Chapter 861: The Plague Lord Reborn
Leon was brimming with confidence. Given his current level of alchemy—his vision already towering over the entire era—even as a creator, he couldn't truly unravel the Primordial Venom Dragon's poison using only his own skills.
The antidote formula for the Primordial Venom Dragon's poison was something he'd found in the desolate library. He'd skimmed it at the time, never expecting it would come in handy now.
Moreover, this particular potion recipe was only concocted by a Saint-ranked alchemist ten thousand years later.
Most importantly, the main ingredient for this potion was the small stalks of Venomwyrm Grass found in the cracks around the pit. Without these herbs, even with the formula, there'd be no hope of neutralizing the Primordial Venom Dragon's poison.
It's crucial to understand that the terror of the Primordial Venom Dragon isn't just in its poison—it's that each one's venom is uniquely different.
If the ingredients differ even slightly, the antidote might fail entirely.
And the key ingredients for the antidote can only be found near where each Primordial Venom Dragon sleeps. Only there can the materials for a complete cure be gathered.
So, when Leon discovered the Primordial Venom Dragon's corpse, his first reaction wasn't to approach—it was to frantically search the area.
Sure enough, he found eight stalks of Venomwyrm Grass. Now, with all the Venomwyrm Grass safely stashed away, Leon no longer feared anyone stealing the Primordial Venom Dragon's corpse.
In any case, the Primordial Venom Dragon's corpse was just sitting there—untouchable and immovable. Anyone who tried would die instantly. Leon decided to go back and prepare the antidote first; he could always come back to harvest later.
Leon left without hesitation. Droy was dumbfounded, left staring longingly at the Primordial Venom Dragon's corpse and drooling, but in the end, he could only follow Leon out of Viperfog Valley.
The Caucasus Battlemages departed, and Leon didn't immediately lead his group back. Instead, he stationed a fresh face near Viperfog Valley to keep watch. Hardly anyone ever appeared in these parts—only the Caucasus Battlemages would dare.
This time, they'd found the greatest prize in Viperfog Valley, but couldn't claim it. The Caucasus Battlemages would surely lose interest now, and without Leon's antidote, Viperfog Valley held little value anyway.
Leon wasn't worried at all. Once back, he dove into the alchemy lab and began preparing the antidote for the Primordial Venom Dragon's venom.
He harvested every last Venomwyrm Grass growing around the Primordial Venom Dragon's corpse—enough for plenty of antidote. And this antidote could perfectly neutralize the venom, making the dragon's corpse as harmless as any ordinary dragon. Not only could they harvest safely, but the corpse's full value could finally be unlocked.
This formula only appeared at the peak of Northend World's history. While the requirements weren't especially high, it still took a creator-level alchemist to brew it—luckily, Leon's vision far surpassed his era.
The process was painstaking. Venomwyrm Grass itself was extremely toxic, and all the alchemical tools had to be specially forged. Just crafting a new set took Leon three whole days.
What's more, when brewing the antidote, he had to preserve the grass's toxicity—while making sure the user wouldn't drop dead. The balance was critical; even the slightest error would turn the antidote into a lethal weapon, just like the dragon's venom.
With the current era's level of alchemical knowledge, without knowing the full process and details, even the best creators would need hundreds or thousands of experiments to produce a single vial of antidote.
This formula came from a Saint-ranked alchemist. Their casual techniques and machine-like precision in the details were beyond anything a creator could match.
That's why, even after finishing the brew, Leon remained on high alert. He kept his mana circulating, ready to react instantly if anything went wrong. Beside him, a specially forged Steel Tower Shield—over a foot thick—stood ready. If disaster struck, he'd have just enough time to duck behind it; that one second could mean survival.
A second was all Leon needed to escape.
Remember, Venomwyrm Grass grows by absorbing the essence of Primordial Venom Dragon venom. For ordinary people, touching it is no different from being poisoned by the dragon itself—a gruesome death awaits...
For over a dozen hours, Leon worked with machine-like speed and precision, breaking the Saint-ranked alchemist's operations into hundreds or thousands of steps, following the formula at a relentless pace.
Crushing, dissolving, centrifuging, osmosis, neutralization, catalysis...
A whole sequence that would leave most creators dizzy took Leon hours to complete, but at last he succeeded in brewing several vials of Venomwyrm Antidote.
Staring at the vials on the table, Leon finally let out a breath, nearly collapsing from exhaustion.
These vials represented the peak of his current abilities. If he hadn't learned the formula and method in advance, brewing them would have been impossible.
Even so, he’d barely made it to the end.
It's crucial to understand that the most important aspect of brewing this antidote is speed—every single step must be executed without hesitation, and the timing must be precise to the second. If any step is off by even one second, the entire process is a failure.
Now, before his eyes, several alchemical potions sat in enchanted glass vials, their surfaces densely inscribed with runes. The potions appeared to be contained, but in truth, they hovered within the bottles, suspended by magic. The concoctions themselves were so toxic that, if not for the magical glass, the vials would be instantly corroded upon contact.
Even taking the potion requires technique. Without the proper skill, it's nothing but a bottle of deadly poison.
After several days, Leon finally emerged from the alchemy lab, disheveled and exhausted. News from his subordinates reported that, in the first few days, some Caucasus battle mages had appeared at Viperfog Valley, but for the past two days, no one had ventured there.
No one would ever go to such a desolate and perilous place without a good reason.
At night, while everyone else rested, Leon quietly slipped away from Storm Fortress with Xiu Ban, Reina, and Andefa. Under cover of darkness, they made their way into Viperfog Valley.
They returned to the massive pit where the Primordial Venom Dragon's corpse lay. Only faint traces of human activity remained nearby; the dragon's body itself was unchanged, still as it had been before. Wisps of green smoke drifted from the corpse, curling skyward like a signal fire.
Leon descended to the bottom of the pit and handed out vials of antidote to everyone—even Andefa and the alchemy golem received one.
The Primordial Venom Dragon's strength lay in its poison, which could affect anything—magical constructs, alchemy golems, living beings, even rocks. Nothing was immune to its corruption.
Clutching his antidote, Leon strode toward the dragon's corpse, making the others watch with anxious dread.
"Master Merlin, are you sure this antidote is safe?"
Xiu Ban's face turned a sickly green, his knees knocking together. Everyone remembered Kenpes's gruesome fate all too clearly.
A single mistake, and dying quickly would be preferable to what comes next...
Leon stopped, snorted coldly, and gave Xiu Ban a swift kick.
"Go on, touch the Primordial Venom Dragon's corpse. The moment you make contact, drink the antidote. Remember, you must touch the corpse before drinking—otherwise, you'll die."
Xiu Ban wore a look of utter terror, collapsing onto the ground. Nearby, Andefa and Reina—both pale—looked slightly more at ease.
Seeing Xiu Ban nearly wet himself, Leon just smirked and walked over to the dragon's corpse, reaching out as casually as if petting a family pet.
All three of Andefa's faces twisted in horror, wearing an expression that screamed: 'Are you insane?'
Xiu Ban sat pale and speechless on the ground, mouth agape as he watched Leon.
Reina instinctively rushed toward Leon...
Under everyone's terrified gaze, Leon gently placed his left hand on the Primordial Venom Dragon's corpse...
Instantly, the fingertips of Leon's left hand turned dark green as the deadly venom raced up his arm, infecting his mana and spreading throughout his body at a terrifying speed.
Leon remained calm, lifted his head, and downed the antidote in his right hand.
In an instant, the dark green at Leon's fingertips rippled across his body, turning his skin the same ominous shade.
The green glow began to flicker and fade with each pulse. After eight flashes, Leon's skin returned to its normal color.
The wild, frenzied magic surging through him also gradually calmed and returned to normal.
Within seconds, Xiu Ban and Reina were drenched in cold sweat, staring at Leon as if they'd seen a god or a demon.
Andefa's three faces were twisted with strange, bewildered expressions, mouths hanging open as they stared at Leon.
"Merlin, are you sure you're not the Plague Lord reborn? That was a Primordial Venom Dragon, and you actually survived its poison. Damn, the world is changing too fast—I can't keep up. Back in the day, only gods and demons could survive a Primordial Venom Dragon's venom. You're the first in Northend World to ever touch one and walk away unscathed..."