Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

“There are restrictive runes ahead,” Mr. Zhiyan said, pulling Lyle’s hand back as he prepared to venture deeper into the cave. “Let me see. There are identification symbols, resistance symbols, and warning symbols. Lyle, this is a defensive wall; even the air is shut out. If we want to go deeper, we have to break through the defenses, and breaking through will alert the master…”

Mr. Zhiyan took the lead and began to explore the runes that appeared and disappeared intermittently.

"Give me some time, I should be able to decipher these runes."

Although Lyle was very grateful for Mr. Zhiyan's enthusiastic assistance, however...

"Sprinkle our blood on it, twist discernment into confusion, the runes of resistance will be desecrated, I will devour the magic of the warning runes." The ominous voice echoed in Lyle's mind, the power of the evil god could penetrate any shackle.

A sinister shadow stretched from the tip of the tentacles, and a black serpent crawled into the runes, blooming into twisted, decaying flowers in the light. The restrictive runes crumbled, and droplets of magical liquid with tentacles drenched Zhiyan's face.

"...Did you cheat on all your exams?"

“I’m just better at creating new evaluation rules.” Lyle smiled slyly, shrugged slightly, and stepped into Ashplink’s cave.

Ashplink's cave passages were more like a wind tunnel laboratory. In the darkness, Lyle could only sense their immense vastness, sloping downwards into the earth. There were no magical traps, no decorations, only endless trenches in the ground that his footsteps explored, like the folds of a small intestine. After walking for about twenty minutes, the downward slope gradually leveled out, and light came from afar, along with a strange sound.

It was a continuous, annoying buzzing sound, like the hum of an old light bulb or the sound of a microwave heating up. It was as if the temperature was rising, and the moisture brought by the night had evaporated.

After climbing the last bit of the slope, Lyle bypassed the obstacle and looked directly at the light.

That was a sun, a sun from underground.

It emitted a blazing, blinding white light, outlining a magnificent underground city, Ashplink.

Stalactites and stalagmites are the most abundant natural features here, their white hues gleaming in the sunlight like towering ivory. The buildings are mostly angular and densely packed, their sharp angles cutting light and shadow into regular shapes. An underground river runs through the city center, casting the shadows of the buildings into its waters, creating ripples like swimming fish. Although all are earthen and stone structures, the exquisite cutting by Manu gem craftsmen has resulted in perfectly smooth surfaces, contributing to the intense glare of the light. This city is not particularly friendly to sighted people.

These smooth stone walls are intricately carved grooves, hollow, which bathe the entire city in white light. This place was once adorned with jewels, but now, without Manu and without the jewels, it has become a white, ghostly city.

Ashplink's heart, however, was extremely beautiful and magnificent.

Beneath that sun-like gemstone lies a base constructed from countless gemstones connected by veins of minerals. Onyx, cat's-eye, sapphire, emerald, diamonds… they are inlaid on two enormous clusters of deep red crystal, like spiral staircases surrounding the central gemstone sun, layer upon layer.

Those dazzling gems, like poison stuck to the heart, made the originally wild and magnificent red crystal clusters appear less pure.

Without thinking, Lyle understood what it was.

"Dragon's Nest".

Chapter 559 Ancient Studies

Two shadowy figures wandered through the desolate underground city, traversing streets eerily quiet. The light and heat emanating from the jeweled sun, along with the hum of burning magic, rendered their movements barely audible.

Lyle pulled Zhiyan back into the shadows of the street. He was so engrossed in looking at the Manu murals that his feet unconsciously followed the walls.

"Bear with me, Mr. Zhiyan, even more precious treasures lie ahead."

Zhiyan's body trembled, his hands and feet flailing in the air. "Just one more thing!!! Just one last picture from that street corner, and I'll understand the subtle differences in the male and female mimicry of the Manu people!!! Just one last look!! Just one last look!!!"

Lyle scratched his head, letting Nia's tentacles hold Zhiyan's jawbone in place, like putting a bit on him, but unfortunately, liches don't speak. "Let's save that useless knowledge for later, Mr. Zhiyan."

"What do you mean 'useless'? That's crucial knowledge! It contains key information about the Manu people's reproduction. We can use it to regulate the male-to-female ratio among the Manu. Let me tell you, the more gifted a group is, the more complex and controllable its reproductive process becomes!! We can... we can produce many promising Manu gems!!!"

"Uh..." Lyle used his tentacles to bind Zhiyan's body tightly, and he thrashed about on the ground like an eel that had been caught. "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Zhiyan, but I already have a good match. Besides, I have a certain psychological aversion to magical mystical reproduction. You see, Nia doesn't agree either." As if agreeing with Lyle's words, the tentacles binding Mr. Zhiyan slammed him down several times until he was completely speechless.

“@￥％##@％…” The prompting from Mr. Zhiyan in the tentacles continued all the way until Lyle stepped onto the slope where the crimson crystal cluster was located.

It is built on a high floor on the Ashplink side, with a specially crafted winding staircase adorned with amber on both sides. This special geological product cannot produce the magic of gemstones, but it is quite beautiful.

Mr. Zhiyan understood the importance of the mission, or perhaps he became more aware of his personal safety, and stopped struggling. He and Lyle silently embarked on the road to the Crystal Dragon's Nest.

The hidden detection magic and traps were gradually eroded by the creeping ominous signs. Nia's twisted limbs grew behind the Plague Doctor, their outstretched tentacles shattering the internal circuits of the warning runes. From a distance, Lyle looked like a black tree, or a diseased blood vessel, slowly climbing up the crimson crystals, climbing up those dazzling gems.

Lyle dared to openly display the power of the evil god because he heard a long, drawn-out prayer, a sound like a song, yet containing powerful magical fluctuations. The scholar had once mentioned that dragons' language contained magic, making their breath incredibly destructive; within dragon magic, there existed a special power called the Dragon Roar.

That was the dragon priest Kroxis, who was currently engrossed in his prayers or rituals.

The sound emanated from the towering crystal cluster, which resembled a giant ancient sheng (a type of reed pipe instrument), and reached Lyle's ears. Each individual crystal was two meters tall, and the thick crystals were opaque, or rather, due to the light, Lyle could only see his own reflection standing inside the crystal, distorted and grotesque, staring back at him.

They are not sealed. Within the continuous crystal formations are gaps, gaps left during the crystal's growth. These are passageways, the passageways through which the Manu people worshipped the dragon. This place was not only the dragon's lair but also the Manu people's temple.

Lyle crept through the passage and peered into the lair, marveling at the beauty of their spirits.

It was like the essence refined from crystal, its dazzling body echoing the pale sun overhead. Each crystal reflected its image. Its translucent body was adorned with gemstones, over thirty meters long, its head and tail curved, its body curled into a circle. Every detail was priceless, not to mention its enormous gemstone dragon wings, one joint fixed to a cluster of crystals, maintaining the dragon's outstretched posture. Proud, holy, wild, and empty.

That was the jeweled body of the dragon Kolanak, the remains of the dragon's firstborn son.

Although a member of Andrei's spiritualism, Lyle couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. The pale, eerie green death energy coiled around the gem dragon's body was quite an eyesore. A slender, thin figure knelt beneath the suspended dragon head, each sound spraying death magic onto the exquisite gem body.

Dragon Priest Kroxis combined his half-baked necromancy with dragon roars, corrupting the dragon with the power of death.

Lyle didn't focus his attention on the dragon priest; mages are always perceptive. But the necromancer's sensitivity to the power of death allowed Lyle to quickly grasp the full scope of this evil ritual. A massive, brutal necromancy ritual—yes, just like the basic lessons Mr. Dragon had taught them.

The first lesson is the spirit possession ritual, which imbues the spirit with spirituality.

Lesson Two: The Spirit Communication Ritual – Awakening the Spirits of the Dead.

This was indeed a necromancy spell, but the soul of the dragon Kolanak had vanished; his soul was absent from those glittering gems. Instead… Lylton felt a chill run down his spine; the majestic dragon skeleton had become a terrifying object in his mind. The soul of the dragon Kolanak had vanished, replaced by the countless Manu souls, slain by the dragon priests and imprisoned within the glittering gems.

This dragon skeleton was created from the deaths of countless Manu. What Krossis resurrected wasn't a dragon at all, but an evil, twisted gem corpse. Sin and pain bred something terrible within the dragon priest and his creation, gradually pushing this mad soul into the abyss. These wounded souls rejected their former leader and were now merely forced to become vessels of death power, driving this skeleton. The dragon was right; this wasn't even a basic creation of a spirit. Without spiritual communication, the gem dragon was just a puppet driven by the mad, headstrong dragon priest. This was why the dragon priest needed to chant incantations and perform rituals; he needed to constantly replenish the dragon skeleton with death power to keep it moving—like charging it.

Lyle and Mr. Zhiyan have not yet been discovered.

Lyle turned around and nodded to Mr. Zhiyan.

Having received permission, Mr. Zhiyan could no longer suppress his emotions. With a morbid ecstasy, he stretched his rune-covered finger bone towards the towering crystal cluster. The crystal cluster inside the dragon's nest was not as smooth as the outer layer, as it was covered with dragon language markings. Buried here were the memories of the dragon Konarak, the most valuable treasure in Zhiyan's eyes.

Ancient studies, launched.

Chapter 560 The Reborn Dragon

The black runes defied physics, surging within the crystal. They bore a variety of patterns, originating from different races and civilizations. All were ancient artifacts acquired through Mr. Zhiyan's research.

The red crystal displayed these words, its red color gradually fading. Lyle directly revealed the ominous incarnation; the black mud of the evil god silently eroded the entire surface of the crystal, then transformed into the shape of the red crystal. The black giant stood beside the crystal dragon's nest, its incarnation a head shorter than the crystal, half of its body connected to Lyle, gradually engulfing the entire crystal.

During the erosion process, Lyle cunningly infiltrated a trace of death power, using his superior knowledge of necromancy to allow this extra power to seep into the dragon priest's rudimentary necromancy array. Klossis, chanting in dragon language, sensed nothing amiss; in fact, he felt the ritual's effect had improved slightly. Although minuscule, Lyle's little trick couldn't affect the dragon priest's massive magical output, but this ironically became an advantage. Klossis didn't suspect any enemy interference, but rather believed his own technique had improved slightly.

Amidst an even more resounding dragon roar, Mr. Zhiyan completed most of his ancient studies.

The runes that entered the crystal twisted and transformed themselves into corresponding dragon language, perfectly fitting the surface engravings from the inside of the crystal. The dragon language was deciphered; complete. Inside the black mud disguise, all the characters burst forth with a brilliant light—the joy of inherited knowledge, the light of civilization's transmission. Thankfully, the ominous sign swallowed this light; otherwise, the deception would have been exposed.

Klose seemed to sense something and raised his head. Under the tattered cloak was a crystal dragon priest mask, exactly the same as the scholar's, except that pale flames emanated from the carved eyes, like the burning soul fire of a lich.

Kroos surveyed the area, then lowered his head again. The crystal remained unaffected by Lyle's disguise, and the dragon chanting could not be interrupted.

Lyle breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to look at Mr. Zhiyan, who lay on the ground like a dead dog, leaning against the crystal wall. His skull shone like a super-large light bulb, radiating the light of wisdom.

"Have you found the information we need, Mr. Zhiyan?"

Zhiyan got up, pinched his chin, and shot out a golden light like a searchlight from his eye socket, sweeping into Lyle's black mud-flowing eye socket.

"I gradually came to understand everything."

[Do you even realize that if you keep posing like that, I'll beat you up?]

Zhiyan stared at the ominous sign, which had transformed into a gigantic hand as large as a withered branch. The thorny twigs were thicker than his own finger bones, and he couldn't imagine being held in its palm. Zhiyan immediately stood at attention and bowed obsequiously.

"I'll serve you, my... Mr. Big Black!"

"Where is the Dragon Crown?" Lyle's voice appeared directly in Zhiyan's mind. That cold and terrifying aura became a good medicine to help him think, especially when Zhiyan absorbed a massive amount of knowledge and felt that his skull was about to melt.

"The Dragon Crown... The dragon Konarak had no recollection of its location; it was forged by the dragon priest Kolosis after his death. However, I do know the method of forging the Dragon Crown, as well as the original plan of the Dragon Priest Council to steal the era. There should be some clues in this."

The black giant bent its head, and the two holes in its head slowly approached Zhiyan, signaling him to continue.

"The Dragon Crown was originally planned to be a crown of the ages, forged by multiple dragon priests using the extra power of their races and the fate of the dragon-born race. The blue dragon priest Morokui was the one who carried out this plan. After its creation, it would be used for the usurpation ceremony of the dragon's eldest son, Kolanak. In the presence of the race and the dragons, the dragon priests would place the crown upon him, and the crown would be absorbed by the dragons, becoming their new horn crown. The Dragon Crown is a symbol of the power of the dragon-born race. Now it seems that Krossis intends to drain the power of the Manu race and personally forge a Dragon Crown. As a powerful artifact, the Dragon Crown should be extremely dazzling, and it should also have special protective runes, a seal that only the dragon priest who forged it can open."

Extremely conspicuous? But there were no conspicuous things around... The Ominous Giant raised its head, staring directly at the light, a light that illuminated the entire underground world, a light that made precious jewels gleam. The gem sun, it must be the dragon crown forged by Krossis.

But how to obtain it? It was fixed above, covered with dragon language seals left by the dragon priest. Taking it by force was impossible; the current dragon priest was simply beyond Lyle's ability to contend with. Lyle was at a loss when Zhiyan beckoned to him.

“Remember that dragon's plan? Our plan.” Zhiyan extended his finger bone, and from his fingertip, a wisp of knowledge was transmitted into the ominous black mud—the knowledge of the dragon Kolanak's body. Just as Mr. Zhiyan had once boasted, it was precise down to every single scale.

Ominous looked at the dragon bones hanging in the center of the Crystal Dragon Nest and a cunning smile appeared on his face.

I am an excellent actor.

“That’s quite a coincidence,” Mr. Zhiyan said, grabbing a clump of black mud and slapping it on his head. “I’m an excellent screenwriter.”

The ominous sign turned into silt and completely merged into the crystal.

Shadows are shifting amidst the chanting of dragon language.

Klosis heard a strange noise, the anomaly emanating from the magic circle he had set up. This resurrection circle, which he had painstakingly developed, suddenly shone brightly, and a vague illusion appeared in the mad dragon priest's chaotic mind. Oh no! A part of the magic channeling went wrong! My ritual is going to fail! Just as Klosis was realizing the gravity of the situation, the necromancy circle miraculously began to operate on its own. The flow of magic became effortless, suddenly incredibly smooth, without the slightest obstruction, as if fate itself were guiding him.

Kroxis had a premonition, and he continued chanting the dragon language to channel power, following the guidance of the magic circle.

And a miracle unfolded before his eyes.

Intricate scales materialized on the crystal body of the gem dragon, filling its rigid form and giving it a full and solid appearance. Fine membranes appeared at the fingertips of the diamond dragon wings, like stretched gold. Its raised head broke free of the simple chains that bound it, and its orange cat's-eye eyes became lively. A majestic and noble being had taken control of this body.

Or rather, it returned to this body.

The dragon instinctively gripped the ground with its massive forepaws, crushing the amber offerings. It shook its head, blinding Krossis in the radiance of the jeweled sun.

The dragon stares at the dragon priest.

Kroos's body trembled. He supported himself with his mercury staff, as if carrying a thousand pounds of weight, and struggled to raise his head. If he weren't a dragon priest, he might have already been moved to tears, and his trembling voice also spoke volumes about his excitement.

"Lord Kolanak...is that you?"

A look of human-like confusion appeared on the dragon's face. He remained silent for a moment, looking around.

"Why did you wake me, Klose?"

Chapter 561 Is it my fault?

Upon hearing the dragon's reply, Kroos's mental state visibly deteriorated, like someone on their last breath finding peace. His figure trembled, as did his speech.

"Lord Kolanak... I have finally... done it... After all I have given... and waited for so long... you have finally answered me!"

The gem dragon lowered its head as Krossis remembered, its tone softening like that of a loving father. "You've worked hard, Krossis. But... shouldn't I have perished long ago? I've given you this power, but what about your people? I can no longer sense their presence."

The dragon priest hunched over, lowered his head, and let the shadow of his robe obscure his face.

"This is...a necessary sacrifice..."