Golden Dragon: Six Thousand Years of Empire

"Noah, I will certainly sever your head, place it beneath my feet, use your scales to pave the Divine Throne, and extract your spine to forge a Divine Spear..."

This is both a curse and a furious vow of certain death, echoing within the Flaming Sun Divine Country, where nine suns orbit. Tens of millions of Prayer Merged are prostrate on the ground, trembling in fear because this voice comes from the center of the Divine Country, surrounded by suns in the Flaming Sun Palace, where an enraged Divine is unleashing their fury.

In the secular world, mortals often believe Divines are supreme beings, devoid of much personal emotion, indifferent and ruthless, able to sit atop temples and overlook the rise and fall of mortal races and civilizations.

But that is often a beautiful fantasy mortals have of the Divines residing high above the heavens.

In reality, Divines harbor desires far stronger than any mortals, yet they rarely display these desires in front of their followers. Unless required by their Divine Position.

Otherwise, wantonly displaying their desires would hinder the spread of faith; thus, Divines always remain lofty and mysterious before their followers, seemingly elusive and unattainable.

However, when these Divines step down from their altars and enter the secular world, they find they are not so different from earthly beings with intense desires in some respects.

One only needs to observe and understand Divines that govern the Domain of pleasure, such as the Pleasure Goddess, the Cat Maiden, and the like. These Divines, lacking in strong combat abilities, revel in indulgence and pleasure; during large ceremonial celebrations held by their followers, they may secretly descend in an avatar form and mingle among their followers, indulging together.

Of course, these Divines are not restricted to only their followers. They are sometimes generous enough to play with travelers and passersby who do not worship them but are happy to participate in the celebrations.

However, those lucky few who gain the favor of the Divine avatar often have no idea what they are facing because Divines disguise themselves very well.

Even a goddess whose Divinity is named after pleasure and enjoyment does not wish for her image among her followers to be that of a wanton and amorous goddess, even if, in truth, they are indeed like that, or even worse.

But the truth is one thing; pointing a finger at them openly is another matter altogether. Even the nightingale in the tavern must keep a silver chain around the waist to maintain a degree of dignity, let alone a goddess high above.

More importantly, the more people understand the Divines, the less awe and respect they feel towards them, let alone develop faith in them.

Although indulgent and lascivious Divines are just one type within the vast group of Divines, seeing the part can grasp the whole, and one can discern the character of other Divines through these Divines.

"Hmph!"

As Noah perceived gazes falling upon him one after another, he let out a cold snort and retracted his power, simultaneously drawing the last rays of the Divine Power Sun.

He didn't feel his demeanor was too arrogant. Given that he had declared war against the Divines and directly invaded a True God's theocratic nation, if he didn't dare to show such an attitude, how could he possibly contend with the gods?

In the Outer World, such actions would surely be a path to death; but in the Material Realm, facing Divines whose power is, at most, that of a Saint's progenitor, what should he fear?

Not to mention one with Medium Divine Power, even a Strong Divine Power would have to sit down obediently if they didn't want to be targeted by him.

As the last glimmer of the sun's twilight was absorbed by Noah, the surging tide of Elements gradually calmed, and the chaotic gravity restored to normal.

"Noah!"

At the onset of the Divine Descent, the Dragon-man Army and Dragon Lords, who began withdrawing from the battlefield, surrounded Noah at this moment.

They gazed at the devastated battleground, full of scorch marks and meteor-cratered terrain, and looked at Noah's coiled dragon body, scales radiant and intact, with eyes full of admiration and yearning, but more so with reverence and awe.

Particularly those Dragon Lords who had no choice and were swept into this war; their initial slight panic and dissatisfaction were thoroughly quelled after this war.

Compared to the Ancient Dragons hidden within their territories, the options Noah granted to his subordinate Dragon Lords were virtually nonexistent.

It's a straightforward principle: soldiers are raised for a thousand days but used for a moment. To nurture soldiers is to employ them; Noah has nurtured these Dragon Lords for over a century, granted titles and lands, leaving no benefit unbestowed except direct financial payouts, and has never withheld any daily advantages.

The price these dragons paid was subjugation to him, obeying his commands and deployments, but before this, none of these Dragon Lords had ever participated in even one proper war.

Even when aiding his parents, Noah took these Dragon Lords along just to present a spectacle for himself, to serve as a backdrop for his encouragement, neither intending nor expecting them to serve any real purpose.

Nevertheless, Noah shared the benefits without omission after the fact. Which Dragon Lord could speak against him with such gracious treatment?

But precisely because of this, when conflict arose with the Divines, reaching a point where a declaration of war against the gods was necessary, Noah did not seek any opinions from these Dragon Lords. He directly issued orders, compelling them to bring along their elite troops and join this god-slaying war.