"Hah... hah..."
Jiang Yan lay in the crater, panting heavily. That strange giant stone was giving him a stronger and stronger sense of déjà vu. He was currently unable to move, his elemental power completely exhausted.
Suddenly, a memory clicked.
A giant stone... capable of fighting Morax to a standstill... capable of drawing various elemental powers from the Ley Lines...
Hiss!!!
Could this thing be Azhdaha?!
Jiang Yan stood up tremblingly, the pain across his body spiking. "Ah... ow, ow, ow!!!"
On the other side, the struggle between the giant stone and Morax was reaching its conclusion.
"Let us end this..." Morax breathed heavily. He still had to negotiate with the God of Dust, whose depth of power was unknown; he couldn't afford to waste too much strength here.
The giant stone wobbled slightly, appearing to agree with Morax's suggestion.
Jiang Yan crawled out from the distance. Looking at the surrounding wreckage, a place that was once a scenic paradise was now riddled with holes and scars. The Ley Lines in this area had been severely damaged; it would take at least a century to recover.
Morax gave a bitter smile and cupped his hands toward the giant stone. "I apologize for disturbing your peaceful cultivation. It was truly my mistake."
Morax showed the stone full respect, not just because of its strength, but because he was the one who had intruded upon its meditation.
The giant stone wobbled, indicating it didn't mind. It had enjoyed the fight; after a long time of solitary cultivation, the sudden interruption had been quite exciting.
Jiang Yan stood by, remaining silent. He was now certain that this giant stone was the future Azhdaha! This was Morax's strongest subordinate! He couldn't let his own reckless interruption ruin the beginning of their friendship.
It could be said that signing contracts with Azhdaha and Guizhong, the God of Dust, were the two most critical milestones in Morax's rise to power!
"Are you alright?" Morax asked with a light smile when he saw Jiang Yan standing there.
Jiang Yan smiled and shook his head. "I'm still too young. This battle showed me many of my shortcomings."
"As long as you learned something. To improve by learning from your weaknesses is the essence of becoming stronger." Morax nodded. "Then, let us prepare to leave."
Jiang Yan nodded back. But just as they were about to depart, the giant stone suddenly vibrated violently. It gave a sudden leap and slammed down right in front of them.
"What do you want?!" Jiang Yan instinctively clapped his hands to prepare a jutsu, but Morax reached out to stop him.
"It was wrong of me to disturb your peace and destroy your home. I will compensate you," Morax said softly to the stone. "If you do not mind, you may come to Mt. Tianheng to continue your cultivation. I will provide you with ample space."
The giant stone wobbled and hopped up and down. For a moment, Morax was confused.
Jiang Yan couldn't watch the confusion anymore and chimed in, "Is he asking us to take him with us?"
The giant stone hopped twice in a heavy, rhythmic way, seemingly in agreement. Morax reached a sudden realization.
"Legends say that subterranean creatures are often blind..." To facilitate communication, he gathered Geo energy in his hands and reached out toward the stone.
Jiang Yan didn't say a word, standing aside and waiting quietly. After a moment, Morax spoke:
"This matter began because of me. Because of that, a thread of karma has been established between us. Now, I shall use my divine power to help you take form, but you must sign a contract with me in return...
You shall live alongside me and co-exist with humans, protecting the people here for a thousand years. Once the contract expires, you shall regain your freedom. However, should you ever bring harm to this world..."
Morax's eyes changed, radiating the overwhelming pressure of the Geo Archon. "I will pay any price to seal you back into the darkness."
Though the stone could not speak, a faint wave of spiritual energy reached their ears. It had agreed!
"Very well. The contract is struck."
"Contracts shall not be broken; those who do shall suffer the Wrath of the Rock!"
Morax gathered his divine power to sign the contract. The giant stone did not struggle, allowing Morax to proceed.
"This may take a considerable amount of time. You may walk around the area and attend to your own business," Morax told Jiang Yan.
"It's fine, it's fine. Do what you need to do. I'll just take a rest." Jiang Yan waved him off. He had plenty of time. This was the birth of Azhdaha! How could he possibly miss this?
It took roughly an entire night. Ignoring Jiang Yan, who was snoring away on a wooden bed he had fashioned, Morax let out a long breath of murky air. Gods did not need sleep, so he felt no fatigue.
When Jiang Yan woke up and opened his eyes, he saw a lifelike stone dragon before him.
"It is finished." Morax clapped his hands, which were still glowing with divine power, and reached toward the dragon's eye sockets.
A streak of golden light appeared.
Dotting the Eyes of the Dragon!
The moment Morax painted the eyes, the wind and clouds surged. Elemental power from the Ley Lines was extracted frantically to help the Dragon King take form.
The bright blue sky suddenly turned dark, and the rumbling of heavy thunder echoed through the air. As the Dragon King took form, a tribulation descended.
"ROAR!!!"
After the dense thunder subsided, the heavenly tribulation vanished, and a pair of massive eyes slowly opened.
"I am born of Heaven and Earth! I am Azhdaha, the Stone Dragon King!"
A voice like a tolling bell echoed throughout the area. Azhdaha's massive body began to shrink, gradually taking the shape of a burly man.
Morax smiled and reached out his hand. "Hello, Azhdaha."
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