Chapter 5: The Dragon’s Lust

After transmigrating into the white dragon, Xi Yu had been plagued by the erosion of the dragon’s nature.

The intensity of the dragon’s nature was so fierce that he had been tormented by it from the very first breath he took as the white dragon, and it was something he could never truly escape.

However, as long as he remained vigilant, he could withstand it most of the time.

He had grown accustomed to it, even reaching a point where he treated the pain as a form of enjoyment.

But there was one particular circumstance that was far from ordinary.

The most powerful aspect of the white dragon’s nature lay in its most primal physical instinct—its carnal lust.

Now, the dragon’s lust was suddenly about to erupt.

Dragon lust followed no pattern whatsoever and could strike at any moment.

This was a primal impulse of the dragon, something beyond Xi Yu’s control; even with his increased strength, there was nothing he could do.

Even in his human form, the dragon lust would not disappear.

In his previous life, whenever the dragon’s lust flared up, it was always his most dangerous moment.

This desire was not merely a physical impulse; it was rooted deep within the soul.

Attempting to resolve it on his own yielded almost no results, and once it broke out, it would trigger a chain reaction.

In his past life, however, his dragon lust clearly hadn’t flared up at this point in time.

Fortune and misfortune were intertwined; perhaps because he hadn’t lost control from the very beginning like he did in his previous life, the dragon lust was starting to surface instead.

Although Xi Yu had suffered greatly from both the draconic instincts and the influence of the dragon lust, he harbored no complaints.

Even during the most perilous times in his previous life, he had always believed that being able to transmigrate into the white dragon was his stroke of luck.

Without the white dragon, he likely would have ceased to exist in this world long ago; all he had to do was endure the influence of the dragon’s instincts and lust.

Sometimes, he even felt that this was a form of tempering from the white dragon, and that struggling against these urges was actually quite interesting.

It was just that if the draconic instinct was “Hard Mode,” then the dragon lust was “Hell Mode.”

Dragon lust could not be suppressed, and venting it was naturally the best solution.

But in his past life, he trusted no one, so he always had to endure this phase alone.

Actually, if he didn’t count the period of weakness that followed, he had long since become accustomed to the effects of the dragon lust.

In this life, with the Middle Continent by his side, he might never have to worry about that period of weakness again.

The influence of the dragon lust would eventually vanish completely.

But before that, he still needed to get through this final critical period.

“Captain Ding, do not resist what happens next.”

BOOM.

The wind surged and the clouds roiled as the very color of the sky and earth changed.

Xi Yu gave a brief instruction to the startled Ding Ren and the others, and in an instant, a white dragon surged out from the house where he stood and soared into the sky.

The group scrambled outside, and in that moment, the seven members of the team saw Xi Yu’s true form once again.

Before, they had seen him from a distance, but this time they were inches away, feeling as if they could reach out and touch the white dragon’s body.

They clearly saw every single scale on the dragon and felt its vast, majestic, and soul-shaking aura.

It was undoubtedly beautiful, yet it inspired a fear that came from the depths of their hearts.

Mythology had descended into reality.

But for Xi Yu, the moment he transformed, the Mutation Particles in the air seemed to sense the most delicious prey and swarmed toward him.

Because he had been injured earlier, the speed at which the white dragon absorbed these particles far exceeded the rate when he was trapped in the base.

Xi Yu could foresee that in less than fifteen minutes, all his previous efforts to consume his dragon power would be rendered futile.

But right now, he couldn’t care about any of that.

Dragon lust was far more difficult to deal with than draconic instincts.

“Get onto the door panel.”

The deafening voice echoed within the souls of Zhang Qingyuan and the others as Xi Yu grabbed the black wooden door from the courtyard with one claw.

The white dragon’s body was colossal, making the door look like a mere toy in his grasp.

At this moment, the group was still in a daze; even Ding Ren could not maintain his composure.

“Get up there.” Although he didn’t know what was wrong with Xi Yu, Ding Ren was the quickest to snap out of it, and his reaction was incredibly decisive.

“Everyone, hold onto the door!”

Zhang Qingyuan shook his head to clear his mind and, gritting his teeth, took the lead and jumped onto it.

However, the door had limited space; by the time Fang Jianbo, Qin Wei, and the others—all six of them—had squeezed on, there was very little room left. It would be dangerous for Ding Ren to try and get on as well.

The white dragon’s other claw reached toward Ding Ren.

But Ding Ren was one step ahead, leaping onto the dragon’s leg and wrapping his arms tightly around the base of its limb.

Xi Yu lowered his head and couldn’t help but steal an extra glance at him; he decided he would have a heart-to-heart talk with Ding Ren if he had the time later.

Then, without further delay, he soared into the sky and flew north toward the Middle Continent.

“Is the divine dragon really carrying me through the sky?”

Zhang Qingyuan was shaken to the core.

It wasn’t that he had never been in the sky before, but this time, he was being carried by a divine dragon.

In this moment, he felt his eyes well up with tears and wanted to let out a long howl of joy.

He felt that this was undoubtedly the highlight of his life, something he would boast about for the rest of his years.

Not only had he seen a dragon, but he had also touched one and been flown by one.

It was like a dream.

Zhang Qingyuan couldn’t help but look at Qin Wei and the others, only to find that they weren’t faring any better than he was.

Ding Ren looked up at the dragon’s body, his face expressionless as the fierce wind whipped his clothes with a loud snapping sound, making his wounds sting.

He carefully observed every detail of the white dragon, sketching its form bit by bit into his mind.

At that moment, the first light of dawn broke through the clouds over the sea, bathing the white dragon in a golden glow.

Ding Ren watched the sunrise, then looked down at the ground below.

He felt the world was magnificent and staggering, yet everything seemed as small as dust.

In this moment, his heart felt purified.

Gradually, he forgot the pain in his body.

He seared the image of the white dragon deep into the memories of his soul.

****

The white dragon sped along like a bolt of lightning.

By now, the dragon lust had begun to erupt, surging through Xi Yu’s mind and body simultaneously.

Xi Yu’s consciousness was still clear enough to know they couldn’t let their trail be seen, so he flew directly through the cloud layer.

At this altitude, the wind was bone-chillingly cold, and not even a single flying monster could be seen.

Fortunately, Zhang Qingyuan and the others had strong cultivation levels; they could endure the cold, and the thin air wasn’t lethal.

In just a few minutes, they caught sight of the territory of the Middle Continent.

But at that moment, the white dragon’s body suddenly convulsed, giving everyone a fright.

And that was only the beginning; soon, the white dragon began to sway in the air like a drunkard.

Zhang Qingyuan and the others were terrified, clinging tightly to the dragon’s leg.

Luckily, the dragon maintained its grip on the black door panel throughout, otherwise the consequences would have been unthinkable.

“Xi Yu, we’ve reached the Middle Continent! Stop!” Zhang Qingyuan roared.

Struggling against the dragon lust, Xi Yu indeed hadn’t been paying attention to the ground and had nearly flown past their mark.

Hearing this, he gathered his spirit and struggled to descend.

In his haste, he tossed Zhang Qingyuan and the others away; seeing a small lake ahead, Xi Yu dove headfirst into the water.

The lake water was ice-cold, clearing Xi Yu’s mind slightly and making him feel a bit more comfortable.

‘I’m in the Middle Continent. I’m safe now.’

Xi Yu cast aside all restraint; the white dragon extended a claw and slashed a massive gash into its own body. Dragon blood immediately flooded into the lake.

The massive blood loss caused the white dragon’s power to drop rapidly, and a sense of weakness instantly flooded Xi Yu’s heart.

The dragon’s body writhed uncontrollably in the water, soothing the lust within.

The first time he had experienced this in his past life, Xi Yu had been tortured to near death by the lust, but now all his movements were incredibly practiced.

Other forms of pain really felt like child’s play in comparison.

Sometimes he even found the process boring, repeating itself over and over without ever truly breaking him.

But there was no other way; as long as he hadn’t fully mastered the dragon’s power, he would have to endure this.

Clearly, what he had done so far wasn’t enough; dragon lust was not so easily overcome.

Only when the white dragon’s power dropped to a very dangerous level would it be suppressed by the shock; otherwise, the lust could flare up again at any moment.

Thus, Xi Yu proceeded to carve an even larger wound into his own body.

At this point, though the lust hadn’t fully receded, his consciousness was completely awake.

Injuring himself was a necessary evil, but since he had already started, Xi Yu seized the opportunity to do something beneficial for himself.

He reached out and forcibly tore three scales from his own body.

Immediately after, he breathed out a burst of dragon power to drench the scales.

The three scales began to transform within the dragon power; two of them softened and eventually turned into transparent thin sheets that drifted onto the lake’s surface.

The last scale continued to float within the dragon power.

Xi Yu then tore a large piece of flesh from the dragon’s body and merged it with this scale.

A portion of the blood that had fallen into the water also flew back; finally, under the refining of the dragon power, these parts merged into a single entity, forming a transparent glove.

Xi Yu then poured a vast amount of dragon power into the glove.

This was a storage glove unlike any other in the world, specifically crafted using the power of the white dragon’s flesh and blood.

It was a trump card he was leaving for his human form.

As the white dragon was injured and its dragon power was continuously consumed, its aura grew weaker and weaker, and Xi Yu’s spirit became increasingly sluggish.

An intense sensation of weakness erupted simultaneously in his soul and the dragon’s body. At that moment, the dragon lust finally began to dissipate.

This method was dangerous, but with Ding Ren and the others nearby to guard him, Xi Yu felt at ease; it was simply a repeat of a tedious process.

Blood continued to flow from the white dragon.

The blood was a normal shade of red and seemed unremarkable, yet it did not dissolve in the water. Instead, it stayed distinct from the lake water, eventually condensing into a single blood bead.

The fish and shrimp in the water fled in terror toward the other end of the lake.

At this moment, the Mutation Particles in the atmosphere turned completely violent, surging into the dragon’s body beyond Xi Yu’s control to repair its wounds.

But clearly, the restoration from the particles could not keep up with the decline of the dragon’s power.

“Boss, what’s happening to Xi Yu?”

Zhang Qingyuan, who had been tossed around until he was dizzy, finally scrambled to his feet and looked worriedly at the white dragon thrashing in the lake.

Though he didn’t understand what was happening, Xi Yu’s situation looked extremely wrong.

Seeing the dragon hurt itself filled him with immense heartache.

He wanted to do something, but he was powerless; the feeling was unbearable.

Ding Ren gave him an expressionless glance and then ignored him.

The wound on Ding Ren’s own shoulder was still seeping blood, but he seemed not to feel it at all.

After a long while, he pulled his gaze away from the white dragon.

Ding Ren spotted a tall tree nearby and quickly sprinted over, climbing to the top to scout the surroundings.

Although they were now in the Middle Continent, he didn’t know exactly where they were; he could only be sure they were likely in Xichuan Province.

After the catastrophe, the vast majority of the population was concentrated in cities.

Large swaths of land had long since become no-man’s-lands.

After observing for a while, Ding Ren found no signs of human habitation in the vicinity.

Zhang Qingyuan checked his communication device and found there was no signal, which made his heart sink.

After the cataclysm, the strongest official organization in the Middle Continent was not the Realm Guards, but the Military Guards.

More specifically, the communications units within the Military Guards.

To ensure safety everywhere, communication absolutely could not be interrupted.

Therefore, the Middle Continent had gathered its strongest forces to guarantee the smooth flow of communications nationwide.

Whether a region had fallen was determined by whether there was still a signal.

Evidently, even if this place hadn’t been overtaken by ghosts, it was at least deep within the mountains or forests. They likely had a long journey ahead to return to a settlement.

Zhang Qingyuan was slightly troubled, but he wasn’t truly worried.

They were currently in the Middle Continent; their only concerns were ghosts and beasts. At the very least, they didn’t have to worry about the Drance Federation.

And with Ding Ren there, he felt very secure.

His only current worry was Xi Yu; the way the dragon looked now was both heart-wrenching and unsettling, making him fear for its life.

Soon, his professional instincts as a Realm Guard calmed him down. He began arranging for Fang Jianbo and the others—who were equally at a loss—to take turns resting and eating.

They had to recover their strength to deal with any ghosts that might appear at any time.

It was simply unimaginable that the white dragon had brought them back to the Middle Continent in just a few minutes.

Its power had left a deep impression on their souls.

Their next task was to bring Xi Yu safely back to the capital.

No matter what, they couldn’t let anything happen to him in the Middle Continent.

Even though they knew they might be acting entirely on their own initiative, the divine dragon’s current state was indeed too wrong; even if he didn’t need them, they had to do their absolute best.

Zhang Qingyuan and the others were on high alert.

But to their surprise, over half an hour passed without even seeing a single rabbit; they remained completely undisturbed.

Furthermore, due to the white dragon’s influence, the concentration of Mutation Particles here had become extremely high.

The progress of their cultivation would surely be immense right now, but they didn’t focus on that; instead, they maintained their guard, though their eyes instinctively swept over the white dragon’s body from time to time.

The dragon’s mythical physique filled them with awe, but even more so with curiosity.

At the same time, they were silently praying for the white dragon’s swift recovery. No matter what had happened to him, he must be okay.

Ding Ren waited for a while, and seeing that truly no ghosts or beasts were approaching, he leaped down from the tree.

He walked to the lake to wash the blood from his body, then couldn’t help but look at the growing blood bead in front of Xi Yu, and the glove that continued to radiate white light in the air.

Naturally, he was only curious and didn’t do anything reckless.

By now, the white dragon appeared to have calmed significantly, no longer thrashing about. However, its body still twitched occasionally, and it looked limp and in a very poor state.

After another moment, the white dragon became completely still.

Then, it opened its mouth and swallowed most of the blood sphere from the lake, as well as the dense concentration of Mutation Particles around it.

Following that, it sucked in the transparent glove, reclaiming most of the dragon power that had just been poured into it.

Then, the white dragon opened its mouth and spat out the entire set of records obtained from the Drance base in Jiao’an, placing them into the glove’s storage space.

Finally, it retrieved the two transparent thin sheets that had fallen into the lake.

Suddenly, Ding Ren felt a powerful aura radiate outward from the white dragon, eventually vanishing into the far distance.

A flash of white light streaked through the air, and Xi Yu was left floating in the lake water.

The crisis had passed, but he no longer had a shred of strength left in his body.

Although his consciousness was very clear, his spirit was incredibly exhausted, and his body was completely beyond his control.

The cloak Ding Ren had given Xi Yu earlier was long gone; his pale skin bobbed up and down in the lake water.

The transparent glove was now worn on his hand. The two transparent thin sheets adhered to him, one on the front and one on the back, before both eventually merged into his body like skin and vanished.

Ding Ren swam over and gathered Xi Yu into his arms.

He couldn’t help but shudder slightly.

Xi Yu’s skin was terrifyingly pale, and his body was freezing cold. Even the two transparent sheets made from dragon scales hadn’t brought him any warmth upon merging.

Yet, his body was undeniably beautiful.

Ding Ren quickly averted his eyes. He channeled the power within his body into a warm current that enveloped Xi Yu. Then, he pulled out his last remaining trench coat and wrapped it entirely around him.

He carried Xi Yu toward the shore.

But Xi Yu’s body remained bitterly cold; Ding Ren felt as if he were holding a block of ice.

He had endured the most agonizing part of the lust, but Xi Yu’s current state was not good.

Because of the heavy injuries to the dragon body and the massive loss of power, the draconic instincts were beginning to backfire.

Of course, he could endure all this; compared to the dragon lust he had just survived, this was nothing.

But while his mind could endure it, his body and soul were at their limits, to the point where Xi Yu felt that even a single movement would cause him to lose control.

He had to take a good rest now.

This made Xi Yu appear extremely weak and in a terrible state.

Previously, Xi Yu had always appeared calm and composed, giving Ding Ren the impression that everything was under his control, as if nothing could shake his spirit.

On the surface, Ding Ren seemed indifferent to Xi Yu’s presence, but in reality, he was acutely aware of his every move, his heart filled with immense pressure.

But now, Xi Yu truly looked like a fragile doll, appearing pitiable and wretched in a way that couldn’t be described. The contrast with the awe-inspiring image of the white dragon was simply too vast.

And now, he was holding Xi Yu in his arms.

Just a moment ago, the dragon had been carrying them through the sky, and now he was the one being held.

The little white dragon leaned into his embrace, his head pressed tightly against Ding Ren’s chest.

He was very light and very docile.

This was definitely the best-behaved fellow he had ever held.

Xi Yu looked at Ding Ren somewhat weakly.

“Captain Ding, I have no strength left in me at all. Can you hold me for a while longer?”