The ascetic monk fell heavily to the ground, a mouthful of blood gushing out once again. Slaying dragons wasn't easy; in most cases, the dragon slays the slayer instead. The monk did not expect this dragon, not yet an adult, to be so strong. Even though he had just broken through to the small heaven level, he still felt like a baby against the dragon. Seeing the giant dragon's massive body descending from the sky, he watched it walk towards him step by step, its huge shadow slowly engulfing him. The dragon's enormous mouth opened slightly, emitting a faint red light from deep within its throat. The ascetic hurriedly propped up his severely injured body and staggered to his feet, performing an odd salute and shouting, "Honorable Dragon, please stop, I have something to say."
Brandon immediately stopped in his tracks upon hearing this, his loud voice echoing through Serpent Valley. "Oh! Cunning human, if you have any last words, say them quickly. Don't think you can stall for time. These tricks are useless against the great dragon. Do you expect help from those beside you?" As he spoke, Brandon glanced at the crowd nearby, his tone mocking. However, he was slightly wary. The clerics, who had been trembling and motionless since the start of the battle, stepped back in terror as the dragon's head turned towards them. They hadn't expected the giant dragon to speak.
The ascetic sighed bitterly and said aloud, "Honorable giant dragon, we did not come here to start a war. We came to cooperate with you on behalf of the Holy See."
"Cooperate!?" Brandon laughed. "What could we possibly cooperate on? Moreover, you have injured my men. Is this your attitude towards cooperation? If you can't give me a satisfactory reason, you'll all stay here." Brandon's eyes gleamed fiercely.
"Honorable Dragon, I am extremely sorry for injuring your men. As soon as we arrived, we were attacked and had to defend ourselves. It was purely for self-preservation."
"Self-preservation? Hahaha! Cunning humans, you entered the territory of the giant dragon without my invitation, so you should be punished. From now on, you are the slaves of the giant dragon if you wish to live. As for you, human powerhouse, if you don't give me a satisfactory reason, I will have no choice but to kill you, as your strength poses a danger to Dragon Valley."
The ascetic, clearly in control, spoke eloquently. "Honorable Dragon, thank you for acknowledging my personal strength. Although I may not be at the peak of human power, many others possess strength similar to mine. Personal strength is insignificant compared to the overall power of humanity. Although ordinary humans may not have my strength, they possess powerful weapons that could seriously injure or even kill you. We have come here representing the most powerful sect of mankind to cooperate with you. If you join the sect, we will guarantee your safety and protect you from human attacks."
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Brandon fell silent. He had long been tired of humans hunting him, and aligning with a powerful faction could be beneficial. It would mean he wouldn't have to hide anymore. He knew the Holy See had a strong influence worldwide, particularly in the West. If he could find refuge with them, international politics might prevent further pursuit. However, losing his freedom for safety was not appealing, and he feared it could be a trap. He also wondered if the Holy See could withstand the pressure, as they were unaware he had just attacked a human city. Considering this, Brandon spoke.
"Oh, messenger of the Holy See, you should ask someone who can make decisions if the Holy See can guarantee I won't be attacked by humans again. If they can, we can discuss cooperation. You might not know, but I recently attacked a human city."
The ascetic was taken aback, not expecting such a situation. "Honorable Dragon, this is beyond my expectation, and I cannot make any guarantees. I need to return to the Holy See to discuss this."
Brandon nodded. "Strong human, I won't kill you. Go back and discuss this with someone in charge. But the others stay as punishment for trespassing into dragon territory. To prevent you from revealing Dragon Valley's secrets, we must sign a contract."
"Contract? What contract?" The ascetic looked doubtful, fear in his heart.
"Don't be suspicious. Everything here must remain secret, and I don't want more interruptions before cooperating with the Church." A basketball-sized dragon scale fell off Brandon's body. He cringed in pain, bit the tip of his tongue, and sprayed blood into the air. The blood and dragon scale hovered, defying gravity. Guided by Brandon's spiritual power, the blood carved into the scale. A black gas appeared, seemingly containing a grudging spirit, howling inside. The scale fell in front of the ascetic.
The ascetic monk, seeing the bizarre scale, felt uneasy despite his experience, recognizing strong spiritual energy within. "Strong human, drop a drop of blood and you can leave. Otherwise, no matter your strength, you will die here today." Fearful, the ascetic knew he was too injured to escape. The dragon could easily tear him apart, and having just increased his strength, he hoped to live longer. Reluctantly, he bit his fingertip, letting a drop of blood fall onto the scale.
As soon as the blood touched the scale, black gas emerged, forming a horrifying ghost face that lunged at the ascetic monk. He retreated in fear, but the ghost face was too fast and disappeared into his body before he could react. Despite running his fighting qi and examining his body, he found nothing. The dragon scale had returned to its purple-golden color, shining in the evening sunlight.