Under the Red Dragon.

Chapter 452 Grasp
The lair of the True Dragon Emperor has now become an insurmountable barrier for all living beings. Birds are forbidden from flying there, and beasts have disappeared. Even other dragons in the Golden Empire are not allowed to approach.

Even the fire dwarves who tended the lair were driven to the outskirts of Karon's lair by the storm giant Garcia, unable to approach within three miles of the dragon's lair shrouded in dark clouds and lightning.

But wildfires are already spreading everywhere on the highest peak of the Dragon's Nest, flickering like will-o'-the-wisps.

If it weren't for the magical array protecting this monstrous lair, even the solidified volcanic rock would have been corroded into numerous pits by the wildfires.

Other red dragons cannot control the nest effect and power radiation caused by the intersection of their own power and the nest, but Charon can control it at will.

However, the ancestral dragon, now in a deep slumber, has gradually lost its ability to control external forces.

During the dormant transformation of the transitional age, the physiological needs of each dragon species will drop to a near-limit level, resulting in a significant reduction and weakening of strength and spirit in order to better complete the adjustment process of transformation.

This is why dragons must be extremely cautious during their slumber. Even if a dragon can automatically awaken from the danger of death during its slumber, it will still take time for its power, which has temporarily declined due to adjustments, to reach its peak.

This is also the golden time for dragon-slaying warriors to unleash their dragon-slaying skills.

The Storm Giants, each adult giant clad in full heavy armor and wielding a lightning trident, stand around the former dragon's lair in the volcanic lake, resembling statues brought to life by alchemical magic.

But even a mosquito attempting to fly over this most fortified barrier would be pulverized into charred remains by lightning from these suddenly awakened storm giants.

As the only private clan in the Golden Empire that is clearly affiliated with the True Dragon Emperor, the warriors of the Storm Giants hold a high status, comparable to the True Dragon Emperor's personal guard.

Garcia stood like a petrified giant at the entrance to the massive lair, unmoved by wind or rain for three months. The ash from the crater had begun to cover the giant's entire body.

Within the defensive circle formed by these storm giant warriors were golden guards clad in magical heavy armor.

The mental storm, woven from the power of the mind, connected among the Golden Guard warriors, sweeping across the massive dark clouds and lightning, making it impossible for even the most skilled shapeshifter to hide and ambush them.

Inside the massive dragon's lair, cone-shaped stone pillars made of ash, slag, and solidified rock now stand upright, almost colliding with the top of the lair.

The rare minerals and gems embedded in these cone-shaped stones emit iridescent light inside the dragon's nest, creating an alluring atmosphere that no dragon can resist.

This makes the interior of the True Dragon Emperor's lair look like a maze filled with dark red luster, but it is these stalactite-like cone-shaped stones that form the dividing lines of the elemental pools.

The immeasurable elemental energy, encompassing the pure elements of earth, water, wind, and fire, was drawn out from small dimensional planes by long-established magic arrays. It was then exhaled from the mouths of the mythical dragon statues surrounding the lair and flowed into the interior of the dragon lair along the grooves in its walls, which were even more solid than volcanic rock.

The grooves on the walls of the dragon's nest are covered with dense and complex runes, which purify and extract the surging and violent elemental energy, turning it into the purest and most harmless liquid, which is then poured into the dragon's nest's reservoir.

Kalon’s enormous body lay sprawled inside the strange nest, like a lifeless sculpture, its thick limbs and tail spread out, occupying a large area in the center of the nest.

His tail and four claws were submerged in the surrounding elemental pools, and even the ten heads of Kalon, which were sweeping towards the back of the skull, were almost immersed in the life-giving water accumulated by the Empire over the past twenty years, with only the nostrils sticking out above the surface.

The entire volcanic lake had long since dried up and become solid ground. Apart from several huge reservoirs that had been dug and reinforced by the fire dwarves, only the ground beneath Kalon's belly was soft and almost solidified lava.

However, besides the ancestral red dragon Karon, many mages and scholars wearing high-ranking mage badges also appeared in this dragon's nest, which was extremely mysterious even to these mages.

The mage Razi, a professor who was proficient in runic literature and skilled in creating magical scrolls, was also among these mages.

In the early days of the Dragon Clan Territory, the mage Razi arrived in the territory and, with his knowledge and skills, became a mage with a high-ranking title within the Dragon Clan Territory, ending his and his companions' wandering life.

After decades of growth and the support of resources, Lazi has successfully advanced to the top of the high-level mage ranks, and is just one step away from becoming a holy archmage with a lofty status in the Golden Empire.

Even so, the mage Raqi stood like a lackey among this group.

The team was led not only by Morvanred, the Holy Mage at the pinnacle of the Empire's Knowledge Kings, who was currently ranked second, but also by Laper, a white-haired old mage whose strength and reputation were equally outstanding.

The rest of the mages were mostly practical mages who had fought alongside the True Dragon Emperor in other planes. Sacro, who followed Kalon to the Dune World and the Dragon World and successfully became a Saint-level Archmage ten years ago, was one of the leaders among them.

However, no matter how astonishing the wealth contained within this dragon's nest was—enough to fill the belly of a high-level mage with just a little bit—the mages' eyes did not linger on the wealth within the dragon's nest at all.

It wasn't because the Empire's Dragonblood Angel Gabriel was glaring at them with his arms crossed, nor was it because these mages regarded money as dirt.

Instead, the world's most precious treasures and most valuable research samples were displayed before the mages, captivating their gaze.

Normally, it was only Caron Gogmora who put others on the experimental table; this ancestral red dragon had never become a research sample for anyone else.

The Golden Empire's infamous reputation in certain abyssal and hellish planes is largely due to the actions of its Dragon Emperor.

"What appears in the heavens manifests as phenomena, what appears on earth as principles; it is truly incredible that celestial phenomena and geographical features can be manifested in the physical body of a living being,"

"The squinty-eyed mage Xiusier exclaimed in amazement. This middle-aged mage looked at Kalon's body, where the muscles and spine undulated like mountains, and the distribution of scales and the texture of the muscles beneath them all showed a certain regularity, like the rivers, lakes, and land on the earth.

Upon careful examination, he discovered that the combination of Kalon's flesh and blood with the magical runes was so inseparable that the texture of his skin naturally formed patches of ancient dragon and magical runes.

"Matter, energy, spirit,"

The squinty-eyed mage, Hughes, couldn't help but mutter, "An immortal body, indestructible energy, and an unbreakable soul—so they can be combined so effectively and closely, mutually promoting and transforming each other. Is this what Kalon, oh, Emperor Goggmora, has comprehended as the three immortalities of matter, energy, and spirit? Truly terrifying." Every mage gathered in the dragon's nest uttered a sigh of admiration at this moment.

In order to create magical constructs that better suit the talents and abilities of the Dragon Emperor Charon, these mages would inevitably need to understand some of Charon's specific abilities and directions.

Even after months of discussion and revisions, the monks still had many questions.

Creating a magical construct that can perfectly bear and amplify the power of the True Dragon Emperor is extremely difficult.

Perfection means having no weaknesses, it means being balanced, but it also means having no outstanding extreme performance. For someone like Caron Gogmora, such a construct is a useless piece of junk that is neither worth discarding nor worth keeping.

Therefore, these sorcerers needed to conduct a more in-depth and detailed investigation, which is why they were able to enter the lair accompanied by the dragon-blooded angel Gabriel and observe the sleeping body of the ancestral dragon.

But suddenly, several high-ranking mages in this group cried out in pain, then fell backward to the ground, blood gushing from their mouths and noses, their bodies still convulsing.

The squinty-eyed monk looked up and found that his own vision had become blurry, and the world before him was spinning upside down.

With a sharp crack, the white-haired mage Laper slapped the nearly dizzy Xiusil awake. The magical aura instantly invigorated Xiusil.

"Fool, with your current mental capacity, you dare to study Charon like this? Don't you know your own limitations?"

The white-haired mage glanced disdainfully at his former prized disciple and reprimanded him mercilessly, "We only have a short year. This period is for Kalon to adjust his condition and enter a state of light sleep."

"You can still act recklessly like this during this time, but once Kalon enters a deep sleep, his last instincts will also fall into slumber. By then, I might not even have time to save you, and your wooden head will just explode!"

Hughes' lips moved, but he remained silent, not daring to defy the old mage's tyranny. He simply refuted Laper's words in his heart.

After all, Lapers had been comparing him to Caron for decades, and he was tired of hearing it. If he didn't refute it, it would be fine, but once he did, Lapers could talk for three days and three nights.

The white-haired mage nodded in satisfaction, then softly reprimanded the surrounding mages, "Do not attempt to imitate this resonant magical echo. Emperor Goggmora may appear to be not breathing, completely asleep."

"But the airflow within the True Dragon's Lair is the breath of the True Dragon Emperor; it's an effect created by the frequency of his resonance with the entire lair, the entire Dragon Mountain Range, and even the entire world of Ekania,"

"The time when Emperor Gogmora fully resonates with the world will be the period when he enters a deep sleep, adjusts his state, and begins his transformation,"

"Hurry up, we don't have much time left. We must create the Emperor's Armor within this time limit, so that our intelligent creation can transform together with Emperor Gogmora, carry Emperor Gogmora's legendary laws, and become the first true heirloom of the Golden Empire!"

The surrounding mages immediately responded, and several mages who had fainted on the ground were healed and awakened by their colleagues with magic. Then, they left the true dragon's lair in frustration on stretchers carried by several Golden Guards.

The mage Laper walked to the side of the solemn-faced archmage Morvanred, who was quietly discussing improvements to the plan with another archmage, Sacro.

"Well, any leads, Your Excellency Morvanred?" Laper asked softly.

"It's very difficult,"

Morvanred turned his head and said succinctly, "Emperor Gogmora is no ordinary man. If the Emperor's weapons are forged with the sole purpose of increasing strength and enhancing defense, they will not only be ineffective for him, but will also become a burden and an obstacle."

"To create Emperor Armaments tailored to Emperor Gogmora, we cannot simply rely on power; we must also base them on the theories of rules, philosophy, and mysticism to ensure they can bear the power of Emperor Gogmora."

"How do you say it?"

Laper frowned slightly upon hearing this. In the eyes of most extraordinary beings, forging their own magical treasures and defensive artifacts was simply a matter of connecting and harmonizing with power.

"I read almost all the notes and books left by Emperor Goggmora in the Royal Library in order to explore the power of Goggmora,"

Morvanred slowly said, "Many of these books contain wisdom from other planes, and the four elements of earth, water, wind, and fire are also included. The fundamental forces that give birth to matter are also divided into yin and yang."

"Many of Emperor Gogmora's powers are derived from these theoretical foundations. Without a certain understanding of this wisdom, one may not be able to fully utilize Emperor Gogmora's power."

"You must understand that power is never simply destructive force; it is created from everything about the living being itself. A slight difference can mean a huge difference!"

"I have come to understand this more deeply today after seeing the emperor's body up close."

Laperth turned to look at the ancestral red dragon in a light sleep. Its breath had transformed into the sighing air in the true dragon's lair, and its life force was settled without the slightest trace of dragon majesty.

He knew that this disciple who was not a disciple had now stepped onto another stage.

Ekania is the homeland and birthplace of this ancestral red dragon, but this ancestral red dragon is destined to roam the endless planes, absorbing the nourishment and knowledge of the endless planes, and becoming a shining star in the astral plane.

Laperth sighed. There are billions of different things a person desires in life.

"I think the time might be right for me to ascend to legendary status soon,"

Laper said slowly, "After reaching the Legendary level, our vision and understanding of the rules will be greatly enhanced, and our chances of success will be much greater!"

(End of this chapter)