Chapter 1166 - 916 - The True Strength

Having done all that, Long Yi immediately switched himself into Hayden mode.

Elma looked at the young man walking beside him and was actually thinking further ahead. He was very clear that the Ascender hidden inside Hayden’s body was definitely no pushover, and if it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t fully unleash his power at the moment, he probably would have slaughtered everyone here and left already.

He might even become another Long Yi!

Initially, Long Yi had also become friendly with him, but soon they had fallen out, not only leaving the Ancient Mage Tower but also obsessing over how to take the key to the Teleportation Gate from him every day. Now, with another powerhouse appearing, how to make this powerhouse wholeheartedly stay here would be a problem.

Elma had learned a lesson from Long Yi, and the lesson was: never express any hostility towards a powerhouse without absolute certainty. Do everything he tells you to do, and when he fully trusts you, then seize the opportunity to strike.

And evidently, the opportunity now was not good, or rather, there was no opportunity at all, so let’s at least become allies first.

Long Yi had a good rest that night, while the few people responsible for keeping an eye on Hayden stared at him with wide eyes all night. These people were rotating constantly, watching Hayden at all times, fearing that he might cause some sort of trouble. Long Yi was aware of this but didn’t bother saying anything; as a powerhouse, he had to display the magnanimity of a powerhouse.

Early the next morning, Zulal was already waiting at Long Yi’s doorstep.

When Long Yi appeared, Zulal said to him with obvious joy, "Respected Ascender! That person has awakened!"

At the moment, Long Yi was still in Hayden mode, and he immediately said tensely, "I apologize, Master Zulal, my ancestor exhausted too much spirit yesterday and is still resting, I am Hayden now."

Zulal knew he was Hayden because he had seen that the gem on Hayden’s forehead wasn’t shining. However, he still decided to say it this way because only by doing so could he win the favor of the Ascender.

"No, it’s fine, I believe the Ascender is also aware." Zulal said.

"Um... Yes, let’s go take a look first, he still needs to rest a bit more." Long Yi pretended to converse with another person inside his mind.

Zulal smiled faintly, and then took Hayden straight to the top floor of the Ancient Mage Tower. Here, the most luxurious sanatorium was situated, and the man who had regained his human form the day before was there.

When Zulal brought Hayden there, the man who had just regained his human form the day before stood in front of Elma, excitedly telling him something. When he saw Zulal’s arrival, he immediately greeted Zulal with a bow, as well as to Hayden — who quickly avoided it, as he dared not accept such a gesture.

Elma nodded silently to himself, this Hayden had a timid nature, so there should be no worries for the short term.

"My ancestor asked me to inquire, Master Elma, are you satisfied with this result?" Hayden asked nervously.

"If speaking only of this person, his recovery has far exceeded my expectations. His body is now completely free of Crystal Poison, having fully reverted to his original form. However, I remember you previously mentioned that you could make him stronger. But now, it looks like not only is he not stronger, but he has also lost all his strength, how is this so?"

Hayden fell silent for a while, as though listening, then said, "My ancestor says, reverting to human form is only the first step, gaining strength requires further adjustment. Moreover..."

At this, Hayden suddenly fell silent, his face filled with hesitation, as if he was afraid to speak.

"It’s okay, whatever the Ascender wants you to say, just say it." Elma said with a smile.

"The ancestor says, the rubbish knowledge we learned in the Ancient Mage Tower is useless, just wasting time. Now that he has lost that knowledge, he could actually become a true powerhouse in a short time." Hayden said.

Elma laughed, yes, that was exactly the statement he was waiting for. After all, turning Crazy Demons back into humans was not the goal, rather, turning a human into a powerhouse was.

"So, when do we start?" Elma asked.

"The ancestor says he needs Cosmic Stones, the more the better," Hayden replied.

"Is there anything else?"

"Also, the ancestor says he has a way to transfer part of Long Yi’s power to a human, and he is asking if you are interested in trying," Hayden said.

Of course! Without a doubt!

Although Elma was holding a dragon captive at the moment, he was well aware of the power a dragon wielded. If not for using threats like Crystal Poison, he couldn’t even fully control that dragon. To gain the power of Long Yi himself? Why not!

"Yes, I am interested," Elma said.

"In that case, let me take a look at that precious dragon," said Long Yi as the red Cosmic Stone shimmered with light, and he directly switched to Ascender mode. He always found it very awkward to speak with ’the ancestor says’ kind of tone.

"Very well! Please, follow me!"

In fact, Elma had been pondering over this matter all night, about whether to let the Ascender see his dragon. On the one hand, he didn’t really want to reveal it, but the temptation to gain the dragon’s power was something he truly couldn’t resist.

Elma led Zulal and Long Yi to a secret area, and when the heavy doors opened, the wave of Dragon Power that hit Long Yi made him aware that the Black Dragon must be inside.

Walking through a narrow corridor, Long Yi finally saw a massive Black Dragon lying prone in the vast space ahead.

Although it had detected the arrival of the three people, the Black Dragon merely cracked its eyes open to glance at them, then promptly closed its eyes again, showing no interest at all in why they had come.

Long Yi looked the Black Dragon up and down and said, "So it’s true that the Dragon Clan was cursed by the Giants, stripped of their original power... I can feel the abundant Dragon Power in its body, but there is no trace of Mana or Fighting Aura."

Elma nodded and replied, "Yes, that’s right."

Then Long Yi laughed, "No wonder, then. If this Black Dragon still possessed its former might, how could it possibly be confined here? Even ten Ancient Mage Towers would not be a match for it."

Elma knew this to be true, so he could only nod in agreement.

"It’s no wonder you can only make use of Dragon Scale armor and have no other means at your disposal, after all, there isn’t much that a Dragon with its power sealed can do. However, luckily, I’m here, and that changes everything," Long Yi added.

With a light tap, Long Yi extracted a clump of blood from the Black Dragon’s leg.

"Alright, let’s go," said Long Yi.

Dragon Blood? What is this for?

"I have a spell called Dragon Blood Reincarnation that allows one to merge with the power of the Dragon Clan. Of course, I know you’re interested but wouldn’t dare to try, so I’ll test it on that lucky individual first. Then you can watch and decide for yourself," Long Yi stated.

Elma simply smiled and said nothing.

Back at the sanatorium, the man who had just recovered was eating his meal. When he saw Hayden, with a red glow on his forehead, walk in, he stood up excitedly. The sensation of becoming a Crazy Demon was not pleasant, a reality that might only be truly understood after returning to human form. Thus, at this moment, he was genuinely filled with gratitude towards Hayden.

"Your thanks can wait for later. Now I’m going to enhance your strength. Are you willing?" Long Yi asked straightforwardly.

"Yes! I am willing!" the man replied excitedly.

Of course he would be willing; to refuse would be foolish! What could be worse than becoming a Crazy Demon again?

"Look into my eyes!"

Long Yi commanded loudly.

The man couldn’t help but stare into Long Yi’s eyes, and at almost the same instant, a terrifying light burst forth from Hayden’s eyes.

"Cosmic Stone fragment!" bellowed Long Yi.

Zulal promptly presented a fragment of the Cosmic Stone.

A piece of the Cosmic Stone transformed into a cone shape and slowly pierced the man’s forehead, leaving only the tail end exposed.

As the light faded, Long Yi stepped back and began to breathe heavily, while the man fell stiffly to the ground.

"Ascender, how is it?" Elma quickly asked while supporting Long Yi.

"Through the Branding Technique, I have imparted knowledge that will make him stronger. Since his pitiful brain could not meld with such profound knowledge, I exploited the Cosmic Stone to expand his mental domain and make him smarter. By tonight, at the earliest, you will be able to see the results," Long Yi explained.

"I look forward to it greatly!" Elma said excitedly.

"You’d better. If not for Hayden, I wouldn’t be wasting my time and energy on this. The kid is very loyal to you and seeks your approval, which is why he kept begging me to help you. But let me be clear, I will only demonstrate this once. If you hesitate, I won’t continue to waste my time," Long Yi said bluntly.

"Yes, I understand, Ascender," Elma responded.

This magic wasn’t really a big deal; back in the days of the White Dragon Empire, although the Branding Technique wasn’t very mature, it had been tested by Long Yi for stability and safety. The main reason Long Yi chose this complex method over simpler teaching techniques was to sneak in a few personal interests. After all, Long Yi had no intention of letting the warriors he painstakingly trained turn against him later, and it was essential to set up a safety measure for that purpose.

As Long Yi had said, by that evening, the warrior woke up. Elma and Zulal both rushed over upon hearing the news. They didn’t notify Hayden, believing that the results of the experiment would be more credible if the Ascender was not present.

At that moment, in the temporarily prepared combat area, the man’s Auffa ring was resplendent. His brilliance exceeded that of the average Crazy Demon, and even the Black Crystal Mages might not be a match for him in sheer magical strength.

"At least he appears very strong," commented Zulal.

Elma nodded in agreement. The man did seem very strong indeed. As a Crazy Demon, he was extremely sensitive to energy fluctuations, and certainly, he had grown much stronger compared to the previous state of the Black Crystal Mages. Moreover, as time passed, he seemed to be getting even stronger—could it mean that this wasn’t his limit yet?

"Whether he is truly strong will only be known after a fight," said Elma.

"I’ll get things ready," Zulal stated, before giving orders.

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)