Chapter 206: Is the Centennial Aftershock Coming? Another Confrontation with the Fire Dragon
2025-01-16 Author: Amnesty L
*Gloop!*
The lava surged. A sun anglerfish, its body even larger than the ancient fire dragon's, leaped from the magma sea and swam around the ancient fire dragon.
It caused the stable surface of the magma sea to roil once more.
"Get lost!"
The ancient fire dragon opened his crimson eyes. Deep within his gaze was arrogance and a hint of disgust as his majestic voice boomed.
The strength of the so-called Lava Ruler, the sun anglerfish, was only slightly weaker than his own. Especially here in its home ground of the magma sea, the ancient fire dragon could do nothing about it.
But!
A creature that couldn't even speak was still an inferior being in the ancient fire dragon's eyes.
If not for the sun anglerfish's strength, how could the great Ti'orulna possibly allow another creature to stay in the same area as him?
The sun anglerfish swayed for a moment, then sank back into the depths of the magma sea.
The ancient fire dragon closed his eyes again, continuing to absorb the energy from the lava to heal his injuries. The curse power affecting his wounds was extremely stubborn.
To fully recover from his injuries, the ancient fire dragon estimated it would need at least half a year.
It was not a long time, merely the duration of a nap.
However!
To think a mere human had injured him so severely.
Damned inferior being!
A dragon's keen intuition far surpassed that of all other species. Ordinary invisibility, illusion magic, and concealing magic were practically nonexistent to a dragon's perception.
If any powerful fluctuations of power appeared anywhere around the Angelicisia Mountain Range, the ancient fire dragon could sense them with his perceptive abilities.
Even in his sleep!
This wasn't a special ability, but a pure difference in species.
Even those Dragon Lords could sense certain power fluctuations from thousands of miles away.
"Dragon Lord..."
The title suddenly flashed through the ancient fire dragon's mind. The heatwave exhaled from his nostrils, which were floating on the lava's surface, paused for a moment.
Among the Dragon Race, the title 'Dragon Lord' held a special meaning. Not just any dragon was qualified to use this title.
In this mountain range, only a junior like Olasird'arc, who enjoyed being called the 'White Dragon Lord' by a bunch of slaves, would be so smug.
The ancient fire dragon shook his head slightly. His eyelids drooped, leaving only a tiny slit open. His thoughts had become inexplicably numerous lately.
He thought of things that made his heart pound.
It was all because of that human who had injured him. That human was not normal!
In his perception, that human's Life Level was clearly not high, yet their body contained an astonishingly well-hidden magic power.
If that could be explained away by a magic item, then how could that human possess the power to nearly kill him in a single blow?
This was absolutely not normal!
There were indeed existences on this continent capable of defeating the great Dragon Race, but it should not have been that human, who was clearly not very old.
As his anger gradually subsided over this period, a sense of unease rose in the ancient fire dragon's heart.
With his long life, he had naturally experienced and seen too many things!
A God-kin?
A descendant of those sinful wretches?
Those should have been eliminated by them already.
Or could it be...
"Counting the time, is the centennial aftershock coming again?" The ancient fire dragon's long neck, submerged beneath the lava, contracted slightly.
He was clearly surrounded by high-temperature lava.
Yet the ancient fire dragon felt an inexplicable chill.
"Should I make a trip to the Argland Council State? This matter will likely require Chaindulus to handle it..." This thought flashed through the ancient fire dragon's mind, and the platinum-colored figure couldn't help but appear in his thoughts.
He really didn't want to see him at all!
But that human was very likely one of the possibilities he had guessed. No matter which one it was, it was not something the current him could handle.
I shall wait a little longer!
The ancient fire dragon needed to heal his injuries first. Besides, he wasn't sure if that human—who had entered the lava, suddenly turned into a small anglerfish, and vanished into the lava's depths—was still alive.
He speculated that the other party had most likely left through the natural portal in the deepest part of the lava.
Unfortunately!
That natural portal wasn't large. Even if he shrank his body by two sizes, he still wouldn't be able to enter.
Even if he could enter.
The ancient fire dragon had no intention of going in there. That was not a good place.
*Hooo...*
A wave of fire erupted from his nostrils again as the ancient fire dragon closed his eyes and began to fall asleep once more.
However!
He had barely been asleep for a moment.
The ancient fire dragon's eyes snapped open. He sensed that familiar, special fluctuation.
*That human is back. Just as I thought, he wasn't dead!*
In an instant!
Several thoughts flashed through the ancient fire dragon's mind. Without a shred of hesitation, his fiery red wings, submerged in the lava, trembled.
A cold light glinted in the ancient fire dragon's eyes as he dove sharply into the lava, rushing rapidly toward the depths.
Over the past half-month, he had analyzed a great deal of information.
That human had no resistance to high temperatures; otherwise, they wouldn't have turned into a small anglerfish to evade the heat of the lava.
That was faith-based magic.
He recalled how after the other party turned into a small anglerfish and dove into the lava, their Life Level had plummeted in an instant, and their aura had become extremely faint.
The ancient fire dragon was certain that in that state, the human was at their weakest.
If the other's aura hadn't dropped so drastically, how could they have possibly escaped from his grasp?
Therefore!
Now was the easiest time to eliminate that human!
Scalding crimson lava continuously filled the ancient fire dragon's vision. The deeper he dove, the higher the temperature became.
Lava itself is an opaque fluid, rendering sight almost useless, but that only applied to ordinary creatures.
*Swoosh!*
The ancient fire dragon's crimson eyes stared intently in a certain direction within the depths. With a beat of his enormous wings and powerful tail, his speed increased once more.
And at this moment!
Tang Zheng, transformed into a small anglerfish, was swiftly swimming upwards, following the flow of the lava.
After half a month, he didn't know if that ancient fire dragon had left the lava. The only thing he didn't need to worry about was the Slane Theocracy.
So much time had passed.
The Slane Theocracy's side should have finished their investigation long ago. He didn't need to guess to know they would have found nothing; after all, even he himself had fallen directly into the lava.
If his luck had been a bit worse.
Given the temperament of the Dragon Race, any members of the Slane Theocracy who got close to the lava zone would have most likely been caught in the crossfire.
The power of *Curse Power* was not so easily dispelled. After all, his [Cursed Knight] class was at max level. Even if the instant death effect contained within the curse power couldn't truly cause instant death for the Dragon Race, it would inevitably cause a state of weakness.
And then there was that sun anglerfish!
Both of these behemoths were in the magma sea. While he was using the *Wild Transformation* ability, the situation was extremely disadvantageous for Tang Zheng.
After all, he couldn't transform back into a human to use his power; otherwise, he would probably be incinerated into charcoal by the high temperatures in the lava.
*I hope the plan goes smoothly!*
A sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the small anglerfish Tang Zheng had become. He rapidly flapped his fins and swam upwards.
*BOOM!*
Suddenly, the lava above erupted with a tremendous roar, and a massive, crimson figure appeared in Tang Zheng's field of view.
The ancient fire dragon?
Or the sun anglerfish?
Tang Zheng's swimming movements paused, and a grave expression appeared in his eyes.
In the span of a single breath!
The massive red figure became clear—it was the ancient fire dragon.
A terrifying aura swept over him!
As the ancient fire dragon's enormous body moved rapidly, it compressed and displaced the lava in front of it, creating an invisible gravitational field in the surrounding lava.
Tang Zheng quickly felt the pull created by this compressed lava, which instantly slowed his movement speed considerably.
*Can't escape!*
*No!*
Tang Zheng stabilized himself and stared intently at the ancient fire dragon. He hadn't planned on escaping in the first place.
This was the opponent's home turf. In his current situation, it was basically impossible to escape in this environment.
Last time was a complete fluke. His sudden transformation into a small anglerfish had caught the other party off guard, which was the only reason he had managed to smoothly escape through the portal in the depths of the underground lava.
"Roar!"
The ancient fire dragon's crimson eyes locked onto the tiny anglerfish. A flash of excitement appeared in its gaze as it roared and charged forward.
His sharp, crimson claws shot out!
No wasted words. Last time, he had been gravely injured because he underestimated his opponent. This time, he would kill this human while he was at his weakest!
It didn't matter which of his guesses the other was!
Once dead, they would be nothing!
Seeing the ancient fire dragon launch a direct assault on him, Tang Zheng sneered inwardly.
*As expected.*
*One shouldn't think one's opponent is too stupid, but...*
Tang Zheng's gaze was fixed on the roaring, open-mouthed ancient fire dragon, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. *"My luck is pretty good!"*
*These dragons always love to open their mouths and roar to prove their existence!*
With a thought, a pure white magic scroll suddenly appeared before Tang Zheng.
While transformed, most of his class abilities were unusable, but his *Item Box* ability was not affected.
The searing heat radiating from the surrounding lava instantly ignited and crushed the magic scroll the moment it appeared.
There was no need for Tang Zheng to activate the magic scroll himself.
The burning magic scroll automatically released the magic within—*High-Tier Teleportation*!
In an instant!
Tang Zheng's figure imploded on the spot, shrinking and vanishing into thin air.
The ancient fire dragon stared at where Tang Zheng had disappeared in the lava, a look of shock and confusion flashing in his eyes.
*Vanished?*
The moment that thought arose,
The ancient fire dragon suddenly felt something enter his open mouth. Before he could even react...
The creature in his mouth quickly swam down his throat, heading toward his stomach.
*BOOM!*
"ROOOAR!!"
The ancient fire dragon abruptly halted his charge, his pupils revealing panic and fear. He frantically shook his neck, making a gagging sound.
He wanted to vomit out the creature that had entered his throat.
Because the creature that had entered his mouth was none other than the human who had just vanished!
(end of chapter)