Lord: Sequence Master

The dragon-blooded naga, Sarita, cautiously surveyed her surroundings on the Dragon God Battlefield.

She was located on a small plain nestled between mountain ranges, with clear traces of flooding in the area. There were no obvious places to hide nearby, making it easy for enemies to spot and ambush her.

Her agile serpentine tail began to twist and move rapidly, propelling her toward a nearby forested area. This forest offered cover and concealment, and more importantly, her demonic seed sensed the presence of another tribe member in that direction.

Snakelike beings typically moved slower than humans, even as extraordinary creatures of the same level. However, Sarita's speed was frighteningly fast. This was thanks not only to the bronze dragon's time manipulation ability, which accelerated her movements, but also to the special wolf totem inscribed on her body, granting her Sequence 4-level maximum mobility and stealth capabilities.

Half an hour later, Sarita and another dragon-blooded naga converged, heading toward each other at full speed.

The resonance between their demonic seeds amplified their mutual perception, increasing their ability to sense other demonic seeds in the vicinity. Neither of them showed any interest in hunting dragon beasts or other thralls; they were singularly focused on reuniting with their tribe members.

Within a few days, Sarita had gathered a team of one hundred nagas.

At this point, the nearest demonic seed she could sense clearly belonged to another group of dragon-blooded nagas. However, after estimating the distance, Sarita decided not to attempt a merger with the other group.

The Dragon God Battlefield was simply too vast. With the thousand dragon-blooded nagas scattered across the battlefield, any given area would hold anywhere from a dozen to a few hundred. Forcing a larger-scale reunion would only result in encountering countless enemies along the way.

Furthermore, gathering too large a group early on would make them an obvious and vulnerable target.

The hundred dragon-blooded nagas spread out, maintaining just enough distance to support each other when needed while they searched for prey.

In this aspect, the demonic seeds proved invaluable. Few creatures could suppress their inherent seven deadly sins. Any sentient being unable to conceal its pride, wrath, or other vices would find it almost impossible to evade the seeds' detection.

Sarita spotted a dragon beast and carefully observed it before identifying it as a Sequence 4 rampaging drake.

She immediately ordered the nearby dragon-blooded nagas to remain hidden and began murmuring draconic chants to cast a dragon-language-enhanced water clone.

At the same time, half of the armor formed by the metallic slime on her body detached and covered the water clone, making it indistinguishable from her real body.

The water clone charged at the rampaging drake, engaging it in fierce combat.

The drake's roars, the clash of weapons against its claws, the snapping of trees, and the rising clouds of dust—these chaotic sounds and sights could easily attract nearby dragonspawn and thralls with even basic detection abilities.

The water clone and the rampaging drake served as bait, while the hidden dragon-blooded nagas acted as a net.

Those who couldn't resist the commotion and approached became prey that walked into the trap on their own. It was a far more efficient method than scouring the battlefield aimlessly.

Of course, there were also hunters lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike.

Once the first wave of prey had entered the trap, Sarita and her nearby dragon-blooded nagas began casting war magic together.

Each naga sacrificed two of their weapons, allowing the metallic slimes to shift to specific positions.

The slimes simultaneously released their psychic energy, infusing it with the malicious intent of the seven deadly sins. This created a massive aura of instinctual oppression, amplifying the pride, wrath, and other sins within all hostile sentient beings in the area.

The hundreds of dragonspawn and thralls attracted to the commotion began clashing violently with one another long before reaching the nagas' trap.

At this moment, the dragon-blooded nagas—using their powerful stealth abilities—moved like phantoms through the battlefield. With time acceleration on their side, they sniped enemies from a distance, and when facing tough opponents, they would swarm them with overwhelming numbers.

Sarita's squad wasn't unique in this regard. Nearly every team of dragon-blooded nagas scattered across the battlefield had delivered similarly excellent results in a short time.

Of course, "nearly every team" wasn't the same as "all."

Some nagas had died.

With thousands of pure-blooded dragons and at least tens of millions of Sequence 4-level dragonspawn and thralls on the battlefield, there were bound to be exceptionally powerful individuals. Some possessed means to penetrate the defenses of Sequence 4 metallic slimes.

However, even in death, the dragon-blooded nagas invariably ensured they took their killers down with them.

Time passed day by day, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had gone by.

Out of the original ten thousand dragon-blooded naga, fewer than seven thousand remained.

However, those who had survived had all without exception grown to Sequence 5.

On this day, without any warning, a dense blood mist began to rise from the outer edges of the Dragon God Battlefield.

The mist formed a massive ring that enveloped the battlefield and started contracting rapidly toward the Dragon God Mountain at its core.

The blood mist moved with alarming speed, forcing the dragonspawn and thralls on the battlefield's outskirts to migrate inward.

The mist had no effect on dragon beasts, but it was lethally effective against dragonspawn and thralls.

For the past six months, no dragonspawn or thrall had dared to approach Dragon God Mountain, not because they didn't want to, but because it was simply impossible.

Countless pure-blooded dragons had resided on Dragon God Mountain over the years, leaving behind their residual dragon might. This accumulated pressure had grown so intense that even a Sequence 1 would have to crawl on their knees just to make progress at the mountain's base.

Under such overwhelming dragon might, it was impossible for dragonspawn and thralls to approach the mountain from the outer edges of the battlefield.

The only way to resist the dragon might was to hunt other dragonspawn and thralls, plundering the remnants of Dragon Blood Divine Tree leaves within their bodies.

The more leaf remnants accumulated in one's body, the stronger their resistance to the dragon might. Only by gathering enough remnants to form a complete leaf could they reach the base of Dragon God Mountain.

Once there, they could absorb the leaf's power, purify their dragon bloodline, and break through from Sequence 4 to Sequence 3 in one leap.

The entire Dragon God Battlefield was essentially a giant cauldron of survival, where millions of Sequence 4 dragonspawn and thralls were consumed to produce only a few thousand Sequence 3 combatants.

At first glance, it seemed absurd to sacrifice millions of Sequence 4 beings as mere cannon fodder.

After all, in the human world, even some duchy rulers were only Sequence 4.

But this was actually quite normal. The lower and upper limits of different species were proportional.

Even with the resources of the Dragon God Battlefield, millions of Sequence 4 dragonspawn and thralls would at most yield a few thousand Sequence 3 individuals. And among these, the odds of advancing further to Sequence 2 were even lower.

While dragonspawn and thralls had high baselines, their ceilings were equally low.

In contrast, for humans, a population of just tens of thousands of Sequence 4 individuals could produce several thousand Sequence 3s.

Moreover, the probability of these Sequence 3 humans advancing to Sequence 2 was far higher than that of their dragonspawn and thrall counterparts.

This is why, below Sequence 3, many other species outmatched humanity by hundreds or even thousands of times.

But starting at Sequence 3, humanity was roughly on par.

And at Sequence 1 and Sequence 0, the World Government could hold its own against all the surrounding races combined.

The only way for other species to destroy the World Government would be to risk their true gods falling one after another.

However, civilizations were the dependents of true gods, and true gods were the creators of civilizations.

As long as a true god remained alive, even if their civilization was destroyed, they could rebuild it.

For this reason, true gods rarely fought to the death unless driven by absolute hatred or interests.

Five years later, only one thousand dragon-blooded naga remained alive.

Of the millions of dragonspawn and thralls that had originally entered the battlefield, only tens of thousands were still alive.

The proportion of dragon-blooded naga had risen from one in several thousand to one in a few dozen.

All surviving dragon-blooded naga had advanced to Sequence 4 without exception.

Moreover, the six weapons forged from Sequence 5 metallic slimes that each naga wielded had all grown to Sequence 4 over the years.

Though many dragon-blooded naga had perished, the metallic slimes had sustained almost no losses.

When a naga fell in battle, their metallic slimes were absorbed and fused with the weapons of surviving comrades.

As a result, every dragon-blooded naga now had six Sequence 4 metallic slimes integrated into their equipment.

This was the key reason why over a thousand dragon-blooded naga had managed to survive the increasingly brutal battles.

Under other pure-blooded dragons, the number of surviving dragonspawn and thralls varied widely. Some dragons had only a handful left, while others were lucky to retain a few dozen.

In contrast, the thousand-strong army of dragon-blooded naga had become a terrifying force on the battlefield, striking fear into other dragonspawn and thralls.

Attempts had been made to encircle and eliminate the nagas, who had become a common target of resentment.

But every effort had ended in failure.

Roson had initially invested ten thousand Sequence 4 and sixty thousand Sequence 5 metallic slimes.

Now, only seven thousand remained.

With every Sequence 5 weapon having grown to Sequence 4, it was natural that the Sequence 4 metallic slimes, which had transformed into armor, had further advanced to Sequence 3.

The impenetrable wall of over a thousand Sequence 3 metallic slimes was enough to repel any attack from the remaining dragonspawn and thralls.

At the summit of Dragon God Mountain, thousands of pure-blooded dragons overlooked the battlefield at the mountain's base. They were already well aware that this year's Dragon God Battlefield champion had long been decided. The thousand-plus dragon-blooded naga were destined to absorb the fully-formed Dragon Blood Divine Tree leaves and ascend to demigod status.

This inevitable outcome had led many pure-blooded dragons to discuss over the past few days which bronze dragon these dragon-blooded naga belonged to.

Due to the interference of the mountain's dragon might, even pure-blooded dragons found it difficult to sense the specific lineage of the dragon blood within the naga. They could only deduce, based on the displayed abilities, that the naga were the thralls of a bronze dragon.

While most pure-blooded dragons remained clueless, two bronze dragons had already figured it out.

The entire bronze dragon species numbered fewer than a thousand, so it wasn't difficult for them to identify the disguised Roson as Feron Karthes.

Precisely because they recognized him, they found it almost unbelievable.

The final contraction of the blood mist was not circular but elliptical. Dragon God Mountain was enormous—even its base was far too vast—and with only a few tens of thousands scattered across its foot, there were far too many places to hide. An elliptical contraction of the blood mist was necessary to force everyone to converge.

The dragon-blooded naga released their Sequence 3 metallic slimes, which merged and transformed into a towering metallic slime thousands of meters tall.

The colossal metallic slime reshaped itself into a floating void battleship, accelerating forward.

As it traveled, it rained down saturation attacks on any dragonspawn and thralls it encountered.

It was worth noting that all the dragon-blooded naga had transitioned into dragon-language mages, specializing in dragon-language magic rather than melee combat. Waves of overwhelming dragon-language magic drowned their enemies, allowing the naga to steadily condense the remnants of the leaves within their bodies into fully-formed leaves.

Once Selita confirmed that all her kin had fully-formed leaves within their bodies, she retrieved the Historical Dragon Nest from her storage space.

The Historical Dragon Nest expanded its domain, enveloping all the dragon-blooded naga and drawing them inside. The environment within the nest allowed the naga to refine the Dragon Blood Divine Tree leaves within them, enabling them to break through from Sequence 4 to Sequence 3 in one leap.

The Historical Dragon Nest then ascended into the air, flying to the mountain summit and landing in Roson's hands.

At that moment, the Dragon Blood Divine Tree above dropped a Dragon Blood Holy Fruit, which floated before him.

Roson eagerly caught the Dragon Blood Holy Fruit, a priceless treasure of the dragon species at the true god level.

Though it was a mass-produced item, its value was still immeasurable.

Simply consuming the Dragon Blood Holy Fruit ensured that even those with poor talent could eventually reach Sequence 1.

Amid the envious and jealous gazes of the surrounding pure-blooded dragons, Roson's head transformed into a dragon's. Without hesitation, he swallowed the Dragon Blood Holy Fruit in one gulp.

Normally, the Dragon Blood Holy Fruit could only enhance a dragon's bloodline.

Roson's current bronze dragon body, however, was entirely a transformation of his Ancient God Physique.

Yet his transformation was so perfect, his bronze dragon bloodline so flawless, that even the Dragon Blood Holy Fruit couldn't discern the difference. The fruit treated his bloodline as entirely authentic, allowing him to perfectly absorb its nutrients and enhance himself.

This meant that when he reverted to his original form, the benefits of the Dragon Blood Holy Fruit would carry over seamlessly.

The most immediate effect was a significant awakening of his Ancient God bloodline.

The Dragon Blood Holy Fruit was a gift from the true gods, and securing first place in the Dragon God Battlefield also came with the right to claim a territory.

A Sequence 1 dragonspawn tasked with guarding Dragon God Mountain approached Roson with a map of Dragon Island and respectfully handed it to him.

Roson unfolded the map, which marked all the unclaimed territories.

He had two choices.

The first option was to select a smaller territory. The ownership of this land would belong exclusively to him for as long as he lived.

The second option was to claim a much larger territory, but its ownership would only last a thousand years.

Choosing the smaller territory came with the significant advantage of being protected by Dragon Island itself, making it immune to invasion.

The second option, however, allowed dragons with sequences lower than his to challenge him and forcibly seize a portion of his thralls.

Most dragon lords chose the second option, as participating in the Dragon God Battlefield was usually driven by ambitions for larger territories.

Of course, there were exceptions—some dragons who disliked trouble opted for the first choice.

Roson didn't hesitate to choose the second option. He carefully examined all the unclaimed territories on Dragon Island and quickly settled on a piece of land closest to the bronze dragon clan's territory. He then returned the map to the Dragon God Mountain guardian.

Moments later, the guardian returned and handed Roson a dragon-shaped ring.

This was the Ring of Dominion, the identity token for all dragon lords.

Wearing the Lord's Authority Ring granted the ability to reshape the terrain within the territory, observe it from a god's-eye view, and teleport freely within its boundaries. Additionally, it provided the lord with the territory's blessing, greatly accelerating personal growth.

Initially, there were no dragon lords in the Dragon Realm. This system was established after the rise of the World Government, with the dragons imitating the noble sequence of humans to create this odd hybrid. While it was inferior to divine domain territories in most respects, it had one key advantage:

Dragon lords could more easily comprehend all rules within their territory under the territory's blessing.

In the Dragon Realm, the highest authority over rule-related dominion did not belong to the main world but was retained by the Dragon Realm itself. The Lord's Authority Ring was, in essence, a fragment of the Dragon Realm's will, granting it a unique advantage that even divine domain territories could not replicate.

As Roson put on the Lord's Authority Ring, the surrounding pure-blooded dragons gathered to offer their congratulations.

Roson warmly entertained those who came forward with goodwill, summoning a large number of elemental servants and gifting a generous amount of divine essence crystals in return. Naturally, there were also a few dragons who silently distanced themselves out of dislike, though none were foolish enough to approach and provoke him.

With so many dragons around, it was impossible to hold long conversations with each one. Most exchanges were brief introductions, enough to get acquainted and exchange contact information.

"By the way, how come those two bronze dragons didn't come over to congratulate you?" asked a Dawn Dragon casually as it wrapped up its conversation with Roson.

"I've been exiled by the bronze dragon clan," Roson replied nonchalantly.

The nearby pure-blooded dragons collectively turned their attention toward Roson in surprise, then shifted their incredulous gazes to the two bronze dragons who were now squirming uncomfortably.

Winning first place in the Dragon God Battlefield, with a clear path to becoming a guaranteed Sequence 1 in the future—and yet, such a dragon was exiled from its clan?

In a few days, the bronze dragon clan would undoubtedly become the laughingstock of the entire Dragon Realm.

"He was exiled because he snuck into the clan's dragon tomb to steal!" one of the bronze dragons couldn't help but explain.

"I was merely reclaiming the inheritance left behind by my parents, who died fighting for the clan," Roson retorted. "I've always had exceptional talent, but it prevented me from mastering the Time Authority before reaching Sequence 3. Unfortunately, certain individuals, blind to my potential, seized my parents' inheritance and denied me the resources I needed to become a demigod."

The two bronze dragons exchanged glances, uncertain how to respond.

But it wasn't just the other pure-blooded dragons—even the two bronze dragons began to believe Feron's version of the story.

It was simple: the strength of dragon thralls and dragonspawn directly depended on the pure-blooded dragon they served.

The time-related abilities displayed by the dragon-blooded naga had already proven how powerful Feron's mastery of the Time Authority was.

There was no dispute about his exceptional talent. If there was any blindness, it could only be attributed to the bronze dragon clan itself—or more precisely, to certain high-ranking members of the clan who had likely coveted Feron's parents' inheritance.

Although internal conflicts were common among dragons, most disputes were between clans over resources and territory. Within a single clan, there was generally a sense of unity.

Those with real capabilities sought to take resources from other clans, while the incompetent resorted to infighting.

This incident would not only turn the bronze dragon clan into a laughingstock but would soon make them the subject of ridicule across the Dragon Realm.

If not for the need to wait for the dragon nests to retrieve the surviving dragonspawn and thralls, the two bronze dragons would likely have already fled Dragon God Mountain in shame.

Roson knew full well that his words had completely alienated the bronze dragon clan.

But he wasn't wrong. Feron had indeed sneaked into the clan's dragon tomb to reclaim his parents' inheritance. Certain members of the clan, seeing that Feron had failed to master the Time Authority for so long, had sought to take that inheritance for themselves and used the opportunity to expel him.

In truth, if Roson were to bow his head now, the bronze dragon clan would likely welcome him back with open arms.

But that was precisely what Roson wanted—to provoke an open rift with the bronze dragon clan. Feron had lived within the clan for far too long, and no matter how perfect Roson's disguise was, there was always a risk of being exposed through behavioral habits.

It was far safer to position himself as an adversary and avoid deeper contact altogether.

(End of Chapter)