Chapter 84: The Greedy Black Dragon

Gusts of cold wind blew through the forest, accompanied by rustling sounds. Leaves kept falling endlessly in this place without day or night, without seasons—seemingly never running out. Lying hidden among the leaves, covered in layers of foliage, Rod struggled greatly under nearly three thousand times the normal gravity. He watched intently the huge cave about a hundred meters ahead, not daring to breathe even slightly.

Those rocks and that massive cave—yes, that was where the black dragon resided. That was its lair. The surrounding forest was in ruins; even after half a year, there was no sign of recovery. After nearly half a year of planning, Rod finally took action.

Since Xuanyuan’s words, Rod no longer rushed to upgrade Fen Tian, which he had hidden within himself. Everything had to proceed slowly, and his plan changed from a surprise attack to a stealthy infiltration—deciding not to confront the black dragon head-on.

The tunnel he was in now was one he had carved out bit by bit over this period. He hid his presence tightly, not daring to be careless. Facing a god-tier dragon, Rod knew that a single mistake would mean certain death—no chance at all.

He had been lying there for a whole day yet seen no sign of the black dragon, seemingly back in its cave, dormant once more. Yet, the occasional strong energy fluctuations made Rod aware that the dragon must be inside, likely practicing.

He bit down hard on a piece of meat in his hand. For nearly a year, he had relied on this to survive. It had to be said that the meat of the magical beasts here was truly unpleasant—after a year of eating it, his taste buds were almost numbed.

After checking the surroundings again to ensure no danger, Rod cautiously crept forward. He had originally hoped to wait here for an opportunity to strike when the dragon left its cave, but it seemed such a chance would never come.

Touching the Dark Dragon in his hand, he took a deep breath, slowly emerged from the leaves, and used the chaotic terrain to approach slowly, constantly hiding every trace of his presence with the help of Xuanyuan’s efforts.

It must be said that over this year in this forest, besides improving his strength and combat experience, Rod had gained two other significant things!

The first is becoming increasingly cold and heartless; at this point, it can kill anything without hesitation. In a place where only the strong survive, kindness is the greatest enemy. As for the second point, it’s about hiding one’s presence. Compared to a year ago, he has improved countless times over. Among those of the same rank or even at the sacred level, Rod can be considered at the pinnacle. As long as it’s not a god-level being, his presence will definitely go unnoticed! This is largely thanks to the magical beasts in this forest, whose concealment techniques have taught Rod a lot. Combining these two aspects, Rod spent another day and managed to hide less than ten meters from the cave entrance! He held his breath, took deep breaths to calm his nervousness, and frowned. What needed to be done now was to lure this creature out. He definitely couldn’t enter rashly; otherwise, death would be certain. “It seems I’ll have to pay a heavy price~!” After pondering for a long time, Rod smiled bitterly inwardly. There was only one way to get the dragon out of its cave: treasures, and preferably something that shone! Only such things could attract a creature that values treasures above everything else. There was no other way. Gritting his teeth, he took out his magic bag and, after searching, selected a few items. First were nearly ten thousand gold coins—almost all of Rod’s wealth, many of which had been given to him by Brother Hori. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to find them. The biggest advantage of gold coins is that they can be scattered and still shine, offering sufficient temptation to a dragon! If these coins were scattered throughout the forest, they would surely delay the dragon for a while! Next was a set of armor—pure silver armor. In the dim surroundings, this armor would definitely stand out, shining brightly enough to make even Rod hesitate to act! There was also a third item: a thunder-type magical beast core he had acquired recently. This core, of the late sacred level for thunder-type beasts, was pale blue in color. Although it contained black veins, it didn’t diminish its appeal! Rod wasn’t sure if these three items would be enough, as the dragon before him was of the mid-stage god level—ordinary things might not even interest it! “One last item—everything depends on you!” Taking a deep breath, Rod reluctantly touched the items in his hand and murmured to himself.

In his hands was nothing other than a colorful glass stone the size of a fist! Even in the dark environment, its colorful glow continued to shine brightly, truly beautiful! Rod didn’t know what this object was—it was a trophy he obtained after killing that silver warrior for the first time when he entered the Magic Beast Forest! But his instincts told him it wasn’t an ordinary item! Even the Spirit of the Xuanyuan Sword agreed, so it must be something extraordinary. As for how that guy got it, Rod wasn’t interested at all. He kept it and valued it so much not only for this reason but also out of personal preference.

It resembled the diamonds he had only seen on TV or in books back in his own world! Such a large diamond must be valuable! That’s why he was reluctant to part with it now.

“Go for it! Hopefully it will work!” gritting his teeth, Rod muttered to himself as he took out the items.

First, he used his luck energy to throw the three items apart, spreading them over a hundred-meter range to cover a large area. Then, he scattered gold coins around them!

Instantly, as these items appeared, the entire dark forest suddenly took on a glimmer of light, giving off a magnificent and splendid appearance.

A roar echoed through the air, startling Rod, who quickly hid behind two huge rocks. He controlled his breathing and suppressed all his energy, not expecting the dragon to appear even faster than he had imagined!

He wondered if such a childish trick would be detected. Rod was still worried secretly. The method was indeed naive, but he had heard that dragons could forget everything when they saw treasure. Whether it was true or not, he could only hope so.

“Oh… heavens, great Dark Dragon God, are you blessing your devout followers? Good heavens, so much treasure! Could it be that my sincerity has moved you? My great Dark Dragon God, I, Sognar, swear to serve you loyally for life!” The Black Dragon Sognar, who was originally cultivating inside, suddenly sensed its favorite light and aura, so it rushed out of its cave. Seeing the scene a hundred meters away, it roared loudly, clearly extremely excited. It danced around, just like a three-year-old child who had seen candy—even more so!

“As expected!” In the darkness, Rod couldn’t help but marvel at what he saw—true to his expectations, it had reached an outrageous level. Watching the black dragon rush forward desperately to claim the so-called treasures bestowed by the Dark Dragon God, Rod smirked coldly, “An opportunity has arisen!”
The moment those words left his lips, Furnace Sky suddenly emerged, also trying hard to control his breath. Although some aura still seeped out, the giant dragon didn’t care about such things at the moment! Signaling Furnace Sky to block the black dragon from grabbing the treasures, Rod himself darted into the pitch-black cave like a ghostly shadow.
Roar… A loud roar came from behind. Clearly, Furnace Sky’s appearance had caught the black dragon’s attention, but Rod wasn’t worried! From the black dragon’s behavior earlier, it was evident that treasures held an irresistible temptation for them—almost fatal. As long as they had those treasures, Furnace Sky would be safe. They might not be able to fight back, but they could escape. Furnace Sky’s speed was fast, especially after reaching the Sacred level; its speed had surpassed Rod’s. The black dragon wouldn’t be able to catch up in a short time. Coupled with the temptation of the treasures, it was impossible for the black dragon to pursue relentlessly. So Rod didn’t have to worry about that! On the contrary, Furnace Sky’s presence would make him even more at ease. There was no doubt it could delay the black dragon for a considerable amount of time!
“Despicable wretch! Do you dare compete with the great Sognar for these treasures? You must be tired of living!” A furious roar echoed. Those words made Rod feel both amused and exasperated—true to form, the moment it saw treasure, the guy became an idiot! He could even say such things.
Without the mood to pay attention to these situations and words, Rod smirked coldly and quickened his pace, rushing into the cave like a ghost.
In the blink of an eye, he had rushed inside the cave!
Darkness and dampness were his first impressions of the cave’s interior. Next was its enormity—endless as the eye could see. There were three paths ahead, leading to three different places. Clearly, these were created by the giant dragon to prevent others from stealing its stuff.
“Damn you!” Time was running out, and now he faced such a problem. Rod cursed fiercely.
Fortunately, the fluctuations from the Black Flame Armor as he entered the cave pointed out the way forward—this was the only comfort he had.
Presumably, the black dragon never expected that the cave it had painstakingly built would be cracked so easily and frustratingly.

Feeling the vibrations from the Black Flame Armor, suppressing the excitement in his heart, Rod hurried to follow forward, fearing they might run out of time! The path on the side was clearly his choice. This seemingly unremarkable cave turned out to be a real treasure trove.