Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

“No, no, no,” the black dragon’s tone was clearly resistant, and ruthlessly contemptuous, “I have no interest in flesh modification or spirit summoning techniques, and I will not allow you to inhumanely treat my tribe. To be honest, after thinking it over, I feel that you are of absolutely no use in enhancing the power of the ancient human race…”

"Then how do you want me to help?"

"The candidate who can make ancient humans even stronger has always been there, even within easy reach. My father, the Dragon Father Yemotar, the king of close combat, possesses the power and martial arts to make my race even stronger. Just imagine, teaching a group of warriors capable of lifting cauldrons the skills honed through countless trials, my race will be able to crush everything..."

Lyle interrupted the black dragon's delusions, "Not everything. You can't withstand magic, and remember, you were weak against mental attacks when you were young. Soul power can easily penetrate your indestructible bodies." There is no absolute power in this world. The extreme training of the body has left the mind somewhat lacking. When Alcaron was young, he was almost easily frightened and could have nightmares for three days after a single episode of fear.

“No, you’re wrong again.” The black dragon shook its head. They had already traversed most of the rift and were now very close to the glowing exit. The light outlined the black dragon’s silhouette, and Lyle could see its smugness. “My father’s martial arts research is unparalleled. Warriors also possess the power to resist magic and mental attacks. He even specially crafted a power for me: Warrior’s Fury.”

Those golden eyes slowly turned blood red, and the dangerous aura that was about to erupt made Lyle's hair stand on end, but his anger quickly dissipated.

"Anger, what good is it?"

"It can make me angry anytime, anywhere."

"What's the difference between this and having a bad temper?"

"When I get angry, I'll hit anyone. I feel no fear, and I don't show any emotion except anger. Those fragile spellcasters who want to invade my mind will have to suffer the backlash of my anger."

"Anger is an emotion that is very difficult to control."

"I don't intend to control it. I'll stop being angry as long as I kill the enemy." Half of the black dragon's body emerged from the rift, exposed to the sunlight.

Emerging from the darkness, a towering mountain came into view, situated in the center of the basin. Its gentle slope was covered with vegetation of varying heights, and Lyle saw the shadows of birds emerge from it, rising into the clouds—perhaps some kind of large bird, or even a pterosaur. The other side of the mountain was steep, as if a large chunk had been sliced ​​off from the ground; its black cliffs huddled in the shadows of the sunlight, adding a wild, empty gray to this once vibrant land.

A wave of heat washed over him, emanating from the drooping vines, the roars of wild beasts, and the scorching sun. Sweat dripped from Lyle's temples; the chirping of insects and birds was long and drawn-out; the lush grass reached up to his knees. A vast, undulating sea of ​​trees filled most of his field of vision, and Lyle spotted a blooming chamomile beside him, its bud the size of a palm.

Sahazane, a node of the earth. It welcomes itself, welcomes itself to join this competition of life, where every creature expresses its vigorous vitality, including appropriating the vitality of others.

"I still don't know what you want me to do; your plan doesn't seem to need me."

"Of course I need it. Your role is to solve problems, and I'm about to talk about those problems."

Alcalon grabbed Lyle and tossed him onto his back, then ducked into the jungle. He lifted himself up, and trees on either side snapped and were uprooted, crashing down on his lucky companion.

“This place will never be able to be repaired. It was burned to ashes by my dragon breath just two days ago.”

"My entire clan faces a problem, and that problem is Omhead. He doesn't reject martial arts, but he's unwilling to accept the Dragonfather's favor. He's also obsessed with the game of competing for the next Dragon King and thinks it's unfair of me to ask my father for help. But you won't. Your interference in our affairs is recognized. You are the Dragon King Priest and the caretaker of the young dragons. He doesn't reject your involvement. The fact that the Necromancer's Figurine Company can build houses here is proof of that."

Lyle nodded.

"I understand. You want to use my name to teach martial arts to your tribe, right?"

Alcalon had a cold expression on his face.

“No, Omhead isn’t a fool. Even if we get away with this, his rigid warrior’s honor will hold me back in the future. I need to correct his awkward personality. I heard from my father that the Andrei Lich is the most troublesome and fearless outlaw. And you seem to be one of the best.”

The black dragon roared, scareing away the beasts hiding in the grass. These wild animals were always brainless; the last group that provoked the black dragon was already dead.

"Lyle, use your position as the Dragon King Priest to interfere in the management of the ancient humans. Kill them, torture them, use your most evil, depraved, and inhuman techniques to make them fear your training, to make them complain, to make them hate you to the core. Then that black dragon priest who loves his race will also reflect on how ridiculous his so-called honor and rules really are. Yes, you must torture their honor and dignity to nothing. Make them regret not disobeying Omhead's orders and not following my guidance."

"Hehehehe, at this moment, I will use my father's martial arts to fly over and ride the dragon, making the ancient humans obey me with tears in their eyes, as if they were worshipping their savior, their most beloved leader, and praising me as the greatest guardian dragon of this race, hahaha...hahahaha!!!"

Lyle stood on the back of the black dragon, watching the despicable boy with a twisted smile and trembling body.

"How despicable, Alcalon. The ancient humans will have a terrible impression of me."

“This is for my people, High Priest of the Dragon King. And if I don’t do this, they won’t have a good impression of you either. They don’t like ‘small’ people.”

Chapter 667 Son of War

Lyle sat cross-legged on the dragon's spine; riding a dragon was not a pleasant experience. Alcaron's scales were the hardest among his siblings, and when he was agitated, they would curl up slightly like sharp knives. It was as if Lyle was sitting on a mountain of knives that could bounce at any moment.

Upon entering this giant forest, the shrill screams never ceased. The mournful cries and angry roars of life could form a complete, tightly rhythmic piece. The drooping vines and overgrown bushes further encroached on the narrow field of vision, giving the feeling that hungry beasts were lurking around, cautiously approaching the black dragon's dining table.

After the twelfth deep breath, the oppressive atmosphere changed. The surrounding sounds seemed much more distant, although the high-hanging leaves still hung overhead like a deep blue haze. Lyle didn't feel any better; falling into deathly silence in such a vibrant jungle was clearly not a good sign.

"Where are we, Al?"

Black Dragon's voice was calm, and one could hear a hint of joy in it.

"We're almost home. My tribe's territory lies on the barren, shady side of the mountains. We've now stepped into the border of the ancient human hunting grounds."

So we're safe?

The black dragon stepped forward with its front paws and turned its head for the first time to look at Lyle on its back.

“This is just the beginning, Lyle…”

A sudden roar rushed into Lyle's mind. The loud roar came from above. What a huge voice! Lyle, who was not prepared, felt dizzy. In his blurred vision, he saw a huge shadow smash through the shade of the trees and fall straight down from the sky.

Lyle was about to tumble off the dragon's back—no, almost. The black dragon swiftly spun its body, adjusting its posture just before the shadow struck its back, followed by a powerful tail whip that struck the shadow, creating a thunderous explosion upon impact.

The sound of bones cracking was all too familiar to Lyle. He tumbled onto the dragon's wing, watching the wounded figure spin through the air. A louder roar erupted as the man's irregularly twisted left arm remained entangled in the dragon's tail. With a swaying motion, his body charged towards the black dragon and the grotesque bone axe gripped by its massive arm.

He chose the soft lower abdomen as his target, where the scales were the softest.

"Fool!!" Alcalon seemed to be in complete control. His left wing scooped up Lyle, and his dragon claws slammed into the burly man's torso from below. He was sent flying like a sandbag, crashing through two oak trees and collapsing a burdock bush.

Lyle was placed in the bushes, and Alcaron let out a disdainful sneer, his eyes sinister and cruel. Under Lyle's gaze, the burly man lying on the ground bled from the corner of his mouth, his left arm twisted like a noodle. He used his right hand to prop himself up, turning from lying down into a sitting position, and with his remaining strength let out a beast-like roar.

Alcaron pounced, crashing down like a collapsing mountain. "Scream!!! Scream again!!!" His clenched dragon claws, as big as the strong man, pounded him repeatedly into the ground, staining the surrounding bushes blood red.

"Idiot, is this how you use a surprise attack?! Have wings?! If you can't fly, then stand firmly on the ground, you piece of trash!! Get up again!! Get up!!!"

Alcalon brutally tormented the man, burying him in the ground, the surrounding earth churning up and forming a small mound. Lyle habitually raised his hand, following his fingertips to discover a somewhat surprising fact.

The man was four meters tall, with a reddish-brown, hairy leg as thick as two Lyles. He wore primitive animal leather, and his face was covered in wild tattoos. Could this kind of creature even be considered human?

The vegetation here is lush; the photinia can grow up to waist-high, whereas for the ancient humans, this plant only reaches their knees. How Lyle knew this? Because two such legs had appeared beside him sometime earlier. Another ancient human, wearing a wolf-head hood and carrying a bone bow, had dark brown skin adorned with green stripes. His features were rugged, and his small eyes were fixed on Lyle, while a hand the size of a millstone gestured above Lyle's head.

"An unawakened cub? Never seen one before, a member of the clan?" The enunciation was unclear, as if a blower was stuffed in his mouth.

Another four-meter-tall giant descended from the fifteen-meter-tall treetop and crashed into the ground. He let out a rough whistle and grabbed the black dragon's swung tail with both hands.

"Stop hitting him, Son of War. Michael has already passed out; he can't hear you."

Alcaron stopped beating him, and he pulled out the limp Michael and threw him next to his companion.

"Sare, Shan, so you're both here." The black dragon bared its sharp teeth, scrutinizing Saree. "Whose plan was it to ambush me?"

“Mine, but the plan was disrupted. Shan tried to swing to the other side using the vines to ambush them, but he was too heavy and fell. Michael, who was hiding in the canopy, didn't hear him, so he continued with the part of the ambush, and then he fell.” Saree pointed to the slightly stuttering tribesman next to Lyle. Shan's curiosity was now entirely focused on Lyle. Shan curiously grabbed Lyle's collar, as if to lift him up.

"Who is this?"

“My friend, Lyle, is not one of your kind. He has always been this age.”

“Oh, dwarfs.” Shan lost interest and returned to his companions.

Lyle felt mocked. The black dragon shrugged and explained, "The ancient humans always believed that they were the true humans, while you were weaklings. They felt some pity for you."

"Are they all this size?"

“Children are not. The children of the ancient human race were just slightly older children, similar to you, but they had the talent to liberate their physical limitations. This ability could be maintained normally under the enhancement of dragon blood. An ancient human who had just come of age was over 3.2 meters tall, and no shorter.”

Ancient humans were a group of muscular giants, and as agile as wild beasts.

"Carry him back and let the tribal shaman heal him," Black Dragon commanded. Shan responded, hung his weapon on his chest, and carried his unconscious companion back.

Lyle watched the black dragon's moving claws.

"Didn't you beat him too badly? If it was just training, you were practically killing him, Al."

“That’s right, if I could, I would carve his failure onto his skull, but it still lacks a bit of force.”

“The Son of War means well, little fellow,” the ancient human named Saree did not leave but joined the black dragon’s leisurely procession. “Our tribe does not recognize losers. Michael has injured an arm. If he recovers normally, he will have to drag his severed arm to continue hunting, and he may starve to death as a result. The tribal shamans are our scarce healers; they will only offer help to dying tribesmen who are unable to care for themselves.”

"So Al's heavy-handedness was actually out of concern for him?"

"No, killing is my habit, or perhaps my personal preference." The black dragon stepped between the two, using its massive body to separate Lyle and Sarre.

This feeling is... Lyle's eyes darted around.

“Al, Mel is having a great time in Mackenbert. The dwarves and fire elementals there call her the Red Dragon Queen. Aren’t you worried? You’re the eldest son.”

"Ha, Immelt is just a female who craves love and to be loved; she has none of the king's depth."

“And what about Christo? Your brother is a strong contender for the throne.”

"Heh, lazy bum who hates trouble. If it weren't for the Blue Dragon Priest pressuring him from behind, he could sleep until the end of the world. He has no responsibility as king."

"That……"

"Who else are you going to mention? Poldris? That kid just goes with the flow, probably lost in the mermaid's gentle voice right now; Claudia, that girl isn't interested in anything, she's no different from Christopher. Come on, Lyle, I'm the one who has the qualifications to be king, to become the king who rules them, that's my mission, and my pleasure!"

“What I’m trying to say is, dear Al, you really know your brothers and sisters, especially considering how little they care about each other. And you…”

Alcalon's dragon face loomed in front of Lyle, his gloomy face stretched long, and his familiar savage grin revealed sharp teeth.

"I'm just monitoring potential competitors to avoid any destabilizing factors disrupting my plans. It's a precaution, you understand?"

“Yes, dear Al, you are a wise and excellent king… and brother.”

"Shut up, Lyle, you're not even enough to fill my teeth."

Chapter 668 The Current State of the Tribes

The central, solitary peak, known as Oranquil by the ancient humans, including Sare, means "great grace" in the ancient tribal language. It is a tall stone peak; at least in the shadowy side inhabited by the ancient humans, the ground was stone. A single, broad slab of stone lies buried deep underground, isolating the soil and life from it. This is Sahazaen's only dead zone, which somewhat surprised Lyle.

Rocks play a tragic role in this land of life. In the jungle, towering trees reaching two stories high are countless, while slabs of stone a meter wide are few and far between. The life force of Sahazam can crush most inanimate objects; it's perfectly normal for seedlings to push aside the slabs of stone overhead, and delicate branches will leave marks on the rocks like a python strangling its prey. Jungle bushes will either push the slabs of stone out of the ground or crush them into gravel, mixing them into the soil to anchor their roots. In most cases, the stones of Sahazam are soft, easily manipulated.

That's why Lyle was amazed that such a huge, prominent stone peak could stand so tall, even though its other half was covered in lush green grass. The bottom slab of stone, in contact with the soil, was half a meter above the water level. This area had been artificially carved out, creating a spacious area the size of a small playground. On the side closest to the mountain, there were steep steps leading up to a series of stepped platforms. Compared to the wide flat area, the steep steps seemed unnecessary and dangerous. You could see with the naked eye those ancient humans climbing and leaping on the steps. They grabbed onto the protruding stone spikes, each leap ascending five or six meters. Falling was much easier; they simply jumped down, one step at a time. Their thick skin and flesh were enough to withstand the impact, only causing a slight increase in blood flow.

It has to be said, this is a wonderful place. Sleeping here, you don't have to worry about being entangled in vines the next morning, or suffocating in your sleep on the very first day. As soon as Lyle climbed onto the stone platform, he noticed some seeds hooked onto his robe had sprouted. The longest sprout had already wrapped halfway around Lyle's waist, becoming Nia's food. The life force here is savage and brutal; even the producers at the bottom of the food chain don't mind switching places.

As Alcaron climbed the steps, the giants who had been fighting each other stopped. They all stared at the black dragon, seemingly considering when to make their move. The black dragon, in turn, silently grinned and remained in place. This standoff lasted for a minute before the ancient humans withdrew their gaze and continued with their work. Lyle hadn't received any attention from beginning to end; perhaps he was too small, and even if eyes briefly swept over him, they would quickly look away.

The first platform was mostly occupied by young people learning combat. They were full of vigor but not qualified to participate in the hunt, being slightly inferior to Michael. Occasionally, their fathers or brothers would drag their prey home, and these little giants would swarm like sharks attracted by the smell of blood, tearing apart the other's prey while enduring the punches and kicks of their elders.

The tribe tacitly approved of this behavior. These small sharks couldn't steal much prey from real hunters; instead, they fueled the sharks' ferocity. Warriors would carry food almost as big as themselves up the stone steps to the second platform, their home. The second level consisted of densely packed, tall tents, resembling colorful mushrooms growing in rock crevices, their frames mostly made of bone. Once the food was back home, it would be cut and preserved by family and friends; unprocessed food wouldn't last until the next morning.

It was here that Lyle saw the Bone Gate, a consecration portal that served as an elevator between floors, specifically for transporting large prey for the tribe's hunting parties. This relieved Lyle, who had an acquired fear of climbing to higher levels.

The third level has far fewer tents. This level is inhabited by tribal leaders, knowledgeable shamans, and clergy (i.e., black dragon priests). On the side of the platform, there is also the most primitive handicraft industry, where tribal members process the bones and leather of their prey to make weapons and armor.

The skeleton architecture was also the most abundant here. Lyle saw the bone carvings he had designed. Shining and the others certainly hadn't considered paying patent fees. Andrei's skeletal culture was prevalent in the wild lands of Saharzaen, a perfect blend of death and life. Lyle saw three familiar, tiny figures lying in a pile of bones beside a female giant, meowing excitedly like cats in heat.

“This leg bone…this shinbone…this hard horn…”

“Lie lou lie lou lie lou lie lou…”