Beneath the Red Dragon

Chapter 489 - 29: Cultivation (Part 2)

Although these Demon Dragons lack magical power, their massive bodies, tens or hundreds of meters in length, bring immense physical strength, prompting the Black Dragon to stay vigilant.

And due to the recent hunts, twenty Demon Dragons have already fallen at Rosani’s hand, not counting those shot down by the powerful warriors using crossbow arrows and armor-piercing long spears.

A Flying Dragon Rider from the Imperial Flying Dragon Knight Order, after being tempered by war, these elite Flying Dragon Riders are even capable of hunting a Demon Dragon alone.

The speed of the Two-legged Demon Dragon is much slower than that of a True Dragon, and once the Bat-winged Flying Dragon goes all out, the Demon Dragon can’t even catch the Flying Dragon Rider’s trail.

Just Batorri, the leader of the Flying Dragon Knight Order, alone has beheaded more than five Demon Dragons, and according to incomplete statistics by scholars, nearly sixty of these Two-legged Demon Dragons have been lost to the Imperial Legion Warriors.

Even though the Forty Dragon King Clans have a massive Demon Dragon Corps, during this time, they have heightened their vigilance.

Because it’s not just the number of Demon Dragons that’s changing, the clan members with the Dragon King’s Blood who have the right to ride Demon Dragons and the Demon Dragon Knights are also secretly disappearing.

Throughout the Valerian City, defense levels are continuously being raised, and the dragon road leading to Valyria has been blocked by large numbers of mercenary warriors and the Pure, conducting rigorous checks.

The Slave Master Manor Masters and the nobility protect their residences and manors as if they were impenetrable, with layers of guard protection.

But these defenses, in the eyes of the Imperial Legion Warriors, are mere obstacles that can be easily swept aside; they only fear the mighty Demon Dragon Corps.

These rulers of Valeria send out hundreds of Demon Dragons daily, searching the Valerian Peninsula for signs of outsiders, trying to root them out.

Hundreds more Demon Dragons are searching outside the Valerian Peninsula in the Land of Long Summer, but the nobility may find it hard to imagine that the real enemy has already arrived beside them; the magic of the Icaria World is far superior to that of this world.

"But, the best defense in the world is offense," Black Dragon Rosani gazed at the bright moon on the horizon, mimicking a certain Red Dragon, and sighed with arms folded.

"I chose this city to avoid the advantages of those Demon Dragons; here, the ones who should be fearful are not us, but those rulers. The Demon Dragons might see clearly in the dark, but those knights are nothing but blind men."

The lights in Valeria shine brightly, yet an undercurrent is surging.

The once luxurious Great Monarch’s Fortress in Valeria now has the Dragon King sitting on the throne maintaining order, quietly waiting for the outcome.

Warriors and attendants surround the fortress, making it watertight, while the Demon Dragon Riders hover over the Great Monarch’s Fortress in the sky.

During this time, the Dragon King Clans, who usually scheme and vie for power against each other, have finally temporarily set aside their disputes, united, taking turns governing, consolidating the strength of the entire Fortress of Freedom.

The Red-robed Monks and Red-robed Priestess Nalia, who worship the Red God, gather at the blazing torches, conducting divine rituals.

One after another, slaves are bound hand and foot and tied to stakes; these are sacrifices for the Red God R’hllor, to pray for the descent of the Red God’s power.

But Nalia had once attempted to offer a solitary sacrifice, and the power was insufficient to find traces of the outsiders, as if the mysterious magic of the outsiders obscured their existence.

Thus, to harness the power of the King of Light R’hllor, a more grandiose sacrifice must be held, to receive greater power and induce the True God to deliver more potent miracles.

With blood and fire as a source, exchanging life’s blood for the fire of power, there are a total of one hundred and sixty-six slaves here, to be used as sacrifices.

Red-robed Priestess Nalia nodded to the Dragon King seated high on the throne and circled the giant torch, while other Red-robed Monks chanted mysterious prayers, blessing the light and beauty of the great True God R’hllor.

The Red-robed Witch Nalia scattered potions and powders from her wide sleeves, and as her fingertips glowed with orange flames, they ignited the powders, transforming into scarlet blood flames that fell into the woodpile on the altar.

The scarlet blood flames suddenly roared up, and simultaneously, cries of fear and screams from the slaves in the fire resounded.

This alluring Priestess, her red robe slipped open between her fair fingers, then gracefully slid to the ground from top to bottom, revealing a delicate, lamb-like body.

At this moment, the naked witch’s eyes were also shining like shallow red candles.

At this moment, the witch’s aura became obscure and solemn, combining beauty with danger, complex and abrupt.

"The shadow is the servant of the light, offspring of the flame..."

The Priestess, radiating a dazzling white halo, exposed her graceful figure, stepping delicately before the torch and chanting ancient words, dancing the sacred ritual dance, lively, dazzling, and divine.

"The flame that burns fiercely..."

"With your Fire of Life, create..."

The beautiful witch’s ruby necklace at her neck blossomed with vibrant light at this culminating moment, as if replenished in some way, the luster turned more crystalline and rich.

Even the witch’s face and skin became somewhat smoother.