Chapter 544 Crossing the Third Island, Reaching the Fourth

Violet transformed into her dragon form, spreading her enormous wings and preparing to take off.

The reaction from the surrounding people was immediate.

Several islanders screamed in terror as the massive dragon appeared before them, while others instinctively stepped backward.

A few even prepared to fight, although the moment they looked at Violet’s enormous body and felt the pressure radiating from her, they quickly reconsidered their decision.

On the other hand, many of the people carrying camera-like items seemed completely fascinated by her appearance.

Rather than running away, they immediately began taking pictures, trying to capture every detail of the dragon’s majestic form.

Violet didn’t care about any of them.

Leon, Celeste, and Emilia climbed onto her back, settling into their usual positions before she spread her wings and took off.

Fwoosh!

A powerful gust of wind swept through the surrounding area as Violet soared into the sky, leaving the frightened islanders behind.

Within moments, they were already moving toward the third island.

"No need to go there," Leon said as they approached the island. "Just like on Ashenreach Island, if there are any servants of the gods here, they must be hiding very well. Honestly, I don’t see why they would even bother staying in a place like this when there are better locations available."

"Alright," Violet replied while continuing to fly.

She was about to pass the third island entirely, intending to head straight toward the fourth, when the volcano suddenly erupted.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion shook the surrounding area as the volcano released an enormous column of fire, smoke, and molten rock.

The eruption was far more violent than anything Leon had expected, and within seconds, countless massive chunks of magma were shooting into the sky.

"Oh, come on!" Emilia shouted, unable to believe their luck. "Of course this happens right when we’re passing by!"

The eruption didn’t stop at sending lava into the air.

Giant magma shards emerged from the volcano’s mouth, spreading in every direction before rushing toward the group with terrifying speed.

"Hold tight!" Violet warned.

She immediately flapped her wings and changed direction, accelerating through the air while avoiding the incoming lava and rocks.

The enormous dragon weaved between the flying magma shards, occasionally twisting her body.

Leon remained calm as he watched the eruption from Violet’s back, while Celeste and Emilia held on tightly to avoid being thrown off by the sudden movements.

Although the eruption was dangerous enough to kill most players who happened to be nearby, it wasn’t something that could threaten their group.

What they didn’t realize was that the people back on Ashenreach Island were witnessing the entire scene.

Almost everyone had immediately turned their attention toward the eruption, hoping to capture the moment the cycle began.

However, as the dragon appeared in the middle of the volcanic disaster, their focus shifted entirely.

The pictures they took captured not only the enormous eruption but also the majestic dragon flying through the sky with three people sitting on its back.

"I wish we could have watched the eruption from a distance as well," Celeste sighed as she looked back toward the volcano. "Honestly, I would love to explore all the Higher Domains. I’m sure there are plenty of beautiful and interesting places like this one."

"The [Eternal Battlefield] has more events than anywhere else in Eternal Ascension," Leon replied, trying to reassure her. "However, it’s both beautiful and terrifying, so don’t expect everything there to be as peaceful as this."

He smiled slightly before continuing, "You’ll see it soon enough anyway."

Celeste nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer.

After approximately a minute, Violet finally managed to fly through the third island.

The eruption gradually disappeared behind them, and the group could finally see the next island in the distance.

Unlike the previous islands, the fourth one was considerably smaller.

The only noticeable landmark was a giant purple portal standing in the middle of the island.

"That’s the portal to the dungeon, that man said its the only way to the last island."

Of course, Violet completely ignored that information.

Instead of landing on the fourth island, she continued flying above it and headed toward the fifth island, which was supposedly located beyond it.

However, the moment she crossed the boundary of the fourth island, she entered a thick mist that completely obscured everything ahead of them.

Violet continued flapping her wings and flying forward, maintaining her speed while trying to find a way through the fog.

At first, she assumed the mist would eventually disappear, allowing them to see the fifth island in the distance.

Yet, after nearly ten minutes of flying, nothing changed.

The fog remained just as thick as before, and the island they had left behind seemed to have disappeared entirely.

Violet finally realized that something was wrong and decided to turn around.

The moment she did, however, her eyes widened.

"What the fuck?"

She looked down and discovered that the fourth island was directly beneath them, despite the fact that she had just spent several miles flying away from it.

"How is that possible?" Violet asked in disbelief.

Leon glanced at the island before calmly nodding, "I guess there’s really no other way. Let’s just get this over with."

Violet descended toward the island, eventually landing near the massive purple portal.

There were already several hundred players gathered around it, most of whom appeared to be discussing their plans for the dungeon.

Judging by their levels and equipment, they were clearly not ordinary players, and almost everyone present seemed to be above Level 90.

"Alright, listen carefully," a man said while addressing the players around him. Judging by his position and the way everyone listened, he was probably their leader. "We failed once before, and every single member of our previous group died. However, we managed to put together a decent map of the dungeon based on what we discovered."

He paused, making sure everyone was paying attention before continuing.

"According to the information we gathered, every exit is guarded by a powerful boss. We don’t know exactly how strong they are, but we should be prepared for anything. If we work together, we might finally be able to reach the fifth island."

"Who cares if there’s a boss guarding the exit?" a muscular orc woman standing beside him laughed while cracking her knuckles. "We can just smash through them!"

She appeared to be the group’s co-leader, and judging by her enormous physique and equipment, she was probably a powerful fighter.

The leader gave her a helpless look before continuing to explain the plan.

Hundreds of players were gathered around the portal, and it quickly became clear that they weren’t several independent groups planning to enter the dungeon separately.

Instead, they were all part of one enormous organization that had spent months preparing for this expedition.

Their objective was simple: conquer the dungeon and finally reach the fifth island.

There were countless rumors about what awaited anyone who managed to reach the final island.

Some claimed that it was filled with incredible treasures, while others believed that the natives there possessed knowledge and powers that couldn’t be found anywhere else in the Higher Domains.

However, reaching it was far from easy.

First, players had to survive the third island, and even those who managed to become powerful enough to reach Level 90 still had to face the fourth island’s dungeon.

And if someone died inside, their only chance of returning was to use a [Resurrection Stone].

Such items were incredibly rare, and most players couldn’t afford to waste one after spending years trying to become stronger.

That was why this group had gathered so many people together. They hoped that by combining their strength and knowledge, they could finally overcome the dungeon.

However, their discussion came to an abrupt halt when a massive dragon suddenly descended from the sky.

The ground trembled beneath Violet’s landing, and several players immediately shouted in alarm as they prepared to fight.