Chapter 382: Master Black Horn

"Don't brag," Lei En urged. "There are too many people nearby."

The horn of the Dragon Summoning has a very wide range, at least forty to fifty li.

Now, in the deep mud swamp, it's unknown how many mercenaries and adventurers are searching for that black dragon's lair. In just these past few days, Lei En has encountered them seven or eight times; when the horn sounds, it will surely alarm the mercenaries and adventurers within range, and the Rose Knight Order and Wolf Cavalry will also rush over.

If that benevolent dragon refuses to sign the Dragon Covenant, a battle will be inevitable, and the outcome may not be favorable.

Emily steadied herself; indeed, this is not a very good choice.

"First we locate that great dragon, hoping to win it through wit," Lei En said, glancing at Galadros; benevolent dragons can usually be communicated with, not necessarily fought.

He immediately came up with an idea.

The Dragon Summoning can only sense benevolent dragons within its range; by exploiting this trait and after multiple tests, one can roughly pinpoint the benevolent dragon's location.

It's a very simple locating method, and Emily understood it as soon as she heard.

The two of them and their two dragons rode phantom warhorses, picking an arbitrary direction; every few minutes, Emily would sense once, and if the Dragon Summoning gave no response, they would immediately turn back, adjust the heading slightly, and repeat the test.

In less than two hours, the bearing of the benevolent dragon became clear.

"Head that way."

Lei En pointed in a direction and led the way on horseback.

The phantom warhorse galloped swiftly through the swamp, crossing one pool after another and stretches of grass, while the surrounding gray mist grew slightly denser.

A moment later, Lei En heard a faint sound.

"Hm?"

He slowed his pace, looked toward the source, and his Soul Eye pierced the layers of mist; several hundred meters away stood a tall humanoid silhouette with horns on its head, apparently male, crouched low in the grass as if searching for something.

Because the gray mist obstructed, even the Soul Eye couldn't see clearly.

Lei En gestured toward the figure's direction.

The phantom warhorse approached; the figure heard the hoofbeats, stood up, turned, and fully revealed its appearance.

"A Minotaur?" Lei En said, slightly surprised.

It was a male Minotaur, tall and muscular, about two meters thirty centimeters tall, its massive body like a wall; a huge head bore a thick mane, its feet were hard hooves, and a flexible bull tail swished behind, occasionally flicking to ward off approaching insects.

Most striking were its pair of enormous horns.

The black horns resembled swords, jutting from either side of its head, at least half a meter long with a slight curve, tilting upward, very eye‑catching.

The Minotaur's bell‑like eyes were serene; it wore a simple linen robe, wielded a curved wooden staff entwined with green vines and sprouting a few leaves, full of vitality.

A large cloth sack was slung across its body, as if gathering herbs.

"A Minotaur druid?" Lei En wasn't sure, his eyes filled with doubt. He found he couldn't see through the Minotaur's essence, as if a mosaic blocked his soul, rendering his Soul Eye temporarily ineffective.

This was the third time he encountered this situation.

The first time was with the shadow assassin Yisu, who possessed a magical item that concealed his soul; the second was the illusory avatar of the Holy Soul Wizard Black Robe Duke, whose soul could be seen but was a chaotic mess, yielding no useful information.

This Minotaur's situation resembled Yisu's; it likely carried a peculiar magical item.

"The Mother Earth protects you," the Minotaur said warmly, showing no hostility, gently waving its staff as several fresh, delicate beams of light descended.

The pale‑green glimmer had a cleansing effect, removing grime from their bodies, invigorating Lei En and the others, sweeping away the fatigue of days spent trudging through the swamp, leaving them refreshed.

Moreover, after the blessing, poisonous insects and flies dared not approach.

"Nature's Wind."

Lei En recognized it as a druid‑only spell, made a prayer gesture to the Mother Earth deity, and replied in Minotaur tongue: "Thank you, Master. May I ask your name?"

"I am merely a follower of the natural Dao, not a Master at all; you may call me Black Horn," the Minotaur laughed in reply.

"Black Horn!" Emily exclaimed, "You are the Black Horn Master? The legendary druid Master who has been secluded in the deep mud swamp, researching the cultivation of Black Soul Mushrooms for years. I once sought to visit you to purchase a batch of Black Soul elixirs, but could not locate the Master."

The Minotaur looked at her, nodded appreciatively, "So you have heard of me."

Lei En's gaze fell behind Black Horn; in the grass there were signs of recent disturbance, a few shallow pits, within which black mud held fragments of a half‑root stalk.

These were the roots of Black Soul Mushrooms; in the past few days he had also found several Black Soul Mushrooms, each worth over a hundred Gold Shields, so he casually harvested them.

But unlike the other party, he left no roots; could they still regrow?

The Minotaur, intrigued by Emily, said, "If you wish to buy Black Soul elixirs, you can seek the Ice Thorn Clan; I usually entrust the refined elixirs to them for sale."

"Even if you happen upon me in the swamp, it's a kind of fate," he said, producing a verdant leaf marked with unique symbols; the leaf fluttered into Emily's hand. "Give this leaf to Chief Kolf of the Ice Thorn Clan, and you will receive a discounted opportunity to purchase Black Soul elixirs."

"Thank you, Master," Emily said solemnly, putting away the leaf.

Black Horn, seemingly unbothered, waved his hand; his gaze swept over Lei En, Galadros, and Sindara, and after a brief, unreadable pause, he said, "You may leave now."

Lei En keenly sensed a change in the Minotaur.

Even though the Soul Eye couldn't discern the Minotaur's soul state, it could still perceive subtle emotional fluctuations, faintly shifting in hue.

He gestured to Emily from behind.

Emily instantly understood; not wanting to leave just yet, she asked, "Black Horn Master, have you been in seclusion around here for many years?"

"Yes," the Minotaur nodded. "But my dwelling is secret, not convenient for receiving you."

"Master, you misunderstand," Emily hurriedly said, "I merely wish to ask whether you have ever seen a great dragon in the swamp?"

"Great dragon..."

The Minotaur's expression remained calm, showing no surprise, and he smiled, "The swamp has been bustling these days; how could I be unaware? Before you, I have already encountered several human mercenaries, all inquiring about the great dragon's whereabouts. Unfortunately, I have never seen any great dragon."

Emily felt a bit disappointed, yet could not discern whether his words were true or false.

In fact, she had long ago quietly cast a detection spell on herself, but on the Minotaur she saw no trace, not even able to determine if it was a transformation.

"Thank you, Black Horn Master, I won't disturb your herb gathering," Emily said after thanking, and prepared to leave.

Lei En furrowed his brow and suddenly said, "Wait."

"What is it?" everyone looked at Lei En.

He also couldn't confirm whether Black Horn was a great dragon, or had any connection to one, but the Dragon Summoning indicated a great dragon nearby, making Black Horn the prime suspect.

The method to verify truth or falsehood is very simple.

Lei En stared intently at the black one, saying, "Take out the horn and show it to the Master."

Emilyss also figured out the key and, without hesitation, took out the Dragon Summon, restoring it to its original form, becoming a strange horn a little over half a meter long.

The Minotaur's expression was full of incomprehension, as if it could not grasp the situation.

He looked at the Dragon Summon and asked curiously, "What is this horn for, why show it to me?"

Emilyss replied softly, "Master Black Horn, this is the Dragon Summon; it can be used to forge a Dragon Oath with a benevolent dragon. As long as you blow it, you can summon a nearby benevolent dragon."

"Dragon Summon!" the Minotaur exclaimed in surprise, "Are you a dragon descendant of the Zhuogeng Fortress family?" As a legendary druid who has lived for centuries, he must have heard of Kangjiatuo's legend.

"Yes." Emilyss answered plainly.

The Minotaur laughed in surprise, "You don't think I'm a giant dragon, do you?"

While speaking, he glanced at Lei En, clearly knowing that this group, led by Lei En, was suspicious of him.

Lei En gave no reply.

He kept observing the black soul's color changes; since Emilyss produced the Dragon Summon, the black emotion has been fluctuating violently, completely different from the outward calm, not merely surprised by Emilyss's dragon‑descendant status.

Even if this druid is not a dragon's transformation, he is still linked to dragons.

Lei En already had more than ninety percent confidence.

So he decisively said, "Blow it."

Anyone who hears the horn of the Dragon Summon will cause the giant dragon to reveal its true form and answer the call; this is a rule set by the benevolent dragon god Bahamut. At such a short distance, even if Black Horn is a legendary Mid‑stage adult dragon, Lei En is confident he can take it down in the shortest time.

As he spoke, he drew the Thunder Hammer and Arcane Torrent Staff from his ring, draped a blood‑red cloak over his back, and swiftly bestowed upon himself Wind‑Thunder Wings.

With a crack, a pair of lightning‑shaped wings extended, illuminating the dim swamp.

In an instant, Lei En entered combat mode.

Jialadelos and Xindala also moved, flanking the Minotaur's back from both sides; they did not reveal their true dragon forms, but first cast spells.

Emilyss immediately brought the horn to her mouth, gathering soul energy to blow forcefully.

The Minotaur's complexion changed drastically.

His gaze instantly grew dark and urgent; the wooden staff in his hand plunged into the soft wet ground, countless thorn vines burst from the earth like thick poisonous snakes, coiling around four phantom war horses, soaring upward rapidly, especially at Emilyss's position, which was instantly engulfed by a mass of roots.

At the same time, a brilliant starlight descended from the sky, falling onto Emilyss who was about to blow the horn.

(End of chapter)