My mom is waiting for treatment, and you're summoning me to be a hero?

A golden dragon hovered outside the ghostly net, its golden vertical pupils fixed on the black-robed man on the rooftop.

"name."

Lin Mo ignored their anger and spoke to the leading golden dragon.

The golden dragon remained silent for a moment.

Then he spoke, his voice low and deep.

"Hong Lü. Elder of the Golden Dragon Clan."

"Can you speak to me?"

Hong Lü nodded.

Lin Mo was somewhat satisfied before stating his own requirements.

"I need twilight stone and a lot of dragon's beard roots."

These words caused a stir in Young Dragon City.

The dragons crouching in the ruins looked up, their eyes filled with shock.

The golden dragons in the sky were also stunned for a moment, then whispered to each other, the sound of their flapping wings mixed with their deep dragon language, buzzing loudly.

"Twilight Stone? He wants the Twilight Stone?"

"Those are sacred artifacts of our dragon race! Only a few pieces have been accumulated over thousands of years!"

"Why should we give it to him! When have we dragons ever been extorted like this by humans!"

"Keep your voice down, you're imprisoned and still so arrogant. You don't want to live, but we dwarves do."

"Exactly, it's just a few Twilight Stones, what's the harm in giving them to him?"

……

Various sounds arose within the city.

The dragons remained proud, but the other races didn't seem to cooperate much.

Hong Lü, however, did not move.

It simply looked at Lin Mo, its dark golden vertical pupils flashing with complex emotions.

The Twilight Stone is a sacred artifact of the Dragon Clan. Only a few have been accumulated over thousands of years, and each one was obtained by exchanging the bones of the Dragon Clan's martyrs.

Dragon whisker root, which grows only deep within dragon nests, is a very rare medicinal herb.

This human asked for these two things right off the bat.

Seeing his hesitation, Lin Mo slowly raised his hand and lifted the sword.

Upon seeing this, Hong Lü's pupils contracted: "Alright! I agree to let you participate in the secret realm."

However, Lin Mo's sword light did not stop and fell directly down.

Inside the city, yet another dragon soldier fell.

His head rolled onto the street, and his body was still convulsing.

Hong Lü's body stiffened abruptly.

The golden vertical pupils were almost slits.

"you!"

Lin Mo spoke calmly.

"Am I not clear? What I need are Twilight Stones and Dragon's Beard Roots, not some kind of secret realm entry qualification."

The entire room fell silent.

The people in the city were deathly pale.

They finally understood.

This human isn't haggling at all.

"This is too... domineering."

"Other races would kill for that qualification; they wouldn't even consider it."

"Tsk tsk, as expected of the new emperor of the Holy Ancient Empire, awesome."

……

In the sky, the wings of those golden dragons froze in mid-air.

This person doesn't care about qualifications, deals, or rules at all.

He just wants things.

If they don't give it to you, we'll kill you.

Lin Mo's hand rested on the sword hilt again.

Hong Lü clenched his fists.

He knew that if he didn't agree, more dragons would die.

Until Young Dragon City became a dead city.

At that moment, he felt mostly anger.

"Aren't you afraid our demigod ancestor will take action?"

Hong Lu lowered his voice and questioned Lin Mo.

Lin Mo smiled and said, "Sure, as long as your ancestors are willing to give up the opportunity to go to the God Realm."

This statement perfectly captured the Dragon Clan's current predicament.

Because of their long lifespan, the dragon race has a rich cultural heritage.

Although the number of demigod-level powerhouses has not been announced, they certainly exist, and there is more than one.

But even the longest lifespan will eventually end.

The realm of gods is their final destination.

If you get involved in the struggles between major powers, you will lose this qualification, even if it is a struggle within the Dragon Clan.

Unless the Demon King is born.

But this guy in front of me hasn't been condemned by the gods yet, so theoretically he's not a demon king.

Lin Mo simply stood on the rooftop, his hand on the hilt of his sword, quietly waiting for Hong Lü to make his decision.

He knew what the old dragon was thinking.

The Twilight Stone is a sacred object of the Dragon Clan, with only a handful accumulating over a thousand years.

Dragon whisker root grows only deep within the dragon's nest and is a secret medicine that the dragon clan does not share with outsiders.

Each and every one of them is vital to the dragon race.

If we just hand it over like that, where will the Dragon Clan's reputation be?

The pride accumulated over thousands of years has been trampled underfoot by a human being.

But what if I don't pay?

Young Dragon City is still in his hands.

That ghostly net still shrouds the entire city.

Those dragon soldiers crouching in the ruins.

Those dragon cubs within the city—

They are all hostages.

Hong Lü's breathing became heavier and heavier.

Just then, a slender figure floated out from the air.

That was a female demon.

A translucent body, long gray-white hair, and a beautiful face that exudes a chilling aura.

She was one of the group that followed them out of the secret realm.

At this moment, obeying Lin Mo's call, it floated lightly into the air.

She approached Hong Lü and gave a slight bow.

Hong Lü was puzzled. What did this mean?

Then they heard the banshee's voice.

"Lord Golden Dragon,"

The succubus's lips curled into a faint smile.

"My master said that he can lend you the soul of a demigod to help you achieve the throne of the Dragon Emperor."

Hong Lü's pupils suddenly contracted into a vertical line.

His wings suddenly spread open, then slowly closed again.

Those golden eyes were fixed on the banshee.

His eyes churned with shock, wariness, and a hint of... a desperately suppressed desire.

"What did you say?"

His voice was so low that even his companions, who were standing right next to him, couldn't hear it.

The succubus's smile deepened.

"A demigod's soul."

She repeated it.

"You know what that means. The Dragon Emperor's throne has been vacant for hundreds of years, and the Golden Dragon, Silver Dragon, Red Dragon, and Black Dragon are all vying for power. But what if there were a true demigod supporting them from behind..."

She didn't finish speaking.

Hong Lu's breath caught in his throat for a moment.

Demigod.

How many years has it been since the Dragon Clan produced a demigod?

Three hundred years?

Five hundred years?

Since the last Dragon Emperor disappeared, the Dragon Clan has never reached that height again.

Like the human emperor, the Dragon Emperor can rule over the five major dragon clans.

Gold, silver, red, blue, black.

The five dragon clans are all unwilling to submit to each other, but none of them have the strength to truly overwhelm the others.

If it were blessed by a demigod's soul...

The succubus continued.

"On the condition that, in addition to what my master just mentioned, you also lend my master ten golden dragons."

Hong Lu's gaze suddenly turned to Lin Mo.

The succubus added slowly and deliberately.

"As you know, my master has just ascended the throne and is in dire need of capable men. He naturally values ​​the power of the Dragon Clan. Ten golden dragons may not mean much to the Dragon Clan, but to the Holy Ancient Empire..."

She paused.

"You...won't refuse, will you?"

Hong Lü fell silent after those words were spoken.

A long silence.

Then, Hong Lü spoke.

"Okay! I agree to your request."

quiet--

In Young Dragon City, there was initially a deathly silence.

Then, like a powder keg that had been lit, it exploded with a roar.

"What?! Elder Honglu agreed?!"

"My God... the dragons... the dragons have compromised?!"

"For thousands of years! When has the dragon race ever bowed its head to humans?!"

……

Several dwarven craftsmen rose from the ruins.

He stared wide-eyed at the golden dragon, not even noticing the hammer fall to the ground from his hand.

They are one of the races that understands dragons best.

These lizards are more stubborn than dwarves and more proud than elves.

Making them bow their heads is harder than making a stone bloom.

But now, they have witnessed with their own eyes an elder golden dragon yielding to a human?

Inside the city, various voices mingled together.

Some were shocked, some were incredulous, some were angry, and some were relieved.

But there are other emotions as well.

The dragon soldiers crouching in the ruins looked up at Hong Lü's back, their eyes reddening.

"Elder Honglu! There's no need to worry about us!"

"We are prepared to die, Elder Honglu...you..."

"The elders of the Golden Dragon Clan actually bowed down to the humans for our sake... I am guilty!"

……

They were unaware of Hong Lü's deal and only believed that Hong Lü had made the compromise because of them.

A deep sense of self-reproach and gratitude welled up in their hearts.

In their view, Hong Lü did all this for the sake of his fellow dragons in Young Dragon City who were still trembling with fear.

Some of the dragons even cried out.

Lin Mo simply stood on the rooftop, quietly exchanging glances with Hong Lü, and made a deal with his eyes.