"Brave warriors, jump in!" Lin Qi said unhurriedly. "This is divine water blessed with the power of the God of War. You will gain tremendous strength from it—strength far beyond anything you can imagine!"
The soldiers gave Lin Qi a crisp military salute, then leapt into the lake one after another amid laughter.
A hundred thousand men jumped at once into Dragon Blood Lake, where blackish-red bubbles of blood churned and rolled. Scalding dragon blood mixed with immense medicinal power flooded into their bodies, yet the soldiers, hypnotized by their surroundings, felt not the slightest pain. They only felt warmth spreading through their bodies, while a wondrous, floating sensation of near-immortality made them almost weep.
Praise the great Dragon Mountain Count! Praise the great Longshan Family! What a marvelous delight this was!
The soldiers sat cross-legged in the lake one after another, allowing the water to submerge their heads. They drove their battle qi with all their strength, cycle after cycle, ceaselessly drawing the essence and immense medicinal power within the dragon blood into their bodies. Their muscles, bones, and meridians rapidly strengthened, while their battle qi surged under the stimulation of the dragon blood.
"I hope that one day," Lin Qi suddenly said softly, "one day, all the races under my command will be able to live together in peace! If demons and evil ghosts can coexist harmoniously, if giants, evil ghosts, and demons can all work alongside me, if blood elves and blood goblins can join hands with the dwarves at my side, then why can't humans do the same?"
Osmanthus Tree's voice drifted out faintly. "Because humans are the most complicated lifeforms! Because humans are simply far too complicated!"
Lin Qi looked at the hundred thousand soldiers frantically cycling their battle qi in the dragon blood and