Chapter 229 – Chaos Forest and the Scroll Battle

The Dragon Court Land, blocked off by the Seven Great Nations, now exists in the form of a large-scale Secret Realm.

Situated between the Real World and intersecting Spatial Rifts, Lords can directly arrive here through a small Secret Realm Key.

This utilizes the inherent rules of the Eternal World itself.

It also keeps the Dragon Court Land under constant surveillance by various nations to prevent any party from secretly recruiting.

「Secret Realm Key · Dragon Court Land」

「Description: A special type of Secret Realm Key. Using this key opens a portal to the ‘Dragon Court Land’.」

「Note: This key can only be used once, and the Secret Realm portal can only be maintained for one week.」

Mu Yuan used the Secret Realm Key.

The crescent-shaped key immediately transformed into light, weaving a pale golden gate above the Lord Altar.

Mu Yuan turned around and looked at the fifteen Epic generals before him.

Only ten would be selected for the battle.

Everyone was eager and ready.

“The Dragon Court’s peak towers over the world, only with my Frost Dragon does the sky exist!”

The Frost Dragon raised its head high, recommending itself in such a manner.

Dolai glanced over, crossing its arms with an air of composure, exuding the demeanor of a super powerhouse and seasoned Senior.

After all, it wasn’t worried in the slightest.

Given its esteemed position as the second strongest in Tianyuan, General Dolai, the Lord would undoubtedly bring it along no matter how he chose.

This was the confidence of a veteran, gurgle~!

Mu Yuan first excluded the three skeletons.

Their Epic Skill ‘Undead Territory’ required management. Before expanding their territory, they were undoubtedly the weakest among the Epic generals, even worse than Asun.

With that, only two more generals needed to be excluded.

Mu Yuan’s gaze swept over them one by one.

His eyes fell on Seventeen.

She wore a single ponytail, fitted light armor, and carried the Elite Treasure Bow ‘Whispering Bow’. Her combat prowess was only average among Epic generals, but when it came to general battles or special operations, Seventeen might play a significant role.

She was worth bringing along.

Mu Yuan also planned to bring Sophia.

Sophia’s ranking in Tianyuan wasn’t high, but she possessed relatively strong reconnaissance abilities. For this reason, Mu Yuan specifically had her return to the territory temporarily. On Blue Star, he had Daisy fill in for now, with Sickle Moon acting as Daisy’s bodyguard.

As for the rest…

Mu Yuan’s gaze shifted back and forth between Tree Spirit Grandma and Asun.

“Considering environmental factors…”

“Asun, you stay behind to guard the territory.”

Asun: “!!!”

Has Falcon Lord’s chance to soar through the skies and showcase its heroic self been lost just like that?

Life has lost its motivation now_(:з」∠)_

“Guarding the territory is also an important task. With most of the territory’s powerhouses leaving this time, you must be careful not to let enemy spies take advantage of any loopholes.”

Mu Yuan looked at Isloria.

Isloria was also one of the five generals staying behind.

Having her stay was somewhat wasteful; if not for Tianyuan Territory’s abundance of strong generals, Mu Yuan would be reluctant to leave her behind.

But with a reliable General holding down the fort, if anything unexpected happens, it won’t descend into chaos, and those on the front lines can fight with peace of mind.

Bone Two and Bone Three? Asun?

Mu Yuan only held the most basic expectations for them.

Isloria felt somewhat regretful about not being able to participate, but upon second thought, didn’t this precisely prove how reliable she was?

The Lord couldn’t do without her!”My Lord, you may set off with peace of mind. I will take good care of the territory and ensure not even a single fly can slip through.”

Mu Yuan stored Deadbone and the other generals into his Lord’s Mark, then summoned a water mirror to adjust his attire and straighten his clothes. After that, he stepped through the pale golden archway.

…

They had arrived!

The moment they crossed the archway, the world around them transformed.

Rolling mountains stretched out before their eyes, shrouded in mist and clouds. Vague, massive silhouettes could be seen soaring through the skies, their roars echoing intermittently.

“Ooooh—!”

The roars shook the heavens and earth, audible even from dozens of kilometers away.

“Dragons! They’re dragons! What magnificent dragon forms!”

“Ahhhhh—I can’t believe I’m seeing so many great dragons! I’m so pumped!”

Without even turning his head, Mu Yuan knew exactly who was losing their mind.

It was the Tyrant Dragon Lord.

But to be fair, the sight of so many dragons appearing at once was truly awe-inspiring.

These were all epic-tier beings!

Inside the Mark Space, Dolai and Xiliu, who were also gazing at the outside world, simultaneously licked their lips.

They were craving a taste.

But they couldn’t eat them. How frustrating!

Mu Yuan looked around. He was standing on a relatively high platform paved with neatly arranged marble tiles. Surrounding the platform were numerous structures, including what appeared to be high-grade defensive towers emitting faint, alert glows.

Above them, flags bearing the emblem of Taixuan fluttered in the wind.

This was the Taixuan base.

In the distance, the bases of other prominent empires stood out conspicuously.

Divine Radiance, Eternal Star, Divine Wood, Seven Cities, Ten Thousand Merchants, Western Desert.

“The representatives of the Divine Radiance Empire are known as the Six Hero Kings. They are quite similar to Taixuan, possessing a wide variety of troop types. However…”

Mu Yuan’s gaze settled on one of them.

He was tall and thin, with sparse hair and sunken eye sockets, hardly exuding the aura of a top-tier powerhouse. Yet, his appearance was the result of the overwhelming undead energy within him, causing his form to gradually shift toward that of an undead being.

According to the intelligence provided by the Star Gazing Association, this individual was the one among the Divine Radiance Empire’s representatives who demanded the most attention.

The Undead King!

That was what he called himself.

This lord commanded high-tier undead units such as Death Knights, Blood Fiends, and liches. There were even reliable reports suggesting he possessed Bone Dragons.

Compared to the Divine Radiance Empire, information on the representatives of the other empires was much scarcer.

The royal families of Eternal Star and the other empires rarely took action, and no matter how capable the Star Gazing Association was, they couldn’t simply conjure up intelligence on these princes and princesses out of thin air.

However,

Mu Yuan narrowed his eyes.

He saw the Divine Wood prince seated atop a green dragon, seemingly making no effort to conceal himself as he arrogantly surveyed his surroundings.

He saw the representative of the Western Desert Empire, behind whom stood a massive, one-eyed silhouette. This, too, was an epic-tier being—a Cyclops!

Behind the princes and princesses of the Eternal Star Empire, powerful figures were openly displayed.

Among them was a giant serpent dozens of meters long, wreathed in starlight—the epic-tier ‘Stellar Serpent.’

“So many epic-tier beings!”

The Divine Cat Lord felt the pressure mounting.”Indeed,” the Clairvoyant Lord continued, “This is only what’s displayed openly. Who knows how many more are hidden? Moreover, among these displayed units, we can only identify the more conspicuous epic-tier beings. There might very well be epic units like the Polar Star Arrow or the Sage of Constellations hidden among them—ones that can’t be identified by appearance alone.”

Mu Yuan nodded.

If his judgment was correct, the archer standing behind a certain Eternal Star Princess was indeed the Polar Star Arrow.

Having used Seventeen’s template before, he was well acquainted with the subtle characteristics of the Polar Star Arrow.

The Dragon Court Competition had not yet begun, so Mu Yuan waited within Taixuan’s base.

Meanwhile, the Mount Luofu Master, the Xixiang City Lord, the Cold Moon City Lord, and others represented Taixuan in discussions with leaders from various nations.

Over an hour later,

Hum—

Divine light descended upon the center of the Dragon Court Land, accompanied by ethereal, heavenly music.

Angels bathed in sacred radiance lined up in formation.

“They’re angels!”

They wore resplendent armor, their pure white wings spread wide.

The male angels were strikingly handsome, the female angels breathtakingly beautiful—they appeared to be the most perfect creations in the world.

And indeed, angels were hailed as the most flawless epic-tier units.

Skilled in offense, defense, flight, and support, there was almost nothing angels couldn’t do.

“A dignitary from the Holy Griffin Empire has arrived.”

“Only the Holy Griffin Empire would use angels for such a display.”

The Seven Great Nations represented the seven strongest factions and forces among the Descenders.

The Holy Griffin Empire, however, was a native power.

They occupied the most fertile lands, possessed the greatest number of unit buildings, and wielded the most formidable military strength.

The Dragon Court Competition was overseen by distinguished guests from the Holy Griffin Empire, who served as arbiters.

“It’s said that for every recruitment quota in the Dragon Court Land, the Seven Great Nations have to cede a significant portion to the Holy Griffin Empire. But there’s no helping it—this empire’s power surpasses even that of the Seven Great Nations combined.”

“Their history is incredibly long, and they are the inheritors of the Holy Radiance Empire, the most glorious human empire of ancient times.”

The Kongming City Lord remarked.

As a scholar of history, he was well-versed in the relationships between nations and the world’s hidden secrets.

Once the dignitaries from the Holy Griffin Empire had taken their seats, an exceptionally massive figure, akin to a Dragon King, rose into the air at the center of the Dragon Court Land.

His indifferent gaze swept across the surroundings.

“This edition of the Dragon Court Competition will take place within the Chaos Forest. I need not elaborate on the peculiarities of the Chaos Forest…”

Mu Yuan looked toward the inner circle of the Dragon Court Land.

There, a vast forest shrouded in thick, white mist stood.

At first glance, the misty forest appeared to span only about ten kilometers—not particularly large—but it contained spatial rules that made its actual area dozens or even hundreds of times larger than what met the eye.

Within, ancient trees reached for the skies, and white mist veiled everything in haziness.

Moreover, the Chaos Forest possessed an innate rule of ‘spatial confusion.’ Its internal space shifted like a Rubik’s Cube, making it impossible for anyone to predict where they might end up next or whether they would be separated from their teammates.

Additionally, unlike the Land of Trials, the Chaos Forest existed in a space between reality and illusion.

Those who suffered fatal injuries would be expelled, but their wounds would remain.

Thus, two days prior, the Xixiang City Lord had cautioned everyone to be wary of certain strange abilities—a few epic-tier skills could bypass the rules, leaving injuries that were incurable or even truly lethal.

If the situation became untenable, the priority was to… ensure one’s own survival.Mu Yuan naturally committed this information to memory.

The colossal dragon suspended high in the sky continued speaking:

“In this Dragon Court competition, each Lord-led team will enter with one Scroll. There are two types of Scrolls: ‘Heaven’ and ‘Earth’. Collecting both Heaven-Earth Scrolls allows synthesis of a Token, but when the Token is created, it will emit visible light patterns that persist for some time.”

“The Dragon Court competition lasts three days and three nights.”

“After conclusion, nations will allocate slots based on their proportion of the total Tokens held.”

However, if eliminated midway, any Scrolls or Tokens carried will naturally be dropped.

This is a hunt!

Under the guidance of Mount Luofu Master, Mu Yuan, Tyrant Dragon, and others proceeded to the outskirts of Chaos Forest—the starting point.

Around them, teams from major nations and other countries were also warming up, eager to begin.

First update…

(End of chapter)