"A dragon!"
Shi Feng stared at the colossal figure before him with disbelief. Even at over a hundred yards away, the oppressive aura it radiated was like a mountain bearing down on him, making it hard to breathe, hard to move — all he could do was stand rooted in place and watch.
Power.
Destruction.
Death.
No words could capture it.
Bronze Dragon King. Dragon race. Tier 5. Level: ????. HP: ?????.
Shi Feng had absolutely no doubt that if this Bronze Dragon merely exhaled, he would be reduced to ash. Even a Tier 5 Class would mean nothing before this Bronze Dragon King.
The dragon race possessed an extraordinarily high life potential. Any adult dragon could reach Tier 5, and even an ordinary Tier 5 dragon was virtually unmatched among its peers. In the Age of the Gods, the dragons had been one of the peak races, feared by both gods and demons alike.
And among dragons, there were Dragon Kings — their bloodlines far more powerful than those of ordinary dragons. Though only Tier 5, they could rival Tier 6 deities in combat.
Any human Tier 5 Class that encountered a Tier 5 Dragon King wouldn't even have a chance to flee. Even Tier 6 god-level players would have to detour; a head-on confrontation was simply out of the question.
The only thing Shi Feng could consider himself fortunate for was that the Bronze Dragon King was currently sealed within a magic circle, completely cut off from the outside world. It couldn't break free from the magical barrier — otherwise he wouldn't even have a chance to run. A single swipe of its claw would send him back to town for free.
"Is this the final trial?"
After studying the raging Bronze Dragon King behind the magical barrier, Shi Feng turned his gaze to his surroundings. The entire hall contained nothing besides the imprisoned Bronze Dragon King and another magic circle. At the center of that circle sat a resplendent treasure chest.
To many players, this chest might not seem like much, but Shi Feng, who was well-versed in the Divine Realm, recognized it immediately — it was crafted from Seven Luminaries Crystal.
Seven Luminaries Crystal was an incomparably precious material in the Divine Realm, valued by both NPCs and players alike. It was one of the primary reasons major financial groups were eager to establish themselves in the Divine Realm.
Aside from the two magic circles, the hall held nothing else — a stark contrast to the previous chambers. Earlier halls had been guarded by bosses and swarming with monsters, but here there wasn't a single minion in sight. The silence was eerie.
Though Shi Feng desperately wanted to approach for a closer look, the overwhelming pressure kept him paralyzed.
The Bronze Dragon King's fury lasted over ten seconds before it gradually subsided. The terrifying aura began to weaken, and only then could Shi Feng move again.
But the moment he relaxed, the imprisoned Bronze Dragon King suddenly spoke.
"Puny human! That you've made it here means you possess some measure of ability. By the rules those wretched gods and demons established, I shall offer you three choices." The Bronze Dragon King regarded Shi Feng with a slow, deliberate voice. "The first is to accept my trial. Pass it, and you shall receive the treasure left behind by the gods and demons. The second is to accept the God-Demon Oath, and likewise obtain the treasure. The third is to sign a contract with me. You will still receive the treasure, but you will also gain my blessing — power that surpasses the limits of humanity. Take your time and consider carefully."
The Bronze Dragon King spoke in the Dragon Tongue, which Shi Feng couldn't understand at all, yet for some reason he could clearly grasp every word.
"There are choices?" Shi Feng was mildly surprised. He hadn't expected the final hall of the Ancient God's Labyrinth to offer options like these. He'd never heard of anything like it before.
Based on his understanding of the Ancient God Key, there had never been any choice — defeating the guardian boss was the only path. Yet now, three options lay before him.
The first choice was clearly the standard route. If a player was confident in their strength, this was undoubtedly the best option.
The second required no risk to obtain the treasure. Most players would probably choose it without a second thought. After all, this was the final hall of the Ancient God's Labyrinth — the item had to be extraordinary. But Shi Feng understood one thing: nothing in the world came free. The God-Demon Oath might be something current players knew nothing about, but Shi Feng was intimately familiar with it.
The God-Demon Oath was also known as the God-Demon Contract, and every contract involved both gain and loss.
The player had to fulfill the conditions set by the gods and demons, or the consequences would be dire. In his previous life, many players had entered into such contracts but failed to meet the terms, ultimately being forced to delete their accounts and start over. So while the second choice looked appealing, the risk was substantial.
As for the third choice, the contracting party simply changed to the Bronze Dragon King — fundamentally no different from the God-Demon Contract. However, the blessing of a Dragon King was no small matter for a player.
Any blessing was significant, but the blessing of a Bronze Dragon King would likely be far more powerful than a bloodline.
Blessings in the Divine Realm were not something one could obtain or wield casually.
Only beings of tremendous power could bestow them, granting the recipient formidable strength. But this power wasn't given freely — it required the bestower to sacrifice a portion of their own strength. Even Tier 6 deities had to be extremely cautious about granting blessings and would never do so lightly.
"May I ask what the conditions of the God-Demon Oath are?" Shi Feng thought for a moment and asked.
"That I cannot tell you. You will only learn the conditions after choosing to accept the God-Demon Oath. That was the arrangement I made with the gods and demons back then." The Bronze Dragon King's tone was cold. "Human, I have little patience. You have ten minutes to decide."
"You won't say?" Shi Feng understood immediately.
Since the Oath granted a treasure for nothing, the conditions demanded of the player had to be extremely harsh. At the same time, it made the Bronze Dragon King's offer more equitable — otherwise everyone would simply choose the second option and skip its blessing entirely.
"Human, have you decided?" After waiting ten minutes, the Bronze Dragon King fixed Shi Feng with a penetrating stare and asked in a deep voice.
"Then I'll choose the first option!" Shi Feng took a deep breath and gave his answer.
Whether it was the God-Demon Oath or the Bronze Dragon King's contract, both were essentially the same — enormous risk for the player. If the conditions couldn't be met, there was only one outcome: delete the account and start over. That was something he dared not risk.
"What? The first option?" The Bronze Dragon King was momentarily stunned, nearly unable to react. "You truly wish to choose the first?"