Chapter 694 - 437: Check It Out, Man

Chapter 694: Chapter 437: Check It Out, Man

The White Dragon, having slept for countless ages, awoke from its long dream. It stretched its body as if no one else were there.

Its draconic wings spread as it roared at the heavens, displaying the ancient majesty of a legendary creature.

Violent arcs of pure white lightning crackled across the ground. An instant later, a barrage of pure white Thunder Strikes rained down, blanketing the surrounding area. The chaotic dance of lightning was a display of immense power.

A few scorching, blinding Thunder Strikes exploded near Zhou Chen, unleashing a dense web of electric arcs that shot through the ground and air for several seconds before slowly dissipating.

Zhou Chen stared at his enemy, letting a stray arc of pure white electricity graze his cheek and leave a black scorch mark. He lowered his stance slightly, his right hand reaching behind his back to grip the hilt of his Great Tachi.

’He felt an intense pressure and a sense of crisis, as if a giant rock were pressing on his chest, suffocating him.’

This was a being far more powerful than the Magma Giant Beast, one of the Four Great Kings.

His blood began to race, surging through his body like boiling magma. Danger signals made every cell in his body shriek. This should have been a moment of fear, but his entire being was filled with something else entirely: excitement and exhilaration. He was eager for a fight.

"Outworlder."

Suddenly, a steady voice resounded in Zhou Chen’s mind. It was a special form of communication via Spiritual Power.

Zhou Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. The other’s "tone" seemed to hold little hostility. Instead, it was filled with a sense of...

Confusion?

"This long red bar above our heads... what is it?"

The White Dragon tilted its head up, asking with deep confusion.

"Also, I seem to have been shackled by some kind of powerful Rule. Hmm... and what are ’game mechanics’?"

It tried to touch the Rule shackle binding its Soul, and fragments of information were immediately sent back to it.

*Game mechanics*, *Area BOSS*... They were all incomprehensible terms.

Onawaro could not understand what any of it meant.

"..."

At this moment, the White Dragon seemed less like a ferocious guardian and more like a clueless and foolish college student. A bucket of cold water was instantly thrown on Zhou Chen’s soaring battle intent, and he asked with equal confusion:

"How long were you asleep?"

"I moved in after this Divine Hall was built and have been sleeping ever since. You are the only person who has entered."

"Ah, well..."

Zhou Chen scratched his head. "In that case, you have a *lot* of catching up to do."

* * *

"...In the year 1918 of the Gaia New Calendar, a new Abyss Church was founded called the Desecration Church. It’s no different from the other Abyss Churches, so I won’t go into detail.

In 1982, the Quasi-King Laurie made his debut. He was one of Gaia’s heroes from this century who came closest to becoming the King of Gaia. He slew a Demon Dragon that had been corrupted by the Abyss, but a few years later, he vanished for some reason. By the time he reappeared, he had been transformed into a Dark Stalker by the Desecration Church. I put him out of his misery a few days ago.

And that brings us to now. This is the year 2000 of the Gaia New Calendar, and it’s also the twentieth time the Players have descended. We’re currently in the early stages of the game’s launch—it hasn’t even been a week.

I killed the Magma Giant Beast, one of the Four Great Kings, lit the extinguished Artificial Sun, and indirectly killed another of the Four Great Kings, the Sea Serpent Emperor Dragon. The King of the Abyss probably felt threatened, so he’s preparing to trigger the Abyssalization of Gaia."

In the Divine Hall, a huge blackboard created by Zhou Chen using Alchemy stood covered in all sorts of key points.

He lectured on everything from the fundamentals of mechanics to displacement reactions, from Alchemy to controlled nuclear fusion, unfolding the grand blueprint of modern knowledge before the ancient Giant Dragon.

Extraordinary Studies, the setup of the Restricted Areas, the history of Gaia, math, physics, chemistry, Alchemy... and of course, an introduction to the Star Association.

By the time he was done with the whole spiel, his mouth was so dry he felt like he could spit sparks.

Onawaro lay on the ground, listening attentively. It would nod from time to time, revealing a humanlike, pensive expression. In its current state, it didn’t look like a majestic Giant Dragon at all, but more like... a big, understanding dog.

"I see. So I have slumbered for more than twenty centuries," Onawaro sighed.

When it decided to take on the responsibility of guarding the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings, it had prepared itself for a lonely existence. But to hear that twenty centuries had passed in the world still left it in a daze, and an empty sense of loss inevitably rose in its heart.

Even for a long-lived Giant Dragon, this was a vast stretch of time.

The friends and family of its youth had long since turned to dust. In the entire world, not a single old acquaintance remained.

As for the Dragon Race...

Thinking of the history of the Dragon Race that Zhou Chen had just recounted, Onawaro couldn’t help but sigh again.

Because of the Dragon Race’s immense power, they were often targeted by the King of the Abyss. More than ten centuries ago, some Giant Dragons were deceived and incited to start a shocking civil war. That war caused the Dragon Race to suffer disastrous losses, leaving them severely weakened and, for a time, leaderless.

Even now, the Dragon Race has yet to recover its former strength.

And it was after failing in that war for power that Mazixidun fell into Darkness and became the watchdog of the Royal City.

"Next, about the Divine Hall..."

Zhou Chen explained how the Divine Hall had been sunk beneath the earth, answering Onawaro’s question—why no one had set foot in the Divine Hall for more than twenty centuries.

Onawaro was silent for a long time, thinking over many things. Then, it pushed its massive body up.

"Since you have come for the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings, you must first pass my trial. If you cannot defeat me, I cannot give you the Sword of Ten Thousand Kings."

"Hey, hey, I thought we were getting along great! Can’t you just give it to me?" Zhou Chen’s eyes widened. ’This dragon changes its mind faster than you can blink!’