The Gnoll Warriors who had stepped out of the Plane portal earlier were unfazed; the slight sense of temporal disorientation caused by passing through the Plane portal had little effect on these monster dependents.
Their strong bodies also allowed them to quickly recover their obstructed and shielded five senses, and they were now standing in place, resting under the arrangement of Yug, surrounding Kalon and the weaker spellcasters for protection.
Kalon turned his head, looking at this outpost.
Under two months of construction, this simple wooden base was not small in scale, easily accommodating over a thousand people.
Outside the base, rows of defense measures similar to chevaux de frise surrounded the main entrance of the entire base, while on the watchtowers on either side of the entrance stood several Kobold Soldiers diligently keeping watch.
Upon seeing Kalon's figure appear, the Kobold who sensed his familiar aura immediately barked excitedly, and the entire quiet camp instantly became lively.
Behind the base, which was built against a cliff, there was also a lookout tower at the highest point in the low mountain jungle.
It seemed these dependents had already learned some basic war defense knowledge within the territory.
A white lighthouse, two people tall, stood in the central open space of this outpost; it was a Plane beacon used for precise positioning and also the key to connecting to the Plane portal.
At this moment, at the top of this not-so-tall Plane beacon lighthouse, the embedded massive magic gem was emitting a faint glow, supporting the sound-insulating magic barrier covering the entire outpost.
Kalon looked at the twilight sky and the somewhat listless spellcasters, waved his hand, and told Yug to lead the Gnoll Warriors back to the base barracks to rest.
They might face many battles next, so all warriors had to maintain full energy.
"How about it, Hsiusir , you should rest for a night first, and then start positioning and exploring tomorrow," Kalon said, looking at the Squinty-eyed mage who was silently casting several spells to enhance his physique and cleanse his mind.
Before departure, Hsiusir had already reminded Kalon of relevant precautions, but Kalon's body was fine, while these mages seemed listless instead.
"Then let's rest for a night; our current mental state is not suitable for using magic positioning instruments to explore this world," the Squinty-eyed mage's spirits lifted slightly.
These Scholar mages did not fully inherit the legacy and technology of the ancient Magic Empire; the current Plane portal was not as perfect as it was when the ancient Magic Empire conquered endless Planes, so these mages were all affected.
Kalon nodded; he could only be glad that he was a Dragon, and his powerful physical quality allowed him to be immune to many influences.
The current Red Dragon was not only basically immune to many negative effects such as poison, dizziness, and paralysis, but corresponding spells, if not extremely enhanced, could not affect the Red Dragon's body.
It could be said that Kalon was now basically immune to most control spells, and he himself possessed nearly complete immunity to fire element resistance and strong resistance to earth and metal elements.
And with the seven layers of spell barrier shields and the protective layer of psionic energy that Kalon habitually wore, essentially wearing the thickest armor, the Red Dragon already felt he was qualified to provoke those Saint-ranked powerhouses.
As for attack power, the Dragon's powerful body was the strongest attack power; even the small group of people at the peak of the Saint Domain would not dare to let the sharp claws of any young Dragon attack their bodies, even the weakest White Dragon was no exception.
Of course, the curse of wearing the thickest armor and taking the most brutal beating did not bother the Red Dragon; taking a beating was impossible.
If he were unexpectedly ganged up on, Kalon would naturally activate the Red Dragon's innate skill - "I'll get you back later"; his current speed was unmatched.
Of course, this was also Kalon's own occasional small moment of pride.
Although he was not afraid of those Saint-ranked powerhouses now, Legendary powerhouses still held considerable deterrence for him; he did not want to try the god-like thought coverage and cognitive subversion of Legendary powerhouses.
Even if each Legendary powerhouse's methods had distance and time limits, and these abilities required consuming the Legendary powerhouse's mental energy, Kalon was not as stubborn as Klenaya, who only learned to stand at attention after being beaten.
Kalon's thoughts became somewhat scattered for a moment; he felt it might be some lingering after-effects of passing through the Plane passage, after all, he had directly looked at the chaotic and changing lines of time and space, and that scene was still deeply engraved in Kalon's mind.
"Perhaps, in the future, I can try to use this method to touch upon the laws of space-time change, but for me now, it's a bit too ambitious."
Kalon stepped out of the camp's sound-insulating barrier with a frown, trying to disperse the chaotic and beautiful lines imprinted in his mind.
The presence of these imprints somewhat hindered his concentration, making him constantly and involuntarily notice those dazzling and chaotic lines.
As soon as he stepped out of the camp's barrier, a damp, cold aura and a more intense life aura than in the Dragon Clans Territory rushed towards him, clearing Kalon's mind.
This aura existed in every part of the forest ahead, an effect of the Plane's climate; although the Red Dragon could survive and be active in all environments, he was somewhat displeased with this long-term damp environment.
The camp's location was somewhat desolate, with very few trees growing, much like a sandy area rarely seen in a forest.
But in the distant forest, dozens to hundreds of different types of trees grew, and each of these trees was covered in dewdrops.
Kalon stepped into the forest, extended his sharp claws from his palm, and lightly slashed at a nearby tree; a fluorescent green sap oozed from the crack in the tree trunk.
However, under Kalon's observation, which was as precise as an instrument, the bark near the tree's crack was already slowly healing, and the sap secreted by the tree was also promoting the healing speed of the tree itself.
"Hmm, the density of the trees here far exceeds that of ordinary trees; perhaps it's just a single species, I still need to try other types of trees."
Kalon swung his claws at other trees again, with similar results; without exception, the density and healing speed of these trees far exceeded those of ordinary trees of the same kind in the Ekania World.
"It seems that although the power ceiling of this Plane is low, the life forms born here have considerable vitality; their vitality is generally stronger than that of ordinary beasts in the Ekania World."
After walking dozens of miles out of the camp, Kalon had already caught more than a dozen different animals and performed simple experiments on these beasts.
The jungle leopard Kalon was currently stepping on had almost healed from the scratches made by his Dragon claws, with only a few red marks faintly visible on its wild and beautiful fur.
Kalon released the leopard; he had always had a good impression of such beautiful cats, and he was not hungry at the moment, so he allowed the beautiful leopard to leap into the depths of the jungle with agile steps.
The beautiful big cat finally looked back curiously at Kalon, who looked very strange in her eyes, seemingly also wondering why this powerful predator would let her go.
Kalon paid no attention; he had already discovered the peculiarities of this Plane; not only could plants grow quickly, but the vitality of ordinary beasts also far exceeded the norm.
It was very difficult to achieve this level of vitality solely through the nourishment of the Tree of Life, because within Kalon's Perception range, no Tree of life was growing, which proved that this area was not within the direct influence range of those Trees of life.
"Interesting, is this the fun of exploration and adventure?" Kalon became interested in the hidden existence causing all these effects and developed a desire to investigate.
Kalon did not feel that this Plane had any severe impact or suppression on him; at most, the Red Dragon's fire spells and breath were slightly weakened in this damp and cold environment.
But this did not weaken the Red Dragon's strength much, which was also the source of his confidence.
Even in Kalon's current Dragonborn form, not to mention his inherent physical quality, his magic casting ability alone was much more powerful than that of high-level mages; the power of spells cast by those mages was difficult to compare with the power of the Red Dragon's spells.
With Kalon's current control over magic and elements, his spells were equivalent to receiving both powerful and exquisite enhancements, precise and strong.
Kalon moved through the forest; he had already passed the defensive line formed by the Kobold Soldiers sent out to explore and scout from the camp, walking nearly a hundred miles southwest of the camp.
A somewhat foul smell made the Red Dragon stop; he looked intently, and a One-Horned Snake Lizard over seven meters long emerged from the dense forest.
Its four sharp-clawed paws clung firmly to the low hill, faint mist rising from between its dense black scales, and a pair of beast eyes filled with the cruelty of a predator, staring menacingly at Kalon.
Evidently, this One-Horned Snake Lizard had taken the Red Dragon as its prey.
The Red Dragon was somewhat surprised, then realized that he had tightly locked all his aura and magical energy within his body, appearing to these beasts as nothing more than a large ordinary monster.
If this ability to conceal aura and energy were combined with some shadow stealth spells, Kaloncould become an incredibly terrifying Red Dragon assassin.
Moreover, in Kalon's inherited knowledge, there were even examples of a Red Dragon becoming an assassin. Imagine a Red Dragon stealthily approaching you, then suddenly bursting forth—the horror of that would be no less terrifying than being approached by a Legendary warrior.
Kalon shook his head. Although his time was almost infinite, his energy was limited, so he couldn't delve into shadow magic. He would just get a general understanding of it if the opportunity arose in the future.
He looked at the One-Horned Snake Lizard. The One-Horned Snake Lizard flicked its forked tongue, searching for relevant pheromones from the red monster before it.
But the monster in front of him was like a rock on the ground or a tree in the forest; it collected no information whatsoever, only catching some faint scents—a subtle hint of sulfur.
The One-Horned Snake Lizard, which had developed a slight intelligence, suddenly raised its lizard-like head, which was adorned with a single horn. It paused for a moment, as if sensing danger, then turned around and tried to flee, swinging its thick, long tail.
Kalon unhurriedly took out a gold coin from under his scales, but after a moment's thought, he put the gold coin back and pulled out a copper coin instead.
The copper coin spun between Kalon's fingertips. Driven by Kalon's magic, it suddenly shot towards the fleeing One-Horned Snake Lizard with a piercing shriek that tore through the air, instantly catching up to the One-Horned Snake Lizard as it galloped away on all fours.
The black mist between the One-Horned Snake Lizard's scales suddenly thickened, like a cold aura attempting to freeze and corrode the incoming copper coin.
But the next second, the shrieking copper coin subtly curved in mid-air and directly embedded itself into the One-Horned Snake Lizard's eye, piercing through its skull in a single blow, splattering blood and white matter everywhere.
This was a magical technique Kalon had developed himself, by combining magic that moved objects with his mental power. Kalon named this magic 'Object Manipulation Magic'.
Now, it seemed that while the power of this magic wasn't yet clearly limited, it was very convenient for clearing out such minor enemies.
Kalon had even envisioned during his research that if he were ever surrounded, he might be able to launch all the gold coins hidden in his scales to strike enemies. In that case, this spell should be renamed 'All-Out Throw'.
The blood-stained copper coin flew back to Kalon. Kalon looked at the coin with a slight hint of disdain. He wanted to throw away this coin, which was covered in a foul-smelling blood, but the Red Dragon's instinct 'controlled' him.
A spray of water shot from Kalon's fingertips, cleaning the copper coin. This was an improved version of the Fog Spell, refined after analysis by the sub-brain cluster.
Ordinary mages using this spell could only gather a cloud of mist, but in Kalon's hands, the Fog Spell could gather surrounding water vapor and then extract it to be used as clean water.
Kalon hid the cleaned copper coin in the crevices of his scales. This was a skill every Dragon could easily master. Some Dragons who weren't very wealthy would carry all their possessions on their bodies this way, like that poor Red Dragon, Kadilos.
Then Kalon walked over to the One-Horned Snake Lizard, whose head was pierced but whose body was still twitching. He lifted the monster by its tail and dragged its body back towards the outpost camp.
Although he wasn't very hungry, this One-Horned Snake Lizard had entered the ranks of magical beasts, and the essence of its flesh and blood would be very beneficial for a young Dragon.
Moreover, he could also share some of the flesh and blood with his vassal soldiers. It would be great if every vassal could get a sip of meat broth. Anyway, Kalon didn't kill this One-Horned Snake Lizard because he found it too ugly.
However, before leaving, Kalon's gaze intentionally or unintentionally swept across the jungle. Deep within this jungle, on a tall pine tree, stood an owl with a white beak, yellow talons, and dark brown feathers.
This owl looked ordinary, just like a common owl, with no magical fluctuations or abnormal aura about it. Only its eyes were particularly lively, as if the soul of an intelligent being was hidden within the owl's body.
When Kalon's gaze fell upon it, this ordinary owl quickly reined in the spiritual light in its eyes, pretending to be a normal owl, and spread its wings, hooting.
Kalon turned his face expressionlessly, but he felt a little like laughing. Owls generally do not spread their wings when hooting. They usually spread their wings when facing enemies or prey, and at those times, their hoots are not so peaceful.
"It seems this is a novice Druid? Looks like they have no experience at all." Kalon slowly disappeared into the jungle, dragging the One-Horned Snake Lizard's body.
The strange owl did not feel strange at all. Seeing Kalon's figure disappear, she leaped from the treetop, transformed into a beautiful jungle leopard upon landing, and re-entered the jungle.
However, there were slight bald patches in the fur on the beautiful big cat's rump, as if new fur hadn't yet grown back after a wound had healed.
Long after, Kalon's figure reappeared in this jungle. He sensed the psychic energy he had left on the female leopard.
Kalon had now made psychic energy protection and using psychic energy to enhance his attacks a habitual instinct. The jungle leopard he had scratched naturally carried this energy, which was unique to him.
As the sensed location grew farther and farther, Kalon could no longer pinpoint the exact location of the psychic energy, but he could still sense the general direction and range.
About two hundred li west of here, the jungle leopard finally stopped. Clearly, that general area was the tribal camp where these creatures, perhaps Druids, gathered.
Unfortunately, while Druid spells were very similar to Polymorph, they were ultimately not the Polymorph from the Dragon's inheritance.
Polymorph belonged to the realm of spellcasting, while a Druid's transformation was more akin to a wild shape ability gained through communication with nature. Kalon's true sight could not yet see through the true form of this creature.
Although those Gnoll had fabricated stories about this Plane being full of white-skinned women with big chests, big butts, and long legs to lure out Red Dragon Kadilos, Kalon wouldn't believe it was such a coincidence.
The information mastered by the Scholars only showed that the natives of this Plane were a variant of Elves, perhaps even Wild Elves.
However, with the information about the gathering place of these native creatures, things were much simpler. Kalon only needed to wait until he completed his exploration with the Scholars, then he would attempt to contact those native inhabitants, either to conquer them or to incorporate them.
Kalon's face, with its tiny spines, curved into a grin, and he disappeared into the jungle again as dusk settled.
...
A jungle leopard covered in beautiful patterns moved nimbly through the jungle. Along the way, thick vines and branches blocking its path automatically separated, as if consciously making way for this beautiful creature.
And every time this jungle leopard appeared, a shadow flickered with its body. Many wild beasts only felt a gentle breeze pass by them, never realizing that a creature was hidden within the shadows.
This jungle leopard was incredibly fast, and soon it had run over two hundred li, arriving at a camp surrounded by giant ancient trees.
These giant ancient trees sensed the presence of the shadow stealth. Faces like human countenances emerged from the ancient trees, and thick branches twisted, seemingly on alert and defensive.
The jungle leopard quickly leaped out of the shadows, rolled forward, and transformed into a tall female Elf with long green hair and skin that glowed with a faint moonlight hue.
"Oh, it's little Aya," one of the particularly tall ancient trees guarding the camp emitted an ancient voice, "Come in quickly, the Great Elder is worried about you right now."
As it spoke, the human-like faces on these tall ancient trees receded back into their trunks, as if they had never appeared.
The female Elf named Aya nodded to the surrounding ancient trees, then responded to the tallest ancient tree: "Okay, Elder Ambu, I just happen to have something to tell the Great Elder!"
The tallest ancient tree received her response, and its face also sank back into its trunk. Aya then stepped into the tribe.
There were many tall trees in the tribe as well, and some green-haired Elves with glowing green skin walked beneath these trees.
Among them, the tallest giant tree had a trunk tens of meters thick, and looking up, its canopy almost covered the entire sky!
All the trees in the tribe grew under the shade of this giant tree. This giant tree clearly possessed the grandeur of the Legendary World Tree, the sacred object of the Elves in the main Plane.
On the trunk of this giant tree, these Elves built various wooden houses, large and small, following the naturally growing tree hollows and branch patterns on the giant tree's body.
Layers of wooden stairs spiraled up the body of the giant tree. The Elf Aya did not greet her other kin but instead climbed the spiraling stairs, all the way to the highest point of this giant tree.
There was a simple but spacious wooden house there. The Elf Aya, still clutching her backside, pushed open the door of the treehouse.
Inside the treehouse sat a very young-looking Elf.