Chapter 1192, The Closer to Home, the More One’s Courage Falters

Translator: Silavin

 

Lu Fan still remembered the rough outline of the path to the Valley of Life.

 

The Map that the Starry Sky Dragon had previously shared with him was still imprinted somewhere in his mind.

 

But Lu Fan also remembered that on his previous journey, he had nearly blundered into a Forbidden Zone more than once. He had caught glimpses of terrifying Giant Dragons lurking in seclusion within their territory. Had he not reacted swiftly enough and withdrawn from the border of the Forbidden Zone in time, he would likely have drawn the wrath of those fearsome Giant Dragons.

 

Lu Fan was far stronger than back then, but when faced with an Eternal Phase Dragon King, he still felt like he would not be their match.

 

A fully grown Dragon King was comparable to the Devouring Dragon King at her peak.

 

They might be even more terrifying than the Devouring Dragon King.

 

After all, constrained by her Dragon Species’ Traits, the Devouring Dragon King’s potential was enormous, but compared to a true Combat Specialised Dragon Kings, she likely still lagged behind by no small margin. For the Devouring Dragon King to reach the level of a true Dragon King, she would need to devour quite a few more Giant Dragons, or perhaps an actual Dragon King.

 

Before that point, a true Dragon King’s power should be far above hers, else she would have taken them down.

 

When one thought about it, this made sense. If a Dragon Species like the Devouring Dragon King, which raised their power by consuming other Giant Dragons were inherently stronger than a Dragon King to begin with, then the emergence of a single Devouring Dragon King would be enough to annihilate the entire Dragon Domain.

 

If she could not guarantee her own survival long enough to grow before doing so, the Dragon Domain’s Giant Dragons would strike her down, denying her the opportunity to mature.

 

After all, once the Devouring Dragon King did manage to grow, she would bring down a calamity to the Dragon Domain.

 

As things stood, a Dragon King’s power might not be inferior to the Slaughter Ancient God that everyone had dealt with previously.

 

Therefore, the Forbidden Zones within the Dragon Domain, where Dragon Kings resided, were places the group naturally needed to avoid.

 

As for where these Forbidden Zones were located, and how vast they were, the Two Headed Dragon and his companions naturally knew far better than Lu Fan.

 

Flying along this route, the Two Headed Dragon and the Flame Dragon were clearly extremely familiar with the Dragon Domain.

 

Along the way, the group passed by several Forbidden Zones, neither disturbing the terrifying existences within, nor failing to give Ye Wuxian and the others a vivid impression of just how frightening the formidable beings inside truly were.

 

Even from far away, everyone could feel the terrifying pressure emanating from those Forbidden Zones.

 

This was not a pressure sensed through any Perception Skill. It was purely an instinctive dread.

 

Never mind setting foot in those regions, even drawing closer triggered an involuntary cold sweat that could not be suppressed.

 

Fortunately, the Two Headed Dragon kept a respectful distance from these Forbidden Zones throughout, maintaining a safe margin, giving everyone a taste of the Dragon Domain’s apex presences while ensuring they did not bring down trouble upon themselves.

 

Because of the Forbidden Zones, the path the Two Headed Dragon guided everyone along was not in a straight line. They needed to take numerous detours.

 

Moreover, these Forbidden Zones were vast, and each detour consumed considerable time.

 

As a result, the group spent a full three days on the journey alone.

 

It was more than enough to illustrate just how immense the Dragon Domain truly was.

 

“Half a day’s flight more and we will reach the Valley of Life, where we once lived.” As they were close to their destination, the Two Headed Dragon spoke to everyone with a tone of deep feeling. “Speaking of which, we haven’t been back in a very long time. I feel moved.”

 

Tao Xiaoman smiled warmly and said, “The closer one is to home, the more one’s courage falters. We all understand that feeling.”

 

The Flame Dragon, still flying, tilted his head to one side. “What does ‘closer one is to home’ and ‘courage falters’ mean?”

 

Qin Qiu smiled and explained, “It means that when returning to one’s homeland, the closer you get, the more timid and hesitant one becomes. Maybe it is the worry that home has changed. Or perhaps the worry that home will stir up certain memories, and one will lose control of one’s emotions. It is an ancient saying from our Dragon Country.”

 

“Oh, I see…” The Flame Dragon nodded with an expression that was only half-understanding, and then said, “In that case, we really are quite timid then. Because we already know that our homeland no longer exists as it once did.”

 

With those words, silence fell over everyone instantly.

 

The Flame Dragon continued. “I still remember to this day just how beautiful the Valley of Life used to be, truly the finest paradise in the whole world. There were so many of our Brothers and Sisters there. We hunted together, trained together, and stood shoulder to shoulder to repel the Giant Dragons that sought to invade and seize our Valley of Life. But now, our home is gone, smothered beneath a sheet of rotten mud. And our Brothers and Sisters have become mindless Monsters, creatures that would turn and attack us…”

 

The more he spoke, the more the Flame Dragon’s spirits sank.

 

The Two Headed Dragon, unable to bear it any longer, sharply scolded, “Enough. These are things of the past. There is no point in bringing them up again. No matter how much you speak of it, the Valley of Life will never truly return to what it once was. What we can do now is accompany Brother Lu on this journey back to the Valley of Life and kill the Desolate Ancient God who brought ruin upon it! As for whether the Valley of Life can be restored… that will be for Mother to decide when the time comes.”

 

“If it can, all the better. If it cannot… Shadow Isle will be our second Valley of Life. With Mother’s abilities, she should be able to rebuild Shadow Isle into something resembling the Valley of Life in its early form. That would also serve as a gesture of gratitude to Brother Lu for being willing to take us in.”

 

“En…” The Flame Dragon gave a low sound of acknowledgement. It was clear that, if given the choice, he would still prefer to stay in the Valley of Life.

 

This was understandable. For Giant Dragons such as themselves, nurtured and brought into being by the Life Dragon King, the significance of the Valley of Life was simply too immense. It far surpassed even the meaning that a homeland held for Humans.

 

Lu Fan alone could not possibly make these Giant Dragons so content on a single Shadow Isle that they completely forget the Valley of Life.

 

Just as Lu Fan was about to open his mouth to offer some consolation to the two, three enormous silhouettes abruptly appeared in the distance ahead, flying towards the direction where the group was.

 

The three silhouettes each had a different appearance, but all were unmistakably Giant Dragons.

 

Along the way, the group had certainly encountered a few Giant Dragons. But on every such occasion, both sides had simply swept past one another in the air with no intention of drawing near.

 

After all, Giant Dragons never had particularly good-temperament, and generally speaking, if any dispute were to arise, it would almost certainly be accompanied by bloodshed.

 

So, in the open sky, when Giant Dragons caught sight of one another from a distance, they would typically veer away to avoid one another, so as to prevent any quarrel from breaking out.

 

And yet, the ones ahead showed no sign of doing so.