The Red Dragon Auston pinned the 50-meter-long serpentine creature under his claws. The beast was covered in black bony scales, with wings on its back and claws beneath its belly, giving it a fierce and terrifying appearance. However, Auston gazed down at the Feathered Serpent Dragon with nothing but disdain and arrogance in his eyes. After all, he was far more ferocious and formidable.
After a long period of recovery, Auston had finally emerged from the shadow of being tormented by the Ancient Red Dragon and had regained the confidence and pride befitting a Red Dragon.
"Carry this snake and follow me," Muria commanded as he glanced at Auston. With the Soul Intent Level Three Red Dragon in tow, Muria returned to the Yanlun Tribe.
"My lord, what is this..." The arrival of the 30-meter-tall Muria with a dragon of comparable size at the Yanlun Tribe's settlement caused quite a stir among the people.
Auston, being his usual arrogant self, unabashedly released his dragon aura, suppressing everything around him. His imposing presence was impossible to ignore.
Gudan, the tribe's strongest hunter, looked at Auston and the limp Feathered Serpent Dragon beneath his claws with a shocked expression. They were well aware of the most powerful beast in the vicinity—the Feathered Serpent Dragon. This creature, capable of wiping out the entire Yanlun Tribe, was now being treated like a mere insect by the imposing Red Dragon.
"This is my battle pet. I had him catch a little snake to fulfill a promise I made to a certain little guy," Muria explained with a smile.
"Is this... for Heizhen?" Gudan asked, still in shock.
"Yes," Muria confirmed.
...
"My lord, is this for me?" Heizhen was both excited and terrified as he looked at the struggling Feathered Serpent Dragon pinned beneath Auston's claws. The Red Dragon's intimidating appearance made Heizhen hesitant to approach.
"Yes, it's for you. With this offering, you should be able to undergo your coming-of-age ceremony, right?" Muria inquired. He knew that Heizhen had long since reached the age for the ceremony, but due to his underdeveloped physique and pride, he had delayed it until he could find a satisfactory offering.
"When you undergo the ceremony, Heizhen, be sure to let me know. I want to witness it," Muria added.
"Yes, my lord," Heizhen replied, his face flushed with excitement. In the customs of the Yinhuang people, a boy's coming-of-age ceremony was a significant event, attended by the presiding priest and, typically, the boy's parents.
...
"Summoning fully formed battle forces is a bit of a waste," Muria muttered as he settled into the stone house the Yanlun Tribe had specially prepared for him. He watched Auston lazily sleeping in front of him, his brow furrowing slightly.
Although Muria didn't care much for the small crystal mine used as a summoning anchor, the energy it contained was substantial. Yet, despite using up such a significant resource, he had only managed to summon one dragon.
If Muria wanted to summon an entire army to aid him, how much more energy would it take? It could potentially drain him completely. He still had a debt of five billion elemental crystals to repay, after all.
"So it seems my policy of investing in talent cultivation was the right choice," Muria sighed softly. "Once I find a stable location, I'll summon those highly gifted but still growing prodigies. They can mature and become stronger here. Conquering this world won't happen overnight anyway. There are even peak legendary beings here, so I can't afford to rush."
With that thought, Muria began using the Doomsday Staff to communicate with Synapse, issuing various orders and mobilizing its resources to assist him in his mission.
...
While Muria was preparing to reestablish Titan rule over the Yinhuang world, a massive void portal appeared at the edge of the Titan Isles. A majestic and intelligent-looking golden dragon emerged from the portal, its wings so vast that they momentarily blocked out the sunlight from the islands below, only to replace it with a more dazzling golden light that bathed the entire island, making it appear as if it were made of gold.
"Welcome back, Master," greeted a loli-like spirit resembling a young Muria with a seven or eight-year-old's face. She materialized as the golden dragon, radiating like the sun, descended upon the crystal castle below and settled onto a throne forged from a blend of legendary metals.
"Give me a report on everything that happened while I was away," said the golden dragon, Atreus, lazily reclining on the throne.
"...There has been significant turmoil on the Deproson subcontinent... The Kingdom of Silver Dragon Tia was involved in a major conflict, with one of their silver dragons and her egg being captured by humans, leading to the Silver Dragon's revenge and the downfall of the kingdom..." The spirit's voice, resembling a female version of young Muria, was clear and rhythmic as she recounted recent world events.
"This all stems from my son's antics, doesn't it? The Silver Dragons just got caught up in the mess he created," the Golden Dragon commented, pinpointing the root cause of the events. As the castle spirit continued its report, Atreus gradually sat up straighter.
The more the spirit spoke, the more frequently a certain familiar name cropped up, associated with increasingly significant incidents. The early outbreak of the Undead Scourge on the Orbstor subcontinent—200 years ahead of schedule—had no direct evidence linking it to Muria, but Atreus had a gut feeling that her son was behind it. The timing of his arrival and the outbreak was just too coincidental.
Then she heard about the massive disappearance of dragons on the Rogehagen subcontinent, and this time, the castle spirit identified the cause.
"A Dragon Academy, open to all races?" Atreus was momentarily taken aback, then smiled in admiration. "That kid sure has guts. Such boldness—definitely my son."
"This place sounds too interesting to pass up. Do you know which continent his so-called Synapse is on?"
"I don't know the exact location, but based on the current information, Synapse should be in the Sterlingger subcontinent. The number of dragons there is decreasing at an alarming rate, with many going missing."
"Sterlingger, huh." The Golden Dragon nodded. Fresh from her return from a medium-sized world, she felt no need to rest. She tore open a spatial rift and embarked on another journey.
...
"Interesting, but if you think you can hide from me, you're not quite there yet," a golden-haired girl appeared suddenly in the cloudless sky. She looked at the seemingly empty space in front of her and smiled. With a simple gesture, she sent ripples through the air, revealing a dreamlike cloud.
"A ward of this scale—little Muria probably didn't set it up himself. Someone else must have helped. Clever, but not clever enough for me."
...
The Dragon Whale Empress lounged in a massive swimming pool, converted from a cloud island, basking in the sunlight while being pampered by dozens of Tide Giants. Her life had never been more comfortable since arriving at Synapse. For someone who was too lazy even to hunt for food, this place was paradise.
The only downside was that she had to donate her blood or body parts now and then. But this minor inconvenience was a small price to pay for the resources she received in return. It was just a minor contribution, after all—nothing that would harm her.
Suddenly, the Dragon Whale's eyes shot open as she noticed a golden-haired girl appear before her. Despite her slender figure, the girl radiated a powerful sense of danger. The Dragon Whale Empress could tell that this girl wasn't from Synapse—she was a complete unknown.
"Enemy attack!" Without a second thought, the Dragon Whale Empress let out a massive roar. Despite her lazy nature, she was still responsible for the place she had freeloaded off for so long. If a thief broke into her host's house, she had to at least sound the alarm.
"Enemy attack? Where? Who dares to invade my son's territory?"
To the Dragon Whale's surprise, the golden-haired girl, who was clearly an unknown entity, reacted with even greater anger, shouting with a voice that echoed louder than her own. The entire Synapse seemed to tremble at her words.
...
"Miss Atreus!" Mia greeted the golden-haired girl respectfully, her face filled with apology. "I'm sorry, they didn't recognize you, so they reacted this way."
"Hmph! Since the misunderstanding is cleared up, tell them to stand down," the Golden Dragoness snapped, clearly displeased as she eyed the various weapons trained on her. These were the Void Warships Muria had bought on loan. When the Golden Dragoness had been mistaken for an invader, the warships had immediately activated and locked onto her.
In addition to the warships, there were also several legendary beings under Muria's command, many of whom were dragons subdued through various means. Some were even familiar to the Golden Dragoness. She recognized quite a few of them at a glance, which was why she hadn't been attacked right away.
Just as she was about to greet these familiar dragons working for her son, a puzzled voice interrupted her thoughts. "How did you find this place? How did you break through the ward I set up?"
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