novelraw Chapter 1176 - 1175 - Blood Talon's Fears
Chapter 1176 - 1175 - Blood Talon's Fears
The mountain once had a majestic name. It was simply called the Sky Talon Peak. It was a legendary home of a powerful wyvern race that lived in relative harmony with their neighbors.
Only a few records remain of that fact but what came after is more widely known.
A dark cloud swept the land and murdered all in it. All life wilted or was wiped away like so much ash in a fire pit. Nothing was left alive.
The wyverns survived but lost many of their roosts spread across the smaller peaks. They hoped to return to their majestic power but a strange dragon clan came and brutally killed them all.
Then the dragons with broken scales and blood tinted claws killed what had barely survived the tragedy. Any caravan or traveler that went near the peak after that were either never heard from again or only a handful of crazed survivors returned with tales to turn the blood cold.
The dragons did not grow in number too much after they arrived. It did not take long for some to think of them as cursed or maybe an extension of what killed the land in the first place.
All knew, however, of their leader. A massive Crystal Tier dragon that had 5 limbs. The 5th limb often was a blessing among dragons. It indicated a high potential for power and strength.
A male dragon would often have near unbreakable scales or some other offensive innate skill while a female dragon would have unreal speed that even Radiant Tiers could not track! In both sexes, their fire would be at the peak of power for whatever element they inherited.
Blood Talon, as he came to be called, seemed only built for a singular purpose. Slaughter!
The corpses littered the land and it was then people knew the dragons were truly cursed monsters. They did not kill to consume but to just kill! They left all their kills strewn across the forests and plains.
Roads were destroyed and left to be grown over by the plants. Trees or other plants that had withstood all dangers in billions of years were rent from the earth and burned.
Whatever it was that cursed them, also gave them unfathomable strength. The area became a no man's land and only the desperate or foolish would ever go there.
A demon in dark red garb was slowly walking down a twisted path. He had a staff of gnarled black wood that looked disturbing just to perceive it! A metal chime hung from the upper most curl of the wood but no sound emanated from it.
The demon was old with blind eyes and wrinkled visage on his lavender skin.
He suddenly stopped and looked up. The sky was gray, always gray, in the area near Blood Talon Peak. It was said it was an effect of the great death that occurred long ago as the sun no longer touched those lands.
He simply stood on the path amidst all the death and waited. The clouds suddenly began to move and a massive form emerged.
Scales shattered in all places covered the massive body of a dragon. The scales were dark but they were not black. It was hard to say what color they were as blood seemed to tinge everything about it.
The claws on each of the 5 limbs confirmed the identity of the particular dragon.
Blood Talon had come.
[Old fool, you take our bargain too lightly. I should eat your heart to teach you a lesson.] A grating voice filled the demon's mind but he only smiled at the words.
"I have no heart as you well know. I have received a report you should know about. The True Lord of Dragons has been confirmed and is coming here." Blood Talon's eyes narrowed. The blood red orbs were disturbing to look at as the veins seemed to have burst long ago yet they still worked!
"There is no True Lord! Even banished, we would know!" The demon finally touched the chime on his staff and an image projected. It was barely working in the tainted Qi but a massive emerald dragon was clear as day on it.
The instant Blood Talon saw it, his soul knew. A True Lord!
"You have been isolated too long. Rumors have been swirling for decades but only recently has his location and identity been confirmed. He goes by Emerald Immortal. My Mistress has informed me he is the enemy of our plans." Blood Talon shivered.
The demon's Mistress was the only reason none of his clan dared attack him. The last dragon to do so had died a horrifying death that left even Blood Talon screaming in the night sometimes as he recalled it.
He did not want to die! He never wanted to die! Dragons should bow to nothing!
That belief had set him on his path but also led to his fall. He had nearly died and Heaven did nothing to save him! He refused to be at the whim of such a capricious thing!
"So what do you expect me to do? A True Lord can wave his hand and even we must obey." He spoke plain truth but the demon smiled as a black box appeared in his frail hand.
"You are so weak but you have your uses. The True Lord is dangerous but he is still like all Immortals. Shatter his crystal and he will just be a mortal again. The Heavens should also abandon him." Blood Talon really doubted that.
While True Lords had scorned their blessings, he still never knew of one to be abandoned by Heaven and Earth.
The race memory was denied to him but his soul whispered he was right.
Becoming a True Lord of any race was exceedingly difficult but the dragons had added layers on top of it that he still clearly recalled. If a new True Lord was born, then he was not so trifling as the demon seemed to think.
"You would be wise to not underestimate him." The demon laughed before opening the box. The dragon had no time to respond before a vile wave of Qi washed over his body. He was used to it but it still was vile to him.
"The power the Mistress grants is not permanent due to the Blessing but it will suffice to keep your mind clear. You said it yourself, if a True Lord had come, you would know." The demon's words sent a shock through the dragon.
A sneer now made its maw expose the jagged and cracked teeth in his mouth. The truth was revealed that the reason the dragons did not eat was because they could not!
So how could they continue to live even when some members of their clan had only been World Realms at the time of their banishment?
The old demon had not changed on his face but on the inside he was also sneering at the giant fool in front of him.
It was true that the Fiend Qi would allow the dragon to defy a True Lord but conversely he was not really a dragon anymore. They were Fiend Dragons! Anywhere else and they would be long dead!
His Mistress was pleased with his progress and efforts but she could not extend his life due to the Blessing upon the land.
Away from the Sealed Lands, Fiend Qi was destroyed if exposed to the air in any way. The dragons could not leave the Blood Talon Peak but the cowardly leader would not leave anyway.
His fear of death drove him to kill his elders to try and cheat the ultimate foe. He believed he could steal their longevity and power directly in defiance of Heaven. The punishment had not been light at all.
Black karmic lightning had seared not only his skin but all his kin! They had followed him fanatically even as he defied the natural order as he assassinated his elders! Heaven and Earth saw all and the rituals performed were in complete defiance of its edicts.
As if Fate made a mockery of karma, Sealed Lands were born not long after. The dragons fled and made a new home far from the other Clans. None could follow as the Sealed Lands hurt them but the banished dragons seemed immune to it.
The truth was that Blood Talon had already made a bargain with the Sealed Land's masters!
The demon was made aware of it all but his life was nearly up. He had been training his replacement when the news came. His fellow disciple had been all too happy to report to him about the True Lord's intentions.
His Mistress was pleased with his warning and gave the orders. Use the cowardly dragon and his fears would do the rest.
He would do anything to survive and his fear made him blind to the dangers he walked into. The True Lord would die without understanding how and his Mistress would reward him with the Final Kiss when his time came.
His soul would endure forever inside her!
Neither dragon nor demon grasped how blind they were because of their beliefs. They simply smiled in their hearts as they saw their dreams come true in the future.