Chapter 682: The Dragon Empress

"I’m not kneeling before this old granny," Evangelin said indifferently, though the mockery in her tone was obvious.

As her words echoed through the hall, the entire place suddenly fell silent. The temperature seemed to drop, and Daniel could feel the atmosphere instantly become tense.

"What did you just say, human?" one of the elderly humanoid dragons said coldly and angrily. His aura burst out and shook the entire hall.

"Did you just dare to insult Her Majesty?"

"Are you tired of living? No matter how powerful you are out there, here you will respect the rules."

"You should be arrested and executed immediately!"

The voices of the old dragons rose in protest. One by one, they released their auras to intimidate her.

Evangelin’s words, whatever her reason might have been, clearly provoked anger and fury in the elder dragons who were present in the palace at that moment.

Just from their expressions, it was obvious they were struggling to restrain themselves from attacking this woman right then and there.

And it was understandable. Calling the Empress of the dragons an "old granny" right in front of the dragons themselves was something Daniel simply couldn’t comprehend.

The word itself isn’t a bad word, but using it in that way is wrong, and even dangerous.

It could very well ruin their not-yet-begun relationship from the very start.

However, Evangelin ignored all of them with a cold expression and kept her eyes only on the female dragon sitting on the throne.

Like Evangelin, that woman had her face partially covered with a cloth veil. She had shining golden eyes and golden hair. Even with the veil, her beautiful and otherworldly face was obvious.

Seeing Evangelin’s reaction, Daniel laughed inwardly. He also had no intention of kneeling. He might kneel to show respect, but if someone tried to force him, he would never do it.

Noticing that the female dragon seemed to be looking at the three of them with a playful gaze, he guessed she was likely one of Mad Empress’s old friends or acquaintances. Because of that, he wasn’t too worried.

He just hoped his guess was correct. He did not want to start a war with the dragons. He doubted they would be able to leave this place alive in that scenario.

"Your Majesty, give the order and we will punish these two lowly humans immediately!"

"Enough. Leave," the female dragon said in a voice that sounded almost melodic, ordering all the old dragons to leave.

"But Your Majesty, how can we leave you alone with these humans? It’s dangerous!"

"I won’t repeat myself."

The old dragons sighed. After throwing cold looks at the two humans, they left one by one along with the two soldiers.

Once they were gone, the palace doors closed.

"You really haven’t changed at all in these past few hundred years," the female dragon said with a laugh, her tone teasing.

"Those old dragons haven’t changed either. They’re still annoying," Evangelin replied mockingly.

"They don’t like you. If it weren’t for my grandfather’s order this time, they would never have allowed you to enter," the female dragon, Nyxara, the current Empress of all dragons in the world, said indifferently, then shifted her gaze to Daniel.

She was one of the most powerful beings in the current world, a Demi God standing at the peak of the world, and even among all beings at her level, she was considered one of the strongest.

Her relationship with Evangelin was very old. They had known each other since ancient times, perhaps it could be said since some time after the Religion of Eternity was destroyed.

"So this is the human you mentioned. He really does have The Undying Soul."

In the next moment, she disappeared from her throne and appeared right in front of him.

Daniel frowned slightly at her sudden appearance and took a step back, but when he saw she had no intention of harming him, he calmed down and stood still.

"It’s interesting to see a human with a dragon soul"

"How did you obtain it?"

Even though Nyxara’s tone sounded indifferent, Daniel could clearly feel the seriousness behind her question. So he explained the story of how he evolved his soul.

"The tears of the Dragon Goddess? So the goddess really chose a human." Nyxara’s expression became unclear, and it was hard to tell what she was thinking.

"Can you help him?" Evangelin interrupted and asked.

"To complete his soul? I can’t. That is not something any dragon can do." Nyxara shook her head.

"So we came all this way for nothing?" Daniel frowned.

"Even though I can’t help you, maybe the goddess can. In fact, only the goddess herself can help you," she explained.

"However, it won’t be easy. I doubt those old men will agree," she added.

"Do you remember the matter of the Eternal Sea? You owe me one. So help him," Evangelin said in her usual emotionless tone.

"Really? I didn’t expect you to go this far for someone. Don’t tell me he’s your lover?" Nyxara looked at both of them carefully and curiously.

"Don’t talk nonsense. He is my master’s heir," Evangelin quickly denied it, her tone slightly embarrassed and angry.

"Your master’s heir? That makes sense."

Although Nyxara accepted the excuse for now, she still noticed a faint blush on the cheeks of the Mad Empress, something she never thought she would see.

"Even so, this is not entirely up to me. The only way you can complete your soul is by receiving help from the goddess, and for that, you must pass the Ancient Trial of the Dragons."

"But to enter that trial, you need the permission of ten of those old men. Otherwise, it won’t be possible," she said, turning to Daniel.

"Is there a way to convince them?" Daniel understood how difficult this would be, especially since he could clearly see that those old dragons didn’t like him or Evangelin.

"I don’t know. Even I don’t have a way to keep them satisfied. They’re always complaining," Nyxara sighed.

"Then I guess I’ll have to find a way myself... Anyway, I’m Daniel, Heir of Eternity. It’s nice to meet you."

"Good luck with that. I’ll give you seven days. If you fail by then, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to leave. Also, my name is Nyxara, Empress of the Dragons and ruler of Dragon Valley. It’s nice to meet you too," the Dragon Empress said.

"I didn’t expect you to be so kind," Daniel nodded. He didn’t know why she only gave him seven days, but even that was good enough.

"Did you think I had a terrible personality like this thousand-year-old granny?" Nyxara laughed while glancing at Evangelin.

Daniel stayed silent and chose neither to deny nor confirm. Honestly, he had expected the Dragon Empress to be majestic, arrogant, and the type to look down on everyone.

But she wasn’t like that at all. Or maybe she just hid it well.

Evangelin frowned but said nothing. She knew Nyxara had already done them a great favor, and since Daniel had accepted the condition, there was no reason for her to interfere.

"Anyway, now let’s talk about this baby dragon."

Nyxara’s gaze then shifted to Finn.