Dragon Tribulation of All Realms

Chapter 136: The Regent and Zarathustra
The battle is over.

Then came another intense match.

Wu Chen had high hopes for some of the battles, but the results were disappointing. While the two aberrant individuals from the theocracy certainly possessed the combat prowess expected of them, they failed to impress him.

A berserker, a ninja. That's all. Wu Chen qualified them simply because their physiques were sufficient for them to enter the final battlefield. However, aside from the unremarkable 'Strongest Human' and 'Heaven and Earth' battles, there were quite a few other battles that caught Wu Chen's eye.

Perhaps it's some kind of ingenious tactic.

Perhaps it's some kind of unique combination technique.

Even though Wu Chen ultimately gave them an 'unqualified' rating, the benefits they brought him did indeed make him feel good.

as well as……

—Knowledgeable of legends.

The prophetic abilities of the 'Flying Tile Behind the Head' quartet had some effect. While they could hardly be considered 'legends,' and they didn't possess any artifacts capable of leaving behind a legend, a powerful force did indeed exist behind them.

The prophecy was cryptic and mystical. However, Wu Chen gleaned the keyword "undead" from it. This led to a hypothesis—these four individuals might have some connection to the "Abyssal Body," an undead organization that was destroyed in the side story timeline. Given their rather pro-human behavior, they might be a lich of human origin.

—The Dark Night Death Archmage… or so it seems.

That's a good clue. It might come in handy later.

When we make contact, we might be able to obtain some intelligence from them.

Information about ruins and holy sites.

Wu Chen knew that in the side story timeline, it was explained that a world-class item called the 'Two Realms Mandala' was hidden in a certain ancient ruin in the central part of the continent, and it was not guarded by any powerful guardian.

He had already tried using his knowledge of legends to predict the location of this world-class artifact, but unfortunately, he could only obtain a general direction. After all, he didn't even know what it looked like or what its functions were. However, if an ancient undead provided intelligence support, the outcome might change.

There will be an opportunity.

Thoughts flowed.

The selection process inside the arena was nearly over, and those who failed would be moved to the top tier of the audience seats. At this moment, the audience seats were already nearly half full of warriors from all over the world. All were awestruck by the Regent's majesty, remaining in their chosen seats, not daring to make a sound.

They do have brains, after all.

They deduced that the judging statue, crowned with a golden or silver crown, that had eliminated them was most likely under the control of a powerful magic caster. And this powerful magic caster was none other than Regent Dust.

After all, even the old mage from the Bahars Empire, the legendary Freda Paradion of the human world, sat respectfully in his seat, gazing with reverence and humility in the direction of the Regent.

The preliminary rounds are about to end.

So, it's time to meet the last distinguished guest.

..............................

The container opened its eyes.

This container possesses the power to withstand a life force of 60Lv or higher.

It was crowned with jewels, and what came into Wu Chen's view was a magnificent and spacious hall.

Many guards have been defeated.

Their target awaited quietly beyond the hall. And in Wu Chen's eyes, a suit of white-gold armor materialized during his observation.

Platinum Armor, Platinum Dragon King.

Unlike the platinum armor described in the original text, which was at least level 85, this armor lacked floating weapons and ornate, intricately etched emblems. Its strength was likely around level 60. It was probably a hasty creation by the Platinum Dragon King, done in a few seconds.

A bold attempt.

A cautious approach.

When it saw the container of the witch dust, it knew that its form of existence had been exposed. After all, there were just too many things in common between a puppet and a container.

"Regent." It then nodded slightly to Wu Chen.

"Guest," Wu Chen's container returned the greeting immediately. "What brings you from afar?"

"I want to know why you've convened this conference," the Platinum Dragon King said, cutting to the chase. "Do you want to conquer? Do you want to destroy? What do you intend to do to this world?"

The words contained a hidden meaning; what it truly wanted to know was whether Wu Chen was willing to admit that he came from an outer realm.

"I intend to establish a prosperous kingdom." Wu Chen had no intention of hiding anything or lying, because he knew that these ancient true dragon kings possessed treasures or secret techniques that could see through truth and falsehood. "You see, I am human. And there are so many of my kind on this land. But as far as I can see, they are not living well. So I have decided to give them a chance to live a different way."

Wu Chen scrutinized the platinum armor before him, from head to toe. "And who are you? Coming here to ask me such a question… the guardian of the world?"

He admitted it.

He made no attempt to hide it.

In the distant dragon's lair, the Platinum Dragon King fell into deep thought. Its will, flowing through the River of Souls, caused the secret technique known to the Preya as the alignment detection to operate silently. And a soul so radiant it could be described as dazzling came into the Platinum Dragon King's view.

Alignment determination: Order/Good.

Those who establish and abide by order, and are willing to fight for their people and their faction, can generally be incorporated into the order's camp. Those who refrain from killing unless necessary, who only retaliate when attacked, and who act with dignity and grandeur, can be considered virtuous.

The deviation value of the "good" attribute is... 333.

The upper limit is 500, and 300 is already above the range of ordinary good people. It can be basically determined that the person in front of me has a power attribute that is generally inclined towards good. Moreover, he will not tend to be extreme because of his excessively high good attribute.

The Holy Kingdom of Lobul has welcomed a holy ruler. During his lifetime, the Holy Kingdom is destined for prosperity and flourishing.

“You may call me… Zarathustra.”

It wasn't Charles, an abbreviation of his real name, nor Rick, the leader of the thirteen heroes. The Platinum Dragon King gave the Holy Kingdom Regent a clear response, which also signified the establishment of a new connection.

“Zaratu.” Wu Chen nodded. “I’ve remembered that name. Are you going to participate in this tournament? Or do you want to fight me?”

"You really enjoy fighting?" The platinum-clad warrior slightly raised his head.

"I'm not good at many things, but for now, I do have a bit of experience in combat. When I encounter a problem that I can't solve with my brain, I naturally resort to muscle. Or are you planning to stop me from doing so?"

"Be careful, this world is far larger than you think. War and killing will not bring a good outcome."

Can I take this as a warning?

“I would prefer you to take this as a piece of advice.” The platinum armor nodded slightly. “Evil is approaching, and the sins you committed in the past are about to bear deadly fruit. It will be a difficult challenge, and you are probably not in a position to handle it properly now.”

It has a double meaning.

This refers both to the Green Dragon King Velvitas and alludes to the Great Tomb that instigated his actions. It wants to know if the regent, who calls himself Dust, is unaware of his true enemies. This, in turn, will influence its assessment of the forces behind the scenes represented by 'Flyff'.

Feifei's claim to the victory over the vampire was his biggest weakness. Especially after the Platinum Dragon King had received information from the Five-Colored Dragon Mother that he had detected the aura of a true dragon king-level demon near the Corruption Royal Court.

Demons and vampires are birds of a feather. Many clues only become apparent when connected. And after it became suspicious and secretly used the highest-level detection spell on the dark hero 'Feifei' and the beautiful 'Nabe' and reaped the rewards, it could basically confirm that this dark hero was hiding a sinister secret.

The fact that it encountered a backlash when it prophesied about Feifei could be interpreted as Feifei carrying a valuable treasure. However, when it prophesied about Nabe, it yielded an interesting result.

A high-level dual illusion with a justice value of -400. It wouldn't be unreasonable to say that Feifei kept such an evil monster by her side to keep it from committing further evil. However… too many doubts have accumulated.

And soon, it got an unexpected result.

“I have a clear conscience about everything I have done on this land. I do not feel that I have committed any bad deeds.”

It was the truth, and the Dragon King's heart sank.

“I admit I have committed many killings on this land. But those who died by my hand, I believe they all deserved their fate. Whether they were nobles, private armies, demi-humans and their king, or even that green dragon…”

To be honest, Duster is a man with a clear conscience.

He also caught the mistake that the Dragon King had deliberately left behind.

"...That green dragon? Does it have relatives and friends who want to avenge it?"

"This is your trial." The platinum armor nodded. "We will not interfere with the workings of the world, nor with the wars between races and nations. The flames of vengeance from the Corrupt Court will soon reach the Holy Kingdom. Cross it, for this is the end of hatred."

The Five Colors Council has abandoned Vilvitas because this ancient green dragon is not among the true dragon kings. And since it is not one of the world's guardians, it cannot expect friendly assistance from the other colored dragons.

After all, the Five-Colored Dragon Mother and the Platinum Dragon King both had more important things to do.

Because they had conducted extensive, comprehensive prophetic reconnaissance, using the appearance of the Empishi vampire in the Great Forest of Tob and the first appearance of the Dark Hero Flyff in Yelantier as key points. And in the Kaz Plains, a land where the undead gather, they reaped the rewards.

There is an area that cannot be predicted.

This area is covered with newly grown vegetation created by large-scale spellcasting.

There must be something shady hidden here, and they're trying to cover it up.

The next moment, the platinum armor collapsed and vanished.

(End of this chapter)