Chapter 66

Respected Black Dragon Prince, I think this is a misunderstanding.

Ma Lei stared at the tiger-eyed black dragon, remained silent for a long time, and finally squeezed out this sentence.

It is a skeleton spellcaster, existing behind the scenes controlling the skeleton army and powerful undead, and does not want to engage in close combat with a famed physically strong dragon.

Especially since the opponent's displayed strength is still strong, Ma Lei, although he feels he might not necessarily lose, also has his own trump cards.

Who among normal spellcasters doesn't have a few trump cards? Especially, the longer one lives, the more trump cards they have.

Ma Lei has possessed wisdom born from a spellcaster's desiccated bones for several decades; although not as cunning as those spellcasters who have lived hundreds of years or more, he is certainly no novice spellcaster.

Ma Lei was unwilling to stake his life on this battle; the black dragon before him was quite unusual, also a spellcaster, albeit a bit younger—but who could guarantee the opponent had no trump cards? 'A misunderstanding?' Lai Ang found it somewhat amusing.

It remained constantly vigilant, its acidic dragon breath already charged in the chest exhalation organ, and transparent tide shields shaped like two shields already surrounded its body.

Black water battle qi covered its entire dragon body; the three-ring berserk spell required only a thought and could be used in less than a second.

And there is its ultimate trump card, the platinum sword within its belly.

The platinum sword, carrying high-level anti-magic properties, when unleashed at full effect can even pierce the scales of an adult dragon, let alone this skeleton spellcaster before us.

How hard can the silver bones on its body be, compared to the scales of an adult dragon?

That is Lai Ang's confidence. Of course, this is also what it discovered during successive probes—that the skeleton spellcaster's strength is not particularly strong.

At least, for it, it is not especially strong.

'You have two choices.' Lai Ang spoke calmly.

'What choices?' Ma Lei felt a bit uneasy; this black dragon was overly calm, as if victory were already in its grasp.

It disliked this feeling, because it made it feel its life was not under its own control.

The black dragon, perched on the giant tree, looked down at the skeleton spellcaster not far away, encircled and protected by the silver bone python, and said in a cold tone, 'First, choose death; this is the price for your encroachment on my territory and the killing of my warriors.'

'Um, then what about the second?' Ma Lei was somewhat speechless.

Who would choose the first option, idiot?

'Second? Considering your decent abilities, I can bestow dragon vein power upon you.'

Lai Ang indeed took a liking to this skeleton spellcaster.

Spellcasters are inherently a high-difficulty profession, and achieving Fifth Rank as a spellcaster, even in the Emerald Dream, holds a not-low status; at the very least, becoming an elite leader is quite easy.

If Lai Ang could secure the surrender of this skeleton spellcaster, he would not only gain an insider from the Wailing Wastes, but also command an army of skeleton undead, and obtain a Fifth Rank spellcaster.

Just thinking about it, how could Lai Ang not be moved? Ma Lei, upon hearing the black dragon before him mention the second option, '.'.

Undead beings are capable of obtaining dragon vein power.

Not to mention obtaining dragon vein power, undead can even bear offspring with dragons.

Although it sounds exaggerated and confusing, dragons are simply that kind of unreasonable creature.

Moreover, among the five-colored dragons, the black dragon's dragon vein power is most compatible with the undead.

'Cough, respected Black Dragon Prince, could you let me go back and think this over properly? You know, this is a serious matter; I need to consider it carefully.' Ma Lei attempted to bluff his way through.

Although the black dragon's dragon vein power can indeed enhance its strength, from now on it will also have an uncontrollable master atop its head.

Ma Lei felt that his own freedom was still more important.

Then a burst of dragon breath sprayed over.

Lai Ang had no intention of continuing to talk with this skeleton spellcaster; he wanted the opponent to realize the gap in their power.

Since this fellow cherishes his life so much, let him feel the fear of impending loss of life.

And facing the black dragon's tendency to spew dragon breath at the slightest disagreement, Ma Lei, as if he had anticipated it, a bone wall rose again from the ground, blocking in front of him.

Then the silver bone python gulped Ma Lei down, holding him in its mouth.

Meanwhile, dark lightning flickered across the silver bone python's body, and the gloomy thunder shot out like a laser.

After simultaneously invoking black water battle qi and bolstering it with the max-level three-ring berserk spell, Lai Ang's speed increased by a tier; he easily dodged the gloomy thunder's attack, then exhaled another mouthful of acidic dragon breath.

The dragon breath, comparable to a four-ring attack spell, was used as casually as something worthless.

Even the Fifth Rank silver bone python, specially forged for defense, gradually found it hard to withstand the relentless bombardment and corrosion of the acidic dragon breath; its originally gleaming silver bones grew dim.

Ma Lei, hidden within the giant serpent's mouth, felt anguish and helplessness over this, yet he continued preparing his trump card spell.

Within the twenty-some seconds of chanting, the silver bone python became ever more scarred, as if it might suddenly fall apart at any moment—quite normal.

Lai Ang sensed the surrounding elements being drawn away and gathering in midair.

It did not halt its motion; instead, it dove toward the silver bone python, fully activating the two properties of the platinum sword within its body.

The liquefied black water battle qi became more viscous, its power increased more than double, and the strong anti-magic property was also imposed upon the black water battle qi.

The dragon claws, like thrusting into tofu, pinned the silver bone python's head to the ground; together with Ma Lei's body, which had just successfully released a five-ring spell, they were both nailed to the ground.

In midair, a gray bone hand about eight to nine meters in size had successfully condensed, ready to grasp the black dragon.

But the gray bone hand remained motionless, not moving.

Because its master, at this moment, had lost control over his own life.

'Your Highness, I am willing to submit.'

Feeling the dragon claws that could crush him at any moment, Ma Lei spoke quickly.

Afterward, the five-ring spell 'Bone Death Hand' was canceled by it, dissipating into a mass of dense dark elemental energy.

The black dragon's pale yellow pupils coldly swept over the skeleton spellcaster, then slowly retracted its claws.

In this brief span, its abundant black water battle qi was reduced to just a small half.

Having used black water battle qi for so long beforehand, the consumption had been less than half; after activating the platinum sword's properties, a single breath consumed half.

Yet, despite the great consumption, the power boost was terrifying; a Fifth Rank silver bone python and a Fifth Rank skeleton spellcaster were taken down in a single exchange.

Thanks to this battle, Lai Ang roughly came to understand his own power standing.

Ma Lei crawled out from the silver bone python's mouth; its lower half had been pierced and severed by the dragon's claws.

The silver bone python did not die, but its head was pierced, affecting its soul fire and sustaining severe injury; it would likely take a considerable time to recover, though if it devoured souls, it could heal quickly.

The seriously wounded Ma Lei also didn't dare to play any tricks; it watched the unharmed black dragon skillfully drawing the dragon clan kin contract magic formation on the ground.

During this period, Ma Lei rejoined his severed body together, although it only appeared unharmed on the outside, but the fractured bones needed some nurturing to be fully repaired.

The kin contract formation was completed.

Ma Lei sighed inwardly, yet still walked into the formation, accepting the transformation of dragon blood.

Shortly after, the dragon blood and the contract together sank into Ma Lei's body; in the dark, it felt a strong binding upon its soul.

With its spiritual power, it could not shake this binding at all.

"Ma Lei greets his master." The skeleton spellcaster in tattered gray robes rose from the ground, swearing allegiance and loyalty to the black dragon.

"First let your skeleton stop, then speak."

The battlefield on the other side was still ongoing, but without Ma Lei and the silver bone python appearing, the situation had already been controlled by Huoge, Diwugesi, and the other black dragon kin.

Diwugesi had always been hiding among the ordinary gray-scaled dragonfolk warriors, thinking that if Ma Lei appeared, cooperating with the overt werewolf Huoge, it could also launch a sneak attack.

Even Sai Jia and the others were always ready to fly over and join the battle.

Now it seems unnecessary.

The source has already been controlled by Lai Ang.

Dark Scale Tribe.

Behind the massive black dragon followed a silver bone python covered in wounds, and a skeleton spellcaster sat on the python's head.

This scene caused Ai Di and Sai Jia to frequently cast their glances over.

After all, whether it was the wounded silver bone python or the miserable-looking skeleton spellcaster, both emanated a powerful aura surpassing that of all the dragons present.

Sai Jia, the most impatient, couldn't help but ask, "Big brother, is this skeleton the controller behind the undead army? Have you subdued it?"

Lai Ang nodded slightly and said,

"Not bad; from now on it will be my own person."

Sai Jia and the many dragons exchanged glances; although they had been furious and hated this skeleton spellcaster before the battle, wishing to tear it to pieces, now that it had become the leader's kin, they naturally let it go.

They are all my own people now, and the territory has a fifth-rank silver bone python and a fifth-rank skeleton spellcaster present, which they thought was also not bad.

Huoge stepped into the Gray Stone Dragon Fort at the right moment, glanced at Ma Lei, frowned slightly, but quickly reported the battle's outcome to his master with a respectful demeanor.

Overall, the losses were not great.

The highest death toll was among the kobolds and goblins; among them some cultivated battle qi, but limited by talent, those reaching first-rank battle qi were rare, most being unranked, and could only deal with the weakest skeleton undead.

Adding up the dead and wounded, there were over five hundred.

Most of the other Dark Scale warriors were injured, but some were surrounded and killed by elite skeletons.

Not a single mid-strength fighter of third-rank strength was unharmed.

"I understand, you may go down." Lai Ang nodded, showing little reaction to the deaths of hundreds of low-rank monsters.

If they had not joined the Dark Scale Tribe, these low-rank monsters wandering nearby would likely have been killed by Ma Lei's skeleton army, and their souls would have been harvested.

(End of chapter)