Golden Dragon: Six Thousand Years of Empire
Chapter 72: The Ominous Instrument

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: The Ominous Instrument

The splendid armor was torn open by sharp giant claws, the robust chest pierced by a scorpion tail with a dark metallic sheen, intense pain swept through the entire body, and the surging blood began to coagulate under the injection of toxins, life force like water breaking through a dam rushing away madly, boundless darkness encroaching upon consciousness, fierce unwillingness and resentment also erupted because of life’s decay...

Roar!

The Golden Dragon let out a roar full of pain and howls, like a desperate creature on the brink of death but yearning to continue living, a complex mix of negative emotions continually surged, impacting Noah’s conscious mind.

The long, winding, and majestically elegant dragon body twisted on the Pearl Couch as if gripped by an invisible Death God, the power that burst forth in strenuous struggle grinded every pearl that made contact with the dragon body into powder.

Outside the Dragon Nest Palace, three Great Fairies exchanged looks, their delicate, petite facial features full of confusion, fear, and unease.

"Should we go inside and take a look?"

No matter which Great Fairy it was, each could feel the extreme pain contained within the dragon’s roar.

"No, Your Highness has already said, no matter what sounds come from inside, we are not to go in or disturb him."

Sifreya resolutely rejected her companion’s suggestion.

"But..."

"No buts, this is His Highness’s order."

The three Great Fairies could only stay anxiously waiting outside the closed palace.

On the Dragon Couch, Noah endured a punishment with no end in sight, because aside from enduring and accepting the endless negative emotions and pain, he had no other choice.

Dark Fruit

Noah had previously tasted the flavor of this fruit, and the dark aura nourishing it even came from his foster father, but that fruit only allowed him to taste a momentary pain.

But now this second Dark Fruit was formed from the endless resentment and unwillingness of countless Cloud Giants when they fell in battle in the Valley of Flames.

Swallowing the fruit, Noah had to taste everything these giants felt at the time of their demise, from crumbling minds to decaying bodies, he could intimately feel it all, empathizing deeply.

Noah knew the Dark Fruit was no good fruit, after all, it wasn’t his first time tasting it, although after swallowing this fruit, it could hone his mental will and improve focus, it was far too unpleasant.

Unfortunately, the Golden Dragon could not refuse, because the Dark Fruit would affect the Golden Tree, as long as this fruit was still hanging on the branch, the branch would become dull and its range would gradually expand over time.

Noah had no desire to know what would happen when the darkness and ominousness from the Dark Fruit spread to the trunk of the Golden Tree and even affect the whole Golden Tree.

That would certainly be a very bad outcome.

With such a premonition, Noah could only grit his teeth to take down the Dark Fruit, and at the moment it left the branch, the fruit instantly melted into black liquid, seeping into his whole body through the gaps in his dragon scales, as if afraid he would hesitate and regret.

This fruit was unlike those borne by the Golden Tree, and instinctively, Noah did not wish for it to hang long on the treetop branch.

So now Noah had to experience it, accepting the summons, and thus all that the Cloud Giants, who died in battle, endured at the moment of death.

It was not the experience of a single Cloud Giant, but all of them, a vividly real experience, stripping and torturing Noah’s mind and will, causing his dragon body in reality to uncontrollably let out howls.

For Noah, the measure of time became extraordinarily long, each breath and second was so tormenting, though this experience that surpassed all punishments eventually had an end.

When his consciousness, cycling through one vividly real body of a giant after another, returned to the body and regained control of the dragon form, Noah felt an unprecedented ease, as if having borne thousands of fetters, trapped underground for thousands of years, now freed in a single moment, regained freedom.

"Hoo—"

Noah exhaled deeply, and this breath burst forth from his mouth and nose, transforming into boundless flames, sweeping through the space.

"To live, it feels so good!"

Under the bright and magnificent dome, the Golden Dragon voiced this heartfelt sentiment.

"Noah, are you all right?"

At this time, the cautious voice of the Dragon Nest’s head steward Sifreya came from outside.

"I’m fine."

Having endured more than a dozen times the pain of reaching the point of death, having received all the ominousness, Noah at this moment felt his spirit more active than ever, his Dragon Soul clear and translucent, bright and flawless.

Noah left the Dragon Couch, walked out of the palace, appeared before the Great Fairies, and then, looking seemingly intact, he went to the front garden once more, feeling the warm sunshine falling on him, smelling the rich fragrance of flowers lingering at his nose, at this moment, Noah almost felt tears welling up.

"Your Highness?"

Following step by step beside Noah, Sifreya looked at the clearly slightly off Noah with some confusion.

"It’s nothing."

Noah repeated again, at this time, a sage’s saying surfaced in his heart, and after having actual experience, he also had further understanding,

"Weapons are ominous instruments, not the tool of a gentleman, used only as a last resort."

Although he had such an understanding, Noah was not planning to recall the Cloud Giants sent to the Valley of Flames, not to mention that the situation there was already stable, even if it wasn’t, the main force could never be withdrawn.

"In future recruitment of servants and followers, one must be extremely cautious, with strict selection, and even more so in external warfare, never act rashly and arbitrarily with weapons."

This was the conclusion Noah reached after swallowing the second Dark Fruit because he truly needed to bear the corresponding consequences, regardless of victory or defeat.

Time quietly slipped by once more, and after digesting that Dark Fruit bringing much pain, Noah did not rush to swallow the most complete Blood Origin Fruit.

He planned to wait until his second Deep Sleep Period arrived, when he would become a juvenile dragon before consuming that fruit, he did not want to prolong his Young Dragon Stage further.

During this time, the Augustus family entered another period of rapid development due to the prosperity of the slave trade, with a martial spirit spreading among the populace.

Even though many areas within the territory still remained undeveloped, the Augustus family, driven by multiple desires, continued to expand land towards the Valley of Flames, also known as to the east.

In this direction, the Augustus family generously rewarded numerous Transcendents who earned military merit in the Valley of Flames.

A large number of Knight Domains and a few Baron Territories were scattered like stars across this vast land, driving away ferocious beasts, cultivating land, and developing the population.

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