Chapter 398 Valley of Confusion
"Feels like my luck is especially good today. Could I be drawing a second Nine-Ring Spell?" Kai Xiusu stared intently at his Character Sheet, his Pale Golden Eyes brimming with Greed and Expectation.
What spell would he receive this time?
He held his breath once more.
At last, under the Red Dragon’s eager anticipation, a new piece of information flashed onto his sheet.
But as soon as he saw the first line, Kai Xiusu’s Dragon Face instantly darkened into a gloomy scowl.
[You gain a 1st-level Dragon Spell — Dragon Spit]
Dragon Spit (dragon spit)
1st-level Evocation Spell
When cast, the dragon exhales droplets of the same material as its Breath Weapon: a Red Dragon releases spherical fire, a Blue Dragon emits ball-shaped lightning, a Green Dragon spits out gas-filled orbs, and so on.
These droplets are known as Dragon Saliva — a highly valuable magical material. They can also be thrown to produce effects similar to a breath attack.
The glaring "1st-level" designation struck Kai Xiusu with a profound sense of the world’s cruelty — and an even greater insult.
He didn’t need to read further to guess the truth: this was another creation of some greed-obsessed True Dragon Mage, who had turned their own saliva into magical gear, selling every drop for gold coins.
The True Dragon Mage’s Dragon Spell catalog was filled with such tricks — bizarre, ingenious, and profit-driven. Spells designed to make, store, or even seize money — a perfect embodiment of a dragon’s insatiable greed for treasure.
To native dragons, such spells might earn praise. But to Kai Xiusu, they were nothing but:
Polluted Spell Pool.
Pure and utter Polluted Spell Pool.
As Emperor of the Empire of Ashen, ruler of the entire Anzeta Great Wasteland, and major shareholder in enterprises like the Claudew Defense Group, Imperial Southern Continent Trading Company, and Ashen Textile Company, Kai Xiusu’s daily gold coin income ran into the tens of thousands.
Put simply: at his current level of wealth, picking up a single gold coin from the ground would be a complete Waste of Time.
Let alone wasting time crafting so-called Dragon Saliva — a 1st-level spell?
The spell was still new, but to Kai Xiusu, it remained Effortless.
With a disdainful sneer, he activated the spell, channeling a thread of breath energy into it, then spat out several smooth, fiery red orbs.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
He hurled them into the distance. Explosions erupted in a fierce chain reaction.
After all, his own breath was far more powerful than that of an average Red Dragon — so the orbs emitted the power of 3rd- and 4th-circle spells.
"Useless," Kai Xiusu muttered, watching the crater left by the blast with clear irritation.
At his Legendary-tier and beyond, 3rd- and 4th-level spells were barely more than a tickle. Even if the spell level were to increase, the improvement would be negligible.
"Hmph. Might as well try the second spell."
Kai Xiusu shook his head in resignation, slowly closing his eyes and focusing inward.
A 9th-Ring-level Abjuration and Evocation Spell — even when cast via a Sorcerer’s Charisma — remained deeply Complex.
But luck was on his side. His current Spellcasting Level stood at 20, and his Charisma had surged past 32 — a New境界 beyond mortal beings. His overall Spellcasting Ability now surpassed most Legendary Sorcerers.
In just a few breaths, Kai Xiusu had fully Comprehended Dragon Absorption, pouring forth every ounce of his Reality-Transforming Power.
"So then…"
"Let’s try Maximum Power?"
Kai Xiusu slowly opened his Jaw.
With each breath, a violent energy current swirled within his Bloody Maw, intensifying under the spell’s influence.
From deep within the Red Dragon’s throat, a vast vortex of power erupted — a Bottomless Abyss of Strength, greedily Sucking in every bit of nearby spell energy.
Hurricane winds howled.
Everything around screamed.
Plants withered as life was stolen from them. Soil cracked as moisture vanished. Insects leapt and fell, instantly hollowed into brittle shells. The last remnants of fire from a recent explosion were drained dry.
The world grew fragile.
All that spell energy — gathered, consumed, and absorbed — flowed into Kai Xiusu’s mouth.
Gulp.
The sound of swallowing echoed.
He transformed it all into his own energy, then opened his mouth wide once more — and unleashed it.
Blinding light burst from his throat.
Boom!
The converted energy unleashed a fireball that ignited wildfires across the surrounding area. Ashes rained down. The ground cracked open, forming a blackened crater ten meters wide.
And this was only from absorbing ordinary ambient energy.
If Dragon Absorption could draw in high-level spells, the resulting power would be even more terrifying.
But that was just the surface.
Far more important — this was a new Counter-Spell Mechanism for Kai Xiusu, allowing him to Replenish his personal energy through absorption, enabling sustained Counterattacks.
Though few enemies could possibly drain the boundless energy of one who bore the Ancestral Dragon Heart, this ability still turned him into a Perpetual Motion Machine in endurance combat — adding another secret weapon to his arsenal.
"A highly useful spell," Kai Xiusu said, surveying the wreckage. His resentment over drawing a 1st-level spell finally eased, just slightly.
The Red Dragon shook its head.
"Tch. Got so caught up in experimenting with spells, I almost forgot what I was supposed to do today."
He gazed into the distance, using the combined strength of All-Seeing Eye and Heaven's Judgment Dragon Eye to pierce through mountains upon mountains, reaching dozens of li away.
"There it is."
"Valley of Confusion."
Between two towering, treacherous peaks lay a deep, silent valley, shrouded in a dense Black Forest and veiled in a thin, creeping mist.
A sudden gust swept through — no rustling of leaves, only an eerie, mournful wail.
Valley of Confusion.
Known as the Forbidden Zone of the Living, no one who entered ever returned.
It was said the valley conjured false illusions — visions of one’s deepest, most cherished desires. Countless obsessed adventurers had rushed in, only to drown in their own fantasies and vanish forever.
Only the Northern Wind, ancient and forgotten, stirred the spirits of those who wandered within — spirits who, for the first time, sensed Existence Beyond. Hence, their low, mournful moans.
Over time, no one dared approach. Locals even used the valley to scare their children, warning them not to go out alone.
No one knew what lay within.
But Kai Xiusu did.
He remembered — from past life memories — that the Valley of Confusion was home to a Lich.
A hidden boss of the cursed Northern Regions in a previous life. This ancient Lich, hidden for centuries, had nearly triggered an undead cataclysm that would have engulfed the Duchy of Carter — and the entire Northern Regions — had it not been stopped at the very brink of success… by a Player.
(End of Chapter)
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