Both were clean and efficient, disliking any unnecessary delay. But this time, something was different.
The man suddenly raised his neck and seemed to howl fiercely, spreading his arms wide. Black scales rapidly spread over his body.
Simultaneously, his body lengthened, monstrous wings unfolded, and within seconds, a dramatic transformation occurred—the man directly became a Black Dragon!
Immediately, the stands exploded with unprecedented, fierce cheers—like roaring waves—like devout believers welcoming their god, as if witnessing an unprecedented, glorious moment.
“The Eternal Instance City, the kingdom of dragons!”
They shouted, offering boundless respect for the battle about to begin.
“We are the Zhuilongzu, descendants of dragons and humans, the knights guarding this city, the most loyal followers before the New King’s coronation!”
To witness this moment was their supreme honor!
All the strange flames atop the stone pillars flared up instantly. With the Black Dragon’s unrestrained aura spreading fully, Beiyuan was certain—the man was indeed a genuine Dragon, his kin!
So this Eternal Instance City truly was a civilization of the Dragon Clan, and this era was far earlier than anyone knew—dragons had not yet gone extinct! They lived alongside the Dragonkin!
“I have a question now,” Beiyuan asked boldly under the Black Dragon’s intense gaze, “Besides you, are there any other dragons in this era?”
“…They’re watching the battle above your head.” Despite the oddness of the question, the Black Dragon replied in a deep voice.
“Above my head? Above the clouds… The city’s aura is strange, is it deliberately restrained?” Beiyuan mused aloud. “Makes sense, the aura from this Black Dragon is already unsettling. More than that would be unbearable—an offense I can’t tolerate. Seems like this is a Dragon trait I don’t understand.”
In this era, there was only one dragon. Many legacies had been lost. This was Beiyuan’s first indirect experience of how it felt to be under the oppression of a dragon’s aura.
He realized the natural pressure of dragons was no joke. Ordinary people would have knelt long ago, never able to remain as calm as he was.
“One last question.” Sensing the Black Dragon’s growing impatience, Beiyuan raised a finger. “What happens if I defeat you?”
Beiyuan’s expression held a victorious hint, but the Black Dragon suddenly lashed out with its tail and roared fiercely as it charged.
At the same time, the fierce and concise answer spread through the air—
“Defeat me, and you become the New King of the dragons! Coronation immediately!”
Beiyuan: …Huh???!
–
Meanwhile, back in normal time, as if fate had arranged it, Lu Luda met the Dragonkin of this era.
Bai Buwen led a group of Dragonkin players rushing forward and saw Lu Luda carrying Beiyuan, scrambling amidst falling rocks under the Twin-headed Winged Beast.
Yet, the Dragonkin showed no horror like normal players. It was probably a lifelong dream coming true, finally getting this close to someone they had never seen before, within reach—everyone was in disbelief.
The stunned moment lasted only a second before everyone dashed toward Lu Luda’s location, unleashing unprecedented power and skillful movements.
“It’s him! It really is him!” They shouted wildly and danced in ecstasy.
Nearby, the green-haired commander, bloodied and fallen, saw the lowest-level equipment players miraculously surviving and jumping around in the narrow gap—luckier than himself. His anger choked him, and he pounded the ground in frustration.
“Find him! Finally…!!”
“Tears… it’s been over four thousand seven hundred hours. Except eating and sleeping, I’ve been searching across all races—from Yan Flame Mountain to Yunshang Nation, to the Western Corridor Plains, and now here. I’ve never experienced such a long, exhausting chase in the real world!”
The Dragonkin players instantly surrounded Lu Luda and Beiyuan, completely blocking any escape.
Many grown men were moved to tears at this moment. Yet no one thought it strange—they howled together in joy.
All their faces twisted with excitement, hands fumbling to pull out Crystal Stones almost failing from shaking. Some were already eager to feed Beiyuan, nearly rushing forward to grab Lu Luda’s leg.
However, Bai Buwen quickly noticed Beiyuan had not stirred and immediately asked, “What’s wrong? What’s happening?!”
Lu Luda didn’t want to complain about how eager everyone was, so he hurriedly explained, “He suddenly lost consciousness… Watch out for the Twin-headed Winged Beast!”
He shouted behind the group, prompting them to realize this was no time to stop and chat.
“Follow me!” Lu Luda yelled, turning to lead the group swiftly toward the corridor marked with the Three-Line Mark.
The Twin-headed Winged Beast was ruthlessly wiping out all players, teams, and even monsters that had fallen here indiscriminately.
Huge stones kept dropping from the ceiling, shattered by the beast’s massive body. The air was filled with skill effects, roars, screams, and terrified curses.
Therefore, aside from the green-haired commander lying dead on the ground, no one noticed that amidst the chaos, the Twin-headed Winged Beast had once approached Lu Luda’s position unusually closely but quickly retreated without attacking.
—As if that Titan’s area was the safest, most impregnable fortress in the world!
“No, it’s not because of that Titan…”
The green-haired commander suddenly had an epiphany, as if struck by lightning, causing goosebumps from head to tailbone.
Lu Luda struggled to summon his last strength and lifted his upper body, finally seeing the golden figure on his back above the towering Titan.
In that moment, his expression tightened with understanding, shock, regret, and unwillingness.
But before he could speak, the next second ended with the Twin-headed Winged Beast’s huge claw pouncing.
“Could it be… because of that child…!” was his final bitter lament.
Why hadn’t they noticed earlier? The Twin-headed Winged Beast’s gaze on the golden figure was the same as theirs on the beast!
It was a fear once truly imprinted, an overwhelming awe—an unshakable majesty commanding submission and retreat!
The group that escaped hurriedly fled, exchanging information as they ran.
Both sides knew the other recognized Beiyuan or sought him out, so they agreed to follow the marks’ direction.
For some reason, after encountering the Twin-headed Winged Beast, the path behind them held no further danger.
Several times they passed battlefields with monsters fighting other players, yet the monsters seemed to ignore them completely, as if they had received some message beforehand.
Sometimes, they could hear monsters moving in the darkness, but the sounds would soon fade away. For a moment, they almost believed the monsters were more afraid than them—escaping faster!
Passing through the huge castle filled with player wails without incident, the group reached the end of the marked path.
“…An arena? So big!”
Bai Buwen looked around and nodded in agreement, “This should be the core area of the Raid Dungeon. Be careful. The Final Boss is likely here.” Then he solemnly looked at Lu Luda. “Protect his body, we’ll cover.”
The tension was palpable. Even Lu Luda felt nervous.
At that moment, an anomaly occurred: invisible ripples spread, and the decayed, old arena before them was suddenly covered by a projection, making it look brand new!
Collapsed pillars stood tall again, strange flames blazed anew, and where there had been empty stands, countless people appeared, instantly filling the vast space!
Even around Lu Luda, Bai Buwen, and the others, many people materialized, all clad in armor, dressed as knights.
“What the hell!” One Dragonkin player leaped up, “What’s going on?!”
Lu Luda accidentally stepped on his other foot and nearly fell into the figure in front of him, only to pass right through their body!
“Watch out!” Bai Buwen steadied him and cautiously reached to another knight nearby—sure enough, they also passed through him. “These people aren’t real—they’re just projections.”
“Hmm.” Another Dragonkin player tried again. “This suddenly restored arena is probably just a scene projection for us now.”
When the multiraces want players to know the story, they sometimes treat it like an immersive movie. Although everyone had only heard rumors, this was their first time experiencing it firsthand.
“Beiyuan!?” At that moment, Lu Luda’s sharp voice drew everyone’s attention to the center of the arena.
In this time-crossing projection from the past, the very person they sought appeared!
On the arena platform stood the golden-haired boy, speaking something unknown. The next second, under everyone’s horrified gaze, the man suddenly transformed into a black dragon!
Two timelines, like parallel lines that would never meet, suddenly converged, allowing them all to see.
The crowd, surrounded by knights in the stands, was easily overwhelmed in the sea of people, yet disconnected.
But one thing was the same between them and the projection—
Their eyes were all fixed on the arena.
Looking at the golden boy, it was as if he stood at the center of the world. As if he were holding his breath for the danger he was about to face.
The grand performance was about to begin.
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