Chapter 289: To Rule One Must Have Power and Connections, Dragon King Ghidorah (II)

After more than half an hour, the violent depths of the sea gradually calmed. The murky seabed, spanning dozens of kilometers, had turned into ruins. The ground had collapsed, and small hills were shattered.

The hundred-meter-long Serpent lay weakly at the bottom of the sea. Almost every head had shattered scales and mangled flesh, and the three strongest black-horned heads were barely breathing, exhaling weak bubbles.

Beside it, the Thunder Beast had retracted its domain, leaving only golden flames dancing on the three pairs of feathered horns on either side of its head that formed a crown of fire.

Coupled with the menacing aura emanating from its body and the Serpent lying nearby, it looked like a true monarch of beasts; invincible, domineering, and fierce.

The Thunder Beast wasn't entirely unscathed. Its shoulders and abdomen had been bitten through by the desperate attacks of the Serpent's heads, revealing tough, flame-imbued muscles beneath. Even now, however, the wounds were healing at a visible rate, with scales regrowing.

Absolutely monstrous!

The Silver Dragon also retracted its domain and walked over, its wings slightly spread. It raised its head and looked down arrogantly at the fallen Serpent, letting out a proud roar.

Roar! This is the price for angering the great Saixitia. Now you understand the power of our Dragon Palace.

Roar! Roar!

Seeing the Silver Dragon's arrogance, the Serpent’s eyes became filled with defiance, even as it lay weakly on the ground. Its nine heads roared, sending out intermittent spiritual thoughts.

Roar! Roar! Roar! If it weren't for that, helping you, you couldn't have beaten me...

The Thunder Beast looked coldly at the Serpent on the ground and growled.

Roar! I am the Thunder Fiery Dragon King of the Dragon Palace, Ao Batian. I have roamed for many “years,” and you are the first creature of the same level to fight me to this extent.

Roar! Rest assured, I will not kill you today. We will overlook the cause of this battle, and from now on, your grievances with Saixitia are settled.

The nSerpent, having thought it was doomed, was momentarily stunned and then let out a weak sigh of relief.

Battles among mutated creatures were brutal, and losing usually meant death if escape was impossible, as had been the case for those that faced the Serpent before. However, the instinct to survive meant it naturally didn’t want to die.

Then the Thunder Beast growled again.

Roar! Your strength has earned my recognition. Are you interested in joining the Dragon Palace?

The Serpent struggled a bit, its nine heads letting out a synchronized, chaotic roar.

Roar! Roar! Roar! What, Dragon Palace?

The Silver Dragon arrogantly replied.

Roar! The Dragon Palace is a colossal beast empire established by me and Ao Batian. In the future, it will unify the oceans and dominate the world. Being invited to join today is your honor. I don't usually look favorably upon ordinary transcendent creatures.

The Serpent's heads showed confusion.

Roar! Roar! Roar! Joining, what good? I only like to sleep.

The Thunder Beast growled.

Roar! Joining the Dragon Palace has many benefits. For example, together we can occupy a broader territory and have access to more resource points that yield good things.

Roar! Additionally, we can join forces against powerful enemies. In this era, it's hard to survive alone because there is always someone stronger. You will inevitably encounter a transcendent being more powerful than you. So to survive, besides being able to fight, you need forces and connections.

Roar! For instance, today Saixitia wasn’t your match, but with me, you stood no chance. That's the benefit of having forces. Or, if Saixitia weren't here today, even if you couldn't beat me, you could have escaped instead of lying here on the seabed, facing potential death at any moment.

The Thunder Beast’s words made the Serpent's eyes flicker, as it seemed to realize the truth in them.

The Thunder Beast had strength comparable to its own, but its most powerful abilities were only effective in close combat. If the Serpent could maintain distance, the outcome of a battle involving its three major abilities was still uncertain.

The Silver Dragon was slightly weaker. Yesterday, the Serpent had repelled it along with its two subordinates. Today, however, under the coordinated attack of the two colossal beasts, the Serpent now found itself powerless and severely injured.

The Serpent hesitated, its nine heads letting out a confused, low growl.

Roar! Roar! Roar! Joining means, companions, won’t fight me?

The Thunder Beast growled.

Roar! Joining the Dragon Palace means we are brothers standing back to back. We fight enemies together, share benefits, and grow stronger together.

Roar! Roar! Roar! Then I will join.

A slight smile appeared on the Thunder Beast’s lips as flames flickered from its nostrils, making it look particularly fierce.

Roar! Welcome to the Dragon Palace. Let me introduce you.

Roar! This is Saixitia, the Icestorm King, ruler of the Dragon Palace, overseeing all its affairs.

Roar! Roar! Roar! It's the Dragon Palace’s king?

The Serpent’s eyes showed confusion. It didn’t understand why the slightly weaker beast was the king when the black-and-red beast entwined with thunder and fire seemed stronger.

The Thunder Beast growled.

Roar! In the Dragon Palace, the king-level status is equal. We all stand on the same level, but Saixitia has contributed more to the Dragon Palace, so it takes the lead. With your strength, joining the Dragon Palace can grant you the title of Dragon King, with a status equal to mine and Saixitia's.

Roar! Below us, the Dragon Palace also has General Single-horned Kun, Chancellor Dragon Turtle, and several orca guards. Overall, our force is quite strong.

Roar! By the way, do you have a name?

The Thunder Beast suddenly thought to ask this question.

The Serpent’s eyes showed confusion.

Roar! Roar! Roar! What is a name?

The Thunder Beast growled an explanation.

Roar! A name is what we call each other. For example, I am Ao Tian, also known as Ao Batian. Saixitia is just Saixitia. Seeing as you don’t seem to have a name, how about I give you one? From now on, you will be called Dragon King Ghidorah.

Roar! Roar! Roar! Ghi...dorah. I will be called, Ghidorah, now on.

The Serpent, recovering a bit, showed excitement in its eyes as it looked at the Thunder Beast with a newfound sense of closeness.

This colossal beast had given it a name.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The Thunder Beast nodded in satisfaction and growled.

Roar! Today, our Dragon Palace has gained a new member. Let's return and gather everyone for a banquet to welcome Ghidorah.

The nearby Silver Dragon instinctively covered its reverse scale[1], a look of vigilance in its eyes.

Roar! Ao Batian, I have no more food.

Roar! Oh, I almost forgot. In that case, let's hold Ghidorah's welcome banquet after Big Horn has made some new discoveries. Let's go back.

With that, the Thunder Beast turned around, its enormous body creating waves as it strode away. Each step shattered the seafloor around it, and a slight smile appeared at the corners of its mouth, indicating its good mood.

In fact, upon first seeing the mighty Serpent, the Thunder Beast had considered recruiting it. Otherwise, it would have used all its power to kill it.

The reason, of course, was to strengthen the Dragon Palace. After learning a bit about the mythical world from the Silver Dragon, it understood that having a background and strength was necessary for survival.

Solo fights wouldn't suffice. Even if it was unmatched in combat at the same level, it might still face the same predicament the nSerpent faced today.

The vast mythical world wasn't just home to colossal beasts. There were also powerful civilizations like that of the humans and the Purgatory Demon Clan. One day, it might also face an attack from several or even a dozen opponents of the same level.

However, recruiting the Serpent had hinged on the fact that there was no deadly enmity between them from the previous day. If the Dragon Turtle or Single-horned Kun had died yesterday, it would have been a different story, as the Thunder Beast had some affection for those two.

Unaware of the Thunder Beast’s thoughts, the Serpent watched them walk away and followed. In the blink of an eye, the three colossal beasts disappeared into the dark sea.

1. Chinese legends said that a dragon's scales grew along with them from birth, never shedding. The only exception was a scale located under the neck, which grew in reverse; touching this scale would immediately incite murderous rage in the dragon. ☜