The Terrifying Zombie Dragon King!

Horden, the old steward, shivered at the thought.

"Master," he asked cautiously, "should we continue our business with that man? What if he brings more dragon corpses?"

"Of course we continue," Haotian replied with a grin. "I don't care what he wants with the Elven Spring Water, even if it's to resurrect a lich. As long as he's willing to sell, I'm willing to buy!"

Just then, a message flashed in Haotian's mind.

[You have buried a dragon corpse.]

[You may summon it as a Bone Dragon or a Zombie Dragon.]

"Is there no option for an Umbral Dragon?" Haotian inquired. The Umbral Dragon was his preferred choice, rumored to be as elusive as a soul and immune to physical attacks.

[Summoning an Umbral Dragon requires a dragon corpse with a soul or soul fragment.] — The Lord System responded.

"Alright then." A dragon corpse from ten thousand years ago was unlikely to have a soul.

Haotian continued, "What's the difference between a Bone Dragon and a Zombie Dragon?"

[Compared to a Zombie Dragon, a Bone Dragon has greater flexibility and can quickly revive if shattered. Both have comparable strength, but the Bone Dragon is less defensively robust than the Zombie Dragon...]

Listening to the explanation, Haotian deliberated for a while before choosing to summon a Zombie Dragon. After all, it had an intact hide, which shouldn't go to waste. If it perished on the battlefield, he could still retrieve its corpse for another use.

"Can a single dragon corpse summon only one dragon unit?" Haotian asked suddenly.

[If it's a fresh dragon corpse, a Lord can summon up to three dragon units at once: Bone Dragon, Carrion Dragon, and Umbral Dragon.]

Bones for the Bone Dragon, flesh for the Carrion Dragon, and soul for the Umbral Dragon.

The value of a fresh dragon corpse was perfectly exemplified by the Lord System, akin to a scalpel dissecting with precision.

…

With the tremors of the Dragon's Tomb, a massive dragon claw first emerged from the ground, followed by a menacing head, a huge body, and two decayed wings full of holes.

A colossal, terrifying creature soon stood before them. Compared to the corpse Haotian had just buried, this monster emitted a foul stench and seemed to have grown larger.

The Zombie Dragon now stood about 150 meters long.

"Master…" Hoden was stunned. "It's grown!"

He swore to the Magic Goddess that he had never seen such a massive and frightening creature. The Golden Gryphons of their territory looked like mere chicks in comparison.

Haotian was puzzled too. How could it have grown after a round trip through the tomb?

At that moment, another message from the Lord System appeared.

[Congratulations, Lord. You have activated your Lord Talent: Ancient Bloodline Awakening. The summoned Zombie Dragon has evolved into a Zombie Dragon King.]

"Is that even possible?" Haotian was stunned. He hadn't expected his Ancient Bloodline Awakening talent to apply to the Dragon's Tomb, nor had he anticipated such a low probability of evolution to work out on the first try.

Out of a thousand ancient treants he summoned, about 140 evolved into Eternal Treant Guardians, a one-in-seven chance. Given those odds, evolving a Zombie Dragon into a Zombie Dragon King seemed incredibly lucky.

…

[Zombie Dragon King: Volis]

[Level: Peak Saint Rank]

[Growth Potential: Peak Demigod]

[Summoning Information: A Zombie Dragon King that has achieved breakthroughs in both bloodline and status, significantly mitigating its rigidity, and boasting greater strength, higher defense, and top-tier combat capabilities.]

…

"It doesn't have any unit traits, but that doesn't matter," Haotian remarked. "The Zombie Dragon King isn't a traditional unit. It's a summon from the Dragon's Tomb. It has all the traits of a unit and more."

Looking at the Zombie Dragon King's level, Haotian was thrilled. Born at peak Saint Rank with potential up to peak Demigod, it was even more formidable than the upgraded Eternal Treant Guardians.

"It's all thanks to the Ancient Bloodline Awakening," he mused. Normally, undead dragons would be weaker than their living counterparts. A low-level Dragon's Tomb would reduce the level by three, a mid-level by two, and a high-level by one. The Zombie Dragon King, at peak Saint Rank, should have been high Saint Rank, but the bloodline evolution boosted it.

"With this Zombie Dragon King, my confidence has soared!"

The massive Zombie Dragon King descended and knelt before Haotian, bowing its head. It couldn't speak, having lost its flesh, but it could communicate telepathically.

"All praise to you, my great master! Your servant, Volis, shall serve you for eternity!"

"Excellent. Rise!" Haotian commanded. "I have a task for you. Head to the sandy forest area thirty kilometers south of our territory. There's an injured dark dragon there. Bring its corpse back to me!"

Given the Zombie Dragon King's power, capturing the dark dragon Charles wouldn't be difficult. However, a living dragon held less value for Haotian than a dead one, as a fresh dragon corpse could summon three undead dragon units. This sealed Charles' fate.

"As you command, my master!" The Zombie Dragon King spread its massive wings. A portal appeared, and it flew through, emerging over the Golden Oasis. ROAR!!!

Its deafening roar echoed across the oasis, shaking the land. Birds fell from the sky, and sandfolk workers were stunned. Some fled in panic, while others gathered, ready to defend their home with whatever tools they had.

Gnoll A'Gu was terrified but didn't flee. Instead, he ran towards the town hall, determined to die by his master's side if necessary.

He spotted Haotian and Hoden exiting the bronze gate and yelled, "Master, run! A dragon is attacking…"

"Silence!" Haotian said, pretending to be angry but feeling touched by A'Gu's loyalty. "Inform the sandfolk that the dragon is our guardian. Tell them not to fear and continue their tasks."

A'Gu stopped in his tracks, realization dawning. His fear turned to joy and he nodded vigorously. "Yes, master! Praise the great master! I will calm the frightened sandfolk immediately."

Soon, the commotion died down and life returned to normal in the oasis.

…

In the town hall, Haotian sighed, "In the blink of an eye, almost all the gold coins are gone!"

From nearly a million lord coins, he was down to seventy thousand after upgrading the Dragon's Tomb and the Ancient War Tree. It was a swift expenditure.

Hoden's face twitched. He had brought back nearly nine hundred thousand coins from Forest City, enough to buy several Tulip families, yet Haotian had spent it all in no time. However, seeing the powerful treant army and the terrifying Zombie Dragon King, he felt it was worth it.

"Master, don't worry. Once Miss Sophia sells the Elven Spring Water, we'll have plenty of gold coins again," Hoden reassured.

Haotian nodded but his thoughts wandered to the sandy forest. The gold wasn't his immediate concern. What mattered now was the Zombie Dragon King bringing back Charles' corpse for burial in the Dragon's Tomb.