Chapter 224 – Wind King's Wings and Dragon Form

“After Sophia’s evolution, the Human Race Evolution Points have dwindled to just over two thousand.”

The Human Race has now become a major consumer of points. However, remnant souls of the human type are also the easiest to acquire, and their numbers have grown rapidly, slightly surpassing those of the undead category.

“As for the Undead Race Evolution Points, we currently have over nineteen thousand stored.”

Mu Yuan was hesitating whether to evolve Bone Two, Bone Three, and Bone Four or the Undead General.

According to the current contribution evaluation system in Tianyuan Territory, the contributions of generals like Bone Two and others are indeed significant. They serve as the main force of the Exploration Corps and now occasionally lead their own units to develop in less dangerous areas.

Since they haven’t mastered ‘Undead Resurrection,’ Deadbone isn’t entirely at ease, so their exploration areas are concentrated in the west and east, primarily to map out wild territories while avoiding conflicts with powerful monsters.

If their contributions are considerable, compared to them, the Undead General’s contributions are astronomical.

“Let’s evolve Bone Two, Bone Three, and Bone Four to the Epic tier first. After all, once they evolve and awaken the Epic Skill ‘Undead Territory,’ they can serve as a backup energy source for Deadbone, effectively increasing his burst potential.”

“After that, we’ll focus entirely on supplying Deadbone’s evolution, aiming for Epic two-star, three-star, and even Legendary!”

Of course,

He’d prefer to have it all.

“Hasn’t Sophia’s company expanded to a large scale? In that case, I’ll support her with a large amount of Soul Crystals to purchase a vast quantity of undead-type remnant souls.”

“All the troubles with Evolution Points stem from insufficient numbers.”

Charge ahead.

…

Charge, crow!

Sophia sat in the main seat of the conference room, fingers interlaced, her gaze radiating an intense pressure almost imperceptibly.

She was excited!

So excited that her toes curled.

“The Big Boss has given the order for us to continue expanding the company’s scale and develop new markets.””

“No need to worry, no need to hesitate. All fear arises from insufficient firepower, and we, having received reinforcements from headquarters, will forge ahead under the Big Boss’s guidance.”

Sophia scanned the room, licking her lips as she said, “The codename for this expansion—Operation Undead.”

Operation Undead!

Truly an instruction from the Big Boss, as ruthless as the President!

No, even more ruthless than the President.

Even before it begins, the enemies are already regarded as undead, as lifeless entities, exuding an air of certain victory.

Truly worthy of the Big Boss.

…

“Achoo~!”

Mu Yuan sneezed, feeling a bit strange.

He thought to himself that someone as low-key as him shouldn’t, in theory, attract anyone’s attention.

Oh, perhaps it’s some girls thinking about him. Fortunately, he always protects himself properly when going out.

“Screech~! Screech~!”

A sky-blue large bird was soaring freely above the territory. It flew down and landed beside Mu Yuan, emitting impatient cries.

Evolution!

Bird Lord wants to evolve!

This was Asun.

One of the undisputed veteran retainers of Tianyuan Territory, who had risked life and death for the territory on numerous occasions—chased by gargoyles, pursued by harpies, hunted by blood vultures, ambushed by monsters in the dense forest, etc.—the first half of Bird Lord’s life was full of bumps and bruises, yet he survived with remarkable resilience.

Although Asun’s importance has diminished with the territory’s development, and outdoor exploration and reconnaissance have become less dangerous, Mu Yuan certainly hasn’t forgotten this veteran retainer of the territory.However, not forgetting is one thing, but gathering 5,000 units of flight-type Evolution Points is no easy task.

Asun had applied for evolution ten days ago, scheduled for today.

Due to excessive excitement, this large cyan bird had been circling the territory these past days, occasionally letting out a sharp, exhilarated cry—if it weren’t for its familiarity among the residents, who often saw it patrolling the area and eliminating stray monsters, its constant flying might have caused panic.

After all, Asun was a large bird with a wingspan of several meters.

“Thinking back to the old days, you were just a tiny thing, chased for hundreds of meters by a harpy, and only escaped by squeezing into a narrow mountain crevice.”

Mu Yuan sighed nostalgically.

Asun: “!”

Boss, can we please not bring up those embarrassing past stories!

You see, to showcase the grandeur of its evolution, Asun had specifically invited two hundred birds to witness the event.

If the boss brought this up now, and the embarrassing story spread among the bird community, Asun’s lifelong reputation would be ruined.

Oh, wait, it seemed it was already ruined.

One after another, War Falcons and Hurricane Falcons cried out in succession.

Mu Yuan patted Asun’s wing. “Don’t panic. Many of them haven’t Awakened self-awareness yet and won’t deliberately remember such trivial matters.”

Asun breathed a sigh of relief.

“But those Senior falcons who have Awakened self-awareness might pass this story down through generations.”

Asun: “…”

Asun was, after all, one of the territory’s most seasoned veterans and often collaborated with exploration teams on missions. For its evolution, Dolai, Bone Two, and other skeletons had come to cheer it on.

Wait, didn’t that mean even more people would learn about its embarrassing past?

Oh, right, General Dolai and the others already knew, so it was fine.

The evolution VIP package of Tianyuan Territory had been continuously refined, striving to help its officers gain more benefits during their epic evolution.

Today’s package included an evolution ritual array.

Isloria was using powder ground from Soul Sand to inscribe the array on the ground.

“This ritual array aims to prolong the mystical and intoxicating state during evolution, assisting the evolver in gaining greater benefits from the process.”

This was developed after observing Sophia’s evolution and collecting blood samples, saliva samples, and other samples from her—the v0.01 version of the evolution assistance ritual array.

“Of course, since this array is still a laboratory version and needs further refinement, whether it can achieve the intended effect… I personally think it’s quite unlikely, which is why we need to conduct experiments and collect more materials and data.”

“Well, no need to worry. Although it’s an experiment, there are no side effects—at most, it just won’t have a positive effect.”

Isloria, holding a notebook in her arms, spoke with utmost seriousness.

Around her, several assistants set up recording devices.

Asun: “…”

It was supposed to be the long-awaited chance for evolution;

It was supposed to be the moment it could become a true powerhouse, but…

Why was it trembling all over on such a hot day?

After Isloria finished drawing the assistance ritual array, Asun stepped onto the platform as if marching into a den of knives and a sea of flames. The next moment…

「Flight-type Evolution Points -5,000.」

「Prompt: Your unit ‘Asun’ is undergoing a Miracle evolution.」

A dazzling white light enveloped the large bird, Asun.

Within the light, Asun’s body visibly swelled in size.Isloria stood by, eyes unblinking as she watched, her hands constantly jotting down notes while murmuring to herself, “Size increased by 5%… 15%… 45%…”

“Its body is still growing, with noticeable changes in the shape of its beak and talons.”

“This is also a rare experimental specimen indeed.”

True enough.

During the Epic evolution stage, subordinates like Lu Liu, Seventeen, Red Robe, Rakshasa, Deadbone, and Dolai showed no significant morphological changes—they remained exactly as they were before evolution.

But with Asun, Mu Yuan rediscovered the joy of morphological transformation that came with initial evolution.

「Prompt: Asun bathes in the light of evolution, ascends to become the Epic lifeform ‘Wind King’s Wings’, awakens the Epic Skill ‘Wind Imprint’, and simultaneously masters the field skill ‘Domain of Howling Winds’.」

After two and a half minutes, the faint phenomena of Epic evolution and the evolutionary glow surrounding Asun gradually faded.

Asun spread its wings—a magnificent pair spanning over ten meters, with feathers carved like sapphires, shimmering brilliantly under the sunlight.

“Screech—!”

It let out a clear, exhilarated cry, gently flapping its wings as the surrounding winds surged like loyal subjects, lifting it high into the sky.

It soared through the heavens, moving faster and faster until Mu Yuan’s eyes could no longer keep up with its flight speed, barely catching glimpses of a cyan afterimage darting across the firmament.

Its speed was extreme!

It was the ruler of the winds!

It carried the majesty of a king!

“Asun’s current mastery over wind elements is unparalleled in the entire territory—far surpassing Dolai and Isloria.”

“Moreover, if enemies were to use wind-based spells in Asun’s presence, it could forcibly seize control of those spells.”

Even though Asun possessed little spellcasting prowess itself—its simple mind couldn’t grasp complex techniques—its innate Epic Skill ‘Wind Imprint’ allowed it to command all winds, establishing it as the sovereign over most aerial forces.

Without doubt, the evolved Asun was reborn, now qualified to compete for a spot among Tianyuan’s top ten.

It had grown stronger.

But also larger.

“While its strength is undeniable, it has become too conspicuous and dazzling, making it less suitable for stealthy deep reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines.”

“Well, the reconnaissance squad isn’t lacking one bird anyway. Given its increased size and flight speed, this means…”

Asun would be perfectly suited for transport operations.

In the future, sending Asun to Boulder City would be faster than deploying Dolai.

An Epic-class transport aircraft—worth having, quality guaranteed.

High above in the azure sky, Asun reveled in its current form, elegantly displaying its majestic bearing.

From this day forth, it, Asun, would stand above the heavens.

“Screech—!”

The sky-blue divine bird with wings spanning over ten meters slightly raised its head as it gracefully descended to the ground.

Then, a second evolutionary glow erupted.

Today, two subordinates were undergoing Epic evolution.

One was a bird, the other a human.

Human evolution, of course, couldn’t achieve the majestic grandeur of its avian lordship—Bird Lord remained the most dazzling presence on the scene…

While Asun was still preening its feathers, showcasing its gem-like cyan plumage to the crowd, the evolutionary radiance nearby gradually faded, followed by…

“Roar~!”

Xiliu, the newly evolved Dragon Blood Valkyrie, couldn’t suppress a low, authoritative roar.Her eyes turned crimson, like solidified magma.

Deep within her body, a certain bloodline was purifying and awakening.

She let out a dragon’s roar!

“Roar!”

Xiliu, whose evolution white light had just faded, transformed into light once more. This time, it was a blazing red radiance.

Bathed in the red glow, she staggered and collapsed to the ground, then her entire body rapidly expanded, transforming in the blink of an eye into a massive dragon with a muscular yet elegantly contoured form, its crimson scales gleaming brilliantly.

A Red Dragon!

Her wings spanned twenty to thirty meters, her teeth were sharp and menacing like swords, and her exhaled breath resembled flames.

Asun, having just completed its evolution and grown two to three times in size, appeared majestic and imposing. Yet, positioned near the Red Dragon, it seemed like… a mere younger sibling in comparison.

Asun: “???”

Its newly evolved form!

Though Xiliu had completed her evolution and transformed into a Red Dragon, her eyes remained tightly shut, as if she had not yet emerged from the profound state of evolution.

Asun really is unreliable.

No, could it be that it’s too excited to maintain control over its evolution state?

Mu Yuan checked the prompt messages.

“Ding!”

“Prompt: Your Hero ‘Xiliu’ has advanced to an Epic lifeform. Her class remains unchanged.”

“Prompt: Xiliu’s talent has transformed during evolution. ‘Red Dragon Bloodline’ has advanced to ‘High Red Dragon Bloodline.’ The ‘Dragon Roar’ talent has been enhanced. When facing dragon-type creatures, Xiliu’s attacks can directly damage the soul. Additionally, dragon-type creatures slain by Xiliu and whose souls are absorbed cannot be resurrected.”

Xiliu’s anti-dragon specialization has been further upgraded.

Previously, Mu Yuan had briefly wondered: if Xiliu were to slay a Bone Dragon and Deadbone attempted to resurrect it, how would the Dragon Roar talent respond?

Of course, he was only speculating.

After all, Dragon Roar involves the soul and shouldn’t be tested recklessly. Moreover, even if there were no risks, he wouldn’t allow Xiliu to accumulate Dragon Roar through such an Evil Path.

His subordinates are comrades, not expendable resources.

Accumulating Dragon Roar was indeed difficult in the early stages, requiring at minimum the slaying of dragon-type creatures like Crimson Dragonkin. But as Xiliu’s Rank and grade improve, accumulating Dragon Roar will become less challenging in the future.

Furthermore,

Xiliu has indeed gained the ability to transform into a giant dragon.

“Prompt: Xiliu has awakened the skills ‘Giant Dragon Mode,’ ‘Blazing Domain,’ and ‘Hunter’s Instinct.'”

The first two were expected, but the third skill…

“Hunter’s Instinct: Hero Xiliu, having long engaged in hunting activities, has awakened an instinct for tracking prey. This instinct is particularly effective against dragon-type creatures and prey that Xiliu desires.”

Hunter’s Instinct?

More like a glutton’s intuition.

Xiliu didn’t awaken an Epic Skill, but with her bloodline evolution and ability to transform into a dragon, her combat power is not only not lacking but ranks in the upper-middle tier among the Epic subordinates in the territory.

After all, she is a Dragon.

Xiliu’s own foundation is also quite solid.

“Speaking of which, Xiliu’s evolution mainly enhances her talents. She’s probably one of those top-tier Elite Rank 3 units who can advance to Epic with just a slight purification of her bloodline.”

…

Outside the Tyrant Dragon Territory, over a hundred kilometers away, in a special Treasure Land known as the Blazing Magma Pool.

Crimson Dragonkin Hogg, bare-chested, emerged from the magma pool. White steam hissed from his body, and his bronze skin was covered with red patterns, showcasing his power and depth.Tyrant Dragon Lord gazed into the distance with great satisfaction.

“Hogg’s Dragon Bloodline has been further purified. Given time, he will surely be able to incarnate into a true Dragon.”

This was his hope.

He would prove that in the pursuit of Dragons, he was second to none.

……

Divine Radiance Empire, Eye of Divine Radiance.

A masked man stood with his hands behind his back, addressing a young man kneeling on one knee not far away.

“Has this year’s representative for the Taixuan Dragon Court competition been confirmed?”

“The confirmed Lords are Shen Mao, Tyrant Dragon, Kongming, and Wuji. As for the other two slots, Taixuan tried to mislead us, but we still managed to pick up some clues…”

The young man stated confidently, “The hidden trump card Taixuan has prepared for this session is a Lord named Youshan, who possesses an Epic-grade Hero.”

“Epic, you say?”

The masked man murmured softly, “Epic is indeed not to be underestimated, but…”

But their Divine Radiance Empire’s representatives possessed far more than just one Epic.

Writer’s block and dizziness, only four thousand words today, Or2!

(End of Chapter)