Above The Sky
Chapter 449 - 449 415 A World in Chaos 13

449: Chapter 415 A World in Chaos (1/3) 449: Chapter 415 A World in Chaos (1/3) Pulling out the radish brings up the soil; such is the norm of this world.

Nothing happens in isolation on this land.

Ancient Dragons, possessing peerless strength, are destined not to develop quietly, unnoticed, and grow powerful—because their very existence causes changes in the world, sculpting an ecological circle that belongs to them.

But conversely, if an Ancient Dragon were to suddenly appear among the nations, as though from nowhere,

then there is only one possibility.

That is, the nations know very little about the world they live in.

There is a labyrinth, hidden deep within their realm.

Ian believes that a labyrinth can fully sustain the needs of an Ancient Dragon.

Take the South Sea Great Labyrinth as an example, its internal ecosystem could definitely support several Magical Beasts of the Fourth Energy Level.

As for the Fifth Energy Level, there’s no need to consider it, for at that level they are no longer a part of the natural ecology but the complete creators of it.

Just as a Qing Steel Dragon in its Complete Form doesn’t care about the natural ecology of the South Ridge, it only needs to exist to warp the world around it to suit itself.

“Canaan Moore houses a Great Labyrinth, one that has never been discovered.

The Qing Steel Dragon grew up there for a long time until recently, when it reached the Fourth Energy Level, gaining the ability to gradually change the surrounding ecology,”

this is Ian’s conclusion.

And this conclusion is mostly correct.

“Indeed, that’s exactly it.”

Anfa was silent for a while before this Elf Scholar, almost admiringly, nodded: “That’s pretty much it—followers from the Canaan Moore division accidentally discovered a vast subterranean dark realm during a mountain exploration, leading straight to the depths of the earth’s crust.”

“There, they found a massive vein of Qing Steel Stone… Realizing something was off, he halted the exploration and only took back the most quintessential piece.”

“But the Canaan Moore division didn’t have the technology to assess Qing Steel Stone, so they entrusted us to do it; they wanted to clarify whether the Qing Steel Dragon underground had a bloodline connection with the Bison Dragon God—if so, whether they could use this connection in the Origin Quality to find the other party.”

“Amazing!” Sio was even more direct, clapping his hands in awe: “How did you guess the existence of the labyrinth?

My guess was that this Qing Steel Dragon was forgotten by its mother in the Dragon Nest, surviving all these years by gnawing on the mountain…”

—Of course, it’s not like I haven’t seen a Great Labyrinth before, and what you’re saying is essentially projecting your own experiences onto another dragon.

Ian thought, then turned his head to look at the old man of the Mountain People.

Since there is a connection between the two Qing Steel Dragons, it’s no wonder Elder Mantle said he must know about it.

No matter how things develop, the Southern Ridge Worship Dragon Sect will definitely be involved in this matter concerning Ancient Dragons and the Labyrinth, and because of the faith in the Bison Dragon God, it will inevitably have a huge impact on the Mountain People, and even the entire Nanling Province.

—So, after knowing this, Marquis Barton also facilitated things for the Dragon Worship Cult?

Rather than letting the Dragon Worship Cult operate in the shadows, better to collaborate and keep the situation under control.

“That’s about it.”

Elder Mantle reached out and took the Qing Steel Stone necklace from the sacrificial platform, handing it back to Anfa.

He gazed at the lingering phantom of the Dragon God above the platform and said softly, “It’s an unavoidable issue.

Just as you, Ian, no matter how much you try, are a person of the South Ridge, a White Folk of Harrison Port, the Qing Steel Dragon is the Dragon God of the South Ridge, and we all are holders of the Dragon Blood of the South Ridge.”

“Given that, it’s better to take initiative and find the heir of the Dragon God.”

“But before we act, we need to root out the traitor.”

“Indeed,” Anfa nodded, “According to my guess, the betrayer is likely an elf known by the code name ‘Purple Maple.’ She was once a Knight who, after offending a parliament member, was forced to wander and during that time, her Dragon Blood awakened.”

“Looking back now, it seems to have been a painful ruse to lay the groundwork for going undercover…

She must currently be under the protection of the Torchbearers.”

“She is not our main target,” Elder Mantle said.

“After all, having betrayed us, capturing her can’t undo what’s been done—besides, Purple Maple hasn’t succeeded, the Qing Steel Stone has been delivered, the platform has absorbed the Origin Quality from the stone, and all we need to do is wait for the return of the King of the Mountain.

Then we can use the platform’s reaction to locate the whereabouts of the heirs of the Dragon God.”

At this point, the old man paused, tapping his bone staff, and spoke in a deep voice, “Our most important purpose is to cooperate with Marquis Barton and find the traitor on their side.”

“Otherwise, no matter what we do, he will leak the information out.”

By this stage, the discussion was nearing its end, and since Ian was still a patient requiring rest, he withdrew early from the meeting.

Sio took the youth away, while the old man and Anfa stood in front of the sacrificial platform.

The ancient platform was not marked by mottled moss, but still bore the traces of wind and rain.

Moonlight pierced through the thick clouds of South Ridge, shining upon the Qing Steel Stone and deepening its luster.

“He is not an undercover, but his purpose is not simple either.”

Anfa was the first to speak, sharing his conclusion.

In the elf’s golden eyes, a light shaped almost like a cross star faintly shone.

He looked in the direction Ian and Sio had left, and said lightly, “He bears us no ill will, but he was not at all panicked to learn that we are the Dragon Worship Cult—a normal knight or Sublimator would not have such an attitude unless he had known about the nature of our organization and had resolved to join it.

Otherwise, he would surely feel some aversion.”

“Although that mysterious shadow did indeed pursue him all the way here, I feel that it may also be within Ian’s calculations—he used the shadow to gain our trust…

or rather, as an excuse to contact us and an opportunity to observe our attitude towards him.”

“Despite his young age, he is profound in thought.

Beneath his harmless appearance lies a nature as finely honed as cold steel, beautiful and sharp, incredibly dangerous.”

This was a fairly objective assessment.

The old man fell silent for a long time, not speaking until after a dozen seconds had passed, “Anfa, that is not a problem at all.”

“Our intentions are not pure either, are they?”

The old man raised his head, locking eyes with the elf scholar, his voice calm, “I joined the Dragon Worship Cult to use the name of the Dragon God faith to rally the scattered Mountain People who are on the brink of division.”

“Sio and his mother, the King of the Mountain from Bison, aim to harness the Dragon Worship Cult’s millennia of knowledge and heritage to achieve the Fifth Power Level, becoming one of the true kings of this land.”

“And you, young Ashlight…

you said you joined the Dragon Worship Cult to explore the lost ancient knowledge—that is indeed true, but like Ian, is that all?”

“…

Of course not.” Anfa opened his mouth as if to speak, but after a few seconds, he shook his head with a bitter smile, “But I understand.”

The elf scholar whispered, “We indeed need a knight with boundless prospects within The Empire to provide us the various information and resources we need—just as this promising knight also needs our knowledge and resources.

We cooperate with each other.”

“Mutual benefit,” Elder Mantle emphasized, stretching out his hand to make the dragon shadow on the altar issue a light moan before dissipating, “So all I need to know is one thing— he bears us no ill will.”

“That is enough.”

He turned and left the square of the sacrificial platform, “Let’s go, I will probably need to contact Little Grant later.

You should also rest early; South Ridge won’t be peaceful for some time to come.”

“You’re right, but I feel it’s not just South Ridge,” Anfa said as he followed the old man, his tone somewhat self-deprecating, “Do you think I left Canaan Moore for no reason?

Once the Azure Sky Royal Court retreated, the Federal Parliament’s internal affairs completely fell into disarray…”

“In this world, where isn’t in chaos?”

…

The news that Ian was pursuing a mysterious shadow and ended up disappearing deep within the Bison Mountain Range quickly spread back to Harrison Port.

But surprisingly, not many were worried about Ian’s safety.

—I certainly don’t think Ian/the kid would act so recklessly; he must have other plans or contingency methods!

Indeed, some were concerned that Ian might have encountered an accident, but the majority of people’s trust in Ian was already quite blind…

especially those traders who had personally witnessed Ian bringing back the heads of the team from the Fiery Flame Land Special Operations in short order, were firmly convinced that everything was part of Ian’s plan.

—Ian being ambushed by a mysterious attacker?

It’s more likely the other way around!

And Viscount Grant was one of them.

But as the ‘truthful’ news kept coming back, he began to worry about the safety of his knight.

Fortunately, he soon learned through certain channels that Ian was now resting with the Abode Tribe…

or rather, with the Dragon Worship Cult, and was very safe.