…………

As dawn broke, some creatures living in the Dragon Ridge Mountains cautiously made their way from all directions.

They hid behind rocks and bushes, gazing at the charred ruins of Santir Castle and the enormous central sinkhole, their faces filled with horror.

A thief, lurking in the shadow of a rock, wearing old leather armor stained with indelible filth and blood, suddenly had a flash of inspiration, as if he had thought of something.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he immediately slipped into the shadows and crept towards the ruins ahead.

Just as carrion eaters are often the first to be attracted when an animal dies, there are bound to be opportunists looking to make a quick buck when a natural disaster strikes.

Hawke was one of them. As a low-level thief who frequented the black market, he naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to make a fortune.

He crept stealthily along and soon discovered the body of a black-armored warrior in a pile of ruins.

Even though the disaster only happened last night and the weather wasn't particularly hot, this guy's body had already begun to decompose and rot, looking as if he had been dead for a long time, and it looked extremely disgusting.

Hawke, however, was a wicked thief who dealt with corpses all year round, so he obviously didn't care about that. After carefully observing and confirming that there was no danger, he quickly reached out and touched it.

In just two or three seconds, a leather money bag and a gold ring inlaid with gemstones were in his hands. After examining them, he put them into his pocket with satisfaction.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but at that moment he inexplicably felt a tingling or itchy sensation all over his body. However, driven by self-interest, he quickly put the feeling aside and continued to probe inside.

It's clear that many others share the same thoughts as this thief.

Creatures from all directions, more or less, crept into the ruins of Zantir Castle. Some passed each other by tacitly after meeting, while others got into a fight over some valuables.

Some lucky individuals who manage to acquire one or two magical items or a large sum of treasure naturally can't resist indulging in a bit of fun and boasting about their glorious deeds.

While the onlookers felt envious and jealous, they also couldn't help but yearn for it, which led even more people to flock to the ruins of Santirburg.

And so, disaster struck. Those adventurers who were the first to enter the ruins of Santir Castle soon returned feeling a bitter taste in their mouths, dizziness, weakness in their limbs, and a burning pain throughout their bodies.

Next came skin bruising and cracking, hair loss, and unexplained bleeding from the gums and nose that refused to heal. Eventually, the entire body became covered in ulcers, blistered and suppurated, leading to a agonizing and miserable death.

Even the treasures brought out from the ruins seemed to have become ominous, and anyone who held them for a long time would inevitably be entangled in a vicious curse.

In an instant, the entire surrounding area was filled with panic. Some people even learned the truth about what happened that night from somewhere, and the name "Dragon of Calamity" began to spread widely.

Chapter 325 The Dead and Prognosis

The fall of Santyrburg was undoubtedly a momentous event that shook the entire Northland.

Following those adventurers who sought their own deaths, various factions also dispatched their subordinates to investigate.

When they witnessed the fortress reduced to ruins, the deep sinkhole in the center, and the sinister and eerie forces remaining all around, they were all terrified.

The Crimson Tyrant, after a decade of silence, has once again emerged, and the immense power it has displayed has once again shattered their understanding of what is possible.

He not only defeated the old and ancient red dragon Balagas, but also once again unleashed his tyrannical move, now known as "Crimson Starfall" or "The Red Emperor's Great Charge," which destroyed the magnificent fortress that had stood for a thousand years.

That kind of eerie and insidious power was unprecedented, and no one knew what kind of evil magic the other party had studied over the past ten years.

The more they learned about it, the more wary they became of the red dragon's existence.

To avoid being tainted by the unknown curse, they not only did not venture deep into the ruins, but they also dared not touch any of the items within them. They merely surveyed the ruins briefly from mid-air before hastily fleeing this terrifying place.

Those city-state lords who received Saul's letter and were initially dissatisfied with his reckless behavior were also startled upon receiving reports from their subordinates. They immediately recalled the letters of reprimand that had already been sent.

No one wanted to anger this terrifying monster and cause it to retaliate against their city-state.

At that time, the strong may be able to survive by chance, but the people will probably all perish, and the entire force will lose its meaning.

…………

The impact of radiation on the surrounding ecosystem is not limited to humanoid organisms; animals, vegetation, and even fish from the coast are all within its influence.

As time went by, the forests surrounding the ruins of Santir began to wither and turn yellow on a large scale, and the animals went extinct, turning it into a complete no-man's-land.

Such a large-scale massacre and pile of corpses, under the influence of the world's rules, naturally attract negative energy and shadow energy to converge here.

In the dim, dilapidated shadows of the ruins, hunched and emaciated figures slowly emerged, their backs deeply arched, their shoulders slumped forward, their bodies withered, leaving only a layer of grayish flesh taut over their jagged skeletons.

Their skin was a deathly bluish-grayish-green, with many areas of festering, peeling flesh, scabs, and pus covering their torsos and limbs, their muscles stiff and devoid of any sign of life. The hair on their heads had long since thinned out, leaving only a few strands of dry, dirty hair clinging to their scalps, making them look utterly wretched.

His eye sockets were deeply sunken, and a pair of bloodshot, pupil-less eyes gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the darkness. His nose bridge was ulcerated and collapsed, leaving only two dark holes.

The mouth's opening was far greater than normal, with the lower jaw strangely flared outwards. Among the mouthful of jagged, yellow and black fangs, two canines protruded abruptly, and a long, sticky, black, forked tongue dripped foul-smelling saliva.

This is a ghoul, an undead creature transformed from humanoid beings infected with the ghoul plague, unable to suppress their ever-growing gluttonous desires.

Their craving for humanoid flesh and blood often drives them to linger in cemeteries and on the borders of human civilization. Their purpose in appearing here now is self-evident.

The corpses lying in the ruins, which no one dared to collect, were a veritable feast for the ghouls.

The sounds of flesh tearing and bones breaking began to ring out one after another as they swallowed large numbers of corpses that had died from radiation, along with the radioactive material inside.

As undead creatures, ghouls would not normally be harmed by nuclear radiation, but this sinister and cruel power, under the influence of the world's rules, has long been transformed into an extremely filthy curse, which naturally affects them as well.

Some ghouls that had consumed a certain number of irradiated corpses began to develop radiation burns of varying depths on their grayish-blue skin. A faint fluorescent green light lingered around the festering wounds, and a strange energy seemed to be slowly surging beneath their skin.

The stench was mixed with a pungent metallic ozone odor, and a faint, chilling aura surrounded it. Its crimson eyes shone with an eerie and sinister light, and its flesh, claws, and teeth were tainted with deadly radioactive toxins.

The power of the dead merged perfectly with the nuclear radiation at this moment; it was a match made in heaven.

These ghouls, contaminated with nuclear radiation, are a natural disaster for weak creatures.

Unless there are strong opponents to stop it, a single ghoul like this can slaughter all the creatures in an entire village or town. Even if it is killed, its corpse will cause long-term pollution to the land.

After they have finished devouring the corpses in Santyr Fortress and scattered again, all the creatures in the surrounding area will face a terrible disaster.

…………

Manson devoted all his energy to the transformation of Baragas, so much so that he was unaware that his own stronghold had been destroyed.

The ancient red dragon possessed extremely powerful spiritual energy. Being able to control it when it was critically injured and on the verge of death did not mean that it could still suppress it after it recovered.

So in the following period, Manson continued to add new means of control to Baragas’s consciousness, and through inscription and ritual, he infused various magical runes into the red dragon’s body.

Under this dual control of mind and body, even the mighty ancient red dragon could hardly stir up any trouble.

Then, Manson began to treat Baragas's injuries and had his servants bring him a large amount of food and some precious magical substances, hoping to help him recover to his peak condition as soon as possible.

It must be said that true dragons have a strong vitality, and powerful red dragons are the best among them. Some red dragons can still survive even if their hearts are completely ripped out.

With ample nutrition and energy, Baragas's wounds began to heal rapidly. The torn flesh sprouted granulation tissue, the skin merged back together, and even the shed scales grew back.

Soon, his chest, which had been nearly ripped open, and his torn abdomen closed up again. However, unseen by anyone, a dramatic change was quietly taking place inside his body.

When the Curse of the Mad Dragon was stained with Thor's blood, it immediately broke free of all its restraints and revealed its most primal form.

Born from the reproductive cells of the Black Eclipse Dragon, the Mad Dragon Curse began to fulfill its mission, using the body of this powerful monster as a breeding ground to conceive new offspring.

That little bit of golden-red blood from Thor spread along the blood vessels in Baragas's body, eventually settling in its basal blood vessels.

Dense, spiderweb-like blood vessels spread from the blood, greedily absorbing all the energy and matter around them.

Soon, the tiny drop of blood began to multiply and expand, sending more tentacles deeper and deeper into every corner of the red dragon's body.

Chapter 326 Gathering

The golden-red blood clots were multiplying rapidly, expanding in size and increasing in number. In the blink of an eye, the dense, intertwined blood threads penetrated every corner of Baragas's body, quietly participating in his energy circulation.

Thus, the immense power originating from the Red Emperor was manifested in the body of another Red Dragon.

At first, it was just a wisp of black and red dragon-attribute energy that suddenly lit up on the blood clot in its blood vessels, and then spread outwards along the blood vessels.

Wherever it passed, all the fire-attribute magic power within Baragas was devoured by this wisp of energy, causing it to gradually grow stronger. Eventually, it even transformed into black and red lightning, flashing rapidly across his crimson scales.

Witnessing this scene, Manson felt a surge of joy and became even more convinced that his experimental direction was indeed correct.

He had witnessed this domineering and unparalleled energy firsthand in the Red Emperor and his Darkborn subordinates. He never expected that, with the Mad Dragon Curse and the Red Emperor's blood, such a scene could actually be reproduced in another Red Dragon.

Next, all he needs to do is awaken the power of the Rainbow Light Domain in this red dragon, and this red dragon under his command may well have the strength to fight the Red Emperor.

At that time, I will use the Elder's Eye to capture the Red Emperor in one fell swoop. Then I will have both Red Dragons under my control, and I will not be far from ruling the whole world.

However, inside Baragas's body, which was out of Manson's sight, the magic he had cast on the red dragon dimmed slightly as the domineering and highly corrosive dragon energy flowed through it.

The powerful force of breaking spells is continuing to work, and it shouldn't be long before these spells are completely broken.

Baragas, who had been in a state of chaos for some time, felt a warm, scorching current slowly flowing through his body. His previously drowsy mind regained some clarity, and his completely out-of-control body seemed to regain its senses.

Although he didn't know exactly what was going on, that didn't stop him from being overjoyed.

However, his cunning nature prevented him from revealing his joy. Instead, he remained silent, lying in wait for the perfect opportunity to escape.

It was at this moment that Manson finally had some free time. He emerged from his hidden underground laboratory and learned that his lair had been completely reduced to ruins.

This news enraged him. With a flick of his finger, a streak of blood-red light flashed, instantly draining the life force of the messenger. Then, he created a portal in mid-air and stepped inside.

When he reappeared, he was already above Santir Castle. Looking down, all he could see was a desolate ruin, devoid of life, with only some filthy undead creatures wandering around.

Furthermore, an extremely insidious curse shrouded the entire ruins and the surrounding land, causing any living thing that approached it to suffer continuous harm.

This effectively severed any possibility of reconstruction, and the entire birthplace of the Santalin Organization has become a thing of the past.

Looking down at the devastated ruins, Mansong's eyes were terrifyingly gloomy. He remained silent for a long time, and finally, with a sudden flick of his robe, his figure disappeared into the air.

This matter will not be left unresolved. However, that damned red dragon is indeed powerful. If we want to take revenge, we must first come up with a comprehensive plan and find some capable helpers.

…………

What was Thor doing at this moment? He was reading the replies from the city-state lords.

Power truly is the only truth in this world. As long as your power is strong enough, even if you are a dragon, the other party will treat you with respect.

This time, those guys didn't even dare to offer any outward condemnation. After a barrage of meaningless praise and a scathing denunciation of the evil organization, Zantalin, they subtly inquired about Thor's next move.

Thor, of course, showed no mercy, stating that he would send a large army to completely annihilate this organization that dared to provoke him.

As a massive organization deeply rooted in human territory, the Zentalin is one of the most powerful and influential organizations in the entire Northland, with its extensive reach and wide-ranging influence.

They operate a large-scale commodity trade, provide legitimate security services, and also take on various illicit businesses such as assassination, poisoning, and kidnapping.

Many of the city-states' middle and upper echelons were members of the Santalin Order, and naturally, they were also within Thor's purview.

Therefore, when the city-state lords learned of Thor's decision, they all looked solemn. Although they wanted to oppose it, they were afraid of being implicated and retaliated against.

They could only pin their hopes on the larger city-states, hoping that their top leaders would stand up at this time and oppose Thor's decision.

After all, if the King of the Wilds were to truly wage a full-scale war against Zantarlin, regardless of who would win or lose, the entire Northland would certainly be greatly impacted, and might even descend into chaos.

This is something that no one in power wants to see.

The same applies to the top experts. Some do so because war would harm their own interests, while others, who are truly benevolent, do not want more innocent lives to be affected.

Thus, through the collusion of those with ulterior motives, the lords of city-states large and small, along with a group of powerful figures from the North, once again united, appealing to their emotions and reasoning, explaining the pros and cons, and persuading Thor to consider the matter more carefully.

But why would a red dragon care about any of that? As one of the strongest red dragons, Thor does everything according to his own whims.

He glanced at the letters, which were decorated with ornate gold borders and adorned with various exquisite emblems, and then casually burned them to ashes.

When the order to wage war was given, the entire wilderness sprang into action and began to assemble.

The Darkin, who had been dormant for a long time, felt their blood boiling again and couldn't help but cheer excitedly; the dragon-blooded kobolds from the Crimsonscale tribe had their eyes shining with a fiery light.

Ten years later, the Darkin have become even more powerful, with their average height increasing again to nearly nine meters, making them veritable giants.

The leader, Kasos, had already reached a height of 12 meters. The centaur, which was already like a small fortress, and the red hyena had grown into terrifying behemoths.

The number of Dragon Vein Kobolds has increased dramatically over the past decade, now reaching over a hundred. There are even seven that have grown wings and undergone three transformations.

They looked like miniature humanoid red dragons, and the leader, Tana, exuded a powerful dragon aura. She held a jet-black staff that looked like a torch in her hand, and ordinary adult white dragons would be no match for her.

There was also a group of goblins with purplish-black skin, abnormally large heads that looked disproportionate to their bodies, wielding strange weapons and roaming around.

Some of them got into an argument for some unknown reason, squeaking and pointing their cylinders at each other.

When the trigger was pulled, a loud bang, like an explosion, was heard, and a large amount of iron shot gushed out—it was a simple firearm.

Chapter 327 Obstruction

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