Free Web NovelChapter 292: Chapter 221: Dragon Blood (Part 2)
He looked down and saw a cyan bracelet on his wrist.
The bracelet was composed of a series of jade-green, diamond-shaped plates strung together. Nia had given it to him not long ago as a small gift, explaining that it was an ornament from the Yinsaike Race meant to ensure one’s safety—something like a good luck charm.
He was wearing a long-sleeved jacket. He must have subconsciously gripped his backpack when he turned just now, exposing the bracelet on his wrist and catching the large lizard’s attention.
"Where did you get that thing on your wrist?" the large lizard asked, its eyes fixed on the bracelet.
"A friend gave it to me." Han Ning took off the bracelet.
"Could you let me have a look? Don’t worry, I won’t damage it."
"You can look at it from here. This bracelet is very important to me," Han Ning said with a smile, extending his arm to show the bracelet to the large lizard.
The large lizard didn’t press the issue. Instead, it stared at the bracelet with a thoughtful expression.
After more than a minute of silence, it spoke. "These are scale fragments from a Yimu Flood Dragon. On this continent, the only Alien Races that can obtain such scales are the Yinsaike, the Canglan, and the Cyan God Armor."
"A Yimu Flood Dragon... You know of the Yinsaike Race? This bracelet was indeed left by an Insect Master from the Yinsaike Race."
Han Ning hadn’t known the bracelet was woven from the fragments of Flood Dragon scales. He couldn’t sense any Dragon Type aura from it, likely because so much time had passed that any residual aura had long since faded away.
He briefly explained his connection to the Yinsaike Race.
"Scales from the Yinsaike... then they must have been left by Qingyao..." The large lizard nodded, its gaze toward Han Ning softening for the first time as it introduced itself. "My name is Qing Fan, a member of the Dragon Blood Race. Since you hold a scale from Qingyao, you are a guest of our Jade Forest. Please, come in."
The large lizard, Qing Fan, waved away the curtain of light and gestured for Han Ning to enter.
"I’m Han Ning."
Han Ning offered a friendly smile. Flanked by his Soul Beasts for protection, he walked over to Qing Fan’s side and asked curiously, "Dragon Blood Race?"
"A long time ago, we were also one of the clans of Sesmiya. Later, our ancestors came into conflict with the Queen and broke away. They replaced their insect blood with Dragon Blood, and from then on, we called ourselves the Dragon Blood Race," Qing Fan explained briefly.
Listening to Qing Fan’s description, Han Ning was reminded of the Burning Fire Race, who had once tried to convert their bloodline to Dragon Blood...
’The Burning Fire Race failed, but I never expected an Insect Master Family to actually succeed!’
’Then again... looking at Qing Fan’s current state, I’m not sure you could call it a success.’
’The Sesmiya, the Insect-men, still retain human features. But Qing Fan has completely lost any human appearance. He has the form of a pure beast.’
’Fortunately, he’s retained his intelligence.’
The two of them chatted as they walked, covering a distance of about ten kilometers.
A dozen or so houses, built entirely from wood and vines, came into view.
It was clear at a glance that they had been built by intelligent beings.
SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK~ SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK~
Just as Han Ning walked into the cluster of buildings, a dozen or so small Guardians, each only tens of centimeters long, suddenly scampered out from near the small buildings.
The small Guardians ran around and around Qing Fan, their large eyes filled with curiosity.
"Huh?"
It wasn’t just the small Guardians who were curious; Han Ning was also sizing them up with interest.
The Guardians’ appearance was somewhat similar to Egg Pancake’s when he was young, but with a few differences.
They had a pair of sharp little horns on their heads and a pair of tiny wings on their backs. Their bodies were all a uniform, pale jade color, whereas Egg Pancake had originally been brownish-yellow.
On closer inspection, however, there were subtle differences between each of the small Guardians.
Some had darker scales, others lighter. Some had sharper horns, while others were more rounded.
Their eye colors also varied; there were red, cyan, and yellow.
[
Race: Cyan Jade Guardian
Gender: Male
Talent: D
Level: Entry Level I
Talent: None
Acquired Soul Techniques: Growth
Consume 1500 Energy to unlock the second evolutionary branch for the Cyan Jade Guardian?
]
’The Cyan Jade Guardian... it must be a Soul Beast that possesses a Dragon Type Bloodline.’
’Compared to how Egg Pancake started, a Cyan Jade Guardian doesn’t need to put in much effort. As it grows, the Dragon Type Bloodline within it will gradually awaken, allowing it to naturally evolve into a Sub-dragon with a Dragon Type Bloodline.’
’It’s enough to make other beasts green with envy.’
’Egg Pancake, on the other hand, is like a descendant from a side branch who had to struggle just to be officially recognized.’
"These little guys are pretty cute."
The small Guardians were quite bold and not at all afraid of strangers. Upon seeing Han Ning and his Soul Beasts, they all gathered around.
SQUEAK?
Egg Pancake looked at the small Guardians all over the ground, a dumbfounded B expression on its face.
The small Guardians, in turn, caught the scent coming from Egg Pancake and all froze in surprise.
One of the more mischievous and bolder small Guardians scampered right up to Egg Pancake. Staring with its big eyes, it waved its front paws and let out a torrent of squeaks.
Egg Pancake scratched its head, a puzzled look on its face.
’Where did all these little runts who look just like I did when I was small come from?’
SQUEAK?
It tried to communicate with the small Guardian in front of it...
"After evolving, Cyan Jade Guardians become Jade-Scaled Lizard Tigers, a type of Wood Type Sub-dragon," Qing Fan explained. He led Han Ning into the small living room of a wooden house, had him sit down, and poured him a cup of vibrant green liquid. Then, he asked casually,
"Han Ning, what is your purpose for coming to the Jade Forest?"
"You may not believe this, but I came here purely by accident... I don’t have any particular purpose." Han Ning briefly explained about Egg Pancake’s breakthrough and how they ended up here, then tentatively took a sip of the liquid in his cup.
It tasted a bit like green tea—slightly bitter, but with a clean, sweet aftertaste. It was actually a pretty good drink.
"So that’s what happened... Its name is Egg Pancake?" Qing Fan said with dawning realization. "Egg Pancake is a Rock Dragon, correct? The Dragon Species in our Jade Forest are mostly Wood and Earth Type. There’s some overlap in their Attributes, so it’s possible we could help it."
Hearing this, Han Ning’s eyes lit up. "How so?"
Qing Fan pointed to the massive tree towering into the clouds behind him. "The Lord of the Jade Forest, Akatos, resides in the canopy, in the Cyan Wood Nest. He is a powerful Green Dragon and was also the Contracted Soul Beast of the Dragon Blood Race’s founder."
"Lord Akatos is a Monarch Level Giant Dragon. Elder Qingyao, the one with ties to the Yinsaike Race, is one of Lord Akatos’s Attendants."
"Monarch Level?!" Han Ning exclaimed in surprise. "A powerful being at the Monarch Level can’t leave this place and lead the Dragon Blood Race to find a better home?"
"Lord Akatos is a Monarch, but do you think the Queen and the Five Great Ancestors aren’t? In fact, they are even more powerful Monarchs," Qing Fan said with a bitter smile.
"That..." Han Ning fell silent.
’He had long suspected that the Queen was a Monarch Level Soul Beast.’
’Back then, that Golden Flame Rock Dragon had only just broken through to the Monarch Level, yet it was still ganged up on and killed by the Five Ancestor Families.’
’Still... being able to secure a sanctuary on this continent, right under the noses of the Queen and the Five Great Ancestors, was a testament to Akatos’s power.’
’Judging by Qing Fan’s attitude, he probably thinks I’ve come to the Jade Forest with a token from Qingyao to ask for help...’
Han Ning didn’t want to use up the favor the Yinsaike Race was owed, so he decided to be upfront.
"Brother Qing Fan, I came here purely by accident. Er... I didn’t bring Lord Qingyao’s token to ask for help. Please don’t misunderstand."
"No, this has nothing to do with the Yinsaike Race. To be honest, it’s a bit embarrassing, but... I was actually hoping to ask you for a favor." Qing Fan’s somewhat ferocious lizard-like face twisted into an embarrassed smile as he revealed his true purpose.
"Han Ning, if you really find the Purgatory Red Lotus, would you be willing to share some with me? In addition to introducing you to Lord Akatos, I have other gifts I can offer."
’So he’s after the Purgatory Red Lotus.’
Learning Qing Fan’s true intentions, Han Ning actually relaxed. He hadn’t really believed he could receive such treatment based on a mere token.
Seeing the fluctuations of Wood Type Spiritual Energy coming from the small snake on Qing Fan’s shoulder, he knew this individual was a powerful Beast Master, definitely no weaker than Fei Ming.
