Chapter 409: The Mundane Life of the Time Dragon

In the Dragon Court plane, within the Eternal Hall—a majestic and prominent structure at the heart of the Dragon Court plane, observed by countless legendary dragons—the vast dragon lair houses a silver dragon of mountainous proportions, resting in tranquil slumber.

Even in sleep, where its draconic aura is subdued, the sheer pressure of its life force and immense size exudes a unique, captivating majesty, capable of suffocating any legendary creature that dares intrude into its nest.

Time passes silently within the dragon lair.

After a while, the dragon's deep, resonant breathing, akin to thunder in a storm, suddenly pauses, then becomes erratic and uneven.

Creak, creak—the sound of rusted steel gears grinding as if a long-dormant machine were stirring to life.

Upon closer inspection, the silver dragon's body gently trembles, its shimmering scales radiating a lustrous, watery sheen.

Simultaneously, patterns resembling growth rings and circular clocks appear on the vast wings, which could easily shroud the dragon's entire body. These patterns evoke a sense of ancient, timeless passage, infusing the air with an immortal quality.

Above the dragon's head, its three pairs of horns grow more robust and majestic, curving like the crown of a king, now tinged with a serene, ancient charm.

Strikingly eye-catching and impossible to overlook.

Within the treasure-filled lair, the invisible, intangible River of Time that eludes the naked eye of ordinary beings begins to calm. The flow of time that incessantly infused the silver dragon's body diminishes until it steadies, merging seamlessly with the universal flow, no longer displaying any distinct ripples.

At this moment.

The dragon's platinum eyes, deep as the star-filled cosmos and brimming with wisdom and tranquility, slowly open.

After four years of slumber, the master of the Dragon Court awakens.

Garon, stirring from a long stillness, slowly rises to his feet.

As usual, upon awakening, Garon first inspects his own condition, observing the state of his body.

Focusing on his body, Garon immediately feels a surge of powerful energy coursing through his veins, as if a single strike from him could pierce the stars and tear apart the primary material world.

Crack—a slight, uncontrollable burst of power escapes due to his recent awakening.

The space around Garon instantly fractures, revealing fissures like forked lightning, nearly swallowing a portion of the treasures within the lair. Stabilizing his mind and containing his power, Garon's claw gently swipes, erasing the nascent spatial cracks, restoring a safe and stable environment.

Beyond the significant increase in power in various aspects.

Garon looks up, the River of Time reflecting in his platinum dragon eyes.

A profound sense of connection emerges as if an invisible bond links Garon to the River of Time. With a mere thought from Garon, the calm river splashes and ripples, even forming chaotic whirlpools and deadly turbulent currents.

With each growth phase, Garon's connection to the River of Time deepens.

This time is no exception.

He can now influence the River of Time more efficiently, wielding the power of time.

"Soon, the entire River of Time will become a power solely mine," Garon contemplates silently.

Garon's influence over the River of Time is not unique; in the multiverse, there are deities of time, temporal anomalies, time magic, and so forth. Although not as effortlessly effective as Garon, they too can harness similar temporal powers.

Therefore.

Gaining complete control over the River of Time, becoming a unique entity, has always been Garon's ultimate goal.

"A new power has awakened."

"Let's test it later."

The abilities directly awakened through growth are never inferior to those Garon has researched himself concerning temporal powers; many are even stronger.

This is the strength of the dragon race: even without doing anything, merely through the passage of time, they naturally awaken powerful abilities.

Next, Garon carefully examines his own body.

After his awakening, the luster between his body scales fades, the once gleaming silver-white dragon scales transforming into a more subdued silver-gray hue, appearing older and more reserved compared to before.

Also, a new ring of black scales appears on Garon.

"Once I become an ancient dragon and more black scale rings appear, it will look quite odd," Garon muses, retracting his gaze from the new black scale ring at his abdomen.

Blinking, Garon wills the black scales on his body to camouflage, matching the surrounding silver scales, becoming less visible, leaving only three black scale rings around his neck and wrists.

If one were to judge Garon's age and strength solely by the number of black scale rings...

A significant surprise would await them.

With precise control over his body, if he wishes, Garon can make the black

 scale rings on his body flash intermittently, like a carousel.

"Huh?"

Besides the newly appeared black scale rings, Garon notices something about his wings.

On the wide, expansive sides of his wings, longer than his body, Garon sees newly formed patterns resembling growth rings or circular clocks, subtle and only visible upon close inspection.

Whoosh—Garon flaps his wings.

A strong wind arises.

Simultaneously, the normally tranquil River of Time seems to be stirred by the wind from his wings, creating ripples across its surface.

"These patterns are not only for show; they have the ability to directly interfere with the River of Time," Garon reflects thoughtfully.

He gives it a try.

Without expending much temporal power, merely by a gentle flap of his wings, Garon can gather or disperse the waters of the River of Time.

"I can now affect the River of Time more efficiently."

"The cost is significantly reduced, yet the feedback is more immediate and apparent."

Garon lifts his chin, turning his head to look at his wings and giving them a few shakes, showing a pleased expression.

Next, he assesses his current size.

After waking from slumber, the true form of the silver dragon, from head to tail, has grown to over a hundred meters long, with muscular limbs and a thick back, resembling a horizontal silver mountain, his every movement seemingly capable of plunging the world into descent.

"Constraining power within a hundred-meter body."

"If I were to unleash all my might outside the primary material world, entering a state of combat with my current connection to the River of Time, the size I'd achieve as a titan would probably reach a terrifying level."

Garon glances at his lair.

The dragon's lair inside the Eternal Hall, with its space compression spells, is quite spacious and can fully accommodate Garon's true form.

"If I were to unfold into a combat state here, I'd probably burst the lair apart," Garon muses silently.

His biological level has now reached sixty-two.

Regarding biological levels, each increment of twenty represents a significant threshold, a leap in life tier, with strength skyrocketing after each breakthrough.

Level twenty marks the minimum standard for legendary creatures.

Level forty is the threshold for demigods.

Level sixty... To reach a biological level of sixty is to undoubtedly possess quasi-lesser divine power, capable of contending with true deities across the multiverse.

Demigods, having few transcendent divine powers and deific mandates, are generally not recognized by the gods.

Only those above lesser divine power are considered true deities, fully fledged true gods.

"Biological level only indicates life tier, a reference for comparison, and cannot fully represent combat capability."

"With my array of abilities, even established lesser gods lacking combat mandates probably couldn't match me."

Garon has yet to verify the full extent of his capabilities following this growth breakthrough.

But he has the proud confidence of a legendary dragon, having fought his way through the War of Glory, stepping over countless corpses to forge his path.

Indeed, this is the case.

For a god, the mandates they hold are of great importance.

For example, a god with a mandate of war, even if newly ascended and only at a divine level of six as a lesser god, could attempt to challenge a top-tier lesser god with a level ten mandate of flowers.

As Garon admires his body...

Crack, crack.

The sound of coins and gems rubbing against each other arises.

From a pile of treasure, the upper layer sinks like quicksand, revealing a dragon head emerging from within.

Yuna blinks her pale purple eyes, staring intently at Garon.

Garon turns his head, looking down at the force dragon girl, who has only her head exposed, and after a long gaze, Yuna scans Garon's body and mutters, "You've grown much more than me."

Coins and gems scatter like fairy scattering flowers, revealing Yuna's full body.

Now, Yuna's length from head to tail reaches about seventy meters, a significant growth from before slumber, but her growth pales in comparison to Garon's.

In reality...

Because of her proximity to Garon, and the certain interplay between force and time powers, Yuna's growth rate has already far surpassed that of a normal force dragon.

Garon is no different.

He originally estimated that he would reach quasi-lesser divine power at the age of one hundred, but now, in his early sixties, Garon, having just become a young dragon, still has some time until adulthood.

Looking at Garon's size, Yuna feels somewhat disheartened.

"It seems no matter how much I train, I can't keep up with your growth rate."

"Never mind, I might as well rely on natural growth; it's much easier this way."

The force dragon girl, slightly older than Garon, is severely struck by this realization.

"We are both legendary dragons with infinite

 potential; reaching my level is just a matter of time for you."

"Don't worry, until then, I will provide you with protection," Garon offers reassurance.

Yuna's mood dips quickly, but she recovers just as swiftly.

Hearing Garon's words, she brightens up and chirps, "You said it, if I encounter someone I can't beat, you have to jump out and flex your muscles for me anytime."

Garon nods immediately, "That's a given."

The silver dragon lifts his chin arrogantly, "Whoever dares to bully my mate, for whatever reason, whoever it may be, is making an enemy of the now renowned Eternal and Time Dragon, the sovereign ruler of the Dragon Court, and will pay a painful price for it."

"Giggle."

"Reward you with a nuzzle."

Yuna extends her head and rubs against Garon's neck.

The contact of dragon scales brings a faint, comforting sensation.

The size difference between the two dragon mates appears appropriate; under Garon's frame, Yuna's body seems petite and delicate, though she is similarly a colossal dragon as grand as a mountain.

After a moment of affection...

"The first thing I felt upon waking and seeing you was a pressure from a different life tier."

"Your dragon scales are mainly silver-gray now, and there are new patterns on your wings. This slumber brought significant changes."

"Have you now broken through to demigod?"

Yuna's gaze sweeps over Garon's hundred-meter-long body, blinking and asking.

Previously, despite some disparity in strength, Yuna never felt any oppressive aura from Garon; after all, they were familiar and essentially at the same life tier.

But this time, it's different.

Even as close mates, she still feels a subtle pressure from Garon.

This is with Garon actively containing his power.

If it were an ordinary being, even legendary creatures in Garon's presence would likely tremble in fear, feeling utterly insignificant.

Garon nods, "Just touched the threshold of quasi-lesser divine power."

Quasi-lesser divine power in his core being.

God Garon's avatar is just a step away from intermediate divine power.

With the comprehensive power Garon now possesses, even without mentioning the Time Dragon's Reverse Flow, he's far from the weakest among the myriad gods.

Compared to deities of ancient, immeasurable age, Garon is not yet a century old, a terrifying growth rate that marks him as the foremost of the legendary dragon kind.

Moreover...

Garon feels his actual age is difficult to calculate.

Being in the River of Time, favored by its flow, his body experiences growth at an accelerated pace, different from the flow of time ordinary beings endure.

This is the root of his rapid development.

If not for immortality, ordinary beings experiencing the time flow Garon undergoes might age and perish in just a year or two.

"Ah, no wonder Time Dragons are universally recognized as the most special and powerful among legendary dragon kinds."

"Once you truly mature, you'll probably rival the ancient dragons of our Force Dragon race."

Yuna whispers softly.

As legendary dragons, but with a growth gap spanning several age tiers.

Garon sways his tail, his head subtly lifting, "Well, innate advantages are what they are. I actually wish I could experience what ordinary beings go through."

"Surviving against all odds, navigating countless difficulties to glimpse the path of legend, braving obstacles, seeking a slim chance to ascend to godhood amid a million crises."

"Sounds so intriguing and exciting."

The silver dragon shakes his head, feigning a sigh, melancholic, "Unfortunately, just a few slumbers without doing anything naturally grant me powers akin to those of deities."

"Sigh, such a mundane and boring dragon life."

Listening to Garon's humblebrags, Yuna rolls her eyes and grits her teeth at him, "Keep showing off, and I can't help but want to bite you."

Garon laughs heartily, his feigned melancholy instantly vanishing.

"What interesting things happened during your time-space journey this time?"

"Tell me about it."

Suddenly, Yuna looks at Garon curiously.

Every time he returns from another time-space, Garon shares his experiences with Yuna, a habit that has formed over time. This time, due to falling into slumber immediately upon returning, the conversation had to wait until now.

Garon carefully chooses his words, then begins to recount the events that transpired in the Empire of Alphatia.

"Eh, a Rainbow Dragon?"

"What do Rainbow Dragons look like, are they pretty? What's their personality like?"

Upon hearing about Rainbow Dragons, Yuna immediately inquires, curious about this legendary dragon kind she has never encountered.

"Rainbow Dragons are exceptionally attractive, of course, but they fall short compared to you, Yuna."

"As for their personality, if you met a Rainbow Dragon, you'd probably

 want to beat them up a bit. I'm not sure if all Rainbow Dragons are somewhat narcissistic, or if it's just the two I met."

Garon continues sharing his experiences in the Empire of Alphatia.

Before long, the story draws to a close.

After listening, Yuna exclaims in surprise, "Daring to strike at a powerful divine saint, the ambition and courage of that material world's emperor are indeed great."

Garon nods slightly, "Emperor Alphax had enough daring, but he lacked the ability to handle the consequences. Unknowingly influenced by the Saint of Blazing Flames, it led to the empire's demise."

Having ambition and daring but lacking corresponding capabilities can only be detrimental to a magical empire.

If instead there were an emperor with no great ambitions, who knew only to indulge in pleasures, Alphatia, even if just maintaining the status quo, would still be a strong, brilliant, and dazzling empire, not ending in a tragic collapse along with the primary material world.

After staying in the dragon's lair for a while...

Yuna ponders for a moment, then excitedly proposes to Garon, "Now that the Dragon Court is stable and there's nothing for you to handle, let's go on an adventure in the primary material world again."

The well-rested Yuna wants to play the game of 'wolf in sheep's clothing' once more.

At the same time, Garon, with his eyes half-closed, checks the situation over the past four years through God Garon.

During this period, the Lord of Storms, after becoming the new chief deity of the giants, hasn't stirred up other major news. The giant pantheon and the giant race are also temporarily quiet.

Conversely, the dragon race is experiencing a period of robust growth and prosperity.

Having seized the territories and wealth of the elf races across various world planes, many true dragons post-war have acquired ample lands and resources. Well-fed and breeding, an explosive increase in the number of young dragons and true dragons is underway.

This state of rapid development, Garon estimates, could continue for several centuries.

If no unexpected events occur in the meantime, the strength of the dragon race will reach an unprecedented peak after the Dragonfall War.

"Sure, I'll accompany you for a while," Garon says.

While accompanying Yuna, he can also conveniently study the new abilities he's acquired.

Next, setting up a planar teleportation spell, Garon and Yuna randomly select a primary material world they've never visited before, beginning a journey that can hardly be called adventurous.

Meanwhile...

Inside the Eternal Divine Realm.

While pleasantly chatting with the Elemental Queen of Wind, who has long been a guest in the Eternal Divine Realm and has transformed herself into a dragon-shaped whirlwind, God Garon's gaze shifts slightly.

"Oh? What's up?"

The Elemental Queen of Wind, seeing the change in God Garon, asks familiarly.

God Garon muses, "My Mandate of Destiny just stirred."

The Mandate of Destiny allows matters or objects related to God Garon to evolve beneficially through mysterious destiny reactions, like discovering the Mechanical Grandmaster and eventually bringing him under his command through the influence of the Mandate of Destiny.

"Why has the Mandate of Destiny stirred this time?"

Before the event unfolds, God Garon cannot foresee the outcome of destiny.

After pondering briefly and finding no answer, God Garon sets it aside and continues to chat and laugh with the Elemental Queen of Wind.

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