Chapter 1196, The Bronze Dragon King (2)

Translator: Silavin

 

Hearing those words, Lu Fan did not quite know whether to laugh or cry.

 

He looked at the three Divine Beings pinned against the wall and found himself at a loss for how to even begin addressing them.

 

To enrage a Dragon King… travel all the way to the Dragon Domain, and then demand that a Dragon King serve as their Mount… He truly could not fathom what had given them such extraordinary confidence.

 

Even if these three beings had already ascended to Divinity, and were perhaps worshipped by some Race in the outside world, the moment they set foot in the Dragon Domain, they had better make themselves quiet and behave.

 

Because Giant Dragons were simply the most powerful living beings in this world.

 

Furthermore, Dragon Kings represented the absolute pinnacle of Combat Power in this world, something no Race, however far they had climbed, could ever dream of provoking.

 

[What a pitiable trio. To have trained all the way to become Divine Beings with such painstaking effort. They ought to have enjoyed offering and prayers of some Race in the outside world. Yet, they simply could not help themselves, and came to the Dragon Domain to poke a Dragon King. Well, they really have no one but themselves to blame.]

 

Before this palace stood four Adult Giant Dragons, keeping watch.

 

Without exception, every single one of them was a Bronze Dragon, and moreover, every single one of them was a fully grown Adult Bronze Dragon.

 

The lines of muscle across each Bronze Dragon’s body were extraordinarily pronounced, cast as though from metal, grotesquely exaggerated in terms of definition.

 

Furthermore, being the Race most naturally suited to close quarters combat among all Dragon Species, their frames were considerably larger than Giant Dragons of the same Level.

 

Even Adult Two-Headed Dragons and Flame Dragons looked small beside them.

 

Lu Fan could not help but marvel at this, reflecting inwardly that the Dragon Species characteristics of Giant Dragons were truly distinctive.

 

It was said that these Bronze Dragons did not even possess Dragon Breath nor Dragon Language Magic. In battle, they relied entirely upon their own physical bodies. Their physical toughness fell somewhat short of the Golden Dragon King, who was renowned for their Defence, but not by a great margin.

 

Even if they were to take a Dragon Language Magic strike head-on from a Giant Dragon of equal Level, they would mostly be unharmed.

 

And the moment an opponent was drawn into close range, even Golden Dragons, whose name was synonymous with Defence, would find themself in a deeply uncomfortable position.

 

As for the Black Dragon Clan and Blue Dragon Clan, who leaned more towards Dragon Language Magic, they had no prospect of victory whatsoever and would, in all likelihood, simply be torn apart on the spot once a Bronze Dragon got close.

 

So these four Bronze Dragons standing guard were more than enough to give any living being in the world a headache.

 

Upon seeing Lu Fan and his companions approach, the four Bronze Dragons, who had been lying prone on the ground, all rose at once to assess the situation.

 

The Bronze Dragon that had led them here exchanged some words with its fellow Dragons. Since they had not released their spiritual vibrations outward, Lu Fan, paying no particular attention, could not make out what was being said.

 

Shortly after, one of the Bronze Dragons turned and flew into the castle.

 

The Bronze Dragon that had guided them turned back to Lu Fan and his companions and said, “Please wait a moment. My companion has already informed the Bronze Dragon King of your arrival. I trust that the Bronze Dragon King will come out shortly to meet with you personally. When the time comes, simply explain your plans and intentions for coming to the Dragon Domain to the Bronze Dragon King. I do hope that our two sides may cooperate.”

 

“Thank you for your trouble!” Lu Fan smiled, expressing his gratitude.

 

The Bronze Dragon chuckled and replied politely, “Think nothing of it.”

 

Beside it, the Flame Dragon looked somewhat puzzled, draping an arm over the Bronze Dragon’s shoulder with his characteristic bluntness. “Now, I’ve always heard that Bronze Dragons have rather a bad temper,” it said. “How is it that you all don’t quite match the rumours? Going by the Bronze Dragon Clan’s usual way of doing things, shouldn’t you refuse all outside help and simply see to everything yourselves?”

 

The Bronze Dragon shook its head and gave a wry smile. “That was the old days. In the old days, naturally, we would never have deigned to accept help from any other Giant Dragon. No matter what enemy we encountered, we would simply tear them apart with our claws and fangs and be done with it. But the enemy this time is really different from anything we have faced before. Our Bronze Dragon Clan paid a dreadful price to hold off that mass of mud within the boundaries it currently occupies. And this is merely the price of keeping it from spreading further. Many of my Brothers and Sisters have lost their lives because of it. It taught us that brute force alone cannot solve every problem. Even now, we have no idea how to eliminate this threat. Simply containing it is already the very limit of what we are capable of. If someone could truly help us resolve this trouble, then those Brothers and Sisters of ours need not have died like that, no?”

 

By this point, the Bronze Dragon’s voice had grown subdued.

 

The Flame Dragon immediately felt a deep pang of remorse, realising that a single offhand remark had caused the other to revisit old grief.

 

The Bronze Dragon, however, waved it aside and said with a smile, “Never mind. What has happened has happened. Whether one brings it up again or not, it remains the same. All we want is to have more strength at our side, to help us resolve this problem once and for all. If your group can truly help us, then you would be nothing short of the benefactors of our Bronze Dragon Clan, the benefactors of the entire Dragon Domain.”

 

“Brother, that enemy is our common enemy. Of course we’ll be fighting alongside you.” The Flame Dragon grinned broadly at the Bronze Dragon, and the two of them forged a genuine bond of camaraderie right then and there.

 

At that moment, the gates of the castle were suddenly pushed open, releasing a deep, rumbling boom.

 

*Boom!*

 

Everyone turned towards the castle gates, and watched as two Bronze Dragons heaved the enormous doors apart, after which a powerfully built silhouette strode out from within.

 

To Lu Fan’s surprise, that figure was not a Giant Dragon, but a person.

 

Though the figure was tall, standing well over two metres. He was a full head taller than he was.

 

Just as Lu Fan was still trying to make sense of this, the Bronze Dragon beside him lowered his body in a bow, and added helpfully, “Our Bronze Dragon King has arrived.”

 

“Do not be in any doubt. Our Bronze Dragon King has already cultivated a Human Body, in preparation for breaking through to a higher level of strength.”

 

“I see.” Lu Fan nodded, thinking inwardly that the Bronze Dragon King had evidently chosen the same path as the Devouring Dragon King, using a Human Form as the vehicle for a breakthrough.

 

He led Jian Ying and the others in a respectful incline of their heads, showing deference to the Dragon King whose arrival was imminent.

 

“No need for formality, everyone. You are guests who have come from afar. We ought to receive you properly.”

 

The voice carried across from ahead. Unexpectedly, though it sounded full of a vigorous and spirited energy, one could still discern from its timbre that it belonged to a woman.

 

Lu Fan raised his head to look, just in time to see the figure leap up sharply, Dragon Wings unfurling behind its back, and it came soaring towards him and his companions.