Baruch Rising_Book 3 of the Coiling Dragon Saga

by Wo Chi Xi Hong Shi

  As for the Thunder Lizard, someone like Linley with such ridiculous defense was his greatest bane.

  “Will we die?”

  The three Saint-level dragons didn’t know what to do. They didn’t think that Linley would spare them, because at the beginning, Linley had been lenient with them, but then the three of them had used their ultimate attacks on him, trying to kill him.

  Just then, they truly had wanted to kill Linley. Would Linley spare them?

  The three Saint-level dragons didn’t think so!

  But just then, a calm voice rang out, which to the three of them sounded like music from the heavens. “Choose death, or choose to serve as my mounts for a hundred years.” Linley’s dark golden eyes stared at the three Saint-level dragons. Perhaps because of his twelve years of quiet meditation, Linley was now rarely moved to engage in slaughter.

  The three Saint-level dragons were unable to deal with Linley. But they would be effective against people of Osenno’s level.

  The Saint-level Thunder Lizard, Gold Dragon, and Tyrant Wyrm all secretly sighed in relief. Just a hundred years. To these creatures with an unending lifespan, that was a fairly short time frame. In addition, as magical beasts, they respected the powerful. Linley had defeated the three of them by himself.

  Submitting to him wouldn’t be considered a stain on their honor.

  “Master!”

  The three Saint-level dragons lowered their proud heads towards Linley. From far away, the watching Delia, Taylor, Cena, and Sasha all came over, riding on Bebe’s back. The kids were cheering happily. Even the mighty Saint-level dragons, in the end, had lowered their heads to Linley, the one who the kids worshipped.

  “Father, you are so powerful! Wow! Three Saint-level dragons!” Taylor screamed in excitement.

  Sasha and Cena were normally calm, but upon seeing the three massive Saint-level dragons, their eyes shone and they were extremely enthusiastic as well. Bebe sneered, “You three stupid worms, why’d you have to fight against my Boss? You should’ve just admitted defeat from the start.”

  “Hrmph!” The three Saint-level dragons stared furiously at Bebe.

  Only now did Linley speak out. “This is my dear brother, ‘Bebe’. He is also a Saint-level magical beast. However, his power is far higher than the three of you. Bebe’s speed is almost on par with yours, Thunder Lizard. He isn’t that far off. But his defense and attack are both greater than that of the Tyrant Wyrm’s.”

  These words utterly stunned the three Saint-level dragons.

  Was there such a monster of a magical beast in the world?

  Speed almost on par with a Thunder Lizard, and power and defense even more terrifying than a Tyrant Wyrm. How could this sort of magical beast exist?

  “You are a rat-type magical beast?” the Saint-level Thunder Lizard said in a low voice, shocked as he stared at Bebe. They didn’t doubt Linley’s words in the slightest. An expert on Linley’s level wouldn’t lie to them.

  Bebe nodded.

  “But… but… your fur is black. Not violet.” The Thunder Lizard didn’t dare believe it. “In the Yulan continent, there’s only one type of rat-type magical beast at the Saint level… the legendary Emperor Rat of the Forest of Darkness. But the Emperor Rat’s fur is a violet gold color.”

  The place where the most Stoneater Rats and Shadowmice lived was the Forest of Darkness.

  “Violet gold?” Bebe suddenly understood. “Oh. You are talking about my friend. He is indeed an Emperor Rat.”

  “A black Saint-level rat-type magical beast, this…” The three Saint-level dragons simply couldn’t understand it.

  Bebe looked at Linley. “Boss, isn’t it time to be getting back?” Since they had the three Saint-level dragons as steeds now, they could go back and have Cena, Taylor, and Sasha rouse the dragonblood in their veins.

  The Tyrant Wyrm rumbled, “Master, aren’t you going to cast the soul-binding technique?” Only by using the soul-binding technique would one be able to effectively control a magical beast. Since these three dragons had admitted defeat, they were willing to accept the restrictions of the soul-binding technique.

  “No need,” Linley said calmly.

  Soul-binding technique?

  Based on what Linley knew, a person was only capable of having three magical beasts. If he wanted to take over another one, he would then have to release one of his other master-servant relationships with another magical beast. Linley already had two magical beasts. He would at most be able to take another one.

  “No need?” The three Saint-level dragons were shocked. Three Saint-level magical beasts were presenting themselves to him, but he didn’t want them?

  “I trust you,” Linley said calmly.

  The sensation of being trusted was quite a good one.

  “We three brothers have agreed to serve as mounts for a hundred years. We definitely will honor our word.” The three Saint-level dragons felt a hint of admiration for Linley in their hearts. Seeing the three Saint-level dragons being so obedient before him, Linley felt a hint of nostalgia.

  He still remembered when he was young, his father had led him to read the legends of his clan in the ancestral hall.

  “Baruch, the very first Dragonblood Warrior of the Yulan continent. In the year 4560 of the Yulan calendar, outside the walls of the City of Linnan, Baruch did battle against a Black Dragon and a Titanic Frost Wyrm. In the end, he slew both the Titanic Frost Wyrm and the Black Dragon, causing his fame to be spread across the world. In the year 4579 of the Yulan calendar, along the coastline of the northern sea of the continent, Baruch did battle against a Nine-Headed Serpent Emperor. On that day, the waves crashed unceasingly and nearby cities crumbled, but after a vicious fight lasting a full day and night, Baruch finally executed the Nine-Headed Serpent Emperor… in the end, Baruch founded the Baruch clan, and became the first leader of the Baruch clan!”

  “Ryan Baruch, the second Dragonblood Warrior of the Yulan continent. In the year 4690 of the Yulan calendar, in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, he defeated and subdued a Saint-level Golden Dragon, and became known as the Golden Dragonrider Saint! In the year 4697…”

  “Hazard Baruch, the third Dragonblood Warrior of the Yulan continent. Born in the year 5360 of the Yulan calendar, in his very first battle, he fought fiercely with a Saint-level Bloody-eyed Maned Lion in the Mountain Range of the Setting Sun. He defeated the lion, forcing it to scurry away and flee, causing Hazard to become famous throughout the world…”

  Linley still remembered how his father had looked.

  That look of arrogance and pride.

  Pride in his ancestors. Pride in being a descendant of the Dragonblood Warrior clan.

  However, his entire life, his father had one regret. He had always dreamed of reclaiming his clan’s ancestral heirloom. Dreamed… that one day, he would witness the rebirth of his clan’s glory.

  “Father… can you see this?” Linley murmured in his heart. “I, Linley Baruch, Yulan calendar year 10022 - went by myself to the Mountain Range of the Setting Sun and fought against three Saint-level dragons and then tamed them.” This record alone surpassed the achievements of his ancestors.

  Linley could name himself the most powerful Dragonblood Warrior in his clan’s history without any shame.

  “If only Father could see this…”

  His father had desired his entire life to restore the clan’s glory. When Linley had become an Ernst Institute student, his father had entrusted him with the important tasks of recovering the clan’s ancestral heirloom as well as restoring the clan’s glory. And today…

  Linley had done it all!

  But his father was gone forever.

  “Let’s go. Time to return. The three of you need to shrink a bit.” Linley sighed, then issued the orders.

  Instantly, the three Saint-level dragons shrank in size to roughly ten meters or so, the same size as Bebe. With the three dragons in tow, Linley’s group began to fly at high speed due north, towards the Anarc
hic Lands.

  The Anarchic Lands. Outside Baruch City. Atop Mt. Blackraven.

  “Big Brother, your actions really were amazing.” Wharton’s face was covered in shock and joy. “You brought three Saint-level dragons here directly to have them serve as mounts for a hundred years. In the future, our descendants won’t need to go find Saint-level dragons at all.”

  Linley laughed.

  Indeed, when he had decided to have these three Saint-level dragons serve as mounts for a hundred years, aside from increasing the Saint-level power on his side, part of it was indeed for the reason Wharton stated.

  “Big Brother.” Wharton was extremely excited. “I have the feeling… that our Dragonblood Warrior clan is about to reclaim our glory of thousands of years ago. Didn’t you say to me that Hodan said in the past, our clan had dozens of Dragonblood Warriors?”

  Linley nodded. “Right. Thousands of years ago, our Dragonblood Warrior clan definitely used this same method to produce many Dragonblood Warriors. Dozens of Dragonblood Warriors in one place… the stories of the Four Supreme Warrior clans being able to dominate the Yulan continent definitely weren’t just tall tales.”

  How splendid his clan had been! One could just imagine it.

  “Unfortunately, the reproductive ability of our Dragonblood Warrior clan is weak.” Wharton sighed.

  Indeed. Linley’s grandfather had only a single son, Hogg. Hogg only had two children; Linley and Wharton. It must be understood… in many clans, there would be seven or eight children in each household. But the Dragonblood Warrior clan clearly was different.

  Linley and Delia, aside from their twins, hadn’t been able to have a single additional child.

  “The heavens have already been kind enough to us. If they also gave us many children… then nobody else would be able to survive in the Yulan continent.” Linley laughed, and Wharton laughed as well. Indeed, a person couldn’t be too greedy.

  Linley instructed, “Wharton, let Cena and the other two kids prepare. Tomorrow, the Dragonblood lineage in their veins will be roused.”

  Rousing the dragonblood was a major event. The next day, Haeru and Bebe both stayed obediently at Mt. Blackraven. The three Saint-level dragons, knowing this was Linley’s will, didn’t object at all. To these three massive Saint-level dragons, it was just a little bit of blood. It was nothing at all.

  The Tyrant Wyrm, Thunder Lizard, and Gold Dragon had all shrunk in size, and were looking at the three kids. Laughing, Linley looked at the three children. “You all know that once you drink live dragon’s blood and rouse the dragonblood in your veins, the type of blood you drank will have a major impact on your transformation.”

  “For example, in the past, I drank the blood of an Armored Razorback Wyrm, which is why my knees, forehead, and elbows all sprouted the razor spikes of the Armored Razorback Wyrm. And my speed was relatively fast as well. This, too, was thanks to the influence of the Armored Razorback Wyrm,” Linley explained in detail. “Think well on your choice.”

  Taylor, Sasha, and Cena were all considering this question.

  The three of them could choose the same dragon, or they could choose different ones. For these three Saint-level dragons to give all three children blood was very simple.

  “Taylor, which one do you choose?” Delia looked at her son.

  Taylor carefully looked at the three Saint-level dragons, then focused his gaze on the tyrannical, indomitable Tyrant Wyrm. “I choose the Tyrant Wyrm. He’s so powerful. I like him.” Taylor’s words made the Tyrant Wyrm very happy. “Indeed, I, Plaket, am quite powerful.”

  “I choose the Gold Dragon,” Sasha’s clear voice rang out. “The Gold Dragon is so beautiful. Those scales are so slick, they look just like gold.”

  “Beautiful?” Linley and Delia exchanged glances.

  Their daughter had actually chosen the Gold Dragon for this reason? The Gold Dragon was relatively happy as well. In the past, he would have considered offering his blood as an insult, but now, his master was Linley. For his master’s child to select him meant that they liked him.

  Dragons were proud creatures. They hated being inferior to others.

  The Thunder Lizard immediately looked at Cena. Cena’s face was as graceful and calm as ever. With a chuckle, he said, “Then I choose the Thunder Lizard.”

  Actually, no matter who they chose, the draconic blood would only have some impact at the beginning. The most important thing was still the Dragonblood Warrior lineage.

  “The three of you, put the draconic blood into those three small buckets.” Linley pointed to the side at three buckets that were large enough to completely fill one’s belly. To the dragons, however, these three buckets were nothing at all. The Gold Dragon very straightforwardly cracked and plucked off one of its scales.

  The Gold Dragon placed the scale above the wooden bucket, and a single drop of fresh blood, the size of a head, dripped down, instantly filling the bucket.

  80

  Discovery

  The buckets filled with dragon blood were placed in front of the three children, and with a flip of his hand, Linley retrieved a large quantity of Blueheart Grass from his ring. The jade green leaves of the Blueheart Grass glimmered with that layer of faint blue light. Linley divided it into three parts, with each part having five clumps.

  “Listen up, the three of you.” Linley looked at the three kids.

  Cena, Taylor, and Sasha all stood attentively in front of Linley, listening to their elder’s instructions. Linley said, “In a while, drink as much dragon’s blood as possible, until your stomach is completely full. But before doing so, you must eat this Blueheart Grass. Logically speaking, three clumps per person should be enough, but just to be safe, it’s best if you each eat all five.”

  “Eat grass?” Sasha wrinkled her nose unhappily.

  To let a child eat Blueheart Grass, especially one who had been pampered all her life, would naturally result in some resistance.

  “Sis, when Father was in his teens, he had to go all by himself to the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts to search for Blueheart Grass and drink the blood of the Armored Razorback Wyrm. Father is now placing dragon’s blood in front of us. And you’re afraid to drink it?” Taylor didn’t have any concerns; he immediately grabbed the Blueheart Grass and began to eat it.

  With big gulps, he swallowed it all down.

  Seeing this, Linley couldn’t help but reveal a hint of a smile on his face. Linley was quite satisfied with his son, Taylor. Although Taylor was rather playful, he was able to work hard and endure bitterness, and he trained hard as well. Taylor wasn’t much weaker than the level Linley had been when Linley was ten.

  Cena smiled, then grabbed the Blueheart Grass and began to eat it as well.

  “Sasha, it’s fine. The Blueheart Grass’ juice is actually quite cool and refreshing,” Cena said enticingly.

  “Oh?” Watched by her father, Sasha picked up the Blueheart Grass and began to chew it. As she chewed, her face turned bitter. “Big Brother Cena, you tricked me. The juice is cool, but the leaves make my mouth go numb.” Despite complaining, Sasha still ate it.

  Linley and Delia were laughing.

  “Glug, glug.” Taylor was the first to lift up that small pail of blood and began to pour it in his mouth. Taylor knew that the more dragon’s blood he drank, the easier it would be to activate the Dragonblood lineage in his veins, and so he drank it all with big gulps and no hesitation.

  Cena and Sasha raised up their pails and began to drink as well.

  “Glug, glug.” The three children drank dragon’s blood at the same time. This sight caused Linley to sigh endlessly with emotion.

  The predecessors cut the firewood, and the successors will not fear the cold.

  Linley’s hard work had made it possible for these descendants to not have to experience those life and death dangers.

  “Ah!” The first one to begin shouting in pain was Taylor. The pail in his hand toppled to the ground, and Taylor was in such pain that he
collapsed to the ground as well, rolling around. His face instantly turned white, and beads of sweat began to pour down his face.

  Delia’s face immediately changed.

  “It’s fine,” Linley reassured Delia.

  Delia knew… that the first time a Dragonblood Warrior activated their dragonblood, they would involuntarily transform. This first transformation would be an extremely painful one. Linley had experienced this pain in the past as well… when the pain reached a certain level, one would pass out. And indeed…

  As black scales sprouted out of his body, Taylor fainted.

  Immediately afterwards, Cena and Sasha began to scream in agony as well, both of them rolling around on the ground. Blue scales began to slowly emerge from Cena’s body. The sensation of scales growing out of nowhere into his body was even more painful than being killed.

  “If they can’t even withstand such a little bit of pain, what can they possibly accomplish?” Linley quietly watched.

  Shortly afterwards, Taylor and Cena had both fully transformed. As for Sasha, who had been the last to drink the dragon’s blood, she finally began to transform as well. Taylor’s draconic scales were black, as he had inherited the coloration of the Tyrant Wyrm. Cena’s scales were blue, as the Thunder Lizard was blue.

  As for Sasha…

  “Linley, look.” Delia seemed startled and frightened.

  Linley had noticed Sasha’s transformation as well. With a rumbling noise, two golden, butterfly-thin wings began to sprout from Sasha’s back. This was what she had inherited from the Gold Dragon; it’s two massive physical wings. But these faint gold wings made Sasha look like a celestial spirit.

  However, those golden scales which covered her entire face made Sasha look very mysterious, especially given that she had that draconic horn on her forehead and that draconic tail, which gave Sasha’s Dragonblood Warrior form a domineering aura as well.