The Elven Cultivator

”Teacher?”

Furlo, who was closest, was the first to notice something was amiss with Anton and voiced her confusion.

Anton turned to his students, his expression calm as he said, ”Stay in the Dao Transmission Pavilion. Don’t wander around.”

Before his students could respond, he had already transformed into a streak of sword light and shot out of the hall.

「Above the edge of the forest.」

A streak of sword light shot through the air before coming to an abrupt halt. The light dissipated, revealing Anton’s figure.

He hovered among the clouds, his robes whipping in the wind, his grave gaze fixed on the north.

At the edge of the horizon, a black dot was expanding at an astonishing speed.

It was a Giant Dragon.

Even from a great distance, its scorching and tyrannical aura washed over him like a tide, making the air grow warmer.

Its dark red Scale Armor glinted like molten lava in the sun. When its wings were spread, they blotted out the sky, and every flap plowed two deep furrows through the clouds.

’It really is a Radiant Ash Dragon.’

Anton stared at the approaching figure as countless thoughts raced through his mind.

’Why would a Radiant Ash Dragon come to the Silver Moon Forest?’

’Did it sense who I am?’

’Or is it just here for the Silver Moon Race?’

As these thoughts churned in Anton’s mind, figures shot up from the forest below one after another, either hovering in mid-air or perching atop the canopies.

The three elders, Cedric, Elena, Darian, Eleanor, and Romance... all of the clan’s Golden Tier combatants had assembled.

Evidently, they too had sensed the terrifying, rapidly approaching aura.

When they got a clear look at the massive figure in the distance, the color drained from their faces.

”The Radiant Ash Dragon, Isaac!” Elena blurted out. ”What is he doing here?”

No one answered her question.

Everyone was in a state of profound shock.

The Radiant Ash Dragon’s appearance led them all to the same dreadful conclusion.

The Giant Dragon seemed to be moving at a leisurely pace, but in reality, it was astonishingly fast.

In just a few moments, the massive figure had appeared at the edge of the Silver Moon Forest.

Isaac came to a sudden stop. The hurricane from his wings kicked up a massive cloud of dust, instantly shrouding the area. The trees at the forest’s edge were bent and battered, and leaves flew everywhere.

A palpable draconic pressure rained down.

This was not merely the aura of a powerful being, but the oppressive presence of a higher life form, an apex predator at the top of the food chain.

Cries of terror echoed from within the forest.

Many Elves had noticed the Giant Dragon overhead. Their faces went white as sheets, their legs grew weak, and only by leaning against tree trunks did they manage to stay upright.

Even a Golden Tier Warrior like Elena wore a grim expression, fine beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead.

Her knuckles turned white as she gripped her sword hilt, her palm slick with sweat.

It was not fear, but her body’s involuntary stress response to facing a superior life form.

The Great Elder stepped forward, his expression grave as he looked up at the behemoth coiled in the sky.

”City Lord Isaac, you honor the Silver Moon Forest with your presence. May I ask what business brings you here?”

But Isaac didn’t even spare him a glance.

The Radiant Ash Dragon’s vertical pupils swept indifferently over the forest below.

No answer, no question, not even a warning.

He suddenly opened his massive maw.

A torrent of scorching, grayish-white air, laced with dark red sparks, erupted from the depths of his throat, pouring down on the Silver Moon Forest below like a river of magma.

The Elves’ expressions changed drastically. The last shred of hope in their hearts vanished as they realized their clan was being made an example of.

They all moved to intercept the Dragon Breath.

If they allowed the Dragon Breath to land, the forest would instantly be engulfed in a sea of flames. The consequences would be unimaginable.

But in the next instant, a light-cyan curtain of light abruptly materialized over the forest.

The light curtain was as thin as a cicada’s wing and nearly transparent, but the moment it appeared, the suffocating heat wave was instantly blocked. The temperature within the forest dropped at a visible rate.

The devastating sense of oppression receded like the tide.

Under the watchful eyes of all, the grayish-white Dragon Breath slammed into the cyan light curtain with a muffled boom.

The light curtain trembled slightly, sending out circles of ripples, but it firmly blocked the Dragon Breath.

The Dragon Breath battered the light curtain for several moments. The grayish-white torrent splashed in all directions, distorting the air on the curtain’s surface into a blur, but it could never break through the thin barrier.

Finally, the Dragon Breath expended its energy and dissipated like a receding tide.

In the forest, the Elves stared blankly at the sky. The terror had not yet faded from their faces, but it was now mixed with a hint of astonishment and bewilderment.

”It was blocked?”

”What is that?”

”It’s the Great Derivation Cyan Profound Array!”

It was unclear who shouted the name first, but their voice was filled with irrepressible joy.

In an instant, every Elf’s gaze was fixed upon the light-cyan curtain in the sky.

Of course they remembered this Array.

A few years ago, the activation of this massive Array, which covered the entire Silver Moon Forest, had caused a sensational and unusual phenomenon.

But back then, they had only known that the Array could increase the concentration of elemental energy and promote the forest’s growth and expansion; they never knew it could also defend against external enemies.

And they certainly never imagined its defenses were so formidable that it could block the Dragon Breath of a Legendary Giant Dragon head-on!

For a moment, the fear and tension on the Elves’ faces were replaced by joyful surprise and excitement.

The clan’s leaders also looked stunned, and their gazes turned to Anton in unison.

They had known the Great Derivation Cyan Profound Array could defend against external attacks, but they had no idea its defenses were this powerful.

Anton hovered in the air, his face as calm as still water, the golden seal in his hand emitting a soft glow.

At this moment, his Divine Sense was connected to the entire great Array, allowing him to clearly perceive every one of its details.

’The Great Derivation Cyan Profound Array might just be a simplified version of a Mountain Protection Array, but it’s not something someone at the Golden Core Stage could break. It would take someone at the Nascent Soul Stage to have a chance.’

It was precisely because he knew the true power of the Great Derivation Cyan Profound Array that Anton wasn’t as horrified as the others by the Radiant Ash Dragon’s arrival.

Otherwise, he would have told the Elder Council to evacuate the clan the moment he sensed the Radiant Ash Dragon.

In the sky, Isaac let out a low sound of surprise, his vertical pupils narrowing slightly.

He could clearly feel that the forest before him seemed to have undergone some kind of indescribable change.

In that instant, the entire Silver Moon Forest seemed to have become a single entity, giving him the strange feeling that it had come alive.

’An Array, is it...’

Isaac quickly understood, a flicker of surprise flashing in his vertical pupils.

’There’s an Enchanter on the Eldron Plain capable of laying an Array of this caliber?’

’It seems I underestimated this Elf Clan.’

”No wonder they dared to offend the majesty of Dragon City. So this was their hidden trump card.”

Isaac’s estimation of the Silver Moon Race rose slightly, and he deigned to speak.

His deep, sonorous voice echoed above the forest like rolling thunder, laced with a bone-deep arrogance, condescension, and undisguised contempt.

”But if you think you can escape your fate with this, you are sorely mistaken.”

Isaac’s vertical pupils coldly swept over the Elves below, as if he were looking at a swarm of ants in their death throes.

’So what if the Array is exquisite?’

’Do they really expect it to block my attacks?’

’In the face of absolute power, all resistance is futile!’

Isaac took a deep breath. His chest swelled like a balloon, and a scorching current once again surged from the depths of his throat.

The second blast of Dragon Breath was even more ferocious than the first.

The grayish-white torrent carried even more dark red sparks, resembling a rushing river of magma as it slammed into the cyan light curtain with world-destroying momentum.

BOOM!

The light curtain shook violently. Ripples spread out in all directions, churning like boiling water.

But when the Dragon Breath dissipated, the light curtain remained completely unscathed.

Isaac’s brow furrowed.

Refusing to believe it, he unleashed his Dragon Breath again.

A third blast, a fourth, a fifth...

Blast after blast of grayish-white Dragon Breath hammered the cyan light curtain. The roaring was deafening as flames and embers exploded against its surface, bathing the sky above the forest in an apocalyptic light.

The searing heat waves were blocked by the curtain, spilling out to the sides. They scorched the wasteland at the forest’s edge until the ground cracked, shattered stones under the intense heat, and kicked up clouds of dust.

Yet within the light curtain, the Silver Moon Forest remained lush and green. Not a single leaf was singed by the heat.

Inside the forest, the Elves had been incredibly tense at first, terrified the light curtain wouldn’t hold.

But as they watched blast after blast of Dragon Breath crash down while the light curtain remained unmoved, their hearts gradually settled. Their fear was replaced by an indescribable sense of awe and shock.

”So... so powerful...”

Elena stared dumbfounded at the cyan light curtain in the sky, her face a mask of shock.

The others all wore similar expressions.

The scene before them gave them a completely new understanding of the Great Derivation Cyan Profound Array’s power.

This Array was far more powerful than they had ever imagined.

For a moment, the Elves couldn’t help but cast looks of awe and admiration toward Anton.

In contrast, Isaac’s mood had soured to the extreme.

When the eighth blast of Dragon Breath dissipated, he stopped his assault. His vertical pupils were fixed on the cyan light curtain, a trace of shocked disbelief flashing in their depths.

Eight consecutive blasts of Dragon Breath!

Under normal circumstances, that would be enough to reduce a small city to ash, yet this thin light curtain didn’t even have a single crack.

’This Array’s resistance to energy attacks is far too high.’

Isaac was silent for a moment. He stopped spitting Dragon Breath and instead flapped his wings, his enormous body diving down abruptly.

’If it’s resistant to energy, I’ll switch to physical attacks.’

He would tear apart this offensive light curtain in the most direct way possible.

His claws, carrying immense force, slammed viciously into the light curtain.

BOOM!

Vast ripples spread across the surface of the light curtain, like a lake struck by a giant boulder, the waves rapidly expanding in all directions.

But the curtain itself remained unmoved, steadily absorbing the blow.

Isaac retracted his claws, a flicker of stunned disbelief in his vertical pupils.

’Physical attacks don’t work either?’

He let out an infuriated roar and dived again.

Claws tore, his tail swept, his wings slashed down...

Every one of his attacks was precise and fierce. He turned nearly every part of his body into a weapon, unleashing a storm-like assault on the light curtain and showcasing the Dragon Race’s powerful and superior physical combat skills to their fullest.

Even an expert at the Golden Peak wouldn’t last more than a few exchanges against such an onslaught before being torn to shreds.

But the cyan light curtain remained steadfast, only showing faint ripples where it was struck, which vanished in an instant.

Within the forest, the Elves witnessed the entire spectacle.

The expressions on their faces shifted from initial horror to astonishment, and finally to irrepressible ecstasy.

”This Great Derivation Cyan Profound Array is incredible!”

”It looks like the Radiant Ash Dragon can’t break through our Array’s defenses at all.”

”I guess Giant Dragons aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.”

”It’s because Lord Anton is so amazing!”

Hearing the cheers rising and falling from the forest, Isaac’s expression became utterly grim. A fierce rage welled up in his heart, causing the red glow in his vertical pupils to burn even brighter.

’I, a majestic member of the Dragon Race, can’t even break a single Elf Clan’s Array.’

’And I’ve been gawked at by a bunch of lesser races like a circus clown for all this time.’

’This is an absolute disgrace!’

”Damned ants!”

In the sky, Isaac’s voice boomed like rolling thunder, filled with unrestrained fury and killing intent.

”I’d like to see just how long this Array of yours can last!”

He swung his sharp claws at the light curtain once more.

Only this time, his claws were shrouded in a light interwoven with grayish-white and fiery red.

It was the manifestation of the Power of Law.