Chapter 648 - 261: Deep into the Dragon’s Nest, Word Spirit Magic
Chapter 648: Chapter 261: Deep into the Dragon’s Nest, Word Spirit Magic
The entrance to the Celestial Dragon’s Nest was not a door, but a distorted curtain of light.
The Fungal-Transformed Belashen silently beat his wings and led Lin Ye straight through the thin barrier.
HUMMM—
Space transformed.
The aura of decay and deathly silence was instantly sealed away.
A fragrant aroma of energy, so dense it was nearly tangible, washed over them.
Even hidden in Belashen’s shadow, Lin Ye could still feel the starkly different pulse of this world.
If the World Tree outside was a collection of withered branches, decaying in winter...
Then this place was a lush paradise at the height of summer!
Countless branches, as massive as mountain ranges, were no longer withered and gray-black. Instead, they possessed a warm, jade-like luster.
Golden veins, visible to the naked eye, flowed across their surfaces like the blood vessels of a living thing, carrying immense life energy to every corner.
Massive islands floated in the air, naturally formed from a tangle of roots and branches and connected to one another by bridges of solidified rainbow light.
Waterfalls of pure energy cascaded down from above, dissolving into the purest Spiritual Qi mid-fall to nourish the rare flowers and exotic plants on the islands.
Compared to the crude settlement of the Inkshadow Clan, built upon dead branches and fallen leaves, this place was a true kingdom of the gods.
Countless members of the Dragon Race, all of different sizes, soared through the air. Their Scale Armor was no longer the monotonous dark shade of the Shadow-Stealing Wings, but was instead a dazzling, kaleidoscopic array of colors.
Some had natural gems embedded in their Scale Armor, while others had wings that blazed with eternal elemental fire. Every movement they made radiated a powerful aura and noble bloodline that far surpassed that of the lesser dragons.
From within Belashen’s shadow, Lin Ye’s own shadow stretched out, silently seeping into every dark corner.
Lin Ye did not act rashly.
’If I’m going to tackle the entire Dragon’s Nest, I first need to get the general lay of the land.’
...
「More than half a day later.」
Lin Ye’s shadow merged back into Belashen’s.
In that time, he had traversed nearly the entire outer region of the Celestial Dragon’s Nest.
The ecosystem of the Dragon’s Nest gradually became clear.
Compared to the relatively primitive, Grinding Teeth and Sucking Blood ways of the Dragon Race from the Inkshadow Clan,
the high-ranking dragons living within the nest
rarely revealed their true dragon forms.
They also possessed an upright, "dragonoid" form.
They would dress in fine clothes and wear expensive jewelry.
The dragons Lin Ye had seen flying through the nest earlier were mostly juveniles.
Beyond that, Lin Ye had also managed to get a basic grasp of the Dragon’s Nest’s social structure.
The nest was jointly ruled by three great, high-ranking clans.
The Claudius Clan, inheritors of the power of the Ancestral Dragon Blood, who called themselves the sharpest battle-ax of the Dragon’s Nest.
Members of the Claudius Family were natural Warriors—hot-tempered and worshippers of martial might. During his reconnaissance, Lin Ye had seen many of them unleash their true forms: massive black dragons with corded muscles, thick Scale Armor, and menacing horns, all locked in combat with one another.
These were, for the most part, members of the Claudius Family.
Furthermore, the entire army of the Dragon’s Nest was under their complete control.
The Aurelian Clan, also inheritors of the power of the Ancestral Dragon Blood, were masters of Word Spirit Magic.
They were born with the ability to commune with the elements of the world, making them natural Casters.
They were responsible for the Dragon’s Nest’s administration, laws, and resource allocation.
Aside from these two clans,
Lin Ye had only learned of the final clan’s existence through fragmented conversations and fleeting glimpses.
The Caesar Clan!
This clan was extremely small, with only a handful of members in the current generation.
They were physically frail, unskilled in combat, and incapable of using Magic. However, a trace of the oldest, purest Ancestral Dragon Blood flowed through their veins.
It was this sliver of bloodline that granted them absolute dominion over all other members of the Dragon Race—an authority etched into the very soul of their subjects.
The Caesar Clan resided in the Cloudtop Royal Palace at the heart of the Dragon’s Nest, holding absolute authority and command over the other two clans.
But they rarely made public appearances. In his half-day of scouting, Lin Ye hadn’t seen a single member of the Caesar Clan.
"Your Excellency Belashen, Lord Regner of the Claudius Family is hosting a banquet in the Ten Thousand Dragons Hall. A seat has been reserved for you. Please proceed there at once."
Just then, a dragonoid dressed in an attendant’s garb approached Belashen, bowed, and spoke.
Lin Ye’s interest was piqued.
’The Ten Thousand Dragons Hall, the center of power for the Dragon’s Nest.’
’I might as well go take a look.’
...
The Ten Thousand Dragons Hall was less a palace and more a vast, independent space carved out from within the main trunk of the World Tree.
Countless Crystal Stones were embedded in the ceiling, bathing the hall in a soft glow as bright as day.
At that moment, an utterly lavish banquet was underway within the great hall.
Long tables were piled high with rare meats radiating dense energy. A red spring, fragrant with the scent of wine, gurgled from a statue’s mouth and flowed into a small stream.
The powerfully built Dragon Warriors of the Claudius Clan, their bodies covered in gruesome scars, were crudely tearing at the meat and guzzling down fine wine as if it were water, their thunderous roars and laughter echoing through the hall.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the members of the Aurelian Clan, graceful in bearing with Scale Armor like works of art, held goblets carved from crystal and conversed in hushed tones, their demeanor reserved.
The contrast was stark, yet the two scenes blended in a bizarre harmony.
Belashen silently walked to his reserved seat in a corner and sat down, as still as a lifeless statue.
Lin Ye’s gaze, however, pierced through the shadows to land upon the head of the great hall.
There, a black half-dragon—a full size larger than any of the Claudius Warriors—was clad in menacing armor forged from some unknown metal. He sat in one of the two chairs flanking the main seat of honor.