Starting with watering the World Tree for otherworldly survival

Page 336

Beside the alchemy cauldron, the Snow Owl Bear mother and daughter were interacting with Qin He. Thanks to the ample supply of meat, Snow Pear had grown considerably.

She grew from the size of a large raccoon to nearly the size of a giant panda. Wearing the gleaming Swallow Steel Enchantment Owl Bear Feather Armor, Sherry now possesses the basic combat strength to protect herself.

One moment she's rolling around in the woods, catching butterflies with her sharp bear claws. The next she transforms into a snowy owl, flapping her large, mottled wings to chase bees.

Even with intelligence approaching that of humans, the Snowy Owl Bear is still more adorable than rational. After catching the butterfly, Snowy, with her plump and fluffy feathers, lay on her mother's head, stretching out her body like a cat.

"Hehe~ Honey, look! Sherry looks like a fluffy toy now, look at her face. It's so round~"

Looking at the two snow owl bears, one big and one small, Qin He did indeed relax a lot.

"Phew... it's done."

Zhuang Daihua took out a prepared container and collected the Iron Dragon's true blood into it. As for the ashes of the burned gnolls, she scattered them everywhere.

"Next is the ritual for transforming into a half-dragon. In theory, Qin Lan should know how to perform the transformation ritual. But I'll teach you first..."

Most true dragons don't openly offer benefits to their servants. They prefer to gain more followers rather than strengthen their existing minions.

Develop your own personal guard by bestowing true blood, and create a powerful legion of half-dragon assassins as your trump card.

It sounds powerful, but the consumption of true blood is no joke. For non-ancestral dragons, losing true blood is equivalent to a severe loss of vitality.

If a normal red dragon were to extract a drop of its own blood each year and then, like Red Rust, eat and drink well to "replenish" itself...

Then, spending a hundred years to create a hundred half-red dragon warriors as guards sounds like a pretty promising idea. But in the process, the red dragons, repeatedly losing their true blood, will eventually die from bloodline depletion.

Unless it's an ancestral species of the level of Yan Ling, recklessly wasting true blood is basically courting death.

For a weakened, degraded Iron Dragon like the Red Rust, taking another dose of true blood would have a fatal effect.

"Qin He... are we really going to provide this Iron Dragon's true blood to the gnolls?"

Looking at the blood inside the container that seemed to be burning, Zhuang Daihua hesitated. Gnolls weren't actually a particularly powerful race; giving them her true blood... might be a waste.

“We can keep them. Even without dragon blood, once they become loyal to Qin Lan, they may still grow dragon scales and become dragon servants.”

Qin He knew that this Iron Dragon True Blood could be used for many things. Zhuang Daihua could keep it and choose to cultivate some stronger followers.

If she could tame a fire dragon, even the most ordinary red or green fire dragon, she would undergo a qualitative change in her life after obtaining the true blood of an iron dragon and becoming a half-iron dragon-like fire dragon.

This allows fire dragons, whose lifespan was originally less than a hundred years, to suddenly gain an additional three to four hundred years of lifespan, along with corresponding fire immunity and resistance.

Furthermore, in addition to their inherent natural energy, fire dragons can also learn magic.

Aside from fire dragons, other creatures that can undergo a qualitative change through the bloodline of iron dragons can also be considered.

……

Inside the stone fortress, Qin Lan's lair.

The young girl, Iron Dragon, is enjoying the skewers, iron skewers and all, that the kobolds have brought her.

Freshly mined iron ore is ground into a fine powder, mixed with mineral powder made from finely ground gemstones, and a few common wild spices—that's all the seasoning for these large skewers.

In addition to the fresh meat purchased from the Palico chef, the kobolds also brought out the monster meat that the tribe had previously stored and offered it to Qinlan.

No dragon would refuse to be waited on hand and foot like an ancestor by its servants. True dragons are inherently lazy and greedy, and Qin Lan is no exception.

After eating all the iron powder skewers and iron skewers prepared by the dog-headed people, Qin Lan began preparing for her job as the Skin Carving Dragon, starting by carving scales.

While it wouldn't warrant having her use something like an embroidery needle to create reliefs on the scales, the job of the Carved Skin Dragon is still quite troublesome.

After mixing the necessary magical materials in a certain proportion, Qin Lan obtained the raw materials for drawing the Carved Dragon Rune.

With their Dragon Coins, they can basically support Qin Lan until she cultivates to the sixth level of the Carved Skin Dragon.

She has a Tier 3 Lightning Immunity Rune that grants her complete immunity to lightning damage, a Tier 2 Acid Resistance Rune, and a Tier 1 Sonic Resistance Rune.

Of course, this only applies if you have the money to buy the materials. During the process of carving runes, mistakes caused by pain are inevitable.

During the process of rune formation, pain caused by forms of damage such as electric shock, acid corrosion, and sound waves will be continuously triggered on Qin Lan.

Despite the agonizing pain, Qin Lan had to persevere in carving the runes, without the slightest slackening. The slightest mistake could render the entire rune on the scale useless.

The first and second levels of the Carved Skin Dragon Cultivation Method involve forming runes between the scales using magical materials. The practitioner uses mental power to manipulate the magical materials, outlining the initial shape of the runes between the scales.

Qin Lan is currently only a juvenile dragon, and the strength of her scales can at most withstand the resistance runes possessed by a level three Carved Skin Dragon.

Normally, these runes do not affect the appearance. Only by using special methods of observing magic can one see whether a dragon's scales are enhanced by runes.

The benefits of becoming a Carved Skin Dragon, such as spell resistance, suppression of weaknesses, and resistance to poison, quickly benefited Qin Lan.

Thanks to the completeness of the cultivation method, the first two stages of adding runes to the scales went relatively smoothly.

"Hmm... electricity and acid."

Outlining runes with mental power is not something an ordinary dragon can do with a moment's peace of mind. Even the most law-abiding blue dragon among the colorful dragons has a high chance of getting so angry that it flips the table halfway through carving.

In fact, there are blue dragons who, after cultivating the Skin Carving Dragon technique, become so enraged that they lash out at adventurers to vent their anger.

Time passed quickly. As the bas-relief-like runes disappeared beneath Qin Lan's scales, her dragon body became even more lustrous than before.

The scales, enhanced by the runes, have become even more resilient and beautiful.

However, the inscription of level three runes cannot be solved by simply taking your time and working meticulously.

The pain from the electric shocks and acid corrosion would surge up as she carved the runes, until she finished carving all the resistance runes for the level 3 Carved Skin Dragon.

"Hiss—Aaaaaaaah—!"

As soon as the lightning runes were inscribed, the feeling of being electrocuted immediately coursed through Qin Lan's limbs and bones.

As an iron dragon, she had once accidentally ingested electric sparks and breath onto her claws while roasting meat. The flames were naturally ignored by her own fire immunity, but the remaining electric current caused a real, excruciating pain.

Fortunately, it's still within tolerable limits.

Next is the acid etching rune.

Soon, a searing pain, similar to the one she had felt from the corrosive aura, spread. This pain originated from the magical materials used to inscribe the runes, which were entirely beneficial to Qin Lan's scales.

—Of course, this is based on the premise that the runes do not exceed the carrying capacity of the Iron Dragon's scales during its youth. If runes that cannot be sustained are forcibly inscribed, the consequences will range from scale rupture to the complete destruction of all runes.

In that case, Qin Lan would not only be unable to remain a dragon with carved skin, but would also risk having her scales degenerate.

"@%&#^……Damn black dragon!"

Although Qin Lan possessed an iron will, far surpassing that of other young dragons her age, the raw pain still caused her to curse.

The black dragon, which she had personally killed, was now the target of Qin Lan's curses. A string of obscenities, some of which were no longer common in the market, poured from Qin Lan's mouth like a machine gun.

Of course, despite the scolding and the pain, Qin Lan was not distracted. Her mental energy remained focused on drawing runes on the scales.

"Phew... I'm feeling better."

Qin He had previously told Qin Lan that the gnoll leader might turn on them. To ensure everything went smoothly, the outer perimeter of the stone fortress was now guarded entirely by elite kobolds.

The kobold shaman elder, along with several other dragon vein sorcerers from the tribe, guarded the area.

Zhuang Daihua purchased several well-maintained staffs in Shallow Water City and distributed them to the Dragon Vein Warlocks—now they can unleash more powerful spells.

Fortunately, the remaining gnolls didn't have the brains to attack the iron dragon. In their eyes, Zhuang Daihua and Qin Lan were the inviolable dragon lords.

As for its former master, the corrupted Iron Dragon Red Rust, the jackals have come to regard it as a mascot.

"Huh? I...I..."

I'm almost done carving lightning and acid resistance runes on all the scales of one of the front paws.

However, when carving the last few scales, Qin Lan accidentally made a mistake, causing several connected scales to burst open due to energy imbalance.

"I'm not playing anymore!"

Enraged, Qin Lan's vision went black as she fell into a frenzy. With a single headbutt, she blasted down most of the stone fortress wall.

Then, the iron whip-like dragon tail swept along the path, further demolishing the shattered walls of the stone fortress.

It wasn't until Zhuang Daihua returned and Qin Lan heard Qin He's voice that she finally broke free from her madness and regained her rationality.

"Qin Lan, calm down."

The fact that Qin He was right in front of her when she woke up calmed Qin Lan's anger considerably.

"Your Highness Qin... Qin He~"

Looking back, Qin Lan had already dismantled the entire stone fortress where she lived, leaving it in ruins. The gold coins had been melted away by the haphazardly spewing electric sparks and breath, turning into a large, irregularly shaped lump of gold.

Originally, the kobolds guarding her outside were the ones who suffered when she fell into the dragon's rage. Fortunately, the old kobold shaman led her to a quarry in the demiplane, so the berserk Qinlan did not harm her familiars.

"The Skin Carving Dragon is indeed a difficult profession to advance in. Calm down and keep working hard."

Before the Iron Dragon Loli began her advancement, Qin He had already assigned a task to Zhuang Daihua's task panel.

【Carved Skin Dragon - Part 1】: Provide materials to help Qin Lan reach Carved Skin Dragon job level 1 (1/1).

Quest Reward: 1 Fragment of Ancestral Bloodline. (Collect 60 fragments to exchange for the Ancestral Bloodline, which will instantly transform you into an Ancestral Dragon.)

【Carved Skin Dragon - II】: Provide materials to help Qin Lan achieve Carved Skin Dragon job level 2 (1/1).

Quest Reward: 2 Fragments of Ancestral Bloodline

The rewards offered by Heraheim are bloodline fragments that increase with each level.

With the ancestral Iron Dragon bloodline, Qin Lan can now stand on the same starting line as Yan Liu, Chi Dian, and other young dragons with powerful bloodlines.

It is likely that bloodline fragments can be obtained through other means in the future, allowing Zhuang Daihua to strengthen the purple dragon within the Secret Dragon Ring.

Qin He was speechless. "You Heraheim, you don't learn a single good thing. Instead, you brought over Zhong Liuxiu's set of fragment rewards..."

Qin Lan completed two levels of advancement tasks and obtained three fragments of ancestral bloodline.

Perfect timing! Qin He can roll the dice and double the rewards they receive through the task panel.

If you roll a 20, you'll receive the ultimate reward twenty times over.

The number of bloodline fragments synthesized is exactly sixty per set. How clever of Heraheim! So that's what he was planning.

Taking out a twenty-sided die carved from the World Tree log, Qin He temporarily ended his video call with Zhuang Daihua and the others. Seeing this, Zhong Liuxiu excitedly shook her supple and smooth dragon tail.

"Sleeve, you throw it this time."

Choosing to trust his wife's luck, Qin He handed the twenty-sided die that determined the reward to Zhong Liuxiu.

"Hmm... Honey! I feel like my luck isn't quite there yet. I need my dear husband to... cheer me on!"

As she spoke, Zhong Liuxiu floated in mid-air. With her legs spread in an M-shape, she fully exposed her plump, snow-white vulva to Qin He's eyes.

The tender, juicy flesh seemed to be sending out loving kisses, making a strong, vacuum-like sucking sound.

"Alright, then let my luck... pour into Xiuxiu's little room~"

As the penis thrust in with renewed vigor, Zhong Liuxiu, her alluring flesh completely enveloping Qin He's lower body, quickly rolled the dice.

The twenty-sided die spun on the ground, and finally, with the clash of divine power between Celesci and Heraheim, the die had no chance of being manipulated.

(1d20:20, a great success.)

However, Zhong Liuxiu still managed to roll a big win of twenty points, and sixty bloodline fragments immediately appeared in her account.

"Hehe~ Honey...did you see that? You haven't even channeled your luck into me yet, and I've already gotten a critical success~ Shouldn't you reward me with a few more shots?"

Holding Zhong Liuxiu's smooth waist, Qin He directly cupped her petite and plump hips and began to thrust violently into her.

"I'll fuck you twenty times tonight."

Chapter 398 Return to Ancestors

After the fragments of the ancestral bloodline are combined to form a complete bloodline, a prompt will immediately pop up on the task panel.

"Gift prompt: You can give the rewards you receive from the mission to Death's Chosen as a gift. Do you want to give the item as a gift?"

(Gift quest: Qin He will determine the reward, and Hraheim will determine the quest content based on the reward.)

Qin He could guess Heraheim's thoughts; now he had obtained a complete set of ancestral dragon blood. He only needed to click to claim it, select the corresponding dragon bloodline, and receive the corresponding ancestral blood.

Tiamat, having acquired some of the powers of the Three-Tailed Dragon, could naturally help the Rainbow Dragon revert to its ancestral form.

However, if Qin Lan wants to revert to her ancestral form, she will need to make her own efforts. Alternatively, she could be granted bloodline by the supreme iron dragon, Garugosingo, the king of the Iron Dragons.

Qin Lan did not subscribe to Garugosingo; she preferred Qin He, who could bring true order. This had two fatal consequences.

First, the mental network controlled by the Supreme Iron Dragon is unusable by Qin Lan. Only her innate inheritance is usable.

What is the Mind Network? It is a mental link controlled by each generation of Supreme Iron Dragon, connecting the sub-Iron Dragons around the world.

The inherent genetic traits that give Atherosthus at birth grant them an almost instinctive cognitive ability, allowing them to skip the stage where other young dragons crawl, roll, and play in the mud.

After that, young dragons who can log into the mind link of the Atheros can search for the information they need in real time within the mind network.