Chapter 993: You Are Free

Lei En gave no reply, using his Soul Eye to observe the Golden Three-Headed Dragon.

He glanced twice, looking somewhat displeased, and asked, "You've been in Dragon Valley for over two years; why haven't you made much progress?"

After the Primordial Dragon died, the massive soul energy contained in its draconic soul did not dissipate but formed this hidden space. After twenty thousand years of evolution, it eventually expanded into a canyon about three hundred li long and forty li wide, becoming a minor subplane attached to the Prime Material Plane.

Lei En calls it "Dragon Valley."

The entire Dragon Valley is saturated with the Primordial Dragon's soul power; it is the ancestor of green dragons, jade dragons, copper dragons, crystal dragons, azure dragons, and many other great dragons. Dragon‑soul energy not only nourishes all things but can also heal wounds and mend soul trauma, offering countless benefits to the great dragons.

The energy in Dragon Valley does not weaken with the passage of time; instead it continuously absorbs void energy, growing day by day.

If all goes well, Dragon Valley will grow into a medium‑sized plane after several hundred thousand years.

A little over two years ago, Bo Erqi delivered the Iola Core to Gotham City, enduring a hard and dangerous journey; Lei En kept his promise of a reward and sent Bo Erqi into Dragon Valley.

But after all that time, Bo Erqi's power has not increased much.

Although his size has grown a bit, nearing fifty meters, he is still a mature‑age great dragon and has not broken through to Legendary High-rank. In Lei En's eyes, such meager strength is so lowly that he could crush him with a flick, offering hardly any help.

Lei En's disappointment was evident.

Bo Erqi immediately panicked, stammering, "Boss, a great dragon's cultivation differs from that of a transcendent; merely absorbing the Primordial Dragon's soul energy doesn't guarantee a breakthrough. For great dragons, age is paramount, yet age cannot increase rapidly."

"Is that so?"

Lei En let out a cold laugh.

Dragon Valley contains more than just Bo Erqi's great dragon.

"I came to Dragon Valley today, intending to grant you a tremendous boon so you could become an Ancient Dragon sooner and match my status, but you've disappointed me greatly," Lei En scolded bluntly. "Don't tell me you've spent the past two years in Dragon Valley just sleeping?"

"Um…"

Bo Erqi opened his mouth but dared not argue, clearly hit by Lei En's words.

However, he noticed the keyword in Lei En's speech: Ancient Dragon!

The Golden Three-Headed Dragon's eyes glittered, sneering, and brazenly said, "Boss, please give me another chance! As long as I can become an Ancient Dragon, I'll do anything you ask, never object. I'm willing to sign a soul contract with you!"

Lei En glanced at him without speaking, his expression as if saying, "You're not worthy either?"

A soul contract is reciprocal; the parties can share five Elements, but if either side dies or is grievously wounded, the other also suffers injury.

What qualification does a mature‑age great dragon have to sign a soul contract with a Holy Soul Wizard?

That would be creating a weakness for oneself.

Bo Erqi's ugly face flushed; he knew Lei En could never sign a soul contract with him, yet he couldn't help speaking, hoping for a big gain. Sensing Lei En's silent contempt, the Golden Three-Headed Dragon hurriedly added, "Boss, I was only joking; don't take it seriously."

"Lei En."

A clear, beautiful voice suddenly rang out, startling Bo Erqi.

He looked around and finally saw a slender figure materialize a few steps away, clad in a magical robe, with slightly wavy black hair, breathtakingly beautiful, pupils like rainbows, yet her aura was exceedingly restrained.

Bo Erqi recognized the beautiful lady, having seen her a few times before at Gramo‑Gon Castle.

She, like the boss, is a student of Master Anxi and seems also to be the boss's lover; her backing is too strong, making her a human witch that Bo Erqi cannot afford to provoke.

"Lady Ao Xi Li Ya."

Bo Erqi quickly bowed, though curiosity nagged him: why is she also in Dragon Valley?

He has been in Dragon Valley for over two years; aside from himself he has seen no living creature, making him terribly lonely and bored, uninterested in cultivation, yet unable to leave, so he spends each day sleeping to pass the time.

"Ao Xi Li Ya."

Lei En's face broke into a smile; she is the very person he came to Dragon Valley to find today.

Ao Xi Li Ya remained aloof, yet her eyes sparkled with happiness; because Bo Erqi was present, she could not appear too intimate. She stepped forward and whispered, "Lei En, are you here to see me?"

"Of course."

Lei En, however, boldly wrapped his arms around her waist and placed a gentle kiss on the beautiful wizard's face, completely treating Bo Erqi as if he were nothing.

Bo Erqi consciously turned his head away, daring not to look further.

Listening to their conversation, he finally confirmed that Lady Ao Xi Li Ya also resides in Dragon Valley, yet he had never noticed this neighbor before.

"Dragon Valley is vast; a wizard can easily hide, so it's normal I can't find her."

"But what is she doing in Dragon Valley?"

The Golden Three-Headed Dragon muttered to itself, then a flash of insight struck, revealing a secret. Years ago the boss claimed to be a Dragon Knight and had displayed a "True Dragon Body" and "Dragon Might" in battle, yet all this time the dragon had never seen a great dragon that had signed a soul contract with the boss.

So it was Lady Ao Xi Li Ya!

She too is a great dragon, having signed a soul contract with the boss, which is why she entered Dragon Valley for covert cultivation!

Bo Erqi couldn't curb his curiosity, silently scrutinizing the beautiful wizard in Lei En's arms, guessing which type of great dragon she might be. Yet Ao Xi Li Ya's aura was too obscure, emitting only magical fluctuations; no matter how he looked, she appeared purely a wizard, leaving him unable to discern.

Lei En was also observing Ao Xi Li Ya.

She was the first great dragon to enter Dragon Valley, having been here for five years; she entered and never left, never returned to Weizelan, and almost daily engages in intense meditation, constructing spell matrices, absorbing the Primordial Dragon's soul energy, forsaking sleep and food without fatigue.

Ao Xi Li Ya's diligence and Bo Erqi's laziness are opposite extremes; her hard work has yielded abundant rewards.

She is already an eighteenth‑level mage.

At the same time, the Iridescent Dragon's body has entered the mature stage early; its age remains unchanged, but its size and power have leapt into this phase. Legendary dragon breeds already far surpass same‑ranked great dragons, and a mature Iridescent Dragon is at least one rank stronger than Bo Erqi, with a size approaching seventy meters.

However, whether in mage rank or great‑dragon strength, there remains a gap to Saint Rank.

A Soul Diamond can greatly shorten this process.

"Ao Xi Li Ya, roughly how long until you reach Legendary Peak?" Lei En asked with a smile; Legendary Peak corresponds to a nineteenth‑level mage.

The Iridescent Dragon replied softly, "Within three years."

"If it's to challenge a Holy Soul Wizard, how long would that take?" Lei En asked again, deliberately swapping "Grand Mage" for "Holy Soul Wizard" to avoid exposing her secret.

"I don't know."

Ao Xi Li Ya's face showed reluctance, "Even in the best case, it may still take thirty years to successfully ascend."

"That's already fast," Lei En smiled.

Ao Xi Li Ya is only a little over a hundred years old; by dragon standards she is just an adult, having studied magical knowledge under her master for less than forty years. If she ascends to Grand Mage within thirty years, it will have taken her only seventy years total—a talent so rare across the entire Ai Lun E Si world that it is counted on one's fingers, surpassing the aptitude of most Holy Soul Wizards in the Supreme Council.

"Yes, so I'm not in a hurry." Ao Xi Li Ya glanced at Bo Er Qi, "I just heard you say you have a way to make Bo Er Qi become an ancient dragon first?"

She said Bo Er Qi, but what she was thinking of was herself.

If she could grow into an ancient great dragon and undergo Soul Transformation to Saint Rank, her promotion to Grand Mage would be smooth. After seven Soul Transformations, building a Nine-ring Technique model becomes easy; once she masters three Nine-ring Techniques, she naturally ascends to Grand Mage.

Bo Er Qi instantly perked up, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Just an opportunity." Lei En's expression turned cold, "His performance was so poor that I changed my mind; I don't want to waste my intention."

"Boss…"

Bo Er Qi's face collapsed, he sobbed, "I swear I'll never be lazy again! Boss, I'm your mount, a distinguished Empire Consul, a great Holy Soul Wizard; if the mount is only a legendary great dragon, where does that leave your reputation?"

Lei En stroked his chin, "That makes sense."

But before Bo Er Qi could be pleased, Lei En added, "So I should get a different ancient dragon mount, or find a Saint Rank Beast."

"Huh?"

Bo Er Qi was instantly dumbfounded, anxiously shouting, "Boss, you can't do that; I've earned merits for you."

"You did do some things, but I've already repaid Lady Xia Lanwei's debt for you and sent you to Dragon Valley; we're settled," Lei En said unmoved, then waved his hand, and a rune collar appeared on Bo Er Qi's neck and fell off automatically.

This is a Soul‑binding Circle, a method Lei En has long used to control Bo Er Qi.

"You are free."

Lei En said calmly, "I'll send you out of Dragon Valley right now; wherever you want to go later is up to you, it has nothing to do with me."

Bo Er Qi stared at the Soul‑binding Circle on the ground, stunned for a moment.

When first bound by the Soul‑binding Circle, he dreamed of breaking free, gnashing his teeth at Lei En, vowing to take a hundredfold revenge once he regained freedom.

But as time passed, Lei En grew stronger, witnessing the pinnacle power of the Prime Material Plane, and he also gained many benefits—strength, status, and treasure—so his desire to shed the Soul‑binding Circle waned, and in recent years he even forgot its existence.

He has accepted being Lei En's mount and takes pride in that role.

Now, with this relationship abruptly severed, Bo Er Qi cannot accept it; the freedom he once longed for returns, but it brings fear and regret.

"Boss, I won't dare be lazy again; give me another chance!"

"I don't want freedom; I only wish to serve the boss."

"Boss…"

Bo Er Qi was truly desperate, pleading repeatedly; if he weren't afraid of being kicked away by Lei En, he would have already clung to Lei En's thigh. He doesn't want to lose everything he's gained over the years, especially the chance to become an ancient dragon.

He rarely trains hard; after all, when the time comes, his strength will naturally increase.

So most of the time he's either sleeping or making money.

According to his age, becoming an ancient dragon requires waiting another 1,600 years, which even a great dragon would consider too long.

If an accident occurs and someone slays the dragon…

Lei En was unmoved by the Golden Three‑Headed Dragon's pleas; this time he must give Bo Er Qi a harsh lesson, and if he doesn't change, that's that.

Actually, he doesn't need any mount at all.

He only offers a chance because of Bo Er Qi's years of loyalty and his great innate potential.

"Boss!" Bo Er Qi realized, "What must I do to stay by your side?"

Lei En asked seriously, "Do you really want to stay?"

"Of course!"

Bo Er Qi answered resolutely, "Even if I have to abandon my faith in Ti Ya Xi Si and convert to the God of Magic, I'm willing. As long as I can keep following you, I will do anything; I'm ready to give everything."

"Fine." Lei En nodded, saying lightly, "Then issue a Soul Oath."

Ao Xi Li Ya, who had been watching coldly, showed a slight change in expression.

A Soul Oath and a Soul Covenant differ by only one character, but their substance is worlds apart.

In a Soul Covenant, both parties are equal and can share Element abilities; a Soul Oath is the opposite: the oath‑taker offers their soul to the oath‑receiver, becoming the latter's slave, and even in death the soul belongs to the master until it finally dissipates.

Moreover, a Soul Oath cannot share Elements; the master has only rights, no obligations, while the slave must obey forever and can never rebel.

Such master‑servant contracts can only be signed voluntarily; no method can force them.

Once made, the contract can never be broken.

A Soul Oath is also called a Slave Blood Pact; it is the most binding contract, so few are willing to initiate an oath.

Even the lowest goblin would not want to be someone's slave forever.

Moreover, Bo Er Qi is a great dragon.

Ao Xi Li Ya seemed to already see Bo Er Qi's enraged, humiliated stance.

However, Bo Er Qi only hesitated a few seconds before revealing his massive dragon true form; all three heads bowed before Lei En, and three voices simultaneously shouted in draconic:

"I, Ba La Jia Si*Pa La Lan Da Si Ke*Nai Sa Li Ao, in the name of Ti Ya Xi Si, willingly offer my loyalty, my life, my glory, my soul, everything I have to Ryan Augustus. No regrets, never betray, until the end of the world!"

As the words fell, the Soul Oath was sealed!

Lei En felt his control over the dragon before him; as soon as he forms a thought, he can torment Bo Er Qi's soul, even causing him to die on the spot.

The Golden Three‑Headed Dragon's life and death rest on a single thought of his.

When Ai Luo Ti Xi Ya became a Holy Blood Angel, she made a Soul Oath, which is why she now demands Bo Er Qi do the same.

"I, Ryan Augustus, accept your service," Lei En solemnly replied, "I will not betray your oath. I will grant you power and glory, letting your fame spread with mine across the world and countless planes, from Heaven to the Abyss, your name will echo."

(End of Chapter)