This Elf, who appeared very young, only realized upon closer inspection that her long hair, once a vibrant green like a forest full of life, had become somewhat grayish, and fine wrinkles had crept into the corners of her seemingly youthful eyes.
Elves are naturally long-lived, with ordinary Elves living for at least hundreds to thousands of years, and Elves born in tribes possessing a Tree of Life have even longer lifespans.
This tribe not only possessed a Tree of Life, but their Tree of Life was also far from ordinary, providing an incredibly astonishing life-enhancing effect to these Elves.
Coupled with long-term consumption of the essence of life water, which can extend life, this Elf Great Elder could live for an unimaginably long period, far beyond what short-lived races could comprehend.
Even so, this Elf already showed signs of age, making it impossible to guess how many years she had lived in this world.
She saw Elf Druid Aya enter, then rose from a soft cushion woven from fallen Life Tree leaves on the ground, and asked with concern, "Aya, you're back! Did you find any good news?"
"Great Elder," the young Elf Druid Aya's tone was filled with respect for the elder Elf. She lowered the hand covering her backside and bowed to the elder Elf.
"The creatures that appeared in the Ruins of the Desolate God are very weak. I've been observing their behavior and movements during this time, and I've found that they don't seem to be minions of the Desolate God. They possess order and rationality, and they are not fond of slaughter and chaos,"
The young Elf Druid Aya replied.
"Not like the primordial God's minions? That's good, that's truly good news," the elder Elf Elder's face broke into a smile, and she exhaled a long breath, the tightly furrowed wrinkles between her brows smoothing out.
The primordial God, this is a powerful existence that can stand shoulder to shoulder with many deities, also known as the Primordial One, or even the Primeval God.
No one knows how many primordial Gods truly exist in the world, including the deities residing above the Star Realm, in there Divine Kingdoms.
But in many legends circulating throughout the endless Plane of the Star Realm, it is said that at the very beginning of the universe, hundreds of primordial Gods were spontaneously created from heaven and earth.
In the ancient era of endless years, the primordial Gods once waged a grand war against the many deities residing above the Divine Kingdoms, a war that spanned not only Planes but also universes.
Although the war ultimately ended with the victory of the many gods of faith, the legendary King of Ten Thousand Gods, Creator Dragon God io, was said to have been cut in half by the powerful primordial God—Erickhas, the King of Fear—using his terrifying God-Slaying Great Axe.
And Platinum Dragon God Bahamut and Tiamat, the Goddess of Evil Dragons, are, in one legend, the first-generation Dragon Gods born from the two halves of Creator Dragon God io's divided corpse, and also the pinnacle of bloodline awakening in the Dragon bloodline inheritance: the blood of the first-generation Dragon God.
The leader among the primordial Gods, Erickhas, the King of Fear, was also slain by Bahamut, the North Wind Dragon King, and Tiamat, the Chromatic Dragon Queen, both born from the Creator Dragon God.
However, these Desolate Gods are enemies that only many deities can contend with, so even if they are just some unknown minions of the Desolate God, they are still a natural disaster that this weak Plane cannot resist.
No wonder the elder Elf, hearing this good news, could not help but reveal a look of joy, despite her countless years of composure.
"If they are not minions of the primordial God, then we can rest assured. After all, in the entire world right now, no tribe has given birth to an Elf Child capable of gaining the Holy Artifact's recognition. If the primordial God's minions were to break through the world's barrier and invade again, we would have great difficulty resisting those chaotic, bloodthirsty monsters!"
"It seems they are just some outsiders who accidentally arrived in this world. Hmm, for now, don't make contact with them. Continue to observe their movements and see what they truly intend to do!"
The elder Elf Elder sat down again, her expression returning to its calm, unruffled state, and her dark green eyes dimmed.
"If they try to enter the forbidden area, let them. It would be good for them to weaken the scale of those ghoul monsters."
Several hundred years ago, this Plane, named Green Field Forest by a Magician, was discovered by a small group of Desolate God's minions wandering the starry sky.
At that time, the Elves were scattered in small tribes; a dozen Elves could form a tribe, living freely and dispersed.
Those primordial God's minions, led by a monster commander, tore open the Plane barrier, intending to transform the entire Green Field Forest Plane into a primordial God's lair and convert all living beings into Desolate God's Claws.
Fortunately, at that time, there was a talented Elf who not only gained the recognition of the Endless Forest's will but also received the blessings of all Trees of Life, and obtained the recognition of the Holy Artifact passed down by the Elf tribe in this world.
Under the leadership of this Elf, all the Elves united and bravely resisted the invading primordial God's minions, sacrificing countless lives.
Finally, in the last battle, that Elf, at the cost of her own life, used the legendary Holy Spear to impale the Desolate God's minion commander on the battlefield.
The blood of the primordial God commander, impaled by the Holy Spear, drained away, transforming the originally lush forest into a sandy area, which, even after hundreds of years of recovery and nurturing, still struggles to return to its original state.
And the Holy Spear that killed the primordial Gods commander still pins the monster's corpse deep within that desolate sandy land, with no one able to pull it out.
That tragic battlefield, transformed into a desolate sandy land, is now occupied by ghoul monsters formed from the bones of countless Elves and primordial God's minions who died in that war.
"However, I also discovered a strange creature," the young Elf Druid's face showed a hesitant expression as she recounted her discovery.
"That creature seems to be with those weak monsters. Its body is covered in red scales, and it has Dragon horns on its head. Not only is it exceptionally strong, but it can also use magic, just like the Dragonkin you told us about in stories when we were little."
At this point, the young Elf Aya unconsciously touched her backside; the healed wound still seemed to throb with pain, as if some power remained, never truly removed.
"Dragonkin? Aya, are you sure it's Dragonkin?" The elder Elf Elder's calm face twisted again. She stood up abruptly and asked, somewhat losing her voice.
The young Elf nodded. She stammered, "If the stories you told before are correct, then what I encountered should be a Dragonkin."
"This is troublesome. The appearance of a Dragonkin must mean there's a Dragon behind him," the elder Elf Great Elder was no longer composed. Her dim eyes flickered again, and she paced back and forth in the spacious treehouse.
In the Elf Elder's memory, thousands of years ago, when she was young, this Plane also had Dragons. Those large creatures with green scales and what looked like crowns on their heads dominated the entire Plane, treating all living beings as slaves.
At that time, the Elves also barely survived under the shadow of these terrifying creatures, needing to regularly offer pure Elf beauties and life water to the Dragons. The legendary Elf Holy Spear was once a collectible and ornamental item in a Dragon Nest.
Many talented Elf Children also turned to ash because of the Dragon's dragon blood, simply because the Dragons wanted to create their own Dragonkin army to eternally rule the entire Plane.
However, for some unknown reason, thousands of years ago, the leaders of those Dragons suddenly disappeared from this world, and the remaining Dragons also disintegrated and left this Plane, heading to other worlds.
Therefore, the Elf Great Elder, who had experienced slavery, was extremely shocked by this news. While the Desolate God's minions sought to exterminate all life in this Plane and transform the world's space into a Desolate God's Nest, Dragons were no better.
The Elf Great Elder still remembered the impression of many large tribes gradually declining because they offered their kin to the Dragons, and many smaller tribes being annihilated as a result.
In the Elf Great Elder's heart, although the harm caused by Dragons was not as great as that of the Desolate God's minions, it was not far off; it could be said to be a natural disaster of Dragon calamity for the entire Plane.
"No, this matter should be reported to the other tribes. Aya, go call Buka and the others. Later, I'll need you to deliver my letters to the major tribes, asking them to come here so we can discuss together how to face that Dragonkin and the Dragon behind it."
The Elf Great Elder spoke decisively, turning to take several broad leaves from a wooden shelf in the treehouse and carving her message into them. This matter was no longer something their tribe could resolve alone; it might concern the future fate of the entire Plane.
"Yes, Great Elder." The young Elf bowed, exited the spacious wooden house, then leaped down from the top of the giant tree, transforming into an owl in mid-air. She flew down several hundred meters, landed at the base of the giant tree, and then reverted to her original Elf form.
...
That night, Kalon dragged the One-Horned Snake Lizard monster back to the camp, but he only dug out the monster's horn and heart. The horn, as the source of this Snake Lizard's magical abilities, could be considered a small treasure.
As for the heart, Kalon swallowed it as a small, beneficial treat.
The remaining flesh was distributed among his dependents, but the One-Horned Snake Lizard's bloodline essence was extracted by Kalon and stored in the magical spatial pocket within his stomach for future research.
He planned to collect the bloodline of every extraordinary creature he encountered, gathering as many samples as possible, so that future research could have various samples for comparison.
The magical spatial pocket was made by Magician Hiusier and his group, using the stomach of the Titanoboa he had hunted last time.
Although the space was not large, only about one hundred cubic meters, which is equivalent to a house seven point four meters long, five meters wide, and two point seven meters high.
A more vivid description would be that it was like a one-bedroom apartment, but it was more than enough to hold some ordinary items.
Although the stomach of the mixed-blood Titanoboa was not as powerful as that of a pure-blood Titanoboa, the volume when made into a spatial bag was a bit small. Kalon suspected that these Magicians secretly deducted some materials as a kind of handling fee and wastage.
Moreover, while a Dragon's stomach also possesses a certain spatial attribute, it can accommodate other spatial magic equipment. This is a certain magical characteristic of a Dragon's body. And by accommodating this magical spatial bag, Kalon also gained a certain characteristic of this magical equipment.
That is, his stomach capacity also increased, but this characteristic was more or less useless in the Red Dragon's eyes, a bit like a redundant feature.
After resting in the camp for a night, the chaotic imprints in Kalon's mind had quieted down considerably. Perhaps he had begun to get used to the existence of these imprints; at least, these chaotic and brilliant lines could no longer easily affect the Red Dragon's concentration.
By the time Kalon had slept in and stepped out of his tent again, Squinty-eyed mage and the other Magicians had already established a teleportation magic array in the camp.
This magic array was used for teleportation within this Plane. If the Magicians and Kalonencountered irresistible forces or unexpected dangers, they would use the teleportation array to return to this camp, and then return to Ekania via the Plane teleportation gate.
Kalon also received a teleportation seal engraved with complex runes. If he encountered danger, crushing the seal would activate the power of the teleportation gate, sending him back to the camp.
Although Kalon had his own methods, he could not guarantee that no accidents would occur, and having an extra method was also a good thing, so he accepted this teleportation seal.
However, this treatment was limited to Kalon and a few Magicians. The Gnoll warriors and Gnollleader Yug, who were about to embark on the exploration journey with them, did not receive teleportation seals.
The disparities in the world always manifest themselves unconsciously. Although Kalon did not want his forces to suffer losses, he was already prepared for it.
It must be said that, given enough time to prepare, these Magicians always had a variety of methods. Just like a certain Bat-man in Kalon's memory.
The famous quote about that person might also be quite appropriate for these Magicians: never pick a fight with a Magician.
Besides the teleportation gate, the Magicians were also gathered around a strange magical instrument, whispering and discussing. This peculiar magical instrument looked like a hybrid of a globe and a compass, with a long pointer constantly jumping up and down on a small sphere, changing direction.
"Kalon, you're finally awake," Squinty-eyed mage said, seeing Kalon's figure, and left the group of Magicians to walk over.
"How is it, Hsiusir? Do you have any clues about your exploration target?" Kalon stretched his body.
In this humid Plane, filled with rich vitality, the Red Dragon felt that his fiery temper had subsided a lot. His blood, which used to be restless every morning upon waking, now felt very peaceful.
Squinty-eyed mage nodded. "We found two targets, but their directions are completely opposite. The closest target is behind us, about a thousand li away."
The Magician's finger pointed behind the camp, towards the increasingly sparse jungle and barren sand.
Then his finger pointed to the southeast of the camp and said, "The other target is in that direction. Although it's further away from us, the magical instrument's reaction is more intense, so we're currently a bit hesitant."
Kalon nodded. Although he would take the lead in certain matters, he would not interfere with the Magicians' choice of exploration direction. After all, he did not know which choice was correct and which was wrong.
As long as these Magicians did not propose a remarkably wise choice like splitting up for exploration, he would not stop them.
Ultimately, these Magicians decided to explore the closer location first and did not propose anything like splitting up their forces.
Kalon nodded and told Yug to gather the Gnoll warriors, leaving fifty warriors and the other Kobold Soldiers to guard the camp.
The rest of the Gnoll warriors, with each other's help, put on their heavy armor. In this humid Plane, the armor became damp after just one night, a situation where armor rusts very easily.
Therefore, many Gnolls, who regarded their armor as treasures, specially applied some grease to their armor. At this time, the armor appeared shiny black, and when worn on the tall GnollBarbarians, they looked quite elite and fierce.
Once all the warriors were fully equipped, the Gnoll Spellcaster first released the ravens and vultures they carried with them, sending them flying towards the direction of exploration.
Then everyone stepped out of the camp and slowly walked behind these scout birds, while several hundred Kobolds pushed single-wheeled wooden carts, carrying the food and supplies of the Gnoll soldiers behind them.
The path chosen by the Magicians initially had sparse forests and a few active animals and beasts, but as the exploration team advanced, the environment became increasingly desolate.
After advancing twenty li, the surrounding environment had changed from sparse jungle to a Gobi desert where only weeds grew. The weathered sand had dried up most of the water in this area.
There were very few traces of wild animal activity, and even the birds in the sky had disappeared. Only some burrowing insects and tiny life forms existed beneath the barren sand.
However, Kalon quite liked this environment. It was dry, and the temperature was not as cold as in the forest. In such a place, the Red Dragon's abilities would not be affected.
As they gradually went deeper, the climate began to warm up, and these Gnolls, fully covered in armor, also lifted their visors to allow for smoother breathing.
And in the sandy ground, scattered white bones began to appear. These bones were eroded by the wind and sand, already broken beyond recognition, and many broken bones were rolled up in the wind and sand, revealing more complete bones underneath.
And when the team advanced fifty li further, the white bones in the sandy ground gradually increased, and the bones buried beneath the barren sand also became more complete, along with many broken, weathered, and rusted weapons that looked like they could be snapped with just a little force.
Some skeletons had severed heads, clearly decapitated by enemies; others had their entire sternums pierced through, with a large hole gaping in the chest and many broken ribs; and many skeletons were split in half at the waist, showing various signs of death.
Kalon and Squinty-eyed mage and their party walked in the middle of the team. His perception had also been radiating outwards. Although there was no negative energy accumulated on these scattered white bones, they could all tell that these bones had existed in this area for a long time.
Even if they had been buried in coffins, they should have long since decayed into dust. For them to be preserved in such a place, which is more susceptible to weathering, was truly illogical.
Everyone therefore began to be careful, but no one was afraid or retreated.
Not to mention the abilities of these High-level Mages, just speaking for Kalon himself, even if these white bones turned into undead creatures, they would be no more resistant to the Red Dragon's flames than kindling.
Even the Gnolls, their iron armor was like iron cans that these white bones could not chew through. Only the weak Kobold Soldiers were a match for these white bones, but these Kobolds, before Kalon's defeat, would always be more courageous than any Dragonkin.
Finally, before dusk, the exploration team did not encounter any sudden situations.
Kalon chose a wind-sheltered Dune in this Gobi desert as their camp for the night. He had all the Kobolds arrange the single-wheeled carts carrying supplies and food around the entire camp as the outermost defense.
Then he activated his ability, turned over all the white bones beneath the chosen camp, and burned them to ashes with a Dragon Breath.
He then compacted the ground of the entire camp with earth power, ensuring that no white bone could drill out from under the camp before stopping.
The other Magicians, seeing that even Kalon was so cautious, also set up magical alarms, and even pulled out magic gems from their respective magic rings, setting up a defensive magic array around the camp, making the entire camp as impregnable as an iron barrel.
Kalon nodded with satisfaction. These generous Magicians completely disregarded this consumption, also indicating their attitude that they did not want Kalon's subordinates to be easily harmed.
After arranging the rotating night watch guards, these people peacefully entered into rest, and the Gnoll soldiers wearing heavy iron armor even collapsed and slept.
Kalon also leaned against the firmly compacted Dune, closed his eyes, and silently conserved his strength.
On the high-built watchtower of the Dune, the Kobold Soldiers on lookout were meticulously scanning the area around the camp. The bright moon in the sky allowed the Kobolds, who already had some night vision, to see further and clearer.
Fortunately, nothing happened during the first half of the night.
The night grew deeper, and the bright moon in the sky was gradually obscured by drifting dark clouds. The chill of the deep night swept across the entire land.
Splash! Suddenly, in the endless barren sandy land, white bone claws broke through the sand and emerged from the ground.