[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces":3,"chapter-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-348":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon of a Thousand Faces",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2269994,4431,"Chapter 348: Kloe Canyon","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-348",348,"\u003Cp>Looking up, he saw a sliver of sky squeezed between two cliffs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even at noon, only a few rays of sunlight filtered down; beside him, the stream murmured, and the wind carried countless beast roars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hot spring? Cold spring? Both—geological veins had forged volcanic vents and exits to glacial planes just kilometers apart, where ice and fire waters melted together in spectacle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Danger? Demons? They were everywhere; climb a steep slope and you’d see endless herds stretching beneath the boundless mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earth, fire, water, wind—all were present here; countless tunnels led underground and above, drawing too many unknown species.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fractured mountain range had carved countless underground caves and underground rivers—here, one could descend into the Darklands or ascend via snowy paths toward the Misty Peaks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the Kloe Mountains, one of the ancient, uninhabited great demon realms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Koreluna, there’s a high-energy signature from Blue Well Cave—it seems another ancient demon has awakened. Should we relocate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand. Follow the plan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The towering forest giant gripped a staff of wood in one hand and gazed into the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magic essence coiled around her outstretched fingers at visible density; only when the gale swept past did it begin to disperse slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was her command over elemental forces—but more so, it was a display of “tidal height.” As the magic tide rose toward its peak and the world filled with mana and elemental power, the energy grew harder to dissipate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alchemists had stable machines to sample magical element concentrations, but ancient species had their own time-tested methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s risen at least twenty percent again—less than a month has passed. We can’t delay any longer, but that damned dragon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Koreluna plunged her hand into the stream, feeling its chill—and the swelling magic tide growing ever stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Kloe Mountains were unique: their primitive, isolated structure kept humans away and shielded them from climatic disasters, preserving many ancient species and primordial formations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, several elemental plane rifts existed—even gateways to other realms—making species diversity richer, yet making it nearly impossible for the weak to establish habitations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for the Druidic Circle, who sought natural balance and studied native species, this was a paradise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to its relatively open geology and elemental plane linkages, many elemental beings and ancient species also endured here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, as the magic tide surged, its rise here far outpaced the outside world; ancient species long dormant in this region awoke, and powerful beings, drawn by the tide, arrived early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To them, this might be a treasure hunt; to mortals, it could be annihilation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn dragon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Koreluna looked up at the canyon’s sky—the faint blue wings hovering above, appearing suddenly like floating reapers, utterly repulsive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sapphire dragon had arrived in this region ten years ago, claimed a cave, and fallen asleep; the Druidic Circle coexisted peacefully with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But looking back now, he’d known this was a “high-elemental period” and came here faster than outsiders, adapting and advancing in advance—three years ago, he entered his active phase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just a few days, he eradicated all sentient beings and clustered lifeforms around the cave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sapphire dragon was a species with extreme territorial instincts; invaders were slaughtered without mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course—he’s fixated on us. And… the Sacred Artifact.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Druidic Circle known as Verdant Garden consisted of two adult forest giants, hill giants, and other giant subspecies, along with dozens of ordinary human Druids—effectively dominant across most regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But here, in this dim, chaotic magic tide environment, fighting a fully grown sapphire dragon—an ambush master—was far too difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>",590,"2026-06-19T21:45:42.084Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7733a62726f75b238064155d32d059458945999c563191b043d2bf3aed5140b8","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-349","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-347",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]