Academic gathering with Lich colleagues

Lyle narrowed his eyes, a smug, wicked smile playing on his lips.

"Why not talk to them face to face? My teachers also have some issues they'd like to discuss with you."

"what?"

"Anchor of the Earth, Gravity Suppression." The forest erupted with intense light, and a surging wave of magic solidified in the sky. The pressure, far exceeding his own strength, forced Klose to tumble down in a sorry state.

The gem dragon was just about to catch the falling Kroos.

"Six locks, ant lion."

Sometime during the day, the forest soil had turned into sand, and the exploding sand revealed a horrifying creature hidden underground. Countless eerie white bones had gathered together, forming a terrifying maw that bit down hard on the body of the gem dragon, dragging it down into the sand pit.

Kolosis narrowly escaped the skeletal creatures' bite and lay prone on the edge of the sandpit.

Two figures were reflected on his face under the light of the dragon crown.

"Thank you for taking care of my student."

"Long time no see, Klose. It's a shame we meet again this way."

"Yes, it's your regret."

Chapter 565 Dragon Form

The shift from power to weakness was so swift that Kolos was completely unprepared. Even his near-mad mind felt uncomfortable and aggrieved in the face of this situation.

“Moroki…” Klosis looked up at the man who had once stood at the pinnacle of the dragon priesthood. He was as composed and calm as he remembered, every gesture exuding the demeanor of a king. This was a king who could make others feel ashamed of their own strength, a powerful figure who had once subdued all the dragon priests. Klosis couldn't be sure if the fall of the dragon had caused the same damage to this dragon priest, but his magical pressure remained as it was in his deepest memories, like an untouchable dragon.

What did that little thief just say? Moroko'i is his mentor? It's too late to regret it now. His own abilities are indeed no match for Moroko'i, but his dragons can. Even at the cost of the Manu clan's newly gathered gem dragon bones, the gem dragon's physical strength should be enough to withstand his magic. Dragons, after all, have very strong magic resistance. For now, he'll feign compliance and secretly order the gem dragon to ambush him.

Kroxis channeled his magic, controlling the gem dragon that was battling a sea of ​​skeletons in the sand pit to slowly ascend. Because of the sand pit's cover, Morokui was unaware of the rising gem dragon.

However, he doesn't need to be aware of it.

"Hmm?" Only then did Klosis notice the other person next to the scholar, a tall lich. He had initially thought that the lich was a servant or thug brought by Moroki.

As a result, the thug shattered the ground, leaped into the air, pulled out a huge leg bone, and plummeted into the sand pit.

"Shut up!!!"

Compared to the jeweled dragon, its tiny body wielded immense force, striking the dragon's skull with a single blow. The seemingly indestructible jeweled skull instantly slumped, causing the earth to tremble. Krossis felt the tremor beneath his feet, looking with lingering fear at the being who had forced the dragon to bow its head with sheer physical strength. The dragon fell into the deep pit, and the subjugation began.

Klose felt he was stuttering a little.

"What kind of monster is that?" A being that can withstand the power of a dragon?

“That’s Mr. Dragon, a lich, the chief professor of Bone Conjuration under Andre, my friend.” The scholar tapped the ground with his staff, and the magical chains binding his body gently lifted Lyle and moved him to a more distant place.

"Andrei? Lich?" The mad dragon priest, who never left his house, felt that this world was so unfamiliar.

"The emerging forces of the Holy Light Era have astonishing potential. That's why I was assigned by the Dragon Priest Council to oversee them. Ah, it's hard to say who's overseeing whom now."

Despite the dragon's stunning debut, Klosis still believed in the gem dragon's strength. The dragon's firstborn son was roughly at the peak of the eighth level of the magic resistance system, and even his remaining remains were still at that level. Add to that the magical resistance granted by his powerful gem physique. These were Klosis's trump cards. He had just observed that the lich named dragon only possessed magic power at the peak of the sixth level. He was absolutely no match for the gem dragon; in other words, he only needed to hold off Morokui.

The madness of sacrificing his own kind made the dragon priest Kroxis abandon his former cowardice, and he could speak eloquently even in the face of his former leaders.

"Moroki! You have violated the rules you yourself established! Dragon priests must not oppose other dragon priests! Yet you have colluded with traitors, and you even instigated your apprentices to steal my dragon crown! My life's work! Is this the law of your Dragon Priest Council?!"

The scholar was taken aback at first, somewhat shocked by Kolosis's shameless words, but then he expressed understanding for the madman's absurdities. If he didn't spout some nonsense, he wouldn't prove he was insane; if he wasn't, he'd have some qualms about beating himself later.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

The scholar coughed lightly, his aura transforming into the cold indifference of a lich.

"My rules do apply to dragon priests, but only to members of the Dragon Priest Council. You say I broke the rules, that dragon priests cannot be enemies of other dragon priests? You remember that so clearly, but have you forgotten that I also require you to gather in the council once a week? To treat your own kind well, to inherit the will of the dragons? To help each other? Which of these have you done?! You have brought your own kind to the brink of extinction! You have taken the lives of your people for your own selfish fantasies! You are no longer a dragon priest, Chloesis, you are my enemy."

Klose was provoked; he roared, his mercury staff trembling as he gripped it tightly.

"You have no idea the pain I've endured!!!! My dragon is dead!!! My dearest friend!!! My mentor!!! The pillar of my faith, the one I revered and cherished!!! It crumbled before my very eyes!!! Those lowly commoners, those fragile Manu, how dare they share the power of the dragon's firstborn!!! I will resurrect him, I will reclaim his power! I will fulfill his last wish!! I will bring forth new dragons! I will bring forth a new era!! Morokui! You cannot stop me! You cannot! Not even the council behind you!!!"

Faced with Kolosis's madness, the scholar sighed.

“You’re insane, your madness is beyond redemption… but it’s not entirely incomprehensible. Do they think I am like that too? What a pointless thought.” The scholar’s ​​robes fluttered without wind, magical chains wrapped around his body, and the dragon priest Morokui unleashed his magic, condensing it into a pillar of light that reached the heavens.

"As a member of the Dragon Priest Council, I, leader of the Arcane race, Blue Dragon Priest Morokui, hereby declare: King Manu, Gem Dragon Priest Chloxis, utterly derelict in his duty! You will suffer a punishment far more severe than death!!!"

Kroxis roared to the sky, and the shadow of an angry dragon appeared in his light.

"I did nothing wrong!!! No one can judge me!!!"

Just then, a dazzling light burst forth from the sand pit, and the gem dragon unleashed a powerful light that dispersed all the sand.

Kolosis was overjoyed, and pointed the tip of his staff directly at the scholar.

"The time has come, Morokyi. To tolerate a six-locked lich's overestimation of his abilities to fight against a dragon was the most foolish decision you ever made."

The radiance of the gem dragon surpassed that of the scholar, and under its light, the scholar actually nodded.

"You're right, the time has indeed come."

"Klosis, you're not the only one stalling for time."

“I did tolerate that dragon's risky behavior, but it was at his own request. The era of assessing combat strength by magic lock level is over. You shouldn't underestimate a senior professor of necromancy like Andre. What am I saying? You've never even seen him. That's not underestimation, that's ignorance.”

Mr. Dragon, Forbidden Creation: The Sea of ​​Bones. The Sea of ​​Bones inherited the dragon's talents, a forbidden creation representing the highest achievement of a necromancer. The Sea of ​​Bones directly influences the dragon's level and abilities; one of its abilities is called Imprinting.

Whenever a dragon reaches a new level of power, the Sea of ​​Bones grants him an opportunity to create a skeletal replica of any creature he has ever encountered. He can inherit their abilities, provided he spends enough time personally interacting with and understanding that creature.

The dragon, on the other hand, is a perfectionist who loves giant beasts.

The reason he is six locks is because he has not yet found another ideal object for rubbing.

And now, we have it.

"This is my first step in becoming a dragon."

"Sea of ​​Bones, Imprint, Gemstone Bone Dragon".

A storm of bones pounded against the surface of the gem dragon, shattering bone fragments that sealed its entire body. The gem dragon struggled incessantly, but ultimately, it was sealed within the bones. A few minutes later, the bones crumbled, and the gem dragon slumped into the sand pit in despair.

The bones in the air formed the shape of a giant dragon. The ascended dragon was grabbed by the bone dragon and climbed onto the skull of the bone dragon.

Mr. Dragon has been promoted to Seven Locks.

Seven Locks, Dragon Form.

Chapter 566 The Newborn Dragon Priest

The shimmering bone wings scattered the flying sand, and three dragon claws gripped the ground. At the joint of the ancient dragon's claw, a human skull faced Klose, its dark eye sockets emitting a chilling phosphorescence. This skeletal creation, resembling a giant dragon, crouched down, its bones, devoid of skin and flesh, clearly visible to everyone. It was a bone dragon assembled from human skeletons; shoulder blades, wrists, joints, chest cavity—everywhere bore the skull of a giant dragon, each skull casting a sinister gaze upon Klose.

Bone dragons and gem dragons are very similar; they can both emit light.

The latter is the dazzling light of a gemstone, while the former is the gaze of the dead from the tomb.

The skeletal dragon's lower jaw touched the ground, and Mr. Dragon stepped onto the ground, using skeletal hands that emerged from between the dragon's teeth. Magical chains representing rank were wrapped around the dragon's torso. Four chains were wrapped around its limbs, and the remaining three emerged from Mr. Dragon's back, wrapping around the massive skeletal dragon. A seventh chain bound the skeletal dragon's skull, linking Mr. Dragon and the skeletal dragon together.

"Thank you for your help, scholar." Pale death energy of the seventh level coiled around the dragon's body, making him look like a white-robed grim reaper.

“Congratulations, dragon. Now that you have reached the seventh level of the Chains, you have… reached the minimum standard for a Dragon Priest.” The scholar spoke to the dragon, but his mask faced Klose. An ominous premonition arose in Klose's heart, and the scholar's bronze mask nodded slightly.

"He's yours, dragon." The scholar floated up, moved himself above the sandpit, and followed the earth and stones he gathered to bury the weakened gem dragon alive. Dragons do indeed possess strong magic resistance, but magic resistance is also an attribute that depends on the spellcaster's skill and ability.

The sandpit was filled with rocks, and the scholar continued to clench his fist. The rocks obeyed his command, pressing together to hold the gem dragon in the earth's palm, the soil and rocks rising high, leaving only the dragon's head exposed on the surface.

The scholar, using his magic, approached the mad dragon priest as the dragon master, having learned to restrain his newly acquired power.

Facing their formidable foe, both sides remained calm. One side exuded confidence and composure, while the other remained silent, knowing there was no turning back but a fight.

Behind the jeweled mask, Klose's deep voice no longer carried its former arrogance.

"You are the replacement I was chosen by the council?"

“No, I am far stronger than you.” Mr. Dragon patted his new creation, and the bone dragon disintegrated, transforming back into a large group of humanoid clones standing behind the dragon. He pulled out a massive two-meter-long bone scythe from his pocket, its crescent-shaped blade reflecting the cold moonlight. The dragon slowly approached, his fingers gently stroking the blade that had frozen moisture into frost.

"Not using your new ability? Mr. Dragon." Klose raised his mercury staff and held it horizontally in front of him. "I will use all my strength to kill you."

“I don’t want my new treasure to get hurt, and besides, I don’t need it to break you. I alone am enough.” The hand holding the bone scythe fell naturally to its side, the tip of the blade pointing at the spellcaster who was focused on him. The dragon crouched forward, like a jumping spider that had caught its prey, raising its fangs and pouncing.

The white phantom rushed towards the mage, leaving only a fleeting flash of light in the air.

"Crystal Spikes!" Kroos swung his staff, and spikes sprouted from the crystals lurking beneath his feet, suddenly striking the charging dragon.

"Too slow!" The first spike was shattered by the bone scythe. The dragon twisted its body, allowing the second and third spikes to pass through the gaps in its ribs. A fan-shaped bone shield formed on its left arm, deflecting the remaining spikes. Using the force of the strike, the dragon began to rotate to the left, its bone armor blocking the onslaught of spikes. All its strength shifted from its left arm to its body, then to its right arm, finally settling on the raised bone scythe, which it then brought down with a vengeance.

"Regenerating Barrier!" The downward-slashing blade shattered five layers of crystal barriers, finally stopping at Klose's forehead. Startled, Klose pushed the barriers aside, detonating the crystals in the process of repelling the dragon.

"Spears of Bones!" In the explosion, several white bone spears tore through the smoke, slicing through the air as they rushed toward the Dragon Priest.

Kroos fired the crystal, which missed the target of the bone spear.

"Bone Explosion." The dragon priest, who had anticipated this, raised the barrier and then retracted it without sustaining any damage.

On the other side, the unharmed Mr. Dragon also crawled out of the crystal pit, his skull cracking and his soul flames burning brighter. He had rediscovered the thrill of battle.

A new round of clashes begins! Explosions, fragments of bones and crystals fly through the air as the swift, shadow-like dragon and the unwavering dragon priest engage in spell clash after spell. Spell clash means the dragon's physical body collides with gem magic.

After several collisions, Klosis finally understood the nature of the monster he was facing. The dragon was tireless, and even the most powerful explosions were useless against it. Most terrifyingly, its speed was constantly increasing, and gem magic was gradually becoming unable to keep up. Klosis narrowly dodged three of the dragon's slashes using crystal teleportation. But he wasn't sure if his reflexes would be able to cast spells in time for the next attack.

Soon, the dangerous situation returned. Before the blade could fall, half of Klose's body had already sunk into the crystal. Through the mirror, he saw the suddenly magnified giant skull seem to be smiling, a chilling smile.

"Touch of the Dead." A skeletal hand, imbued with the power of death, curved into a claw and pierced the mirror where the image of the dragon priest still lingered. The power of death interfered with the crystal's formation, negating the crystal from the crystal genealogy in that instant. In that instant, the dragon priest remained within the crystal; in that instant, the dragon shattered the crystal.

Amidst the debris of the explosion, the dragon clutched a head wearing an ancient mask.

"Got you."

The dragon seized Krossis's head, discarded the bone scythe with its other hand, clenched its fist, and, to Krossis's terrified gaze, pounded its fist into the dragon priest's body.

A barrage of punches rained down, and Lyle watched from a short distance as his beloved mentor laughed wildly as he pulverized the dragon priest.

"No! No! No!!! My end should not be like this, Lord Kolanak! Please... forgive me..."

With no remains left, Kroos uttered his last words. The jeweled dragon priest mask shattered on the dragon's fist, and a cloud of light dust rose from the dragon priest's remains, transforming into a dragon-shaped shadow.

"The Soul of the Dragon".

Sensing the dragon's will, the dragon's soul roared and entered the dragon's body.

The dragon priest ceremony begins.