Time flows like water, steadily and relentlessly moving forward.
During Garon's slumber, various events continued to unfold in the main timeline. However, having experienced two intense, consecutive interplanar wars, the psychological resilience of intelligent beings had significantly increased. Many events that would have garnered attention in the past were now regarded as ordinary, even mundane.
In a blink, fifty years passed by.
The current situation of the dragon race is worrisome.
After the war of giant extinction, the dragons suffered considerable damage. However, before they could reap the fruits of victory and recover from the war's aftermath, the gods and their followers began a united sanction against the dragons.
Viewed as a "calamity of the multiverse," the dragons faced widespread targeting and hostility. Dragon slaying became rampant once more, with the deeds of dragon slayers being celebrated and spread far and wide.
As a result, over these decades, the dragon race's situation not only failed to recover but worsened significantly.
Apart from the Metal Dragon God, other Dragon Gods forged new divine realms in the Heroic Realm but did not entirely abandon their original divine realms, leaving a retreat path as a precaution.
Additionally, more and more true dragons, including ancient legendary dragons and ancient quasi-deity dragons, began to leave the material plane or their previous outer planes due to the near-universal targeting by intelligent species. They moved into the Heroic Realm, establishing dragon lairs in the four layers of the Heroic Realm.
There are bad situations.
Naturally, there are also good developments, with some events worth celebrating for true dragons.
Firstly, the stone giant race, with the cooperation of the Stone Giant God, was implanted with dragon heritage, transforming them into a new dragon species, thus joining the dragon race.
The stone dragon species was thus born.
The Stone Giant God renamed itself the Stone Dragon God, becoming a member of the dragon pantheon.
The act of abandoning their original race and joining the enemy camp led to much scorn and criticism for the stone dragons.
However, due to their inherent personalities, they were indifferent to this.
As for the Stone Dragon God betraying the giant pantheon and joining the dragon pantheon, many gods believed that this god would lose some faith and see a decline in divine power. But to the gods' surprise, the Stone Dragon God's divine rank increased by one level, reaching fifteen, making it a top-tier intermediate deity.
Currently, the faith in the Stone Dragon species remains steadfast.
The stone dragons believe that their god betrayed its pantheon to protect them, thus their faith is more solidified.
This kind of rock-solid racial faith made many gods envious.
However, within the dragon race, it was unheard of for an entire dragon species to collectively worship a single dragon god. For instance, Bahamut is revered as the Metal Dragon God, but many metal dragons also worship the Dragon God of Justice and Arbitration, Lantys, the Dragon God of Death and Judgment, Cronips, and even the Dragon God of Destruction, Karrik, or the Immortal Dragon Queen, Tiamat.
The stone dragons, having accepted the dragon heritage, would be influenced by the nature and beliefs of true dragons and gradually start worshiping other dragon gods.
Over time, they will truly integrate into the dragon race and be regarded as true dragons.
Currently, many true dragons do not recognize the stone dragon species.
Besides the stone dragons, a new subclass of dragon species also emerged.
Including Overlord Dragons, Sky Dragons, Slaughter Dragons, Radiant Dragons, and other mechanical dragons, these mechanical dragon species were created.
Since they do not possess true dragon might, dragon breath, or dragon heritage, these mechanical dragons are considered sub-dragons.
If intelligent beings underestimate them as ordinary sub-dragons, they would be in for a terrible surprise, as even the weakest mechanical dragons are carefully crafted war machines, legendary iron monsters with many quasi-deity level individuals. Though their numbers are small, their combat prowess is formidable, born for war.
Mainly distributed in the Abyss and Hellfire, the mechanical dragon species are not as well-known across the multiverse compared to stone dragons. However, in the Blood War battlefield, demons and devils are very familiar with these mechanical dragons.
Demons suffered greatly from them, while devils felt reassured by their mechanical dragon allies.
Simultaneously, a mechanical dragon god, possessing top-tier quasi-deity power, made a sensational debut by slaying a demon lord, gaining recognition from the dragon pantheon and joining it.
Known as the Mechanical Dragon God, Mechanical Celestial Dragon, and Construct Dragon God, this being was created by the Grandmaster after studying quasi-deity demon lords, combining immense computational power and precious metal resources. The first quasi-deity mechanical unit required at least sixty percent of the Grandmaster's computational power to operate, making it irreplaceable, acting as the Grandmaster's consciousness carrier to command the mechanical legion.
In reality, the Grandmaster's potential extends beyond this.
However, Garon set restrictions on its core program, shackling it.
Without Garon's permission, the Grandmaster is not allowed to develop fundamental science.
This precautionary measure was to prevent the Grandmaster from evolving and breaking free from his control.
Nevertheless, once Garon breaks through to intermediate deity power, he can lift some of these restrictions, allowing the Grandmaster to undertake higher-level research.
In summary, the emergence of the Stone Dragon God and the Mechanical Dragon God, along with the birth of the stone dragon and mechanical dragon species, injected new blood into the weakened dragon race, providing them with more leverage to contend with the gods.
Additionally, with the faith of dragon kin and heroic spirits, the Eternal Dragon of Time and the Dragon of Time fully resurrected after falling in the Giant Extinction War, even surpassing their previous states. The widely recognized powers of Resonance Magic and Heavy Magic formed two new authorities.
Due to the performance of the Eternal Dragon of Time, the faith in true dragons became more devout.
The divine rank of the Eternal Dragon of Time also increased.
(The gods are aware that this Eternal Dragon of Time is an avatar, but ordinary intelligent beings do not know.)
As for other fallen dragon gods, they have begun to regain their divine bodies, although still quite unstable and requiring a long time to recuperate.
In fact, the progress of the resurrection of several dragon gods even exceeded the expectations of the dragon pantheon.
However, this was expected.
As the situation of the dragon race's exclusion and targeting worsened, true dragons felt the malice from the gods and other intelligent species, thus placing more hope and faith in the dragon gods, praying for the swift revival of fallen dragon gods to once again protect the dragon race.
Due to the significant consolidation of faith, even other dragon gods saw an increase in extraordinary divine power.
However, the gods were not overly concerned.
In their view, this was merely a last gasp.
The increase in the dragon gods' power was not significant. The newly emerged dragon species and the two dragon gods did not possess the power to reverse the situation. As long as the sanctions and blockades continued, and the pressure on true dragons' survival space persisted, the dragon race would gradually weaken. Regardless of the devout faith, without the population of their species, the extraordinary divine power of the dragon gods would quickly decline.
The above outlines the situation faced by the dragon race.
Meanwhile, the Abyssal War for Kingship intensified.
Despite his best efforts to hide in the depths of the Abyss, Demogorgon was discovered and tracked down.
The first to locate Demogorgon was the Demon Prince, General of Spider Demons, and Wolf Spider Miska.
Wolf Spider Miska summoned his mate, the Chaos Queen, and together, a demon prince and the creator of Tanar'ri demons, jointly attacked the barely recovered Demogorgon. The ensuing chase and battle spanned dozens of Abyssal layers, involving nearly a hundred Abyssal demon lords in a chaotic melee.
Ultimately, due to the intervention of the Insect King, who opposed the Chaos Queen and Wolf Spider, alongside appearances from the Undead King, Baphomet, and the Eye Tyrant Matriarch, Demogorgon, amidst the dangerous chaos, managed to escape once again.
Although Demogorgon vanished, the Abyss did not regain peace.
The two demon princes, Insect King and Wolf Spider Miska.
Dominant demon lords, the Chaos Queen, Beast Prince, and Undead King.
Evil gods entrenched in the Abyss, the Eye Tyrant Matriarch, the Heart Devourer, and the Sun and Fire God.
Many powerful and malevolent beings stirred chaos in the Abyss, unleashing their desires and powers, further heightening the Abyss's danger, making it a terrifying plane feared across the multiverse.
Previously, despite its dangers, some fearless planar travelers dared to explore the Abyss.
But now, the Abyss resembled a meat grinder, where death lurked in every corner, deterring all but the most reckless.
However, the chaos in the Abyss, in the current scenario, diverted much of the gods' attention, which was beneficial for the dragon race.
The dragon gods even welcomed the emergence of a demon king.
This would distract the gods from focusing on the sanctions and blockades against the dragon race.
But the Abyss's depths were too treacherous; even the dragon gods could not influence the outcome of the demon kingship and risk falling into peril.
Regarding the Abyssal lords who had pacts with the dragon pantheon, the Undead King and Beast Prince.
These two demon lords had not sought help from the dragon gods, evidently waiting for the most crucial moment to use their contracts.
The situation in the Abyss warrants attention.
However, outside the Abyss, another significant event occurred.
In less than a day, several primary
material worlds were shattered, losing all metal and iron elements, resulting in catastrophic disasters that plunged billions of beings into eternal death.
The gods, observing the destroyed material worlds, identified a target that they were reluctant to believe.
The Primal Deity—intermediate deity power, the Iron Queen.
The reluctance stemmed from the Iron Queen's death in the ultra-ancient wars between primal deities and gods.
Reviving a primal deity is far more difficult than resurrecting a god.
Many gods believed that some evil being or deity was imitating the Iron Queen's abilities for a nefarious plan, though some gods remained cautious, viewing this as a sign of the primal deities' resurgence.
They believed that the forgotten primal deities were quietly reviving in the corners of the world.
In summary, the dragon gods sought or created opportunities for a breakthrough, demon lords clashed in the Abyss, gods observed from their divine realms, and primal deities awaited their moment to act. Beneath the apparent calm of the multiverse, a terrifying undercurrent brewed.
Under such circumstances.
In the Heroic Realm, the fourfold true dragon realms.
In the first layer, the Dragon Court, countless true dragons either rested in their floating island dragon lairs or soared through the winds and clouds, enjoying the thrill of flying.
Suddenly.
At the very center of the Dragon Court layer.
A grand and mighty dragon might erupted like a tangible storm, sweeping in all directions. This overwhelming dragon might, as deep and terrifying as a vast abyss, made many ancient dragons and primordial dragons tremble, momentarily forgetting how to fly and falling like wing-clipped birds.
Not only in the Dragon Court layer.
Even in the Sky Garden, the Fire Land, and the Underground Realm (formerly the Dwarf World), powerful ancient dragons or quasi-deity heroic spirits sensed this majestic dragon might, involuntarily looking up at the sky, as if their gaze could pierce through layers of space to see the Dragon Court layer.
The dragon might came quickly and faded just as swiftly.
In a brief moment, it vanished.
The true dragons, regaining their composure and arresting their fall, did not feel alarmed or fearful. Instead, they showed joyous expressions, looking towards a majestic hall at the center of the Dragon Court, their faces filled with reverence and admiration.
"The Lord of Heroic Spirits, the Lord of the Dragon Court."
"The great Garon Aurelian has awakened."
The true dragons raised their heads, unleashing dazzling dragon breaths towards the sky to celebrate the awakening of the Dragon Court Lord. For a time, the entire Dragon Court layer was filled with various dragon breaths, like a sky full of fireworks, colorful and resplendent.
At the center of the Dragon Court, the Eternal Hall of Heroic Spirits.
The dragon might erupted from here and converged back into this place.
Simultaneously.
Within the Eternal Hall of Heroic Spirits, focused by many true dragons' gazes, a pair of bright platinum dragon eyes slowly opened, seemingly able to see through all things and directly grasp the essence of the rules.
Creaking, a silver dragon stood up, stretching its body.
With every movement, the intangible river of time rippled.
After fifty years of slumber, Garon stretched lazily and began examining himself.
In terms of size, due to Garon's restraint, his physical form didn't change much, but his appearance altered significantly.
Originally shimmering silver scales had almost entirely turned silver-gray, adorned with spots of bright silver, deep yet beautiful. His scales resembled a silver cosmos dotted with countless stars, with black galactic rings.
Additionally, Garon's scales became thicker, and his dragon horns grew more twisted and robust.
In the eyes of true dragon aesthetics, this body had shed its youthful vigor, becoming filled with mature majesty, radiating charm and reliability.
Any female dragon here, upon seeing this form of Garon, would be irresistibly drawn to him.
"Two hundred and six years old."
Garon whispered, stating his current age in the main timeline.
According to the age of true dragons, Garon had now officially entered the mature dragon stage.
In an ordinary true dragon's life, the mature dragon stage is crucial. During this period, true dragons gradually master their quasi-spell abilities, significantly enhance their physique, and clarify their innate potential.
Exceptionally outstanding true dragons can become legendary beings during their mature stage.
Of course, Garon cannot be compared to ordinary true dragons.
His mature stage had already reached a level comparable to dragon gods.
Garon's biological level broke through eighty, reaching eighty-two, equivalent to intermediate deity power.
"Mature stage, intermediate deity power."
"Phew."
Garon let out a long breath, his expression calm.
He felt his heart becoming more serene and stable. Previously, he would have been thrilled by this breakthrough, but now his mindset was as tranquil as an ancient, unchanging river of time.
"With the continuous life energy of the Heroic Realm."
"I estimate that I can break through to great deity power during the ancient dragon stage."
Garon took a deep breath of life energy, feeling its nourishment of his physique, and silently thought.
The life energy of an entire outer plane for Garon's exclusive use is a precious divine resource that even great deities would envy.
"My youthful choice was not wrong."
"Leaving the dragon race would have spared me many troubles, but it also wouldn't have allowed me to accumulate such power in a short time without the dragon pantheon."
All this began when Garon accepted the request of the ancient gold dragon, Rockved, to become the Lord of the Dragon Court.
"The golden Garon I met at the time was over three hundred years old, roughly at the initial intermediate deity power level."
"I achieved intermediate deity power at the age of just entering the mature dragon stage. Among all my alternate timeline counterparts, I am not ordinary."
Garon mused, considering his origin as a white dragon variant. Compared to many of his counterparts, especially beings like the Star Forging Dragon King, he started from humble beginnings. Now, surpassing the growth rate of the golden Garon was already commendable.
As a Time Dragon, Garon does not compare his growth speed with ordinary creatures due to the vast disparity.
He compares himself with his alternate timeline counterparts.
"In a few hundred years, when I become an ancient dragon and break through to great deity power."
"The gods' blockade will crumble."
"But before that, if they realize this, they won't limit themselves to superficial restrictions and might attempt to start an actual war."
Garon's gaze deepened, silently contemplating.
As Garon grew stronger, the effect of Time Dragon Reversal on him became increasingly weaker.
When Garon was at quasi-deity power, he could summon beings with great deity power. However, upon reaching intermediate deity power, the summoning still brought forth great deity power beings. Even if he reached great deity power himself, the situation might remain unchanged.
"However, it won't be easy for the gods to fully unite and make a decisive move."
Meanwhile, Garon slightly closed his eyes, information flashing through his mind, quickly grasping the events that occurred during his slumber.
"The Abyss has become more chaotic."
"Primal deities seem to be taking action."
"In such a chaotic world, I probably won't be able to peacefully grow into an ancient dragon."
The dragon's eyes flickered, his expression calm.
At this moment, Garon remembered the advice from the Primordial Power Dragon before leaving.
"When the wind and rain approach, increase your strength as soon as possible."
Initially, Garon thought the Primordial Power Dragon referred to the giant pantheon.
But now it seems that just one pantheon, even the prominent giant pantheon, is insufficient.
Meanwhile.
Awakened by Garon's aura, Yona also woke up.
After fifty years, Yona remained at quasi-deity power, with a biological level below seventy, far from intermediate deity power. Her growth rate wasn't slow, but compared to Garon, it paled.
Looking at the silver-gray dragon with deep starlit scales, Yona rubbed her eyes, instantly awake, her gaze fixated on Garon.
The majestic silver dragon now exuded mature and stable charm, like walking pheromones.
Garon turned his head, looking at the newly awakened Yona.
Their eyes met.
Garon felt the Power Dragon maiden's gaze rapidly heating up, becoming intense.
In the next moment, Yona flapped her wings, eyes gleaming, and directly pounced on the charming silver dragon.
"Garon, let's have dragon babies!"
After some time, while Yona rested in fatigue, Garon, still energetic, opened the Time-Space Gate, visiting various divine core farms, harvesting the first wave of divine cores, and opening several new divine core farms.
During this period, Garon also used the dragon pantheon in different timelines to search for information on the Nine-Faced Dragon God, but without significant results.
One day.
While shaping the Heroic Realm's rules in the Eternal Hall of Heroic Spirits, creating a plane-level divine kingdom, Garon suddenly narrowed his eyes, receiving a message from the Metal Dragon God.
"Garon, a deity is plundering our dragon pantheon's faith."
"If you're interested, you can handle it, just to stretch your body after awakening and test your current strength."
After specific discussions with the Metal Dragon God, Garon understood which deity was being referred to.
Faith is the bottom line for deities.
Even with the dragon pantheon being constrained, few deities dared to covet dragon faith. Moreover, true dragons are inherently proud, rarely worshiping non-dragon deities. For many deities, plundering dragon faith is a thankless task.
However, exceptions exist.
For instance, a deity named Naelskyak, a... dragon god, the Fairy Dragon God.
This dragon god left the dragon pantheon long ago, joining the Fairy
pantheon's Joy Court due to a fondness for fairies, even creating the fairy dragon race.
Fairy dragons possess dragon might, dragon breath, and dragon heritage.
But the heritage implanted by the Fairy Dragon God made them deny their true dragon identity, seeing themselves as fairy kin, protectors of ordinary fairies.
"Fairy Dragon God, Naelskyak, intermediate deity power."
"Very well, I shall use him to test my current strength."
The silver dragon's expression remained calm, his body flickering and disappearing, leaving the Eternal Hall of Heroic Spirits.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!] [www.p@treon.com/INNIT]