Chapter 432: The Annihilating Dragon

Chapter 432: The Annihilating Dragon

"Blue, I want to go to the Titanoboa Dragon Nursery now." Ji Xinghuo said.

However, Titanoboa Blue didn't reply immediately.

She studied Ji Xinghuo's face, as if seeing him for the first time, and a strange light flashed in her eyes. She nodded slightly, a hint of appreciation in her voice as she said, "You look much better as a True Dragon now."

Only then did Ji Xinghuo react, smiling calmly, "Blue, this is how I originally looked."

"Really?"

Titanoboa Blue gave an noncommittal reply, "The appearances of Earthlings and True Dragons don't seem that different at first glance, but if you look closely, the difference in their auras is obvious."

"Aura is such an abstract concept, mostly a psychological effect." Ji Xinghuo spread his hands, knowing that strength was what truly commanded respect.

Otherwise, one would just be all show and no substance.

Cheng Sheng, too, was seeing Ji Xinghuo's original appearance for the first time, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy. He cursed, "Damn, not only are you stronger than me, but you're also better-looking! Life's so unfair!"

"Hehe." Ji Xinghuo was quite proud, "I rely on this face to attract Man Ying and..."

His words trailed off halfway.

Both people present had heard very clearly, especially the last word, "and..."

"Sword Immortal" Zhao Manying was Ji Xinghuo's girlfriend, and they all knew it, as the intelligence from Earth had mentioned it.

Who else could it be besides Zhao Manying?

Cheng Sheng's expression immediately became strange, and Titanoboa Blue's finger tapped Ji Xinghuo's shoulder, a helpless look on her face, "That's just how men are..."

"What are you talking about, Blue? I don't understand." Ji Xinghuo looked confused.

Titanoboa Blue rolled her eyes at him and stood up, "Let's go, I'll take you to the Titanoboa Dragon Nursery." Cheng Sheng didn't have the qualifications to go with them, so he had to return to Earth's base first.

The two of them, one in front and one behind, weaved through the streets of the Titanium Ring City.

Soon they arrived at the Yuan Magnet Palace, located at the base of the Titanoboa Throne, an artificial mountain range made up of square metal buildings, lower on both sides and higher in the middle, majestic and awe-inspiring, shimmering with a silver light in the sun.

As they approached the Titanoboa Throne, the towering silver metal walls loomed over them, creating a sense of oppression.

At the foot of the mountain, directly below the Yuan Magnet Palace, was a massive passageway, its entrance over 500 meters high, guarded by heavy troops. Dragon Lords hovered in the air, their armored forms menacing, and complex protective systems were hidden in the void.

Ji Xinghuo's electromagnetic sensing abilities were blocked here, and he couldn't probe the interior, only seeing a blank space.

In the Titanium Ring City, such magnetic field blocking areas were common.

The two of them landed on the platform at the entrance.

"Blue, why are you here?"

A Dragon Lord leaped off his dragon's back, removing his helmet to reveal a sharp-featured face filled with surprise.

Ji Xinghuo observed him.

He was a Sixth Stage Dragon Lord, his strength reaching the Three Heavens of the King Realm.

His dragon was also powerful, a Thunder Shock Dragon over 50 meters long, with flickering currents running along its multi-branched dragon horns, its body covered in shimmering silver-blue scales. Its dragon body was robust and ferocious, its dragon eyes filled with violence and cruelty, and it exuded an aura like a thunderous storm.

The Thunder Shock Dragon was a Celestial Dragon species.

Although their bloodline was not as noble as the Titanoboa Dragons, their potential was enormous, and they were a key species cultivated by the Titanoboa family.

If one wanted to master lightning and magnetism but couldn't obtain a Titanoboa Dragon, the Thunder Shock Dragon was the next best choice.

"Ke Ming."

Titanoboa Blue nodded at the man, obviously familiar with him, "I've brought Ji here to choose a dragon."

Then she turned and introduced, "Ji, this is Titanoboa Ke Ming, a childhood friend of mine and a famous genius of our generation in the Titanoboa family. He currently serves in the Yuan Magnet Dragon Soaring Army." After introducing him, she pointed to Ji Xinghuo, "This is Ji."

Ji Xinghuo and Titanoboa Ke Ming sized each other up.

It was easy to see that Titanoboa Ke Ming had a crush on Titanoboa Blue, and he didn't bother to hide it.

"The Ender!"

Titanoboa Ke Ming hadn't recognized him at first, but when Titanoboa Blue finished introducing him, he was shocked, "You're that barbarian?"

"Yes, it's me." Ji Xinghuo nodded calmly.

"So you've merged with a Dragon Vein, no wonder your appearance has changed so much." Titanoboa Ke Ming's face showed understanding, but then he lost interest in the conversation.

He showed neither warmth nor hostility towards Ji Xinghuo.

He simply ignored him.

The surrounding Dragon Lords heard the conversation between the three, glanced over a few times, most of them expressionless, but a few True Dragons glared at Ji Xinghuo with disgust, even hatred, in their eyes.

Ji Xinghuo understood their thoughts too well.

It was simply because he, a barbarian, had become a True Dragon, which they believed tainted the noble True Dragon bloodline.

Titanoboa Yanluo's rhetoric was not without basis.

And this was just becoming an ordinary True Dragon, without the Titanoboa surname or entry into the core of the Titanoboa family.

Otherwise, countless True Dragons would be cursing and taking more extreme actions behind his back.

Titanoboa Ke Ming's gaze returned to Titanoboa Blue, "I'm on duty in the Dragon Nursery this month, and I'll be off duty in a few days.

This was obviously not the outcome that Titanoboa Ke Ming wanted, but he could only agree.

After checking their identities, they were allowed to enter the Dragon Nursery.

As they walked down the massive corridor, Ji Xinghuo could sense a pair of eyes on him from time to time, mostly directed at Titanoboa Blue beside him.

This Dragon Lord did not see him as a romantic rival, but his indifference after the introduction made his attitude clear.

"Hehe..."

Ji Xinghuo suddenly laughed.

"What are you laughing about?" Titanoboa Blue turned to him, puzzled.

"It's nothing." Ji Xinghuo shook his head, he was laughing because this Titanoboa Ke Ming would never have imagined that his romantic rival was on a distant planet, and was the founder of a human subspecies that he would never have considered a threat.

Titanoboa Blue immediately guessed what he was thinking and gave him a subtle signal. Here, many things could not be said aloud.

They walked through the corridor, passing through checkpoints and gates, verifying their identities again and again.

Finally, the two of them entered the Dragon Nursery.

A corridor that was tens of kilometers long, with a height of over a thousand meters and a width of four to five hundred meters, bright and spacious. The space on both sides of the corridor was divided into numerous large independent areas, and each area was transformed into various environments.

There were dense forests, snow-capped peaks, lava pools like volcano craters, dark space, the surface of ultra-high gravity planets, weightless skies, deep sea trenches, rocky caves, and more, numbering in the hundreds.

An elderly True Dragon man in a tight silver-white battle suit flew towards them and stopped in front of them, bowing respectfully. "Lady Titanoboa Blue."

"Lord Jin."

Ji Xinghuo observed the man. He was a rare elder among the True Dragons, and although his skin and physique still looked vibrant, his eyes could not hide the haze of age and experience. He was in his twilight years.

The True Dragons had long lifespans, far surpassing humans.

Even without evolution, the average True Dragon could live to be around 100 cycles old, equivalent to 185 Earth years.

With several evolutions, they could live even longer.

This True Dragon was a Sixth Stage Dragon Lord, and according to common sense, he should be able to live to be around 300 cycles old, or 550 Earth years.

Ji Xinghuo guessed that the man was very old, possibly over 500 Earth years old.

"Uncle Ping."

Titanoboa Blue performed the junior's greeting, "It's been a while. Have there been any new developments in the Dragon Nursery's research lately?"

"It's still the same old stuff. We've researched everything that can be researched. I don't have much lifespan left, so it's unlikely that there will be any breakthroughs. I'm just waiting to retire and pass the Dragon Nursery on to the younger generation to finish out my life." Uncle Ping's tone was flat, a mix of resignation and contentment.

"Uncle Ping, you can't just give up like this. The Dragon King will definitely help you extend your lifespan." Titanoboa Blue offered comfort.

Uncle Ping shook his head. "Life extension is not that easy."

"There will be a way."

Titanoboa Blue turned to introduce Ji Xinghuo to Uncle Ping.

His full name was "Sandstorm Ping," and he was originally just an ordinary True Dragon man without a family, a surname, or exceptional talent for cultivation. However, he had a deep understanding of dragons, and he was later promoted to the Dragon Nursery by the Titanoboa Dragon King and was even granted the opportunity to choose a dragon.

Unfortunately, Uncle Ping's talent was truly lacking, and he could barely get a Sandstorm Dragon to recognize him as its master, aiding him on his evolutionary path.

With continuous rewards from the Titanoboa Dragon King in the form of various resources, Uncle Ping was forcibly pushed to the Sixth Stage Dragon Lord, but he had almost no combat power.

He devoted most of his life to the study of dragons, and his achievements were immense. The numbers of Titanoboa Dragons and multiple Heavenly Dragon species had increased to varying degrees, boosting the overall strength of the family. As a result, the Dragon King ordered him to be in full charge of the Dragon Nursery.

Until today, nearly five hundred years had passed.

Uncle Ping's lifespan was also coming to an end, and without life extension methods, he had at most 20 cycles left to live.

"I have received the King's order. Lord Jin can choose a dragon here in the Dragon Nursery." Uncle Ping looked at Ji Xinghuo with a hint of unconcealed envy and exclaimed, "Lord Jin, you're so young!"

"Please guide me, Uncle Ping." Ji Xinghuo also performed the junior's greeting, his expression humble.

"Of course."

Uncle Ping smiled, "Now that you've entered this Dragon Nursery, your first choice should naturally be a Titanoboa Dragon. Follow me."

He led the two of them through the massive corridor, and Ji Xinghuo's gaze swept across the numerous dragon nests on both sides, seeing many dragons.

The dragons that made it into the Titanoboa Dragon Nursery were all rare and powerful.

Almost all of them were Heavenly Dragon species.

With Ji Xinghuo's eyesight and knowledge, he couldn't recognize most of the dragons, but the ones he could identify were all famous and precious dragon species: Thunder Shock Dragon, Crystal Shine Dragon, Sea Covering Dragon, Soul Capturing Dragon, Earth Core Dragon, Ice Soul Dragon...

It was truly eye-opening.

The dragons, dazzling in their variety, lived in their nests. Most of them were young dragons, but there were also some adult dragons with massive bodies.

Each dragon nest area also had an incubation room, filled with countless dragon eggs.

At the very end of the corridor was a dragon nest ten times larger than the other areas, with a monotonous interior consisting of a kilometer-high silver-white peak. The entire mountain was made of a silver alloy, with no vegetation, and caves dotted the mountainside near the peak.

As Ji Xinghuo approached this area, he immediately sensed that the magnetic field intensity was tens of thousands of times stronger than elsewhere.

The silver-white peak was entirely constructed of titanium-cobalt superconductor alloys!

"The three-headed titanium-cobalt dragons are all here." Ping Shu looked at the caves on the mountain and said to Ji Xinghuo, "You can go up and communicate with them now."

"How do I communicate?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

"Just speak directly to them; they can understand the True Dragon language." Ping Shu replied, "Whether a dragon likes you or is willing to recognize you as its master depends entirely on its subjective will. Unless the Dragon King gives an order, no one can interfere."

Ji Xinghuo nodded.

He flew through the transparent partition and landed on the alloy peak, his electromagnetic senses already locating the three titanium-cobalt dragons in their respective caves.

Judging by their size and energy fluctuations, two of them were Hong-level young dragons, probably only a few years old since their birth.

The remaining one was a Zhen-level dragon, with a body length exceeding 70 meters.

Ji Xinghuo chose the Zhen-level titanium-cobalt dragon because it was the most powerful, and its dragon nest cave was at the foot of the mountain, the closest to him.

He flew into the cave, where the interior was dry and bright, with a sizzling sound of electricity in the air, and the magnetic field intensity was so high that it almost distorted the void. An ordinary person would die within a few minutes of staying in such an environment.

Deep within the metal cave was a huge space where a silver-gleaming dragon lay, its eyes closed in sleep.

This was Ji Xinghuo's first time seeing a titanium-cobalt dragon.

At a glance, he could tell that it was vastly different from other dragon species, the most noticeable difference being its dragon scales. Instead of being arranged in separate pieces, they were connected in large circular patches, layered and tightly packed, covering its body like armor, smooth and shiny, resembling a perfect alloy statue.

Its body was well-proportioned and robust, with sharp triangular sail-shaped wings and long limbs tipped with clawed talons.

Its dragon horns swept backward, forming a silver-white ring on its head like a crown.

From this dragon, Ji Xinghuo sensed extreme magnetic fields—sharp, hard, elegant, and ferocious—all contradictory qualities combined in this dragon, yet harmoniously so, ultimately presenting a powerful and unique creature.

At that moment, the titanium-cobalt dragon opened its eyes.

The massive dragon eyes, with silver-gray irises, flashed with electricity as they opened, and Ji Xinghuo sensed nothing but cold cruelty.

"I..."

Ji Xinghuo had just opened his mouth when the titanium-cobalt dragon suddenly sniffed, as if smelling his scent, then opened its mouth and exhaled a stream of bluish-purple ionized flame, the terrible heat melting the metal walls of the cave and engulfing Ji Xinghuo.

Boom!

Ji Xinghuo reacted swiftly, retreating and flying out of the cave just before the ionized dragon breath could reach him.

"What's going on?" Ji Xinghuo was baffled.

This titanium-cobalt dragon had suddenly attacked, and if it had been someone less powerful, they would have been burned to ashes by the ionized dragon breath.

He flew away from the dragon nest peak and landed next to Titanium-cobalt Blue and Ping Shu. Titanium-cobalt Blue was surprised. "Why did it attack you?"

"I don't know."

Ji Xinghuo explained what had happened.

Ping Shu frowned, guessing, "Lord Jin, did you merge with Blue's titanium-cobalt dragon variant?"

"Yes."

"Then it's no wonder." Ping Shu shook his head. "'Electrical Storm' has been the boss of the dragon nursery for many years. At that time, 'Tidal Fury' had just been born and was still a young dragon. It challenged Electrical Storm several times but was badly defeated, which affected its psychology, making it impulsive and irritable. Especially when someone carrying Electrical Storm's bloodline approaches, so it hasn't recognized a master to this day."

Ji Xinghuo was speechless.

A dragon with psychological trauma... Since he had fused with Electrical Storm's dragon blood and body, it was destined that this dragon would never recognize him as its master.

Titanium-cobalt Blue hadn't expected this either. She said, "You can only try the other two titanium-cobalt dragons now."

The remaining two titanium-cobalt dragons were young and wouldn't recognize Electrical Storm.

Ji Xinghuo flew straight to another cave and saw a 25-meter-long titanium-cobalt dragon. Among the seven great dragon species, the titanium-cobalt dragon's size was considered average. They were already Hong-level when they hatched, about 15 meters long, and grew to around 25 meters long within two or three years, larger than many Can-level dragons.

However, after communicating with this dragon for over an hour, Ji Xinghuo found that it completely ignored him.

It treated him like air, as if he didn't exist.

Ji Xinghuo had no choice but to go to the last titanium-cobalt dragon's cave, but the result was the same. No matter how he tried to communicate, the dragon showed no reaction.

"There's a problem!"

Ji Xinghuo sensed that something was amiss.

After he left the dragon nest peak, Titanium-cobalt Blue and Ping Shu listened to his account and also found it strange. According to past experiences, even if a titanium-cobalt dragon was unwilling to recognize a master, it would at least show some reaction and display its emotions, instead of completely ignoring him.

Titanium-cobalt Blue seemed to guess the reason behind this, her face darkening as she said, "It seems someone doesn't want you to get a titanium-cobalt dragon.

Realizing something, Uncle Ping's face changed slightly, but he ultimately remained silent and shook his head.

"Never mind," Titanoboa Blue said. "Please, Uncle Ping, introduce me to some Heavenly Dragon species."

Not wanting to make things difficult for him, Ji Xinghuo said, "Since we're already here at the Dragon Nursery, let's not leave empty-handed. If we can't get a Titanoboa Dragon, choosing a Heavenly Dragon species wouldn't be bad either."

There were hundreds of Heavenly Dragon species here, so it was unlikely that they were all interfered with, right?

Relieved, Uncle Ping led the two back to the corridor, flying past one dragon nest area after another while introducing them.

After a moment.

After Uncle Ping's recommendations, Ji Xinghuo decided to choose between the Thunder Shock Dragon and the Meteor Flame Dragon.

His idea was still to have a battle pet system centered around Qinghong, who would be responsible for teleportation and attracting attacks and damage at the front line. Jiuyou would hide on the side, providing control and support, as well as ambushes. Then, he would add a dragon to the mix for long-range massive damage.

As he was thinking, Ji Xinghuo suddenly sensed a stirring.

He turned his head, feeling that something had caught his attention.

"The Terminus Hatchery."

Next to them was a small hatchery located between the dragon nest areas, covering only a few thousand square meters. There were no dragons inside, only colorful dragon eggs placed in various environments for hatching.

Noticing Ji Xinghuo's gaze, Uncle Ping explained, "The dragon eggs in this hatchery have all failed to hatch or encountered unknown errors, but they still show signs of life, so they are kept here to continue the hatching process. Once they are completely dead, they will be destroyed."

"Can I go in and take a look?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

"Please, go ahead." Uncle Ping smiled. "They are all failed dragon eggs anyway, so they have no value left."

Ji Xinghuo entered the hatchery, his eyes scanning the numerous dragon eggs.

Even the eggs of ordinary dragon species were quite large, with the smallest being one or two meters tall and the largest being five or six meters tall, weighing several tons. Each dragon egg was placed in a specific environment to continue its unfinished hatching process.

Ji Xinghuo could sense that most of the dragon eggs had very weak life forces, like flickering candles in the wind, on the verge of death.

That sense of stirring was getting closer.

He walked to the very back of the Terminus Hatchery, and suddenly, a peculiar dragon egg caught his eye.

It was very small, about the size of an ostrich egg, and its volume was far less than one-thousandth of the other dragon eggs. Its pitch-black eggshell was covered with dense dragon scales, and the edges of the scales were tinged with gold, like golden lights shining in the darkness.

"What kind of dragon is this?" Ji Xinghuo asked curiously.

"Annihilation Dragon."

Uncle Ping's answer surprised both Ji Xinghuo and Titanoboa Blue.

The Annihilation Dragon was one of the seven great divine dragon species, renowned for its terrifying destructive power. However, it was also the most mysterious and rare, and there had never been a True Dragon family with the Annihilation Dragon as its bloodline in the True Dragon Empire.

Seeing their expressions, Uncle Ping smiled and explained, "This Annihilation Dragon egg has been here since the very first day the Dragon Nursery was established."

"So it's been over ten thousand cycles?"

Titanoboa Blue looked astonished.

The True Dragon Empire had gone through multiple splits and reconstructions, and Dragon King families had risen and fallen. The Titanoboa family had risen to rule the Yuan Magnet Territory for over eleven thousand cycles, and the Dragon Nursery had been built at the same time as Titanium Ring City, just a little later. But even so, it had been over ten thousand cycles, equivalent to more than 18,500 years on Earth.

In such a long time, not just the Annihilation Dragon, but any dragon egg would have long decayed beyond hope of hatching.

"It's a dead egg."

Uncle Ping reached out and gently stroked the dragon scales on the egg. "But since it's an Annihilation Dragon, a divine dragon species, we keep it here as a collectible."

"No wonder there's no hatching environment set up for it." Titanoboa Blue looked at the egg and suddenly smiled. "There has always been a rumor that there are other divine dragon species in the Titanoboa Dragon Nursery, and it turns out they were talking about this Annihilation Dragon egg."

"That's right!" Uncle Ping nodded.

As the two chatted, they didn't notice the strange expression on Ji Xinghuo's face. He stared at the dragon egg, his calm gaze concealing a hint of confusion.

It was clearly a dead egg, and he couldn't sense any life force within it, as if it were completely devoid of life.

However, that inexplicable sense of stirring was growing stronger.

And the source of it was this dragon egg.

"A divine dragon species egg has managed to remain intact for ten thousand cycles without rotting. If it were the egg of any other creature, it might have turned into a fossil by now," Ji Xinghuo said as he reached out and touched the egg. The moment his palm made contact, an information interface popped up in his vision.

[Hatching Progress: 35%]



A tidal wave rose in Ji Xinghuo's heart, but on the surface, he remained calm, his heartbeat showing no sign of any change in rhythm.

What did this information mean?

Could this dragon egg hatch?

How could it be hatched?

Ji Xinghuo's thoughts raced, and he immediately knew what to do.

Pretending to be curious, he caressed the egg, keeping his palm in contact with it. Secretly, he manipulated his spiritual source energy, and the numbers on the interface of the Myriad Images Star Pupil dropped rapidly, consuming thousands of points of spiritual source energy in an instant.

[Hatching Progress: 36%]



Ji Xinghuo removed his hand and nonchalantly turned to Uncle Ping, asking, "Uncle Ping, can I choose this dragon egg?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end