Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 716 - 660 Black Dragon

Lyle did not join Alcalon’s feast, nor did the Black Dragon insist. Or rather, the look of sheer terror that Lyle had displayed upon receiving his invitation was satisfaction enough for Alcalon. He swished his tail in proud contentment, the hard bony spikes at the end thrashing against the rocks behind him, producing a dull thud.

The surroundings were barren, with rugged rocks standing guard beside the Black Dragon. It seemed to be the entrance at the bottom of a valley, with the only passage located behind the Black Dragon. A cool breeze blew out from the depths of the valley, carrying the raw scent from Alcalon’s dining table to Lyle’s side. The magic power in the air stimulated Lyle’s skin, providing a pleasure similar to a massage – the result of the dense magic power. This place was a magic web node, and Sahazaan lay on the other side of the valley.

"The old man thinks my eating habits are a bad influence, but I prefer to enjoy my prey alone," Alcalon’s cheeks were inflated, and despite his unclear voice, spurts of blood shot from the corners of his mouth, luckily, the elevation saved Lyle from any mess.

"Has it really changed this much? I remember you didn’t shy away from cooked food. How did you end up feasting on decay when outside? A dragon’s physique is indeed astonishing... but look at this meat. I guarantee the one in charge of its rations would be sentenced to death. How did it not kill you?"

Alcalon nonchalantly tore off a massive chunk of leg meat from a giant beast.

"This is Sahazaan, life thrives beyond your imagination, Lyle." The Black Dragon poked at his lunch, which was big enough to rival a small carriage, truly a grand feast. "I can’t find a chef to cook this amount, and besides, food here decays especially fast."

Lyle paused, then extended a tentacle to slice a section through the meat. Black spots formed instantaneously upon contact with air, spreading rapidly across the flesh like ink soaking into paper.

"Horrible, this Land of Life would make necromancy retreat. These Super Decomposers can devour a corpse so thoroughly that nothing remains."

"The best part isn’t just that," the Black Dragon shifted to reveal the dark pathway behind him. He licked his lips, flashing a vicious smile showcasing his thirty-two teeth, "The creatures within are especially large. And their wails are exceptionally loud, I just love it here. In the heart of Sahazaan, there’s a mountain peak. When I drop my prey from the summit, they can scream for at least twenty seconds during the fall..."

Alcalon’s golden serpentine eyes narrowed into slits, a reaction to adrenaline production, his pupils quickly returned to normal, and no more evil hissing sound came from his mouth.

"You missed out on a good show, Lyle. A week ago, you would have seen me lead the Ancient Human Clans to dominate this land. Previously occupied by a bunch of long-haired monkeys, ah, they felt quite nice to the touch. By the time I came to my senses, they were already extinct. But never mind, Sahazaan’s species turn over quite rapidly, so says Ohmhead."

Lyle watched the Black Dragon’s neatly arranged teeth, covered in a film of blood like bloodied guillotine blades.

"Sounds like you get along well with the tribe."

"Of course, my clan loves me!" Alcalon spread his wings and sprayed flames into the air, boasting his might proudly, "Ohmhead’s folk are simple creatures. We all value strength, and my achievements have conquered them. We’ve become as close as family, hahahaha, I knock down at least twenty a day! Ohmhead holds me in such high regard, he says I’m much better than the previous generation of Black Dragons!"

Lyle’s expression contorted at the words. You didn’t take those harmonious father-son relationships too far now, did you? Perhaps this naive fellow merely fancied himself popular, while actually, the tribe members loathed him to the core. If that were the truth, Lyle wouldn’t be surprised at all – this batch of young dragons seemed to have all grown up skewed.

"Did Lord Ohmhead really say that? Those were his exact words?"

"No, he used a powerful synonym to describe me."

"What was it?"

"Despicable," even on that face covered in black scales, Lyle could see Alcalon’s eyebrows dancing with animation. "I had great power, but I also showed martial prowess and skill. Like raiding the invaders who occupied this place at night, biting through their necks while they slept. Spewing fire to burn their buildings, soaring in the sky and casting a shadow of death. I remember their leader, clad in some damned armor, almost immune to all my attacks, but alas, it couldn’t fly. By the time it fell for the tenth time, it became a can of meat juice, poor fellow."

"Then some rock creatures who called themselves the Lord of the Earth Elementals crawled out of the ground, saying they would serve me, and forge battle armor for me with something called Primordial Armor, provided that I fight for the Earth Elemental Plane." The Black Dragon glanced at Lyle, "That was your doing, wasn’t it? You had Imelt pull off that elemental invasion."

"Did you agree?" Lyle already knew the answer, the Black Dragon didn’t have any rock armor or an iron chin. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"No, I have my peerless tribe, I don’t need those stone people who run away. And that so-called world’s hardest Primordial Armor is dead heavy, why would I want to be an iron turtle specialized in taking hits. Scars make me angry, pain and injuries make me stronger." The Black Dragon lifted his majestic head high, with the sun emerging behind him like a glowing crown. The dragon’s dignity surged on its magnificent body, and Lyle was surprised to find that only at this moment did the wildest Black Dragon come closest to his vision of the mythical dragon, a noble and beautiful fantastic beast.

"Welcome to Sahazaan, Lyle, where you will witness the most powerful tribe of the mythic era rise again under my lead."

Lyle opened his mouth.

"Where do you place your dad and your dragon tribe?"

The Black Dragon’s body stiffened, his face illegible beneath the sun’s glare.

"That old guy is going to die sooner or later, I’ll just kill him when he gets a bit older and become the new king of dragons."

This kid’s brain really hadn’t changed for the better, not to mention whether the dragon teacher now revered as the body of an evil god would age, even if he really died of old age, that would simply mean returning to his Necromancy form.

Alcalon tossed the remaining scraps aside to let them naturally decompose, "Come on, Lyle, once I got Imelt’s Repentance Slate I knew this day would come eventually. Come greet my tribe, and maybe do me a small favor."

"Hold on a second," something about the recent commotion made Lyle think of something. He walked over to the remains of the Black Dragon’s meal, observing the constantly collapsing piles of meat, and carefully compared the bones.

Lyle muttered to himself, "Just as I thought... indeed, the dense life force of Sahazaan can bear the weight of any life, and naturally, it can sustain them as well... Alcalon, do you know what kind of meat this is?"

The Black Dragon shook his head. "I don’t care, I only care about the taste, and the taste was good."

"Someone cares. If I’m not mistaken, this should be a Liang dragon, a kind of ancient creature that should have been extinct. If your dad were still alive when I killed a dinosaur, he’d definitely have killed me."

Kid, you’re in big trouble; you formatted your dad’s E drive.

Unexpectedly, Alcalon was quite calm, or rather indifferent.

"So what, he doesn’t need a reason to beat me up."