Chapter 15: Dragon Lich, Undead Legion

What lay before him was a pool of azure green water, formed entirely from concentrated life essence, and its appearance was completely unexpected to Dieryel. 

With the innate identification ability of dragons, the young dragon could immediately determine that its value far exceeded the life spring, which the elves regarded as a treasured gem.

The life spring was a rare and renowned treasure, and according to legend, even if a Necromancer King were to immerse themselves in it, as long as they were not consumed by its vitality, they could shed their undead form and emerge as a living being.

The truth of this legend could not be verified, but the elf life spring indeed possessed near-miraculous powers capable of reversing life and death. However, even without directly using it, Dieryel could tell that the effect of this pool of water surpassed that of the life spring.

But upon realizing this, Dieryel did not feel joy. Instead, a sense of unease gripped him, along with a chill that crawled up his spine and spread to his skull.

Every gift from fate carries a hidden price.

The World Tree had given far too much—so much that it made Dieryel uneasy. All it asked for in return was for him to bring the sapling into the world where he was born.

Crackle, crackle—

The young dragon exhaled lightly, lightning flashing and arcs of electricity crackling. He did not waste too much time on the World Tree sapling. After briefly inspecting it, he ascended the altar.

The gift from the World Tree was something Dieryel could not refuse. He could not give up such a world treasure, one that far surpassed the Life Spring, for in the future, when he faced powerful enemies and was injured, this could allow him to quickly recover his strength and even save his life.

Such a treasure could arouse the greed of gods. However, if he thought optimistically, considering the World Tree’s status, this treasure might just be a drop of dew on the billions of leaves, insignificant and trivial.

“Offering!”

Without hesitation, the young dragon placed the offering he had prepared on the altar. He had selected it before entering here.

Although there was an unexpected delight after entering the temple, he had no intention of taking any water from the Life Spring, even though it would make a perfect offering that could attract powerful beings from the Void. 

*Clink! Gurgle! Gurgle!*

The young dragon opened his mouth and spat out a white bone, still bearing some traces of flesh, onto the altar. The translucent and glossy bone rolled across the surface of the altar.

This was not a rare item. He had never even left the dragon’s nest, so he naturally couldn’t obtain any treasures. As for his parents’ collection, he had never considered touching it.

The treasure hoard of a dragon was absolutely untouchable. It was their bottom line. Even the metal dragons adhered to this rule. Parents considered their young to be treasures, equivalent to their hoards, and while they might allow their children to stay in the treasure chambers, it didn’t mean that the young dragons could touch those treasures.

This was an unbreakable line, and so, the offering Dieryel had prepared was simply a leftover meat bone, a piece of sub-dragon bone, along with the remaining bits of flesh attached to it.

Although it was just leftover food scraps, it still held some value. In the vast void, there might be creatures that could use it, perhaps?

Dieryel wasn’t entirely sure. He simply wanted to use this as an opportunity to familiarize himself with the use of the sacrificial altar. Therefore, he didn’t wish for it to attract any overly powerful void creatures.

Encountering an entity like the World Tree without any preparation could only be considered a stroke of luck. However, he preferred not to have a repeat of this situation.

Even if he intended to use the altar to communicate with powerful beings in the void, he hoped that the entire process would remain under his control, guided by his own will, rather than spiraling out of control.

He greatly disliked the idea of passively enduring everything. While there might be unexpected rewards, such as the sapling the World Tree gifted him and the life-giving spring that came with it, one misstep could leave him with no chance for regret.

“Here we go!”

On the altar, Dieryel gazed down at the silent forest below. His eyes fixed on his claws, and as his dragon finger lightly traced across, faint golden runes flickered to life.

Boom—

The vast forest trembled, the trillions of leaves rustling. Hundreds of beams of light shot into the sky, transforming into towering golden pillars that reached the heavens and the earth.

“There’s no need for this much.”

Watching the temple space tremble under his will, Dieryel lightly swiped with his right front claw. Hundreds of light pillars dimmed, leaving only three pillars, still dazzling and brilliant, forming a faint golden river of light flowing toward him.

The light river intertwined and coiled together at a point, forming a small yet delicate vortex of light, much smaller than the original. Ancient, obscure divine symbols fell like rain, scattering onto the dragonbone Dieryel had placed on the altar.

As a result, the dragonbone became ethereal and hazy. The light vortex hanging before the juvenile dragon began to change as well. Its center grew dim, and when it turned into a void of darkness, countless stars appeared, flickering within, but soon they became indistinct once more.

A strange and unsettling aura filled the air, sending an uncomfortable sensation through the surroundings. Dieryel’s eyes flickered with a mix of anticipation and curiosity, though the curiosity was the more dominant feeling.

He was eager to see what kind of being in the void would be drawn to a leftover piece of dragonbone that he had discarded.

Under the juvenile dragon’s gaze, the vortex revealed a desolate land covered in white bones, with the lingering presence of death. A skull adorned with bone spikes and horns suddenly appeared at the center of the vortex. Within its hollow eye sockets, gray-black soul fire flickered.

“Dragon Lich?!”

Dieryel’s scales furrowed between his brows, his eyes revealing a clear and unapologetic disgust. Life and death were natural enemies, and the creature before him was even more so— a Dragon Lich.

This sight even triggered a surge of destructive desire deep within his bloodline, but the impulse was quickly suppressed.

Not that he could cross the vast span of time and space. Even if he somehow found himself before this Dragon Lich, what would it change? He could clearly see behind the Dragon Lich, an advancing army of the undead.

Dark knights, skeletal warriors, abominations, liches, mummies, ghost dragons, decayed angels… countless familiar high-level undead formed into a legion, marching across the land paved with bones. A dense cloud of deathly energy gathered, blocking out the sky and spreading across the land.

Such a Dragon Lich had the power to destroy a nation. Even an ancient dragon encountering it would need to call upon allies and assemble a legion to stand a chance against it.

“Heh heh, I thought something truly powerful was calling me, but it turns out to be a little bronze dragon. This is what you offer me?”

Even across the endless stretch of time and space, the lich, possessing the skull of a dragon, exuded a powerful necrotic force that twisted the void itself. The intense malice was palpable, putting even Dieryel under subtle pressure.

“How about offering your soul and flesh to me, and in return, I shall grant you eternal life?”