Chapter 386: Golden Treasure

"This…"

Jialadeluos stared dumbfounded; the Shadow Gate is one of the top‑tier magical gates, combining Arcane and Shadow to form an extremely powerful protective barrier. He had dealt with it before, spending much effort to barely open it—how did it go in with just a push from Lei En?

"Did the black dragon perhaps forget to close the door when it left?" the copper dragon thought, baffled.

But he was immediately drawn to the scene beyond the door.

A wide opening appeared on the stone wall, its height nearly ten meters, just enough for a giant dragon in its true form to pass through. Behind the door was a spiraling passage descending downward, the walls set with fist‑sized gems that emitted bright light like crystal chandeliers.

These are phosphorescent stones, one of the best natural light sources, the larger the more valuable.

Embedded in the wall, these phosphorescent stones, judging by size, each is worth over a thousand Gold Shields, spaced every few meters—a true extravagance.

Lei En did not rush in; a giant dragon's lair never easily allows outsiders, surely it is rigged with all kinds of traps.

He carefully surveyed the passage and indeed found two magical traps.

Although his resistance would let him endure even if hit, there was no need; he gathered an Electric Blast Orb in his hand and casually tossed it in.

The orb burst forth with streaks of lightning, which, under Lei En's control, darted along the passage.

A crackling burst rang out; wherever the electric sphere passed, it triggered the magical traps along the way, violently shattering various Shadow Magic, strong acid arrows, and illusions. The passage shook violently, lasting nearly half a minute before calming, leaving a mess behind.

Lei En scanned again, confirming no magical traps remained, then led the way forward.

The spacious passage spiraled downward, the phosphorescent stones overhead casting steady light. Jialadeluos kept looking up at the gems, couldn't resist reaching out through the air to pluck them, laughing, "These are good stuff, hehe…"

Xindala saw him act and wouldn't be left behind, quickening her steps forward to snatch the phosphorescent stones.

The passage soon grew dim.

Lei En couldn't help but shake his head inwardly; indeed, nature is hard to change— even a benevolent dragon cannot curb their greed for treasure.

The passage spiraled several rounds, widening further, finally reaching its end.

A massive cavern unfolded before them, at least a hundred meters in diameter, its dome soaring over thirty meters above the ground. The air inside was extremely humid; at the center of the floor lay a roughly thirty‑meter‑wide circular pool, bottomless, its surface like sulfuric acid, constantly bubbling, pale yellow mist rising, emitting a cold, sour, putrid smell as if fresh corpses were rotting, making one nearly vomit.

Above the cavern, dozens of phosphorescent stones were also set, illuminating the previously dark space.

This is the black dragon's lair.

But at this moment, Lei En and the others cared nothing for the smell; they were all stunned by the lair's sight.

Beside the pool stood a small hill piled with gold coins!

The gold hill wasn't tall, perhaps only four or five meters, but covered over a hundred square meters, composed entirely of countless gold coins, golden jewels, ornaments, and vessels, its golden glow flooding the eyes, nearly blinding.

The summit of the gold hill bore a pressed imprint, suggesting that the black dragon likely spent all day lying atop it, meditating, sleeping, resting, constantly reveling in its golden treasure!

"Dragon God above!"

Jialadeluos and Xindala simultaneously shouted, their voices trembling, and the two giant dragons could not look away.

Even Ami Lisi, who possessed the heritage of the Zhuogengfort family, was shocked.

Lei En's breath halted for a moment.

"What the hell!"

He shouted inwardly, estimating the gold hill's worth at least five million Gold Shields, not counting the added value of the gold‑crafted items nor the many magical artifacts perched atop the hill, whose value was incalculable.

Rumors of giant dragon treasure have circulated the world for countless years; countless adventurers have perished, and even when a dragon is slain, the most valuable thing is often the dragon itself, with hardly any treasure.

The vast majority of giant dragons are not wealthy.

Just like the last time in the Death Forest Sea, Lei En killed the green dragon Monajias, and the loot scavenged from its lair was worth little.

However, this black dragon truly possessed a golden treasure.

As fellow giant dragons, Jialadeluos and Xindala's eyes were intoxicated, greed flashing on their faces; they couldn't help but reveal their massive true forms, leaping to each occupy half the space, lying atop the gold hill, sighing with content.

Sleeping on gold—that is every giant dragon's dream!

Ami Lisi also felt a stirring; draconians lack a true dragon body, their nature mirrors that of dragons, making it hard to resist such temptation.

She struggled to suppress her desire, whispering, "Lei En?"

"Don't be careless," Lei En took a deep breath and said, "The black dragon has sensed the situation here and is rushing back madly; soon you'll see it, this time it definitely won't escape."

Ami Lisi was startled internally and came to her senses.

The black dragon, seeing its treasure invaded, would likely lose its mind instantly; if mishandled, it would become a fight to the death.

She hurried to the treasure's edge, urging the two giant dragons to rise and prepare.

The binding of the Dragon Oath prevented Jialadeluos and Xindala from disobeying; they reverted to human form, reluctantly leaving the treasure, their gazes involuntarily drifting back. Jialadeluos's hands and feet were not clean; he quietly grabbed a handful of Gold Shields and slipped them into his belt. Ami Lisi noticed, and after a stern warning, he reluctantly placed them back.

Meanwhile, Lei En walked a circuit inside the dragon's lair.

The lair's structure wasn't complex, with three entry/exit passages; the other two led respectively beneath a certain pond and within a forest, both not far away.

Inside the cavern, intricate sigils were set to mask scent and also block teleportation spells, preventing enemies from entering via any portal or teleport gate; the walls were fortified, with over five meters of soil transformed into hard rock, stopping subterranean creatures from digging in.

Not to mention the alarm spells spread throughout the lair; once an intruder arrives, the black dragon knows instantly.

Lei En discovered an alchemy chamber on the cavern's side.

The alchemical equipment was complete, stocked with many alchemical materials, most of which were black soul mushrooms; wear on the tools indicated the chamber was frequently used, and the storage held a batch of pre‑made black soul elixirs.

Lei En was somewhat surprised, saying, "This black dragon truly is an alchemy master."

"Master Heijiao is probably just one of his disguises," Ami Lisi exclaimed, "His black soul elixirs are genuine; my mercenaries have used them, the effect is excellent, but they're so sought after that even with money they're hard to obtain."

"From now on you won't have to worry about black soul elixir supply," Lei En smiled, also somewhat tempted, "I could purchase a batch of black soul elixirs to cultivate gun‑wing knights."

Ami Lisi, however, wasn't so optimistic, "Hope so."

A moment later, a muffled thud echoed outside the dragon's lair, as if a heavy object had fallen.

"He's coming," Lei En warned.

The two humans and two dragons each took positions inside the cavern, and the passage they had entered through began to tremble.

Immediately, Minotaur Heijiao charged into the cavern, no longer the calm composure of a few days earlier; it was as if his eyebrows were on fire, and an Abyssal Lord pursued him from behind.

He first confirmed his treasure was still there, then turned to Lei En and the others, his voice deep, "You dare intrude into my lair!"

"Master Heijiao, please do not be angry."

Ai Mi Li Si hurriedly explained, "We didn't touch your treasure; we didn't even move a single gold coin."

The minotaur's expression softened a bit, but he examined the golden treasure closely, saw marks left by other dragons that differed from when he left, and his eyes instantly filled with rage as he shouted, "You're lying!"

"Where did that lowly mongrel dragon come from? Get out of my lair!"

Hei Jiao's voice was full of intimidation, the whole cave trembled, and the pool in the center boiled, linking with his aura.

Shadow energy filled the air, and the cave fell into darkness.

A massive black silhouette emerged from the darkness, sealing the wide passage exit tightly—over twenty meters from end to end—its terrifying majesty shrouding the cave, and in the next second it seemed a dreadful attack would descend.

Roar!

Roar!

Jialadluos and Xindala could no longer endure the insult, revealed their true dragon forms, and teamed up to confront the dragon's might, ready to pounce and tear their opponent apart.

Bang…

A booming roar echoed, followed by a burst of intense light that dispelled the cave's darkness; the dazzling glare made the three giant dragons uneasy, halting their attacks briefly.

When the dragons cleared their sight again, they saw Lei En floating in the middle of the cave.

He held a Thunder Hammer in one hand and an Arcane Torrent Staff in the other; his blood‑red great cloak fluttered lightly behind him, and lightning‑formed wings stretched to both sides, exuding awe.

"All of you, stop."

Lei En let out a light command, his voice calm; his indifferent gaze made the three giant dragons feel a tremor in their hearts, daring not to meet his eyes.

Jialadluos and Xindala, having witnessed Lei En's power, stood on his side and obediently ceased; the black dragon ignored Lei En, its snarling, skull‑like visage deep‑set with clear‑yellow eyes that flickered, and it opened its mouth to spew a stream of potent acid breath at Lei En.

"If you attack, I guarantee you won't leave even a single gold coin," Lei En said, his words carrying an undeniable tone.

The words fell on the black dragon's head like a bucket of cold water.

He hesitated briefly, then finally stopped exhaling his breath, saying coldly, "Mortal, you aren't even a legend yet you dare threaten me?"

"Not a legend, I'll still hammer‑blast your head."

Lei En hummed, his indifferent gaze sweeping over the black dragon's massive body cloaked in jet‑black scales; judging by its size, the dragon had long entered adulthood, nearing its prime at about five hundred years old, and he said calmly, "I don't mind becoming a dragon slayer once more."

(End of Chapter)