Before heading to the underworld, Saga found Tixil the Amethyst Dragon and Charlotte in the Emerald Gorge: “I’m off to exterminate the Ratmen in the underworld. It might cause some disturbances on the surface, so don’t be surprised when it happens.”

Tixil looked towards the Golden Dragon and immediately said:

“We’ll go with you.”

Charlotte nodded in agreement, her excitement palpable as she chimed in:

“Exterminating Ratmen is a joy for any dragon’s heart. Don’t leave us out of this.”

Saga shook his head slightly and seriously addressed Tixil and the others:

“No, your task is to patrol the nearby skies with the Gemstone Dragons, just in case. If any Ratmen escape the underworld and appear on the surface, it will be up to you to eradicate them.”

The Ratmen were numerous.

Even a single clan could outnumber the entire population of a kingdom, and by a considerable margin at that.

Although Saga had never been to the underworld.

Through his heritage, he knew it was generally quite complex, with countless winding secret passages and tunnels. To exterminate all the Ratmen in such an environment was a task even high-ranking legends found challenging.

Defeating a Ratmen clan was easy.

To eradicate them without a trace, however, was as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

However, Saga had recently learned a new ability, perfectly suited for the current situation. Since he had only just begun to master it and had not yet used it in combat, he was unsure of its exact effect.

If it worked as he envisioned in actual combat, then the Gemstone Dragons in the sky would certainly not see a single Ratman.

“Let these underground vermin deeply feel the might of the dragons.”

Tixil and Charlotte nodded, then set off to summon the other Gemstone Dragons, as well as the Stone Giants, Wind Demons, multi-headed Serpent Lizards, and other creatures that had submitted to dragonkind, preparing to circle and patrol nearby, initiating the extermination.

After watching the variously colored Gemstone Dragons take to the skies.

The Golden Dragon’s gaze narrowed slightly as he looked down at the surface, and then scales shimmering with psychic energy began to glow.

With wings retracted, the dragon’s body wrapped in psychic brilliance, plunged towards the earth.

Without slowing down, the Golden Dragon headed straight for the ground, and instead of the expected explosive impact, it perfectly penetrated the surface like entering water, then traveled through the earth composed of soil, rock, minerals, and more, rapidly descending deeper.

At this moment, the earth seemed to become an ocean, and Saga swam freely within it.

Psychic Ability—Meld with Earth.

Although Saga’s progress as a Mind Warlock was not as advanced as his innate power, and he had yet to learn any legendary-level psychic abilities, it still provided him with many conveniences.

If he were to violently break through to the underworld, he could do it, but such a spectacle would be too grand, likely alerting the Ratmen prematurely and consuming a lot of his energy.

In theory, he could also travel through the earth using basic force.

But Saga had not yet thoroughly studied this aspect and temporarily lacked the relevant basic force skills.

Wrapped in psychic energy, the Golden Dragon moved at will through the layers of distinct geological structures, gradually descending to the underworld.

At that time.

Within the Black Claw clan in the underworld.

The Black Claw leader, whose size hadn’t changed much but whose aura had grown significantly, was lying leisurely on a wooden lounge chair brought from the surface, rhythmically rocking back and forth while leisurely nibbling on a glowing mushroom.

Just a few days ago.

The Black Claw leader led his clan in a raid against the Evil Tooth clan.

After swiftly slaughtering the upper echelons of the Evil Tooth clan who refused to submit, the commoners of the Black Tooth clan decisively defected, abandoning their clan name and choosing to join the Black Claw clan.

The annexation and conquest among Ratmen clans were always so simple and effective.

Because Ratmen had little concept of clan loyalty, what mattered most to them were hierarchy and strength. If a clan’s leaders perished in clan warfare, the remaining Ratmen would not hesitate to betray their nurturing clan and join a stronger one, without a second’s hesitation.

In the Dragonfall Mountains.

When Saga killed the Evil Tooth leader and wiped out tens of thousands of Evil Tooth Ratmen, it was only a small part of the entire Evil Tooth clan. Any Ratmen clan with a legendary leader would consider tens of millions to be a small number.

After annexing the Evil Tooth clan, the Black Claw clan nearly doubled in size.

The significant increase in clan members, coupled with a unique Ratmen group effect, meant that even while lying down, the Black Claw leader’s strength was slowly increasing.

In the midst of a power surge, the Black Claw leader recalled the terrifying scene of the black and gold dragon crushing the Evil Tooth leader into a pulp, gnawing on a mushroom with a vengeful look, thinking that once it became strong enough, it would make sure the dragons knew Ratmen were not to be trifled with.

Suddenly.

As a Caster, the Ratmen leader’s eyelids twitched.

A bad premonition began to grow within.

Its legendary creature’s keen intuition told it that an invisible danger was approaching.

“Hmm?”

A puzzled light shone in the Black Claw leader’s small eyes.

“Did the Evil Tooth clan submit on the surface but still harbor resentment and plot against me?”

That was its first thought.

In the underworld, danger seldom came from above the surface and was more likely to stem from within its own kind.

“No, no, no, those less than legendary creatures pose no threat to me.”

“Could it be that the dragon who killed the Evil Tooth leader has come knocking?” The Black Claw leader shook its head, dismissing the fleeting thought: “Impossible, the underworld is vast and extraordinary. If dragons enter the underworld, they’d be lucky not to get lost, let alone find their way here.”

Aside from a few Dragon Kind, most dragons are amphibious, but that doesn’t include the underworld.

The Black Claw leader believed the danger was most likely from other Ratmen clans.

Immediately, it climbed off the lounge chair and called the upper echelons of the Black Claw clan to a state of alert.

Regardless of the source of the danger sensed by its intuition, it could not be ignored, especially as the sense of unease grew stronger, as if a blade was gradually being placed against its neck.

Meanwhile.

After passing through a complex layer of sandstone, igneous rock, and black rock, Saga’s vision, which had been shrouded in darkness, suddenly cleared, and he emerged from the rock layer into a spacious tunnel.

The dragon paused and surveyed its surroundings.

In the damp and dark tunnel, many oddly shaped fungi nearly covered the surface, emitting a soft glow that dispelled the darkness of the underground tunnel and brought some light to the area.

These fungi were also the main food source for Ratmen and many other underground creatures.

A slight noise caught Saga’s attention.

He turned to look.

In the fungi, some large mushrooms trembled, and then one by one, heads popped out, staring at the Golden Dragon with their big, dull eyes.

What Saga saw were a type of mushroom people.

They had mushroom heads of various colors and structures, along with humanoid limbs, and generally possessed a sluggish and ‘intelligent’ gaze.

Mushroom People—a common type of humanoid fungus plant in the underworld.

Since the presence of Mushroom People naturally leads to the growth of a large number of edible fungi, they are an indispensable part of the underworld ecosystem and are popular and highly regarded. Despite the generally ferocious nature of underground creatures, Mushroom People, being slow and gentle, often live well.

“This place is a Mushroom People colony.”

Saga’s gaze swept over the dense fungi, thinking to himself.

The presence of a Mushroom People colony indicated that Saga had arrived in the underworld.

At the same time.

A Mushroom Person with a blue tower-shaped mushroom head, with an aura around the seventh tier, swayed slightly, its head sprouting strands of mycelium that slowly wrapped around Saga.

Saga’s gaze narrowed slightly as the mycelium approached, and he extended a dragon claw, allowing it to wrap around.

Mushroom People can establish telepathic connections with other beings through mycelium or spores to communicate.

This Mushroom Person wanted to communicate with Saga, who did not refuse, ready to hear what it had to say.

“Hello.”

The mycelium glowed faintly, and a slow voice echoed in Saga’s mind.

“I am the king of the Iya Mushroom colony, and I welcome all beings who come here without malice.”

Mushroom People often welcome beings without malice, willing to provide food and shelter.

Similarly, because it did not sense malice from Saga, the Mushroom King welcomed his arrival, and due to a lack of dragon awareness, although it felt Saga was quite powerful, it did not show much fear or awe in his presence.

At the same time.

Some little Mushroom People picked fresh mushrooms and brought sweet underground spring water, babbling around the dragon’s feet, inviting him to eat and drink.

Saga was also visiting the underworld for the first time.

Without rushing to exterminate the Ratmen right away, the massive dragon landed among the Mushroom People and, surrounded by them, tasted the fresh and juicy mushrooms and sweet spring water, finding the flavor quite good.

“Mushroom People, have you seen any Ratmen nearby?”

While eating and drinking, Saga asked the Mushroom King.

Hearing Saga mention Ratmen, the Mushroom King showed a hint of fear and said:

“Ratmen… they’re all very bad creatures. They plunder our colonies without restraint. Every time they come, they cause severe damage and bring diseases that pollute our colonies.”

Many species live in the underworld.

Grey Dwarves, Fallen Elves, Black Dragons, Eye Demons, and more, with Ratmen being just one of them. However, only Ratmen have built an empire-level force with the power of a single clan on Saiga Planet’s underworld.

And among all the species of the underworld, Ratmen are the least welcome.

“I see. Thank you for your hospitality. As a return, your colony will soon no longer have to worry about threats from Ratmen.”

The Golden Dragon gently prodded a little Mushroom Person’s soft mushroom head with a claw, speaking calmly to the Mushroom King.

Then, with a flap of his wings, the wind blew the little Mushroom People into disarray, and he took to the sky, not waiting for the Mushroom King’s response, and quickly disappeared from the Mushroom People’s sight.

After the brief interlude, the Mushroom People colony returned to its simple life.

Meanwhile.

Having left the Mushroom People colony, Saga, in the dim underworld, closed his eyes slightly, fully opening his perception.

Countless force field arcs appeared before him, extending and radiating in distant directions, intertwining and crisscrossing, forming a vast map of the underworld, with all sorts of passages, tunnels, caverns, and voids clearly displayed before his eyes, densely packed and complex.

Normally, the thick rock layers omnipresent in the underworld, along with many special magic areas, would affect a creature’s perception, significantly reducing the range of perception that would be available on the surface.

But Saga was not normal.

His perceptive abilities were not weakened in the slightest in the underworld.

“I’ve found you.”

Suddenly, the Golden Dragon opened its eyes, and its golden pupils shone brightly in the dim world.

Within his perceptive field, there were two massive voids.

Countless Ratmen were centered around the voids, also distributed in the numerous surrounding passages and cavern tunnels.

The so-called voids are the main living spaces of the underworld. Small voids may be just a few hundred cubic meters, but large enough voids can span kingdom-sized spaces, allowing sapient beings living underground to establish tribes, clans, nations, and more.

Regardless of size, all voids are coveted by underground species.

And most of the underground voids are dominated by Ratmen.

“Voids are strategic resources of the underworld. After eradicating the Ratmen and seizing the voids, I can use psychic energy to construct some teleportation arrays, then send my kin here to extend my influence into the underworld.”

Saga thought silently.

The underworld is also an important part of Saiga Planet, with many scarce and precious magic mineral resources only found there. Moreover, to cultivate the Dragon Soul Sanctuary, Saga needed a large number of souls, and the numerous Ratmen were suitable targets. He would need to visit the underworld often.

Using his overwhelming perceptive abilities to pinpoint his target, the Golden Dragon’s body once again glowed with psychic energy, then he traversed the underworld along the shortest direct line, heading straight for the void with a legendary aura.

The two Ratmen-occupied voids previously belonged to the Evil Tooth and Black Claw clans.

Now, they were both territories of the Black Claw clan.

The Black Claw leader was still in the original void of the Black Claw clan when a sense of being targeted suddenly peaked, along with a feeling of being locked on.

“Damn.”

The Black Claw leader’s heart sank, but being on its home turf, it didn’t lose its composure.

Just as it was about to call for the stronger Ratmen in the clan to be on guard.

A high and majestic dragon chant sounded.

The Golden Dragon’s figure emerged inch by inch from the void’s ceiling, looking down at the Ratmen society below.

Various rough, twisted buildings with a distinct Ratmen style crowded together, dirty and filthy, with foul water flowing and garbage strewn about the streets teeming with Ratmen. At first glance, it seemed very primitive, but there were also tall, green-glowing spires that exuded a dangerous aura, and Ratmen guards in mechanical armor, even directly operating mechanical golems, patrolling and training on the streets.

The magical level of Ratmen society was not low.

Thanks to the covert support of the Mechanar Empire, the path of machinery had also developed well and had even localized into a special mechanical path suitable for Ratmen society.

“It’s really this dragon!”

Standing atop a high tower, the Black Claw leader stared at the Golden Dragon, shocked.

At the same time, smelling the scent of many clan members, the Black Claw leader’s unease quickly dissipated.

“Unexpectedly, you dare to come to my Black Claw clan to seek death. Heh, truly arrogant dragons.”

The Black Claw leader spoke, addressing the dragon hovering above the void.

Saga looked at the Black Claw leader, his gaze sweeping over countless Ratmen, and said with disdain:

“A bunch of insignificant creatures living underground, ignorant of the vastness of the world.”

The Black Claw leader was enraged by Saga’s blatant contempt, waving its staff towards him and shouting: “Ratmen warriors, kill this dragon!”

In an instant.

Countless Ratmen’s voices echoed throughout the void.

Ratmen mechanics in mechs spewing green flames, Ratmen warriors with some ability to float, Caster Ratmen casting various spells, and towers capable of emitting energy rays all launched numerous attacks on Saga at the same time.

The Black Claw leader took a deep breath, invigorated by the battle with the swarm, casting spells efficiently.

It swung its staff vigorously, its fur moving without wind.

Around it, sigils formed, inflicting targets with weakness, slowness, increased damage, and other negative effects, branding towards the dragon.

Facing the tsunami-like offensive, the Golden Dragon stood upright, its wings spread high behind it, its arms crossed over its chest, and the surrounding light twisted slightly, revealing a black luster, transforming into a black and gold dragon form with a heavy texture.

Boom, boom, boom!

The collective attack from the Ratmen clan completely engulfed the black and gold dragon.

However, before the Ratmen could rejoice, in the next second, a gravitational wave hundreds of meters long, carrying many lights and flames, slashed out as fast as lightning.

Crack!

Ratmen mechs were crushed into pieces by the gravity blade, Ratmen warriors were caught in it and stained crimson, and many attacks were attracted by gravity, adding power to the gravity blade, then falling towards the Black Claw leader.

Buzz!

The Black Claw leader’s pupils shrank, and its body suddenly dispersed into countless mosquitoes.

Crash!

The tower it stood on was hit by the gravity blade, instantly crushed, and the gravity blade continued without stopping, sweeping across the ground, eradicating all Ratmen in its path, leaving a swath of death smeared with flesh and bone.

The mosquitoes regrouped in mid-air, reforming into the Black Claw leader.

At this moment, its small eyes were full of hostility, looking up into the sky, and quickly counterattacked.

Whoosh. With a wave of its staff, invisible bacteria rose from the crushed Ratmen’s flesh and blood, then mixed with its own power, taking shape.

Buzz!

A giant black claw formed in the air, tearing towards the Golden Dragon.

Plague Black Claw!

This was the Black Claw leader’s signature spell. Any target hit by this spell would be infected with multiple deadly diseases, and even the strong bodies of dragons could not be completely immune.

The Ratmen clan was vast, and a single gravity blade aimed at the leader alone did not interrupt the Ratmen’s collective attack. At this time, the dragon’s figure was still amidst the seemingly endless wave of attacks, barely visible.

Suddenly, the black and gold dragon’s wings soared.

Boom!

The Plague Black Claw that had just attacked the black and gold dragon returned along its path, and under the astonished gaze of the Black Claw leader, counterattacked itself. And that was just one of them; all attacks were reversed.

The Ratmen’s attacks became weapons to slaughter themselves, causing massive casualties in an instant.

The overwhelming offensive temporarily subsided.

The black and gold dragon stood majestic, each dragon scale deep and lustrous, without even a scratch, looking down at countless Ratmen with calm and indifferent eyes, accurately locking onto the Black Claw leader who had just dodged the reversed attack.

“Ratmen, your attacks can’t even scratch me.”

“Boring, let’s end this.”

With an invincible demeanor and posture, the black and gold dragon murmured, and with a flap of its wings, its body surged, shooting out like a black lightning bolt from the Ratmen’s sight, heading straight for the Black Claw leader.

The Black Claw leader had just dodged the reversed attack.

Just as it regained its senses, it felt a dangerous wind approaching.

After annexing the Evil Tooth clan, this Ratman’s strength had increased significantly, but it still felt suffocated in front of the black and gold dragon. In a panic, it waved its staff, and its body once again dispersed into countless mosquitoes, fleeing in all directions.

Seeing this, the black and gold dragon extended a dragon claw while moving at high speed, locking onto the area where countless mosquitoes were dancing.

Universal Attraction!

Buzz. Terrifying gravity emerged from all directions, as if invisible giant hands were squeezing the mosquitoes that had not yet taken flight, pressing them back to their original point, then gathering into the panicked Black Claw leader.

Reflected in the terrifying black and gold dragon’s eyes, the Black Claw leader trembled with fear, completely captivated by the dragon’s might, and for a moment even forgot to cast other escape spells.

Boom, boom, boom!

Attacks from other Ratmen continued to fall on the black and gold dragon, but without exception, they were all reversed again, causing the Ratmen to reap what they had sown, suffering casualties in the battle.

At the same time, withstanding the barrage of attacks, the black and gold dragon charged forward relentlessly, firmly grasping the Black Claw leader in its claw.

“Little thing, I’ve caught you.”

The dragon halted, Saga looking down at the Black Claw leader, now only showing its head from within his claw, and smiled a grin that appeared ferocious and cruel in the eyes of the Black Claw leader.

Trapped in the dragon’s grasp, with its body firmly suppressed by gravity and unable to move, the Black Claw leader knew what this meant—it had completely lost the ability to resist.

Although it wanted to beg for mercy, knowing the nature of dragons, it was unlikely to show leniency to a Ratman, so the Black Claw leader roared defiantly: “There are countless Ratmen like me. If you kill one, there are still countless others who exist.”

“Even if one ‘me’ dies, another ‘me’ will emerge to lead the Ratmen clan and wreak havoc everywhere!”

The Ratmen clan was vast, seemingly endless in number.

Just in this void alone, there were far more than ten million Ratmen, and the area where Saga wreaked havoc was only the very center of the void, occupying only a tiny portion. The Ratmen here were but a drop in the bucket, and in the outer tunnels and caverns, there were also a large number of Ratmen.

Killing the Ratmen leader would cause the others to scatter.

Even using Dragon Might, because its range was limited, it would still not kill too many Ratmen.

Then, the scattered Ratmen would regroup once the situation stabilized, choose a new leader, and develop as if nothing had happened.

This was not a prediction of the future but a scene that had played out many times in the underworld.

Listening to the clamor of countless Ratmen and looking at the Black Claw leader’s face, unafraid of death, the dragon naturally whispered: “Is that so? Then killing all the Ratmen here should suffice.”

The Black Claw leader was momentarily taken aback, then laughed uncontrollably.

It mocked:

“To kill all the Ratmen of our clan… Dragon, I admit you are powerful, but, haha, your foolishness and overestimation of your abilities make me laugh. Kill me now, or I might die laughing.”

Saga just quietly watched it.

Patiently, even considerately, he waited for the Black Claw leader to finish laughing, then the dragon slowly said:

“No rush, you will be the last one. Before you witness with your own eyes how all your clan members die, I won’t kill you.”

“Then I’m afraid I’ll live until the end of time.”

The Black Claw leader thought Saga was just bluffing and sneered in response.

But the next second, its expression changed.

It saw in the faceplate of the black and gold dragon, in those golden pupils, a terrifying and indifferent coldness that even the naturally cold-hearted Ratmen found chilling.

At the same time.

The black and gold dragon slowly closed its eyes, the black luster on its body receded, and its mind sank into deep concentration.

The Ratmen’s barrage of attacks continued, and because the attacks were not reversed, they were encouraged, increasing the intensity of their assault. Various energy flames enveloped the Golden Dragon like the sun, swallowing it up and even ignoring the leader caught by the dragon.

Time passed slowly.

After a few seconds of silence.

Suddenly, the Golden Dragon opened its eyes, its wings spread wide, and it roared to the heavens amidst the sun-like flames.

With the dragon’s roar, the weak nuclear force began to operate, causing microscopic particles to decay and disintegrate, turning into neutrons along with waves of destructive energy, and from the center of the Golden Dragon, these invisible neutrons burst forth, forming an invisible and deadly neutron flood that covered the entire void at the speed of light, submerging everything within it.

Neutron Annihilation!

At that moment, time seemed to freeze.

The clamor and offensive of the Ratmen came to an abrupt halt.

Then, in the silence of death, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions of Ratmen fell one after another, their bodies unscathed on the surface, perfectly intact, but already devoid of all life.

Whoosh… A wind as if blowing from hell swept through.

The Black Claw leader, looking at the countless dead Ratmen, stared blankly, murmuring:

“Even for us Ratmen, who are not highly regarded, we are still millions of sapient beings. Evil Dragon, evil dragon, to kill so many sapient beings is such a vast war crime. Don’t you feel uneasy in your heart?”

To this, the Golden Dragon calmly replied:

“You, and many other sapient beings, may think my actions are cruel and cold-hearted, but I would call it—efficient.”

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