The cold wind, sharp as a knife, blew down with the falling snow from the sky, painting the earth in a thousand-mile span of silver white. The entire Kawa Great Forest was enveloped in the bitter chill of the winter, as far as the eye could see, it was a vast expanse of white nothingness. Only in this volcanic region was it an exception. Perhaps it was because of the abundance of fire elements gathered in the air here, even the cold currents of winter could not influence this place, with no snowflakes falling from the sky, making it stand out sharply amid the icy landscape. No, at least, there was an influence. But as seen, the once freely flowing lava had partially solidified upon contact with the air, with a dark red glow faintly shining from the solidifying rocks. Evidently, the part in contact with the air solidified due to the low temperature, although the inside was still a scalding hot magma. After all, it was winter, and the temperature of the air in the volcanic cluster domain was considerably lower than during the summer. Compared to the freezing world outside, the temperature within the volcanic cluster domain was merely around ten or twenty degrees, far from reaching the freezing point. Due to the influence of the volcanic cluster domain, apart from occasional snowflakes being blown over from the forest land and melting in mid-air, there had been no further precipitation in the area. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝓷𝓮𝓽 Come winter, for a warmer and more comfortable living, some beastmen in the second base even built some rudimentary resting cabins within the volcanic region, not fearing a sudden eruption that might engulf both them and their homes. And some beastmen also found that the temperature within the volcanic cluster domain allowed some wild vegetables to survive during winter where the volcanic ash gathered. With the forest land covered in ice and snow, bringing the snow here to melt and water the wild vegetables was not troublesome. Thus, some beastmen directly planted some wild vegetables in areas with more soil, ensuring fresh vegetables could be eaten during the cold winter, adding a splash of life to this desolate world. "His Highness has been asleep for half a year, hasn't he?" At this time, beneath the gigantic volcano where Austin slumbered, a beastman guard posted at a defensive fortification spoke to his companion. "Yes, it's been half a year. This time, His Highness has been asleep much longer than in the previous two times. I don't know when he will wake up, hope nothing goes wrong, may the Beast God bless him." The beastman looked back at the still volcano with a deep breath, starting to pray within. Ever since Austin left a message of his impending slumber half a year ago, the volcano had remained silent. During this past half year, the Dragon Nest Beastmen busied themselves nearby, from constructing defenses to posting guards, with Austin having had no response from within the lava. This kind of situation inevitably made the loyal Dragon Nest Beastmen somewhat anxious. After all, what's inside was scorching, molten lava. A normal beastman if not careful might fall in and turn to ash. Who knew what mishap might occur inside? Meanwhile, due to Austin's slumber, the Dragon Nest Tribe had to halt large-scale expansion, withdrawing a massive force to safeguard the vicinity. Thus, during this more than half a year period, the Dragon Nest Tribe's primary focus had been on internal affairs, maintaining existing scale while addressing issues encountered during tribal growth. After all, under Austin's leadership, the Dragon Nest Tribe had developed rapidly. Having settled down to solidify the foundation was a wise decision. Pausing the tribe's growth slightly to deeply excavate the Dragon Nest Tribe's current potential and rigorously develop the controlled territory was just as crucial as fast expansion. Addressing emerging internal issues at least prevented complications from becoming entrenched, averting many problems. As the Dragon Nest Tribe steadily developed, at this moment, within the volcano, inside a lake of dark red glimmering magma. In the volcano's mouth, searing bubbles rose from the magma's bottom, floating upwards and bursting at the surface, this cycle repeating indefinitely. Everything was extremely calm. In the lower part of the magma lake, a massive shadow lay quietly sleeping in the molten depths, the surrounding searing heat continuously scorching that gigantic form. Indeed, it was Austin in his slumber. Yet, even magma that was said to devour flames was helpless against Austin who rested in it. The searing heat underpinned that shadow's azure scale armor, which now grew increasingly lustrous and resplendent. What Austin didn't know in his slumber was that in these past months, the previously swallowed essence of fire and flame law were resonating with the surrounding magma, persistently tempering his physique. In Austin's growth journey, to facilitate quick advancement, he had engulfed a massive amount of magic ore and various magic potions and crystals. Despite a dragon's formidable digestive capability, there still remained a significant accumulation of magic power and mineral residues left undigested, settled within Austin's body. Though these accretions had little impact on Austin's current rapid development, they would surely cause issues down the line. This was the pitfall of seeking hasty advancement. But now, after recklessly absorbing the essence of fire, the unleashed massive amounts of fire elements and flame law origins were vigorously coursing within his body, in synergy with the extreme temperature of the external magma. It was as though two iron hammers persistently forged Austin. Under the formidable impact of fire elements, Austin resembled an iron ore brimmed with impurities, being hammered and forged thousands upon thousands of times, expelling the impurities while metals and minerals coalesced into bones and scales, with accumulated magic within penetrating into the flesh and blood under intense heat. In this process, Austin's dragon body underwent comprehensive refinement, with both the defensive power of scales and his strength significantly elevated. It could be said that through this round of refinement, Austin's dragon body was now comparably stronger than a century-old young dragon in every way. Of course, it could not compare to an adult giant dragon, for they undergo qualitative transformation upon reaching legendary status, which was not merely about enhanced defenses. In any case, this was a blessing disguised in hardship, with the original ailments which had accumulated now becoming the sustenance for his growth. The mere body refinement itself contributed to a power increase of no less than thirty percent for Austin. with an even more formidable dragon body, Austin's future prospects have become increasingly vast. the refinement of his dragon body was merely an incidental benefit of recklessly devouring the essence of fire. This bodily enhancement could only be deemed a pleasant surprise. The real gains lay in two other aspects. These two were Austin's initial goals in slaying the Elemental Lord. And it seems now his original objectives are nearing fruition. Underneath the molten rock, Austin slept quietly, during this period of dormancy, his physique undergoing rapid transformation, the oppressive aura continuously rising, resembling a lurking prehistoric beast in the deep mountains. After an indeterminate amount of time, that massive shadow abruptly moved, the closed eyelids slowly opened. As those crimson pupils fully opened, outside the world, a mass of black as ink, heavy as a mountain cloud suddenly gathered, billowing layer upon layer, shrouding the entire sky, cloaking the heaven and earth. The wind gale wailed, lightning rent the sky. A colossal, terrifying aura descended between heaven and earth, inducing sheer bewilderment and dread!