Nolan finally set foot on this land he had never visited before, his heart filled with curiosity and anticipation.
He had traveled all across the Lands Between. Even in dreams, he had once entered the bedchamber of the Eternal Queen and shared her bed.
Yet this place beyond the world was completely unfamiliar to him.
He walked slowly, studying his surroundings with interest. Most of the buildings had already collapsed, yet they still retained a strange sense of solidity.
This city was caught in a distortion of time and space. One could also say it was imprisoned inside an invisible cage. The moment it left that cage, it would fall apart.
Nolan could clearly feel that the power sustaining Farum Azula was gradually weakening.
But the process was exceptionally slow, as though time itself had been stretched out here.
Though the city was slowly collapsing, it might still take tens of thousands of years before that collapse was complete.
For Ancient Dragons who had lived for thousands of years and called themselves immortal, even that was a very long time.
Nolan extended one finger, golden arcs of lightning flickering at its tip.
With a casual sweep, a slash suddenly appeared in the void before him, as if an invisible blade had cut through it.
Then he calmly withdrew his finger.
"The power of space-time is everywhere," he said softly.
"All things decay. Only time has no end. That is eternity." Florissax nodded slightly, a proud smile on her face.
"Not pursuing immortality in a single moment, but walking onward along an endless road. It seems the Ancient Dragons aren't as stubborn and rigid as I thought."
Nolan looked at Florissax thoughtfully, a trace of admiration flashing in his eyes.
Florissax smiled faintly and said softly, "Actually, that is only my own view. His Majesty Placidusax has never restricted our thoughts. Every Ancient Dragon may have their own understanding of immortality."
As she spoke, Florissax glanced casually at Sethlinsax.
Perhaps it was precisely because of His Majesty Placidusax's tolerance that this child had developed her current personality. After being taught a lesson by His Majesty Nolan, she had actually restrained herself quite a bit.
But the rather thick-skinned Sethlinsax did not notice Florissax's gaze at all. She suddenly raised her head in excitement and shouted, "Big Brother, they're here!"
The moment her voice fell, several massive figures slowly appeared in the sky like moving mountains.
Those colossal beings were Ancient Dragons, five of them in total.
Behind the Ancient Dragons followed a vast swarm of Flying Dragons. Their wings spread wide, blotting out the sky as if covering the whole heavens.
The gathered aura of power piqued Nolan's interest.
If taken individually, the power of these Ancient Dragons was not especially exaggerated.
But if an entire race possessed that level of power, then it could absolutely be called absurdly terrifying.
After all, Ancient Dragons were not only powerful in attack. Their defenses were just as outstanding. They had no real weaknesses at all.
On top of that, their abilities in every aspect started from an extremely high baseline. That kind of racial talent practically placed them at the very peak of the Lands Between.
Fortunately, the Ancient Dragons were quite few in number. That could be considered the small chance left to other races.
Humans, for example, had powerful reproductive ability, and their upper limit for growth was also high.
Otherwise, even if the dragonkind had lost some of their strong warriors during the Ancient Dragon War, it still would not have been humanity's turn to become the leading power in the Lands Between.
"You seem excited," Nolan suddenly said, turning to look at Sethlinsax behind him with a smile.
"Big Brother, you have to teach them a hard lesson later and get revenge for me!"
Sethlinsax stuck close behind Nolan, lowering her voice as she spoke, while clenching one little fist.
Seeing this, Nolan reached out and pressed a hand on Sethlin's head. Then he glanced up at the sky, the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint smile.
"What sort of grudge do you have against them? Why are you so fired up?"
"They all bully me. They say I'm a little kid and won't play with me. You're my big brother, so you have to help me teach them a lesson."
Sethlinsax pouted with an aggrieved look, gazing pitifully at Nolan as if she had suffered some terrible injustice.
She really was a child.
Seeing her like this, Nolan could not help laughing.
Florissax hurriedly pulled Sethlinsax away from Nolan and warned her, "Sethlinsax, don't cause trouble for His Majesty Nolan."
"Oh." After being scolded by Florissax, Sethlinsax could only stand to the side with her head drooping.
Thud, thud, thud!
Several enormous Ancient Dragons descended from the sky, stirring up clouds of dust as they landed.
These Ancient Dragons were massive, each one larger than a Flying Dragon by a full size, and their scales of various colors reflected dazzling light beneath the sun.
The silver Ancient Dragon at the front was especially striking. It was even larger than the other Ancient Dragons, clearly the "big brother" of this group.
Seeing this, Florissax hurried to Nolan's side and whispered in his ear, "Josdasax. His Majesty Placidusax currently has no time to handle affairs, so this lord is responsible for managing the clan's matters."
After saying that, Florissax took the initiative to step forward and went before the Ancient Dragons.
With light, graceful steps, she smiled and introduced him. "The one behind me is His Majesty Nolan, whom my Lord wishes to see."
Josdasax nodded slightly and cast what looked like an indifferent glance at Nolan, as if paying him little attention, before turning his gaze back to Florissax.
There was a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone as he questioned her.
"Florissax, why did it take so long? You should know that, for His Majesty right now, time is the most important thing."
"They're not exactly friendly."
Even if Nolan had been infected by Sethlin's obliviousness, he could still tell that Josdasax's attitude toward him and Florissax was hardly pleasant.
At the same time, he could not help marveling inwardly at the deep foundation of the Ancient Dragon clan. Nothing else aside, among these five Ancient Dragons, at least two had reached the level of legendary heroes.
If the Lord of the Ancient Dragons had not suffered grievous injuries, then in this era, they would absolutely have the qualifications to contend for supremacy in the Lands Between, and perhaps even overthrow the Golden Dynasty.
With such a race so blessed by nature, how could the Ancient Dragons not feel proud? And when other races faced such formidable enemies, how could they not feel envy?
Judging from the current situation, however, Placidusax was indeed badly wounded, so much so that he could not manage affairs at all. Otherwise, his control over his subjects would not have weakened to this degree.
No matter how one looked at it, Nolan was a guest invited by Placidusax. Wasn't Josdasax's attitude the same as slapping Placidusax's old face?
"Since time is short, please allow me to take His Majesty Nolan to see His Majesty Placidusax as soon as possible." Florissax frowned, keenly sensing that the atmosphere was wrong.
After her words fell, a long moment passed, yet she found that Josdasax and the other Ancient Dragons ignored her completely, standing motionless and blocking the path ahead.
Florissax asked warily, "What are you trying to do?"
"A valued guest invited by His Majesty will naturally be treated with courtesy," Josdasax said, shaking his head. "But I must confirm whether he is qualified to see our Lord."
In the next instant, all five Ancient Dragons were sent flying backward.
Florissax turned back and saw Nolan drawing his fist back. He smiled faintly.
"Sorry, but I didn't come here to 'pay respects' to anyone."