Golden Dragon: Six Thousand Years of Empire.

Chapter 528: Selfless Warriors, the Qinglong Class

"What a...monster!"

Looking at the two halves of the body that had been cut in half and missing some flesh and blood, and the "companion" that was still full of vitality and not dead, two wood elves who passed by and happened to see this scene couldn't help but whisper.

For normal creatures, this is an injury that is certain to cause death, but the elves blessed by the Dragon Tree can lie quietly on the ground, looking up at the gray sky calmly, waiting for their wounds to heal.

But it was a scene with great visual impact. In the gaps of broken flesh and blood, dense blood-colored wood whiskers and thick vines grew on each other and connected together. The missing flesh and blood that could not be found slowly regenerated, and it looked like the growth of trees and green plants, but it was completely different.

"Don't say that. They are all acting like this in order to protect the tribe."

Hearing his companion's rude words, another wood elf quickly stopped him.

"I know they are doing this for the tribe, but don't you think it's too horrible that they have become like this? They have probably lost their consciousness as living beings."

"Without them, the tribe would have been doomed."

"I'm not denying their achievements, but don't you think they are no longer suitable to live with us? We should propose to the village chief to separate us normal elves from them."

"How is this possible?"

"Why not? Look at what's inside them, tree roots, wood beards. They only look like us on the outside, but they are completely different in reality."

"Without their dedication and protection, it would be impossible for us traditional elves to protect the tribe alone."

"So, I think the village chief should arrange them all outside the village and not let them enter the village. This way, they can better protect the tribe and avoid certain troubles, and will not scare those children who have not grown up yet."

"What trouble?"

"Have you never seen the way they eat? They even eat demons."

"Don't talk nonsense, it's for worshipping the mother tree."

The wind, carrying a slight fishy and poisonous smell, carried the sounds of quarrels and discussions that were gradually fading away. The Azure Dragon warrior Thorn, who had temporarily lost the ability to move but whose life was not in danger at all, had a blank expression on his face and no ripples in his heart.

This is the price of gaining power. Not only has the life form undergone earth-shaking changes, but at the same time, one must also accept the criticism from former peers and the strange looks from those who are different from oneself.

Even though they are still fighting for the inheritance of the tribe, their extraordinary characteristics that are so different from those of living beings, more like monsters than monsters, and more evil than demons, make it difficult for them to receive flowers and applause from their own people as in the past. Children will no longer look at them with longing and admiration, but with fear and timidity.

Many dragon warriors who accepted the blessing of the Dragon Tree but could not bear the strange looks from their own people could not tolerate such a gap. They had given everything they had, but yet they were treated like this.

Some people's will and spirit collapsed, but they could not do anything because of Nagarjuna's blessing. Even if they wanted to commit suicide, they couldn't do it.

Yes, it is so ridiculous that all the power they possess cannot kill themselves. The elves who have received the blessing of the Dragon Tree have almost become immortal in the secular sense.

Broken arms and legs are just minor injuries and can heal after a few days of rest. Even if there are larger defects in the body parts, they can still regenerate.

Just like Thorne at this moment, the flesh and blood tissue on his waist and chest are gone, but he is still in the process of regeneration, but it looks a little scary.

Of course, such an immortal body is not without flaws. If hit on the head and the brain is severely damaged, the person will not die. However, after regeneration, there is a high probability that the person will lose his memory.

If the head is completely destroyed, a new head will grow. At this time, even if the Dragon Tree warrior is still alive, there is a high probability that all his memories will be lost, and his cognitive level will drop to the same as that of a newborn baby.

This involves a philosophical question, that is, is the elf whose brain has been regenerated still the original elf?
From a transcendental perspective, of course yes, because the soul has not changed, but from a secular and philosophical perspective, it is extremely controversial.

Because the memory has been completely lost and there is almost no way to recover it, the consciousness and cognition that are formed later are, to some extent, a completely different person.

Moreover, this kind of Dragon Tree warrior who has lost his memory is a trouble. Without memory, there is naturally no identity and sense of belonging.

Although they are still inspired by the Dragon Tree, their fighting and killing are completely based on instinct, for the growth, reproduction and expansion of the Dragon Tree, not for protecting the tribe.

Therefore, the wood elf tribe that stayed temporarily because of the Dragon Tree and did not choose to migrate, at first glance, was divided into two factions: the Dragon Tree warriors who received the blessing and gained the power of symbiosis, and the native elves who maintained the racial and bloodline inheritance.

However, due to the increasingly frequent battles, a new group gradually emerged among the Longshu warriors. They were the Qinglong people who suffered severe brain damage in battle, lost their memories, and lost their sense of identity with the tribe.

They do not recognize their identity as warriors, nor do they think that those fragile flesh and blood creatures who have similar appearances to themselves but are extremely fragile, will scream and scream if they are injured, will be disabled if they lose an arm, and cannot grow are their own kind, and they do not think there is any honor in protecting them.

A considerable number of the newly born Azure Dragons are full of disgust and even hostility towards the native elves, because many of the native elves take it for granted that the Dragon Tree Warriors should protect them.

This is because the Nagarjuna warriors voluntarily chose to accept Nagarjuna's blessings and swore an oath to guard the tribe and protect their fellow tribesmen.

They have acquired a nearly immortal body, and they also have the power to fight against demons of the same level, and they can adapt to the extremely harsh environment of the outside world. With so many extraordinary characteristics, if they don't fight against demons, who will fight against demons?
Such heavy responsibilities and obligations are undoubtedly something that the new group of people who have lost their memories and consider themselves to be Qinglong people are unwilling to bear and endure. They are only willing to hunt demons for the growth of the mother tree, which can also allow them to gain rewards.

However, protecting those weak fellow tribesmen who have a strong sense of deservingness but are extremely weak in their own strength will not bring them any rewards.

Those self-righteous expressions are enough to make any Qinglong person regard the so-called promises and honors as trash. Although not all native elves are so shameless, only a part of them, even one out of ten, is enough.

"No, Lady Illya, please, spare him, he just spoke without thinking, please forgive him!" At this time, Thorne, whose thoughts were gradually dispersing, heard unusual noises coming from afar, and when he regained consciousness, his expression changed abnormally.

"You pathetic bug! Who gave you the courage to speak so harshly to me? Have you not yet recognized your own position?"

A cold voice with a mocking tone sounded, and then the voice spread throughout the dragon tree.
"You are nothing but a bunch of parasites."

Thorne was horrified.

Illya is the leader of the Azure Dragon people who was born among the Dragon Tree warriors. Of course, she has another more special identity, the daughter of the Great Elder.

As the daughter of a tribal elder, when the banyan tree first descended, Illya set an example and fought to protect the tribe as one of the first warriors to receive the blessing of the dragon tree.

But in the increasingly brutal battle, in the fight with a legion of demons, this brave sword dancer was unfortunately beheaded by a balor.

Because of Nagarjuna's blessing, this brave female warrior did not die, and her head grew back again. However, the elder's daughter, who had lost her memory, turned into a completely different being.

Although she still acknowledged her blood relationship with her father, she did not acknowledge the tribe that her father had fought so hard to protect, and she did not think that she should sacrifice anything for these fragile guys.

She is the most extreme person among the Qinglong people. She believes that the group of native elves are parasites who depend on the Dragon Tree and only ask for things from the Dragon Tree and seek shelter from them, the Qinglong people.

She believed that native elves should not be in a protected position, they should be slaves and laborers, serving the Qinglong people and being driven by them.

Because of such extreme cognition and ideas, Illya naturally became the leader of the Blue Dragon people.

Of course, this is also because of her strength, which ranks first among the Qinglong people. More importantly, she also has a legendary native elf father.

As expected, such extreme remarks immediately caused unrest in the village that was rebuilt around the Dragon Tree. In this wasteland, the native elves who were struggling to survive walked out of the tree houses one after another, looking at Illya, the leader of the Dragon Tree warriors who made the extreme remarks, with nervous and uneasy eyes.

The vast majority of native elves just want to live a quiet and peaceful life and do not want to participate in battles or get involved in inexplicable disputes.

If he really wanted to fight, he would have chosen to accept the blessing of the Dragon Tree together with the bravest of his kind, instead of retaining such a weak body of a wood elf.

"Ilia!"

Hearing his daughter making such divisive remarks, the tribal leader frowned and scolded her.

"Father!"

"You have forgotten the oath you made. Have you also forgotten your origin and your race? How can you regard your own people as parasites?"

"I'm not targeting all elves, but some are clearly receiving protection, favors, and benefits, yet they take it for granted. If they are not parasites, who else can be?

What did they pay for? They actually enjoyed the fruits of my battle with my fellow warriors with a shameless look on their faces as if it was their due.

Why do they have the right? Just because they are so-called fellow tribesmen, they can enjoy the fruits of their labor without restraint, without even saying thank you? "

"Illya, apologize! Apologize to all of your people who were hurt by your words!"

The face of the great elder, who did not look old at all but had lived for nearly a thousand years, was solemn.

"I just pointed out the facts, but you asked me to apologize. Why? These insects should kneel down and apologize to me!"

Even when facing her own father, Illya was tit-for-tat and refused to give in.

Thorne, lying on the ground, could not help but cover his eyes. Although he could only see the sky, he could probably generate enough images in his mind with his other five senses.

Of course, the father would not make things difficult for his daughter, but as an elder, he had to protect his own people. Illya, who made extreme remarks, was eventually locked up by his father no matter how stubborn she was and unwilling to bow her head. However, this further intensified the conflict.

It is impossible for a strong warrior to stay in the cell forever. This is a huge waste of combat power. Therefore, after only three days, Illya walked out again. However, after regaining her freedom, Illya did not make any extreme remarks, but proved herself with actions.

The leader of the Qinglong people led his followers and began to search the wasteland for survivors who had survived the ravages of demons, and then brought them back to the tribe. However, in exchange for their shelter, these survivors all became slaves.

In such an era, even if one became a slave, as long as one could survive and have food to eat, it was a blessing. Many people were eager for it and almost no one resisted. Some even became slaves voluntarily.

Under such circumstances, in just a short period of just over ten days, the elven tribe was actually split, and the symbiote warriors who had received the blessing of the Dragon Tree were almost divided into two factions.

One faction is the devoted group that is willing to protect the native elves, and the other is the Qinglong people that prioritize self-satisfaction and pursuit.

Although judging from the number of people alone, only the Nagarjuna warriors who have suffered severe head injuries have a chance of becoming Azure Dragon people, but under actual conditions, even the Nagarjuna warriors who have not lost their memories will gradually tend to become Azure Dragon people. After all, the instinct of living things is selfishness.

Compared with selfless dedication, exploitation and enjoyment are obviously more attractive and can stimulate desires. Moreover, such an order is obviously more reasonable in the end times. What qualifications do incompetent people have to enjoy resources?
Therefore, under such extreme differences, many native elves who originally wanted to pursue pure bloodline and maintain tribal heritage, but were affected by reality and wanted to accept the blessing of the Dragon Tree to turn themselves into monsters with immortal bodies.

On one side, a force of survivors that divide people into classes based on power and violence and practice slavery appears in the wasteland and expands at an alarming rate. The elves need the protection of the Dragon Tree, but the Dragon Tree can protect and assimilate more than just the elves.

(End of this chapter)