Chapter 438: The Start of the War

The White Dragon Lord immediately realized that the insidious Tiamat had taken advantage of her old rival's absence to launch a sneak attack on several key locations.

She truly lived up to her reputation as the ancestor of the Chromatic Dragons; she knew exactly how to seize an opportunity.

Your Majesty Tiamat, you really think highly of me, the White Dragon Lord sighed inwardly. It isn't up to me whether we can stall the deity in front of us, but good luck. And kill a few more Titans while you're at it.

Just as the White Dragon Lord had noted, whether or not to start a war wasn't for him to decide; that power lay in the hands of the Winter Empress. Strength determined status. The Winter Empress was the true ruler of the Winter Legion, while Amos's standing was roughly equal to that of the three Winter Commanders.

The White Dragon Lord sent a message to the Winter Empress, relaying Tiamat's request from the perspective of a neutral party. She furrowed her brow.

The feud between the Dragon Race and the Titans was known throughout the universe. She had no desire to see the Winter Legion dragged into an unnecessary war.

Meanwhile, the God of the Dark Titans was anxious about Tiamat's sneak attack and had no desire to linger here. However, he worried that the Winter Empress would strike the moment he turned his back, leaving him caught in a dilemma.

"Master of the Winter Legion! You are interfering in the dispute between the Dragon Race and the Titans! Aren't you afraid of dragging the Winter Legion into war?!"

"The Winter Legion does not fear war! But we will not go looking for trouble, either. The other dragons are of no concern to the Winter Legion, but him—" The Winter Empress pointed at the White Dragon Lord. "You cannot touch him!"

The God of the Dark Titans understood the Winter Empress's meaning. Operating on the principle that a wise person bends with the wind and avoids immediate conflict, he backed down, tearing through space to leave.

The Mother of Lightning and the three other Abomination Rank Titans were instantly dumbfounded. Their leader had just left; what were they supposed to do?

Under the gazes of the Winter Empress, the White Dragon Lord, and the three Winter Commanders, the Titans didn't dare turn and flee. After all, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down; the first to run would likely draw their focused fire.

The White Dragon Lord stared at the Mother of Lightning with malicious intent, his thoughts racing. He knew that on his own, it would be difficult to pose a fatal threat to the Titans.

Furthermore, while the Winter Empress would protect him, she would not go to war with the Titan Race for his sake. Letting the God of the Dark Titans leave just now proved as much.

The White Dragon Lord understood her reasoning. The war between the Dragon Race and the Titans was a quagmire that even The Gods avoided. No one wanted to be drawn into such an endless conflict.

"Your Majesty the Empress, I would like to request that you initiate an ice Curse."

The Winter Empress raised an eyebrow. "Fine."

The Winter Crown flared with brilliant light. The four Abomination Rank Titans immediately felt themselves subjected to a Curse. Frostwhisper nearly vomited blood; he could feel the Ice Elementals, which he used to command as easily as his own limbs, pulling away from him in disgust.

For a Frost Titan to be unable to mobilize Ice Elementals was like the White Dragon Lord losing his ice magic.

The multiverse's only Abomination Rank Frost Titan—Monkenado Frostwhisper—was crippled!

After the Curse was cast, the Winter Empress teleported away. Motznovi gave the White Dragon Lord a helpless gesture.

A chaotic battle at the Abomination Rank was diffused by the tacit understanding between the God of the Dark Titans and the Winter Empress.

With the Titans cursed, the White Dragon Lord was in a great mood. He looked at the heavily injured Mother of Lightning. "I hope you remember today's lesson. You won't be this lucky next time."

The Mother of Lightning's face turned ashen, but circumstances forced her to yield. She was powerless to retort.

The White Dragon Lord teleported away alongside the Ice Elementals.

Although he had failed to eliminate the Mother of Lightning this time, he had successfully inflicted severe injuries on her. Abomination Rank powerhouses did not get injured easily, and once they did, recovery was extremely difficult. It would take decades before the Mother of Lightning could even think of fully healing her wounds.

Monkenado Frostwhisper was in an even more miserable state than the Mother of Lightning. Just thinking about it was pitiable. Frostwhisper had been stripped of his ability to command Ice Elementals by the supreme ice-attribute Divine Artifact—the Winter Crown. The Frost Titan was now one in name only.

The White Dragon Lord teleported back to Nordhill, feeling that this matter wouldn't end so easily.

Sure enough, not long after, the White Dragon Lord received news. While the God of the Dark Titans had been away, Tiamat had personally launched a sneak attack on her old rival's base—the Gloomy Sanctuary. A third of the Titans in the Gloomy Sanctuary had been wiped out, including an Abomination Rank Titan.

With new grudges piled upon old hatreds, the God of the Dark Titans erupted. He led his petitioner legion into an all-out war with Tiamat.

In just a few short hours, massive numbers of Titans and dragons arrived in the Abyss at the call of their respective deities. The war between the Dragon Race and the Titans, which had swept across the entire multiverse multiple times in the past, had broken out once again.

Even the Abyssal demons scrambled out of the way to avoid being dragged into the conflict, which promised to be no less intense than the blood war. After all, the weakest participants in this battle were at the Legendary Rank Level.

Tiamat also summoned the White Dragon Lord to join the fight, but he had no desire to enter the fray anytime soon. He felt his current strength was still insufficient, and he was looking for ways to improve it.

At present, his only viable plan was to study the knowledge of the Arcane Empire era. That was right—he had set his sights on the remnants of the Arcane Empire dwelling in the deep oceans of Nordhill.

Merlin Heavenly Principle had only managed to bypass the Abomination Rank novice period so quickly because he had acquired a portion of the Arcane Empire's knowledge, allowing him to directly clash with a veteran Abyssal lord. The White Dragon Lord felt he could do the same.

Unfortunately, due to a confidentiality agreement, Merlin Heavenly Principle could not directly share the relevant intelligence with the White Dragon Lord; he would have to rely on his own efforts.

Through careful calculation, the White Dragon Lord knew that the moment Feixi Darkscale ascended to godhood would be his opportunity. When a new deity was born in Nordhill, the gaze of The Gods would be drawn to the ascension.

When that time came, he would have Merlin Heavenly Principle lock down the entirety of Nordhill in the name of protecting the ascending god, interfering with the deities' line of sight. Seizing this chance, the White Dragon Lord could secretly make contact with the remnants of the Arcane Empire.

He extracted two strands of Divinity from the Cold Nest Broodmother's heart, storing them alongside his original seven strands of Divinity.

The White Dragon Lord then used his points to exchange for another strand of Divinity from the Council before summoning Feixi Darkscale.

The High-Tier Legend Black-Scaled Fishman knelt on one knee in the spacious hall of the White Castle. The White Dragon Lord lay coiled upon the throne, ten crystals levitating in his hand. The Divinity within the crystals emanated a dazzling, mesmerizing light.

"These are necessities for your ascension to godhood."

With that, the ten crystals holding the Divinity slowly drifted toward Feixi Darkscale, coming to a halt in front of the Murloc.

Trembling with excitement, Feixi Darkscale accepted the ten strands of Divinity. He stood up, bowed deeply to the White Dragon Lord, and then turned to leave. He knew that verbal gratitude wasn't what the White Dragon Lord wanted to hear. A successful ascension to godhood would be the best repayment, and only after becoming a god could he truly assist his master.

Now, Feixi Darkscale wouldn't waste a single moment. He would put everything he had into elevating his strength.

The White Dragon Lord watched his Murloc dependent leave. Once Feixi Darkscale finished absorbing the Divinity and adapted to his new power, he could begin cultivating believers and making preparations for ascension. Judging by his current progress, Feixi Darkscale was advancing rapidly; in ten years at most, he would be ready for apotheosis.

Just as the White Dragon Lord was pondering the matter of ascension, Felicia, Willy, and Elena arrived together in the great hall.

"Brother, we have decided. We will answer the call of Her Majesty the Dragon Queen and head to the Abyss to fight the Titans."

The White Dragon Lord raised an eyebrow. He was somewhat surprised by his Dragon Brother and Dragon Sisters' decision, but he could understand it. The Dragon Race and the Titans were irreconcilable mortal enemies. Moreover, as a priestess of Her Majesty the Dragon Queen, Felicia could easily persuade Elena and Willy.

After thinking it over, the White Dragon Lord felt that letting his Dragon Brother and Dragon Sisters gain some experience wouldn't be a bad thing, but he was truly a bit worried about them going exactly as they were.

"Wait three months before you go. I have gifts for you."

Upon hearing about gifts, the Dragon Brother and Dragon Sisters happily agreed and began eagerly anticipating what the White Dragon Lord had in store.

That night, the White Dragon Lord teleported to the Dark Furnace Fortress.

Beside a massive iron forge, the gray dwarf prince and the finest dwarven artisans were working on huge ice-blue scales. These were the White Dragon Lord's spoils of war: the scale armor from a High-Tier Legendary Demon, the Frost Pangolin.

This scale armor boasted stronger defenses than dragon scales of the same Tier. It was the gift the White Dragon Lord had prepared for Willy. He planned to use the Frost Pangolin scales to craft a set of Metamagic Construct Armor. Metamagic Construct Armor was a craft from the era of the Arcane Empire, capable of automatically adjusting its size and other parameters according to the wearer's physique.

Since Willy was a Warrior, there was no better gift than a perfectly fitted set of armor.

Of course, the gray dwarves did not know the techniques for a Metamagic Construct. They were merely acting on the White Dragon Lord's instructions to perform some preliminary processing. The truly critical procedures still had to be handled by the White Dragon Lord himself.

Meanwhile, in the grand hall of the Holy Sanctuary, entrusted by the White Dragon Lord, the Grand Archbishop of the Sanctuary was working alongside several High-Tier Legend divine practitioners and numerous Legendary Priests to infuse holy light into a gemstone.

This Luminous Gem was the gift the White Dragon Lord had prepared for Felicia. No one understood a divine practitioner better than another divine practitioner. Crafted personally by the Grand Archbishop of the Sanctuary, this gem was undoubtedly a dream weapon for any divine practitioner.

As compensation, the White Dragon Lord had agreed to have the Yafeiawei Empire provide relief to impoverished commoners in surrounding countries under the name of the Holy Sanctuary for a continuous span of five hundred years.

In a deep, secluded ancient tomb, the lich alchemical grandmaster, Philidel, joined forces with numerous invited liches to channel the power of death into a branch teeming with a life aura.

This branch, brimming with vitality, was from the legendary elven sacred tree—the Tree of Life. The White Dragon Lord had traded for it from the Elves' flower goddess, Sophia, with the sole purpose of creating a suitable piece of equipment for Elena.

The White Dragon Lord had learned from the Cat-Woman that infusing death energy into a branch of the Tree of Life, supplemented by a special magical ritual, could transform the branch into a state of both life and death. In the hands of the Withered Vine Druids, a Tree of Life branch in this state would unleash immense power.

Time ticked by. With an endless investment of resources, the gifts the White Dragon Lord had prepared for his Dragon Brother and Dragon Sisters were completed one by one and delivered into his hands.

The White Dragon Lord summoned his Dragon Brother and Dragon Sisters. The three dragons stood side by side before their elder brother as he pulled a branch entwined with grayish-green auras from his Dimensional Bag.

Elena's eyes lit up when she saw the branch. She could sense the dense power of life and death radiating from it, and instantly realized it was prepared for her.

"Elena, this is a raw branch crafted from a branch of the Tree of Life. You should have heard of its name and functions from your teacher. It is yours now."

As he spoke, the peculiar branch flew from the White Dragon Lord's claws toward Elena.

Elena happily received the branch. "Thank you, Brother."

The White Dragon Lord then brought out a colorless, transparent gemstone. The gem emitted a gentle aura of divine power, and Felicia immediately understood that this was her gift.

"Felicia, your personality is impulsive, making you prone to getting hurt. I specially enlisted the Grand Archbishop of the Sanctuary to utilize a Divine Artifact and numerous Legendary Priests to forge this Heart of Radiance for you. It possesses powerful divine spell amplification and healing abilities. I want you to use it to protect yourself, as well as to protect Elena and Willy."

"Brother, I will," Felicia said, taking the Heart of Radiance.

Under Willy's expectant gaze, the White Dragon Lord took out a large stack of scales. He rapidly chanted an incantation, and the scales flew toward Willy.

The ice-blue scales were as dazzling as crystals. They swirled around Willy continuously before finally pressing against his body, melting away and vanishing like thawing ice and snow. Willy felt a slight tickle. At the same time, he looked at the White Dragon Lord in shock because he could feel that the defensive power of his scales had grown significantly stronger, though he didn't know exactly by how much.

"Willy, I crafted this set of armor using the scales of a High-Tier Legendary Demon Frost Pangolin as raw materials, employing the Metamagic Construct technology of the Arcane Empire. This is absolutely my most satisfying work to date. Every single scale bears a powerful magical Array that can reflect a portion of physical damage, while drastically increasing your defensive capabilities and magic resistance. I hope this armor will protect you from harm."

"Thank you, Brother. I will protect the two of them well."

"Who needs your protection?" the two sisters said in unison.

"..."

The White Dragon Lord watched the three dragons bicker with a smile. Because of a dragon's Creature Level combined with their professional level, Felicia and Willy both possessed combat strength rivaling a High-Tier Legend. Elena, moreover, was among the strongest even within the ranks of High-Tier Legends.

The three dragons' class composition was well-balanced. Willy was a frontline Warrior, Felicia was a supportive healer, and with Elena as a heavy damage dealer, their safety was virtually guaranteed as long as they didn't run head-on into an Abomination Rank enemy.

The White Dragon Lord then took out three more scales. These were scales shed from his own body.

"These three scales contain sealed, powerful Master Tier Soul Magic. Even an Abomination Rank powerhouse would be severely injured if caught off guard. If you encounter an enemy you cannot defeat, immediately activate the magic within the Scale. But remember, each Scale can only be used once."

The Dragon Brother and Dragon Sisters each accepted a Scale and left the great hall under the White Dragon Lord's watchful gaze. They were about to step onto the battlefield.

The White Dragon Lord's gaze was profound. What he hadn't told his younger siblings was that once the Soul Magic within the scales was triggered, he would receive a message and step in to protect them. Furthermore, he had also reached an agreement with Tiamat, having the Five-Headed Dragon Queen watch over the safety of the three dragons.

"Your Majesty the Dragon Queen, please do not disappoint me."

The White Dragon Lord muttered to himself, teleporting out of the White Castle's great hall. He arrived in a deep sea region within the borders of the empire. Inside a pitch-black, murky abyssal trench, numerous Murloc Mages were constructing a massive Altar.

This was the divine shrine prepared for Feixi Darkscale's ascension. Although the Altar was built for his Murloc dependent's apotheosis, the White Dragon Lord could make use of it as well.