Chapter 177: Chapter 170: Spare His Life

Summer, Year 9361 of the Chenxi Calendar.

The drone of cicadas seemed a world away.

The scorching sun hung high in the sky, baking the Eldron Plain like a red-hot iron plate.

Where the wilderness met the hills, a young man stood silently on a ridge, letting the sun beat down on him.

He stood tall and straight as a pine, with broad shoulders and long legs. He wore a dusty, gray hooded robe, its fabric faded from countless washings and its hem caked with dust, giving him the unassuming appearance of a wandering Mercenary who spent his life on the road.

But the two-handed greatsword slung across his back was enough to make anyone who might underestimate him swallow their scorn.

The blade was nearly the height of a grown man, its broad spine glinting with a dark, somber blue under the sun, like the surface of a bottomless pool. It showed no keen edge, yet it exuded a heavy, bone-deep sense of oppression.

He had a proper, well-defined face. While his features weren’t strikingly handsome, they carried an air of steady composure.

His deep brown eyes were especially memorable—bright and clear, they held a worldly wisdom and poise that left an unforgettable first impression.

At this moment, the young man was gazing at a piece of land several kilometers away, a land that had been ravaged time and again by war.

Even from such a great distance, he could still clearly feel the energy fluctuations emanating from that place.

The roar of magical explosions was like the low rumble of distant thunder.

Flares of Magic blossomed in succession through the forest, and the shockwaves from the collision of elemental energies threw the air into turmoil.

That was the battlefield where the Silver Moon Clan and Kresol Dragon City were at war.

This protracted, seesaw battle had already lasted for three full months.

For three months, the great army of Kresol Dragon City had surged forward like the tide each day, only to slowly retreat after leaving the ground littered with corpses.

The Silver Moon Clan, however, was like a silent reef, standing firm against the crashing tide, completely unmoved.

"The Silver Moon Clan..."

The young man murmured to himself, his voice low and calm, as if he were chatting with an old friend.

"It’s rare to see a local power that can stand against a Dragon City head-on. This Elf Clan is quite impressive. Wouldn’t you agree, Alicia?"

"...Indeed."

A cool yet gentle voice, like the sound of a stream flowing through a mountain ravine, drifted out from the shade of the forest behind him.

As the voice faded, a slender figure emerged from the forest.

It was a female Elf.

She had silver hair as radiant as moonlight and deep, emerald-green eyes.

Her features were so exquisite they were almost unreal, every contour a masterpiece meticulously carved by the Creator, a being seemingly not of the mortal world.

Alicia walked to the young man’s side and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him, her gaze also fixed on the distant battlefield.

"You’re taking this awfully casually," she said lightly. "To have the inclination to come here and spectate."

The young man laughed heartily. "A Golden Peak powerhouse who can seriously injure a Legendary Giant Dragon appears on the Eldron Plain. How could I not come and see such a rare event for myself? Besides, I want to see what kind of person could accomplish such a feat."

He turned his head to look at Alicia and smiled. "Didn’t you also rush over after receiving the report from your branch? Speaking of which, the one who badly wounded a Legendary Giant Dragon is a fellow kinsman of yours. How much do you know about him?"

Alicia shook her head slightly and said:

"Over twenty years ago, the Jade Royal Court intended to unify the Elf Clans of the continent. They sent out several delegations to negotiate with the various clans. One of those delegations went to the Silver Moon Forest and signed a vassal agreement with the Silver Moon Clan. At that time, a kinsman from the delegation who had earned the title of ’Radiant Star’ fought Anton, but he was defeated in a single move. That was the first time I heard the name Anton."

"But to be honest, I didn’t pay much attention back then. It was only recently that... My knowledge of him is no greater than yours. It all comes from the intelligence reports sent by the branch."

The young man nodded slightly, not surprised.

As the youngest Elf in the history of the Jade Royal Court to receive the title ’Saint Star’, Alicia held an extremely high status in the court.

She was not a member of the royal family, but her outstanding talent led her to be regarded within the court as one of its future leaders.

Given her status and accomplishments, young Elves who could capture her attention were few and far between.

The talent and strength Anton displayed back then were impressive, but not enough to register on Alicia’s radar.

Who would have thought that he would later go on to achieve such an astonishing combat record.

"I’m curious about Anton too, but I’m more interested in whether the Dragon Race has lost the protection of the Dragon God."

Alicia finally got to the point.

"That’s simple enough." The young man looked toward the distant battlefield. "We’ll know for sure once the outcome of this war is decided."

Alicia glanced at him. "Are you that certain Anton can kill the Radiant Ash Dragon?"

"Not at all." The young man grinned, revealing a set of fiercely white teeth. "If Anton can’t win, I’ll step in and deal with the Radiant Ash Dragon myself to save his life."

"There aren’t many young geniuses with such potential who also dare to oppose the Dragon Race. It would be a real shame to let him die at their hands."

The idea of taking on a Giant Dragon would shock most people, but the young man spoke of it as casually as swatting a mosquito.

Yet Alicia didn’t find it absurd in the slightest.

Because the one who said it was the Freedom Alliance’s youngest Sword Saint, Grant Hayes.

Without the protection of the Dragon God’s power, the Radiant Ash Dragon would be no match for this Sword Saint.

"Are you sure you want to interfere?" Alicia’s brows furrowed slightly. "Don’t forget you still have the Void Boundary Mark left on you by the Gale Wing Dragon. The moment you act, the Dragon Race will know you were here. If they come after you and can’t find you, they will very likely take their anger out on the Silver Moon Clan."

With Grant’s strength, the dragons sent to hunt him down would surely be from the Four Great Royal Clans, and there would definitely be more than one.

A lineup like that was something a mere Radiant Ash Dragon couldn’t even compare to.

Faced with that level of power, the Silver Moon Clan would be utterly defenseless.

Grant was naturally aware of this and smiled faintly. "That’s why I’ll wait until the last moment to act. If the Silver Moon Clan is defeated, I must at least preserve the spark that is Anton."

"Besides, don’t we need to verify if the Dragon Race has lost the power of the Dragon God? If pursuers from the Dragon Court do come after me, wouldn’t that be a perfect opportunity to test it?"

Alicia glanced at him but said no more.

She knew that once Grant made a decision, he wouldn’t easily change it.

Besides, she also didn’t want to see her fellow kinsman, Anton, die under the claws of the Dragon Race.

In any case, no matter the final outcome of this war, they would get the answers they sought.

Just then, the two of them seemed to sense something and simultaneously turned their gaze toward the distant battlefield.

Grant raised an eyebrow, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"It seems Kresol Dragon City has lost its patience."

...

Kresol Dragon City, front-line encampment.

In the command post, six executive officers stared at the image on the Water Curtain, the atmosphere so heavy it felt like you could wring water from it.

Three months!

Three whole months!

They had poured in countless resources, sacrificed tens of thousands of vassal cannon fodder, and even the Radiant Flame Legion had been bled by one attack after another, yet they still couldn’t break through that pale green barrier of light.

The Silver Moon Forest still stood there, completely unscathed.

What infuriated them even more was that the defensive strength of those pointy-ears showed no signs of weakening.

’Where in the world are they getting so many supplies from?’

They had no way of knowing how much longer it would take to exhaust the Silver Moon Clan’s supplies and troops.

"We can’t drag this on any longer."

Hector was the first to break the silence, his voice laced with an anxiety and a sliver of fear that he himself was unwilling to admit.

"The City Lord could emerge from the inner fortress at any moment. If he finds out we still haven’t taken the Silver Moon Forest after all this time... you haven’t forgotten what happened to Zane, have you?"

The faces of the executive officers changed in unison as they remembered their unlucky colleague who had been crushed to death by a single swipe of the City Lord’s claw.

The City Lord’s rage and killing intent from that day still sent a chill down their spines whenever they recalled it.

They wouldn’t dare bet on the City Lord showing them any mercy.

"We must end this war before the City Lord comes out of seclusion." Hector turned to Aurion, his tone decisive. "My lord, let’s launch an all-out assault."

The other executive officers said nothing, only turning their gazes silently toward Aurion.

Their silence was the clearest statement of all.

Aurion sighed inwardly. His original plan had been to use their superior numbers and vast resources to exhaust the Array’s energy, break into the forest, and then have the army deal with the Silver Moon Clan’s High Tier combatants.

That way, they wouldn’t have to risk entering the battle themselves.

But now, it seemed that plan had gone awry.

’Things have come to this; we have no choice but to act.’

With that thought, Aurion no longer hesitated. He slowly rose to his feet and said in a deep voice, "Send the order! All Pure-blooded Dragon Race senior officers are to assemble immediately. Prepare for a full-scale assault!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Having made the decision, the frustration and resentment that the executive officers had suppressed for three months finally found an outlet. A mixture of excitement and ferocity appeared on their faces.

They were absolutely confident when it came to a clash between High Tier combatants.

According to their intelligence, the Silver Moon Clan only had a single Golden Peak expert holding the line, and all their Golden Tier combatants combined could be counted on two hands.

And their side?

Even after losing several executive officers in succession, Dragon City still had six Golden Peak masters who had awakened the Power of Law, as well as over a hundred Golden Tier senior officers from the Pure-blooded Dragon Race.

With a lineup like that, how could the Silver Moon Clan possibly resist?

If the Silver Moon Clan’s High Tier combatants didn’t come out to face them, so be it. At worst, they would just attack the Array.

But if their opponents dared to meet them in battle, they could use this opportunity to slaughter the Silver Moon Clan’s entire leadership and perhaps even secure a decisive victory in one fell swoop.

...

Silver Moon Forest, command post.

The Clan’s leadership noticed the changes in the enemy’s rear camp almost immediately.

On the Water Curtain, over a hundred figures were rushing toward the battlefield at extreme speed, far faster than the Firemane Cavalry.

"It’s the senior officers of the Pure-blooded Dragon Race from Dragon City, and the executive officers!" Elena said quickly.

The Elves’ expressions immediately turned grim, and they all looked toward the Great Elder.

The Great Elder wasted no words, giving a decisive order: "To battle!"

At the same time, he looked toward the members of the Fallen Dragon Association.

The latter group said little, simply rising to their feet with solemn expressions, their actions serving as their answer.

Everyone understood that this three-month-long war of attrition had finally reached its most critical moment.

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