The Old Ones of Hogwarts

Chapter 567-576: The Prelude to the Deep Space Descent 5

The moment they stepped into the forest, all three felt an indescribable sense of awe.

The trees were as tall as skyscrapers, their canopies blocking out the sun, with only sparse sunlight filtering through the layers of branches and leaves, creating dappled light and shadow on the ground.

The tree trunk was covered with huge vines, some as thick as pythons, and some were even slowly wriggling. They were some kind of plant, but they seemed to have their own life.

The air was thick with a rich, almost viscous, magical aura. Every breath felt like inhaling the purest essence of magic.

Dumbledore sensed that his magic, which had not grown for many years, was beginning to loosen slightly.

Grindelwald felt it even more acutely—his magical wellspring, which had been imprisoned for half a century and was almost depleted, was now surging wildly, greedily absorbing the surrounding energy.

"Be careful," Ian's voice came from ahead, low and menacing. "Many things here are more dangerous than you imagine."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a dark figure suddenly darted out of the bushes beside him!

The dark figure moved as fast as lightning, rushing straight at Ian, who was walking at the front!

Dumbledore's wand shot up instantly, but before he could utter the spell, Ian had already moved.

He didn't even turn around; he simply raised his hand and gently grabbed it.

The dark shape was firmly grasped in his hand, struggling and hissing, revealing its ferocious fangs—it was a snake, but more bizarre than any snake they had ever seen. Its body was covered in colorful scales, it had three eyes on its head, and it spewed out a faint green mist.

"A forest viper," Ian said, holding it like a regular water snake. "Very venomous, fast, but timid. It generally won't bother humans unless you attack it first."

He released his grip, and the snake fell to the ground, glanced at him in terror, and then disappeared into the bushes even faster.

A flicker of surprise crossed Grindelwald's heterochromatic eyes: "You even know that?"

Ian turned around and smiled slightly: "I spent some time in this era."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow slightly: "You've been here before?"

Ian nodded, offered no further explanation, and continued walking forward.

The journey that followed was practically an exhibition of ancient creatures.

They saw a giant wolf, bigger than a horse, with snow-white fur and blood-red eyes, leading its pack down on them from a distant hillside—but after Ian looked up at them, the pack turned and ran, as if they had seen some natural enemy.

They saw a giant eagle with a wingspan of over ten meters swooping across the sky, casting a shadow that obscured an entire grove of trees. The eagle spotted them, swooped down, its sharp talons capable of tearing through steel. Then, when it was still a hundred meters away, it suddenly let out a terrified cry, frantically flapping its wings, and fled at a speed even faster than its swooping descent.

Grindelwald watched the giant eagle disappear into the horizon, then thoughtfully observed Ian's retreating figure.

He became increasingly certain that the child held far more secrets than they had imagined.

Dumbledore noticed this as well. But he didn't ask; he simply followed silently behind Ian, remaining vigilant.

They crossed a meadow filled with strange flowers—flowers with a metallic sheen, petals sharp as knives, capable of moving on their own, chasing the direction of the sunlight. They rounded a swamp that emitted an eerie glow, in which they occasionally saw the remains of enormous skeletons, the remains of unknown creatures.

Finally, Ian stopped.

His gaze pierced through the trees ahead, becoming incredibly focused and solemn: "We've arrived."

Dumbledore and Grindelwald looked ahead at the same time, and then their breaths stopped simultaneously.

At the edge of the woods lay a vast, scorched clearing. The clearing was at least several kilometers in diameter, its surface covered with a layer of black, vitrified material—rock that had been melted and solidified by extreme heat.

In the center of the open space lay a huge creature.

That's a dragon.

But it was larger and more terrifying than any dragon they had ever seen.

The largest dragons of the future will be no more than a few dozen meters long. But the dragon before us is at least three hundred meters long.

Its body resembled a moving mountain, covered in jet-black, metallic scales. Each scale was the size of a shield, shimmering with a chilling light in the sunlight. Its head was like a small mountain, constantly spewing out wisps of smoke from its mouth and nostrils—the lingering embers of dragon breath powerful enough to melt steel. Its wings were folded to its sides, yet even so, they resembled enormous black sails capable of blotting out the sky.

What's most terrifying is its aura.

It was the pure, undisguised aura of the pinnacle of legend. That aura enveloped the entire open space, thickening the surrounding air and subtly distorting space itself. Any life form below the legendary level would instantly collapse before this aura, losing all will to resist.

Even top wizards like Dumbledore and Grindelwald felt a chill run down their spines.

But that fear was quickly replaced by an even more fervent emotion that fueled their fighting spirit.

Dumbledore's eyes shone with an unprecedented light. He gripped the Elder Wand tightly, his body trembling slightly—not from fear, but from excitement. He knew this was the challenge he had been waiting for his entire life.

Grindelwald's expression changed as well. His heterochromatic eyes now gleamed with a flame-like light. A slight, almost wild smile appeared on his lips.

"Ancient dragon—" he murmured, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement, "This is the ancient dragon—"

Ian stood before them, also gazing at the colossal creature. His expression remained calm, but a complex light flickered in his deep eyes—a mixture of memories,感慨, and a hint of nostalgia.

He didn't turn around, but simply said softly, "Are you two ready?"

Dumbledore took a deep breath and stepped forward. His steps were firm and composed, carrying the confidence of the greatest white wizard: "I've been ready for a long time."

Grindelwald stepped forward as well, standing shoulder to shoulder with Dumbledore. His smile grew even more unrestrained and arrogant: "Albus, don't forget our bet."

Dumbledore glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Don't worry, I won't forget."

Ian turned around and looked at them. A smile, completely out of character for his age, appeared on his youthful face: "Let's go then."

He raised his hand, pointing to the slumbering ancient dragon: "Use its power to forge your legend!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Dumbledore and Grindelwald moved simultaneously.

Two figures, like two shooting stars streaking across the sky, sped toward the enormous creature!

Behind them, Ian watched them quietly, his smile growing wider.

"Ten thousand years ago—" he murmured, "how nostalgic."

In the distance, the ancient dragon that had been sleeping for so long finally opened its eyes.

Those eyes, like two burning suns, were enough to obliterate any living being the moment they met your gaze.

But at this moment, those eyes reflected two tiny human figures, yet radiating an indomitable fighting spirit.

The roar of the dragon.

The entire mountain range was shaken.

Like a real shockwave, it swept across the entire scorched clearing! Wherever the sound wave passed, the vitrified rocks on the ground shattered!

It transformed into countless sharp fragments that shot out in all directions!

Dumbledore's figure abruptly halted in mid-air, his Elder Wand tracing a graceful arc before him. "Protego Maima!" As the words fell, a semi-transparent barrier, shimmering with a pale golden light, unfolded before him, blocking all the shards powerful enough to pierce steel. The shards struck the barrier, producing a dense, rain-like sound, yet they could not penetrate it even slightly.

Grindelwald, however, adopted a completely different strategy. His body twisted eerily in mid-air, weaving through the gaps between the fragments like a fish. Each stray piece narrowly grazed his body, yet never managed to touch him. His movements were strange and elegant, possessing an almost dance-like beauty, as if he were not dodging a deadly attack, but performing a meticulously choreographed show.

"Albus, you're getting old!" Grindelwald's laughter echoed in the wind. "You need the Ironclad Charm for an attack of this magnitude?"

Dumbledore lowered the barrier, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I just didn't want to get my robes dirty."

Before the words were even finished, the ancient dragon's second wave of attacks had already arrived!

It opened its enormous maw, and a torrent of blazing dragon breath, powerful enough to melt everything, erupted forth! That dragon breath was no ordinary flame, but rather emitted an eerie, almost white light—a terrifying presence with temperatures reaching extremes, capable of incinerating all matter and even magic! Wherever the dragon breath passed, the air itself seemed to burn, leaving behind a twisted, scorching mark that lingered for a long time!

Dumbledore's expression turned serious. The Elder Wand swung again, this time not with a defensive spell, but—

"Glacius Maima!"

A chilling current erupted from the tip of the staff, colliding violently with the blazing dragon breath in mid-air! The cold current and the dragon breath intertwined, unleashing a deafening roar, and a large amount of white steam spread outwards like a volcanic eruption, instantly enveloping the entire open space!

The steam was incredibly hot, hot enough to cook an ordinary wizard like a lobster instantly. But a thin, mist-like protective layer appeared around Dumbledore, shielding him from the intense heat. And Grindelwald—Grindelwald was gone.

Dumbledore's brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed. A smile appeared on his lips: "The same as always."

Suddenly, a roar of a dragon echoed from the steam—a roar filled with pain and rage!

As the steam gradually dissipated, Dumbledore could see the scene before him clearly. Grindelwald had somehow circled behind the dragon and was now hovering beside its massive body, holding in his hand a—no, not a wand, but a black spear that gleamed with an eerie light, which he had somehow acquired!

The spear pierced deep into the gaps between the scales on the back of the dragon's neck, penetrating halfway in!

"Where did it come from?" Dumbledore asked.

Grindelwald grinned, a smug grin on his face: "I saw a dragon spear left behind by some unlucky fellow when I was passing by. It looked pretty sturdy, so I borrowed it."

Before he could finish speaking, the dragon reacted. It suddenly twisted its body, and its massive tail swept across like a collapsing mountain!

Grindelwald didn't take the hit head-on. Instead, he flashed away, his phantom teleporting dozens of meters away. The giant tail swept across the spot where he had just been standing, creating a hurricane that ripped rocks from the ground, sending them hurtling in all directions like countless cannonballs!

Dumbledore raised his wand, and an invisible barrier unfolded before him, deflecting all the incoming rocks. But his gaze remained fixed on the spear piercing the dragon's neck—dark red blood slowly seeping from the spot where the spear had pierced. The blood dripped onto the ground, instantly corroding the rocks into deep, smoking pits.

"Its blood is highly poisonous!" Dumbledore shouted.

Grindelwald nodded; he certainly saw it. But the dripping blood also revealed an even more important piece of information—

Although dragon scales have extremely high magic resistance, the gaps between the scales are still a weakness.

"Albus!" Grindelwald shouted, "Cover me!"

Dumbledore didn't ask him what he was going to do. The Elder Wand was raised high, and a thick stream of magic, shimmering with iridescent light, shot from its tip, aiming straight for the dragon's eyes!

The light split into countless tiny beams in mid-air, raining down on the dragon's eyes. The dragon instinctively closed its eyes—the beams struck its thick eyelids, causing no real damage, but enough to temporarily blind it!

Grindelwald seized the opportunity, his figure flashing once more! This time, he didn't Apparate, but flew directly towards the dragon's head!

Although the dragon's eyes were closed, its senses remained sharp. It opened its massive jaws, and another burst of dragon breath erupted, aimed directly at Grindelwald!

Grindelwald's figure twisted strangely in mid-air, abruptly changing direction! The dragon's breath swept past his body, scorching the ground behind him into a pool of lava!

But he lost his balance and fell downwards!

Just then—

An invisible force supported him.

Grindelwald looked down and saw Dumbledore holding his wand, his azure eyes gleaming with focused concentration. The force, gentle yet firm, supported him steadily, then suddenly propelled him upwards! Grindelwald's body soared upwards like a cannonball, instantly passing over the dragon's head and landing directly above it!

Grindelwald finally took out his wand.

A jet-black flame, seemingly capable of devouring all light, was summoned from his wand, instantly transforming into a gigantic, ferocious maw.

It swallowed the fragments along with their impact! The flame was incredibly hot, yet strangely, it emitted no heat. It simply burned silently, devouring everything that came near it—matter, energy, even light itself.

Fierce Fire.

Moreover, it was Grindelwald's unique, potent fire, which he had cultivated for over half a century and which had reached a state of perfection.

Unlike the Fiendfire cast by ordinary wizards, Grindelwald's Fiendfire is not a wild, uncontrollable destructive energy, but a Fiendfire that he has completely tamed.

Loyal servants, as if they were living beings.

The flames swirled and danced around him like countless loyal fire serpents, ready to devour any enemy who dared to approach!