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Chapter 551: Dragon Blood and Advancement
"How interesting, it can actually eliminate chaos."
Cassius touched the ground with the tip of his claw and dug out a piece of flesh from the dragon corpse sealed beneath the mountain.
"Boom!"
After all, it was the flesh of the mad Karrikex, tainted by the Abyss, containing destructive and chaotic energies.
The moment the imperial domain's restriction was removed, dense black chaotic mist surged forth.
Purple-black blood danced in midair, gradually condensing into a hideous figure—a dragon-blood monster was born.
The monster was only three feet long, resembling a malformed red dragon, covered in mucus, with five pairs of densely packed limbs, and three tattered black wings hanging irregularly from its back.
It writhed violently on the ground, glaring at Cassius with hatred, spewing venom strong enough to corrode stone, and let out a piercing screech.
"Escape. You can't escape."
"You can't escape."
The voice was hoarse and sharp, like scrap iron grinding in its throat.
[Cursed False Dragon] (Challenge Level: 3)
Cassius stared at the monster born of dragon blood, his eyes narrowing, reflecting its clawing figure.
"Seems I was right. This is the curse Jezal Slak left before his death.
He knew I would keep the dragon corpse, so he delayed at the last moment and infused part of his will and the Abyss's venomous curse into the blood.
If I had recklessly devoured the bloodline like last time, I would've likely been mentally invaded by Jezal Slak's lingering will."
A gleam of killing intent flashed in Cassius's pale-golden vertical pupils, his dragon face becoming fierce.
"You can't escape."
"Great Abyss."
The dragon-blood monster continued its intermittent screaming.
Cassius tilted his head, recalling the moments of mental madness caused by the "Heart of Karrikex," and sneered coldly again.
"Such an old-fashioned trick, Jezal Slak. So like you—disgusting me even in death.
But that's fine. Let me test the power of the Breath of Order."
The red dragon opened his mouth, a glimmer flashing in his pupils, and a silver-white flame surged from his throat, enveloping the monster born from dragon blood.
"Awoo—"
The silver-white flame blazed, and the dragon-blood monster twisted and struggled in the fire, raising its head, flailing its deformed limbs, wailing miserably.
Yet beneath the absolute order of the Breath of Order, its struggle seemed weak and futile. It resisted with all its might but slowly collapsed, melting completely.
The burning lasted several minutes. Eventually, under Cassius's control, the silver-white flame gradually dissipated.
As a fire that restores all to order, the Breath of Order left no scorch marks, nor did it damage the environment. Everything around remained intact.
But the previously hideous dragon-blood monster vanished, leaving only a drop of crimson blood suspended in midair, emitting a faint pressure.
"This is..."
Cassius's eyes lit up. He stepped forward to examine the blood closely.
In his eyes, the drop contained terrifying energy, crisscrossed with root-like patterns—the heritage of an ancestral dragon.
[Pure Ancestral Dragon Blood]
"You're saying you drank the blood of those mythical dragons and survived? — Dragon Scholar, Waldra"
Item Description: Karrikex's blood, infused with the powerful strength of ancestral dragons bestowed by the Nine-Faced Dragon Gods.
After purification by the Breath of Order, its destructive desire and chaotic force were expelled, refining the drop into pure ancestral dragon blood.
Item Effect:
Ancestral Dragon Bloodline Purity +0.001%
Also has a chance to grant legendary dragon traits and inheritance spells.
"So this is the way to deal with Karrikex's body?"
After reading the description, Cassius's eyes gleamed with boundless ecstasy, and the corners of his mouth lifted.
He scanned the blood several times with Cataclysmic Dragon Eye and True Sight, then purified it again with silver-white flames.
After confirming no abnormalities, Cassius slowly opened his mouth and swallowed the hard-won ancestral dragon blood.
"Buzz—"
Immediately, a warm current flowed through the red dragon's throat into his body, coursing through his core vessels and finally fusing into his burning heart.
Cassius exhaled a mouthful of scorching sulfur, humming in satisfaction, with white smoke and sparks spewing from the pores on his neck and tail.
Flames surged within his core vessels, his massive, powerful dragon body trembled slightly, and an invisible pressure spread, terrifying creatures miles away.
This was the pressure of the ancestral dragon. As rulers of sky and earth, these mythical dragons were incomparably powerful.
Although no system prompt appeared, Cassius felt slight enhancements in power, physique, and spellcasting ability.
And all this came from just a single drop of [Pure Ancestral Dragon Blood].
"Very good, very good."
Cassius's voice trembled slightly, filled with excitement and joy.
In this rush of strength, the red dragon's greedy nature surged, wishing he could devour the entire ancestral dragon corpse.
But Cassius remained rational, suppressing his excitement, overlooking the mountain-shaped dragon corpse and murmuring:
"Next, I just need to proceed step by step."
Now, in his eyes, this grotesque mountain in the shape of a giant dragon was more precious than gold or gems.
After all, Karrikex's corpse had been sealed by him in Dragonblood Mountain and couldn't escape.
Unless a true god descended or an Abyss Lord appeared, no one could steal this buried dragon corpse from under his nose.
Cassius only needed to remain in the forbidden zone of Dragonblood Mountain, continuously purifying and absorbing Karrikex's remains. One day, he would elevate his bloodline to true ancestral dragon level.
By then, even encountering a god's avatar or an Abyss Lord outside the imperial domain, Cassius would not be afraid—for ancestral dragons stood atop the food chain of the multiverse and could even walk sideways in the astral plane.
"Since it's a forbidden zone, it must carry some mystery."
Cassius slowly raised his claw, the law power of the [Imperial Domain] surged in his palm, then rapidly expanded outward for miles.
Instantly, pungent sulfurous smoke spewed from ground cracks, enveloping all of Dragonblood Mountain, leaving only vague outlines of its vast and majestic form.
"Whew."
"A fitting reward for slaying an Abyss Lord. This truly exceeded my expectations."
Cassius exhaled deeply, calming his excitement, and looked again at his panel, where countless messages awaited review.
Yes, Demon-Slaying achievements and Karrikex's blood were only part of his harvest. The most direct gain was the massive experience from killing demons.
In the "Defense Against the Abyss War," Cassius not only killed a true Abyss Lord, but also millions of wave-like abyssal demons in the battle aftermath.
Yet compared to the red dragon's current rank and life level, those lesser demons were too insignificant to offer much experience.
[Killed Coward Demon, gained 0.1xp]
[Killed Lesser Demon, gained 0.1xp]
[Killed Berserk Demon, gained 50xp]
[Killed Giant Bull Demon, gained 100xp]
[Killed [Balrog Leo] (Challenge Level: 18), gained 20000xp]
[Killed [Vengeance Lord Jezal Slak] (Challenge Level: 34), gained 215000xp]
[Your total class level has increased to: 24]
[Your current class: True Dragon Sorcerer 17 / Bloodscale Berserker 3 / Elementalist 4]
Cassius no longer struggled over class choices—this time he chose [True Dragon Sorcerer] again.
Compared to spreading power thin, this red dragon preferred concentrating it.
Without the Imperial Domain, his greatest battle assets were his naturally strong body and the powerful spellcasting of the Sorcerer class.
[You chose to raise [True Dragon Sorcerer] to level 18]
[Due to innate draconic casting and elemental lord heritage, your caster level is now: 24]
That familiar feeling again enveloped Cassius. His will roamed the Weave, fusing more intimately with the world, almost becoming one with it.
At this tier, even subtle gestures could affect all things. Without deliberate casting, a mere thought could cause tremendous waves.
Every move of theirs drew thousands into worship. This extraordinary charm made these Sorcerers born rulers.
"Nice feeling."
Cassius licked his lips, grinning ferociously, eagerly glancing back at his panel.
[At level 18, you gain an ability granted by your spell origin.]
[As a descendant of an ancestral red dragon, you trace the river of time, tap into ancient bloodlines, and feel the unique pressure of the ancients.]
[You gain the Spell Origin Ability: [Ancestral Dragon Majesty]]
[Ancestral Dragon Majesty]
Level 18 Dragon Bloodline Trait
As a descendant of the ancestral red dragon, true dragons, drakes, and all dragon-blooded creatures around you will feel the pressure of your blood and fall into fear or awe.
Tracing your bloodline, the ability [Ancestral Dragon Majesty] allows you to further channel this, with a chance to mentally dominate those affected for a period.
"Hmm, like a sort of mental override?"
Cassius stroked his scaly chin, examining the panel info carefully.
To a dragon of his level, this ability was a bit redundant.
—And for good reason: Cassius only needed to reveal his forty-meter-long form to make most dragonkind submit.
"Though it could be useful against gold or silver dragons—those willful good dragons.
Like... that meddlesome group of silver dragons from Melward."
Cassius casually shook dust off his wings and swung his head, commenting.
He looked back at his panel and said softly, "Next is the spell."
Cassius was no longer thrilled by new spells.
After all, for the current Emperor of Embers, even 9th-circle spells were just embellishments, and most of his enemies were already prepared for them.
[You dig through bloodline memory and gain a normal spell treasury.]
Cassius looked puzzled: "Oh? Not a dragon spell this time?"
Dragons were extremely proud, and the ancestral dragons of ancient times, rulers of sky and earth, even more so.
Unless truly useful, they would never lower themselves to learn "lowly" human or elven spells.
At this, Cassius's eyes brightened, staring at the panel.
[You obtained the spells: [Steel-Flesh] and [Unbind Spell]]
[Steel-Flesh]
8th-circle Transmutation Spell
You harden your body like an enchanted steel statue. While it lasts: Strength +4, Agility -4, Armor +10.
Meanwhile, you are immune to blindness, deafness, critical hits, disease, poison, stun, electricity, and all physiology- or breathing-related spells.
Cassius snorted blazing dragonfire, showing excitement again.
"A very useful spell. It complements my current ones for... surprising results."
Combining [Agile Dragon Motion]'s agility bonus with [Steel-Flesh]'s strength bonus lets him gain four strength without losing agility, and also gain indestructible defense.
According to "Erezaghe" rules, each attribute point raised increases strength by 15%.
These four extra points would give him a huge edge in melee!
Red dragons were already brutal melee monsters—with spell buffs, Cassius would be unstoppable!
"No wonder even those haughty ancestral dragons willingly learn it. It really is effective."
Cassius grinned wide with excitement, baring sharp teeth, and looked again at the panel as the other spell's info surfaced.
[Unbind Spell]
9th-circle Abjuration Spell
Releases a force field centered on you, destroying all control, binding, and sealing spells, and all magical or physical barriers created by spells.
All ongoing magical effects are dispelled. Defensive spells are unaffected and cannot penetrate the field, nor does it affect yourself.
Cassius nodded in satisfaction, spreading his wings slightly: "Worthy of a 9th-circle abjuration—every part is useful.
With Unbind Spell, I can finally deal with annoying seals, like Wagnard's Dragon Binding Array or... Dragon Frenzy Lock."
At that, Cassius turned to the south.
His pale-gold pupils pierced the sulfurous mist, across tens of thousands of miles, to the still-brutal war on the Feanso Continent.
He also saw colorful races like dwarves, elves, orcs, and naga, and their diverse kingdoms.
Cassius closed his eyes, took a deep breath, as if inhaling the energy surging in the air.
He sighed: "Years of planning, success in a day. This feeling of harvest is wonderful.
Now it's time to consider Feanso Continent. I wonder if they are ready to welcome the Empire."
The red dragon opened his eyes, and in the depths of his pale-gold pupils, light flickered with endless greed.