Chapter 1197, The Dragon’s Pressure

Translator: Silavin

 

*Boom!* Dust and smoke billowed outward.

 

The figure landed before Lu Fan, and what he had not anticipated was that she was truly well built. Even among Humans, Lu Fan was considered well built, and yet before her, he appeared rather small.

 

More importantly, she was unmistakably a woman.

 

Lu Fan could honestly say he had never in his life encountered a woman with such a formidable physique. Her height came to somewhere around two and a half metres, her entire body a mass of muscle that, while not at the level of being grotesque, was absolutely on par with any champion bodybuilder.

 

Every muscle was knotted and coiled. They had sharp-angles and were defined as though carved by blade and axe, appearing harder than stone itself. She wore no clothing but across her body grew a layer of bronze-coloured scales.

 

These scales formed a natural suit of armour, guarding her body, while also perfectly covering all the vital areas.

 

As for those parts not protected by scales, the skin there was a deep bronze shade, looking extraordinarily vigorous and powerful.

 

And her appearance… while not that of a conventional beauty, she was by no means ugly.

 

The Bronze Dragon King’s features were full of a heroic, spirited quality. Had someone claimed she was a dashing young man; no one would doubt it.

 

Add to that the hair she had, which was not particularly long, paired with her build, when standing before Lu Fan, she radiated an overwhelming sense of pressure.

 

This Dragon King pressure was something Lu Fan had previously only felt from the Devouring Dragon King.

 

No, to put it more precisely, the pressure the Bronze Dragon King exerted upon Lu Fan far surpassed that of the Devouring Dragon King in the past.

 

For one thing, the Devouring Dragon King back then had been greatly injured, and could not bring out her true strength to bear, let alone project a pressure this terrifying. And then there was the matter of sheer power. The Bronze Dragon King’s strength was without question greater than the Devouring Dragon King’s.

 

The Devouring Dragon King was constrained by her Dragon Species Traits. Her initial strength could never compare to a pure Combat Specialised Giant Dragon like the Bronze Dragon King. Unless she devoured enough Giant Dragons and absorbed more Dragon Bloodline Power, she stood no chance of matching this Bronze Dragon King.

 

Of course, if the Devouring Dragon King were fortunate enough to devour powerful Dragon Bloodlines, then the upper limit of her strength would certainly surpass the Bronze Dragon King’s.

 

Such was the nature of Dragon Bloodline Power, a trade-off where every gain carried a cost.

 

Given how precarious the Devouring Dragon King’s circumstances had been from the start, opposed by every other Giant Dragon from her birth, it followed that once she grew, she would arguably become the strongest Dragon among all Giant Dragons.

 

At this moment, the Bronze Dragon King had not truly released her pressure. But merely by appearing before Lu Fan and looking down at him, the pressure was enough to make cold sweat break out on Lu Fan’s brow.

 

Seeming to notice this, the corner of her mouth curved upward, and she smiled. “Forgive me. The pressure on my body is something I was born with. I am already doing my best to suppress it, but at this distance, it may still be affecting you to some degree. If you find it uncomfortable, I can step back a little.”

 

With that, the Bronze Dragon King retreated two steps.

 

Sure enough, once this formidable existence had drawn back, Lu Fan and his companions all felt a lot more at ease.

 

The Bronze Dragon King smiled again and continued, “Once you have grown accustomed to this pressure, you will be able to completely disregard it. It is like all things in nature, when one encounters their natural predator, they experience a pressure born of pure instinct. Even if the other party harbours no hostility, this pressure will not diminish. So, once you have spent some time in my company, once you know I mean you no harm and have grown comfortable around me, this instinctive reaction will naturally ease a little.”

 

Lu Fan nodded and smiled at her. “Understood. I trust we will be able to overcome this feeling before long. After all, holding a conversation at such a distance is not convenient.”

 

“Ha, it is not inconvenient in the slightest.” The Bronze Dragon King laughed softly. Her voice, though no louder than before, rang in everyone’s ears as though she were speaking directly beside them with perfect clarity.

 

“We of the Bronze Dragon Clan are born warriors, with exceptionally keen senses. At this distance, even the sound of a mosquito beating its wings is something I can hear with perfect clarity. Before you have grown accustomed to the pressure on my body, there is no issue with us speaking this way.”

 

After a brief pause, the Bronze Dragon King sat herself down on the ground without ceremony.

 

Lu Fan took this in and thought to himself, [As expected, even though this Bronze Dragon King is a Dragon King, and had now cultivated a Human Body, many of her habits as a Dragon remained.]

 

Lu Fan simply followed the local customs, and led everyone to sit down with her.

 

The Bronze Dragon King grinned broadly and continued, “Let me introduce myself first. I am the Bronze Dragon King, Balton. In the Dragon Language of Giant Dragons, Balton means Zhan Chui (War Hammer). So if you find Balton awkward to say, you are welcome to call me Zhan Chui.”

 

Lu Fan nodded and offered a round of introductions on his own side as well.

 

Once the two parties had become acquainted, the Bronze Dragon King spoke up directly. “Just now my subordinates reported to me that you have come to the Dragon Domain to deal with that mass of mud. Is that right? And you said this thing is called… Deso… Deso…”

 

“The Desolate Ancient God,” Lu Fan supplied helpfully.

 

*Slap!* The Bronze Dragon King smacked her own forehead. “Right, right, right! The Desolate Ancient God.”

 

“My apologies. I know truly nothing about this thing, not even its name, let alone how to destroy it. All I know is that if this wretched thing is allowed to keep spreading, the entire Dragon Domain will suffer.”

 

At this, the Bronze Dragon King let out a sigh and said, somewhat helplessly, “Unfortunately, though I understand this, many other Giant Dragons do not. I once sent quite a few Giant Dragons under my command to seek reinforcements across the various Dragon territories, to see which of those Giant Dragons would be willing to come and strike at the source of this mud.”

 

“But those Giant Dragons are all too arrogant and self-assured, convinced that with their great strength, nothing in the world could possibly encroach upon their ancestral home. And so, our allies have been rather few. Only the Shadow Dragon Clan and a number of smaller Giant Dragon Clans have been willing to stand alongside us.”

 

“In the fighting up to now, we have not had the upper hand. We have only managed to contain the Desolate Ancient God to the area around the Valley of Life, barely keeping it from spreading further. To truly kill it and lift this calamity from the Dragon Domain… that prospect has been looking grim…”

 

At that, the Bronze Dragon King’s tone shifted abruptly.