Golden Dragon: Six Thousand Years of Empire

The Beastman King Grom, unable to suppress his restlessness and fury, stepped forward. It had been a long time since any creature dared to act so arrogantly in his presence.

As this Beastman took a step forward, the previously fine weather quickly turned gloomy, and although Grom was merely a warrior, his every breath could stir the atmosphere, directly influencing the change of weather.

"I know, but I hope it stops here. Just like I can't stop you from destroying Grudia now, you can't stop me from retaliating tenfold by slaughtering ten times the number of Beastman as revenge."

Noah seemed oblivious to the already discolored sky, instead making a proposal of his own accord.

"Beastmen never accept threats!"

Grom raised the Holy Object in his hand, a bone hammer stained with mottled bloodstains and several broken fragments. In shape, it was no different from common weapons used by Beastmen, but the aura of ages and the floating blood light surrounding it was enough to prove how extraordinary this Warhammer was.

"This is not a threat; I'm merely stating a fact. I cannot protect my newly acquired vassals in front of you, but you also can't protect your subjects in front of me."

Noah's gaze fell on the Beastman King. The approach of this Beastman Demigod was entirely different from the Old Priest beside him. The aura of the old Beastman was integrated with the earth beneath him, and if not for communication, Noah might have considered him a part of the mountains and earth.

The Beastman King was like a walking super volcano, though the volcano contained a boiling, ocean-like blood vitality akin to that of an Ancestor Dragon, yet distinctly different.

"As a Golden Dragon, using Beastmen far weaker than you to threaten us, don't you find it disgraceful?"

"In what capacity are you conversing with me? Are you not the leaders and rulers of Beastmen? To achieve goals, by any means necessary, is the mark of a competent ruler."

Noah was indifferent to the rebuke of the Old Priest. In this Plane, few recognized him beyond the Dragons he brought, so why bother with these trifles?

"Do I need to teach you such principles? Benevolence, indecisiveness, empathy for groups beyond one's subjects are qualities that will surely make a ruler the most terrible and incompetent monarch!"

"You're right. We can refrain from turning our fury towards Grudia, but you must bear all the consequences."

The Beastman King Grom raised the Holy Object bone hammer in his hand, blood-colored electric light danced on his body, and crimson blood flames burned fiercely on him. It wasn't fire, just the manifestation of his immense blood aura.

"Golden Dragon, battle with me. If you can injure me, I shall command all tribes subservient to me to cease attacking Grudia. I acknowledge this land is yours to rule in the future."

"I don't need the acknowledgment of Beastmen. My territorial sovereignty does not require the recognition of any force, any god."

Kacha～

A flash of electricity tore through the gloomy sky. The Beastman King standing atop the hill grinned, revealing his white fangs. He ceased speaking and hurled the Warhammer in his hand at the arrogant and proud Golden Dragon in the sky.

Countless bolts of thunder descended from the sky, striking the Thunder Spear, guiding myriad bolts of lightning. The Warhammer was like a war god standing on earth, casting the Thunder Spear of judgment towards the Evil Dragon in the sky.

Noah faced this enraged strike of the Beastman King without retreating. He reached out with his Dragon Claw to grasp the Thunder Hammer, wanting to experience combat with such a powerful entity.

The opponent was strong, but not beyond his ability to fight. Besides, he held the initiative in this battle, deciding to fight or retreat as he pleased.

Boom——

When the Warhammer collided with the Dragon Claw, the world fell silent for a moment, followed by a resounding boom that echoed through the sky, shaking mountains and earth. Flames and lightning burst forth, illuminating the darkened sky. The atmosphere roared, visible spherical shock waves swept through, hillocks collapsed, rivers changed course, and the earth continuously subsided amid the roaring.

The old Priest, who had been merely observing, showed signs of distress. He waved his staff, drawing upon the power hidden deep within the earth, and the collapsing terrain quickly eased, with the shattered hillocks even gradually recovering.

However, the battle between the Holy Dragon from across Planes and the Beastman King was just beginning. The Warhammer knocked away by Noah was again grasped in the hand of the Beastman King Grom.

At this point, the Beastman King was no longer in the same state as when Noah first saw him. His form was larger than the tallest hillocks on the earth, muscles bulging as if carved from ancient rock. Mysterious and ancient totem patterns appeared on his skin.

The Thunder Hammer in his hand had also changed, not only evolving with the Beastman King's form but also eliminating the damaged gaps. Even its bone material seemed transformed as though forged from iron and stone, with mysterious totem patterns emerging and resonating with those on the Beastman King's body.

However, Noah's momentum was equally undaunted. The Golden Dragon, surrounded by fiery aura, circled among the clouds, its brilliant Golden Dragon Scales gleaming like molten gold.

Originally imbued with gold, the Dragon's eyes now burned like a blazing Sun, emitting intense light. On the battlefield, shrouded in darkness, Noah became the source of flame and light, yet the fire he emitted was filled with boundless destruction.

A scorching firestorm accompanied every beat of the Golden Dragon's wings, sweeping across the land. An unending sea of fire engulfed the sky, everything burned, and all became ashes. It was a terrible spectacle—a legendary Ancestor Dragon wantonly unleashing its power.

Noah had never been so unrestrained, because in his own Plane, every battle had to be carefully chosen, even in suitable Half-planes. He had to restrain part of his power to avoid excessive damage that might pierce the Half-plane.

But now was different; this was the Material Realm with complete rules, and the land beneath him did not belong to him. No matter what destruction he caused, the Beastmen would naturally bear the consequences.

The sky was stained crimson under the power of the Ancestral Golden Dragon, and as the Golden Dragon circled and danced, the world was ruled by fire. Golden fire meteors fell from the clouds, thundering down to the earth and exploding with resounding booms.

It was an apocalyptic scene, yet in this doomsday domain, the Beastman King, engulfed in blood-colored thunder and burning with Red Blood Flames, ignored everything and attacked fiercely.

For the Beastman King, the sky and earth held no difference. The sky advantages of the Dragon Clan had no significance in this tier of battle.

Each clash between these two strongest beings could tear the sky and shatter the earth. Even though the old Priest below persisted in maintaining order, rebuilding couldn't possibly keep pace with the speed of destruction.

Thus, as the battle continued, the face of the Beastman Old Priest grew darker, eventually turning an ashen black, almost dripping with anxiety.

Because, in the eyes of the old Priest, every inch of land shattered by these two was equivalent to the future of a newborn Beastman.

In just under two moments of battle, hundreds of miles of fertile land had become desolate, with cobweb-like black cracks spreading across the sky. If not repaired, such regions couldn't be used for the tribe's future propagation.

"Stop!"

"Stop fighting already!"

Finally, seeing the trend of this destined fruitless battle potentially lasting seven days and seven nights, the Beastman Old Priest could no longer hold back and intervened to mediate,

"Golden Dragon, we need to talk!"