Brandon descended from the sky, landing heavily on the ground, his massive tail swaying as he leisurely approached the plane. Each step he took sent a dull, thunderous sound reverberating through the air, like distant storm clouds rumbling. The entire plane began to shudder with each impact.
Brandon stopped and waited for a full five minutes before the humans inside the plane hesitantly emerged. Their legs trembled, and their bodies shook uncontrollably. Brandon even noticed a few women suddenly releasing yellow liquid, a foul smell quickly permeating the air.
To the humans, the dragon looked like a small mountain, its ferocious face appearing especially menacing. Sparks flickered from its nostrils as if it might breathe fire at any moment. Its basketball-sized, purple-golden scales densely covered its body, shimmering with an inexplicable luster. Its sharp claws, resembling giant swords, were deeply embedded in the ground. The long dragon horns pointed skyward like fearsome blades, instilling dread in all who saw them. Brandon’s entire body resembled a war machine, with every part exuding immense destructive power.
Observing the terrified expressions of the humans, Brandon felt a mix of emotions he couldn’t quite name. From his perspective, humans were like tiny figures, akin to ants he could crush underfoot at any moment. The vast disparity in size and strength instilled in him an involuntary sense of superiority and unfamiliarity. Seeing the humans' fear, Brandon felt a mix of excitement and a sudden sense of sorrow. He was once one of them, but now he was drifting further away, to the point of confrontation. This realization filled him with a profound sadness and desolation.
The dragon instincts within Brandon were becoming increasingly pronounced, subtly influencing his actions. Often, without realizing it, he would act according to his body’s instincts, much like how many men think with their lower half.
It took a full half-hour for the hundreds of humans to slowly exit the plane. All were injured, many with broken arms or legs, and a few were on the brink of death. They supported each other, apprehensive about what the dragon would do to them—whether it would eat them or incinerate them with a single breath of fire. A few faint-hearted individuals fainted at the sight of the dragon. Soon, the clearing was filled with a dense crowd of humans.
Brandon was surprised by their numbers. As he looked at the mass of humans, a thought emerged—perhaps he could turn them into his followers. Faith was incredibly important to Brandon. Though its benefits were not immediately apparent, as his power grew, faith would play a significant role.
Brandon extended his mental energy to encompass all the humans, his voice echoing in their minds:
"Humans, welcome to the dragon's domain. From now on, your fate will change. No matter what work you did or what status you held before, here, you will become my people."
With that, Brandon cast a great healing spell. This advanced water magic was an upgrade from the basic healing spell. Although Brandon's body was somewhat resistant to water magic, he could still cast it, albeit with slightly reduced potency. Now that Brandon had reached the lesser heaven level, a small, simple domain had formed around him, creating a miniature self-sustaining world. Some lower-level spells could now be cast instantaneously.
After the healing spell was cast, a rainbow suddenly appeared in the sky. Tiny water droplets glowed with energy, sparkling like the most beautiful diamonds. The crystalline drops fell from the sky, penetrating the bodies of the humans below. Their wounds twisted, bones realigned and healed according to the body's memory, and new tissue rapidly grew. In no time, the wounds were completely healed. Those who had previously lost limbs suddenly stood up again. Those who were on the brink of death revived. The humans were astonished and exclaimed in awe.
"A miracle, this is simply a miracle," an old man shouted loudly. He then suddenly knelt down to express his gratitude to the dragon. More and more humans began to kneel, one by one. The magic they had witnessed was beyond scientific explanation; it was like a divine miracle. Looking at the fierce dragon, their shock and fear made their legs grow weaker and their spirits more fragile, causing them to kneel involuntarily.
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Brandon looked at the kneeling humans below, feeling very satisfied. The first step was a success: instilling both fear and respect in the humans. However, he knew he needed to maintain a certain level of mystery and avoid too much contact with them. This way, they would gradually come to worship him.
With this in mind, Brandon returned to his cave and summoned his four slaves. He instructed them to interact with the humans, gather intelligence, and cultivate their faith in him. He settled the humans in the underground of the volcano and placed his four servants there as well. The volcano, being the territory of Brandon and the qilin, was extremely safe with no other creatures around.
A few days passed, and Brandon returned from training at the volcano's crater. After several days of practice, his energy had almost returned to its original level. His golden horn had grown over two meters long, though his cultivation of dragon essence had not yet reached the lesser heaven level. Brandon knew that this progress couldn't be rushed and didn't dwell on it.
When Brandon arrived at his lair, he found Othello there. Surprised, he wondered why Othello had returned from spreading his faith among the humans.
As soon as Othello saw Brandon, he respectfully bowed, his eyes filled with fervor.
"Great dragon, I have heard some news that might be very useful, so I hurried back to report it to you."
"Speak!"
"I heard from those Americans that there have been rumors of a demon appearing in California, and this demon closely resembles a giant Jiao. It could be the giant Jiao that didn't return. It seems it was captured by the despicable military but managed to escape," Othello said hopefully, looking up at Brandon.
Brandon stood up abruptly and asked, "Is this information reliable?"
"Many Americans are saying this, and the timeline matches—it was within the past year. It should be accurate."
Brandon paced back and forth in the cave, deep in thought. It seemed true. It looked like he needed to go to America. His subordinate was in great danger and needed to be rescued. With his current strength, he was no longer afraid of humans.
The memories of being hunted by humans resurfaced, igniting his anger once more. He stopped and turned to Othello.
"How are the humans doing recently?"
"Their emotions were unstable at first, but with our careful mediation, they have improved significantly. Angela and the others have been very diligent, and several people have already begun to worship you, the great dragon."
"Good, well done! You may return now. Protect these humans well. I will be away for a few days."
"Yes, it is an honor to serve you."
After Othello left, Brandon stepped out of the cave and began flying towards the sky. The giant Jiao was in significant danger, having survived in the heart of human territory for over a year, and in the most powerful nation, America. Even Brandon found this hard to believe.
With a powerful flap of his wings, Brandon's body surged forward at incredible speed. His energy was abundant, allowing him to fly faster than ever. The substantial energy within him flowed smoothly, and suddenly, with a sharp whoosh, Brandon broke the sound barrier. After breaking the sound barrier, everything around him seemed to blur and elongate. Ordinary people would feel dizzy and unable to concentrate, but for a dragon, this was perfectly normal.
Brandon flew at a high speed of 400 meters per second, the scenery around him changing rapidly. This wasn’t even his maximum speed; he could accelerate further, but to conserve energy and strength for the upcoming battle, he restrained himself.
Brandon wasn’t embarking on a sightseeing tour or a leisurely visit. A fierce battle loomed on the horizon. He understood clearly that if he continued to show weakness, humans would harass him endlessly. No matter where he went on Earth, humans would never allow a dangerous creature like him to exist on their planet.
He was slightly worried whether his scales could truly withstand missiles. Despite being many times stronger than before, with his physical strength alone having increased nearly tenfold, Brandon still lacked confidence in facing human weapons. Missiles not only cause intense explosions, high temperatures, and fast-moving debris, but their most destructive aspect is the shockwave from the explosion. This shockwave can instantly demolish surrounding structures and is lethal to living beings, as it directly affects the internal organs, crushing them to death.
Though Brandon's scales were formidable, he wasn’t as confident about his internal organs. Despite having massive energy for protection, he was uncertain if he could withstand a missile strike.
Several hours later, Brandon saw the mainland, with America looming in the distance. He let out a dragon's roar, the metallic sound rolling like thunder into the distance. Feeling a rush of excitement, he flapped his wings and sped forward.
Fortunately, California was on the west coast of the United States, so Brandon didn't need to penetrate deeply into the mainland, which would have been significantly more challenging. After briefly orienting himself with the shape of the continent and comparing it to maps from his previous life, Brandon determined his direction and began flying towards California.
With Brandon's speed, it didn’t take long for a massive city to appear before him. He had no idea where the giant Jiao might be or how to find it.