Chapter 618 - 488: Dragon Tomb: The Biggest BUG (2)

"The Dragon Race... a race of legends." Xu Zilan also looked away.

"The Dragon Race?"

"Yes. Just like Werewolves, the Blood Race, Vampires, and Snow Demons... If all those races exist, then of course the Dragon Race exists too." Xu Zilan nodded gently.

"But... the Dragon Race isn’t among the Hundred Races, is it?" Gao Neng knew perfectly well that the Dragon Race wasn’t part of the Allied Army of the other races.

"Just because they aren’t among the Hundred Races doesn’t mean they don’t exist!" Xu Zilan’s tone suddenly grew stern, her breathing even becoming a little ragged.

"Mom... are you a dragon?" Gao Neng hesitated for a moment before finally asking.

"No, I’m not. The Dragon Race is the Dragon Race... I’m human, just like you. Understand? Don’t ever ask me that question again." Xu Zilan’s brows knitted slightly.

"Okay, I understand..."

"You want to know why I can transform into a dragon, don’t you?"

"Yes!"

"I’ve already told you. It’s because I’m the only person to have ever entered the Dragon Tomb."

"Is the Dragon Tomb the source of evolution for the Dragon Race?"

"No, the Dragon Race doesn’t have a source of evolution. They are the noblest of races. How could they be the same as those other races? We drago— In short, the members of the Dragon Race are born as the strong!"

"Then what’s inside the Dragon Tomb?" Gao Neng asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Dragon Bones, and Dragon Blood... The Dragon Tomb is where the Dragon Race buries their own. It is also a cursed place. No one else had ever gone inside. Only I... walked out of the Dragon Tomb, and afterward, I possessed the ability to transform into a dragon," Xu Zilan explained.

"So that’s how it is... In that case, what about Dad? What kind of person was he?" Gao Neng had been asking Xu Zilan this question his entire life, but he had never once received an answer.

Now, he was asking the question once more...

It was impossible for him not to feel nervous.

"A powerhouse!" Xu Zilan gave Gao Neng a profound look, her hand unconsciously coming to rest on his face. "He was a man even more powerful than I am."

"Was Dad one of the Strongest, too?" Gao Neng tilted his head back.

"No, he wasn’t! At least... not before he disappeared! But he was stronger than any of the Strongest!" Xu Zilan’s voice was filled with conviction as she finished.

"..." Gao Neng’s lips moved.

He wanted to ask something more, but in the end, he held his tongue.

’Xu Zilan said Dad was the most powerful man, but she also said he wasn’t one of the Strongest. The two statements were a clear contradiction.’

Just as he was pondering this, an arrogant laugh echoed from the sky.

"Hahaha... I, Death God Fang Tangtang, have finally broken through to high-tier! Gao Neng... perfect timing! Come and fight me, Death God Fang Tangtang!" As her voice rang out, a streak of fire descended.

"’You want to get beaten up right after breaking through? I guess I have no choice but to indulge you.’" Gao Neng watched Fang Tangtang charge down at him, shaking his head involuntarily.

"SWISH!"

"SWISH!"

"..."

More than thirty Tier-8 genetic weapons appeared out of thin air.

And they instantly surrounded the descending Fang Tangtang.

"Aaargh!"

"BAM! BAM! BAM!"

"SMACK!"

A miserable scream rang out.

"Gao Neng, you’re cheating! What happened to our one-on-one duel?!" Fang Tangtang protested loudly, her butt aching from the beating.

"It is. It’s you, alone, challenging a group of them..." Gao Neng pursed his lips. ’This girl Fang Tangtang... trying to challenge my position the moment she breaks through. If I don’t teach her a lesson now, won’t she get completely out of control later?’

’Lolis are nice and all, but not if they aren’t trained properly!’

"THUD!"

After the flurry of fists and feet, Fang Tangtang was finally lying obediently on the ground.

Gao Neng was thinking about going to check out the Blood Pool.

’Maybe I can break through, too?’

But just as he was about to say something, he suddenly heard the sound of urgent footsteps and an anxious shout from nearby.

’The Blood Shadow Army?’ Gao Neng’s brow furrowed. Then, a thought immediately struck him. ’Don’t tell me that girl Mu Feifei escaped?’

"Lord... Lord Gao Neng, we have terrible news! The Ninth Princess of the Celestial Race, Mu Feifei, killed two members of the Blood Shadow Army and vanished." The soldier who ran up looked nervous.

"’She killed two members of the Blood Shadow Army?’" Gao Neng’s brow furrowed even tighter.

’Her wings are broken. How can she still be so strong?’

’Those two guards from the Blood Shadow Army were both high-tier experts!’

"Search the entire city! Have your Clan King Blood Spray lead the Blood Shadow Army to find her personally!" Xu Zilan’s expression turned grim when she heard the news. "She absolutely must not be allowed to escape the Royal City!"

"Yes!" The Blood Shadow Army soldier immediately withdrew.

"Little Neng, does this Ninth Princess know your identity?" Xu Zilan looked at Gao Neng again.

"She probably doesn’t." Gao Neng shook his head.

"That’s good... If she really found out your identity, then the fact that we’ve taken control of the Blood Race would likely be exposed," Xu Zilan said with some worry.

"Mom, is there some kind of plan?" Gao Neng looked at Xu Zilan’s worried expression and was inexplicably reminded of his own mission.

"Yes, my original plan was to just control any random race. That way, Gao Xiaomeng and her Cat Race would have a territory of their own. But now that we’ve actually managed to control the Blood Race, our plan can be a bit bolder."

"How much bolder?" Gao Neng asked again.

"We’ll try to secretly control a few more races, of course. Ideally, we can form a fortress on the Blood Race’s borders, allowing us to use them as a base. However, these things take time... a lot of time!" Xu Zilan trailed off, her gaze on Gao Neng turning peculiar. "Little Neng, you have a plan of your own, don’t you?"

"Didn’t you say before that a source of evolution only has two keys, Mom? How are we supposed to control other races then?" Gao Neng didn’t answer her question directly, asking one of his own instead.

"Mom doesn’t need to be the one to answer that for you." Gao Xiaomeng, who was standing nearby, heard Gao Neng and immediately cut in.

"You... don’t tell me you can..."

"That’s right. As long as I have enough evolutionary energy, I can create an endless supply of keys of the root!" Gao Xiaomeng nodded, her face beaming with pride.

"’As long as you have evolutionary energy, you can create keys of the root? So... that’s what it meant to plant a seed!’" Gao Neng suddenly understood.

’That’s right! According to Xu Zilan, a source of evolution had at most two keys, which meant a major race could control one minor race at most. But Gao Xiaomeng was different! She was a being who could create the ’source of evolution’ itself! For instance, the eight branches currently controlling the Blood Pool were her creation. So, Gao Xiaomeng... she’s the biggest cheat code of all! A being who can infinitely create keys of the ’root’!’

"Although Xiaomeng can create keys of the root, every race’s source of evolution is heavily guarded. We only managed to take control of the Blood Race this time because we were extremely lucky. That kind of luck is rare, so it will still be very difficult to control other races," Xu Zilan added.

"Yeah, it really was luck... The Blood Marshal was killed, Blood Frenzy left to avenge him, and we managed to get into the Blood Race’s Royal Hall without a hitch. It’s only because of all that luck that we were able to control the Blood Race. However... I don’t think our lucky streak has run out just yet." Gao Neng suddenly looked up.

"Hasn’t run out? What do you mean?" Gao Xiaomeng blinked.

"Before our luck runs out... you guys want to go big?" Gao Neng glanced at Gao Xiaomeng in front of him, then at Xu Zilan, and finally at Fang Tangtang, who was still whimpering on the ground.