The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

“Moo…”

Old Hua let out a mournful bellow and collapsed in a pool of blood.

Clenching the Crimson Blood Sword, Liszt, peering through the fortress’s window, once again activated the small amount of Dou Qi he had just recovered and cast the Eye of Magic.

His vision transformed, and beside the flame, a greyish-white Formless Dragon composed of magic power was tearing into the old dairy cow, bite by bite. It had already devoured Old Black whole and was now savoring Old Hua, occasionally lifting its head to look around alertly while eating.

Its shape was indistinguishable from the depictions of giant dragons Liszt had seen in books.

A standard Western dragon’s form, just slightly more slender.

It had four limbs, but its wings did not fold up when walking on the ground. The wings were somewhat like those of a bat, with an arm-like structure inside where fingers were spread to support the spread of the wing membranes. When the fingers spread, the wings would open; when the fingers closed, the wings would contract.

However, because the wings were structured like arms, they couldn’t fold tight like a bird’s.

But they could fold, similar to the bending of an elbow, and in the middle of the wings at the palm bones’ position, there was an extra finger that grew out, resembling a hook or a sickle.

The Formless Dragon used the hook of its wings to slice the flesh and bones of the dairy cow, then grabbed the shredded flesh with its two small forelimbs and stuffed it into its mouth.

The tail was very long, much longer than what was typically shown in dragon illustrations. There were horns on its head, not just a pair or a single one, but a whole row of varying lengths—It is said that dragon horns are a symbol of power and that scepters, which Kings carry during grand ceremonies, are often made from dragon horns.

However, in Liszt’s Eye of Magic vision, the most concentrated magical power on the Formless Dragon’s body wasn’t in its horns or its heart.

But in its teeth—the dragon teeth.

The magic power of each dragon tooth was exceptionally clear. Counting them, there were forty-two in total. Besides the four huge fangs, the rest of the teeth were also quite sharp.

“It is said that a dragon’s soul resides in its teeth; extracting the soul of a giant dragon and using the teeth to forge a divine weapon, then infusing the soul into it, can create the most powerful weapon.” For an instant, Liszt was heartfully tempted to kill the Formless Dragon on the spot and pluck out all its teeth.

Of course, it was just a thought.

“Hurry up and eat, then leave quickly,” Liszt dispelled the Eye of Magic and continued observing the dairy farm.

The Formless Dragon was not eating quickly, which allowed him to calmly replenish his magic power and call forth the Smoke Mission to check the new quests that he hadn’t had the chance to view before.

“Quest: The Formless Dragon has appeared in Fresh Flower Town. Prepare its favorite Smoked Grass and the beef it loves to eat the most. For the remaining time, wait quietly until it is satiated and leaves. That’s all you can do. Please avoid the invasion of the Formless Dragon. Reward: The Form of the Formless Dragon.”

“I’ve already done what needed to be done; this mission can be completed while lying down,” he thought, focusing his attention on “The Gift of the Formless Dragon,” “What could the gift be?”

He was fairly certain in his heart.

For the next while, Liszt quietly observed the Formless Dragon, casting the Eye of Magic when his Dou Qi recovered and watching indirectly with the naked eye when it was depleted.

About half an hour later, the fire had long been extinguished, and the two cows were reduced to scattered skeletons on the ground.

Liszt noticed the alfalfa on the ground fluttering in the wind and immediately used the bit of Dou Qi he had just regained, enduring the soreness and swelling of his eyes to once again cast the Eye of Magic.

Within his field of vision, the Formless Dragon had already soared into the sky, flying in the direction of the East Coast outside Fresh Flower Town, getting farther and farther away until Liszt’s Eye of Magic dissipated.

“It’s gone…” Liszt felt a whirlwind of emotions.

There was relief after tension, a sense of loss after beautiful things had departed, anticipation of an imminent reward, and a feeling of accomplishment from completing a dragon invasion.

“Wait a bit longer to prevent the Formless Dragon from returning.”

He stayed in the bunker for nearly half an hour longer, then he cast the Eye of Magic to meticulously search the area, confirming there were no traces of the Formless Dragon.

He pushed open the camouflaged cover above the bunker and stepped out.

Facing the scorching sunshine, he stretched mightily, “My first close encounter with a dragon has ended just like that.” He still didn’t know what kind of dragon the Formless Dragon was, but as long as it was a dragon, it was an incredible being—especially since this was a Sacred Dragon capable of invisibility.

The word “sacred,” to some extent, implied the extraordinary nature of this kind of dragon.

Back in Thorn Forest, he checked on the Thorn Cordyceps, which were growing well. After releasing the Fire Dragon Horse from its reins, he suddenly realized that the mare was covered in dung and urine—she must have been scared senseless by the Dragon Might of the Formless Dragon.

Fortunately, the saddle was clean.

Riding the Fire Dragon Horse, he set off towards the dairy farm, but the horse refused to go anywhere near the Beacon Tower, even when Liszt whipped her.

“Dragon Might… no, even the scent of a dragon can scare you like this? To think you have the blood of a Low-Level Magical Beast, the Blazing Steed,” Liszt said helplessly, dismounting to walk.

He couldn’t smell the scent left by the Formless Dragon because his nose was full of the lingering Smoked Grass odor.

The other eight dairy cows on the farm had vanished; he hoped they hadn’t run deep into Thorn Ridge, for if they had, they would certainly have become a feast for the Magical Beasts.

At the ruins of the Beacon Tower, Liszt searched carefully, not overlooking any patch of ground. He even took a hoe and turned over the soil—partly to look for the Formless Dragon’s gift and partly to destroy any footprints of the Formless Dragon, eradicating all traces of it.

An innocent man harbors no guilt; possessing a gemstone invites trouble.

He had to be cautious.

“Found it!” Moments later, under a piece of cow bone, Liszt found what he wanted—a transparent gemstone.

It wasn’t big, about the size of a fingernail cover, much smaller than the baby fist-sized Ruby inlaid in the Crimson Blood Sword. It also lacked dazzling color, somewhat similar to a diamond, clear and translucent, with an irregular flattened multi-faceted shape, capable of refracting sunlight into tiny sparkles.

Somewhat inexplicably, a slogan came to Liszt’s mind.

“A diamond is forever, a gem to be passed down for generations.”

Indeed, it was good material to make a ring with, but he did not verify right away whether the space was real or fake. He carefully packed it away and continued to search the ground, hoping to find a second one. Unfortunately, after turning over every area within fifty meters where Formless Dragon footprints could be found, he couldn’t find a second one.

He didn’t give up and activated the Eye of Magic to search again but still had no luck.

“It seems the so-called reward really is just this one gemstone.” Wiping the sweat from his forehead, his leather armor dirtied and his noble demeanor somewhat diminished, Liszt’s face was nevertheless radiant with a brilliant smile, “Regardless, the chapter with the Formless Dragon has ended, Fresh Flower Town is safe.”

He entered a thatched cottage of a villager’s home to cool off and check his new mission.

“Mission completed, reward: gemstone of the Formless Dragon.”

“Mission: The tomatoes planted by John Bian Dan, a grower in Tomato Hamlet, are of better quality, yield more, and grow faster than those of the surrounding growers. As a landlord, how could you not find out the reason? Reward: one Elf Bug.”