C136 Ancient Sky Dragon's Egg

After giving Faang Guhang and the others some brief instructions, he mounted Purple and set off with Zhao Lang towards White Wolf Village. Zhao Lang cast a sorrowful glance at the enormous shadow on the ground.

His lieutenant's face was equally grim. The One-Star Battle Spirit had lost a Middle-grade Profound Rank Battle Weapon and now looked as forlorn as a bird stripped of its feathers.

Before long, the residents of White Wolf Village caught sight of Zhao Lang and his party.

"Chief! Where are the offerings?"

They peered behind the group, only to find no sign of any offerings. All hands were empty.

Before Zhao Lang could respond, Purple descended with Ning Qi on its back. The creature's massive form took the villagers by surprise, prompting them to cry out, "Enemies approach!"

"Silence! This is the chief of Grey Wolf Village, our guest!" Zhao Lang barked, delivering a sharp slap to the villager, who was left utterly dumbfounded.

"No worries, let's go check out the offerings," Ning Qi said cheerfully.

"Right this way, please," Zhao Lang replied with deference.

The villagers of White Wolf Village, witnessing the exchange, began to piece together the situation. Perhaps Zhao Lang hadn't managed to pillage Grey Wolf Village after all. Instead, it seemed he had encountered someone formidable.

Led by Zhao Lang, Ning Qi made his way to the treasure vault of White Wolf Village.

A pang of anguish crossed Zhao Lang's face as he opened the vault and ushered Ning Qi inside, with Purple standing guard at the entrance.

"These are the offerings our White Wolf Village has amassed over the years," Zhao Lang gestured towards the amassed hoard of Battle Weapons, spiritual grass, gems, medicinal pills, and the pelts and cores harvested from slain Demonic Beasts.

Ning Qi, unconcerned with the value of the items, began to indiscriminately stuff them into his spatial bag. With a mere wave of his hand, each item vanished. Zhao Lang watched, astounded. "A Spatial Battle Weapon!"

His expression then turned to one of deep sadness as the offerings disappeared before his eyes. Zhao Lang's heart bled with each loss; these were the spoils of his hard-earned plundering.

If only he could have presented all these treasures to the Devil Dragon King, he might have received a vial of dragon blood in return.

Suddenly, Ning Qi halted before an oval object about waist-high. It was encased in black-green scales that made it look as if it had been chiseled from a massive stone.

"This is a dead dragon egg; it's of no use."

Zhao Lang's spirits plummeted upon seeing Ning Qi's discovery. Despite the dragon egg being lifeless for millennia, it still bore a connection to the Dragon Clan. His reluctance to offer it to the Devil Dragon King stemmed from a hope to resurrect the egg. If he could hatch a young dragon and claim it as his demonic pet, his power would surge tremendously!

"I'll be the judge of that."

Ning Qi gave him a dismissive glance before turning his full attention back to the dragon egg.

"Ding! The system has detected an 'Ancient Sky Dragon' egg encased in ice. You have triggered the Dragon Egg Hatching Quest. Within 2 years, collect the blood essence from ten Seventh Rank or higher dragons with a purity exceeding 95%, along with 100,000 Dragon Slaying Coins, to complete the incubation task."

"Should the mission fail, the system will deduct 100,000 Dragon Slaying Coins from the Host."

"This mission is optional."

"Does the Host wish to accept?"

"The Ancient Sky Dragon... just hearing that name, I knew this dragon egg wasn't ordinary! But the mission's difficulty is daunting. I need to secure the blood essence of Seventh Rank Giant Dragons with a purity above 95%, rendering the bloodline of dragons like the Phantom Wind Dragon utterly useless. And with the time constraint, failing means losing 100,000 Dragon Slaying Coins!"

Ning Qi wavered.

"Host must decide within ten breaths."

The system's prompt echoed once more.

"I'll give it my all."

With resolve, Ning Qi confirmed his decision.

"Ding! Host has accepted the 'Incubate the Ancient Sky Dragon's Egg' mission. Please gather the Dragon Clan's bloodline within two years!"

After accepting the mission, the dragon egg vanished, automatically transferring to his space. Ning Qi attempted to retrieve it, but the system alerted him, "Important mission items cannot be removed."

Zhao Lang watched as Ning Qi also took the Ancient Sky Dragon's Egg. His gaze followed Ning Qi's retreating figure, a peculiar gleam flickering in his eyes. Purple was just outside the door, close enough to Ning Qi. Given Zhao Lang's strength as a Five-Star Battle Spirit, his chances of successfully ambushing a Peak Grand Battle Master were over 90%. He was confident he could take Ning Qi's life with a single blow.

But then, Ning Qi turned and caught Zhao Lang's eye. "Alright, I won't take anything else. I'll leave some treasures for you to offer to the Devil Dragon King, so you won't incur his wrath."

Relief washed over Zhao Lang, and his face softened with gratitude. "Thank you."

Content, Ning Qi left the vault, which still held about 30% of its contents. Zhao Lang watched him mount Purple and vanish into the sky.

"Be sure to visit Grey Wolf Village again when you have the chance."

Zhao Lang's face twisted with embarrassment—he vowed never to set foot in Grey Wolf Village again!

"Chief! My Blue Fire Whip!"

No sooner had Ning Qi departed than a burly man approached Zhao Lang, his face a mask of despair.

"It was just a Middle-grade Profound Rank Battle Weapon! You're lucky to be alive! Now get out!"

Zhao Lang unleashed his fury on the man, berating him loudly enough for all of White Wolf Village to hear. The villagers instinctively recoiled, sensing the chief's heavy losses had ignited his rage.

Over in Black Wind Village, the Grand Battle Masters who had narrowly escaped Ning Qi's wrath returned home. Faced with their fellow villagers' probing questions, they were too ashamed to reveal the truth.

Being labeled a coward was the last thing they wanted.

Days passed without any sign of Heixiong and the others. The villagers sensed that the situation had taken a turn for the worse.

Finally, under relentless questioning, the truth came out.

"Does this mean the chief might have perished in Grey Wolf Village?"

"Yes, he would have returned by now if he were still alive."

"What do we do now?"

"We must select a new village head," they said. "He must then ascend Black Wind Mountain to meet with Lord Black Wind and clarify our situation. If not, our entire village is at risk."

The once coveted role of village chief had suddenly become a position everyone desperately wanted to avoid. At this critical juncture, nobody was willing to step up and take on the role. Ultimately, with no other options, the villagers were forced to elect a new leader.

The chosen villager from Black Wind Village was merely a Three-Star Battle Master. Despite his modest rank, he was now the village head and was promptly escorted to the base of Black Wind Mountain.

"Chief, please go and discuss the issue with Lord Black Wind. We'll await your return here at the mountain's base," a respectful Five-Star Grand Battle Master implored.

"Is it possible for me not to go?"

No sooner had he spoken than he was met with piercing gazes from those around him. "Chief, it's your responsibility."