Chapter 398: The Valley of Bewilderment
"I feel like my luck today is exceptional. Could it mean I'll get a second 9th-circle spell?"
Cassius stared intently at the panel about to refresh, his pale golden eyes brimming with greed and anticipation.
What kind of spell would he get?
He held his breath once more.
Finally, under the red dragon's eager anticipation, the panel refreshed with new information. However, upon seeing the first line of text, Cassius's draconic face darkened immediately.
[You have gained a 1st-circle dragon spell—[Dragon Spit].]
[Dragon Spit]
1st-circle Evocation Spell
A dragon activating this spell can spit droplets matching the material of its breath weapon: red dragons spit spherical flames, blue dragons spit spherical lightning, green dragons spit spherical gas, and so on.
These droplets, known as "dragon spit," can serve as precious magical materials and can also be thrown to replicate effects similar to their breath weapon.
The glaring words "1st-circle" made Cassius deeply feel the world's malice and a profound sense of insult.
Reading the spell description, he immediately guessed that this was yet another spell created by a gold-obsessed true dragon sorcerer who didn't hesitate to turn their spit into magical equipment, all for the sake of hoarding coins.
The [Dragon Spell] list of true dragon sorcerers contained many similar spells, often devised for making, saving, or outright stealing money in various bizarre ways—perfectly showcasing the greed of dragons for treasure.
Native dragons might praise these spells highly, but Cassius gave them only one harsh evaluation:
Polluting the spell pool.
A pure pollution of the spell pool.
As the Emperor of the Ember Empire, ruler of the entire Anzeta Wasteland, and a major shareholder of enterprises like [Claudious Military Industrial Group], [Imperial South Continent Trade Company], and [Ember Textile Company], Cassius earned tens of thousands of gold coins daily.
To put it plainly: with Cassius's current wealth, even picking up a dropped gold coin would be a waste of his time.
Let alone wasting time producing so-called "dragon spit."
Yet, as a 1st-circle spell, its use was child's play for Cassius.
Scoffing, Cassius activated the spell, channeling a trace of his breath's energy into it and spitting out several smooth, fiery red beads.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
He threw them, creating violent explosions in the distance. Since his breath was far stronger than that of an ordinary red dragon, the beads unleashed power equivalent to 3rd- or 4th-circle spells.
"Not very useful."
Staring at the craters left by the explosions, Cassius spoke with irritation.
At his legendary tier and beyond, mid-to-low-circle spells like these were akin to scratching an itch. Even upcasting the spell provided little improvement.
"Heh, might as well try the second spell."
Cassius shook his head in resignation, closed his eyes, and began to concentrate.
A 9th-circle abjuration/evocation spell, even when cast through a sorcerer's charisma, was quite complex.
Thankfully, with a caster level of 20 and a charisma attribute exceeding 32—reaching a realm beyond mortals—Cassius's overall spellcasting ability surpassed most legendary sorcerers.
In mere moments, Cassius fully grasped the intricacies of [Dragon Absorption] and unleashed his immense influence over reality.
"Well then..."
"How about full power?"
Cassius slowly opened his jaws.
With his breath, a turbulent flow of energy began forming within his massive maw, growing increasingly intense under the spell's effects.
Eventually, a vortex of overwhelming power emerged deep in the red dragon's throat, like a bottomless abyss, greedily devouring all spell energy in its vicinity.
Fierce winds howled.
Everything around him screamed.
Grass and trees withered as their life was drained, the soil cracked as its moisture was absorbed, insects turned into hollow shells, and even the residual fire element in the craters from earlier explosions was consumed entirely.
Everything in the surroundings became frail.
All the spell energy gathered within Cassius's maw.
"Gulp."
The sound of swallowing echoed as Cassius converted all the energy into his own and opened his jaws again to release it.
Blinding light erupted from his throat.
"Boom!"
The energy converted into a fireball created a wildfire that spread across the area, leaving ashes everywhere and forming a charred crater over ten meters wide.
And this was merely the result of absorbing ordinary energy from his surroundings.
If [Dragon Absorption] were to draw on high-circle spells, the resulting power would be far more terrifying.
However, that was secondary. What mattered most was that this provided Cassius with a new counter-spell mechanism. Moreover, it allowed him to replenish his energy, enabling further counterattacks.
While few enemies could outlast Cassius, who bore the heart of an ancestral dragon, [Dragon Absorption] still enabled him to become an "infinite engine" in prolonged battles, adding yet another ace to his arsenal.
"A very practical spell."
Cassius surveyed the devastation around him, finally easing some of his frustration over receiving a 1st-circle spell.
The red dragon shook his head.
"Tsk, I got so caught up experimenting with spells that I almost forgot what I needed to do today."
Looking into the distance, Cassius activated the powers of [Omniscient Eye] and [Cataclysmic Dragon Eye], his sight piercing through layers of mountains to reach dozens of miles away.
"This should be it."
"The Valley of Bewilderment."
Between two towering, treacherous peaks lay a deep and silent valley, shrouded by dense, black forests and thin veils of mist.
A sudden gust of wind swept through, producing eerie wails instead of rustling leaves.
The Valley of Bewilderment.
It was known as a forbidden zone for the living; no one who ventured inside ever returned.
Legend had it that the valley conjured illusions of one's deepest desires, luring countless obsessive adventurers to enter, only for them to lose themselves and never emerge.
Only when the northern wind blew could the wandering spirits of those trapped in the valley sense the outside world, their mournful cries faintly heard.
Over time, no one dared approach the valley. Local residents even used it to scare their children into staying close to home.
No one knew what truly resided within the valley.
But with memories of his past life, Cassius knew—the Valley of Bewilderment was home to a lich.
It was one of the hidden bosses of the misfortune-plagued Northlands in his previous life. This lich, dormant for centuries, had nearly unleashed an undead plague that would have swept across the Carter Principality and the entire Northlands. But it was stopped by players at the last possible moment.