Chapter 251 (1): I’ll Grant You Evolution

A dark domain was only named that because it looked dark, not because it had anything to do with the faith of the Goddess of Darkness. When a mage reached the rank of Golden Triangle, their thoughts would undergo a substantial change, making them an independent entity capable of rejecting knowledge with their vitality field, as well as reshaping space with their powerful thoughts.

Wayne had seen Filomina’s dark domain, even walking around in it. He was no stranger to the environment. The difference was that he trusted Filomina, while Senna...

Although Senna was his master’s master, he had far less trust in her.

In the center of the dark domain was a white palace that appeared to be a place of worship. The pillars before the main hall were etched with numerous flying dragons. While they were all great dragons, they differed in form, showing the many types of great dragons and the complicated possibilities of a dragon’s evolution.

“Master Senna, what do these statues mean?”

“It’s related to the curse of dragon blood,” Senna said coolly, quickening her pace toward the main hall.

“Would you go into more detail?”

“Not yet...”

“Master Senna, earnestness is reciprocated. You should try it out. If you tell me the way to lift the curse of dragon blood, I’ll respect you like I respect Master.” If possible, Wayne didn’t want to touch the Nature Knight’s weapon. Who knew if the goddess would make a surprise appearance?

“I would like to trust you, Wayne, but I’ve crossed paths with so many people that I no longer believe in being earnest.” Without turning around, Senna continued, “You may find this hurtful, but I’m telling the truth. It’s better than deceiving each other. In some way, this is me being earnest.”

That makes so much sense!

Her distrust was a form of trust.

Wayne couldn’t argue against that. With the attempt failed, he followed Senna into the main hall. There were no light sources, yet light lit up the space with every step Senna took, as if there were sensors in place.

Wayne looked around. The main hall was big, far bigger than what the exterior would suggest. Countless pillars propped up the dome ceiling, etched with different patterns of dragon-blooded creations.

On the edge were animals with strange appearances. They didn’t seem to be related to great dragons. However, chickens were related to Tyrannosaurus rexes even though they shared little resemblance.

Going deeper, the patterns etched on the pillars now portrayed the subspecies of dragons, covering a great variety of creatures, including those flying in the sky, roaming the land, and inhabiting bodies of water—almost including the entire ecosystem.

Wayne guessed that the pillars in the center would be etched with the purest great dragons. “Master Senna, since there is no great dragon in the Chosen Land, where do all these dragon-related creatures reside?”

“The Draconic Realms,” Senna said simply. Noting Wayne’s curious expression, she explained, “Powerful adult dragons can construct their own Divine Realms, using their blood to create new draconic species. As they breed and procreate, mixing their blood, more and more species of dragons come to fill the dragon’s realm...”

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that great dragons can rival gods.”

“Divine Realm...” Wayne became even more curious. He pressed, “As far as I know, deities are omnipotent in their respective Divine Realm. The great dragons should be gods in their realms. Why would they die, and where did the dragon blood come from?”

“Rivaling gods is different from being actual gods!”

Right

.

The gods could be the Heavenly Father, goddesses like the Goddess of Nature or Death, subordinate gods serving them, the seven demon lords of hell, or even angels who had mastered the Golden Law.

Wayne nodded to himself, re-evaluating Valkyrie’s power at her peak.

The group of nine knights of Sun had charged into a Draconic Realm and defeated the great dragon, having a real heartfelt moment with it. It was as difficult as—well, he couldn’t come up with a good comparison due to his lack of experience, but he just knew that it was an amazing feat.

If Her nine subordinates were that powerful, how strong would the Goddess of Sun be? How many of the nine knights still lived, and where did the Sun Knight in the human world stand in the power ranking?

Wayne made an overall assessment and concluded that Auston, the fake Darkness Knight, had to be the weakest among the chosen knights. And while the Headless Knight might have been formidable at his peak, he was around Auston’s level now as the Death Knight.

Senna stopped in front of the altar of the dragon blood ritual.

In the four corners of the great hall were four massive white pillars. Instead of intricate patterns of great dragons, each pillar represented the earth, fire, water, and wind elements. With the pillars propping up the roof, it represented how the four elements formed the foundation of the world.

The altar was similarly made of white stone and etched with extravagant patterns, as well as letters that Wayne had never seen before. Perhaps they were the mythical draconic language. He tried to decipher the texts with the

Book of Greed,

but to no avail.

The book looked around the abandoned altar. The smell of food had long faded, leaving nothing but useless stones.

On top of the altar was a white stone book. Senna explained that it was a magic book written in the draconic language, recording endless power and wisdom. It represented the miracle and endless possibilities of life. Since the great dragon who wrote the book had died, it could not be opened.

As time passed, the divine power of the book was exhausted, and it turned into stone, serving no purpose but as a historical proof that such a great dragon once existed.

Senna spoke in a grave tone that made her sound like a mourner, with a hint of sadness to her voice. With mana radiating from her, she began the ritual.

Behind them, the square floor radiated white light. Once the light dissipated, a thirty-meter by thirty-meter pit with a five-meter depth appeared.

Wayne looked down at the thick layer of black, viscous mud at the bottom. It resembled a swimming pool that had been abandoned for years—no, five meters might be deep for humans, but it was too shallow to serve as a basin for great dragons when most of them were more than a hundred meters long. Could this be a toilet instead?

The dark sludge must be their feces!

“This is the altar for dragon blood evolution. The dragon blood has dried and lost vitality, so it can only be awakened with fresh dragon blood.” Senna glanced at Wayne. “Strip and jump in.”

“Um...” Wayne hesitated.

“Don’t worry. I’m your master’s master. You don’t have to be shy.”

No, I just don’t want to jump into a pit of shit.

Although Senna had clarified that it was a pit of blood, Wayne’s overactive imagination still made him reluctant. He clenched his teeth, taking off his clothes.

Senna’s gaze remained fixed ahead. She showed no interest in his naked body, and he didn’t appear bashful. Covering his private part, he jumped into the swimming pool.

“I’m ready, Master Senna.”

Standing in the sludge, Wayne could sense that the dragon blood was around the same temperature as a human’s average body temperature. He closed his eyes and extended his senses. The blood around him was lifeless. It had been dead for many years.

It confused him. He remembered Senna telling him that dragon blood came from the Divine Realm, granted by the goddess. But what about this altar? Was it the goddess’s gift, too?

A faint landing noise came from behind him. The pleasant fragrance made Wayne frown. Senna had gotten too close for his comfort, so he instinctively took a step forward before turning around.

She was standing within the black sludge of dragon blood, half her body submerged. Her upper body was as fair as snow, and her light blonde long hair was put up, revealing her elegant long neck with soft, smooth skin and gentle lines. Combined with the graceful shapes of her collarbones, she looked like a carefully crafted piece of art. The faint white light she emitted accentuated her allure.

Below, she had covered her chest with a hand, which only made her look more seductively mysterious.

Wayne’s eyes widened. When he noticed her mocking gaze, he played ignorant, freezing for a good ten seconds before turning away stiffly.

No wonder Senna didn’t want Veronica’s help. This was too adult for an innocent college girl.

“What, are you not going to keep staring?”

“Oh, can I?”

Senna fell silent. The Pope was right. This boy did not have the chivalrous spirit.

Fortunately, that was never the criterion for being a knight. Talent remained the most important factor.

“Can you stand before me, Master Senna?” Wayne said awkwardly. “Don’t take this the wrong way. I mean no offence. It’s just uncomfortable... If someone’s standing behind you while you’re peeing, you’ll be too nervous to pee, too. Does that make sense to you?”

No! And this isn’t the place for urinating!

Senna didn’t bother to respond to that. She took a step forward and pressed her hands on Wayne’s shoulders, telling him to relax his muscles.

Pushing him until he was crouching in the sludge, she closed her eyes and radiated the energy of her dragon blood. It wasn’t her first time changing someone’s bloodline. Having done it for Silvia made her somewhat of an expert.

Responding to the call of her bloodline, the black sludge gradually heated up, the vitality of the dragon blood slowly awakening. Under Wayne’s watchful eyes, the fluid became increasingly translucent.

It wasn’t a dragon’s feces, but it could be urine.

The blood continued to heat up until it became a translucent pure white. It didn’t look like blood at all.

Wayne no longer felt like he was trapped in a marsh. Submerged in the pure water-like fluid and pleasant heat, he felt like he was enjoying a hot spring.

Senna’s eyes were shut, her long hair drenched by her sweat. Her fragrance thickened more and more. Even though Wayne couldn’t see her, he could feel her irresistible allure.

Wayne frowned. He had had similar feelings when he met the succubus. The elf he transformed into also possessed the same charm, only to different degrees. He guessed that it was a trait shared by all higher lifeforms, including Senna, a Dragonblood.