"Finally, you came."
A deep, ancient voice, as if it belonged to tens of thousands of years ago, echoed in Daniel’s ears.
His expression did not change. However, without even realizing it or being able to control it, his soul trembled slightly. The power within that voice was beyond anything he had encountered in this world.
"I’m sorry it took some time," he replied with respect and a smile on his face. Even though he was now the Lord of the Dragons, this being was the most powerful living existence in the entire Celestial Domain.
He deserved at least the minimum respect.
Daniel did not stop and continued forward into the deepest section. He could see layers of security, suppression, and severe restrictions that could stop even the strongest dragons from entering.
But they had no effect on him.
After stepping inside, he finally saw that being. The existence at the top of this world. The most ancient dragon still alive.
And a False God. The closest existence to a true god.
"Welcome" the dragon spoke in a rough but dignified and respectful tone.
He was in his true form, larger, more imposing, and more massive than anything Daniel had ever seen in his life. In front of this being, Daniel looked smaller than even an ant.
He was in his true form—larger, more dominant, and more massive than anything Daniel had ever seen in his life. In front of this being, he looked smaller than even an ant.
The space was heavy.
He was standing in a void. There was no sky, no ground. Only a massive, blinding sun burning at the center of this dimension.
And upon that sun...
A dragon sat.
Its body was larger than mountain ranges, its scales completely golden. They did not reflect the light of the sun—they were the source of light themselves. Each scale looked like a piece of sacred metal, yet alive.
Its eyes... were black.
Not ordinary black, but absolute darkness. As if two endless voids existed within flawless gold.
Its wings were half-spread, and every slight movement sent waves of endless energy across the space.
The pressure of its existence was so overwhelming that even the surrounding laws did not dare to fully stabilize near it.
When it breathed, the sun trembled. When it blinked, the light dimmed and brightened.
Its voice echoed directly inside Daniel’s mind, deep and ancient,
"Fallen Heir... Eternity... and Lord of the Dragons."
There was no hostility in the voice. It was deep and ancient.
The False God fixed its gaze on Daniel. Those black eyes did not seem to look at his body, but at the very concept of his existence.
"You... carry the scent of creation before the beginning, my Lord..."
The sun beneath its body shone slightly brighter, and the space compressed.
And for a brief moment, Daniel understood
If this being decided to rise from its place, Dragon Valley would not simply tremble.
It would be destroyed.
"It is my honor to be able to see you," Daniel replied with a smile. He could not take his eyes off the dragon. It was truly the most majestic thing he had ever seen with his own eyes.
"Haha, even now that you are the Dragon God, you still act humble and respectful. It seems the Goddess truly made the right decision," the ancient dragon said in a gentler tone.
"No matter what I am, I will still treat the guardian of this continent with respect."
A hint of softness and admiration appeared in the ancient dragon’s eyes. It was clear that he was truly pleased and satisfied with the new leader of his race.
"I apologize for not being able to attend the ceremony. I hope my Lord can forgive this discourtesy," he added calmly.
"It’s fine, but I would be happy to hear why you couldn’t come," Daniel asked with curiosity. He felt that this dragon might have some kind of problem that prevented him from leaving this place.
Some kind of restriction?
It was possible that this was a limitation imposed by the Mother System, allowing him to remain in this world only under certain conditions.
After all, based on what Evangelin had said, that all False Gods were forced to ascend, there had to be a reason why this one was still here.
"Ah, it’s a long story, my Lord. But the most important reason is this sun," the dragon paused for a moment and answered after letting out a sigh.
"This sun? That thing is a sun?" Daniel was slightly stunned.
"Not a sun like the one in the sky. This sun is the source of life and stability for this entire continent, the Continent of the Divine Forest. Without it, the entire continent would collapse and become abandoned."
"So that’s why the Mother System allowed you to stay here," Daniel reasoned.
The dragon nodded. His power was far beyond this world, yet he was still the guardian of this continent. The system could not force him to ascend at that time, because the continent would have collapsed.
So it did something else.
It forced him to remain here as long as he lived and protect this sun.
They even signed a contract. If he broke it, the Mother System would destroy him without even giving him a chance to ascend.
"I see," Daniel nodded after hearing the explanation. His reasoning had been correct, and this led him to other conclusions.
The most important one was that gods and existences whose power surpassed the world had no right to interfere in the world’s affairs. The system did not allow it.
Unless they were even stronger than the system itself.
Though he was not truly sure whether the gods were stronger than the system or not. After all, he did not even know who created it.
If he had to guess based only on the name, then perhaps the creator was the existence the Dragon Goddess had called The Mother. There was a similarity with Mother System.
But he was not certain. And until he was completely certain, he had to remain cautious about this matter.
"So there’s no way to free you? No... probably not. At least until I become stronger than the Mother System so I can help you. Do you know how powerful that system is?"
"I don’t know either. At the very least, it is equal to a true god. But it might even be stronger than a Supreme God."
Daniel’s pupils narrowed. Stronger than a Supreme God? Reaching that level was theoretically possible for him, but it would definitely take time.
"Let us set this topic aside, my Lord. It is not something we can control," the ancient dragon said with a small smile.
He had lived like this for many years and no longer truly cared. Being able to remain here and protect his race from afar was enough for him.
"I am sure you have many questions. If there is anything I can help you with, I will be glad to," he added.
He also had questions about the new leader.
But after reading Finn’s memories, he was already somewhat familiar with this man, his personality, genius, talent, and immense power. More importantly, he was both the new Eternity and the Fallen Heir.
And now he had even become an Innate Primal.
There was no better leader for their race. At least, among their own race, he had never seen anyone more qualified.
"Do you know anything about Divinity? After I transformed into this ancient race, I can no longer grow stronger like before. The old methods don’t work anymore. So do you know how I can continue to rank up? How I can reach the level of the gods?"
Daniel nodded and moved directly to his main question.