Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Weapon

Previously, the Phoenix ignited the totem fire with lightning, which undoubtedly gave the Black Dragon a great inspiration—lightning plays a crucial role in the advancement of extraordinary lifeforms.

Moreover, there is a theory on Earth that in its early days, frequent lightning strikes might have triggered the transformation of inorganic matter into organic, thereby giving birth to the first lifeform.

In other words, the concept of a lightning tribulation, often found in immortal cultivation tales, actually has some scientific basis.

Perhaps intense lightning can truly promote the evolution and metamorphosis of life, enabling it to become a higher, more perfect existence.

Thus, the Black Dragon couldn't help but wonder if it should subject itself to a lightning tribulation as well.

Unfortunately, the Summer Academy was not very supportive of this idea, considering it mere fantasy. After all, no one had ever heard of a concept of lightning tribulation existing in the material realm, and the Phoenix’s experience was likely a rare exception.

Moreover, Heaven did not seem to be cooperating; no significant thunderstorms had occurred recently, so the Black Dragon’s notion was eventually abandoned.

However, now that it was overseas and had encountered a storm, the Black Dragon naturally wanted to be struck by a few bolts of lightning, curious about how the lightning there compared to the high-voltage electricity back home.

Hmm, neither its danger sense nor its heart reacted strongly, indicating that this experiment was probably safe.

“In our Summer Kingdom’s mythology, summoning clouds and causing rain is the exclusive duty of the dragon clan!” the Black Dragon exclaimed excitedly as it flew into the cumulonimbus cloud.

Its eagerness to reduce weight was partly motivated by a subtle hope—to see if it could use its subjective will to alter its appearance into that of an Eastern dragon.

There was no other way; the Western fantasy dragon form was simply too ugly. The Black Dragon, having its own aesthetic standards, naturally wished to improve its looks.

Considering its massive, sturdy physique, external forces wouldn’t suffice for a makeover. The Black Dragon had to rely on its own initiative, hoping to change its appearance from within.

“...At least give me some credit—zap me a few times, will you?” it muttered.

The Black Dragon charged wildly into the cloud, expecting the lightning to welcome it with a lively crackle and deliver a thorough electric massage.

To its surprise, the lightning seemed almost sentient, deliberately avoiding its body. Several times, although the Black Dragon anticipated where the bolts would strike, when it lunged forward, the lightning simply refrained from discharging.

As the Black Dragon persistently chased and crashed about, the once formidable cloud mass was completely scattered and dissipated.

“...What the hell is going on?” the Black Dragon was utterly baffled. Could there be a deity controlling thunder and lightning, afraid it would steal its power, and thus stopping the bolts in time?

But as far as the Black Dragon knew, there was no Thunder God in this world. The authority over thunder and lightning was vacant, nominally overseen by the Great Goddess of Nature.

“Nominally” was the key word—she was a deity with minimal presence, hardly ever intervening in the material realm.

“Boring. So boring...” the Black Dragon sighed in frustration. It had looked forward to a joyful natural electric shock therapy, only to find that the vast cloud couldn’t even entertain its playfulness and simply dispersed.

“Though, on the bright side, does this mean... I have some degree of control over weather?” it pondered thoughtfully. While other dragons summon clouds and bring rain, it merely prevented rainfall—still a form of climate manipulation that might prove useful in the future.

...

The Black Dragon went back to find the Hellhound, initially intending to return home. But recalling that the volcano where the Flame Demon dwelled was not far from here, and considering its unresolved conflict with the Hellhound, the Black Dragon felt an itch to challenge the Flame Demon.

Besides, it realized it had never soaked in volcanic magma before and was somewhat intrigued by the idea.

So, the Black Dragon changed course and headed toward the volcano inhabited by the Flame Demon, accompanied by the Hellhound.

Yet, while flying, it began to wonder whether the Flame Demon counted as a protected species.

This was not mere speculation; experts at the Summer Academy were divided on the issue, never reaching a consensus.

Logically, the Flame Demon was a demonic creature, an unequivocal heretic destined to be at odds with humanity, and thus shouldn’t be on any protection list.

But strangely, the Flame Demon seemed to play a positive role in maintaining environmental stability. Its presence effectively reduced volcanic eruptions and earthquakes by mediating the interaction between subterranean energy and the material realm.

The Summer Academy’s ongoing assessments suggested the Flame Demon’s value outweighed its threat. It was a relatively sedentary creature, rarely wandering far from its volcanic home.

In fact, the Summer Kingdom leaned toward classifying the Flame Demon as a protected species. Its population in the material realm was genuinely scarce, and extinction might force reintroduction from the Abyss or Hell—a process fraught with difficulty and potential complications due to habitat incompatibility.

Therefore, the Summer Academy advised the Black Dragon to be gentle if fighting the Flame Demon, to avoid killing it outright.

The Black Dragon had no objections. While the Academy valued the Flame Demon’s ecological role, the Black Dragon focused on its economic potential.

As a seventh-level lifeform, the Flame Demon was an excellent labor force, capable of mountain-moving and mining with unparalleled efficiency.

Moreover, volcanoes themselves were prime tourist attractions. With a local entity like the Flame Demon involved in operations, success would be assured. Excavating a few large volcanic hot springs and developing unique attractions could easily elevate the site to a five-star scenic area.

The Black Dragon admired such profit-making extraordinary beings and had set a principle for itself: capture them if possible, never kill them.

That said, since all extraordinary creatures held some economic value, even the least promising could be sent to an extraordinary zoo to generate income.