Chapter 74: The High Dragon's Tomb, where mighty dragons find their eternal rest!
"Almost, but each unit type has its own strengths and weaknesses," Haotian mused.
"The drawback of Treant units is their relatively slow movement. Even if they reach extraordinary or saint levels, it's hard for them to make significant breakthroughs due to their inherent characteristics."
Upon hearing this, Haotian hurriedly checked the traits of the Ancient Treants and Eternal Treant Guardians.
Sluggish: Greatly reduced movement and attack speed.
Resilient: Defense triples upon entering combat.
Life Rejuvenation: Significantly increased recovery rate with no apparent fatal weaknesses.
Crushing Blow: Chance to instantly kill enemies up to two levels higher.
These were the four traits of the Ancient Treant Warriors.
Impenetrable Fortress (Active Trait): Upon activation, defense increases fivefold, and an energy shield is formed to protect nearby allies. The shield's range depends on the unit's level.
"Except for the sluggish trait," Haotian murmured, "the other traits are... incredible."
The trait Impenetrable Fortress made the Eternal Treant Guardians battlefield guardians and mighty juggernauts. With each energy shield deployed, the enemy forces would be left utterly bewildered.
"Praise be to you, great lord!" the Treants exclaimed. "You have given us new life; we pledge our unwavering loyalty to you!"
Led by over a hundred Eternal Treant Guardians, the Treant army gathered before Haotian, bowing deeply in reverence. Due to their physical limitations, they couldn't kneel like the Royal Knights, but they lowered their heads as much as possible to show their respect and loyalty.
"The future battlefield is yours! Go forth and fight!" Haotian commanded, nodding slightly at the Treants.
"At your command!" The Eternal Treant Guardians activated their Impenetrable Fortress trait, enveloping the Ancient Treants in protective shields before lifting off into the sky. The Eternal Treant Guardians, already at the extraordinary level, could fly using their own power, and they used their energy shields as transport for those Ancient Treants who couldn't yet fly.
"This makes things much easier," Haotian remarked, watching the departing Treant army with an increasingly radiant smile. Recruiting a thousand Ancient Treants and Eternal Treant Guardians daily, it wouldn't be long before he had a massive Treant army.
If he could obtain the Ultimate Unit Building Blueprint and upgrade the Ancient War Tree to the ultimate unit building, it would be even more remarkable.
…
Old Steward Hoden, recovering from his shock, voiced his concern, "Young master, letting these Treants enter the battlefield means that news of them will inevitably reach Forest City and the nature elves."
"When that happens, the nature elves will undoubtedly investigate."
The old steward worried that the appearance of Ancient Treants and Eternal Treant Guardians would draw the ire of the nature elves, potentially leading to war.
"If it comes to that, the Golden Oasis will face uncertain outcomes," Hoden warned. The nature elves were a pinnacle race on the Sacred Continent, and compared to them, even a human kingdom like the Stanlow Kingdom was insignificant.
"We'll handle whatever comes our way," Haotian responded with a smile. "We can't summon these Ancient Treants and then keep them hidden instead of using them in battle, can we? That would defeat their purpose. Units are meant for the battlefield where they can grow quickly. If even one hundred Eternal Treant Guardians reach saint levels, I'd dare to challenge the nature elves. If we can't win, we can always relocate. With the unit buildings we have, we can develop elsewhere and come back stronger."
After a pause, Haotian continued, "Besides, the nature elves would have taken notice of us sooner or later, even without the Ancient Treants."
Hoden nodded, acknowledging his young master's logic. The mass appearance of Elven Spring Water in Forest City wouldn't escape the nature elves' notice. Their arrival at the Golden Oasis was inevitable. Better to use the Ancient Treants and Eternal Treant Guardians in battle and quickly elevate their levels, thereby strengthening their position against the nature elves.
Haotian then communicated with the Lord System, asking, "System, in the Ancient Treants' trait, Life Rejuvenation, what does 'no apparent fatal weakness' mean exactly?"
The system quickly responded:
Treant units lack specific fatal weaknesses. Unless their souls are destroyed or their bodies are incinerated, they can regenerate from shattered limbs.
Using Elven Spring Water or Water of Life significantly boosts their recovery rate.
"That's incredible!" Haotian exclaimed, realizing this meant his Ancient Treants and Eternal Treant Guardians were highly resilient. They could revive even after being shattered, surpassing even dragons and rivaling the undead.
…
Haotian then approached the Dragon's Tomb. With a wave of gold coins, he upgraded the Dragon's Tomb to an intermediate level.
Dragon's Tomb
Level: Intermediate
Building Attribute: A mystical structure that can nurture undead dragon units.
Next Level: Advanced Dragon's Tomb
Upgrade Requirements: 500,000 gold coins, 300,000 units of stone
Special Note: The level of the nurtured dragon units correlates with the building's level and the dragon's level before death. Upgrading the Dragon's Tomb and burying high-level dragons results in more powerful dragon units.
…
"This cost is higher than upgrading a ninth-level unit building!" Haotian exclaimed. Upgrading a unit building to the ninth level only required 300,000 gold coins, while upgrading the Dragon's Tomb to advanced required 500,000 gold coins and 300,000 units of stone. It was truly daunting.
Compared to the Dragon's Tomb, the Luck Altar and Elven Spring seemed quite affordable.
After a moment of hesitation, Haotian checked his remaining gold reserves. He had exchanged nearly 900,000 lord coins, bringing his total to approximately 920,000. After upgrading the Ancient War Tree and the intermediate Dragon's Tomb, he had 570,000 coins left, along with ample stone reserves.
"Let's go ahead with the upgrade," he decided. "A higher building level means stronger dragon units!"
With a resolute decision, Haotian spent the 500,000 lord coins to upgrade the Dragon's Tomb to an advanced level. The upgrade caused the bronze gate to expand significantly, reaching nearly forty meters in height.
"Is this gate also a territory building?" the old steward Hoden asked as he observed.
"You'll see inside," Haotian replied, entering the gate first, followed by Hoden. They found themselves in a seemingly endless dimension devoid of sunlight and life, filled with rows of blank tombstones. The sight was eerie.
"This must be the Dragon's Tomb," Hoden said, realizing its purpose.
"Indeed," Haotian confirmed. He retrieved a giant dragon corpse over a hundred meters long from his space ring and activated one of the blank tombstones, burying the dragon corpse within. Shortly after, the tombstone displayed the dragon's information.
Interred: Flame Dragon
Name: Augustine Volis Edwin Rutherford…
Former Level: Saint Rank Peak
Lifespan: 3,792 years
Date of Death: Perished 10,000 years ago, slain by the Sword Goddess Amelia.
Reading the tombstone, both Haotian and Hoden fell silent, the gravity of the situation dawning on them.
"Young master, this could be quite serious," Hoden said, drawing in a sharp breath.
Haotian's eyes twitched. He hadn't expected this dragon corpse to be from ten thousand years ago. The potential consequences were severe.
"Let's hope the masked man found this corpse by chance," Haotian said, concerned. "Otherwise… the entire world might be in trouble."
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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