Chapter 299: The Power of the Withered Vine Druid

After half a day of binge eating, Willy had consumed a mountain of food, yet his stomach didn't look bloated at all. A dragon's powerful stomach acid could digest even metal and stone, let alone soft food; he deliberately controlled his eating pace to match his digestion.

Fueled by the abundant food, Willy's body visibly bulked up, expanding as if he were being inflated.

Fully satiated, Willy slumped happily in his chair, unwilling to move a single muscle.

The White Dragon Lord studied his lazily slouching younger brother. Willy's scales now carried an almost imperceptible pale blue tint—an outward sign of the dense ice elements gathered within his body.

"Willy, what did you gain from this slumber?"

At the mention of his growth, Willy instantly perked up.

"It's amazing! I feel like I could take on ten of my pre-slumber selves right now."

He stood up and struck a pose to flex his muscles.

Willy wasn't as long as his older brother, but he was by far the most muscular of the four dragon siblings. His neck and tail were far thicker than those of an ordinary white dragon, complemented by thick, sturdy horns and razor-sharp claws. The distinct muscle definition rippling beneath his scales practically screamed raw physical power.

The White Dragon Lord nodded in satisfaction.

Right now, strictly in terms of close-quarters combat, the White Dragon Lord could still fight Willy to a draw by relying on the natural physical advantages of his Ancestral Dragon lineage. But a few decades down the line, once Willy's Warrior class advanced to the Legendary Rank, even Amos would no longer be a match for him in a brawl.

"Run into any bottlenecks with your Warrior training? Spit it out quickly if you have; I'm right in the middle of an experiment."

"Brother, I always feel like when my qi flows to the tip of my tail..."

"..."

The White Dragon Lord had always relied on his vast reservoir of knowledge to instruct Willy, who lacked a proper Warrior teacher. Willy held immense respect for this. Even though Amos was primarily a Mage, he could flawlessly guide his brother's martial progression—a pure testament to his profound erudition.

After exchanging a few more pointers with Willy, the White Dragon Lord returned to the White Tower Laboratory.

Willy followed his brother's advice and headed back to his bedroom for a nap. He planned to get some rest before waking up to begin his strength adaptation training.

...

The fifth year of the White Tower Calendar, winter.

Two months after Willy awoke, Felicia's slumber also came to an end. Her innate talent surpassed Willy's, so her gains were naturally greater, though only by a narrow margin.

What caught the White Dragon Lord completely off guard was that the Withered Vine Druid, Elena, didn't awaken until a full half a year after Felicia.

Going by the rule that a longer slumber equated to greater power gains, Elena—who possessed only average talent—had actually reaped far greater benefits than Felicia.

The White Dragon Lord stared at Elena, who had just woken up and still looked a little groggy, completely stunned.

"Scan."

[Name]: Elena Aldrich

[Level]: Level 21 Dragon, Level 20 Druid

[Power]: Legendary Rank

[Alignment]: Chaotic Neutral

[Description]: An adult female white dragon. Originally an ordinary white dragon with unremarkable talent, she set herself apart by successfully taking on the Druid class. Under the guidance of a renowned master, her Druid level has stepped into the Legendary Rank. Having undergone a high-level Bloodline Advancement Ritual, her body now harbors a trace of Ancestral Dragon blood, and the door to the Ancient Dragon realm has been opened to her.

A dual Legendary!

Following the White Dragon Lord himself, White Castle now had a second dual Legendary powerhouse!

Amos had always assumed Gurgalu would be the second dual Legendary in White Castle. He never expected Elena to beat the ogre chieftain to the punch.

"Hmm?!"

Elena rubbed her bleary eyes and finally registered her older brother standing in front of her.

"Amos, what time is it?"

"It's the winter of the fifth year of the White Tower Calendar," the White Dragon Lord replied. "The season will end in a few days. You've been asleep for four and a half years."

"You need to eat right now to replenish your energy. Rein in the death energy radiating from your body and don't resist—I'm teleporting us to the dining hall."

Prompted by his words, Elena finally noticed her body's condition. A ferocious wave of hunger surged upward, leaving her stomach churning violently.

A moment later, inside the White Castle dining hall.

The White Dragon Lord quietly observed Elena as she ravenously gorged herself. Unlike Felicia and Willy, Elena's scales had taken on a faint grayish-white hue. This was a direct result of the death energy lingering within her body.

So this was a Withered Vine Druid?!

The White Dragon Lord sifted through his memories regarding the Withered Vine Druids. Before reaching the Legendary Rank, they were no different from ordinary druids. However, once they crossed that threshold, the natural primal force within a Withered Vine Druid would completely reverse into death energy.

Due to the corrosive nature of this death energy, their lifespans were drastically shorter—roughly half that of a standard druid. This detrimental effect would only reverse itself once a Withered Vine Druid reached the High-Tier Legend realm.

Upon attaining High-Tier Legend status, a Withered Vine Druid could perfectly command both life and death—two diametrically opposed high-level energies. Their suffering would finally bear fruit, granting them explosive, off-the-charts combat prowess.

But it wasn't just at the High-Tier Legend stage. Given the immense destructive nature of death energy, a Withered Vine Druid's combat strength during the standard Legendary Rank was not to be underestimated either.

Right now, aside from the White Dragon Lord himself and the Ancient Gold Dragon, there was likely no one in White Castle who could take Elena in a head-on fight.

A few hours later, Elena finally finished her meal. The White Dragon Lord turned to his thoroughly satisfied younger sister and asked, "Elena, now that you've reached the Legendary Rank, what are your plans for your Druid training path?"

Elena furrowed her brows in thought.

"I'm really not sure. Master told me I could graduate once I reached the Legendary Rank. I don't actually know what I'm supposed to do next."

The White Dragon Lord was somewhat taken aback.

"Did Master Hajir leave you with any guidance? Like things to watch out for during the Legendary stage?"

"Master only told me that Withered Vine Druids must understand the true essence of death."

The White Dragon Lord found himself at a loss. He could rely on his extensive knowledge to mentor a Master Tier Warrior dragon, but Legendary Rank death energy was completely out of his depth. After all, his own primary domains were frost and the soul.

After a moment of thought, he asked Elena to demonstrate her death energy.

Elena lifted one of her claws, and the death energy within her body seeped out from her palm.

The White Dragon Lord carefully examined the gray death energy gathering in Elena's grasp. It was fundamentally different from the death energy wielded by a lich. A lich's death energy felt cold and putrid, carrying a lingering stench of rot. Elena's death energy, however, conveyed a profound sense of withering and fading decay, carrying the faint, dry scent of desiccated rose petals.

The White Dragon Lord prompted his Gold Finger to record the properties of the Withered Vine Druid's death energy. He figured that those liches, with their insatiable thirst for knowledge, would be exceedingly interested in this.

"I'm going to collect an energy sample of your death energy."

He pulled out a Crystal Ball and rapidly began chanting an incantation.

Guided by his spell, the death energy in Elena's hand was drawn out like spun silk, transforming into wisps of gray smoke that swirled into the transparent Crystal Ball.

By the time the incantation ended, the transparent Crystal Ball was completely filled with the energy. The gray mist churned inside the glass, roiling like thick smoke and heavy clouds.

Amos stored the Crystal Ball away. He planned to hand it over to a lich. Since both utilized death energy, there were bound to be some underlying similarities.

Shortly after, Elena stepped through a teleportation array to find her teacher. She hadn't expected the Bloodline Advancement Ritual to simultaneously drag her Druid professional level up with it, and she wanted to give the Cat-Woman a pleasant surprise.

Meanwhile, the White Dragon Lord teleported directly to Blood Rage Island. He was going to deliver the Crystal Ball right into the hands of the lich, Philidel.

The entrance to the lich's lair was hidden among a cluster of underwater reefs. The local ecosystem was surprisingly pristine; dark green seaweed clung to the submerged rocks, and nameless little fish darted playfully through the fronds.

Suddenly, the lazily swimming fish flicked their tails and darted straight back into the thick seaweed to hide—a massive white dragon was passing by.

The White Dragon Lord paid no mind to the tiny aquatic creatures. He swam over to the entrance of the lich's cave, shoved aside the massive boulder blocking the opening, and used magic to shrink his body before slipping inside.

After rolling the boulder back into place, the White Dragon Lord ventured deeper into the cavern, eventually walking up an incline until his head broke the water's surface.

The first half of the lich's cave was no different from any ordinary cavern, aside from the heavy, suffocating humidity in the air caused by being entirely underwater.

It wasn't long before the White Dragon Lord spotted a doorway. Philidel was already standing at the threshold.

"Welcome to my laboratory, Lord Amos."

The lich, having newly reconstructed his physical body, stepped aside and offered a polite gesture of invitation.

"Would you care for a tour of my laboratory?"

"I'd be honored."

Contrary to common belief, the lich's laboratory was completely devoid of the expected blood and gloom. In fact, it was lavishly decorated. Magic Lamps hung along the walls of the corridors, and a plush black carpet lined the floor.

Indeed, becoming an undead lich did not erase a person's mortal memories or personal tastes. Philidel had furnished his cavern precisely according to his habits from when he was alive. The only drawback was that undead creatures didn't need to breathe; thus, there were no ventilation shafts, making the stagnant air inside feel rather stifling to the White Dragon Lord.

Of course, the tales bards sang about gore-soaked lich tombs filled with rotting corpses weren't lies—but that was what happened after a lich went insane. Having only been dead for a hundred years, Philidel was still a long, long way from losing his mind.

A sane lich's laboratory was practically indistinguishable from the home of any ordinary Legendary Mage. Finding nothing particularly novel about it, the White Dragon Lord quickly lost interest and spoke as they walked.

"Sir Philidel, I've acquired a sample of death energy. And this particular energy is rather unique."

The lich's interest was instantly piqued. He accepted the Crystal Ball from the White Dragon Lord and held the swirling gray mist up to his hollow eye sockets, his eerie blue soul-fire flaring brightly within them.

"Fascinating... Another configuration of death energy. I've never seen death in such a pure state before. Tell me, Lord Amos, where did you procure this unique energy?"

"To tell you the truth, my younger sister is a student of Master Hajir from the Nine Eyes Alliance."

"Master Hajir?! That terrifying Cat-Woman?!"

At the mere mention of Hajir's name, the lich actually flinched back a step before a wave of manic excitement washed over him.

"So this is the death energy of a Withered Vine Druid!"

The White Dragon Lord silently observed the lich's dramatic reaction. Clearly, the Cat-Woman had left a severe psychological shadow on him. But Amos had no interest in prying into someone else's embarrassing history.

"Sir Philidel, what exactly is the difference between a Withered Vine Druid's death energy and the death energy wielded by a lich?"

"They are entirely different."

"Oh? In what way?"

"Hmm... This touches upon the very morphology of death itself. It's incredibly complex."

The lich trailed off, pausing to organize his thoughts before speaking again.

"To put it simply, the death energy mastered by liches represents absolute termination. But a Withered Vine Druid's death energy is a cyclical death born from the transformation of life. It's akin to autumn leaves falling into the soil and decomposing into nutrients to feed the earth. It is an intrinsic part of nature."

The lich let out a deep, rattling sigh.

"The flourishing and withering of all things, the eternal cycle of life and death—that is the philosophy of the Withered Vine Druids."

It seemed Philidel actually knew a fair bit about the Withered Vine Druids. The White Dragon Lord kept his expression perfectly neutral.

"In that case, would you be interested in researching this Withered Vine Druid's death energy?"

"I couldn't ask for anything better!"

The lich agreed immediately.

"If I can unravel the profound mysteries of the Withered Vine Druids, I might be able to reverse life and death itself! I could regain my life—my life in the truest, biological sense!"

It made sense. If death hadn't been an unavoidable absolute, no one would ever willingly turn themselves into a walking rack of bones.

The lich was practically vibrating with excitement, clearly eager to start his experiments right this second. The allure of the Withered Vine Druids' secrets was overwhelmingly powerful to him.

With his goal accomplished and the lich clearly itching to begin his work, the White Dragon Lord smoothly took his leave and teleported back to the White Tower.

Not long after he returned to the White Tower, Elena also arrived.

In the main hall of the White Tower, the two dragon siblings caught up.

"What did Master Hajir say?"

Elena gave a helpless shrug.

"Master said that you have to forge your own path after reaching the Legendary Rank. Everyone's Legendary path is unique."

"Did she give you any advice at all?"

"Master told me to conquer the Necromantic Plane, purify it, and bring it back to life. She said that witnessing a plane transition from death to rebirth would help me truly understand the meaning of life and death."

Elena collapsed onto the floor, looking utterly dead inside.

"Ahhh! Amos, how is that even possible?! The Necromantic Plane is packed with powerhouses! Even Master can't fight them all off!"

The White Dragon Lord rolled his eyes. It turned out this foolish sister of his thought the specific Necromantic Plane she had visited was the only one in existence.

"I told you to read more books, but you chose to sleep instead. Did you honestly think there was only one Necromantic Plane out there?"

The completely despondent Elena instantly sprang back to life.

"Are you saying there's more than one?!"

"The Underworld is the only one of its kind. But there are countless Necromantic Planes."

The White Dragon Lord paused to organize his thoughts before explaining.

"Throughout the multiverse, there are numerous small and medium-sized worlds that have been destroyed by the undead. Some were overrun by foreign undead invaders, while others were hollowed out from the inside by native undead creatures like liches."

"But regardless of the cause, once a world is devoid of living beings, the entire plane is gradually corrupted by death energy. Stripped of all vitality, it devolves into a festering wasteland of decay. Planes that fall into this state are universally referred to as Necromantic Planes."

The White Dragon Lord considered it for a moment and decided to help Elena conquer a Necromantic Plane.

With White Castle's current military might, subjugating a smaller Necromantic Plane wouldn't be too difficult. The real problem was that the White Dragon Lord had no idea where to find one that fit the bill.

It looked like he was going to have to ask around.