219: The oriole is behind

Gao De controlled that near-invisible speck of dust transformed from the prison dragon talisman, letting it quietly drift like a real grain of dust into the shadow of a runic depression on the edge of the Blood Pool.

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From here, he could sense the fluctuations of the Blood Pool at close range, yet remain undetected by the occasional sweeps of the Formation or the naked eye.

Holding his breath and focusing his mind, he concentrated all his attention on perceiving the outside world. Simultaneously, within the world of the talisman, he continued to deepen his comprehension of the prison dragon talisman, attempting to master more methods of controlling the dust and receiving information.

Over the following days, this secret space known as the "dragon blood Creation Pool" witnessed more tragedies of the Dragon Clan's scions.

Almost every day or two, Dragon Palace Secret Guards or Blood Guards would escort one or two dragon sons or daughters into this place.

The cultivation of these delivered Dragon Clan members mostly ranged from the second to the third rank, with occasional fourth-rank dragon descendants. They were either numb with despair, struggling in futile rage, or unconscious.

Occasionally, some Dragon-Blooded Creatures that were clearly wild were captured and brought in, almost all starting at the third rank.

The process was almost unvarying: the Blood Guards would use cruel methods to extract their natal Essence Blood and inject it into the Blood Pool.

The Dragon Clan members, their Essence Blood mostly drained and their Origin Qi severely damaged—whether they were dragon sons or Dragon-Blooded Creatures—would eventually be tossed like trash into that viscous plasma to become nourishment for the "holy fetus."

The dark red light in the Blood Pool grew more intense day by day, and its rotation speed noticeably accelerated.

The blurry, massive shadow at the bottom of the pool became increasingly clear, faintly revealing the outline of a curled, dragon-like embryo. Every heartbeat-like throb caused the entire surface of the pool to ripple, emitting an ever-stronger pressure that mixed the divine with the sinister.

Gao De could feel that the "holy fetus's" hunger for dragon blood seemed to be growing constantly, and the process of extracting Essence Blood became more hurried.

During this time, Dragon King Ao Guang and that mysterious Black-Robed Figure also personally visited the site several times.

Once, the two stood by the poolside, conversing in low voices.

Gao De controlled the dust, pushing his perception to the limit, and finally captured some key information.

"...The Dragon Transformation Pool's accumulation is nearly eighty percent complete. According to this progress, it should reach full maturity in another three years." The Black-Robed Figure's raspy voice carried a trace of barely detectable urgency.

"Three years... Your Majesty can afford to wait." Dragon King Ao Guang stared intently at the embryo in the pool with burning eyes. "As long as it can help me break through that shackle and step into the fifth-rank True Dragon Realm, any price is worth paying. It's just... the dragon blood required by this 'holy fetus' is truly staggering. Though my scions are many, nearly thirty percent of those who meet the requirements are already gone. For the future..."

"Therefore, external 'nutrients' are of vital importance," the Black-Robed Figure interjected. "That newly ascended flood dragon, Purple Lightning, has a pure Bloodline and is a prime choice. Also... the 'live bait' brought by those people from the Central Continent, if handled properly, can save us a lot of trouble."

The Dragon King gave a cold snort. "The people of the Central Continent have wild ambitions; we must be on guard. Although the 'Ancient Dragon-Attracting Formation Map' and the 'Void Positioning Secret Method' they provided help stabilize the 'source eye' and explore the Ancient Chidao, who knows if there are traps within? Especially that Mysterious Mechanism Master of the Tianyan Sect; he is skilled at deducing Formations and must be guarded against."

"It is merely mutual benefit," the Black-Robed Figure said indifferently. "They use our strength to explore ruins, and we use their hands to solve some 'troubles'; each gets what they need. As for traps... once the 'holy fetus' matures and Your Majesty breaks through to the fifth rank, all schemes and intrigues will be naught but illusions before absolute strength. The priority now is to ensure the smooth operation of the Dragon Transformation Pool and collect enough high-quality dragon blood."

"I have already ordered men to explore deep into the Yunmeng Great Marsh, and they have nearly slaughtered all the Dragon-Blooded Creatures in the vicinity." A cold light flashed in the Dragon King's eyes. "Once the commotion of this birthday banquet subsides slightly, we will conduct a 'cleansing' of the entire guest area. I took this opportunity to invite these demon kings who possess dragon blood precisely for this moment."

Hearing this, Gao De understood everything completely!

This Blood Pool, named the "Dragon Transformation Pool," was actually intended by the Dragon King to nurture a "treasure" that could help him break through to the fifth rank—that so-called "holy fetus"!

And the core Materials for nurturing this thing were massive amounts of pure dragon blood!

No wonder the Dragon King was so ruthless even toward his own scions; no wonder a "wild" flood dragon like himself had been targeted!

His own flood dragon Essence Blood, tempered by the Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art and further refined through thunder and fire, was likely a far superior "great medicine" in the eyes of this old dragon than many of the dragon sons and daughters!

A chill intertwined with fury, but it was quickly replaced by calmness. Anger was useless; the priority was to devise a countermeasure.

"Maturing in three years... a treasure to break through to the fifth rank..." Gao De's thoughts spun rapidly as an extremely bold, even insane idea gradually became clear.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the siskin behind!

Dragon King Ao Guang had exhausted his schemes and even resorted to murdering his own scions to nurture this "holy fetus," all for the sake of breaking through to the fifth rank. Such a treasure that could help the Dragon Clan break through a major Realm was of inestimable value, and Gao De was extremely covetous of it as well!

If he could seize it... not only might his own Bloodline and cultivation receive an unimaginable boost, but he would also gain the upper hand in the future struggle for the Great Dao!

Risks? Naturally, there were!

This place was the core Forbidden Ground of the Dragon Palace, heavily guarded, and watched over by existences at the Peak of the fourth rank like the Dragon King and the Black-Robed Figure.

But the opportunity was equally massive!

Moreover, he was currently hidden within the prison dragon talisman, and no one knew his location—this was his greatest advantage.

Using that speck of Divine Sense as his eyes and ears would allow him to monitor the real-time dynamics of the Dragon Transformation Pool.

If planned properly, there might just be a slim chance!

"I need a detailed plan, thorough preparation, and... to wait for the perfect timing." Gao De suppressed the excitement in his heart and began to analyze calmly.

Three years was neither too long nor too short.

He needed to use this time to increase his strength as much as possible—especially his control over the prison dragon talisman—and to figure out the details of the defenses here, the rotation patterns of the personnel, and the movement patterns of the Dragon King and the Black-Robed Figure.

At the same time, he also noted the Dragon King's wariness toward the Central Continent forces, as well as the "live bait" and "mutual benefit" mentioned by the Black-Robed Figure.

It seemed the relationship between the Dragon Palace and the visitors from the Central Continent was far more complex than it appeared on the surface, and perhaps it could be exploited... Just as Gao De was setting his "siskin behind" plan within the world of the talisman, in another inconspicuous lodge in Qianyuan City, that mysterious Black-Robed Figure was sitting alone in a secret room.

The four walls of the secret room were inscribed with twisted and strange runes. They were not the water-based or star-patterned designs common in the Dragon Palace, but a type of dragon-shaped totem filled with a primitive, chaotic, and fallen aura.

In the center stood a small, pitch-black altar of unknown material—neither metal nor jade—upon which floated a mass of dark purple light that constantly writhed and shifted.

The Black-Robed Figure removed his hood, revealing a pale face covered in eerie black lines, with fine scales covering half of his visage.

He closed his eyes and formed a hand seal of sinister beauty, chanting something under his breath.

As he chanted, the dark purple light on the altar fluctuated violently, gradually condensing into a blurry, monstrous face made of countless tiny tentacles and eyes.

A chaotic and sinister will, transcending the fourth rank, quietly descended here through the endless Void Realm.