Chapter 548: Dragonblood Mountain
At the very moment Jelrazaks’ Spiritual Soul was utterly consumed in flames, the sky above erupted in a torrent of dark clouds. Thunder roared without end, and blinding white lightning streaked down from the heavens. Torrential rain poured forth, drenching the land. In an instant, the world seemed to sense the demise of the Deep Abyss Demon—and responded with a collective, jubilant roar of triumph, trembling with exhilaration.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The thunder continued to rumble, as bowl-sized bolts of lightning swept across sky and earth, clearing away the thick, primordial fog that had choked the land for days. The dark clouds began to dissipate, and at last, the sun—hidden for so long behind a veil of darkness—reemerged into the world, casting radiant beams across the earth.
The dawn had come.
Bathed in sunlight, the remains of the Abyssal Dragon lay broken and scarred, its dull crimson scales shimmering faintly beneath a soft, ethereal glow. On that colossal corpse, like a mountain of flesh and bone, blood welled from countless wounds, oozing across the ground, carving deep ravines before flowing into a crimson river that stretched endlessly into the distance.
The shadow that had loomed over Kai Xiusu since his arrival in this world—the heavy, unyielding chain binding him—finally shattered into nothingness.
“Finally… it’s over,” Kai Xiusu whispered, his voice low and weary. “The destined fate. Jelrazaks’ curse. Karex’s madness. All of it.”
In that instant, memories flooded his mind—his transformation into a Dragonet years ago, the perilous conspiracies with demons, the feral frenzy that had consumed him years back when he was infected by the Abyss.
“No,” he murmured. “Perhaps it’s not truly over.”
The Red Dragon stared at the vast, serpentine remains of Karex, then turned his gaze toward the horizon. The thousand-meter-tall Abyssal Wall, too, was beginning to crumble. Lightning flashed from the eyes of the storm, stars shimmered through the darkness like distant embers—hidden within the chaotic mist, the air itself seemed thick with anticipation, as if a tempest were gathering on the edge of the world.
When that moment came, the Avatar of the so-called “Three Gods of Justice” would descend upon the Prime Material Plane. And then—what of Karex’s remains? Who would claim them?
The gods would never allow a potential Avatar of a “World-Destroying Dragon” to linger in the mortal realm. They would eliminate every threat—erasing not only the danger, but even the possibility of such a being ever existing.
And if Kai Xiusu consumed Karex’s remains entirely, the curse Jelrazaks had left behind in his final breath would echo once more in his ears. A forbidden relic, a madness born of Abyssal corruption, likely carrying a hidden trap—perhaps even a second soul, a lingering will. To use it recklessly could bring about a fate like that of the “Heart of Karex,” a mind consumed by a foreign, tyrannical will.
“Still, we’ll face whatever comes,” Kai Xiusu murmured, the words a familiar refrain from a past life. “When the enemy comes, we meet them. When the flood comes, we build a dike.”
With that, he slowly raised his right claw. A surge of power, the strength to command reality itself, surged through him.
He had already decided on a way to store the corpse—no need to absorb the ancestral dragon’s power immediately. He didn’t wish to lose control over it.
The Red Dragon’s claw clenched. A flood of raw, unyielding strength erupted from him, ravaging and reshaping the land around him.
Imperial Domain: Control
Boom—
A deep, earth-shaking rumble came from beneath. The ground began to rise. Massive rocks slowly heaved upward, encasing the nearly three-hundred-meter-long dragon corpse in layers of stone. The earth trembled violently. Debris tumbled. Dust clouds billowed into the sky as the land itself lifted, carrying the corpse high into the air—thousands of meters above the surface.
Looking up at the spectacle—the dragon’s corpse, now bathed in sunlight, rising slowly into the sky—those who witnessed it were stunned to silence. The followers of the Empire, the celestial relief forces from the heavens, and even the visiting Metal Dragon—all stood frozen in awe.
“By the Gods Above…”
“What kind of power is this? That Red Dragon… he’s creating a mountain!”
“That’s a deed only a Deity could perform!”
Celestial beings pointed toward the rising rock formation, mouths agape, their flawless, pale faces etched with disbelief. In their minds, no mortal entity of the Material Realm should possess the ability to raise the earth, to lift mountains into the sky—only divine beings seated upon Heaven’s Peak could do such a thing.
“Lord of the Northern Wind above… such strength. Brother was right. This Red Dragon Emperor has long surpassed our ability to contain him. His rise has been like a comet—swift, unstoppable.”
Pablicheko, now in human form, adjusted his glasses, his expression grave. He turned to Imelda and spoke softly.
“Only hope this Emperor brings change for the better to the Feiansuo Continent. If not… then no matter what, Melward will stand against him. For justice. For truth. To the end.”
Imelda, too, gazed toward the distant sky. The ancient Silver Dragon folded her gleaming silver wings tightly against her massive frame and let out a low, resonant roar.
“Kai Xiusu, above us!”
“Long live the Great Red Dragon!”
“His Majesty has triumphed! The Abyssal Dragon is fallen!”
The Empire’s followers erupted in a tidal wave of cheers. Though many had already witnessed Kai Xiusu summon mountains before, the sight of this—of a dragon’s corpse rising into the sky, transformed into a new peak—still shook them to their core.
Hundreds of meters long, the dragon’s remains, carried by the earth, ascended slowly into the sunlight—such a magnificent, awe-inspiring sight.
Among the crowd, the towering Ogre Lanpu raised his head. Tears welled in his clouded, small eyes, his throat trembling.
“Master… Master… your plan… it’s done. You really killed a Divine Abomination. This… this is a milestone for the Great Blueprint.”
Crack… crack…
A sharp, crystalline sound echoed through the air. And then—astonishingly—the remains of Karex began to transform.
The massive, upraised head became a jagged mountain peak. The arched spine turned into a towering ridge. The broken, drooping dragon wing stretched into a broad, open slope. The long tail, once coiled and serpentine, now became a winding chain of mountains. The blood pouring from the wounds turned into rivers of crimson. Even the massive claws, now buried at the base of the mountain, had become scattered, chaotic rock formations.
At last, a towering, majestic peak stood among the ruins of the Anstica Mountains—its form unmistakably that of a dragon, frozen in mid-roar, its head lifted to the heavens.
This awe-inspiring mountain, rising like a sentinel of fire and stone, replaced the old “King of the Snowy Mountains,” Mount Tiel. It became the tallest peak across all of Anstica—and indeed, the entire Anzeta Great Wasteland.
On Kai Xiusu’s body, over a hundred meters long, sulfur-scented white smoke poured from his scales. Flames burst from the gaps between his plates, from the porous organs along his frame. His elemental form gradually faded, shrinking back to his normal, forty-meter stature.
With a powerful beat of his wings, he soared into the air, landing atop the newly formed mountain’s peak. His crimson scales gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.
The Red Dragon spread his wings wide. His deep, thunderous voice echoed across Anstica.
“From this day forward, this place shall be the forbidden sanctuary of the Empire of Ashen. Any who trespass here will become enemies of the Empire—forever, and without mercy.”
He paused, considering, then spoke once more.
“I name this mountain…”
Dragonblood Mountain.
(End of Chapter)
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