novelraw Chapter 347: Nirvana, White Dragon
Chapter 347: Nirvana, White Dragon
"Sorog."
"Based on the current intelligence, can we more precisely identify the species of that mysterious fire-bird leader occupying the Mist-Wandering Marsh?"
The red iron dragon hovered beneath leaden rainclouds, his consciousness linked firmly through the mental channel, silently conversing with the iron dragon Sorog, who was stationed far away on Tempering Heights.
"At present we cannot be completely certain."
The iron dragon Sorog replied, "None of our scouts who were sent out actually witnessed the target's true physical form with their own eyes."
"They only reported that among the vast flock of eagle-like birds hovering over the marsh, they observed the silhouette of a giant bird composed of blazing flames, suspected to be the leader of that avian group."
"However, no materialized corporeal body was ever seen. It was as if it itself were a living mass of willful flame."
Garoth's gaze narrowed slightly, a trace of thought flashing across his features.
He pondered for a moment and asked, "Then, Sorog, based on your experience and the knowledge preserved in the legacy, what do you think this powerful being that commands the birds and appears to be an elemental lifeform might be?"
Creatures that can grow to legendary rank, or approach the threshold of legend—excluding those anomalous individuals born from special circumstances that defy classification—are actually limited in number within the extensive records of dragon heritage.Moreover, each known powerful species bears distinct identifying traits.
Although they could not see this entity's true appearance, the specific, prominent clues—elemental flames, gigantic fire-bird form, lack of material body, ability to command flocks—might allow them to infer its species classification.
Once the species is identified,
whether they later choose to wage war and conquer it, or attempt to seek cooperation and alliance, the dragon host can prepare the necessary psychological readiness and tactical deployments in advance.
On the other end,
iron dragon Sorog lay on a massive metal observation platform at the edge of Tempering Heights.
With a nimble sweep of his tail he brought over a barrel of honey, tilted it up, and gulped it down, eyes crinkling in satisfaction at the extreme sweetness, while his steady thoughts hummed through the link.
"Considering all the intelligence and traits together... I strongly suspect it is most likely a phoenix."
Garoth felt a hint of satisfaction in the iron dragon's mental tone.
He asked, "Sorog, have you been eating honey again?"
The iron dragon was silent for two seconds, then replied, "No. We dragons should revel in the blood of foes and strong spirits. Honey is something only a few dragons like; I have given it up."
Garoth shook his head slightly and did not press the matter.
The common image of iron dragons is cruel and ruthless; it is hard to imagine one with such a sweet tooth, and that it would favor honey.
Garoth returned to the main topic, responding, "I share your assessment regarding the identity of that fire-bird leader."
"I also think it is very likely a phoenix."
The phoenix goes by many names.
Flame-rebirth bird, nirvana demon bird, the eternal bird... and the most widely known and spread name among many species: the phoenix.
They are pure elemental lifeforms, usually lacking a conventional material body, their forms entirely composed of highly condensed, seemingly substantial pure flames.
They are exceedingly rare in the Material Plane, undoubtedly avian monarchs, possessing supernatural authority to command and dominate most bird-shaped creatures.
They are born with extraordinary legendary talent, and barring premature demise, sooner or later they inevitably become legendary.
The most crucial point is:
the reason phoenixes are called "immortal" is because, in the conventional sense, they are truly extremely difficult to kill.
Because of this, all phoenixes can achieve everlastingness.
"Furthermore, cross-referencing multiple sources of intelligence, when that fire-bird fought fiercely with the Serpent King, the sky above the Mist-Wandering Marsh suddenly flared with blazing clouds that nearly obscured the entire heavens."
Iron dragon Sorog continued analyzing, "Many beings witnessed that scene."
"They also heard cries emanating from within the fiery clouds, and saw the rolling flames coalesce into the outline of an enormous bird."
"The scene matches the phenomena of nirvana described in our records with a very high degree of similarity."
If the target truly is a phoenix, then its brutal battle with the Serpent King very likely involved the use of nirvana.
"Nirvana—the phoenix's supernatural talent, their core ability."
Garoth's mind sank into the legacy records, searching for detailed entries about this talent. Inevitably, he felt a strong fascination—bordering on greed.
"Whenever a phoenix encounters a powerful enemy and is driven into dire straits,"
"they voluntarily ignite themselves in a heroic self-immolation, accepting a brief death as the price, erupting into devastatingly destructive flames that eliminate the threat."
"Afterward, the phoenix undergoes rebirth out of the ashes, returning intact and at full strength to fight again."
This is undoubtedly a godly skill among godly skills.
Theoretically, while phoenixes do not possess infinite lifespans, through the nirvana skill they can circumvent lifespan limits and thus realize an alternative form of immortality.
However,
as with lich transformation rituals and other methods pursuing immortality, there are often significant drawbacks.
Unless the being's life-level has truly reached divine imperishability, any form of "eternal life" must pay corresponding costs.
Phoenix nirvana also has drawbacks that cannot be ignored.
Dragon Legacy explicitly records that phoenix nirvana has two typical modes.
One is instantaneous nirvana used in fierce combat.
This method is applied during intense battles and can be used multiple times in a short span, but the number of uses is limited.
Even a phoenix that has ascended into the legendary tier can typically only perform this kind of nirvana up to three times within a single engagement.
The second is the rebirth nirvana used at the end of natural lifespan or in utter desperation.
Whenever a phoenix's natural lifespan nears its end, or after repeated instantaneous nirvanas it still cannot win and falls into total despair, it will choose this final-form nirvana.
In this state, the phoenix's entire body utterly disperses,
its soul, memories, knowledge... all information constituting its existence are transmitted in an unstoppable way to a safe location, coagulating into an embered egg containing new life force.
After a gestation period, short or long, a new phoenix hatches from the egg.
It will possess almost all the memories and knowledge of the previous phoenix.
But for the newly born phoenix, it is more like reading the long experiences of another being as an observer.
Its personality, emotions, and cognition will be reshaped and altered.
Although, in essence and in memory continuity, it remains the same phoenix, to those who knew its previous form it has essentially become an entirely different consciousness.
"Complete rebirth nirvana is less a rebirth than the emergence of a new consciousness containing the old one's memories and remnants."
Garoth thought: "For the phoenix that chooses rebirth nirvana... it is also a kind of death. The former self has already vanished."
"If it were me, I would do everything in my power to avoid being forced into such a nirvana."
"However, this is designed as an ultimate life-saving method for when all else fails; using it means you are already out of options."
Besides these, phoenix nirvana has other drawbacks.
For example, even the limited-use instantaneous nirvana is not completely flawless; each use inevitably causes loss of some memories and knowledge.
Furthermore, nirvana is not a passive emergency skill.
It requires active initiation by the phoenix. If faced with an opponent so overwhelmingly powerful that it cannot perceive or react in time—an assault beyond its sensing and response speed that kills it instantly—the phoenix cannot trigger nirvana and will meet true, irreversible death.
But no matter how many flaws and restrictions there are, they cannot change the fact that nirvana is a godly skill.
The mystery and might of the phoenix race stem from the existence of the nirvana talent.
"If I had the chance to carefully study the bodily structure of a phoenix, perhaps I could uncover some secrets of nirvana and maybe evolve a similar skill through my own progress."
Garoth felt that the nirvana talent fit him very well and should be something he could utilize.
A Dragon Pearl can grant him a second chance in battle—effectively a second life—without memory loss or personality change, an excellent last-resort lifeline, yet it still falls short compared to the phoenix's utterly abnormal nirvana talent.
Additionally, the Eternal Death path he planned to cultivate often ties power increases to near-death experiences and insights gained from facing death.
Even with a Dragon Pearl as backup, he could never truly experience death—at most he could approach that state infinitely, which still lacks the essential flavor.
If he could die through nirvana and be reborn, the boost to the Eternal Death path would likely be unimaginably profound.
"Now, the leader of the flock dwelling in the Mist-Wandering Marsh had better truly be a phoenix."
Garoth reined in his wandering thoughts and pulled his attention back to the present.
Through the mental link he told iron dragon Sorog, "Send more elite scout units, disperse them to conceal positions around the Mist-Wandering Marsh, gather more precise intelligence on this new Map King, and keep a close watch on it."
He was in no hurry to attack the Mist-Wandering Marsh immediately.
First, the marsh lies in the northwest near the middle of the wilderness, relatively far from the current core territory of the Molten Iron Tribe, and any advance would have to pass through the lands of other Map Kings—long-range expedition risks were high.
Second, the Molten Iron Tribe's current air force numbers were strained.
The flying dragon squadrons are stationed in the convergence lands; the number of Kora Giants is also limited. They are currently tasked mainly with reconnaissance, early warning, and scouting. Moreover, if facing a target capable of commanding avian beasts, they might be bribed or turned to the enemy's side.
If the opponent truly is a phoenix, it would be an extremely troublesome adversary.
In same-tier combat, a phoenix's instantaneous burst and destructive power are inferior to upper-tier dragons, but in terms of survivability, endurance in protracted battles, and resistance to killing, they exceed upper-tier dragons by several ranks.
If it focuses on fleeing and avoiding battle, using its elemental nature, flight speed, and control over the bird swarms, capturing it would be nearly impossible.
To reliably deal with this suspected phoenix, Garoth needed a more thorough strategy and a more suitable timing.
Besides,
beyond Garoth's interest in the tantalizing nirvana talent, incorporating such a vast flock of flying creatures under his command would mean the Molten Iron Tribe would possess its own elite land legions and new beast cavalry on the ground; in the air it would field a sky-darkening army of raptors; in logistics, forging, and magic it would gain corresponding talent.
In short, the Molten Iron Tribe would lack nothing.
This giant, forged in blood and fire, would truly have the capital to vie for dominance over the entire Ser Wilderness.
After communicating with Sorog a while longer about future strategic direction, Garoth ended the mental link.
He drove through the rainstorm and soon descended onto a nearby clearing.
The ground here was riddled with countless huge craters, and the pits and surrounding soil had a glazed crystalline texture, as if sandstone had been melted into a peculiar landscape by unimaginably high temperatures.
All of it had been produced by Garoth himself.
After landing, Garoth immediately entered his Frenzied State.
Crackle—dazzling golden lightning surged and erupted between his scales, weaving and coiling around him.
Then, upon the scorched earth and in the pouring rain, the red iron dragon began daily training—each motion whipping up screaming winds that made the ground tremble.
As time slowly passed,
when the thermal energy stored in his Dragon Pearl reached sufficient levels, Garoth paused his movements, retrieved a black oil crystal from a spatial item.
He tossed the crystal into his mouth, then drank a barrel of high-concentration ninety-eight black oil.
Having done that, Garoth took a deep breath of scorching air and directly activated his Crimson Lotus Form.
Hum—!
With seductive streaks of flame weaving and gleaming across his scales, heat waves billowed, air warped, and countless raindrops were vaporized, as if doomsday had arrived.
His blood began to burn within, bringing rending pains, yet he seemed unaware.
On the contrary, the red iron dragon's face uncontrollably split into a grin—a chilling, perverse smile mixed with agony and exhilaration—and he commenced a new round of ultra-intense training in Crimson Lotus Form.
Not long after,
when the scales across his body shattered on a massive scale, covered in countless deep char-black fissures, wisps of white smoke seeping from the cracks, he finally exhaled a hot breath sprinkled with sparks, and the crimson lotus patterns on his body gradually dimmed and settled, finally extinguishing completely.
Rainwater falling onto him was vaporized by the residual heat into whorls of steam that continued to sizzle.
"The new batch of supplies from the Crystal Princess hasn't arrived yet—my stockpile of black oil crystals is almost exhausted."
Garoth stood in the wind and rain and thought, "I need to have Trixie come over and bring all the spare black oil crystals stored in the convergence lands' warehouse."
These items not only boosted training effectiveness, they could temporarily make him stronger.
The wilderness was becoming increasingly dangerous; he should keep some black oil crystals in reserve for emergencies.
Without delay, he used a communication device to contact White Dragon Trixie and asked her to bring the black oil crystals as soon as possible.
White Dragon Trixie agreed without hesitation, took the crystals, and set off immediately.
What she did not know was that besides the black oil crystals, there was another matter she needed to handle.
"Coincidentally, Heriam and Kahir and the others have repeatedly submitted formal requests asking me to approve their revenge against Trixie, to avenge past humiliations."
"They have recently accomplished much; I should acknowledge their petitions and grant approval."
Garoth recalled this amusing situation.
He opened his maw in a wide grin, a faintly wicked smile crossing his dragon face.
Since Dragon Trixie had applied her ecological niche theory to harshly oppress and train the young dragons in their juvenile stage—though effective, it inevitably stirred rebellion in the little dragons.
Now,
the first batch of those little dragons had grown robust enough to stand on their own, and within them raged repressed fires of vengeance.
Garoth was curious to see how the now more fully winged victims would fiercely retaliate, and how Dragon Trixie would respond.
Would she, as before, rely on her age and higher life level to crush the young dragons' counterattack and further humiliate them; or would she employ other means to dispel the malice of the increasingly powerful adolescent dragons... Garoth decided he would watch with his own eyes.