The sea breeze was gentle, and the waves rolled on.

On Goldsand Isle, where fine sand covered the ground, a rare scene was unfolding.

A towering giant, nearly eight meters tall and exuding an immense oppressive aura, was kneeling on one knee before a dragon adorned with scales as resplendent as golden diamonds, his head bowed low.

A giant kneeling to a dragon? Any sapient being witnessing this would find it utterly bewildering.

“Your Majesty, thank you for your grace that has given me new life.”

The Demon Warlock Addison, no, now the Storm Giant Addison, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Golden Dragon before him.

After a prolonged brainwashing by the slave mark, even if Saga were to erase it now, the level of awe and respect Addison had for Saga meant that unless he became stronger than Saga in the future, he would not harbor thoughts of betrayal.

At the same time, Saga was sizing up Addison, who had taken over the body of the Storm Giant.

A mature Storm Giant was nearly eight meters tall at the shoulder, and even when kneeling on one knee, his height was almost level with Saga’s when all four of his limbs touched the ground.

“Stand up,” Saga commanded.

The Storm Giant obeyed and rose, his massive body casting a large shadow on the sandy beach in the sunlight. Standing nearly nine meters tall, including his head, and with muscles like twisted roots of an ancient tree, he presented an imposing visual impact.

This was a giant in his prime.

Although dragons were much larger than giants of the same age, Saga’s current size was more akin to that of a young dragon, slightly inferior to a mature giant. His body length from head to tail was fourteen meters, numerically larger than the nine-meter-tall giant, but their body structures were different. Saga’s tail accounted for a large part of his body length.

“Your Majesty, I’ve never felt so wonderful,” the Storm Giant said with a rough voice, his face habitually twisting into a sinister smile that didn’t quite match his rugged features.

“To extract the soul and imprison it within a skull, then use the skull as a chamber pot,” Addison mused, his peculiar habit of speech intact.

Listening to Addison’s words, Saga couldn’t help but give him a sidelong glance.

No wonder this fellow was once known as the Demon Warlock; his twisted ideas were on par with a demon’s.

Saga didn’t mind having such a twisted and cruel subordinate to serve as a deterrent.

Saga himself was not adept at torture. He was relatively merciful, often granting his enemies a swift and clean death. However, death sometimes lacked the power to deter, and in certain situations, it was useful to let Addison step in.

“Come, let’s test our strength,” Saga said, extending his right claw towards the Storm Giant.

Addison took a deep breath, his body crackling with electricity, then extended his hand, which was even more robust and thick than Saga’s dragon claw, and said with a hint of eagerness, “Your Majesty, let’s begin.”

Boom!

The golden dragon claw and the purple-black giant hand collided, sending out a dull sound and an invisible shockwave that caused the surrounding ground to collapse and sand waves to rise.

Creaking and groaning, the Storm Giant’s arm muscles bulged, and the sound of twisting fibers was almost like the scraping of wires. Blood vessels wriggled under his skin like earthworms, and lightning danced along his arm.

Putting forth all his strength, the Storm Giant clenched his teeth, his body crackling with electricity.

Across from him, the young dragon, smaller in stature than the Storm Giant, stood immovable like a boulder, his dragon face calm as if he wasn’t exerting his full strength.

“You may use your lightning power,” Saga told the Storm Giant.

“Your Majesty, be careful!”

With a low roar, the Storm Giant’s body lit up with brilliant lightning, countless currents like dense snakes writhing over his body, all converging on his muscular arm that was arm-wrestling with Saga.

Crash!

The ground collapsed another layer.

Saga’s golden-scaled dragon arm trembled slightly, no longer as unshakeable as before, and he raised his eyebrows, saying, “That’s more like it.”

Inhaling deeply, Saga suddenly exerted his strength.

The muscles beneath his scales surged, and a tsunami-like force emerged from his dragon arm.

With an overwhelming momentum, the young dragon gripped the giant’s hand and instantly pushed the lightning-wrapped muscular arm aside, then went further, flinging the giant’s tall and burly body into the sea.

With a splash, the Storm Giant fell into the sea, causing waves to surge.

Seconds later, the Storm Giant emerged from the sea, shaking his head.

Approaching Saga, the Storm Giant exclaimed, “Your strength is beyond my imagination.”

As upper-tier species that had tread across many planes, giants were known for their strength, which was not inferior to dragons of the same rank. But Saga had used only his physical strength to easily overpower the Storm Giant, who had even used lightning energy to boost himself. Although they appeared to be of the same rank, the gap between them was vast.

“Cherish this body; strength is not your forte,” Saga told the Storm Giant.

“Heh, my mind has never been so sharp, and many of my past confusions have been clarified. The giant’s brain is much more developed than my previous body, and my affinity and perception of elemental energy far exceed my expectations.”

“I will become the most powerful giant caster under your command and serve you,” the Storm Giant declared with a voice as deep as thunder.

“I look forward to it,” Saga said after a pause, eyeing the giant before him.

“Do you have the confidence to undergo the Dragon Vein transformation?” he asked, curious about what changes a giant infused with True Dragon bloodline would undergo.

The Storm Giant patted his chest and proclaimed loudly, “You can fully trust the will of a ninth-tier Archmage!”

Soul-stealing was not a technique that could be easily accomplished.

Without a resolute will, his spirit would not be able to bear the burden and would be crushed by the giant’s powerful body.

“Then let’s begin right away,” Saga said.

Following Saga’s will, the Storm Giant knelt once more.

Saga’s claw sliced through the scales on his wrist, opening a cut, and with a thought, he controlled the blood flowing from his vessels. The essence of dragon blood, a rose-gold hue, poured out and into the open mouth of the Storm Giant, who eagerly swallowed the scalding dragon blood.

Almost instantly after receiving Saga’s dragon blood, golden patterns began to emerge on the Storm Giant’s bald head, intertwining and forming dragon scale patterns, spreading to his neck, chest, limbs, and beyond.

Flames ignited.

Within the golden dragon fire, the Storm Giant’s skin blackened inch by inch, as if bearing immense pain, his rugged face contorting and his body trembling uncontrollably.

“It truly hurts,” the giant growled.

The violent dragon blood made the Storm Giant feel as if he were in agony, but fortunately, as a former Necromancer, Addison was accustomed to physical torment and could withstand it.

As the Storm Giant was engulfed in flames, Saga felt it was time to stop the blood flow.

What would come next was up to the Storm Giant to endure.

“What will a Dragon Vein Giant look like?” Saga wondered with a hint of anticipation.

He didn’t wait on the spot for the Storm Giant to complete his transformation. The young dragon took to the skies and descended upon Grayrock Isle.

Near a rising hill, a high wall built of stones enclosed several ancient stone structures where groups of monsters stretched their bodies, learning to sense and manipulate qi under the guidance of the monk sect leader.

In a spacious clearing, the sect leader, with eyes closed, faced the onslaught of over a dozen monsters.

A wolf Giant lunged forward, but with a tap of his foot, the monk turned and dodged the embrace, delivering a palm strike to the chest of a minotaur, sending it flying.

Soon, all the monsters lay defeated, and the sect leader stood in the center, surrounded by swirling qi.

“Feel the presence of qi. Once you can clearly grasp its flow, you will be close to becoming a true monk,” he told the onlooking monsters.

The monsters of Grayrock Isle, burly and brutish, looked on with a mix of confusion and enlightenment, only a few showing thoughtful expressions in their intelligent eyes.

Compared to humans, it was harder for Ogres, Trolls, and wolf Giants to become monks.

But once successful, they would be stronger than human monks of the same rank.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed overhead.

The sect leader paused, then, like the surrounding monsters, knelt to show submission and respect to the Golden Dragon that had appeared.

After being permitted to stand, the sect leader heard the dragon’s deep voice:

“Bertus, how is the task I assigned you progressing?”

The sect leader bowed and replied, “Your Majesty, as you wished, I have sent disciples from my monastery beyond the Grayrock Archipelago to the surrounding isles and to the Yar Continent.”

Isolated islands hindered the flow of information.

The knowledge within the dragon’s heritage was insufficient for Saga to fully grasp this tumultuous and ever-changing world.

Thus, Saga had previously ordered the sect leader to select suitable candidates to create an intelligence network of monks to gather information for him.

Bertus had already had a moderately sized monastery in the human duchy before pledging loyalty to Saga, with several mid-tier monks and some lower-tier ones. Now, with the king’s support on West Sea Island, his monastery was expanding, and more people were joining.

It had been half a year since the Grayrock Archipelago fell under the dragon’s wings.

During this time, Bertus had followed Saga’s orders to create a monk force under the guidance of a special agency in the human duchy and secretly dispatched them to other nations to gather intelligence and monitor changes in their situations.

Monks were well-suited for such tasks.

Especially Shadow Sect monks, who were even better at stealth and covert operations than the most skilled assassins.

Although Bertus was a striking monk, he had also collected some knowledge of the Shadow Sect and taught some of its techniques to his disciples, creating a monk force known as the Shadow Monks.

“Do well, and I will spread your monastery to every corner of this world,” Saga casually promised.

“Yes!” The sect leader’s eyes sparkled as he nodded vigorously.

After observing the monster monks’ monastery on Grayrock Isle, Saga found a rugged and rocky clearing to practice developing his basic force skills.

Days passed in the blink of an eye.

On a night bathed in moonlight, Saga arrived at Goldsand Isle, landing on the soft, fine golden sand that glowed under the gentle moonlight, creating a tranquil and pleasant environment.

The Golden Dragon looked ahead.

A huge, charred object like burnt charcoal came into view, surrounded by signs of high-temperature scorching.

Yet, in contrast to this scene of destruction, a vibrant life force was boiling in the center.

Crackling and breaking, the charred substance split and peeled away, revealing a glint of golden scales. As the first crack appeared, the charring sped up, spreading until the entire mass exploded with a loud bang.

The creature within was revealed under the moonlight.

It was a massive being, nine meters tall with a sturdy body.

With a humanoid form, its purple-black skin was covered in places like the forearms, shins, and chest with a layer of golden scales resembling armor, covering most of its body. Broad and robust, it exhaled like a dragon, with curling horns reaching to the sky and a long tail swaying from its waist. Its entire being radiated a domineering presence, like a storm over the ocean or a volcano on the verge of eruption.

The new form of the Dragon Vein Giant caught Saga’s attention for a few extra moments.

The young dragon stroked his chin’s fine scales, thinking, “If it weren’t for the giant’s aura still lingering on the Dragon Vein Giant, its appearance would be more akin to a dragon.”

On the Dragon Vein Giant, the auras of both dragon and giant coexisted.

The bloodlines of True Dragons and giants were not inherently conflicting; their ancient enmity stemmed from bloody wars throughout history, not from opposition in their bloodlines.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Vein Giant spoke excitedly, “Thank you again for your grace, for giving me a new life.”

“I may be the first Dragon Vein Giant in the history of this planet.”

Addison chuckled, then mused, “Your Majesty, now that I possess both dragon and giant auras, if I encounter giants or dragons out there, will they see me as one of their own?”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but tap his scales and touch his horns, reveling in the powerful strength and potential within his body.

Saga shook his head and stated with certainty, “It’s unlikely they’ll see you as one of their own.”

“The likelihood of being seen as an aberration and killed on the spot is quite high.”

Based on Saga’s understanding of dragons and giants, he was sure that if a Dragon Vein Giant encountered a True Dragon or a True Giant in the wild, the outcome would not be pleasant.

Both would see the Dragon Vein Giant as an aberration, not as kin.

“Ah?” The Dragon Vein Giant paused.

“So you’re saying that aside from you, I’m now in a lose-lose situation?”

“Heh, it doesn’t matter. The opinions of other dragons and giants about me are not important. As long as you, Your Majesty, don’t despise me, that’s all that matters.”

The Dragon Vein Giant remained immersed in the joy of rebirth, unconcerned about the potential hostility from other dragons and giants.

“Honestly, you look rather odd and grotesque now, which is somewhat ugly in my eyes,” Saga said, examining the Dragon Vein Giant. “You’re probably considered ugly among giants too.”

Saga spoke the truth.

The Dragon Vein Giant still had a rugged, barbaric human-like face, but now it was overlaid with dragon scales, and its similarly scaled head lacked spines, appearing overly smooth and strange.

Especially with scales covering only half its body, it looked quite out of place from a dragon’s perspective, very non-mainstream.

Dragons had an aesthetic sense for all things.

When a dragon thought you were ugly, it meant you were truly ugly, without any dispute.

Hearing Saga’s words, Addison paused, then with a crestfallen expression on his odd human-like face, he said, “You won’t neglect me because I’m ugly, will you?”

From reluctantly serving Saga out of necessity to now fearing neglect, the former Necromancer had undergone a significant change of heart.

“That won’t happen; being ugly isn’t your fault,” Saga reassured him.

Then, the Dragon Vein Giant began to explore the capabilities of its new body, with Saga curiously observing.

Through various attempts, its abilities gradually revealed themselves.

Firstly, the Storm Giant’s control over storms and lightning was retained and even significantly enhanced in terms of lightning power. However, unlike the Black Sharks, which also gained enhanced affinity for the lightning element, the enhancement was more in the destructive power of lightning rather than high-speed agility.

Additionally, it gained a boost in fire affinity, surpassing even purebred fire giants and slightly outperforming average Golden Dragons and Red Dragons.

Lightning, storms, and fire would be the main focus of the Dragon Vein Giant’s future attacks.

It was thrilled by this.

Originally a prodigy of the Energy Sculpting school, Addison had shown remarkable talent in energy manipulation at a young age. If not for being sabotaged, he might have already become a legendary caster of the school, revered rather than a Necromancer who had to skulk in the shadows, seen as an enemy by the living.

“I can walk the path of energy manipulation again, and go even further than before,” Addison thought, feeling an unprecedented affinity with elemental energy. His excitement gradually subsided, and he fell silent, then suddenly tears streamed down his face.

These were not tears of sadness, but of overwhelming joy.

The once Necromancer, who had experienced much and whose youthful passion had been hardened into cold cruelty by harsh realities, found his heart thawing at the thought of no longer having to hide in dark corners. Reborn as Addison, the thought of a future free from shadows melted the ice around his heart.

With a thud, the massive body knelt heavily before the Golden Dragon.

“Your Majesty, I, Addison, hereby swear to follow you for all eternity,” he declared.

“Even if I fall in death, I will rise again as a skeleton, continuing to fight for you as an Undead until my soul shatters and dissipates.”

Saga could sense that this was truly Addison’s own heartfelt desire, not an effect of the electromagnetic slave mark.

After a prolonged influence of the slave mark, coupled with the real benefits of following Saga, the former Necromancer had completely submitted to the dragon.

Some time later, on Grayrock Isle, Saga lay resting in his chamber filled with gold and gems after a long period of training. He had just finished receiving a report from the sect leader about the Shadow Monks operating beyond the Grayrock Archipelago.

Saga turned over, propping his head on one dragon claw, his gaze thoughtful.

“The Western Sea, between the Yar Continent and the Whirlpool Sea, my name and deeds are spreading rapidly.”

“The Lord of the Grayrock Archipelago, the King of the Near Seas. Tsk, interesting.”

Saga had been given the title of King of the Near Seas, and the title of Emperor Dragon was becoming widely known in the nearby sea regions at an unnatural pace, even reaching the coastal areas of the Yar Continent, sparking discussion and attention.

Along the coastal continent and nearby seas, Saga had gained a bit of fame.

Some creatures feared him, others envied his power, and many scoffed at him.

“The battles in the Grayrock Archipelago alone are not enough to make my fame reach this level.”

Saga was certain of this.

“I didn’t send my kin to spread my name; this unnatural spread must have someone directing it.”

“The purpose is…”

Saga’s gaze narrowed, his psychic energy whirring, his thoughts swift as lightning.

“…to build me up only to bring me down, to draw the attention and wariness of more powers, or perhaps, to eliminate me.”

This was the most likely scenario he deduced after careful analysis.

“The sense of an impending storm must be related to this as well.”

Saga pondered quietly.

“Let me think, which foolish little thing is playing at being clever?”

Saga didn’t need a vast territory for himself.

Currently, the size of the Grayrock Archipelago was sufficient for him to dwell in.

He had recently wanted some stability to thoroughly research his abilities and, when nearing legendary status, to set out for the more prosperous, exciting, and dangerous Yar Continent, and to check on the well-being of Tixil the Amethyst Dragon and Charlotte.

But the tree desires calm, yet the wind will not cease.

When Saga sought peace, someone else did not wish for his tranquility.

To this, Saga was not annoyed or upset; he understood he had a certain allure that always drew strife, and he had grown accustomed to it.

Since he had been given the title of King of the Near Seas, Saga decided to go with the flow and make it a reality.

A few minutes later, Saga’s voice echoed in the mind of the sect leader:

“Bertus, including yourself, have the Shadow Monks go to all the duchy-level powers in the nearby sea region and trace the source of the information related to me.”