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Chapter 72: Lurking Shadows Await the Dragon

The night on Sacred Dragon Mountain was not dark.

Unlike in my previous life, the sky of Xinghai Continent had three moons. Each race had different names and legends for these moons, which often conflicted with one another. After tens of thousands of years of racial integration, people generally referred to them simply as the Red Moon, White Moon, and Blue Moon, without adding any other names. Due to the differing cycles of the three moons, there were rarely completely dark nights. Additionally, the stars in the sky of Xinghai Continent were far more numerous and brighter than those in my previous life. The height of Sacred Dragon Mountain surpassed the clouds, and with no dark clouds obscuring the stars and moons, the nights here were never pitch black.

However, in a world where magical civilization was highly advanced, it was not uncommon to find tools that could conceal one's presence even during the day, let alone on such a night. Thus, when several shadows moved ghostlike up the slopes of Sacred Dragon Mountain towards Fenglong Cliff, the surrounding guards—both warriors and mages—were completely unaware.

"Tch, what a so-called human sanctuary, their defenses are so lax, it’s laughable. Next time, we might even sneak back with Dragon Saint's head, and they wouldn't notice," said a young man's voice from the shadows behind Fenglong Platform, sounding quite pleased with himself. However, he immediately grunted and shuddered, saying, "Young Miss, you..."

"Hmph, getting carried away, aren’t you?" A clear voice rang out, belonging to the girl who led the Assassins Guild. "Although Sacred Dragon Mountain's defense is not as tight as Radiant Temple's, it's still not to be taken lightly. If we were trying to infiltrate any of the other four main peaks, we would have been discovered long ago. Only at this Fenglong Cliff do humans only guard the periphery. We also have an insider from the Yellow Dragon Empire, which allowed us to enter smoothly. Inside, there are only a few items ordinary humans can't use, so the guardians are all dragons. However, there are at least twelve sleeping dragons underground around here. If not for our equipment imbued with dragon aura, and their disdain for humans, treating them like mere insects, we wouldn't have made it here. Even so, if we touch anything on Fenglong Platform, we'll be torn to pieces by the awakened dragons. Not even a Sword Saint would survive."

"Then... how should we proceed?" No one dared to question the words of the core member of the assassin organization, but hearing that they were standing atop twelve dragons, even the bravest among them broke into a cold sweat.

"There's no need to be so afraid. The Sovereign Dragon Empire, after all, is a descendant of the 'Land of Dragons.' Although they lost the favor of the dragons due to the 'Dragon Slaying War,' they've never given up on their ambitions for Sacred Dragon Mountain. Centuries of infiltration and research must have yielded some results. We don't need to touch anything on Fenglong Platform; we just need to set up these things around it. The Sovereign Dragon will activate them later. They merely need our infiltration skills. If there were a real conflict with Sacred Dragon Mountain, the guild wouldn't accept the commission. Offending the dragons is beyond our capacity to handle. Now, get to work! The dragons might wake up at any moment!" The girl reassured her subordinates before urging them to start working.

As these black-clad assassins worked around Fenglong Platform, I found an excuse to slip away from the banquet at Crystal Palace and stood on the mountain ridge, gazing up at the starry sky, taking a deep breath.

To be honest, although I learned from High Priestess Yinyin that I couldn't cultivate "Dragon Aura," I remained deeply interested in its techniques. After all, I managed to deduce and practice the "Holy Ice Thorn Halo." There was a chance I could break through the limitations of the dragon crystal nucleus and create true "Dragon Aura." However, such original martial arts creation required referencing past achievements. My initial arrogance in attempting to mimic the "Holy Ice Thorn Halo" with limited information nearly led to my death if not for the divine power within the artifact "Tears of Gaia." Now, considering the "Dragon Aura," I lacked the confidence to receive the blessings of the Dragon God again.

The millennium of accumulated research and summaries on dragon power on Sacred Dragon Mountain were indispensable to me. However, such top-secret documents were likely inaccessible even to most disciples of Sacred Dragon Mountain, let alone me. My first thought was to steal these documents, but upon reflection, I knew it was impossible. Sacred Dragon Mountain's defense system differed from Saint Spirit Mountain's, relying on dragon language magic and dragon aura sensing rather than the magic and divine arts of the Twelve Sages. Though not as complex as Saint Spirit Mountain's, it was equally mysterious and formidable, rivaling Radiant Temple's "Sevenfold Locking Prison." Without the identity of a "Dragon Emperor Knight" like "Holy Grail Knight" or an expert like Li Jia who understood the defense system, success was unlikely. Moreover, due to the internal control of the so-called "Five Dragon Families," our Beastmen had never managed to plant spies inside, leaving me in the dark.

Thinking about my thwarted plans, I couldn't help but sigh. Life was often filled with disappointments.

"Are you Fengxuan, the newly appointed Holy Grail Knight of Radiant Temple?" As I sighed under the moonlight, a girl with short red hair approached me abruptly and asked. Unlike the elegantly dressed ladies at the banquet earlier, this sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl had a boyish appearance, wearing warrior attire and carrying a giant sword taller than she was, exuding a vibrant and vigorous aura.

"Ah? Yes, I am Fengxuan. May I ask what you need, Miss?" Thanks to the lessons I had taken at Saint Spirit Mountain, my manners were impeccable.

"I am Zhu Liya Ein, a Dragon Emperor Knight candidate of Sacred Dragon Mountain. I heard you are also a martial arts enthusiast. During your stay here, I hope to learn the profound martial arts of the Temple. Please, instruct me." The girl abruptly stated her request, which caught me off guard given the inappropriate time and place.