When the first rays of morning light penetrated the yellow sand, the fortress of the Dragonborn Alliance was like an ancient beast that had been dormant for a long time and suddenly rose from the depths of the sand sea. Under the shining of the early sun, it was full of mysterious and strange luster. The once barren and silent oasis now stood with a towering wall formed by the solidification of sandstorms. Every sand brick seemed to have been carefully carved by the knife of time, engraved with ancient and mysterious dragon runes. When the breeze blew, the runes seemed to have life, emitting a low and long hum, as if telling the glory and honor of the dragon clan in the past. On the top of the wall, the sentinels holding bone spears stood tall like pine trees, their eyes vigilantly scanning every inch of the sand around them. Their clothes were carefully decorated with scales, and under the caress of the morning light, they flickered with tiny glimmers, like stars scattered in the night sky.
Inside the fortress, the water-purifying dragon ball was suspended on the ancient and solemn altar in the central square, emitting a soft and clear blue light, like a tranquil blue lake, bringing a touch of coolness and hope to this land surrounded by yellow sand. Below the dragon ball, the water source seemed to be endowed with a soul, turning into a lifelike dragon-shaped fountain. The water rushed down from the dragon's mouth, drawing graceful arcs in the air, falling into the pool below, splashing layers of crystal water, forming a sparkling water surface. Refugees and low-level monks lined up in an orderly manner, holding old but clean pottery jars in their hands, their eyes full of desire and cherishment for the water source. On the side, children were like cheerful little birds, laughing and playing by the pool. Their crisp and pleasant laughter, like silver bells, echoed in the air, instantly breaking the long-standing silence of the desert and injecting vitality into the fortress.
The tribal girl with white hair like snow stood tall and proudly on the high platform. The water-purifying dragon ball inlaid in her right eye was shining with mysterious light, as if it was the most mysterious star in the universe. She raised her hand gently to signal, and the dust that was raging like a wild horse suddenly became docile as if it had heard the supreme command, and automatically moved to the sides, revealing the neatly arranged, wide and flat training ground below. "From today on, this is no longer a refuge that is bullied and trampled on." Her voice was clear, loud, firm and powerful, like a heavy hammer, echoing for a long time over the fortress, "The Dragonborn Alliance will become a warm home for all the oppressed and a solid support for them!"
The crowd below the stage was boiling with thunderous cheers. They raised their crude but powerful weapons high in the air and shouted in unison. Their voices gathered together like surging waves, as if they were about to break through the sky. However, in the corner of this passionate crowd, a gray-robed monk seemed to be in an ice cellar, exuding coldness and uneasiness. He lowered his head and tightly grasped the secret letter in his arms. His knuckles turned slightly white due to the force. Fine beads of sweat oozed from his forehead, like beads that had broken off the string, slowly sliding down his slightly weathered cheeks. It was a letter from the remnants of Kunlun Ruins. The words in the letter seemed like the whispers of a devil, promising to give him supreme power and coveted strength, and the condition for the exchange was to seize the water-purifying dragon ball that symbolized the hope of the Dragonborn Alliance.
The night was like a huge piece of black silk, quietly covering the entire fortress, and everything fell into silence. Taking advantage of the cover of the night, the gray-robed monk came to the altar quietly like a ghost. He slowly knelt on his knees, looking at the dragon ball emitting blue light, his eyes full of pain and struggle. "I joined the Dragonborn Alliance with a heart of protection." He murmured to himself, with a deep sob in his voice, as if the rope of fate was tightly strangled in his throat, "But Kunlun Ruins promised to bring my lost wife and children back to me." Just as he was unable to extricate himself from this painful choice, the ground suddenly shook violently without warning, as if a sleeping giant beast deep in the earth was awakened. Then, a huge sand ghost broke out from the ground. Its body was completely condensed by flowing quicksand, and its shape was strange and terrifying. The sand ghost opened its huge mouth full of sharp teeth, let out a deafening roar, and instantly swallowed the gray-robed monk. Under the cold moonlight, only a hand tightly holding the secret letter was left, lonely and exposed on the sand. It looked particularly dazzling, as if it was a silent mockery of human greed and fragility.
At the same time, behind the rolling sand dunes outside the fortress, the camp of the remnants of Kunlun Ruins was brightly lit, like a burning sea of ??fire. An old man in a black robe stood quietly in the center of the camp, staring at the direction of the Dragonborn Alliance like a hawk. The communication jade slip in his hand flashed a strange red light, as if it was an evil eye spying on its prey. "The traitor has disappeared?" The corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a cold and disdainful sneer, "It doesn't matter, we have carefully planned, and we have other chess pieces in our hands." He slowly turned his head and looked at the group of monks behind him with indifferent expressions and greed and desire in their eyes. A fierce light flashed in his eyes, like a flash of lightning across the night sky, "Tomorrow, act according to the established plan, and there must be no mistakes."
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
The next morning, when the first rays of sunlight shone on the earth again, the envoys sent by the remnants of Kunlun Ruins held high the white flag symbolizing peace and walked in front of the Dragonborn Alliance with seemingly steady steps. The middle-aged monk in the lead had a fake smile on his face, like a blooming fake flower, and shouted: "We are well aware of the horror of the threat of chaos, and are willing to work hand in hand with the Dragonborn Alliance to jointly resist this world-destroying disaster!" The tribal girl stood on the city wall with a sturdy figure, her eyes like the sharpest cold stars in the night sky, and she looked at the group of uninvited guests vigilantly. After a moment, she calmly ordered the city gate to be opened. "Tell me what your so-called sincerity is." Her voice was as cold as ice, as if it could freeze the air.
The messenger was full of respect, and presented a scroll with both hands. With a seemingly sincere smile on his face, he explained: "This is the distribution map of Chaos believers' strongholds that we have spent a lot of effort to master, and there is also a sincere resource sharing agreement. We hope to start cooperation between the two sides based on this." However, at the moment he handed over the scroll, his sleeves slipped down inadvertently, revealing a tracking symbol unique to Kunlun Ruins, like a poisonous snake hidden in the dark, exposing their sinister intentions. Another traitor hiding in the crowd had been secretly observing all this. Seeing this, his eyes flickered, and he quietly put a black pill into the wine bag in his arms. In the dim light, the pill exuded a strange smell, as if it was a time bomb that was about to explode.
Lin Feng had been hiding in the crowd, like a cheetah lurking in the dark, silently observing everything around him. Suddenly, like a beast that smelled the scent of prey, he shuddered all over and felt an extremely familiar breath. His eyes were sharp, and he followed the breath and saw a young child running and playing happily in the crowd. Every time the child ran and jumped, a trace of Lin Wanqiu's afterimage flashed across his body like a phantom. Lin Feng's heart suddenly beat violently, as if it was about to burst through his chest. He was about to step forward impatiently, but was ruthlessly interrupted by the sudden commotion in front of him.
The monk who had drunk the poisoned wine suddenly attacked as if possessed by a demon. He drew out his long sword, his eyes flashing with madness, and stabbed the water-purifying dragon ball on the altar like a mad beast. The tribal girl reacted like lightning, and the dragon ball in her right eye shone brightly in an instant, like a star that suddenly exploded. A dazzling blue light was like a sharp blade, instantly knocking the traitor away. At the same time, the Kunlun Ruins monks who were ambushing around appeared like poisonous snakes hidden in the dark, and launched a fierce attack. For a moment, the shouts of killing shook the earth, and arrows rained down on the city wall, interweaving into a web of death in the air.
"It's really a despicable trap!" The tribal girl's eyes widened, she shouted, and quickly formed seals with her hands. The light of the water-purifying dragon ball surged, like a blue sun, turning into an indestructible blue light shield, blocking all attacks. Her white hair danced wildly in the wind, like surging white waves, and she chanted something, summoning a huge sandstorm tornado. The sandstorm tornado swept towards the enemy with a devastating momentum, and wherever it went, sand and rocks flew, and the sky and the earth changed color, as if it wanted to completely devour the enemy.
Seeing this, Lin Feng wielded the Ni Lin Blade, like a brave and fearless god of war, and rushed into the enemy group without hesitation. The Ni Lin Blade seemed to have life in his hand. Wherever the blade passed, the space was easily torn like fragile cloth, making a harsh sound. Under his attack, the enemies fell one after another, like fallen leaves in the autumn wind. However, in the fierce battle, Lin Feng still looked in the direction of the child from time to time. The familiar breath was like a magnet, constantly attracting his attention, becoming stronger and stronger. He firmly believed in his heart that the remnant soul of Lin Wanqiu must be in this child, just like finding a ray of hope in the darkness.
Seeing that the sneak attack plan had failed, the remnants of Kunlun Ruins were in disarray and began to retreat in a panic. But before they retreated, they detonated the explosives they had buried in advance, like insidious and cunning wolves. With several violent explosions, the ground shook, a corner of the fortress wall collapsed, and smoke and dust rolled, covering the sky. The tribal girl looked at the damaged wall with a firm look in her eyes, and shouted loudly: "Do they think they can defeat us like this? The Dragonborn Alliance will only become stronger and more indestructible in the tempering of war!"
In the chaotic crowd, the child suddenly closed his eyes and fainted on the ground. Lin Feng seized the opportunity to approach and carefully picked up the child. He could clearly feel that the residual soul of Lin Wanqiu was sleeping in the child's body, but for some reason, it was suppressed by a mysterious and powerful force and could not wake up. "Wait for me, Wanqiu." He swore silently in his heart, his voice firm and persistent, "I will try every possible way to find a way to wake you up, and I will never let you sleep forever."
After the battle, the members of the Dragonborn Alliance quickly took action to clean up the ruins and repair the city walls. The tribal girl stood alone on the broken city wall, facing the biting wind and sand, looking at the vast desert in the distance. She knew that the war with Kunlun Ruins had just begun.