The Abyss Suppression, one of the divine arts created by the civilization of the gods to curb the erosion of the abyss.
The original version of this divine art could only be learned by becoming a deity. After numerous simplifications, it could finally be mastered by third-level beings, albeit at the cost of greatly reduced power.
The number of believers in the Miracle Order had already reached tens of millions, and as their Chief God, Richard now possessed a substantial amount of Power of Faith.
Thus, Richard learned several low-level divine arts from Ulysses, including the simplified version of Abyss Suppression.
Richard tossed the complex rune into the Dragon Blood, and soon, the highly active Dragon Blood calmed down.
Richard let his soul leave his body and enter the shell in the experimental chamber.
Then, he injected the Dragon Blood, which had been subjected to Abyss Suppression, into the heart.
Thump! Richard could feel his heart suddenly jump, and an intense pain instantly erupted from his heart, spreading throughout his body via the nerves in an instant.
But soon, this lightning-like pain was replaced by a searing heat akin to a branding iron.
An extremely condensed and complex pentagonal Alchemy Array appeared on his chest. The Dragon Blood he had injected into his body continuously fused with Richard's body under the effect of the Alchemy Array, yet Richard's body showed no change.
This was the most miraculous aspect of the Myriad Transformation Battle Body. Its cultivation resembled that of a hybrid, but its usage was akin to a Bloodline Seed.
If a Wizard did not actively release the Myriad Transformation Battle Body, the bloodlines integrated into the Wizard's body would not alter the Wizard's physical form.
Soon, the fusion was complete.
Richard stood up from the cultivation chamber, and with a thought, the Mana Recirculation within his body transformed into an extremely complex energy cycle.
Under this new energy cycle, his body began to undergo drastic changes.
Pale dragon scales pierced through his skin, spreading wildly across his body. Then, his internal organs began to mutate.
His heart grew larger, his lungs began to proliferate, and unnamed glands and strange, tiny bones emerged almost out of nowhere from his flesh.
Richard was undergoing Dragonization, and a very intense one at that.
This transformation lasted for nearly a minute, during which Richard's body underwent a dramatic change.
His body became much more robust, and his height suddenly increased to around two and a half meters. His body was covered with bone dragon scales adorned with golden patterns, looking both noble and mysterious. On his head, a pair of somewhat ferocious dragon horns faintly shimmered with electricity.
"Is this the feeling of Dragonization? It feels pretty good," Richard said, slightly excited as he felt the changes in his body.
Although his constitution had not changed due to Dragonization, he could feel that the strength, agility, and speed of his current body far surpassed that of his previous form.
No wonder dragons could dominate the Wizard World; their physical conditions were simply too formidable.
Hogg, who was standing nearby, was so shocked by Richard's sudden Dragonization that his eyes nearly popped out.
He could now be certain that Richard had indeed undergone Dragonization.
But why would a Wizard like Richard Dragonize himself for no reason? Dragonization was irreversible.
After some thought, Hogg cautiously asked, "Um... Master? Have you Dragonized?"
Hearing Hogg's voice, Richard turned to look at the dragon.
"Yes, now try commanding me in Draconic."
Hogg was startled, "Huh? That doesn't seem appropriate."
"I need to test something, hurry up!"
Seeing Richard's firm attitude, Hogg tentatively commanded in Draconic, "Come here, servant."
Upon hearing the command, Richard could clearly feel an unusual movement in his body.
He could sense an abnormal bioelectric current in his brain. Driven by this current, his body involuntarily obeyed the command.
A smile appeared on Richard's lips, "So that's how it is."
With that, Richard used Flesh Manipulation to open his skull, then left his body and used Magic Power to part his brain.
Once the brain was opened, a structure resembling a ganglion appeared before Richard's eyes.
In the anatomical diagrams of Dragonized beings that Richard had obtained, this ganglion was often considered to assist in the release of Draconic magic.
"Tsk tsk, these Wizards, they hide the real stuff and spread the wrong information."
Richard didn't believe that Wizards hadn't discovered the secret of dragons controlling Dragonblood beings over such a long time.
There were plenty of madmen among Wizards, and something that could be known just by Dragonizing a body must have been discovered long ago.
They just never spoke of it.
Having identified the issue, Richard quickly modified the ganglion.
For this, he specifically sought the help of Jolod and a few Alchemist Wizards who owed him favors.
After the modification, the normal functions of the body would not be impaired, and the dragon's commands could no longer activate the ganglion.
With everything ready, Richard soon completed the cultivation of the Myriad Transformation Battle Body on his original form.
...
In addition to the cultivation of the Myriad Transformation Battle Body, the war group Richard had planned was gradually taking shape.
According to Richard's plan, this war group would consist of five hundred people, with twenty people forming a combat squad and one hundred people forming a combat company.
The composition of a combat squad would be eighteen first-level Fire Lizards and two second-level Fire Lizards, with the two second-level Fire Lizards serving as the squad leader and deputy leader.
The leader of the first squad in each combat company would be the company commander.
In the Secret Realm, the fully equipped Fire Lizard war group stood in orderly ranks before Richard, awaiting his inspection.
These Fire Lizards were all clad in brand-new Craftsman Type I Personal Armor, equipped with standard curved blades, standard small Dragon Breath guns, and five standard javelins.
The equipment was somewhat rudimentary, but as a start-up, Richard wasn't sure what weapons to prepare for them, so he had the Fire Lizard craftsmen create the current gear based on their experience.
After the inspection, Richard nodded in satisfaction.
"Good, this is what an army should look like."
These Fire Lizards were not like this when they first entered the Secret Realm. Back then, the war group was extremely disorganized. Although five hundred Fire Lizards were gathered together, they looked like a corpse forcibly pieced together.
Once they moved, the limbs of the corpse would all fall apart.
Clearly, such a war group was far from meeting Richard's requirements.
To address this, Richard called Makar back to the Secret Realm to serve as the war group's instructor and train these unruly Fire Lizards.
And this training lasted for five years.
Now that Richard was about to embark on an expedition, these Fire Lizards finally looked like soldiers.
Richard walked to the front of the war group and patted Makar on the shoulder.
"Good job, you've worked hard during this time."
Makar respectfully replied, "It's my duty."
"Later, I'll send you back. You don't need to participate in this expedition."
"Huh?"
Makar was stunned, doubting if he had heard correctly.
"You heard right," Richard said indifferently. "I'll go alone on this expedition."
"But sir, your safety..."
Richard smiled, "Don't worry about my safety, Makar."
As he spoke, Ulysses landed on Richard's shoulder.
Now that Richard's strength had reached the level of a Third Circle Wizard, and he had cultivated the Myriad Transformation Battle Body and various legacies from Evermountain Temple, in terms of combat power, Richard was not inferior to Makar. In a real fight, it was unclear who would protect whom.
And during the last Academy War, it was simply because Ulysses couldn't enter. As a guard, Ulysses was much more useful than them.
Makar looked at Ulysses, then bowed, "Your will."
...
After sending Makar back to the Crimson Sun World, Richard made a stop at the community of the Black Tower Wizard Academy and returned to the Wizard Tower where he once lived.
Looking at this familiar Wizard Tower, Richard rang the doorbell.
Ding ding ding...
The doorbell rang, and a Wizard flew out from the second-floor window, landing in front of the gate.
"Teacher, why are you here!"
Although Richard had left the Black Tower Wizard Academy, he had not taken Wuni with him. After his departure, his Wizard Tower was naturally inherited by Wuni. Richard patted Wuni's head and smiled, "It's nothing, I'm going on an expedition, so I came to see you and leave you something."
"An expedition?" Wuni was stunned, then worriedly asked, "Teacher, why are you suddenly going on an expedition? You don't lack Magic Essence, why go on an expedition for no reason?"
Richard laughed, "The academy requires it, I have no choice. Besides, even if the academy didn't force it, I would still go on the expedition."
"Ah? Why is that?"
"Because to become a Great Wizard, Magic Essence alone is not enough," Richard sighed slightly. "Magic Essence is just an aid. To truly become a Great Wizard, it depends on the Wizard's abilities.
Without sufficient strength, even if you participate in the Great Wizard selection, it's just courting death."
Wuni looked at Richard in surprise, not expecting that Richard, who had just become a Third Circle Wizard, was already considering how to become a Great Wizard.
"Alright, let's go inside, I have something for you."
Entering the Wizard Tower, Richard took out several sealed scrolls from his pocket and handed them to Wuni.
"Although I have enough confidence in this war, to be safe, preparations must be made.
These scrolls contain my research results and asset distribution.
If something happens to me in the war, these scrolls will automatically open, and you will execute the contents of the will accordingly."
Wuni solemnly took the scrolls and put them in his pocket.
"Don't worry, teacher, nothing will happen to you."
Hearing this, Richard felt a warmth in his heart.
He was no longer alone.
"Alright, I should go back now that I've given you these things."
Richard stood up to leave, but as he reached the door of the Wizard Tower, he stopped.
"Almost forgot, among those scrolls, there's a black scroll you need to pay attention to. If I go missing, open that scroll."
"Okay," Wuni responded.
...
Returning to the Wizard Tower, Richard spent some intimate time with Ellie, something they hadn't done in a while.
This expedition would last at least a hundred years, and not seeing each other for over a century was something they had never experienced before.
After his time with Ellie, Richard entered the Nightmare World.
Here, he would make his final power enhancement—he would push his mental power to the limit of a Third Circle Wizard.
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