624: Awakening the Magic Dragon Bloodline
The entire Golden Crown Mountain had turned into a coliseum for hunting Black Wizards, filled with terrifying magic creatures.
The natural ecology of the Yunze Wetland was already powerful, and the magic forests were teeming with magic creature tribes.
Within the dense, overlapping forests, a large amount of miasma formed spontaneously, and within that miasma, numerous powerful magic creatures moved: Storm Birds, Thunder Beasts, Frost Giants, Lava Two-headed Hounds, Earth Dragons, Sphinx Behemoths...
These magic creatures were practically going mad to compete for that single Dragon Viewing Peach King.
If every magic creature has its own innate talent, then humanity's ability is wisdom—wisdom that manifests as high-level socialization, linguistic ability, and a more fundamental way of thinking.
That wisdom, comparable to humans, was definitely not as simple as just becoming an intelligent being.
Rather, by consuming the Dragon Viewing Peach King, they could gain the special ability to transform into humans and acquire humanity!
Humanity is something that all high-level magic creatures pursue, because the greatest advantage of having those traits is the ability to learn magic. They would no longer have to rely solely on their bloodline inheritance like other magic creatures, nor would they have to nourish themselves by devouring valuable food or special plants to enhance their bloodline potential.
The Peach Orchard is a Great Magic that has completed four forgings, and thus has many functions; it practically offers magic creature groups a chance to attain and embrace civilization!
If it were the early Beast Tide Ecology, it wouldn't have had such great power!
Some Second Ring Black Wizards from the Twin Demon Realm who hadn't escaped yet showed looks of fear on their faces as they looked up at that Crown Wizard in the sky.
"Must you drive us to extinction? White Wizards!"
"Her methods are too ruthless. We only wanted to steal a few things. Damnable White Wizards. You forced us to become thieves, and now you want to wipe us out completely!"
"Who can withstand this Great Magic?"
...
In the Cloud Arena, Douglas, disguised as an ordinary wizard, had spent three thousand magic stones to buy a seat, blending into the crowd to protect himself.
The voice of the Lagemen Witch King resonated within Douglas. 'How about it? My decision to have you buy a seat to watch the competition wasn't wrong, was it?'
'Only by sitting here can you see the level of the Golden Crown Mountain Region of the Yunze Wetland. Only then can I see the level of this era...'
'According to my thoughts, you need to clear your identity as soon as possible. A fake identity certificate alone isn't enough; you need to enter the White Wizard Society quickly. The White Wizard Society of this era is the mainstream civilization.'
The Lagemen Witch King said, 'Moreover, I miscalculated before. My power in this era is only equivalent to a Third Ring Wizard without Crown Magic.'
'The power of Crown Magic is even greater than I thought. Even if I were to summon the Kingdom Domains of the past Witch Kings, they would be easily crushed by that Crown Magic.'
'The difference between the two is like the difference between an egg and a block of iron.'
Douglas whispered, "Teacher, then what should I do?"
The Lagemen Witch King's voice appeared in his ear. 'You have completely finished the Five Elements Reversal; next, you must prepare to become a Second Ring Wizard. At the same time, I will help you with all my might, because I also need to understand the magic of this era through helping you.'
'Transform my Kingdom Domain into Crown Magic. If my Magic Kingdom still existed, my Kingdom Domain might be able to rival Crown Magic... No, actually, that's impossible. Because some fundamental rules of this world have changed, the upper limit of the Kingdom Domain in this era is inferior to Crown Magic...'
'Furthermore, the Kingdom Domain is more like a primitive version of Crown Magic. My Kingdom Domain requires a leyline network and kingdom faith, whereas Crown Magic represents a wizard reaching an exceptionally excellent state in a small field of magic, allowing them to suppress all similar magic around them, becoming the crown of its kind.'
The Lagemen Witch King seemed extremely covetous of Crown Magic, constantly emphasizing its power. 'My Kingdom Domain cannot even rival a Great Magic after four forgings. In our time, there was only the Eternal Defense Field; there was no Great Magic, nor was there Crown Magic.'
'In the Age of Stars, a Third Ring Wizard was already a powerful Witch King, but in your era, even in the Yunze Wetland, ordinary Third Ring Wizards are only middle-to-high level, and Third Ring Throne Wizards are the high level. But the ones truly in charge are the Fourth Ring Wizards...'
'The ones who dominate the fate of the Wizard World are even higher-ring wizards. I just don't know if the once-powerful Black Sun Tower still exists today. I haven't dared to let my guard down, but it seems the Black Sun Tower has vanished.'
The Lagemen Witch King said, 'I didn't expect to wake up in a golden age of magic. It's truly my luck. Douglas, as long as you believe in me, I will make you a brilliant rising star of this era. I will let you stand on the same stage and compete with those geniuses.'
'You want to... stand with those geniuses too, don't you?'
Douglas thought of the battle between Locke and Antoine just now, and his heart burned with passion, while also feeling a bit of self-inferiority.
He really could stand and compete with those geniuses?
Enter that circle and pursue the truth together with them?
The Lagemen Witch King's voice appeared in Douglas's ear. "With my help, you can do it. And not just join that circle, but become its leader, the one who defines what is excellent."
"Become the most brilliant star of this era. Douglas, you must keep moving forward. The higher you climb, the more I can learn, and then I can find out if the Black Sun Tower truly exists in this era. Therefore, our interests are bound together."
Douglas nodded.
He actually minded very much that a spiritual entity had entered his body and that he was completely helpless against it.
While the Lagemen Witch King was asleep before, he had secretly tried many methods, hoping to find a way to actively seal the Lagemen Witch King and truly take charge of his own fate.
But all of them had failed.
And every time the Lagemen Witch King woke up, he never mentioned it, as if he hadn't noticed at all.
Douglas regarded the Lagemen Witch King as his teacher and benefactor, but as a wizard, he couldn't help but be wary of him.
What if the Lagemen Witch King's ultimate goal was to use his body to be resurrected?
All the training provided before might just be to cultivate an outstanding physical vessel.
Douglas asked in a low voice, "Teacher, why did you tell me not to act earlier? If I had killed some wizards from the Twin Demon Realm, I could have claimed military merits from the Demonic Realm War. It would have made it easier for me to clear my identity."
"I haven't committed many offenses before. If I had military merits, I might have been able to directly clear my original identity."
The Lagemen Witch King whispered, "I told you not to act because those wizards from the Twin Demon Realm just now were stealing certain traits from wizards who are like you."
Douglas was stunned. "Like me?"
The Lagemen Witch King's voice appeared in his ear. "Yes. It seems that I'm not the only one who has awakened from the graves of the Age of Stars. Many of my former colleagues are also awakening. For some reason, the power that buried the entire Age of Stars is weakening, and many beings I once knew are waking up from the eternal darkness."
"These beings have ended up in the same state as me, parasitizing the bodies of certain wizards. On the first day you participated in the Sports Festival, I sensed their presence in quite a few wizards. And I noticed that the Twin Demon Realm's main targets just now were those wizards."
"They made those wizards enter an echo state and used that state to take away the past spirits parasitizing their bodies. Of course, this caused fatal damage to those wizards, likely preventing them from ever advancing further."
Douglas was secretly shocked.
So that's what happened just now; he had actually been in such danger.
'However, you don't need to be afraid. The ones symbiotic with those captured wizards were likely only the Second Ring Wizards of my era—the [Wizard Grand Counts] or [Wizard Counts].'
'In any case, those people from the Twin Demon Realm couldn't discover my presence just now.'
Douglas asked worriedly, 'But why does the Twin Demon Realm know about your existence? Could it be that they are the Black Sun Tower?'
The Lagemen Witch King said, "Impossible. The Black Sun Tower would not stoop to theft. Perhaps the Twin Demon Realm simply discovered the secrets of the ancient era and wants to claim them for themselves to gain power. In short, we must work together, or neither of us will get what we want."
"Douglas."
Douglas whispered, "Teacher, I understand."
Learning that the Twin Demon Realm's target was people like him, Douglas felt immense pressure.
He wanted to become a Second Ring Wizard and make those who used to look down on him learn how to respect him!
Therefore, he could not be captured by the Twin Demon Realm and become a part of the Black Wizards' conspiracy.
The Lagemen Witch King said, "I want you to find a way to join Golden Crown Mountain. That way, you can gain access to many things and use Golden Crown Mountain to protect yourself. By the way, that little fellow needs your help right now; just go and help him."
"This can build some goodwill."
"He has the bloodline of the Three-Eyed Tiger-Eyed Cat. I've dealt with such wizards before and know that the Three-Eyed Tiger-Eyed Cat needs a special Star Power to become a Three-Eyed Tiger-Eyed Cat King, which would allow it to become a Second Ring level creature."
"Take this Emerald Cat Pupil. Give it to that little fellow."
The Lagemen Witch King whispered, "I've also confirmed that a Secret Treasure I left behind is in Golden Crown Mountain. You can only get that very important Secret Treasure if you join Golden Crown Mountain."
"Befriending that Five-headed Snake publisher will be very beneficial for you. Especially since... his teacher is very powerful in Golden Crown Mountain. If possible, you should make the Throne Yekaterina your teacher."
Douglas was incredibly nervous. "Is that possible?"
The Lagemen Witch King whispered, "Normally impossible. But with my help, it's possible. And the first step you need to take is to befriend that little fellow. I've seen the way Throne Yekaterina looks at him; perhaps he hasn't even realized how important he is to that Throne."
...
Just as Locke was doing his best to make the Forest Sanctuary accept the starlight, he heard a wizard call out to him.
Then, he saw a young wizard wearing many layers of clothing and a hood standing beside Arena No. 1.
Locke was stunned for a moment, and from the wizard's attire, he quickly sensed something familiar.
The wizard tossed an emerald-colored stone that looked like a cat's pupil toward Locke.
Locke looked at the cat's eye stone in his hand.
He felt a throbbing from his own bloodline.
Douglas said to Locke, "Let's be friends. I'm Douglas. This is an Emerald Cat's Eye Stone; I thought you might need it."
In an instant, Locke felt a constellation within the [night meteor] cast down starlight upon him—the power of [Little Leo].
After his Three-Eyed Tiger-Eyed Cat bloodline received the power of this ancient constellation, it felt as though a lock had been opened by a key, and certain shackles were released.
Little Leo is located between Ursa Major and Leo.
At the same time, another bloodline within Locke's body—one that had already taken shape during previous battles—was stimulated by the constellation power of Little Leo. As if something had been unlocked, it began greedily absorbing the constellation power, continuously elevating its bloodline level.
As the bloodlines of the Three-Eyed Tiger-Eyed Cat and the Mysterious Dragon Race continued to advance, their magic pressure rose steadily.
The mysterious dragon bloodline grew from the First Ring Gasification Stage to the First Ring Liquefaction Stage, and then from the First Ring Liquefaction Stage to the First Ring Crystallization Stage...
The dragon shadow behind Locke became increasingly solid, transforming into a three-headed Golden Magic Dragon. The shadow seemed unable to control itself, continuously destroying its surroundings and even itself.
This caused Locke to fall into a state of self-destruction, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Douglas was stunned. "Teacher, something seems wrong. What's going on? You only told me to give him the Emerald Cat's Eye Stone; why does he look so strange?"
The Lagemen Witch King seemed to become very tense. 'Little Leo is a Demon Star and has the effect of unlocking potential. The combination of the two seems to have caused a mutation in that little fellow's bloodline. We might have done a bad thing with good intentions.'
'Furthermore, the bloodline on him... carries the aura of the Black Sun Tower.'
'I definitely haven't misjudged. One branch of the Black Sun Tower possesses this kind of spiritual aura. The Magic Dragon Clan has always been the... imperial family of the Black Sun Tower.'
'He has an incomplete Magic Dragon aura. As expected, the Black Sun Tower exists in this era. Damn it, I've been trying my best to avoid the Black Sun Tower, yet I still got caught up in it!'
'The Black Sun Tower will absolutely not allow Magic Dragon Bloodlines to wander outside. In my era, all Magic Dragon Bloodlines not under the control of the Black Sun Tower would be executed immediately. Magic Dragon descendants with impure bloodlines would also be destroyed instantly. I just don't know why they haven't made a move on this little fellow... Have they not discovered him yet?'
'Or is the current state of the Black Sun Tower very strange?'
The Lagemen Witch King seemed to be caught in a dilemma. 'How could he have the Magic Dragon Bloodline? Is he a trap set for me by the Black Sun Tower...'
'Douglas, perhaps we should leave Golden Crown Mountain...'
The next moment, a wave of magic pressure attacked Douglas. To avoid exposure, the Lagemen Witch King could only pretend to vanish.
Meanwhile, Witch Catherine descended upon the scene.
She frowned as she looked at Locke, who had fallen into a state of spiritual self-destruction, and then cast a cold glance at Douglas. "What did you do to him?"
"A Black Wizard in disguise?"
Douglas's body went stiff; in an instant, he felt the summons of death. "Lord of the Throne... I gave him an Emerald Cat's Eye Stone. I didn't intend to harm him. I heard that the Emerald Cat's Eye Stone can help a Three-Eyed Tiger-Eyed Cat wizard activate their bloodline and gain the potential to step into the Second Ring."
"I absolutely have no ill intent."
"I was a Black Wizard before, but I turned over a new leaf a long time ago. I want to join Golden Crown Mountain..."
Witch Catherine looked at him indifferently. Just as Douglas was wondering what fate awaited him, Witch Catherine suddenly spoke. "With your conditions, joining Golden Crown Mountain isn't easy. If you want to join, you'll need to take an exam."
"I will arrange an entrance exam and a specialized interview for you. If you pass, you can work under me. If you fail, I will transfer you to the Wizard Prison. That is all."
Douglas wanted to cry but had no tears. He originally just wanted to do Locke a favor; who knew it would turn out like this?
Douglas could only allow the Demon Hunters to take him into custody while bracing himself to say to Witch Catherine, "Lord of the Throne, I will pass the Golden Crown Mountain entrance exam."
Witch Catherine turned around, looking with concern at the bloodline mutation occurring within Locke.
The Golden Dragon's surprised voice sounded in Yekaterina's ear. "It's actually the World-Ending Demon Dragon clan."
"The Destruction Dragon Race among the True Dragons."
"No wonder I hated a certain aura on this kid before. The ancestor of the Destruction Dragon Race was a Golden Dragon, but starting from him, all his descendants became the Destruction Dragon Race. I just don't know which type of destruction dragon this kid is."
"Three heads? This is truly rare."
Witch Catherine said, "Little Leo can indeed stimulate bloodline potential. Many Second Ring Bloodline Wizards use the power of this constellation to strengthen their own bloodlines. But what is happening with him?"
The Golden Dragon Fafner said, "Little Leo is inherently a Demon Star and has the special function of stimulating bloodline potential. The combination of the two awakened his bloodline's power. But the Magic Dragon Clan is very sinister; they inherently possess the trait of self-destruction."
"Therefore, his spirituality wants to destroy itself."
"Besides, this bloodline of his doesn't seem to be innate. It likely took shape through his own acquired efforts. Currently, it is incomplete and even mixed. At this moment, wanting to self-destruct is actually quite normal."
"If he can't pass this hurdle, forget about obtaining the Magic Dragon Bloodline—he himself will be destroyed. The bloodline of the Magic Dragon Clan is not something to be trifled with."
"I advise you not to meddle in this business."
Witch Catherine said, "Locke is my personal disciple; how could I not care for him? He has perfectly inherited my Sacred Dragon legacy. This matter has nothing to do with the dragon bloodline; I cannot ignore him."
"Fafner, you are of the dragon race. Do you think there is any good way to help him escape this state right now?"
The Golden Dragon frowned, looking at Witch Catherine, because at this moment, she had almost completely resolved the issue of bloodline possession.
She had spent half a year spending every day with Locke Augustine, stimulating her bloodline.
Then, the moment she regarded Locke Augustine as her important student and merged her feelings with the Red Dragon bloodline's instinct to care for juniors, she completely controlled the dragon bloodline within her body.
What a terrifying witch.
In just half a year, she had overcome the final defect of the True Dragon bloodline.
The Golden Dragon said, "The most important thing is to awaken his traits as a wizard. Let those wizardly traits suppress the traits of the World-Ending Demon Dragon clan."
"Try firing an arrow at him, the Peach Arc Thorn Arrow. However, if you do that, you won't be able to maintain the full power of your Great Magic. Are you going to let some Black Wizards escape?"
"Witch Catherine, under your design, you are set to become the Vice Chairman of the Academic Committee this time, and you will gain significant influence in Golden Crown Mountain. Is it necessary to let your power suffer some damage for the sake of a First Ring wizard?"
Witch Catherine did not hesitate. "Fafner, you are truly ridiculous. Don't test me. The source of power is people, not a position. Locke himself is part of the foundation of my power."
Witch Catherine sighed. "As for that former Black Wizard who gave Locke the Emerald Cat's Eye Stone, if I hadn't seen that his magic pressure was decent and that he was a talent, he would already be dead under my rage."
"If he passes the entrance exam, I will expose his identity and send him to the Wizard Prison. If he doesn't pass but comes close, I will grant him grace and let him join."
Witch Catherine deactivated part of her Great Magic, allowing many Black Wizards to find an opportunity to escape. Simultaneously, she diverted a portion of her mental effort, transforming it into a Peach Arc Thorn Arrow and firing it toward the space between Locke's br