Volume 8: Super Mission 'Vitality vs. Death Intent', Chapter 13: Dragon Princess Kadocin

Seeing Li Bin and his companions plotting over what lay behind them, the Azure Dragons were filled with insuppressible rage. Yet, despite their frantic roaring, they dared not move a single step. Li Bin and his group were not arrogant enough to believe they were feared; there could only be one explanation for such behavior: the golden egg behind the dragons was of immense significance. Facing this situation, Li Bin did not hesitate, immediately deploying his strongest troops. Without wasting time discussing the post-battle spoils, they focused entirely on defeating the few Azure Dragons before them. However, these dragons displayed formidable combat prowess, fighting without yielding an inch until Reed arrived with the remaining Bone Dragons, at which point the battle finally drew to a close. After slaying all the Azure Dragons, Li Bin traded the two corpses he had acquired for ownership of the golden dragon egg, bringing this unexpected siege to an end.

This battle left Li Bin’s primary strike force and his first mixed battalion crippled, unable to recover their full combat effectiveness for some time. Furthermore, Li Bin suffered heavy losses: three pseudo-bone dragons, one bone dragon, seven death knights, three dread knights, one squad of liches, and two squads of phantom undead archers. The newly recruited low-level troops were also nearly exhausted.

Surprisingly, Frostmourne survived the ordeal. Not only did it slay seven silver unicorns, two withered tree warriors, and one Azure Dragon, but it also broke through the level 12 barrier to reach level 13. Reed also reached level 13, and upon returning to this level, he regained the ability to transform into an undead heavy-armored corpse dragon, providing him with a wider range of tactical options.

However, Li Bin’s greatest harvest was the five Azure Dragon corpses and a large number of corpses level 8 and above. After preserving them with corpse-stabilization methods, Li Bin quickly stored them in the space just vacated by his undead scorpion, knowing these bodies would be essential materials for his city's future development and troop upgrades.

As for the golden dragon egg he had traded for, Li Bin had no intention of keeping it for long. He knew full well that failing to deal with it immediately would invite endless trouble. Once the egg was in his possession, he began considering methods to process it. Ultimately, he decided to use the "Blood Curse"—the same technique used to transform Reed into a half-dragon, half-ghost entity—on the yet-to-be-hatched golden dragon.

In truth, the Blood Curse was not a technique exclusive to the necromantic arts; anyone could use it, provided the conditions were met. The method was simple: place the subject of the curse among freshly dead corpses, allowing the necrotic blood to slowly convert into negative energy that would seep into the subject's body. The more corpses piled up and the higher their level, the more effective the curse. This was why those with a penchant for slaughter often emanated an aura of death—they had been unknowingly afflicted by such a curse.

Given the current circumstances, the process was highly convenient for Li Bin. Although he had collected the intact corpses, the ones hacked into pieces during the battle were useless for anything else, making them perfect for this ritual. Li Bin had his men pile the corpses together, placed the golden dragon egg in the center, and drew a catalyst array around the pile to accelerate the transformation of negative energy.

Soon, the egg turned a dark, metallic gold, with thin, blood-like patterns appearing on its surface. Just as the curse neared completion, a dragon’s roar echoed from the sky. A gale force wind swept through, and a massive golden dragon appeared before them. Upon seeing the size of this dragon, Reed quickly retreated to Li Bin’s side and warned, "Be careful, this is a level 15 Golden Dragon."

The dragon let out a furious roar upon seeing the egg in the corpse pile and charged directly at Li Bin. Facing its overwhelming pressure, Li Bin did not retreat, instead continuously casting curses upon the dragon. Reed, Ted, and the three dread knights charged forward simultaneously, unleashing their most powerful attacks. The Golden Dragon proved itself a powerhouse beyond level 13; undeterred by the onslaught, it used its massive body to brawl with them.

Seeing that Reed and the others could not bring the dragon down, Gru and little Carter joined the fray, their arrows and poison gas bombs striking from unexpected angles, while Deirdre silently healed the combatants from the rear. After a while, the dragon began to falter. Just as it prepared to take flight to unleash a torrent of flame upon everyone below, Li Bin’s curse finally took hold.

A minor slow curse broke through the dragon’s powerful magic resistance, landing on its head. The dragon felt as if everything before its eyes was accelerating, moving too fast for it to track. Though this sensation lasted only a few seconds, it was enough for the dragon to suffer five or six grievous wounds. In particular, Ted’s hammer shattered a rib in the dragon’s chest, causing it immense pain with every beat of its wings.

After more chaotic fighting, the dragon, perhaps realizing it could not defeat them, turned and lunged at the corpse pile, gathering all its remaining strength to destroy both the pile and the cursed egg. At that moment, Suifeng went berserk, triggering a double-strike effect three times in succession, each blow landing on the dragon’s neck. As golden blood sprayed, the dragon’s final attack was thwarted. It looked at Li Bin and his group with lingering resentment before collapsing heavily.

Li Bin and his companions ignored the fallen dragon. The moment the dragon’s blood sprayed out and touched the egg, the shell began to crack. Li Bin rushed forward, casting Vampire Touch and Death Touch directly onto the egg, hoping the hatchling would be born with these innate magical abilities.

However, he was met with golden flames erupting from within the shell. Seeing these flames, Reed looked as if he had seen a ghost and shouted, "My god, it possesses the royal bloodline of the dragon race!"

"The royal bloodline?" Li Bin laughed as he pulled a dark golden dragon, only half a person’s height, from the flames. "It is also our royal bloodline—it belongs to our Princess of the Underworld Dragons, Kadoqin."