Mechanical Alchemist-Chapter 550 - 549: Bountiful Harvest
The combat capabilities of an eighth-tier pure-blooded giant dragon were truly fierce. Even though the Dawn Squad had an extensive dragon-hunting plan beforehand, the actual confrontation was still perilous.
The silver dragon's hide was thick and its flesh tough. Originally, when it was in the King's City Aike-Lansa, a group of ten thousand mages hammered at it for a long time without managing to kill it, and now facing it as the Dawn Squad was no less challenging.
No one could kill it in a short amount of time, not even Bartholomew, who bore the title "Dragon Hunter."
Fortunately, though Su Lun and his team were few in number, they had Dragon Slaying Potions which could break through dragon scales and cause real damage.
That, too, met the basic conditions for "blood grinding."
The mechanical octopus had locked onto the back of the silver dragon, where Su Lun and the "Blood Duke" Vasquez performed various acrobatic vampire-suction on the dragon's back. The pure-blooded giant dragon's blood contained extremely rich energy and essence of life, the more they absorbed, the better they felt.
However, the process was extremely dangerous.
Although the dragon's back was a blind spot for claws and biting, the dragon breath from the silver dragon could still scorch them.
Any contact with it, if not fatal, would lead to severe injury.
Fortunately, the dragon breath had intervals and pre-release signs like swelling of the throat, which, if watched carefully, gave them just a moment to escape.
The two sucked blood while observing, and whenever the silver dragon showed signs of spewing its dragon breath, they quickly slipped off its back and fled far away. Then, after the dragon breath was expelled, they found an opportunity to continue sucking blood.
This cycle repeated itself.
The blood grinding process was akin to dancing on the blade of a knife, where half a point of error was not permitted; any slight misstep could lead to catastrophic consequences.
The battle continued in this fashion.
...
Unknowingly, the sky had completely darkened, the night fell, and the stars dotted the sky.
Angry dragon roars echoed through the heavens, occasionally a burst of Holy Light dragon breath lit up the sky, revealing several figures of people and the fuming silver dragon on a few mountains.
The process of "blood grinding" was a battle of attrition for both sides, which was a prolonged affair.
Fortunately, the members of the Dawn Squad cooperated tacitly, and the whole process was conducted without mistakes.
With Nineteen and Bartholomew holding the front, with Su Lun and Vasquez at the back.
Chian and Barrett found opportunities on the side to restrain the dragon.
The battle from the start was intensely fierce.
For the members of the Dawn Squad, this was not just a fierce battle but also a rare opportunity.
Actual combat was always the best shortcut to improving one's strength.
Although the silver dragon had the strength of a ninth-tier, it was still not a true ninth-tier.
And dragons, being the most perfect high-order creatures in low-tier planes, had an exceptional life-level oppressive force known as Dragon's Majesty, which they had found during their previous hunt of the Thunder Dragon, incredibly effective for the growth of their Dominance Aura.
Battling with a giant dragon, the insight gained from the fight was incomparable to fighting with fellow humans of the same tier.
And for Dawn Squad members like Su Lun and Chian, ordinary enemies could no longer pose a real mortal threat to them. Such enemies were hard to come by.
Just as it was now.
Dominance Aura is the air of tyranny that grows stronger in the presence of stronger foes.
Under the heavy pressure of Dragon's Majesty, the Dominance Aura of people participating in the dragon hunt continuously refined, visibly becoming more substantial.
The eighth-tier silver dragon presented a life-or-death pressure comparable to that of a whetstone for sharpening blades. The process of sharpening was agonizing, but once endured, the blade would become sharper and sharper.
There were three seventh-tier individuals present—Su Lun, Chian, and Barrett.
The disparity of their higher tiers also subjected these three to more terrific pressure.
Su Lun was better off; he had powerful Spatial Displacement abilities and Dragon Slayer armor, and he was not directly engaged in combat, so the danger wasn't too great.
Barrett, wearing the "Gracie's Heavy Dragon Rider Armor," though a bit cumbersome, fortunately had amazing defensive power and was not seriously injured despite being hit multiple times.
But Chian, who fought at the front, was in a bad situation.
She wore a bright red armor, which was the "Iron Red Scaled Armor" obtained from the Mountain Hermit Nation. Although of outstanding quality, it was still a light armor designed for agility favored by Guarding Swordsmen and wasn't sufficient against the defenses posed by the eighth-tier pure-blooded giant dragon. It had been heavily damaged after numerous severe blows.
At that moment, Chian's forehead was bloodied, and her body bore marks from being scorched by dragon breath.
Despite being seriously injured, at this moment, everyone, including Su Lun, was planning to urge her to withdraw.
Because at this moment, everyone was stunned by the extraordinary phenomenon that appeared on her!
Behind Chian, the three-headed Rakshasa Woman deity was glowing brilliantly, like flames flowing several meters around. The binding rope of her hair had burst, and her blue hair, with no wind stirring, rose up like flames, just like the Rakshasa phantom behind her.
What was even more mysterious, the Dominance Aura seeping from her body merged with the divine presence of the phantom, subtly contending with the Dragon's Majesty on equal footing.
She was fearlessly confronting the Silver Dragon, relying on the Rakshasa Woman in her third release form.
This state had appeared once before in the "Netherworld," and Su Lun had noticed that she seemed to have fallen into that profound state of insight again.
The stronger the enemy she faced, the stronger the Rakshasa Woman became, growing rapidly in battle.
The closer to death she was in battle, the clearer that sense of growth and enlightenment became.
This was the passive potential inherent in the "A-022-Rakshasa Woman" talent itself.
The talent of the third release was shrouded in mystery, considered "taboo" even by those on Su Lun's harvesting planes of the gods.
This was not a realm accessible to mortals but to deities.
In the perfected planes of the gods, it was said that one in a billion with excellent talent could release their talent thrice, in mortal form. Yet, those individuals invariably became top-tier powerhouses with a divine stature.
Su Lun did not understand what the third release of talent meant, but there was a saying in the planes of the gods that it was regarded as the reincarnation of a deity.
At this moment, Qian Jiao had the semblance of a hellish Rakshasa.
So, even though Qian Jiao was severely injured, nobody suggested she retreat, knowing well it was futile.
This state of self-forgetfulness was a grand opportunity that came from flirting with the line between life and death.
And at that moment, Qian Jiao's momentum had reached its peak after being blasted away once again.
She injected herself with a strong healing potion and charged again.
As she swung her blade, everyone seemed to hear a celestial chant echoing beside their ears: "I see the evil ghosts of all beings in hell, all forms are my forms... With my sword drawn, I can slay the gods and demons of heaven, and even the celestial dragons!"
It was at the exact moment this echoing voice rang out that a mixed aura of good and evil began winding through the air.
On one side was the merciful golden light, on the other, the infernal blood light.
In an instant, remarkable phenomena suddenly arose between heaven and earth.
The thunderclouds in the sky suddenly converged, thousands of lightning serpents gathered above the Demon Blade, making the blade's edge seem to unveil an endlessly terrifying scene of hell.
With one strike, the tyrannical Sword Qi cut across hundreds of meters, clanging against the silver dragon's neck scales, and with a "sizzle," it carved a bloody mark.
Su Lun and others watched, dumbfounded.
They never expected Qian Jiao to have drawn blood on the dragon's neck scales, the toughest part of a dragon's body, with only Sword Qi?
Though the wound was not large, to have struck the body of a dragon, comparable to a ninth-tier, with a seventh-tier sword, Qian Jiao was the only one seen to have achieved such a feat.
Barrett's murky eyes flashed fiercely, his heart trembling uncontrollably: "Truly a supreme talent..."
Only the Old Sword God understood the changes in Qian Jiao's Sword Intent at that moment better than anyone else. This was precisely the "Rule-Cutting Realm" he had taught before, which meant that this sword had already broken through the Saint Realm, touching the threshold of what was called the Sword God Realm.
Not only had she grasped the essence of the Godly Path of No Thought style, but she also had her unique Sword Dao.
This sword had made people witness the hellish scene in her eyes.
Barrett watched and once again exclaimed, "Such a profound understanding of the sword heart!"
...
In the battle, Qian Jiao seemed to have suddenly understood a new realm of Sword Dao, her momentum still rising.
The more she fought, the braver she became, and she was even able to directly confront the giant dragon alongside Barrett and Number Nineteen.
Correspondingly, her injuries also increased.
Luckily, Barrett and the others coordinated tacitly, fighting the dragon while also distracting and covering for Qian Jiao, allowing her to continue gaining insights in this state without falling into a fatal situation.
The sky was a flurry of action, and on the sea, the Eternal Night was also battling fiercely with a host of sea beasts, with cannons thundering through the pitch-black night.
The silver dragon had paid the price for its arrogance again. It knew it was facing the same near-death situation as before when it was besieged in the city of Aikelunsa.
It just had not expected that just a few humans could corner it into dire straits.
And due to the presence of the Dragon Slaying Potion, which prevented the dragon's super-strong self-healing talent, the physical condition of the silver dragon was deteriorating.
At this moment, the silver dragon no longer had the contempt it had before, its angry roars trying to summon nearby sea creatures for help. Unfortunately, during the previous siege of a thousand mages, most of the magical sea monsters in this area had been decimated. Now, a dragon struggling for survival was much less menacing, and the more intelligent sea creatures knew to keep their distance.
Even as some monsters still pursued, those aboard the Eternal Night, relying on the robust ship and powerful cannons, immediately kept the monsters from advancing on the sea surface, preventing them from disturbing the battle in the skies.
...
Only through first-hand combat did they realize how tenacious the life of an eighth-tier giant dragon was.
The Dawn Circle had been bleeding the dragon for one or two hours, and only then did the dragon's flailing wings begin to weaken.
Except for Su Lun, who still had the robust combat capabilities from "Isaac's Alchemy Heart," almost everyone was drained and exhausted.
Such a high-intensity battle was simply beyond the endurance of ordinary people.
Fortunately, the scales of victory still tipped toward the Dawn group, as the Dragon Slayer Potion prevented the Silver Dragon's wounds from healing, allowing the "Blood Grinding Tactic" to ultimately succeed.
At last, a mournful dragon's cry echoed through the sky, and the Silver Dragon, having lost too much blood, fell from the sky.
Su Lun, quick-eyed and deft-handed, firmly bound the Silver Dragon with mechanical ropes and stuffed it into the mini void realm in one go.
The night sky returned to silence, and this battle finally came to a close.
Above the sea, with the Silver Dragon's defeat, the monsters also receded like the tide and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Cheers erupted from everyone on the Eternal Night.
Su Lun turned his head to see that everyone who had participated in the battle had more or less sustained injuries.
Number 19's mechanical body was damaged in several parts, but after replacement, there was a new Number 19; Bartolo's left ulna was broken by the Silver Dragon and he probably needed a few days of recovery; Wazwas had several exaggerated blood holes torn through his abdomen, but fortunately, as a vampire, he could recover by feeding on blood, a bit of vital energy was lost, but it was not serious; Barrett was wearing armor and seemed to have no major external injuries, but had multiple internal damages, also quite seriously injured; even the mechanical octopus was severely damaged and probably needed a major factory overhaul...
But the one most severely injured was Chien Tiao.
Her whole body was covered in wounds.
Only when the battle ended did she relax her tense nerves, her Rakshasa phantom dissipating as she returned from that frenzied state to normal.
Having fought a burst of sustained aerial combat, she was utterly exhausted, and the moment she sighed in relief, she drunkenly fell from the sky.
Number 19, quick and responsive, flapped its wings and instantly flew a hundred meters to catch Chien Tiao, who was falling.
A few of them landed on the sea surface, panting heavily, and exchanged smiles with each other.
Although exhaustion was evident on everyone's faces, the gains from this battle were immense. Hunting this eighth-tier giant dragon was a tremendous opportunity for the team, and for everyone involved, it was a battle experience worth remembering for a lifetime.
During the fight, they were only amazed at Chien Tiao's breakthrough in realm. Now that everyone had come back to their senses, they realized they all had significant insights from this battle.
Having climbed the peak, that mountain no longer required looking up to.
It was not just advances in realm understanding; this eighth-tier Silver Dragon brought many substantial benefits to everyone.
This was another top-tier material for fabricating breed suits.
And as Dr. Banks put it, the higher the dragon's tier, the more refined its dragon blood genes, and the higher its research value.
With this Silver Dragon, the "Dragon Blood Gene Potion" would likely become a reality in the not-so-distant future, providing another qualitative leap for everyone in the Dawn group.
After catching their breaths, expressions of victorious joy gradually surfaced on their faces.
There were no casualties, which was the greatest fortune.
Until the battle ended, Bartolo was still in disbelief; had they really hunted an eighth-tier pure-blooded giant dragon?
This must have been the most powerful dragon hunted by mankind in a thousand years.
The Dawn group had created another miracle.
Su Lun's thread was the best surgical method, and as soon as he landed, he began treating Chien Tiao's horrific wounds, where white bones were clearly visible.
As the thread stitched the wounds, the blood instantly stopped flowing and also prevented the wounds from worsening.
Chien Tiao winced slightly in pain and, seeing that she appeared more ragged than anyone else, muttered, "Ah, my body is still too weak."
At her words, everyone couldn't help but twitch the corners of their eyes, only the onlookers knew how fierce she had been just now.
Barrett couldn't help but laugh and cry, self-deprecatingly saying, "If Miss Chien Tiao's body is weak, then all my muscle is just gained for nothing."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood, but the smile on his lips remained.
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Both seventh-tier, facing the same opponent, he truly envied her. Chien Tiao's strength was not as frail as her self-mockery suggested. The terror of her sword, only those who experienced it firsthand could understand.
Number 19 also exclaimed, "Indeed. Sister Chien Tiao is very powerful."
Bartolo finally had a chance to speak, laughing, "Your talents truly amaze this old man. Not only did you touch the threshold above the Saint Realm, but you also touched the eighth-tier 'Dominant Body.' These wounds are not bad things. Once you completely grasp the insights from the previous battle, and advance your realm one major step..."
Su Lun was used to it by now; where was he not familiar with this gambling woman's nature? Mr. Jing had said before that Chien Tiao's sword heart was clear, her Rakshasa Woman talent seemed more like an instinct than a conscious layer, fighting and breaking through.
He was certain that this gambling woman had no awareness of what she had just done.
"Huh?"
Chien Tiao, hearing everyone speaking this way, showed a confused expression.
She recalled with rolling eyes and seemed to have no awareness of what she had just experienced.
Seeing her expression, everyone laughed lightly.
But this was not the place to talk; after simply stitching up the fatal wounds, Su Lun signaled everyone, "Let's go, we'll talk back on the ship."
...
Su Lun and his team returned to the Eternal Night, where the group members also cheered and rejoiced, celebrating another grand victory created by the Dawn group.
However, the celebration would have to wait, as they had something even more important to do right now.
That was to collect the spoils of war.
Far away on the icy expanse lay the corpses of three ten-thousand-man Mages teams, alongside countless magical beast materials—a fortune worth a fortune indeed.
The previous battlefield where they fought the Silver Dragon spanned dozens of kilometers, strewn with the corpses of magical beasts, and the people of Dawn Team excitedly recovered everything along the way.
Soon, the ship returned to the frozen sea shore, and over ten thousand members disembarked to loot the bodies.
The cold night wind could not dampen their enthusiasm as they searched the bloody battlefield for various corpses.
The Mages from the Divine Realm were wealthy, and it was the first time Dawn Team had harvested spoils from three full ten-thousand-man teams.
Before long, the deck of the Evernight was piled high with various treasures.
Magic Wand, magic robes, Magic Books, Crystal Ball, Magic Scrolls, gemstones of various colors, materials...
There were several extremely powerful legion magical devices, like the "Banished Sky Realm" that had confined Su Lun previously, the "Stalker's Cloak of Night" that the legions used to hide their traces, and the powerful "Energy Gathering Thunder Tower"...
These legion magical devices were mostly infused with Divine Power, making them ineffective for Alchemists. However, Mountain Dwarves from the Minor Void Realm were adept at forging and could repurpose some of them. Even if they could not be used, the top-grade materials harvested from dismantling these devices were still top-tier.
Then there were the countless monster corpses. These bodies were not just materials but also provided enough genetic samples for Dr. Banks' biological laboratory.
Indeed, as long as they won, it was always a huge profit.
Not only did they recover the money spent on ammunition, but they also earned hundreds, thousands of times more!
The material storage in the Minor Void Realm was now mountain-high, and Dawn Team members hardly lacked high-level materials anymore, whether for advancing or creating clones.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they became overnight millionaires.
The Dawn Team fell into the joy of a bountiful harvest.
...
The task of organizing and counting the spoils was left to the crew, as Su Lun and the other high-ranking fighters had endured a fierce Dragon Slaying battle and were in dire need of rest and recuperation. They each retired to their own rooms to recover and meditate as soon as they boarded the ship.
Su Lun and Thousand Pieces returned to the Captain's quarters, treated their injuries, and immediately began meditating.
Thousand Piece had to grasp the rare combat insights, and Su Lun also reaped huge gains.
It wasn't just those fleeting combat insights, the Soul Shards of those thirty thousand Mages and countless monsters were tangible gains.
It was his first time absorbing so many high-quality souls; he needed a lot of time to assimilate them.
Once assimilated, there would certainly be a significant improvement.
The members of Dawn Team quickly reviewed the battlefield and did not dare to linger.
They were well aware that after annihilating three ten-thousand-man teams, those guys on the Divine Realm would surely not let things go, and waiting for reinforcements might lead to complications.
Evernight then changed its course and quietly disappeared into the night.
...
Shortly after Dawn Team's departure, a Mage clad in a black robe appeared on the icy expanse where the battle had taken place.
Though he had rushed here responding to the distress call, he was still too late.
Looking at the traces of the battle on the ice, where not even a single body was left behind, he softly clicked his tongue, "These natives are truly cautious, to even have disposed of the bodies."
The Cloaked Mage walked across the ice, growing more solemn with each step, seemingly searching for some clues.
However, after a long walk, he found no clues but, surprisingly, muttered to himself, "Not even a Soul Shard left behind. It seems it really is that legendary talent."
Seeing no point in continuing his search, the Mage raised his pitch-black Magic Wand and began chanting a magic spell: "Great God of Necromancy above, I reverently pronounce Your name, please grant Your emissary the power to summon the dead..."
As the spell was chanted, soon with "crack" and "crack" noises, several ice-enshrouded Mage corpses struggled and crawled out from beneath the ice.
The corpses' eye sockets burned with a strange green fire, and they shakily approached the robed figure.
The robed figure actually asked the corpses, "Tell me, what happened."
But what was even more bizarre came next.
At that moment, the green fire swirling in the eyes of the corpses seemed to narrate something.
The robed figure listened to the corpse murmurs, seemingly understanding them, and incredulously muttered to himself, "A Silver Dragon came?"
In that instant, he realized what had happened.
He could never have imagined that the seemingly foolproof ambush plan had failed in such a bizarre way.
