Chapter 409: This Dragon Is Truly Steady

Zhigao Shan, as the highest peak of Ai Lun E Si, holds a unique place in people's hearts.

For dwarves, this towering giant peak that stands at the summit of the Shi Jie Shan Mai is the greatest, most important, and most sacred existence, because it is the birthplace of the dwarf race.

For tens of thousands of years, whether during the dwarves' golden age when they ruled half of Ai Lun E Si, or now in the weakened era when they can only retreat into the mountains, Zhigao Shan has been the political and economic center of the entire dwarf clan, and it never fell even when demons invaded.

The dwarves' supreme ruler is called the Supreme King, a title derived from the mountain's name.

Nowadays the dwarves have only five underground fortresses left; the fortress beneath Zhigao Shan is the largest and best preserved, but it is rarely opened to outsiders.

The Supreme King's crown and title no longer exist, yet dwarves habitually regard the king of the Zhigao Shan Fortress as the clan's nominal leader, a position naturally far higher than that of the Dwarf Kings in the other four fortresses.

Lei En gazed from afar at the towering peak standing between heaven and earth.

By his estimate, this massive snow mountain's altitude is close to thirty thousand meters, three to four times higher than Earth's highest, Zhufeng!

"Fortunately the dwarves operate underground and rarely come to the surface; otherwise, if I flew over with the Thunder God's Hammer and the dwarves saw me, it could cause trouble."

Lei En muttered as he flew.

The Thunder God's Hammer is the dwarves' clan treasure, forged with the aid of the dwarves' smithing god Moradin, and three Supreme Kings have wielded it; there is no doubt that the dwarves hold its ownership.

If a Dwarf King sent someone to demand the war hammer, he certainly wouldn't give it, but trouble would inevitably arise.

He double‑checked the location of the metallic mark.

That giant dragon's lair is not on Zhigao Shan, nor even near it. Within this massive peak and the surrounding mountains lie many dragon nests, including powerful ancient and primeval dragons; even at the dwarves' zenith they dared not easily provoke these sky‑ruling neighbors on the ground.

The war hammer turned mid‑air, no longer heading toward Zhigao Shan.

Lei En continued flying for over half an hour, drawing ever closer to the sensed metallic mark; soon, an unremarkable peak appeared in his view.

This mountain lies several hundred li from Zhigao Shan; compared with the surrounding peaks, its height is not at all prominent, appearing plain and nameless. The only highlight is a clear lake at its foot, though modest in size; meltwater from the surrounding snow gathers into the lake, bordered by woods and grass, a pleasant scenery.

However, within the Shi Jie Shan Mai, such lakes are not rare and are nothing extraordinary.

Lei En slowed his speed slightly; the metallic mark was somewhere within the mountain's belly, unmoving, and as expected, this must be the location of the Golden Three-Headed Dragon's lair.

Golden Dragons are naturally cautious and have no special requirements for a lair's environment; concealment alone suffices.

This ordinary mountain meets the criteria well.

Lei En did not rush close but kept a distance of over twenty li, circling the peak. His Soul Eye, enhanced by the Soul Transformation of the Ascendant Legend, expanded its field of view again, allowing him to discern the peak's details from afar and search for possible dangers.

However, after two or three circuits, he still could not locate the lair's entrance.

Given the Golden Dragon's massive size, the lair's entrance must be sufficiently large and then concealed by magic, yet the Eye of Truth detected no magical traces on the peak.

The Voice of All Things also heard no unusual sounds.

"Strange,"

Lei En furrowed his brow and decided not to waste any more time, charging straight in.

Except for the White Dragon dubbed the "Shame of True Dragons," the overwhelming majority of giant dragons prefer solitude, and Golden Dragons are no different; he need not worry about other helpers in the lair, and it should be safe.

Lei En tightened his right grip on the war hammer, accelerated his flight, and the hammerhead quivered, tearing the void ahead.

The war hammer carried him through, and he vanished in an instant.

In an instant, the surroundings shifted; boundless white mist enveloped the entire world, and wherever his eyes fell, it was as if seen through a warped frosted glass—everything became blurry, visibility dropping to under a hundred meters.

The biggest change was the loss of gravity; Lei En felt his body as light as nothing, and the Thunder God's Hammer's flight speed suddenly surged.

This is the Aether Plane.

The Aether Plane resembles the Shadow Plane; it overlaps the Prime Material Plane, vast and boundless. Here there is no gravity, any creature can fly freely up or down, and there is no sound, maintaining absolute silence. The entire plane is filled with strange mist that cannot be dispelled by any means.

Within the mist dwell native Aether Plane beings, like illusory ghosts, varied in form and differing in danger.

Because of these ghostly creatures, the Aether Plane is called the Spirit Realm in some races' tongues.

The Thunder God's Hammer can traverse the void, not only entering the Aether Plane but also the Shadow Plane and the Fey Plane; all three planes overlap the Prime Material Plane, making travel relatively easy.

The Shadow Plane lacks a light source, cannot be stayed in long term, and harbors dangerous shadow creatures;

The Fey Plane has no night; it is an endless wilderness populated by countless bizarre beings, like a dream, and lingering too long can warp one's mind and cause bodily mutations.

By comparison, the Aether Plane is the safest and the preferred choice for planar travel.

Lei En, soaring at high speed, saw through the void as images of the Prime Material Plane came into view.

Although somewhat fuzzy, the view seemed covered by a thin mosaic, yet he had already cultivated the "No Code in the Heart, Naturally High‑Definition" realm in his previous life, and with the Soul Eye, the Truth Will, and the Key of Doors stacked together, he easily determined his position relative to the Prime Material Plane.

The mountain suspected to be the Golden Three-Headed Dragon's lair suddenly expanded before his eyes, like a massive wall barreling toward him.

Lei En did not dodge, crashing straight into it.

He sped forward within the mountain's projection, the light dimming, yet unimpeded in the Aether Plane, homing in on the metallic mark's location; after a dozen seconds, the view cleared, revealing an open yet concealed sealed space separated by the plane.

"Arrived!"

Lei En raised his hand, bestowing upon himself Wind and Thunder Wings, and as the war hammer quivered, it tore the void, returning from the Aether Plane to the Prime Material Plane.

A massive giant dragon was soundly sleeping, its scales glittering with golden light; three relaxed heads lay on the ground, sail‑shaped wings covering a body the size of a small mountain, a stout tail curled, the ground beneath warm, and it slept very peacefully.

The dry dragon's lair was extremely spacious, arranged with multiple guard and protective formations.

Almost the instant Lei En appeared, the giant dragon was startled awake; its three heads lifted, six eyes opened simultaneously, reaction undeniably swift, yet still too late.

Lei En burst out of the Aether Plane, speed undiminished, and a hammer strike slammed onto the giant dragon's body.

Boom!

Thunderous!

This Legend Grade war hammer, used in combat for the first time, displayed terrifying power on its opening strike; countless massive bolts of lightning erupted, electric serpents danced wildly, filling most of the dragon's lair, instantly turning it into a thunder forge, and the entire nest trembled.

Weighing 10,800 pounds, Lei En swung the hammer with tenth‑level strength; few in the world could withstand it.

A golden protective layer manifested around the Golden Three-Headed Dragon's body.

It is a Holy Light Barrier.

The reason Golden Dragons are called Golden Dragons has nothing to do with actual gold; it stems from their innate ability "Divine Will", an ultra‑exceptional Element that grants them supreme affinity with holy light, allowing mastery of Holy Light Power.

The essence of Holy Light Power is the fusion of sunlight energy and the spirit, possessing the effect of restraining evil.

Followers of the Sun God, the Sun Knights, are a group of transcendent beings who wield Holy Light Power; this energy shines brilliantly like gold, exuding a dignified, sacred, and inviolable aura.

In fact, the birth of the Sun Knight was modeled after the Golden Dragon.

The Golden Dragon is born with Holy Light Power; as they age, their scales turn golden and shine brighter, while awakening more Elements that can wield Holy Light Power, among which the Holy Light Barrier is one—it not only has high resistance to spell damage, but its defense is comparable to golden armor.

However, under Lei En's hammer, the seemingly indestructible Holy Light Barrier collapsed instantly.

The war hammer surged like a bamboo split, striking the Golden Dragon's abdomen; the scales shattered, viscous golden dragon blood splattered out, immediately vaporized by electric current, and bolts of lightning pierced the wound, reaching deep into the dragon's body, while its surface was scorched black by the electricity.

"Aaa……"

The golden three-headed dragon let out a series of painful roars, its massive body was struck up several meters, then crashed down heavily, rolling uncontrollably on the ground.

Lei En stopped in place, did not seize the chance to pursue, and casually switched the Thunder God's Hammer for the Thunderbolt Hammer.

He came to subdue the giant dragon, not to slay it, so he held back, did not enter a berserk state, using less than half his strength; otherwise a single hammer blow could have severely wounded the giant dragon.

These actions occurred within two or three seconds; the golden three-headed dragon endured the excruciating pain, turned over, steadied itself, planted its four paws on the ground, and fixed its gaze on the enemy that ambushed it.

"It's you!"

The giant dragon was both startled and angry, its three heads and six eyes filled with disbelief, "How did you find this place?"

Lei En gave a slight smile, "We meet again, Bo Erqi."

Hearing that name, the three faces of the dragon each wore a vivid expression; it stared intently at Lei En, and at the same time a flash of Holy Light passed, stopping the bleeding from the abdominal wound; the middle golden dragon head opened, speaking in a deep voice: "Human, last time I didn't pursue you for disrupting my plan, yet you voluntarily came to me—are you bored with life?"

A terrifying dragon aura radiated, as if even the air solidified; the giant dragon's gaze became extremely dangerous, and if anyone else had been present, they would have been trembling in fear.

"Hahaha……" Lei En's mouth curved upward.

Bo Erqi appeared very ferocious, yet his Soul Eye showed that he had already developed a desire to retreat, lacking much Willpower for battle, and was looking for a way to escape.

In fact, Lei En had seen it last year: Bo Erqi was powerful but cowardly; at that time Lei En had only fought him for a few minutes, barely anything, and scared him away, who then hid in his own lair for almost a year—quite funny.

This giant dragon was clearly strong yet overly cautious.

I have something to go out for today, only one chapter; will try three chapters again tomorrow.

(End of chapter)