Chapter 172: Azure Dragon World

Chapter 172: Azure Dragon World"Looks like it’s finally over," Apollo murmured, ceasing his bickering with the Pussy King. Nothing could be done now, even if he had managed to anger some old monster of this world.

Just then, a notification appeared before him.

[Special trial (first Task)- Support the Crimson City to survive the Death Storm]

[Status- Completed]

[Reward- 5000 Sky points (500 each trialist)]

[Special trial (Second task)- Find the Tomb of Outer God Anaric]

"Hmm." Apollo looked at the notification, and he wasn’t the only one; the other nine also heard the notification, marking the end of the first phase.

But when he looked at the second phase task, he was surprised, as it was not about fighting or surviving but about finding a Tomb—not ordinary but of some outer god, which he didn’t understand.

The term "Outer God" gave Apollo pause. It seems to suggest that this Anaric wasn’t an original deity of this world but rather some sort of invader, a being from beyond. He wasn’t certain, but the implications made his task even more ominous.

He realized, with a tinge of discomfort, that he knew almost nothing about this world. In the past, he—like many others—treated these worlds like mere stages in a game, places to complete tasks and then leave. Learning about their histories, cultures, or power structures seemed unnecessary, just extra effort. But now, with the trial involving an "Outer God," it felt like they might have to dive deeper into this world’s mysteries and origins.

It was time to start understanding the world he was in—its history, its gods, and its threats.

The lingering death aura in the desert gradually dissipated, and the sun broke through the clouds, casting light over the city. Slowly, everything began to return to normal. Ordinary people emerged from their hiding places, and the once-deserted city started to regain its life.

Though many buildings were damaged or destroyed due to shockwaves and battles, there was a sense of hope in the air as life began to flow back into the streets.

In one of the city’s still-standing restaurants, all ten trialists gathered around a large table.

But they weren’t happy as they felt the difficulty of the trial, and they were lucky something or someone took care of the threat; otherwise, who knows what would have happened?

Kaleb was the most visibly frustrated among them, his face tense with irritation. Everything felt like it was out of his control. He had prepared and had trump cards, but this was just the beginning of the trial.

The thought of using his Trump card now seemed foolish. What would he do in future trials if he burned through his resources so soon? Worse yet, what kind of dangers awaited them next? Would any of them survive until the end of the Tower of Sky’s trials?

These thoughts swirled through his mind, making it impossible to find peace. Around the table, the other trialists shared his quiet tension. No one wanted to speak; the weight of the unknown loomed over them as they thought about the future.

"Alright, thinking more won’t be much more of a help to any of us; let’s now talk about what we have to do as we already have the second phase task." Kaleb finally calmed down and said what they had to do now.

At that moment, two soldiers approached the group and respectfully bowed. Having witnessed their strength and knowing they wouldn’t have survived without their support, the soldiers held a deep respect for them. They were no longer distant or wary, as they had been when the group first entered the city, but instead full of genuine admiration.

"Sir, the City Lord has called for all of you. He wishes to meet," one of the soldiers said respectfully, explaining the reason for their visit.

"City Lord," Kaleb muttered, nodding. Without hesitation, he quickly added, "Lead the way." The group wasted no time as they followed the two soldiers, who guided them directly to the centre of the city, toward the City Lord’s mansion.

There weren’t many soldiers or people present, as most of them were helping to clear the nearby area or were helping people whose places were crashed or damaged.

"Come in." A powerful and calm voice came out of the mansion, and Apollo and others quickly went in.

They quickly arrived in front of City Lord Rex, whose aura was still slightly unstable, evidence of the significant wounds he had sustained during the battle.

City Lord Rex looked at them calmly, a smile on his face. Despite his injuries, he exuded a sense of gratitude. He had witnessed and heard of all that they had done during the Death Storm. Thanks to their efforts, countless people in Crimson City survived the ordeal, with only minimal sacrifices.

"Thank you all," City Lord Rex said, his voice filled with gratitude. "If it wasn’t for your timely help, this city would have been reduced to ruins. Here is a small gift from me and in honour of the countless lives you all saved."

With a wave of his hand, ten glowing space rings appeared, each floating toward one of them, a token of appreciation for their efforts.

They quickly glanced at the contents of their space rings, curiosity and anticipation evident on their faces. No matter where they came from, extra resources or treasures were always welcome.

Apollo, like the others, inspected his ring. As he peered inside, a glimmer of surprise crossed his face—what he found was far beyond his expectations.

Among the various items—swords, spears, armour, and natural treasures—one in particular caught Apollo’s eye. It was a black crystal, unlike anything he had ever seen before, radiating a pure death aura. He could feel an overwhelming presence of the law of death pulsating within it. It was a sacred treasure for any practitioner of death law.

Just a single breath of its aura caused his understanding of the death law to increase by several points, a phenomenon that left him momentarily speechless.

And in addition, he found a weird, mysterious key within all of them. He couldn’t feel anything about it as it seemed to be made of weird material that could absorb his spiritual strength.

Apollo couldn’t figure out its use and couldn’t help but glance at City Lord Rex, who was calmly sipping tea as they looked at their gifts.

City Lord noticed Apollo’s eyes and looked back with a mysterious smile, like saying something.

Apollo didn’t say or ask what the key was used for and where to use it; since he gave it, it might be useful, and maybe he gave it to everyone.

Others were also happy after receiving the space rings, and from their faces, it can be seen the things they got were also not bad.

"Thank you, City Lord," they all said in unison, expressing their gratitude.

Afterwards, they politely inquired about maps of the surrounding area and requested access to the city library to study and learn more about the region. City Lord Rex, still appreciative of their efforts during the Death Storm, readily granted them access to the city’s resources.

"You may use the library as you wish," he said with a nod before calling to an attendant to guide them. "I hope you find what you’re looking for."

After that, the group followed the attendant to the City Mansion library, a grand structure that stored hundreds or even thousands of years of history and knowledge. The library was vast, with shelves lined with thousands of books, scrolls, and ancient tomes, covering every imaginable subject.

Kaleb, eager to start the search, glanced around at the sheer size of the collection. "Let’s see if we can find anything about the Outer God Anaric or anything related to it in history," he said.

With that, the group split up, each diving into different sections of the library, scanning through countless books, hoping to uncover anything that could give them insight into the mysterious Outer God.

Apollo found a corner and first found a book that described the geographical structure of this world.

First, the world is called ’Azure Dragon World’, which was surprising as according to the book it said this world was created by the great dragon god Azure and was said to be filled with vitality and life.

But everything changed after the Great Azure left the world. Countless wars erupted between different species, each vying for dominance. These conflicts swiftly divided the world along racial lines, with each race staking claims to territories and resources.

However, despite the chaos and bloodshed, it wasn’t until some ten thousand years ago that the world encountered an unimaginable enemy—a force so terrifying that it forced every race, once bitter enemies, to unite in order to survive.

This threat was unlike anything they had faced before, pushing even the mightiest and most isolated races into an uneasy alliance.

The war raged on for a hundred years, with the united races managing to push back their enemies. Victory seemed within reach until the leader of the invaders appeared—a being of terrifying power whose strength nearly shattered the world itself. Despair gripped the Allied forces as the devastation spread, threatening to bring an end to all existence.

But just as hope was fading, a Trump card left behind by the Great Azure activated. This mysterious force unleashed an overwhelming power that annihilated the enemy leader, saving the world from complete destruction. However, the damage was already done. The world had been scarred beyond repair, its lands fractured, and its civilizations forever altered.