Chapter 107: The Arsenal of the Primordial Dragon and the Law of Gold
I. The Absolute Hierarchy
The night over the Morningstar Citadel was surreal. No moon was visible, for the pillar of light triggered by Samael's awakening had left a chromatic scar on the atmosphere, distorting the very sky.
Samael stood on the highest balcony of the Patriarch's Tower, bare-chested, letting the desert wind lash against his new skin. He looked down at his hands. His nails were black, as hard as diamond, and upon closer inspection, his fingerprints had changed: they were now patterns of microscopic scales.
—"System," he commanded mentally. —"Status."
The blue interface deployed, flickering violently before shifting to a Dark Gold hue.
[HOST STATUS UPDATED]
Name: Samael Morningstar.
Race: Transcendent Entity (In progress).
Primary Bloodline: PRIMORDIAL DRAGON (20% Awakened).
Note: The bloodline has devoured and assimilated the "Void Body." The Void is now merely an attribute of your blood, not your definition. You are the Predator of the Origin.
Previous Cultivation: Saint Realm (Stage 1 - Unstable/Collapsed).
Medicinal Effect (Supreme Saint Grade): Reconstruction of Dragon Meridians + Phoenix Energy Assimilation.
Current Cultivation: SAINT REALM (STAGE 3 - CONSOLIDATED).
Special Attributes:
Inverse Scale (Restored): Absolute immunity to mental attacks from ranks lower than Semi-God.
Breath of the Primordial: Your Qi possesses "Blood Suppression" properties. Any beast or cultivator with an inferior bloodline will suffer a 30% reduction in stats in your presence.
Samael clenched his fist. The air exploded with a dry pop, creating a mini-vacuum in his palm. He had jumped two entire stages. In the world of cultivation, moving from Stage 1 to Stage 3 in the Saint Realm could take a hundred years. He had done it in a single night of agony.
—"Stage 3..." he murmured. "Enough to look the Patriarchs of the Great Sects in the eye. But not enough to defy the Heavens."
II. The System's Debt
—"System," Samael called again. "We have unfinished business. You left me in a coma after using the Inverse Scale against the Hammer of Heaven. I survived an impossible calamity. Where is my payment?"
The System vibrated. The sound was a cascade of falling coins—heavy and satisfying.
[Calculating overdue rewards...] [Event: "The Martyr's Resistance" (Surviving with 0.01% Vitality after facing a Stage 4 Saint Artifact).] [Evaluation: Rank EX (Exceeded mortal limits).] [Generating Reward...] [Obtained: "Forgotten Pantheon War Chest" (Saint Grade)!]
A heavy chest, forged from a grayish metal that seemed to absorb the torchlight, materialized on the balcony floor, cracking the stone with its weight. Samael opened it. There was no blinding golden light; only the cold glint of war-grade steel.
[Chest Contents:]
Phantom Legion Arsenal (x500 pieces): A batch of Earth-Grade (High) and Heaven-Grade (Low) weapons. Swords, spears, bows, and shields. Enough to equip an elite battalion.
Defensive Artifact: "Clouded Sky Mantle" (Mid Origin Grade): A cloak that grants invisibility to the spiritual sense of anyone below the Saint Realm.
Formation Manual: "Iron Dragon Phalanx" (High Heaven Grade): Allows 50 cultivators to unify their defense into a single Qi wall, impenetrable by Origin-rank attacks.
Special Item: "Seed of the Divine Forge" (Growth Artifact).
Samael smiled. It wasn't gold. It was military power. Exactly what he needed to stop being a band of fugitives and become an army.
III. Return on Investment (The Art of Giving)
The balcony door opened. Kael entered, followed by Eris and Violeta. The three walked with the rigidity of those who have fought too many battles in a row, but their eyes sparkled at the sight of their brother standing.
They knelt in unison. —"Patriarch," Kael said, his voice raspy. "We thought..."
—"Rise," Samael ordered. His voice now held a polyphonic undertone—a resonance that vibrated in his siblings' bones. "The watch is over."
Samael looked at Kael. His younger brother was filthy, bandaged, and at his waist hung his sword... or what was left of it. The blade was notched, the edge blunt, and the hilt wrapped in rags stained with dried blood.
—"That sword," Samael said with disdain. "It is trash." Kael lowered his head, touching the hilt. —"It served me well against the wolves, brother. We didn't have the resources to..." —"Do not apologize. Throw it away."
Kael hesitated for a second but untied the sword and let it fall. The metallic clang was mournful. Samael reached into the War Chest. His fingers brushed dozens of weapons, but he sought a specific one—one that resonated with Kael's fire and blood. He pulled out a High Origin-Grade Claymore: "Magma Fang." The blade was dark red, pulsing with heat, and the hilt was crafted from earth-dragon bone.
—"Take it," Samael said, tossing it to him. Kael caught it mid-air. The weight was perfect. As he channeled a hint of his Qi, the sword roared, and a three-meter flame ignited along the edge, illuminating the terrace.
—"This... this is a city-grade treasure," Kael stammered. "For me?" —"You are the General of the Primordial Dragon. You cannot behead enemies with scrap metal."
In that instant, the System vibrated, reactivating a function that had been dormant during his coma.
[INVESTMENT AND REFUND SYSTEM ACTIVATED!] [You have gifted: "Magma Fang" (High Origin Grade) to a linked subordinate (Loyalty: 100%).] [Calculating critical multiplier for "First Gift after Awakening"... X100!] [REFUND SUCCESSFUL!] [You have obtained: Saint Sword "THE STAR TEARER" (Mid Saint Grade).]
Samael felt a new weight in his spatial ring. A sword forged from meteorite fragments, capable of cutting through gravity itself. He kept his face expressionless, but inside, he smirked. The business is open once again.
He then looked at Eris. The girl was healthy, free from the curse, but her fire Qi was unstable after being drained. Samael pulled out the empty vial that had held the Phoenix Tear. A few drops of red essence, thick as honey, still clung to the glass—residue that was garbage to a Saint, but a priceless treasure to a mortal.
—"Eris," Samael said. "Drink the residue. It will refine your fire and stabilize your core." Eris obeyed without hesitation. She tilted the vial and let the drops fall onto her tongue. Her eyes instantly ignited with golden fire. Her skin glowed, and her aura jumped from Transcendence Stage 5 to Stage 8 in a matter of seconds, burning away the impurities of the curse.
[INVESTMENT SYSTEM ACTIVATED!] [You have gifted: Residual Phoenix Essence (Saint Grade - Waste) to a bloodline member.] [Luck Multiplier: x50.] [REFUND SUCCESSFUL!] [You have obtained: "BLACK PHOENIX PRIMORDIAL FLAME" (Divine Grade Fire Seed - Incomplete).]
IV. The Distribution of Power
The following morning, the sun rose over a transformed Citadel. Samael summoned the entire clan to the central courtyard. The remaining 300 members—elders, disciples, and servants—were all there. They were thin and tired, dressed in patched clothes. But their eyes shone at the sight of their Patriarch healthy and radiating power.
Samael didn't give a motivational speech about hope. He simply overturned the War Chest onto the courtyard flagstones.
CLANG! CRASH! THUD!
A mountain of shining steel fell before the clan's feet. Swords that cut the wind, light plate armor that resisted beast strikes, and composite bone bows. The morning sun reflected off the Earth and Heaven-Grade steel, blinding those present.
—"Kael," Samael ordered. "Equip them." —"Which ones, Patriarch? The elites?" —"Everyone," Samael said, his voice projecting across the plaza. "From the oldest elder to the child who has just begun to cultivate. No one in the Morningstar Clan will ever fight with rusted iron again. We are the Primordial Dragon, not beggars."
He turned toward Marcus, the clan's old blacksmith, who was touching a Heaven-Grade spear with reverence and tears in his eyes. Samael pulled out the Seed of the Divine Forge and tossed it to him.
—"Marcus. Plant this in the central furnace." Marcus caught the seed, his calloused hands trembling. —"Patriarch... with this... the fire will never go out. Any metal I strike will automatically rise one grade in quality. I will be able to forge Origin-Grade weapons..." —"Then do it. You have one week to ensure every soldier has custom-made armor."
[INVESTMENT SYSTEM ACTIVATED!] [You have gifted: Forge Seed and Massive Armament to the Clan.] [Multiplier: x1000 (Strategic Massive Investment).] [REFUND SUCCESSFUL!] [You have obtained: "BLUEPRINTS FOR THE FLOATING VOID CITADEL" (Imperial Grade Construction Project).]
V. The War Decree
With the clan armed and morale skyrocketing, Samael raised his hand for silence.
—"You have bled for me," Samael said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, intimate tone. "You have run, hidden in swamps, and eaten dirt and roots to bring me back." His violet eyes swept over every member, pausing on Elara, Violeta, Eris, and Kael. —"The flight is over."
He pointed westward, toward the Bronze Citadel. —"Kael told me that the Governor's son, Lord Cassian, called us 'rats.' He told me he charged you a toll and then tried to kill you in the back. He told me the Cult of the Sleeping King dared to mark my sister like cattle."
Samael's Stage 3 Saint aura partially released. A gigantic shadow of a dragon projected over the plaza, darkening the sun.
—"Kael, Eris, Violeta, Elara. Take 50 men. The best equipped. We are going to return the auction invitation." —"What is the objective, lord?" Kael asked, unsheathing his Magma Fang. The sword's fire roared in anticipation.
Samael smiled—a smile that promised the apocalypse. —"I want Cassian's head on a pike before dinner. I want the Bronze Citadel to know that the Morningstar Clan does not pay tolls... it collects them."
He turned around, his black cloak billowing. —"Kill them all. Loot their treasures. And bring me the Governor alive. I have questions for him regarding the 'Hunter'."
—"Today, the Era of Conquest begins."
SAMAEL'S UPDATED INVENTORY:
Weapon: Odachi of the Ravenous Eclipse (Bound) / The Star Tearer (Saint Grade).
Technique: Black Phoenix Primordial Flame (Divine Seed - Unlearned).
Project: Floating Citadel Blueprints (Requires massive materials).
Level: Saint Stage 3 (Consolidated).
Bloodline: Primordial Dragon (20% Awakened).
CLAN STATUS:
Equipment: Earth/Heaven Grade (Massive Upgrade).
Morale: 1000% (Fanaticism).
Active Mission: Conquest of the Bronze Citadel (Vengeance).