Because of the special nature of the Angra Mainyu clone, Wu Ling had not given him clear consciousness. The clone currently possessed no emotion at all, and every time Wu Ling recalled him, his memory would be reset.
In Wu Ling's view, he did not lack this one clone's cultivation benefit. Because of that, the clone's role was perfectly described by the words suicide squad.
Wu Ling patted Angra on the shoulder and spoke solemnly.
"Go, Angra. This is a necessary sacrifice."
At the same time, the Sacred Giant Dragon Noxis sensed the residue of malice inside Wu Ling's sixth clone the moment he saw it. Even the slightest trace of that aura made his current self feel disgust and fear from the depths of his soul.
"What are you trying to do, human child? How dare you..."
Noxis watched the clone walk toward him step by step. The clone's palm slowly touched his body. Nothing unusual seemed to happen, but fear and unease still rose in Noxis's heart. He roared again and again, trying to force the clone back. The chains on his body stretched tight. Wu Ling would not have been surprised if they broke in the next second.
Then Noxis discovered that a thread of his soul had been absorbed by the dull-eyed clone before him.
He let out a terrified dragon roar. Magical elements of every color surged from his body. As a sacred giant dragon and the ancestral source of the western dragons in the Qin Emperor world, he possessed the abilities of all seven dragon races. Controlling multiple magical elements was naturally not difficult.
He erupted with power again and again, trying to break free from the chains' suppression. Yet the interwoven black chains clung to him like maggots on bone, pinning him firmly to the earth. He could only watch the clone continue.
"Evil God... Domain."
Angra's airy voice entered Noxis's ears. Noxis's dragon bones, which had been as smooth as warm jade, suddenly looked as if a layer of dust had fallen over them.
Then, under Wu Ling's signal, Angra used his right hand to tear off his own left arm without hesitation. No blood sprayed out, but there came a series of cracking sounds.
Wu Ling raised his head slightly and saw a ring of cracks appear around the left shoulder of the dragon skeleton, as if the whole limb might break off at the root in the next second. The soul flames in the bone dragon's eyes also shook violently, as if he had suffered a heavy blow.
"Damage... sharing!" Noxis roared in shock, naming Angra's skill.
This time, he did not dare move at all.
If Noxis had still been at his full strength in life, he might have inferred the flaws of that skill from the wound. But now he had only a soul left. That soul had first been consumed by twisting the Dragon Domain's rules, then suppressed by Rose's curse, and finally shaken by the impact of Angra's skill. By then, he had completely lost the ability to think clearly.
"Good. Sacred Giant Dragon Noxis, I believe we can talk now."
Hearing Wu Ling's words, Noxis immediately nodded, not daring to say even half a word of refusal.
After that, Wu Ling did not continue speaking with Noxis. Instead, he walked to the great tree beside the dragon.
"This Dragon Soul Tree is excellent carrier material. I like it very much."
As he spoke, Wu Ling thrust his hand toward the oldest brownish-yellow Dragon Soul Tree.
Clang.
With a sound like metal striking metal, Wu Ling's hand stabbed directly into the trunk. A heartbeat later, a layer of misty white light appeared over the Dragon Soul Tree.
Blood-red patterns quickly spread over Wu Ling's hand. Knight of Owner activated, and the patterns flowed along the Dragon Soul Tree at high speed.
Under those crimson lines, the Dragon Soul Tree soon reacted. Its outer branches and leaves began to wither, and its overall size began continuously compressing.
Dragon Soul Trees were a unique tree species in this Dragon Domain, nourished by the energy left behind by countless dead western dragons. They were suitable for forging vessels that could carry dragon souls. Wu Ling now intended to use this strange tree to create a soul artifact capable of bearing all of Noxis's power.
This Dragon Soul Tree was the oldest in the sacred land of the dragon race, and it was also the highest quality. In the original work, the Qin Emperor Ye Yinzhu used it to create a super divine artifact by the standards of that world. Naturally, it was the most suitable choice for Wu Ling as well.
Under Wu Ling's skill, more and more of the Dragon Soul Tree's branches and leaves withered. Before long, the whole tree had begun to dry out. Layers of powder peeled away from the surface, while the tree's energy, rich with dragon-soul aura, became stronger and stronger.
After finishing this step, Wu Ling turned toward Noxis.
"Noxis, I want to use it to make something. I hope you can provide dragon-soul protection. I assume you will not refuse to help."
"You..."
The dragon-soul flames in Noxis's eyes fluctuated violently. While Wu Ling had been refining the Dragon Soul Tree, Noxis had secretly attacked the chains again and again. Every attempt had failed. Now he had other thoughts. He would pretend to cooperate for the time being and wait for another chance.
"I can cooperate, but you must promise not to harm my life and not to destroy the Dragon Domain."
"Fine."
Wu Ling agreed so readily that Noxis immediately had a new thought.
"He agreed that quickly. Either he truly had no designs on the Dragon Domain, or his skin is thick enough to lie with his eyes open. Judging from what happened earlier, it is probably the latter. No choice. I will do as he says for now."
The sacred giant dragon's thoughts shifted. Then he gave another dragon roar. Powerful soul force wrapped around the Dragon Soul Wood that Wu Ling had refined and lifted it into the air. Noxis's soul flame spread over it at once.
Noxis's soul flame burned fiercely. As it burned, the dragon aura inside the Dragon Soul Wood grew denser.
Some time later, the soul flame burning in Noxis's eyes had weakened. He released a low roar, and a speck of pale-gold light shot from his forehead into the Dragon Soul Tree.
It was only a tiny speck of golden light, but once it entered, Noxis's released soul power tripled in force. A faint golden aura colored the milky-white light, wrapping the Dragon Soul Tree completely.
The tree shrank quickly. Before long, most of it had peeled away. Noxis roared again, and his soul power contracted at once.
With a loud bang, large amounts of powder scattered in every direction. The whole Dragon Domain seemed to tremble violently.
Noxis's aura had weakened by a great deal. He slowly lifted his right claw. The Dragon Soul Tree was gone, replaced by a long piece of dark-gold wood. A vast soul aura rushed toward Wu Ling.
Noxis slowly placed the round wood before Wu Ling. The soul flames in his eyes were dimmer than before as he said heavily, "This is the finest Dragon Soul Wood in the Dragon Domain."
"It has grown here since the day the Dragon Domain was born. It can be called the mother tree of all Dragon Soul Trees in this place, and it contains the greatest amount of soul power."
"After my refinement, the whole mother tree's essence has condensed into this piece of wood. Its hardness is no worse than my dragon scales in life. Even I cannot determine how effective it will be."
"I have fulfilled the promise according to your request. I hope you will also keep your promise. Do not harm my life, and do not destroy the Dragon Domain."