed blade had long been dyed a faint crimson by blood, constantly exuding a thick stench of blood. Coupled with a combat style that bordered on demonic madness, Senag Blood Butcher had earned the moniker of the Iron-Hand Mad Beast.

Right now, the murderous Senag Blood Butcher was glaring malevolently at the two members. If brute force could solve the problem, this violence-worshipping orc Warrior wouldn't have hesitated to slaughter them both on the spot.

These two imbeciles had actually dared to meddle in the ancient feud between dragons and Titans, all over a friendship built on a few measly meals.

They should have known that even deities didn't dare lightly interfere in the grudge between those two great races. Senag Blood Butcher had half a mind to gut them both.

But the deed was already done, and killing them now would achieve nothing. Senag Blood Butcher could only pray that the two dragons wouldn't spread word of the incident. If it reached the ears of a major draconic figure, his entire Wild Beast Plains Mercenary Corps wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps in the dragons' teeth.

As a High-Tier Legend, Senag Blood Butcher understood perfectly well that the Dragon Race—a mighty species that had once dominated the Star Realm—was not something his tiny mercenary band could afford to provoke, even if they had fallen from their former peak.

This was especially true given that the floor right above the Silver Heaven was one of the Dragon Race's main strongholds.

Senag Blood Butcher felt a severe headache coming on. Agitation gnawed at him, and the longer he looked at the two fools, the more offensive they seemed to his eyes.

"Murphy Bloodthirsty and Moyl Mist Raven have violated corps regulations! By abandoning your posts for a personal grudge and neglecting your duties, you've caused a severe negative impact! I, Senag Blood Butcher, acting in the name of the commander of the Wild Beast Plains Mercenary Corps, hereby expel you both from our ranks!"

Just as the copper dragon feared the massive behemoth that was the Wild Beast Plains Mercenary Corps, Senag Blood Butcher equally feared the Dragon Race standing behind the copper dragon.