Coiling Dragon: Reborn As The Armored Razorback Wyrm

Sadius's spiritual energy instantly enveloped the entire estate.

The Baruch clan's residence, including the front courtyard where they currently lived and the abandoned rear courtyard, was all within the scope of Sadius's soul sense.

Searching for a small ring in such a vast estate was no easy task. Fortunately, Sadius had a rough idea of what the Coiling Dragon Ring looked like.

He was not Linley, the chosen protagonist, who could casually stumble upon a damaged Sovereign artifact in his backyard.

What he relied on was his knowledge of the original story.

However, he wasn't entirely certain if the Coiling Dragon Ring was in the Baruch estate at this time. Perhaps it had only ended up here decades before Linley's birth?

The novel never specified, so no one truly knew.

Luckily, after conducting a meticulous search with his soul sense, Sadius finally located an ancient, unassuming black ring.

"I'm heading out for a moment. Stay here and don't go anywhere. I'll be back soon."

Sadius opened the door and stepped out alone. Darkness Element surged around him, instantly transforming him into a shadow that vanished into the night.

Lena watched this unfold with curiosity. It was clear that Lord Sadius had a specific purpose for coming here.

Sadius's shadowy form flitted through the estate without drawing any attention. Before long, he arrived at the rear courtyard of the Baruch estate.

The place was covered in dust and overgrown with weeds. The wooden furniture inside the rooms had long since decayed, ready to collapse at the slightest touch.

"Better be careful. No need to make a commotion. If necessary, I'll just blame a stray cat."

Sadius swiftly slipped into an ancient chamber.

Inside, there was a wooden shelf—crafted from a rare and valuable type of wood. However, even it had succumbed to the ravages of time and had long since rotted.

On the shelf, there was an inconspicuous hidden compartment.

Inside it lay an ancient, black ring.

Sadius's spiritual energy probed into the compartment, locking onto the ring.

His heart pounded with excitement.

The ring, appearing both like wood and stone, bore a faintly discernible long pattern.

It was the very first great fortune Linley had obtained in the original story—the damaged Soul Defense Sovereign artifact, the Coiling Dragon Ring.

Azure Dragon's blood essence.

Water-type Sovereign's power.

And, of course, the soul of a Saint-level Earth-style Grand Magus who had been trapped within the artifact for nearly five thousand years.

Dylin Kowart was a valuable find for Sadius as well.

Although Sadius had reached Saint-level in Earth-style magic, it was only due to his unique Soul Mutation forming an Earth-style Dragoncore. He had later used a magic array's dense Earth Element to directly elevate his affinity to the Saint-level.

In truth, he was completely unskilled in Earth-style magic.

Having a Saint-level Grand Magus as a mentor would be an enormous boon.

Sadius could barely restrain his eagerness as he reached for the Coiling Dragon Ring hidden within the compartment.

As for the collapsing shelf? That would be the cat's problem.

Sadius pried open the compartment, allowing the Coiling Dragon Ring to fall into his hand just as the entire shelf began to collapse.

Sadius swiftly retreated from the chamber, then transformed into a shadow and leapt over the Baruch estate's outer wall. Grabbing a stray black cat, he tossed it back inside before vanishing.

After finishing his task, Sadius returned unseen to Lena's room.

"Lord Sadius, you've returned."

Lena watched him curiously, wondering what he had been up to.

"Go to sleep. We're leaving tomorrow."

Sadius ignored her and curled up in a corner, his claws tightly gripping the Coiling Dragon Ring.

Now that he had the artifact, Sadius felt himself growing calmer.

With the Coiling Dragon Ring, his Soul Defense at this stage was among the strongest possible.

The three drops of Sovereign's power inside the ring were priceless treasures, but using them too soon would be a waste.

As for the drop of Azure Dragon's blood essence, Sadius had no idea what to do with it.

Refining it?

He'd probably explode on the spot.

He wasn't a descendant of the Azure Dragon, meaning he couldn't directly refine the essence.

However, Sadius recalled that the first generation of Dragonblood Warriors had been created by Beirut using Azure Dragon's blood essence.

That old man had definitely figured out a way to let ordinary humans refine the essence.

If a human could refine it, why couldn't a Saint-level Dragon?

Then again, he wasn't some research-obsessed madman. There was no way he could figure out the method himself.

"I'll just hold onto it for now. Maybe I'll find a use for it someday."

Sadius decided to bind the Coiling Dragon Ring with his blood once he left Wushan Town.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, Lena and Sadius rose early.

"Miss Lena, did you sleep well? A stray cat got into the house last night, made quite the ruckus before settling down."

"I slept fine. Thank you for your hospitality, Baruch sir."

Lena stole a glance at Sadius, quickly piecing things together.

"There's a carriage leaving for Fenlai City today. Would Miss Lena like to join the travelers?"

Lena was about to accept when she suddenly heard Sadius's voice transmitting directly into her mind, telling her to refuse. She hesitated, then complied.

"Apologies, Baruch sir. I won't be heading back to Fenlai City just yet. I have other matters to attend to."

Ayn Baruch did not press further.

Lena bid farewell to the Baruch family and departed Wushan Town alongside Sadius.

"Lord Sadius, where are we headed?"

"You're free now. You don't have to follow me anymore. Just don't mention me to anyone."

Lena froze in shock.

"Lord Sadius, are you abandoning me? Did I do something wrong? Please tell me, I'll change."

Tears welled in her eyes as she began to sob uncontrollably.

Sadius felt exasperated. What was wrong with this woman? He was setting her free, yet she didn't want to leave?

Now that he had the Coiling Dragon Ring, he no longer needed her.

He was a Saint-level magical beast. While ordinary people might not recognize his strength, true experts certainly would.

A weak Rank-Nine magician traveling with a Saint-level magical beast? No one would assume he was her contracted beast.

It would only cause unnecessary trouble.

If Lena were a Rank-Nine Grand Magus, Sadius might have considered keeping her around.

But right now, she was nothing but a burden.

"You're too weak."

With just those three words, Lena wept even harder.

Growing impatient, Sadius sighed. Though he was now a Saint, he had still only lived in the Yulan Plane for six years. The emotions of his past life had not completely faded.

"Enough. Stop crying. I'll give you a chance—if you ever reach Rank-Nine, you can come find me. Until then, focus on training. I have an eternal lifespan, but you're only a Rank-Five magician. Following me now is simply embarrassing."

Lena gradually calmed down, realizing Sadius was right.

Sadius left her behind. During their time in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, he had collected many valuable, portable items and stored them in her pack. Consider it a parting gift.

With that, he took to the skies alone, searching for a secluded place to bind the Coiling Dragon Ring with his blood.