As he regained his composure, Zhao Feng suddenly remembered that he had just obtained a treasure chest.
"Claim the treasure chest," Zhao Feng commanded.
"Host has been promoted to Da Shuzhang (Grand Commandant) and has received a Tier-2 Treasure Chest," the system panel notified him.
"Open it," Zhao Feng said immediately.
"Opening Tier-2 Treasure Chest…"
"Congratulations, Host! You have obtained a Heaven-Tier High-Grade Nameless Ferocious Beast Egg," the system prompted.
"A ferocious beast egg?"
"I can get something like this?"
"You've got to be kidding me."
Looking at his latest reward, Zhao Feng was utterly baffled.
Even if it had been some kind of divine weapon or a powerful cultivation manual, that would have been fine.
But an egg?
What was he supposed to do with that?
Zhao Feng was quite disappointed.
However
Now that he had already opened the chest, there was no way to send it back.
With a thought, Zhao Feng extracted the egg.
At that moment
A massive black egg, even larger than Zhao Feng himself, appeared before him.
The moment it emerged
A terrifying pressure filled the entire hall.
An oppressive and bone-chilling aura spread throughout the space.
If an ordinary person had been present, they would have likely been overwhelmed by this energy and perished instantly.
"What an overwhelming power."
"This aura… it feels similar to the battlefield."
"Ferocious beast… killing intent?"
"Could there be some terrifying creature inside this egg?"
"If I hatch it, will something disastrous happen?"
Staring at the enormous egg, Zhao Feng felt a bit uneasy.
Ferocious beasts.
No matter what world they existed in, they were creatures that thrived on slaughter and bloodshed mindless, instinct-driven killing machines.
If an uncontrollable beast hatched from this egg, it would be a major problem.
"A blood pact should allow me to control it."
"After all, it's still just an egg."
"And since it came from a Tier-2 Treasure Chest, it should be manageable."
After weighing his options, Zhao Feng decided not to waste it.
He made up his mind.
Hatch it.
And forge a blood contract.
Among the cultivation techniques he had practiced, the Blood Contract Technique was one of the simplest. As long as the contract was established, the beast could be controlled.
If the contract failed
He would just crush the egg.
With that thought, Zhao Feng raised his left hand and gathered a small blade of true qi in his right. He made a small cut on his left palm, drawing out a drop of blood.
"With my blood, I forge this contract."
"Heaven bears witness."
"Bind!"
Following the technique for establishing a blood contract, Zhao Feng directed his blood toward the massive egg.
As soon as the blood landed on the eggshell, Zhao Feng fixed his gaze on it.
If the blood contract succeeded, the blood would be absorbed into the egg.
If it failed, the blood would simply dissipate.
Zhao Feng watched intently.
There was no sign of the blood being absorbed.
His brows furrowed.
A more forceful surge of true qi gathered in his palm.
"It seems this egg doesn't need to exist anymore."
Zhao Feng muttered, preparing to destroy the egg with a burst of true qi.
He couldn't risk an uncontrollable ferocious beast hatching from it. That would be a disaster.
Just as he was about to strike
Swish!
A crimson glow suddenly flickered on the egg's surface, and the blood was instantly absorbed.
"Wait… did it understand me?"
"Did it hear me threaten to smash it, so it decided to accept the contract?"
Zhao Feng chuckled at the thought, withdrawing the true qi from his palm.
As the blood was fully absorbed
A faint, blood-red aura appeared around the giant egg.
"Contract… established."
It was as if the very laws of the universe had confirmed the bond.
Now, when Zhao Feng looked at the egg, he could sense the life within.
More importantly, he had absolute control over the creature inside, as if he held its very soul.
With the contract in place, Zhao Feng no longer had any concerns.
No matter what kind of beast emerged, he could control it.
There would be no chaos.
Then, a voice suddenly echoed in Zhao Feng's mind
"Energy."
"I need a massive amount of energy."
"This isn't an ordinary ferocious beast it has intelligence!"
Hearing the voice, Zhao Feng's face lit up with joy.
If the creature had merely been a mindless, bloodthirsty beast, he wouldn't have been too excited.
But intelligence?
That changed everything.
This creature could become a powerful ally.
"Spirit stones should work."
Zhao Feng mused.
He immediately took out fifty lower-grade spirit stones and waved his hand, scattering them around the giant egg.
At that moment
An immense suction force erupted from the egg, rapidly drawing the energy from the spirit stones.
In mere seconds
The fifty stones were completely drained, turning into dull, lifeless husks.
"This thing has quite an appetite."
"Fifty spirit stones weren't enough?"
Zhao Feng muttered.
He waved his hand again
This time, a hundred mid-grade spirit stones, far superior to the previous ones, fell around the egg.
The absorption continued.
But soon enough, even these spirit stones were drained dry.
"Alright then let's see just how many spirit stones you can swallow."
"If you hatch and turn out to be useless…"
"I'll cook you!"
Seeing that there were still thousands of spirit stones in his storage space collected over the years through lottery draws but never used Zhao Feng decided to let the beast egg consume them all.
Without hesitation, he kept tossing spirit stones toward the giant egg.
A storm of spiritual energy erupted within the grand hall.
Ordinary people might not feel it, but the personal guards stationed in the residence could sense the immense spiritual energy surging through the air.
"Stay focused."
"Guard your posts and allow no one to disturb the lord."
Han Chenyan spoke in a deep voice.
He was no longer the low-ranking soldier he once was. Now, he was a commander of Zhao Feng's elite five-hundred-man guard, a true innate warrior who had mastered true qi.
"Understood!"
The guards responded respectfully and quickly spread out to protect Zhao Feng inside the grand hall.
Time passed.
By midnight, after Zhao Feng had fed the egg nearly two thousand spirit stones, cracks finally appeared on its surface.
A surge of black fiendish energy burst forth from within the egg.
Immediately after
"Roar!"
A fierce dragon's cry resounded throughout the grand hall, shaking the very air.
The sound spread through the entire residence, seemingly stirring the void itself.
Fortunately, the sound wasn't loud enough to reach beyond the estate.
"A dragon?"
Zhao Feng's eyes gleamed with anticipation as he watched the eggshell shatter.
Inside, a jet-black dragon about one meter long emerged before him.
Although it had just been born, this black dragon lacked the sacred aura of the legendary divine dragons. Instead, it exuded an overwhelming fiendish presence, brimming with the aura of death.
Its crimson eyes glowed with a menacing light as if it had been born into madness.
Even as a newborn, it hovered in midair, seemingly possessing an innate ability to fly.
"Did I just get lucky?"
"I hatched a black dragon from this beast's egg?"
"It may not seem strong now, but with time, its potential is boundless."
Zhao Feng was pleasantly surprised.
At that moment
"Detected: Host has successfully signed a blood contract with the black dragon beast."
"Host has complete control over the black dragon."
"One random innate ability can now be extracted from the black dragon."
The system panel suddenly appeared with a prompt.
"A perk like this?"
Zhao Feng's eyes lit up with joy. "Extract!"
"Extracting Black Dragon's innate ability: [Wind Mastery]."
A notification appeared on the panel.
The next moment, a radiant glow emanated from the black dragon and descended onto Zhao Feng.
Instantly
A new understanding of an ability materialized in his mind.
"Wind Mastery."
"A dragon's innate skill controlling the wind to fly."
In an instant, Zhao Feng comprehended the ability.
Even though his overall attributes had already exceeded ten thousand, and he could use true qi to lighten his body and cover vast distances in a single step, he had never been able to truly fly.
He hadn't yet reached the level of freely manipulating true qi for flight.
But now, with the black dragon's innate ability
That had changed.
"Let's give it a try."
With anticipation, Zhao Feng activated the Wind Mastery ability.
True qi surged, awakening the mysterious power of the divine ability.
At that moment, an invisible force lifted him off the ground.
He floated into the air.
"It works!"
"And the true qi consumption is lower than expected."
Seeing himself hovering in midair, Zhao Feng was ecstatic.
Once he fully mastered this ability, he would truly be able to fly at will.
No matter where he went, he would be untouchable.
Even if he faced an army of a hundred thousand, he could simply take to the skies and leave them behind.
"A dragon, huh?"
"You may be a fiend beast, but you've brought me great fortune!"
"You gifted me the power of flight!"
Zhao Feng gazed at the hovering black dragon, growing more fond of it by the second.
Although it looked ferocious now, once it grew to its full potential, Zhao Feng could envision himself soaring through the skies atop the massive dragon.
What an awe-inspiring sight that would be!
"A true dragon emperor."
"In the future, when I rise at the end of the Qin Dynasty, establish my dynasty, and ascend the throne, I will ride my dragon to the heavens!"
Imagining that moment, Zhao Feng's heart burned with ambition.
Just then
The little black dragon flew toward Zhao Feng, its body still radiating fiendish energy.
However, having come from a military background, Zhao Feng was completely unfazed by the aura.
The black dragon affectionately nudged him.
At that moment, Zhao Feng noticed something.
The black dragon's attributes appeared before his eyes.
Black Dragon (Juvenile Stage, Fiend Beast)
Level: Tier 1 - Low-Grade Fiend Beast (Can evolve by absorbing fiendish energy and hunting prey)
Dragon Core: None
Strength: 1000
Speed: 1000
Constitution: 1000
Spirit: 1000
Lifespan: 1000 years
(Attributes will increase as the dragon levels up)
"A newborn with all attributes already at a thousand?"
"As expected of a fiend beast."
"It can evolve by absorbing fiendish energy?"
"The battlefield is full of fiendish energy perfect for its growth!"
If the dragon needed spirit stones to evolve, Zhao Feng wouldn't have been able to afford it.
But fiendish energy?
That was something he could provide.
After all, he was about to march to war.
And there was no place more saturated with fiendish energy than a battlefield.
"Is there a pet space or something?"
Zhao Feng glanced at the small black dragon.
If he took it everywhere with him, it would draw too much attention.
Right now, he needed to keep a low profile while growing stronger within the Qin army.
"Detected: Host has successfully blood-bonded with a pet."
"Pet Interface Unlocked."
"Pet can now be stored in the pet space."
The system panel provided another prompt.
Zhao Feng rolled his eyes.
"This panel is different from a full system it makes me figure everything out on my own."
"Open pet space."
"Store."
With that command, he stored the little black dragon inside the pet space.
When he focused his mind on the space, he saw a vast thousand-meter-wide area, providing plenty of room for the black dragon to move around.
"There's a lot of meat in my storage space I'll put some in so it doesn't starve."
Thinking this, Zhao Feng transferred some stored meat and spirit stones into the pet space.
With everything settled, he left the dragon to its own devices.
"This second-tier treasure chest turned out to be a pleasant surprise."
"Although the black dragon isn't too strong yet, its potential is immense."
"More importantly, I gained the ability to fly!"
Satisfied with the outcome, Zhao Feng entered deep meditation for the night.
By dawn
The sky was still dim, shrouded in mist.
Outside the residence, all five hundred personal guards had gathered.
Zhao Feng stood at the forefront.
"My lord!"
"All five hundred elite guards are assembled and ready to depart!" Han Chenyan reported respectfully.
"Let's go."
Zhao Feng nodded and mounted his horse.
"Hyah!"
The five hundred guards followed suit, riding out in formation.
Following Zhao Feng, the troops rode towards the outskirts of Xianyang City.
Meanwhile, on the city wall
Unbeknownst to Zhao Feng, as he departed from the city, two pairs of eyes quietly watched him leave.
"This kid is always in such a rush," Ying Zheng said with a hint of helplessness.
"That's just his nature. Once he sets his mind on something, he acts without delay," Wang Jian replied with a smile.
"However…"
"This time, the credit for conquering Yan will likely go to him."
"Perhaps we won't even need both military camps. The Wu'an Camp alone should be enough to deal with Yan."
Ying Zheng nodded, his gaze fixed on Zhao Feng's silhouette as it grew smaller and eventually disappeared beyond the city gates. Only then did he let out a quiet sigh.
"Tell me, how much longer must I wait before I can openly announce his identity to the world?"
"I'm growing impatient…"
Hearing this, Wang Jian immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, only three kingdoms remain. The time for recognizing Zhao Feng is not far off. However, if we act rashly now, the court will be thrown into turmoil, and the ministers will surely harbor doubts. This would be detrimental to Qin's national strength."
Seeing Wang Jian's worried expression, Ying Zheng chuckled and shook his head.
"I'm merely thinking out loud."
"The unification of the world…"
"It is drawing near."
"The fall of Qi, Chu, and Yan…"
"That day will come soon enough."
Yunzhong City, Military Camp
Upon returning to the capital, Zhao Feng left military affairs to his three generals.
With Wei already conquered, the Wu'an Camp had little else to do.
For the past few months, the generals had been focused on rewarding their troops based on merit.
Convicted soldiers who had fought valiantly were granted amnesty and titles.
Elite warriors who had distinguished themselves in battle were promoted in rank and given official posts.
Additionally, the army was replenished with recruits.
Before departing, Zhao Feng had arranged everything carefully, ensuring that all matters proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Wounded Soldiers' Camp
By now, the camp had been cleared, and the medics found themselves with little to do.
Their daily tasks consisted of preparing medicinal herbs and powders.
At this moment, within the camp
A stunning woman dressed in a light blue gown, her long hair tied up, was carefully grinding herbs and preparing medicine.
In front of her stood a man dressed in black military armor, attentively assisting her fetching herbs, bringing water utterly devoted.
The other medics in the camp had long grown accustomed to this sight.
Zhao Ying sighed helplessly. No matter how many times she tried to dissuade him, Li You refused to be discouraged.
"General Li," she said, her tone carrying a hint of resignation.
"Although there is no ongoing battle, if you neglect your duties, my brother will surely reprimand you upon his return."
Li You grinned, his expression full of warmth.
"Miss Zhao, are you worried about me?"
Hearing this, Zhao Ying glanced at him briefly but said nothing.
"Don't worry," Li You continued.
"Before coming here, I always finish my duties."
"Even if the Supreme General returns, I will have no trouble explaining myself."
"General Li," Zhao Ying said seriously.
"I know your intentions."
"But I have no desire to marry."
She had repeated this sentiment many times before.
Yet Li You showed no disappointment. Instead, he spoke with determination, "That's alright."
"I'm not in a hurry either. I will wait as long as it takes."
"Until the day Miss Zhao is willing."
"In this lifetime, I have chosen you, and that will never change."
Zhao Ying didn't know how to respond.
But deep in her heart, a faint ripple of emotion stirred.
At that moment
"General!"
"General Zhang Han requests your presence in the main tent at once!"
A personal guard of Zhang Han hurried over and reported respectfully.
"The Supreme General has sent a message?"
Hearing this, Li You's expression turned serious.
He immediately stood up.
However, glancing back at Zhao Ying, he softened his tone.
"Miss Zhao, I'll see you tomorrow."
Before Zhao Ying could refuse, Li You turned and left the wounded soldiers' camp.
Zhao Ying sighed.
Every day, she prepared medicine while being pestered by Li You.
Main Tent
The seat at the head of the tent was vacant.
Zhang Han, Tu Sui, and Li You sat opposite each other.
Vice generals like Wei Quan were also present.
Outside, elite guards stood watch, maintaining strict vigilance.
"What message has the Supreme General sent?" Tu Sui asked.
"The message is here, but I haven't opened it yet," Zhang Han replied.
"I was waiting for both of you to arrive before reading it."
"Then open it quickly!" Tu Sui urged.
Without hesitation, Zhang Han unfolded the cloth scroll.
As soon as he read its contents, his expression changed dramatically.
"The Yan Kingdom's envoys attempted to assassinate His Majesty!" Zhang Han exclaimed.
At his words, the entire tent fell silent.
All the generals' faces darkened.
"Is His Majesty unharmed?" Li You immediately asked.
Zhang Han said nothing and continued reading.
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