Under the Red Dragon.

Chapter 585 Jealousy is the First Barrier

Adventurers navigating the material world must always remember one rule of adventure.

When you're adventuring in the wilderness and hear a low murmur coming from the deep forests and valleys, there's a high probability that it's not the sound of the wind passing through the empty valleys.

Instead, a giant dragon is watching you from the shadows.

Even adventurers rarely set foot in the Saraca Desert of Middle-earth.

But beneath this barren, arid desert, there have always been giant dragons, secretly watching everything that happens in this territory.

The rough yellow sand, under the sunlight, looks like gold dust spread across the ground.

The landforms, formed by weathering over millions of years, are filled with wind-eroded mounds and gullies.

Beside the rising sand dunes, there are occasionally small calcified pools, like steps enclosing the little water left in the desert.

But this place not only has many rare calcified pools, but also a precious source of living water in the desert.

The water from these calcified pools flows gurglingly into the sand dunes and gullies, forming the landscape of a thousand lakes desert around a huge valley.

However, despite the abundant water resources here, no wild beasts or magical creatures that live in the desert dare to come here to drink water.

Because below the valley lies the lair of Agya Heleka, the leader of the blue dragon family that rules the entire Saraca Desert in Middle-earth.

The ancient blue dragon Agya Heleka lay prone in its lair, its enormous shadow crowding the entire dark cavern.

Such a massive dragon could even breathe with a sound almost indistinguishable from the enormous bellows that mortals heard.

The male blue dragon's rugged crown of horns is as ancient as the weathered rock pillars in this cave, drawing the attention of Tiamat, the immortal dragon god who floats atop the ancient blue dragon's head and has quietly descended to the mortal realm with her consciousness.

Dragons have a wide range of aesthetic preferences, but female dragons judge male dragons by their scales, horns, claws, and teeth.

The most distinctive feature of male blue dragons is the single horn on their forehead and nose.

Although the single horn of the ancient blue dragon Agya Heleka is not aesthetically pleasing, it possesses a unique wildness, at least in Tiamat's eyes.

However, this attraction only slightly piqued Tiamat's interest and could not truly arouse the lustful female dragon's desire to take the ancient blue dragon as her concubine.

"All you need to do is submit to the dragon kings of the Golden Empire and pledge allegiance to my most arrogant offspring,"

Tiamat's descending consciousness was concealed by overwhelming divine power. The power emanating from the Dragon God prevented the ancient blue dragon Agya Heleka from sensing the presence of the immortal Dragon God, even when facing him directly.

Agya could only feel the pervasive, all-encompassing majesty of the dragon god and its natural suppressive power over the five-colored dragon race.

The ancient blue dragon listened silently to the instruction from the dragon god, who had never descended upon the Heleka family in its lifetime, while slowly licking its fangs.

"I want you to lead all the five-colored dragons in your family to contact my most beloved daughter, Phyllis Tiamat, after they have merged into the Golden Empire. Then, you must fully support her and do everything in your power to elevate her so that she can become a pivotal dragon king in the Golden Empire!"

"Heh heh, if you can follow my plan and achieve the goals I want to accomplish, Agaya,"

Tiamat's five heads simultaneously snaked down, wrapping around the ancient blue dragon's neck. Five pairs of vertical pupils stared into the ancient blue dragon's eyes, saying with great seductive enticement, "I will bestow upon you the reward you deserve."

Gu Lanlong blinked. For some reason, Agaya felt that the Immortal Dragon God's eyes were filled with something called jealousy.

But the ancient blue dragon could never understand why someone as powerful and majestic as the immortal dragon god would have such strange feelings towards the dragon emperor of the northern empire.

Although the Dragon Emperor established a vast empire in the mortal realm, revered by many races, nations, and civilizations in the world of Aikania, he was still countless times inferior to a true Dragon God.

"Is it because Kalon Gogmora can do things that even the Dragon God cannot do that such a powerful and noble being would feel jealous of a harmless mortal dragon?"

"Incredible,"

Gu Lanlong pondered this in his heart, but said aloud, "What is the reward I deserve?"

Well, even with the Dragon God right in front of them, the Five-Colored Dragon still wanted to bargain.

At the level of the Ancient Blue Dragon, they have long passed the age of simple bloodline worship, and only their own interests matter.

“Agaiya, the oldest blue dragon in the world of Ekania,”

The Immortal Dragon God spoke with an air of intimacy, whispering in the ancient blue dragon's ear, "If you accomplish my goals and achieve the results I desire, you will receive unimaginable rewards."

"While it's relatively easy to advance from the Ancient Dragon stage to the Elder Dragon stage, there's still a risk of reaching old age while slumbering. But with my blessing, this danger will pose no obstacle for you."

"And if you wish to become a higher-level ancient dragon, your rather mediocre dragon blood alone is insufficient,"

Tiamat tempted, "If you can satisfy me, I will elevate your bloodline talent and grant you the key to enter the realm of the ancient dragons."

"And after you become an ancient dragon, you will have the opportunity to enter my divine kingdom, join my ancient dragon legion, intimidate everything, and become the overlord of the ancient dragons."

"Of course, if you perform exceptionally well, you could even become my beloved lover!"

"These generous terms are the reward I will bestow upon you in the future!"

The ancient blue dragon's vertical pupils, which were originally like a calm lake of thunder, now burst forth with turbulent waves of lightning, clearly indicating that the conditions offered by the Immortal Dragon God had greatly tempted this ancient dragon.

After a long period of contemplation, the ancient blue dragon lowered its head deeply, and an ancient dragon language emanated from its fangs, "I obey the will of the great dragon god!"

The immortal dragon god Tiamat arrived suddenly, and her disappearance was as abrupt as a sudden rainstorm.

Only when the ancient blue dragon sensed that the majestic majesty of the dragon god had completely disappeared from the material world did Agaya slowly raise his head from the ground.

"The key to ascending to the Ancient Dragon realm?"

Agya frowned, revealing the thick, dark scales between his brows, and sneered, baring his fangs, "Then my power will be equivalent to your power, completely controlled by you. What difference is there between me and a slave puppet? Do you really think I don't know the legends among the ancient dragons?"

“Tsk, besides, joining the Ancient Dragon Legion means fighting in Hell for you and battling the demons in the Abyss. Hundreds of Ancient Dragons have died in the past and their names are still known in the material world,” Agya sighed. “Even if being your gigolo is a reward for many red dragons, it’s not for me.”

"What a 'noble' miser!"

The ancient blue dragon sighed for a long time before its massive body began to step through the long, wind-eroded passage in its cave.

Along both sides of this long passageway, which has naturally evolved over hundreds of millions of years, there are rows of wooden bookshelves, displaying a dazzling array of books.

It contains many anecdotes written by anthropologists, magic books passed down by various magicians, and even more books on politics, economics, and military affairs than the castles of ordinary minor noble lords.

As the only dragon species among the five-colored dragon races capable of producing great scholars and wise elders, the ancient blue dragon Agya collects these books not only because of his innate hobby that has grown with age, but also because of the dragon's instinct to collect treasures.

The definition of treasure may differ for each dragon, but of course, the fact that gold coins are considered treasure is a common trait among all dragons.

When the ancient blue dragon pushed open the door of this passage with its claws, behind the door, which was covered with dense dragon runes, was a huge study that was ten times larger than the space where the ancient dragon rested in its lair.

However, the ancient blue dragon's gaze did not fall on the collection of books it had gathered over hundreds of years, but rather on several young blue dragons who were sitting quietly among them, turning the pages of the books with the hands of a mage.

The three young blue dragons were none other than Sabrina, the female dragon, Grira, the male dragon, and Kolem, who had once left the Herleka family and now held a firm place in the Northern Golden Empire.

Where were we?

The ancient blue dragon's gaze swept over the female dragon Sabrina. This female dragon had not shown any particularly outstanding talent in the Herleka family, only her appearance was more conspicuous in the family, but now she was already a potential mate of Dos, the blue dragon king of the Golden Empire.

The other two male blue dragons are also powerful allies of the Thunder King Akz and the Blue Dragon King Dos. These two male dragons are involved in almost all matters concerning the rule of the blue dragon species.

The male dragon Grirah handed the book in his hand to the ancient blue dragon Agya, and then said, "The Emperor hopes that your ancient wisdom can be used for the Empire, for the Gogmora dragonflight, and for all the dragon races of the world."

"He truly respects all dragons who revere wisdom, and therefore commands us to convey His divine will,"

"The Emperor earnestly hoped that all dragons in the world could freely control their own wisdom and will; He hoped that dragons could use their own wisdom to control their own power,"

Grila said, “Think about it, Chief, what kind of miracles would be created if all the dragons could come together with an intelligence that surpasses that of countless other races?”

The ancient blue dragon, Agya, lowered his head slightly, listening to the young blue dragon's words while browsing the knowledge within the book.

Pride, sloth, greed, lust, and other theoretical knowledge were constructed into a vast, nascent system. Even though these were just some unrelated core theories, they greatly captivated this ancient blue dragon.

Click, click, click,

Following the knowledge about the essence of dragon blood in this book, the ancient blue dragon Agaya attempted to circulate the blood throughout his body.

The once vast and dormant blood of the ancient dragon gradually permeated its entire body under the guidance of Agya, allowing the ancient dragon to feel that the blood energy, which was previously only regarded by the dragon race as having abundant life force and healing properties, could also bring pure power.

That power was different from the force generated when elemental magic energy flowed through the dragon's body; it was a purer physical force, the dragon's power.

Even with just a preliminary attempt, Gu Long Agaya could sense that his strength had increased by at least half a point.

The ancient blue dragon exhaled two thick streams of blood from its nostrils, making its dark cheek scales glow slightly red.

"Truly, an unimaginable achievement,"

Agaya could even sense that much of the knowledge recorded in this book had immense potential for development, and he was especially alarmed when his gaze swept over that knowledge.

"The Secret of Ultimate Power, once activated, grants dragons the pure physical strength to easily surpass that of Titans, making it effortless to lift mountains with a mere gesture,"

"The essence blood treasure, once opened, is enough to give the dragon inexhaustible energy, enabling it to fight endlessly and giving it a strong fighting spirit."

"The energy reservoir possesses inexhaustible energy that circulates with the world, allowing dragons to freely unleash magical spells, forming walking dragon-shaped arcane fortresses and floating mage towers,"

The more Gu Lanlong looked, the more astonished he became, especially since it contained secrets about true immortality, a life treasure that even long-lived creatures like dragons could only dream of.

"After unlocking the secrets of life, as long as one reaches the peak, one can actually break through the limitations of the laws of life and death, and almost live forever in the world, like a legendary destiny."

Agaya's voice trembled slightly as he slowly raised his head and gazed at the three young blue dragons before him.

"Doesn't this mean that each of the seven secret treasures of the True Dragon can lead to the legendary destiny? And that upon reaching the peak, one can obtain the same great power as the legendary destiny?"

The dragon Kolum gently nodded its massive head, its fangs opening and closing: "In the Emperor's vision, although these seven paths are collectively referred to as the destiny of the flesh, each path, when taken individually, can indeed possess the power of a legendary destiny."

"That's why His Majesty the Emperor wanted to gather the wisdom of all the dragons, leaders, and sages to open up a new direction and future for the path of the true dragon."

"His Majesty also said that although He is the originator, those who perfect Him later need not worry about being suppressed or shackled by Him,"

"Because his path does not occupy the top of these seven paths, it also means that every newcomer has the opportunity to compete and become the supreme one at the top of these seven paths!"

Ancient Blue Dragon Agaya's voice trembled as he asked incredulously, "Even me?"

The female dragon Sabrina smiled, revealing her fangs slightly, and said, "Not only you, but even a weak being like me theoretically has the opportunity to compete equally with those dragon kings!"

The atmosphere suddenly fell silent, with only the occasional breathing of a few giant dragons echoing throughout the vast space!

Gu Lanlong found it hard to believe, but when his gaze fell on that line of text in the book, he suddenly understood the thoughts of that true dragon emperor.

The line of text was clearly written by a female dragon; the characters were delicate, yet they possessed an inimitable power that seemed to emanate from her body.

"Jealousy is the first barrier to the heart. It is precisely because jealousy is weak and stubborn that even beings who have overcome the barrier of pride and unlocked the secrets of wisdom are very likely to fail when they try to unlock the secrets of their hearts!"

"The Dragon Emperor, who controls the mind, possesses a heart and will far surpassing that of the Dragon God."

The ancient blue dragon sighed, "A truly noble soul cannot be imitated, and it is something even the Dragon God envies!"

"Even the simple truths along the way allowed me to accidentally touch that noble soul!"

(End of this chapter)