Chapter 3: Bringing the Dragon Home

Everything happened too fast.

In the blink of an eye, the divine dragon had appeared across the sky, transformed into a human, and plummeted toward the earth.

An ordinary person wouldn’t have been able to react at all, yet when Xi Yu was still four or five meters above the ground, a figure caught him in a firm embrace.

A faint, fruity scent of oranges drifted to his nose.

Xi Yu’s head throbbed with dizziness before he was completely wrapped in a trench coat.

Although Xi Yu was ninety percent certain the Realm Guards would step in to save him, he hadn’t expected one of them to react so quickly, acting almost without a second thought.

“Move.”

Ding Ren’s words were brief and concise as he carried Xi Yu and retreated at high speed.

Zhang Qingyuan and the other five, who hadn’t even fully processed what had happened, followed behind him by reflex.

As the realization hit them, they shared a silent understanding: no matter what their original mission was, ensuring the safe return of the person in Ding Ren’s arms to the Middle Continent had now become their most vital objective.

Vrrr—

It was only then that a piercing alarm finally echoed from the underground base, followed closely by a series of thunderous rumbles.

These were the aftershocks caused by Xi Yu’s destruction of the facility.

More than half of the base had been decimated.

Many of the prisoners took the opportunity to escape their cages and flee the base amidst the chaos, making the situation even more complicated.

“Was it a bomb attack?”

The survivors of the Drance Federation base felt their scalps go numb because they had discovered an even more terrifying fact: the white dragon’s remains were gone.

They were nearly driven to madness—had someone actually stolen their white dragon?

It wasn’t until Acrylic appeared that they learned the truth.

The white dragon had come back to life!

****

After the catastrophe, all satellites in the starry sky had been destroyed by the Zerg as they migrated into deep space.

Communication towers, fiber optic cables, and various ground signals had been ravaged by ferocious beasts and ghosts, dealing a heavy blow to global communications.

Therefore, the news could not be transmitted back to the Federation’s homeland in a short time. By the time they received the word, it would already be too late.

However, the high-ranking officials of the Federation would still be shaken to their core.

To them, the white dragon was an existence that transcended common logic.

It was different from ferocious beasts, and it was not a ghost.

No one knew exactly how many ages it had endured, yet to this day, it showed not even the slightest sign of decay.

Perhaps the white dragon was their hope for eternal life; thus, it absolutely could not be lost.

Now that the dragon had returned to life, they were even more convinced that perhaps merely drinking its blood could grant immortality, and they were driven into a frenzy.

They didn’t want the news of the white dragon to be known by other nations, so they didn’t dare to conduct a loud, public search. They could only suffer in silence while secretly scouring for the dragon’s trail.

However, by the time they received the news, a significant amount of time had already passed.

By then, they had completely lost all trace of the white dragon.

As for the Ogaso people, they had been kept in the dark about the white dragon’s existence by the Drance Federation from the very beginning, so they were even less aware of the situation.

In his previous life, Ao Lan had been lucky enough to witness the secret of the white dragon turning into a human. In this life, because his puppet body had been directly destroyed by Xi Yu, he didn’t even know the dragon existed.

By the time he finally heard news of the white dragon, it would be when his secret forces hidden in the Middle Continent were being wiped out. By then, everything would be too late.

He would even end up hiding everywhere, terrified that the white dragon would come looking for him.

****

“Stop, I need to rest for a while.”

Xi Yu was being carried along by Ding Ren at a high speed. Ding Ren’s grip was incredibly strong, holding him tightly.

Though the pressure was painful, it was bearable.

However, being bounced around during the high-speed transit made his head spin.

He was already suffering immensely from the dragon’s instincts and hadn’t been able to release the dragon’s power, which only made things worse.

He had to rest now; otherwise, if he lost control, everyone would be doomed.

Hearing this, Ding Ren didn’t insist on continuing and stopped immediately.

Seeing a small grove of trees ahead, he brought Xi Yu inside.

However, he set him down casually, and the exhausted Xi Yu tumbled onto the ground, not caring about the pain.

The usually expressionless Ding Ren saw his hands stiffen involuntarily after letting go of Xi Yu.

After a moment’s pause, he walked to the side and closed his eyes to rest.

Xi Yu couldn’t be bothered with him. He gasped for breath several times before finally feeling a bit better.

At that moment, Zhang Qingyuan and the other five caught up.

They were only D-class, so their speed was much slower than Ding Ren’s.

“Do you have a knife on you?” After a brief rest, Xi Yu finally sat up and looked at Zhang Qingyuan and the others without any hint of being a stranger.

“Yes.”

Looking at Xi Yu, Zhang Qingyuan couldn’t help but feel a bit dazed—not because Xi Yu was exceptionally good-looking, but simply because he couldn’t stay calm thinking about the fact that this person was a dragon.

The dragon before him looked to be eighteen or nineteen at most, appearing slender, weak, and fair-skinned.

Yet, recalling that shocking figure from moments ago, he found it impossible to view the two as the same existence. If not for the fact that his features were exquisitely beautiful to a non-human degree, he truly couldn’t have imagined he was a dragon.

Zhang Qingyuan’s breath suddenly hitched.

‘Wait!’

‘There’s another possibility—this being isn’t a dragon at all, but some kind of ghost or beast that resembles one?’

At that thought, his scalp went numb.

He didn’t know if bringing him along was a blessing or a curse.

However, Xi Yu’s appearance made it truly impossible to harbor any ill will toward him.

Moreover, he could speak, and he even spoke fluent Middle Continent language. His voice was pleasant and gentle, without any of the cold, eerie aura characteristic of ghosts.

This made it even harder for Zhang Qingyuan to judge.

He looked toward Ding Ren, hoping his captain would notice if something was wrong. But Ding Ren was focused on his own rest, ignoring them completely.

After some thought, Zhang Qingyuan didn’t do anything else; he decided to trust Ding Ren’s judgment.

Ding Ren wouldn’t have taken him away so decisively if it were just a matter of impulse.

Taking the dagger Zhang Qingyuan handed over, Xi Yu directly carved a gash into his own arm. Bright red blood immediately began to drip from the wound.

Zhang Qingyuan and the others watched, dumbfounded.

They couldn’t understand what Xi Yu was doing, but they didn’t dare to stop him.

They were nearly driven crazy; looking at Xi Yu’s expression, he didn’t seem to feel any pain at all. Furthermore, his movements were as natural as eating or drinking.

Ding Ren, who was off to the side, also looked over, but he didn’t stop Xi Yu’s actions either.

Even though his mind felt like it was about to explode with pain, Xi Yu’s mood was actually quite good.

He had successfully escaped from underground.

If he hadn’t run into Ding Ren and the others just now, he wouldn’t have been able to hold out for long and would have had to find a place to settle temporarily; otherwise, he would have completely lost control.

That was why he had simply transformed into a human in front of them, so he could return directly to the Middle Continent through them and perhaps even contact the high-level officials.

After turning back into a human, the white dragon’s absorption of Mutation Particles was forced to stop.

The draconic instincts would no longer continue to strengthen rapidly.

However, those instincts were always present; turning into a human wasn’t a permanent solution, but it allowed him to endure much longer.

Xi Yu’s current appearance was exactly as he had looked as a human, right down to his physique and aptitudes.

This left Xi Yu still unsure whether only his soul had transmigrated into the dragon’s body or if his physical body had merged with it as well.

His human state was very peculiar.

Although he couldn’t borrow the dragon’s strength, he still received the protection of the dragon’s power.

This had one benefit: if he were injured, the white dragon would consume its power to heal him. This would indirectly deplete the dragon’s strength and increase his ability to resist it.

Of course, this only applied to his human state; it didn’t work in dragon form.

In dragon form, if too much power was consumed, the draconic instincts wouldn’t weaken; instead, the lack of energy might trigger a backlash or cause him to lose control.

Naturally, no matter the situation, if his life was threatened, the dragon would likewise lose control.

In this world, the only thing that could truly kill him was probably the white dragon itself.

The wound on Xi Yu’s arm healed incredibly fast, closing completely in less than two minutes.

This was simply unfathomable to Zhang Qingyuan and the others.

Ding Ren also watched with focused attention.

After carving a few more wounds and losing about half a liter of blood, Xi Yu finally felt much more comfortable.

At least for the next three hours, he wouldn’t have to worry about losing control.

He didn’t need to worry about blood loss or physical fatigue; the dragon’s power could compensate for both.

Getting injured was one way to consume the draconic nature; bloodletting was merely an emergency measure with limited effects. To truly rid himself of the dragon’s interference, increasing his own strength was the only real solution.

“Let’s go. Keep moving.”

Xi Yu’s head still ached, but he was used to it. The only thing the dragon power couldn’t soothe was the impact of the draconic instincts on him and his mental exhaustion.

However, once one got used to such pain, it became almost enjoyable.

Xi Yu tied the trench coat tightly to avoid exposing himself.

He took a second look; the coat Ding Ren had given him had an ancient style with quite luxurious decorations, making him look exceptionally handsome and dashing.

“Alright.”

Zhang Qingyuan and the others were left dazed in the wind.

This dragon was acting more casual than they were, treating himself as if he weren’t an outsider at all. What shocked them most was that, not only was he following them obediently, but he even seemed quite proactive? Was he not afraid they would kidnap and sell him?

But as much as they thought it, leaving the dragon behind was impossible.

Regardless of why the white dragon trusted them so much, they couldn’t be happier.

Zhang Qingyuan now felt he had definitely been worrying for nothing.

The being before them was certainly a dragon.

He had never seen a ghost that was so attuned to human nature, and given his abilities, he could likely swallow them all with a single breath; there was no need to force himself to stay with them.

“Just grab my arm.”

Xi Yu extended his arm toward Ding Ren; being pulled along was much more comfortable than being carried.

In response, Ding Ren ignored the suggestion and once again wrapped his arm around Xi Yu’s waist to resume their journey.

Xi Yu couldn’t help but glance at Ding Ren. ‘As expected of a madman. He’s got guts, not even afraid I’ll eat him in one bite.’

Zhang Qingyuan gathered his emotions and quickly followed.

Driving would make too much noise and lead to them being intercepted, and besides, they didn’t have a car.

Jiao’an was a small country on the coast, and ghosts were rampant.

Most areas outside the cities had long since become desolate; as long as they were careful, their trail wouldn’t be discovered by the Drance Federation.

Pursuers soon appeared as helicopters flew overhead.

But Xi Yu almost couldn’t help but laugh; one helicopter was “lucky” enough to be targeted by a flying monster and plummeted from the sky.

After that, the aerial pursuit disappeared completely.

However, Zhang Qingyuan and the others did not relax; the next leg of the journey would be the most dangerous.

They had to cross the coastal border of Jiao’an, a route where they could encounter beast tides or a “Parade of a Hundred Ghosts” at any time.

They ran for about three hours without stopping.

They encountered several ghosts along the way, but most posed no threat to them.

Just then, everyone’s breath hitched.

Clang-clank, clang-clank.

Right in front of them, an extremely old-fashioned green-skinned train, billowing black smoke, slowly approached across the undulating land.

As it drew closer, they realized the train was traveling through mid-air.

“The [Ghost Train]!”

“[A Divine Wonder].”

Zhang Qingyuan cried out in surprise, while Xi Yu’s voice remained very calm.

Everyone looked at Xi Yu; from his words, it seemed he knew the origin of this Ghost Train that had left countless legends across Kun Star.

But Xi Yu disappointed them because he didn’t know either.

Since the catastrophe began, including this time, the Ghost Train had appeared a total of three times.

It seemed to have no harmful intent, yet no existence could touch it. No one knew where it came from or where its destination was.

Everything about it was a mystery.

But for Xi Yu, counting this time in his current life, he had seen the Ghost Train a total of four times.

Up until the moment of his rebirth, the Ghost Train had never caused any harm to Kun Star. Later, everyone began calling it a Divine Wonder, or a Dimensional Wonder.

To the reality of Kun Star, it was simply an incomprehensible, mysterious phenomenon.

The Ghost Train passed before them without colliding with them.

Zhang Qingyuan felt that today was truly defying the heavens.

Not only did they pick up a dragon, but they also encountered the Ghost Train, which had only appeared twice in Kun Star’s history.

It was too dreamlike.

Nothing went wrong.

The Ghost Train acted like a passerby once again, vanishing from their sight.

Ding Ren was the only one who seemed to feel nothing about any of this.

Once the Ghost Train disappeared, he resumed carrying Xi Yu on their way.

“There’s an abandoned village ahead. We’ll rest there for the night before continuing.” They had made it this far without incident, and as darkness was falling, Ding Ren finally spoke.

They had passed through this village on their way here, so they knew it was empty.

Ding Ren was a bit surprised; Xi Yu hadn’t asked him to stop again throughout the journey. Although Ding Ren was the one carrying him, being held like that for almost an entire day wasn’t comfortable.

The coastal regions had basically all become no-man’s-lands.

Upon reaching the village, they found a relatively large house, and Ding Ren brought Xi Yu inside. This time, Xi Yu was prepared; when Ding Ren set him down, he stood firm.

After Xi Yu thanked him, he found a spot to sit down and began observing Ding Ren.

Ding Ren was stunned for a moment by the thanks before nodding.

Xi Yu had actually seen all seven of these Realm Guards before.

But the only one whose name he knew and with whom he had interacted was this “Madman,” Ding Ren.

He was currently the top C-class expert in the Middle Continent and a future A-class powerhouse.

He looked at Ding Ren.

[Sequence 6: Animosity Class. Although he is human, he has a delicious scent on him.]

The reason he was called a madman was that he carried a nuclear warhead on his back year-round, ready to perish together with his enemies at any moment. Even B-class existences would take a detour when they saw him.

Xi Yu didn’t actually know Ding Ren that well; in his previous life, they hadn’t interacted many times. By the time they first met, Ding Ren was already B-class and had long stopped carrying the nuclear warhead.

But now, looking at the cylinder on Ding Ren’s back, Xi Yu almost broke into a cold sweat.

He really was a madman.

‘Forget it, I’ll stay away from him.’

“We’re only three hours away from the coastline, but traveling at night is too dangerous, so we’ll stay here for the night.” Zhang Qingyuan quickly explained to Xi Yu after catching up. “It’s just that nothing is peaceful outside; this night might not be quiet.”

“Once we reach the sea, there will be a ship waiting for us. It’ll be much better then.”

Although the Middle Continent had a base in Jiao’an, it was only at the border.

Returning by land would be fraught with danger, as the night belonged to the ghosts. If they accidentally ran into a B-class ghost, they might all be wiped out; thus, a rest was necessary.

Hearing the explanation, Xi Yu nodded and then seriously thanked Zhang Qingyuan and the others. “My name is Xi Yu. Thank you for your help.”

“No need for thanks, no need at all!”

Zhang Qingyuan was a bit nervous, shocked, and even felt a hint of subtlety—so a dragon’s name could be so ordinary.

He quickly introduced the names of the others: Qin Wei, Ji Yunbing, Gao Jie, Fang Jianbo, Ping Feng, and of course, Ding Ren.

[Sequence 7: Terror Class. They are all humans, nothing much to say.]

Aside from Ding Ren, everyone else was D-class.

These lines of text were invisible to Zhang Qingyuan and the others but appeared before Xi Yu’s eyes.

This was his mutation trait ability: [I Can See the Quality of Ingredients].

In other words, it was a superpower. It was something he had gained in the future of his previous life, but it was the only mutation trait he had brought back with him after being reborn.

Unfortunately, this “Food Sacrifice” ability was of the lowest grade; it could only display the levels of most living beings and had no offensive power.

However, the ability was very practical; as long as the judgment was successful, it never made a mistake.

As for the “Food Sequence” levels, they were a future classification for ghosts that hadn’t become widespread yet.

Seeing Xi Yu nod and seriously memorize their names made Qin Wei and the others very excited.

Xi Yu was also filled with emotion; he had a very good memory.

In his previous life, he had once encountered a crisis, and the Middle Continent had sent a team to help him. Zhang Qingyuan and the others were following behind Ding Ren at that time. He hadn’t expected that in this life, he would finally have the chance to know their names.

“What are your plans next?”

Since Ding Ren wouldn’t speak, Zhang Qingyuan could only brace himself to ask.

The other team members had already scattered to various corners of the room to begin defensive and lookout duties.

Zhang Qingyuan had to ask; to them, Xi Yu was a ticking time bomb.

They had seen the divine power of Xi Yu’s true white dragon form, and though he looked weak now, if anything went wrong, their end might not be pretty.

“You should be heading back to the Middle Continent, right? I want to go with you. Is that okay?” Xi Yu looked at them expectantly.

“Sibilance—Alright.”

“Of course, no problem.”

With a divine dragon making the request, who could refuse?

Zhang Qingyuan felt he shouldn’t be shocked, but this dragon was too extraordinary. Not only did he know about the Middle Continent, but he even suspected the dragon knew their identities.

As expected of the omnipotent divine dragon from the legends of the Middle Continent.

He grew increasingly convinced of his identity.

“Please rest assured. We will risk our lives to bring you home.”

A massive sense of mission surged in Zhang Qingyuan’s heart; they were going to bring their nation’s dragon home. The other team members felt their blood boil as they worked and listened.

This was a dragon! Not only had they seen one today, but they had also personally interacted with it and even spoken to it. Who would have dared to imagine such a thing?

Off to the side, Ding Ren’s ears twitched twice.

A dragon was a mythical species, after all; he was curious too.

“Thank you. Also, you can just call me by my name, no need to be so polite.”

“Alright.” Zhang Qingyuan’s heart pounded with excitement.

“We only have this for now, please make do.” Zhang Qingyuan had a strong ability to adapt and began treating Xi Yu with a sense of normalcy.

“Thank you.”

Xi Yu took the military rations Zhang Qingyuan handed over. He had eaten them before; although they looked terrible, they tasted alright and were nutritionally balanced.

Zhang Qingyuan felt his heart was about to melt; he had been thanked by a divine dragon.

“One bag is enough.”

Zhang Qingyuan, fearing he wouldn’t have enough to eat, had brought enough for ten people, which was all they had left. However, he currently had a normal human stomach and couldn’t eat much.

As Zhang Qingyuan took back the extra food, he couldn’t help but feel a bit shocked. Was a dragon’s appetite really this small?

All six of them watched Xi Yu eat, their eyes sparkling. So this was how a dragon ate—it was pretty much the same as a human.

But why did he look so cute no matter how they looked at him?