บท 407: Chapter 407: Fatherly Love and Filial Piety
Main Timeline, Dragon Court Plane.
The Dragon Court Plane, growing ever more formidable, was inhabited by countless legendary dragons—chromatic dragons, metallic dragons, gem dragons, and more exotic kinds such as mithril dragons, hydra dragons, and lava dragons. Each legendary dragon here was at least thirty meters in length, including some ancient dragons near the divine power level.
The aura of these true dragons was pervasive, filling every inch of the Dragon Court Plane. Even legendary creatures, upon arriving here, would tremble with fear and dare not make any rash movements.
At this moment, the Dragon Court Plane could be considered a grand base for legendary true dragons, a vast dragon organization spanning planes and worlds. Due to their outstanding performances during the War of Glory, legendary dragons from various primary material worlds and outer planes had chosen to become part of the Dragon Court.
Of course, only a small fraction resided permanently within the Dragon Court. Most dragons of the Dragon Court spread across numerous planes, returning only when summoned.
Under normal circumstances, the number of legendary dragons residing or stopping by in the Dragon Court was even fewer. However, during these past two years, a significant event had occurred in the multiverse that shocked the gods, increasing the frequency and number of legendary dragons visiting the Dragon Court.
The supreme leader of the Dragon Court, the Lord of the Dragon Court, the Eternal Dragon of Time, was temporarily absent.
In his absence, the semi-divine dragon elders of the Dragon Court had convened several Ancient Councils to prepare for potential future events. However, due to the lack of their leader, the ancient dragon elders had been unable to make final decisions on some major policies.
Meanwhile, as an Ancient Council was underway and not yet concluded within the Eternal Hall, the arguing ancient dragons suddenly stopped. Their gazes shifted towards the exterior of the hall, revealing expressions of joy and relief.
"The Dragon Lord has returned."
All the dragons present seemed to receive a shot of adrenaline, stabilizing their emotions.
Between the endless clouds of the Dragon Court Plane, subtle ripples appeared in the formless river of time. Under the watchful eyes of many true dragons, a majestic silver dragon emerged, suspended among the winds and clouds.
The silver dragon surveyed his surroundings.
The familiar scenery of the Dragon Court Plane met Garon's eyes, and several legendary dragons looked at him with reverence and admiration, then slightly bowed their heads, curbing their dragonic aura as a sign of respect for the Lord of the Dragon Court.
"Something seems off."
Garon had just returned and immediately sensed the unusually somber atmosphere of the Dragon Court.
"Welcome back, Master."
A gust of wind stirred the clouds into the shape of a skull.
It was the former crystal skull, now integrated with the Eternal Hall and serving as the core of the Dragon Court Plane, maintaining its various magical arrays as the spirit Harlis.
"The Ancient Council is currently taking place in the starry council chamber of the Eternal Hall."
"Your return is timely."
Harlis's eyes spun slightly as he spoke.
The dragon shifted his gaze towards the grand hall standing amidst numerous fortresses, mountains, and glaciers.
With a flap of his wings, the silver dragon disappeared from the view of the legendary dragons, moving so fast that even they couldn't catch his speed. They could only glimpse a fleeting flash of silver light.
Inside the Eternal Hall, in the starry council chamber:
Stars shone brightly, and the Milky Way flowed like a vast and endless space. The council chamber, built to resemble the cosmic starry sky, filled with dozens of ancient dragons, now watched as the silver dragon entered.
During the early days of the War of Glory:
Only a few ancient dragons from various planes had been willing to join the Dragon Court. However, as time passed and the War of Glory intensified, culminating in the Eternal Dragon of Time ascending to godhood, the prestige of the Lord of the Dragon Court grew. Protected by the dragon gods, more and more ancient dragons became renowned and joined, becoming the core of the Dragon Court's top forces.
The original Ancient Council had now evolved into something grander.
Ancient dragons, once considered mighty in the primary material worlds, were no longer the upper echelon in the Dragon Court.
"Lord of the Dragons, welcome."
The ancient dragons addressed Garon respectfully.
Garon nodded slightly and then looked at the ancient dragons. Among them, he recognized several familiar figures, including the ancient red dragon Augustus, who had been intimidated by Yuna at the start and had been forgiven by the Queen of Power Dragons after killing an elven demigod during the War of Glory.
The Iron Dragon King and the Sun Dragon Kalo were also present.
After enduring the trials of fire and blood in the War of Glory, these two dragons, already close to the divine power level, had ascended to semi-divine status.
"Good day, Kalo greets you."
Upon noticing Garon's gaze, the
Sun Dragon, now resembling a small white ferret, spoke softly.
Garon nodded gently in response.
Then, lying down, he quietly watched the ancient dragons and said, "Since the War of the Dragonfall, giants have been considered the archenemies of our dragon race, and indeed, they must be handled with caution."
"Please continue to speak freely in my presence, and share your thoughts."
Garon had already understood the reason for the somber atmosphere in the Dragon Court Plane upon his arrival through divine messages from the God Garon.
His trip to the Alphatia Empire had not been long.
Due to the different flow rates of time across timelines, although he had spent over a decade in the Alphatia Empire, only about two years had passed in the main timeline.
Two years.
Even for humans, this was not a particularly long time, let alone for the long-lived true dragons.
To Garon, these two years felt as short as two days, so he did not expect any significant events to have occurred during his absence. However, developments had exceeded his expectations.
The surface of the multiverse was calm, but undercurrents were stirring.
One moment it could be peaceful, and the next, tumultuous waves might overturn numerous worlds.
Just as Garon had left the main timeline through time-space travel:
In just half a year, an event that shocked the gods had occurred.
The chief deity of the giants, Annan, had fallen in the Beastlands.
At the time of his fall, it was said that torrential blood rain fell across the Beastlands, invigorating countless creatures and awakening the giant bloodline within them.
Annan, the chief deity of the giants, was no ordinary powerful divine being. He ranked among the top in the multiverse, his prestige on par with the Nine-Faced Dragon God of the dragons, Ao, and even stronger than the chief deity of the elves. His divine rank was likely at the pinnacle of level twenty.
To Garon's knowledge, only one being had a divine rank above twenty.
The Overdeity Ao, who had withdrawn from worldly affairs, allowing the multiverse to evolve freely.
Annan, the chief deity of the giants, could be considered just below the Overdeity, ranking among the top deities.
During the War of the Dragonfall, Annan had already abandoned the giant pantheon, retreating to a realm of opposition and harmony. Otherwise, the casualties of the dragon race would have been far more severe and horrific during the war.
Aside from Ao, no other deity dared to guarantee that they could defeat Annan, let alone kill this mighty deity.
So the question arose:
How could such a supremely powerful top deity fall?
After investigating and uncovering the truth, the gods fell silent.
Annan, the chief deity of the giants, had died in a revolt within the giant pantheon.
The details of the whole affair were known because the giant pantheon had not tried to conceal them, even deliberately spreading the information widely. Garon was now well aware of the entire sequence of events.
Initially, Annan's eldest son, the powerful deity of storms, held a ceremony in his own divine realm in the Beastlands, announcing his intention to replace the chief deity of the giants and inviting all giant gods, as well as the gods of ogres and trolls from the giant pantheon's affiliates.
During the ceremony:
Annan, who had been in seclusion for a long time, appeared in the Storm Lord's divine realm to attend the ceremony and declared his recognition of the Storm Lord, passing on the chief deity's position to his proudest eldest son.
Watching the scene of power transition between the old and new chief deities of the giants, the divine realm was filled with radiant light, and numerous giants smiled.
The scene was incredibly harmonious.
However, amidst the flurry of flowers and songs of praise celebrating paternal love and filial piety:
All the rule arrays within the Storm Lord's divine realm activated, using all their power to bind and suppress Annan, the first-generation chief deity of the giants. At the same time, the Storm Lord, the second-generation chief deity, launched a surprise attack, injuring Annan.
Afterward, the Storm Lord, with the enhancement of the divine realm and the cooperation of other rebellious giant gods, began a siege against the first-generation chief deity of the giants within the divine realm.
Annan was powerful.
But he was not in his own divine realm.
Deities are at their strongest within their own divine realms, in conjunction with the natural laws they have personally created.
A medium-power deity residing in their divine realm is generally unbeatable by even powerful deities.
Especially since the Storm Lord himself was a powerful deity.
The divine realm's power boosted his divine body while suppressing and weakening Annan's divine power. With this advantage, the Storm Lord had the power to face Annan directly within the divine realm. Of course, if it were just that, Annan
could still have safely left the Storm Lord's divine realm to avoid further conflict.
However, in addition to the Storm Lord, many other giant deities also attacked Annan.
Even the mightiest deity.
Cannot face an entire pantheon of gods within a divine realm not their own.
Ultimately, after a fierce battle, Annan was jointly suppressed and bound. At the same time, the Storm Lord, as the second-generation chief deity of the giants, began to judge the creator of the giant pantheon, the first-generation chief deity, Annan.
"Chief Deity Annan, Father of Giants."
"He created the giant race and the giant pantheon but refused to bear the responsibilities of a father deity. He regarded us giants as flawed and inferior beings, showing no paternal responsibility, directly leading to severe internal divisions and conflicts within the giant pantheon, causing countless giants to die unjustly."
"I, the Storm Lord, the new chief deity of the giants, am willing to bear the infamy of patricide. With the authority of a chief deity, I judge the sins of Annan and strip him of his power."
"From now on, I will exercise the duties of a chief deity, reform the giant pantheon, unify the giant race, and lead all giants across countless worlds on a path to glory!"
The Storm Lord, Annan's proudest eldest son, personally ended Annan's life. Simultaneously, as the new chief deity of the giants, he devoured the divine power, divinity, and authority of the old deity, transforming it into his own immense power.
Inside the Eternal Hall, Garon recalled the information he had received from the God Garon and lifted his chin.
"Chief Deity Annan... He probably never imagined that his most favored son would betray him."
"With the ruthless and ambitious nature of the Storm Lord, should he wage war, he would likely be a formidable adversary to the dragon pantheon."
Unlike the dragon pantheon's Nine-Faced Dragon God Ao, Annan was tyrannical and harsh during his reign, severely affecting all his descendants. No giant deity was fond of this father deity, and they preferred to see him dead.
But the only one who dared to act and plan with other giant deities was the Storm Lord.
The most interesting and ironic part was.
The reason he had the courage was precisely because the Storm Lord was the only offspring Annan favored. He was more tolerant and affectionate towards the Storm Lord, so unlike other giant deities, the Storm Lord did not fear his father deity as much and dared to commit patricide.
"The giant pantheon meeting that Olyre mentioned last time must have been discussing seizing Annan's power and authority, not just gathering against the dragon race."
Garon thought silently.
Now, as the dragon pantheon strives to resurrect their chief deity, the giants have personally killed theirs.
And dragons and giants are widely recognized as archenemies.
Thus, the contrast is stark.
Meanwhile, the ancient dragons were abuzz with discussion.
"The Storm Lord is different from Annan."
"He views the giants as his people and is willing to protect the giant race."
"During Annan's seclusion, the Storm Lord has always been handling various affairs of the giant pantheon and the giant race. Without holding the title of chief deity, he still performed the duties, gaining high prestige within the giant pantheon."
"Now, having judged the first-generation chief deity Annan, the Storm Lord's prestige has reached unprecedented levels."
An ancient gold dragon with a solemn expression said, "The key point is, the best way for the Storm Lord to reform the giant pantheon is to emulate our dragon race's previous experience, using external pressure to force the giant pantheon to unite."
"Especially since, as our dragon race has proven, this method is indeed effective."
This ancient dragon referred to the War of Glory.
The War of Glory, by waging full-scale war against the elves, reforged the fragmented dragon race into a unified whole, and the entire dragon pantheon benefitted from it.
Metallic Dragon God Bahamut and the Mother of Evil Dragons Tiamat were promoted and restored to medium divine power.
A new God of Time was born.
The divine ranks of other dragon gods also improved.
The overall strength of the entire dragon pantheon steadily increased, continuing to rise to this day, possibly reaching the threshold of their former peak era.
"If so,"
"The best external pressure for the giants is already clear to all of us."
"Besides our dragon race, which other race?"
An ancient dragon spoke gravely.
Some ancient dragons present were born just after the War of the Dragonfall ended. That was a time when the dragon race was at its most vulnerable, merely licking its wounds from the devastating losses and slowly regaining strength from the depths of despair.
The ancient dragons who had endured the most humiliating period harbored greater animosity towards the giants than typical true dragons.
"The giants harbor a relentless desire to annihilate our
dragon race!"
An ancient white dragon's eyes blazed with tangible fury as he spoke each word through gritted teeth.
At that moment, the most prominent and visible silver dragon surveyed the surroundings and asked, "So, what do you all think we should do?"
After a moment of silence, the Iron Dragon King took the initiative, eager to suggest, "While the Storm Lord has not fully assimilated Annan's power, we should strike first, letting these giants know the might of true dragons."
Upon hearing the Iron Dragon King's words.
Other ancient dragons immediately agreed, saying, "Giants have always been regarded as our dragon race's archenemies, but when have these foolish beings ever been able to battle our dragon race alone?"
"During the War of the Dragonfall, like the elves, the giants were just a part of the enemy forces we faced."
"The War of Glory was a complete victory. Now that the true dragons of various plane worlds are high in morale, why not strike while the iron is hot, declare war again, and crush the giants? If we can achieve consecutive victories in two grand wars, it would be enough to herald the return of our dragon race's dominance."
True dragons are generally belligerent.
Many true dragons agreed with this proposal, eager to avenge past grievances and engage in a decisive battle with the giants.
But some more rational ancient dragons had different ideas.
An ancient silver dragon pondered for a moment and then said thoughtfully, "The War of Glory has just ended. While our dragon gods have increased in overall strength, the dragon race as a whole has declined significantly due to the war, with some losses still needing time to recover."
"If there is too little time to rest between wars, continuous conflict might breed war weariness."
Those sharing this view added, "Moreover, even if we win another war against the giants, the cost of undergoing two consecutive major wars is obvious, and the dragon race might suffer greatly."
"At the beginning of the War of Glory, the elves avoided conflict, which was essentially provoked by our dragon race."
"If we initiate another attack against the giants"
"By then, due to repeatedly instigating wars, we will be in the spotlight, and other races will be severely wary of the dragon race. Seeing our weakness, some unfortunate events might occur."
A full-scale war is not solely decided by the dragon gods; it also requires cooperation from the species.
Whether to launch another comprehensive interplanar, interworld war, given the Dragon Court's current status and prestige within the dragon race, it has the power to make the final decision.
After speaking, the ancient dragons all looked towards Garon.
What the Lord of the Dragon Court said next would directly determine whether the multiverse would plunge into turmoil and war once again.
The silver dragon displayed a contemplative expression.
Time quietly passed.
After a long silence, the Lord of the Dragon Court finally spoke, unhurriedly saying, "It seems the elders have misunderstood something."
The ancient dragons looked slightly surprised.
"Why did the Storm Lord choose to commit patricide and seize Annan's divine power at this time, rather than at another time?"
After a pause, Garon calmly said, "Because he felt the threat from our dragon race. Under pressure, he had to respond."
"The ones who should be worried, who should be figuring out how to react to future possibilities, are the giants, not us."
The silver dragon looked around and continued.
"What our dragon race needs to do now is to focus on absorbing and fully digesting the gains from the War of Glory, recovering and advancing."
"As for whether to start a war, that will depend on the giants' reaction as our dragon race grows stronger."
"If they want war by then, we'll give them war."
"But for now, given the current situation, it's best to focus on peaceful development."
The territory won during the War of Glory, now belonging to the dragon race, offered more land and resources. The dragon race was in a period of robust growth. Soon, they could fully recover from the War of Glory and advance further, gradually approaching the zenith of their former era of dominance.
Starting another war now would be like sabotaging a period of rapid development—a decidedly unwise move.
In Garon's view.
The Storm Lord, having absorbed Annan's divine power, would undoubtedly experience a surge in strength, but to fully integrate and reach the same top-tier level as Annan would not be an immediate process.
A war capable of sweeping across the multiverse is no trivial matter.
To start a war with the dragon race, they would need a long time to make a final decision, and not all giant deities are willing to engage in war.
Using a war with the dragon race to pressure the Storm Lord could indeed provide an opportunity to efficiently integrate the giant race.
But what's more likely is that such a move would backfire, causing the giant race and the giant pantheon to pay a heavy price.
Moreover, Garon's own growth
rate exceeded the imaginations of many beings.
Now, Garon was not far from becoming a lesser deity, needing only a long period of hibernation for growth. He also felt changes in his body, prompting him to enter a state of deep slumber.
"We understand."
"The dragon race will not initiate a war with the giants, but we are not afraid of war either."
After discussing some other minor issues, the ancient dragons gradually left, concluding the council meeting.
Garon entered the depths of the dragon's nest in the Eternal Hall, seeing Yuna sound asleep, her body buried beneath treasures.
Sensing Garon's presence, Yuna did not wake up but merely shifted slightly under the treasures, continuing to enjoy her slumber.
Garon had only been away for two years—a brief period in the life of a true dragon.
So Yuna felt no urgency to wake up.
At the same time.
Garon relaxed and immediately felt a wave of sleepiness sweep over him.
During his time in the Alphatia Empire, he had begun to feel drowsy, knowing he was about to enter a prolonged slumber. Now, back in the main timeline, in the safest place of the Dragon Court Plane, the urge to sleep overwhelmed him, making his eyelids flutter.
"It's been a long time since my last hibernation."
".when I wake up, I might have become a lesser deity."
Garon's biological level had already reached fifty-seven, still within the demigod level, but far surpassing the initial threshold of level forty for early demigods. He felt that this slumber would elevate him to the status of a lesser deity.
Then.
The silver dragon curled up like a giant cat, coiling his body with his head resting on his tail, his vast wings folding down. His eyes closed, and he fell into a deep sleep, his breathing deep and steady.
The originally serene and waveless river of time began to ripple around the sleeping silver dragon.
Streams of temporal water flowed towards the sleeping silver dragon, with a small portion unintentionally absorbed by the power dragon below, nourishing Yuna as well.
And so, time silently passed by.
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