Chapter 471

Chapter 471: The Opening of the Dragon Fortress

Thirty-six selectors emerged victorious, joined by fourteen recommended candidates, finalizing the fifty fighters from Mososbury City.

Without grand ceremonies or cheering crowds, these fifty fighters quietly arrived at a canyon four hundred kilometers from Mososbury City two days later, led by their family Great Elders and priests.

The canyon, called Snake Spine Valley, resembled a massive serpent coiled in the depths of the Shaded Realm.

Bone-chilling winds carrying strange particles occasionally swept through the valley.

Dark Magic here fluctuated unpredictably—sometimes dense as magic vein springs, other times thin as anti-magic zones.

Even Midi, who drew the Radiance of Darkness from dark magic, treaded cautiously in this mysterious place.

Only family heads, Great Elders, and priests accompanied the fifty fighters, totaling under two hundred people.

These elites represented Mososbury City’s most powerful rulers.

Only they could access this prized territory.

The family heads of Death Scorpion, Crimson Blood Bats, Flame Serpent, and Two-Headed Warwolf arrived early. Veyna and the Black Dragon High Priests also appeared.

Dispensing formalities, the priests immediately chanted intricate spells.

Ancient runes carved centuries ago with immense effort gradually glowed in the valley’s depths, resonating with the chants.

A colossal Dragon Head materialized above Snake Spine Valley.

Unlike the blood oath Midi knew, this Dragon Head unleashed a thunderous Dragon Roar that shook the soul.

Midi suddenly felt something enter his body through the roar.

Closing his eyes, he glimpsed a fragmented token within him.

"Is this the Black Dragon Remnant Token?" he wondered, recalling a similar experience in the Mind Maze of the Sea of Clouds.

Back then, the token planted by Eighth Apostle Rot tracked scores. This one served no such purpose—it merely prevented expulsion from the Crystal Dragon Fortress’s small realm.

The token, a wisp of aura begged from the Dark Dragon God, would deplete inside the fortress. Unreplenished, it vanished within days, teleporting the bearer out.

Only those under thirty could receive it, and none could obtain a second. Each fighter had one chance.

With the token, Midi’s entry was guaranteed. His stay? That depended on skill.

Would he join a team, roam alone, or lurk in the Shadows, awaiting opportunities amidst others’ conflicts?

Everything required adaptability.

As Midi calculated his next move, the Dragon Head had already distributed the "Black Dragon Remnant Token" to all fifty fighters.

It then released another thunderous roar.

The sound triggered a transformation across Snake Spine Valley.

The once-bottomless canyon now surged with radiant light from below, rising like a tidal wave.

Through the glow, Midi glimpsed a sprawling forest on the other side—the heart of the small realm.

The blinding radiance soon solidified into a stable Gigantic Vortex.

“The entrance is secure. Warriors of Mososbury City, proceed,” declared the Death Scorpion family head, chairman of the city council, his voice booming across the cliffs. “May you conquer these trials, emerge as elite fighters, and represent our city at the Black Dragon Conference!”

At the mention of the Black Dragon Conference, the fighters’ eyes burned with ambition.

“Move out!” barked the Death Scorpion family head.

Warriors leaped from the valley’s edges into the vortex, vanishing one by one. Midi followed.

The moment he touched the light, crushing pressure engulfed him—the telltale strain of crossing dimensions. Stronger pressure meant greater energy within the small realm. Though labeled a mere “dragon fortress,” the Crystal Dragon Fortress clearly dwarfed artificial constructs like the Mind Maze.

Purple brilliance flooded Midi’s vision.

An endless forest stretched before him, but unlike Arad’s greenery, every leaf and branch here shimmered with translucent crystal, forming a glittering Sea of Trees. Waves of magic and Dragon Power pulsed from the crystal structures, saturating the air. Now he understood the name “Crystal Dragon Fortress.”

Midi activated his Half-Sight Perception, scanning the area. No other fighters. Expected. Unlike fixed teleportation magic arrays, dimensional winds scattered entrants across vast distances. Fifty warriors in this expanse were specks in a desert—chances of meeting, negligible.

The Death Scorpion family’s eight fighters—five core disciples and three selections—were supposed to regroup at the underground Dragon Tower’s entrance. United, they’d penetrate deeper for resources and the Black Dragon monument.

But Midi had no intention of playing along. The family’s strategy served their interests, not his. An eight-member team might seem unstoppable, but with Level 67 “Warrior” Thor leading, dissent was impossible. Worse, the Dragon Tower would draw all major families’ strongest—like Simon and Alexis. Midi feared no one, but endless team battles offered little growth. He’d just become Thor’s cannon fodder.

A commander at heart, Midi refused to follow orders. To earn respect, he needed power—starting by breaking past Level 63. While others dismissed the Crystal Forest’s scattered rare materials guarded by magical beasts, Midi saw opportunity. An adventurer reborn with two decades of exploration experience, he was also a master alchemist skilled in potion making and Mechanics. He could harvest and refine resources on-site—turning “useless” scraps into treasures.

“Time to hunt,” Midi murmured, dissolving into the crystal woods like shadow.