After confirming safety via his shadow clone, Tang Zheng no longer hesitated. In his Golden Dragon Lord form, with his "Physical Body Armament" active, he flew towards the void where the Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord's clone had fallen.
Red streams of light zipped by rapidly.
The intense airflow instantly blew away the faint smoke and dust surrounding the void, clearing it completely. The headless corpse of the Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord came into view. Its obsidian-like, sturdy scales emitted a faint, pale black glow, their hard metallic texture reflecting light.
Looking at the colossal dragon, nearly a full body size larger than his current form, Tang Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly. Judging solely by its appearance, one would never guess it was a fake Dragon Lord.
"No wonder the Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord showed such great interest in me after mistaking the Heroic Spirit's Soul for a Golem," Tang Zheng mused. His Heroic Spirit's Soul was not weak, yet this Golem's combat power completely suppressed it. Its level was likely around Lv 80. Furthermore, it could use Origin Magic. This reminded Tang Zheng of the Platinum Dragon Lord's "Platinum Armor."
"Another Player's legacy?" Tang Zheng's perception of these True Dragon Lords grew increasingly serious. Over hundreds of years, who knew how many Player legacies these True Dragon Lords possessed? All of that had to be factored into their combat strength.
Thoughts flashed through his mind at high speed! While thinking, Tang Zheng's actions were just as swift. He quickly raised his strong, powerful dragon claw and pressed it towards the Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord's clone. His sharp fingertips touched the black scales, sparking and emitting a crisp metallic clang.
Nothing happened! Tang Zheng's pupils narrowed; this was the outcome he least wanted. "Since this Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord clone could use Origin Magic, it must have been enhanced by Origin Magic. Even if it couldn't trigger a profession, something should have happened." Tang Zheng knew that if the current situation didn't work, he would have to withdraw quickly. The strength of a True Dragon Lord was comparable to a Level 100 Player who possessed a World-Class Item, and the Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord even possessed "Twenty," a World-Class Item. By defeating its clone, he had undoubtedly angered and alerted the Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord, making any subsequent actions unpredictable.
However, based on what had happened so far, it had at least changed the Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord's attitude towards the "future destruction of the Dragon Race." For Tang Zheng, this encounter was not in vain.
Looking at the colossal Golem before him, Tang Zheng felt a pang of unwillingness. He moved his arm, touching other parts of its body, continuing his attempts. He actually wanted to take this Golem with him! But it was largely meaningless. After his attack, this Golem was completely damaged, and Tang Zheng had no means to repair it. If he recalled correctly, within the Great Tomb of Nazarick, there was a Player named Lucifer who possessed the special job build of "Golem Master." That Player had the technology to enhance, create, and control Golems. For example, the stone statues that formed the main force of the 72 Pillar Demons of Nazarick were crafted by that Player using the super-rare Seven-Colored Ore. Although only 67 were made due to various reasons, their levels were no lower than Lv 80. After all, even the cockroach-like Golem ridden by the Overlord of Terror had a strength of Level 70. The damaged Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord clone before him, being irreparable, was like a movable stone to Tang Zheng.
Moreover, Tang Zheng couldn't be sure if this Golem clone hid any other contingency plans from the Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord. Even if it could be repaired, if he used it later, there was a high probability the Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord would recognize it. Taking it with him held little significance for Tang Zheng. It was better to research methods for summoning high-level monsters; that was more convenient and promising for him.
Bzzzz—
Just as Tang Zheng moved his arm, attempting to change the contact point, his status panel suddenly vibrated.
『Special Profession "Dragon Race Transcender" discovered. Requires exclusive Dragon Race racial profession. Current conditions not met... Cannot trigger.』
『Ding, Profession already possessed.』
Tang Zheng's movements abruptly stopped. He exhaled softly. It failed... This wasn't the profession he wanted! Although it worked as he predicted, activating a profession by touch, the result was failure.
"The Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord indeed performed an Origin-based modification on this Golem, using it as some sort of weapon," Tang Zheng's hopeful emotions completely dissipated, and he sighed inwardly. Based on his previous research, weapons and equipment used by original professionals had a certain chance of triggering a profession after being touched for a period of time. However, an item could only trigger one profession!
"Oh well."
"The gains this time are sufficient," Tang Zheng raised his arm, preparing to leave.
However, as his sharp fingertips grazed the back of the Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord's clone, Bzzzz—!
『High-tier Profession "Dragon Warrior" discovered. Requires exclusive Dragon Race racial profession. Current conditions not met...』
『"Dragon Race Transcender" triggered. "Heart of the Golden Dragon Lord" triggered.』
『Do you wish to take up this profession?』
"No." Tang Zheng's eyelids lifted, his eyes flashing with brilliance. It could trigger a second profession? What was going on! A hint of disbelief flashed in Tang Zheng's eyes; he found it somewhat difficult to understand, but his eyes revealed a trace of excitement. Although he didn't know why this was happening! Now was not the time to ponder this matter! Tang Zheng quickly moved his arm, rapidly touching other locations. As for "Dragon Warrior"? Tang Zheng had no intention of taking it up, even though it was a high-tier profession that enhanced a warrior's strength.
Tang Zheng needed only one profession: "World Connector"! He was not a true Dragon Race after all, and obtaining Origin Magic was his true goal. He already possessed "Dragon Race Transcender" and "Primal Chanter." All he needed was to obtain "World Connector" to complete the closed loop of Origin Magic power. Even professions like "Soul Desecrator" and "Soul Reverer," which were not simple, held no interest for him.
Soon! As he continuously touched different locations, Tang Zheng discovered that different professions would be triggered accordingly. For example, touching the abdomen would trigger the "Dragon Race Transcender" profession, the back would trigger "Dragon Warrior," and the neck would trigger "Primal Chanter." This made Tang Zheng think he should have just touched the Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord's clone directly from the start. Of course, that was clearly unrealistic. Without the "Heart of the Golden Dragon Lord," he wouldn't have obtained Dragon Race professions, nor would he have even considered Origin Magic.
"Still not here?" A hint of urgency appeared in Tang Zheng's eyes. He had already wasted a considerable amount of time here. Defeating this Golem clone instantly using a professional skill had alerted the Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord and made it hesitant to act rashly. But how long could this situation last?
Continuing to touch more locations, such as the limbs and tail, Tang Zheng further discovered that many spots could not trigger any professions no matter how he touched them, which clarified his doubts. "No wonder the Golem clone, modified by Origin Magic, could trigger multiple professions!" Tang Zheng stared sharply at the obsidian-like, sturdy scales covering the Golem's entire body, a look of understanding on his face: "Four Light Consecutive Slash – Shatter!" His sharp dragon claws turned into afterimages, condensing into a terrifying cold glint in mid-air, instantly striking the gap between two scales.
Crack! A dazzling spark! A black scale the size of a washbasin flew out and landed in Tang Zheng's palm. "So, these scales are all real!" In YGGDRASIL, there was a type of cash-shop item Golem called "Avatar," which could be custom-made according to the user's requirements. Tang Zheng had initially thought this Golem clone was a similar item, further enhanced by the Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord's technology. But the current situation was clearly not the case! The scales on the surface of the Golem clone were not a single piece but all came from the Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord's own scales.
"Different locations can trigger different professions... Ha." Tang Zheng grinned, admiring the Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord's act of pulling out its own scales and installing them on the Golem: "Because the scales from different areas were likely installed at different time periods, this created this special situation." For example, the scales on the back and abdomen might have been installed years, or even decades, apart. Thinking of the scene when the Eternal Darkness Dragon Lord pulled out its own scales. How ruthless! As for why healing magic wasn't used. Undead King and others had already experimented. For instance, if a finger was chopped off and then healed with healing magic, the regrown finger was the same one that was just chopped off. This was also why Demiurge built ranches to raise large numbers of humans for skinning, and after the humans' wounds naturally healed, they would repeat the process.
Tang Zheng's eye twitched as he looked at the headless cavity of the Golem clone: "Don't tell me I'm that unlucky?" He had touched the entire body of the Golem clone, yet he still hadn't triggered the "World Connector" profession. If there was any location left untouched, it would only be the head area that Tang Zheng had burned off. Tang Zheng stared at the half-severed dragon neck, an indescribable emotion surging within him: "Shit...!" A deeper, faint black light flickered. It came from a spot connecting the dragon neck to the torso. The Dragon's Scale Weak Point! Similar to the seven-inch area of a snake!
With a sudden swing of his arm, he slammed it into the Golem clone's abdomen. Boom! With a loud roar, the Golem clone, embedded in the pit's soil, was flipped over by the immense force, its entire abdomen facing upwards. Looking at the Dragon's Scale Weak Point. It was a scale slightly deeper black than the surrounding scales, and its placement was also different, being an inverted scale. Tang Zheng noticed it immediately because, having transformed into a Dragon Lord, he also possessed the "Dragon's Scale Weak Point" as a vulnerability.
A red light flashed! Tang Zheng's arm moved swiftly, touching that uniquely positioned "Dragon's Scale Weak Point."
Bzzzz—
The status panel vibrated again.
『Special Profession "World Connector" discovered. This profession requires...』
『Analyzing profession!』
『World-Class Profession... Origin Profession...』
『Analyzing profession!』
『Requires prerequisite special profession "Dragon Race Transcender".』
『Requires prerequisite special profession "Primal Chanter".』
『Ding, prerequisite requirements met. Do you wish to take up the profession?』
Tang Zheng opened his towering jaw, revealing the sharp, sturdy row of giant teeth unique to Dragon Race, his excitement and thrill uncontrollable. "A light at the end of the tunnel!" This was Tang Zheng's true emotion at this moment. "Take up the profession!" Tang Zheng shouted internally.
『Profession taken successfully!』
......
Profession: World Connector
Level: Special Profession
Passive:
"World Perception": Enhances perception of the world, allowing for clearer cognition of the world and its changes.
"Favor of the River of Souls": Grants the ability to draw "Soul Energy" from the world's origin, the River of Souls, which can power Origin Magic. In non-combat state, restores SE value equal to current level per minute.
"Guardian of the World's Barrier": Grants absolute resistance to external interference effects, but still sustains energy or physical attack damage.
"Origin Magic - True": Mobilizes soul origin energy to imbue high-tier Origin Magic with a "World-Class Protection" effect. (PS: Unlike "Primal Dignity" from "Primal Chanter," this can be understood as adding offense and defense. For example, the Platinum Armor created by the Platinum Dragon Lord possesses the ability of "World Protection.")
"River of Souls Amplification": Increases damage of all Origin-type magic by 20%, with a chance to trigger "World Resonance," doubling the magic's coverage area. Restores +30 SE value per level increase.
"Gift and Burden of Blessing": Connects to the world's origin, allowing adaptation to any current environment and granting immunity to natural-level influences and disasters. Once Soul Energy is depleted, it will inevitably result in backlash, with all attributes reduced by a certain percentage.
Profession Skills:
— Lv 1: "River of Souls - Torrent": Actively draws a large amount of Soul Energy from the River of Souls, instantly restoring (Level × 10) SE value. (24h)
— Lv 5: "River of Souls - Surge": Resets cooldowns for all Origin Magic, and allows one free use of any level of Origin Magic. (100H)
— Lv 10: "River of Souls - Backflow": Clears all Soul Energy values and reflects 100% of damage taken, ignoring any defense, back to the attacker (can only be activated after taking damage). (30 days)
(This profession increases all attributes by 20 points per level.)
Description: World...???
......
Upon seeing the successful profession acquisition, Tang Zheng didn't have time to observe the detailed information of the profession. He quickly opened his dragon claws and pressed them onto the Golem clone's body. "Absorb!" Tang Zheng naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to absorb these real scales.
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