Chapter 335 Dragon Blood Evolution and Dragon Scale Modification
"Whoosh—whoosh—!!"
Heavy, scorching breaths, like the sound of a blast of wind, continued incessantly.
Centered on the Red Iron Dragon's body, the surrounding area was almost completely reduced to scorched earth.
The once towering trees were instantly ignited, turning into fiercely burning torches, and within seconds were completely carbonized and collapsed into ash by the extreme heat.
The ground could not withstand the terrifying heat, melting and collapsing in large swaths, eventually solidifying into a glassy, crystalline landscape.
Galos is currently in the Crimson Lotus state.
His dragon scales, which were as hard as refined steel, were cracking and crumbling inch by inch at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if they would completely disintegrate at any moment.
Galos is trying to adapt to the burden brought about by the Crimson Lotus state.
His goal is to prolong the duration of this explosive state, hoping that one day he can fully adapt to it, just as he has mastered the exhilarating state, turning it into a permanent state that he can activate anytime, anywhere, without too many side effects on himself.
This is by no means a simple matter.
The essence of the Crimson Lotus Form is the wondrous yet dangerous reaction produced by the heat energy and bursting blood within his body.
When in this state, Garros's dragon blood practically bursts into flames within his veins.
If he hadn't been born with extremely high fire resistance, and hadn't trained it to an unbelievable level through countless trials, this state would have been suicidal for him. Its danger and the degree of damage to his body far exceeded that of the Frenzy state and the Blood Explosion state.
However, Galos was absolutely certain in his heart:
Given enough practice and continuous challenges and refinement, with his unique talent, he will eventually achieve his goal, sooner or later.
Moreover, during this process, Galus keenly perceived some deeper changes.
Galos could clearly sense that his blood was undergoing some kind of adaptive evolutionary process, circulating between extreme burning and calm.
The specific direction of his adaptation to evolution is often uncertain, but through his past successful evolutionary experiences, Galus has also summarized some vague experiences and intuitions, and can roughly perceive the parts of his body that are being prioritized for strengthening.
"The last evolution was centered on the heart and the dragon jade, but it also strengthened my other internal organs, especially the basic vascular network, which became denser and stronger than ever before, far exceeding the physiological structure of normal dragons."
"Judging from my current feelings, my next evolution will most likely focus on this boiling, burning blood."
While enduring the tearing sensation brought on by the Crimson Lotus state, Galos calmly pondered and came to this conclusion.
"After the dragon blood evolves, I wonder what new effects it will bring."
He couldn't predict the specific changes, but his heart was filled with burning anticipation.
The only thing that made him feel a little regretful was that, in his current instinctive perception, it seemed that only by activating the extreme state of Crimson Lotus could the evolution of dragon blood be effectively stimulated and promoted.
The Crimson Lotus state itself cannot be maintained for a long time. After each such extreme training session, the body needs a considerable amount of time to repair damage and restore vitality.
This means that the evolution of dragon blood is destined to be a process that cannot be achieved overnight.
However, this is not an unacceptable problem.
Galus possessed ample patience in the face of long timescales.
He was willing to wait, and willing to pay countless painful yet pleasurable prices for it.
Much later.
With a particularly deep breath, the fierce and domineering aura of the Red Iron Dragon rapidly subsided, and the bewitching patterns on its body, resembling the fiery red lotus, quickly dimmed and disappeared, revealing the dragon scales beneath, covered with spiderweb-like cracks, as if they could shatter at the slightest touch.
“Each time I activate the Crimson Lotus state, my scales and armor will be severely damaged, my flesh will be torn apart, and my body will be weak and injured. But this is also a kind of tempering of the physical body’s limits.”
"Now, with the blessing of that kind lich, the effect is even more amazing."
Despite experiencing intense pain and weakness both inside and outside his body, Hong Tielong showed no signs of suffering. Instead, he grinned and revealed a smile that conveyed a sense of pleasure and enjoyment.
For him, this cumulative pain was the best catalyst for tempering his will and accelerating his evolution.
After finishing his training, he flapped his wings and returned to his nest in the conifer valley.
Since the Ironforge tribe made a comeback and returned to the Sel Wilderness, Garros has chosen the Needle Valley as his usual place of residence because of its convenient location and the abundance of open spaces around it suitable for his various extreme training exercises.
With him stationed here, he can rush to provide support in a very short time should a major crisis occur at any of the outposts or outposts in the territory.
He rarely personally intervened in or handled the trivial matters of the territory, devoting most of his time and energy to training and strengthening himself. However, he was the one who ultimately resolved all the major crises concerning the survival of the tribe and the formidable enemies that were difficult to resist.
He was an irreplaceable pillar for the Ironforge tribe and a stabilizing force for the dragons.
The mere thought of having such a powerful Crimson Wing Lord standing behind them gives their thousands of followers and dragons immense peace of mind and confidence.
As for his other blood relatives...
Gordon, currently located within the Kingdom of Lorthen and with a unique situation, will not be discussed for the time being.
Iron Dragon Sorog is mainly stationed at the pass of Scale Rift Road, guarding a strategic passage through the territory.
Since the Ironforge tribe recruited several other young dragons, Sorog's burden has been greatly reduced.
His daily focus gradually shifted from doing things personally to coordinating the overall situation.
He would give clear instructions and mission objectives to the other young dragons, who would then carry them out. This gave Sorog himself more valuable time to think and analyze in depth, enabling him to grasp the development direction of his territory and the dynamics of his followers more macroscopically and accurately.
Samantha the Red Dragon is also showcasing her talents.
She set her sights on the treacherous territory that had once been inhabited by ogres, a place known as the Bone-Shattering Hills.
Afterwards, she led a group of alchemists and golems to carry out a major transformation of the Shattered Bone Hills, with the goal of turning this originally wild land into a small but fully functional alchemical industrial zone.
Although the current scale is still far from comparable to that of the more established Black Iron Plains, some basic alchemical products can already be produced locally, eliminating the need to spend time and manpower transporting them from the distant Black Iron Plains.
After circling several times above the conifer valley, Garus gradually slowed down, folded his wings, and landed inside the valley.
"Plop~ Plop~"
As soon as he landed, a group of colorful, strangely shaped monsters, resembling giant jelly, immediately hopped and skipped over to him.
These are slimes.
They are among the most common monsters in adventurer's guides, usually located at the bottom of the food chain.
When Garus returned to the Pincus Valley, he found it was overrun by a dense population of slimes of various attributes.
Then, he simply unleashed his dragon might and effortlessly gained the fervent support of these slimes.
Low-level monsters are simply no match for the natural pressure of a true dragon.
*Plop...plop...a group of slimes began to slowly climb up Garus's massive body, which was covered in cracks and ashes.*
They have a highly elastic and soft, moist body, making them surprisingly effective at cleaning loose scales and scraping away dust and congealed blood from between scale crevices.
Garus simply used these little creatures as free scale cleaners.
As for the reward, it was naturally the large number of broken scales that would fall off his body after each high-intensity training session, as well as the dragon blood that seeped from the cracks, which contained powerful energy for low-level monsters.
But Galos's reward is not so easy to obtain.
As time goes by.
The slimes that were diligently cleaning themselves on his scales gradually developed fine, blood-like lines on their bodies.
Every now and then, one of them would be unable to withstand the energy contained in the dragon's blood, suddenly tremble violently, and then explode with a muffled bang into a pool of colorful, jelly-like fragments, which would then be swarmed by its impatient comrades and devoured.
The vast majority of slimes simply cannot withstand the corrosive effects of the true dragon's blood.
However, there are a few exceptionally gifted or lucky individuals who, despite their bodies trembling and the blood vessels on their skin becoming increasingly dense, stubbornly refuse to burst.
Their aura gradually changed during this process, slowly developing a very faint dragon-like aura.
Not long after.
The little creatures cleaned Garus's scales until they shone brightly, making the entire dragon look as if it had been completely renovated.
The surrounding slimes also left satisfied, seeking a quiet corner to digest and absorb the precious fragments of scales and dragon blood energy.
Given time, perhaps a decent leader will emerge from among these slimes.
at the same time.
A dark shadow circled halfway over the valley before folding its wings, diving down, and landing on the open ground in front of Garus.
"Good day, Chief Garus."
The black dragon Serafina lowered her head, which was covered with jagged bone armor, and bowed slightly to show respect to the red iron dragon in front of her, which was much larger and more robust than herself.
Her voice was deep and slightly hoarse, with the cold, sinister quality unique to Heilong.
Galos carefully examined his fellow clansmen before him.
His gaze first fell on her thick, horny head covered by a protruding, horny skull mask, then swept over her bony, sharp-scaled, and unusually slender body.
Besides their distinct personalities, the five-colored dragons also give people completely different impressions in terms of appearance.
Red dragons exude domineering aura, blue dragons are majestic and solemn, green dragons are elegant and cunning, white dragons are foolish like beasts... while black dragons often give people an instinctive sense of gloom and terror, and black dragons are naturally close to negative energy and are keen to deal with death and the dead.
"Serafina, I have a task for you to do."
Garros briefly described the situation of the lich's lair, and then said, "Go to that underground cave, subdue those out-of-control remnants of the undead, and take full control of the management and transformation of that undead lair."
"If you encounter any problems that you cannot solve on your own, you can directly ask the Flower Lord, Charles, for help."
After hearing the leader's instructions.
The black dragon was visibly stunned for a moment, seemingly unable to process this sudden good news. Then, she began to wag the tip of her tail rapidly with very small movements.
"Yes, sir! Serafina assures you, the mission will be completed perfectly!"
She tried hard to control her excitement, but her usually deep and hoarse voice involuntarily became much clearer and louder, revealing her inner excitement and joy.
For a black dragon, being in charge of a ready-made, high-level undead lair managed by a powerful lich is no less significant than discovering a new black oil field for Garros.
Her joy was palpable.
Galos nodded slightly and continued, "What is the latest research progress on the Dragon Forging and Modification Ritual?"
Black Dragon composed himself, then cautiously replied:
"After repeated research, deduction and calculation, Ludwig and I agreed that breaking down the complete dragon vein transformation process into twenty progressive and independent transformation rituals was the safest and most secure approach."
"Currently, the technology for the [Dragon Scale Transformation Ceremony], which is the first step in laying the foundation, is gradually maturing."
"The main effect of the dragon scale transformation ritual is to endow the transformed person with trace amounts of pure dragon bloodline characteristics, as well as to obtain stronger external scale armor defense capabilities."
Galos pondered for a moment, then pressed for an answer:
"How effective is this ritual in extending the lifespan of the recipient?"
The black dragon had clearly done research on this before, and answered smoothly: "Using ordinary humans as a reference, successfully completing the dragon scale modification ritual can probably increase their lifespan by about twenty years."
"Different transformation rituals have different focuses and effects on life extension."
"In theory, if the [Heart Modification Ritual] can be successfully developed and implemented, the enhancement of the life essence it brings can at least increase the lifespan of the recipient by more than a hundred years."
Garros nodded knowingly, understanding the black dragon's meaning.
The life-extending effect of the Longzhu renovation is cumulative and gradually enhanced.
Then, the black dragon added another piece of information: "In addition, the success rate of the dragon scale modification ritual... remains at around three-tenths, as we previously reported."
"However, if the ritual can be moved to a grotto of the dead with extremely high negative energy, the success rate is expected to increase to 50% by taking advantage of the special environmental energy field there."
"If other suitable auxiliary materials can be found, or if the modifier and the person leading the ritual are both in their best condition, the success rate can be further increased."
The first layer of dragon scale modification mainly affects the body surface and outer defense, and does not involve vital organs such as the heart and brain. Therefore, the technical difficulty is relatively low, and the risk is relatively controllable.
The difficulty of subsequent transformation rituals will gradually increase, but individuals who successfully pass the initial dragon-forging transformation will have their physical constitution significantly enhanced.
With this gradual approach, the likelihood of successfully navigating the subsequent transformation rituals will also increase.
This is also the core advantage of transforming the complete dragon vein into twenty independent rituals.
Given time, if this technology can fully mature and stabilize, building a powerful dragon-forged legion for the Ironforge tribe will be secondary.
Its most immeasurable value lies in its immense contribution to elevating the essence of life and breaking through the limits of lifespan for any species.
The world is never short of secret methods and means to prolong life or even pursue immortality.
Transforming into a lich is one such extreme and costly path.
However, the known methods of extending lifespan are either extremely limited in effect, restricted to certain professions or races, or, like lich transformation, come with significant and undeniable flaws, almost completely altering life form and mind.
The Twenty Dragon Casting Transformation Ceremony may not be perfect, but its advantages are real and tangible, while its disadvantages and risks are relatively low compared to other methods.
It is foreseeable.
If even the slightest hint of it were to leak out, it would attract countless powerful beings driven to despair by their impending death to pledge allegiance and submit.
Of course, all of this has one major premise.
By then, the Iron Smelting Tribe must have possessed the strength and confidence to preserve this incredible technology and prevent it from being seized by various forces.
"Chief, regarding the modification of the undead lair."
After a moment's hesitation, the black dragon whispered his request, "I hope Ludwig can participate with me."
"Transforming a necropolis into a special place suitable for dragon-forging rituals involves a great deal of knowledge in the field of life, and Ludwig's assistance was indispensable."
"Moreover, although the environment full of negative energy would make Ludwig uncomfortable, it is also an excellent form of tempering and training. The extreme atmosphere of death can actually enhance his understanding of the essence of life and greatly benefit his growth."
Upon hearing this, Garos nodded in satisfaction, approving of the black dragon's idea.
"Can."
The dragons under his command should possess the awareness to seize every opportunity to hone their claws and strengthen themselves, regardless of whether the situation is favorable or unfavorable.
"Soon, an elderly human will come to receive the first dragon-forging transformation."
Red Iron Dragon's expression returned to calm, and he said calmly, "You and Ludwig need to do everything you can to make sure he survives."
The best option at present is to keep the key position of head of the gem merchant group in the hands of old Nick, who is well-known and knows how to act tactfully.
on the other hand.
If the transformation ritual is completed, he can also serve as an example to quietly win over more of those who hold a certain position within the Lorthern Federation but are anxious and wavering due to their impending death.
"I understand what you mean."
Sensing the importance behind the Red Iron Dragon's calm words, the Black Dragon Serafina nodded solemnly: "I will do everything in my power to ensure the success of the ritual."
(End of this chapter)
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