Chapter 54: My Backer Is the White Dragon

Within the inner world, Xi Yu’s perception of his believers was significantly sharper, even allowing him to sense believers in other worlds.

Ding Ren naturally counted among his believers as well.

In fact, due to their intimate bond, his perception of Ding Ren was even clearer than that of ordinary believers, by no means inferior to his three true believers.

Yet right now, within his perception, he could not detect the slightest trace of Ding Ren’s aura—not in the Kun Star world, nor in any other world he could reach.

‘Perhaps Ding Ren is currently mingling among a dense crowd of believers, which is why I cannot single him out.’

Refusing to give up, Xi Yu repeatedly scanned every point of light in his consciousness.

Yet in the end, there was still not a single trace of Ding Ren.

Xi Yu lowered his head, his hands resting limply on his lap.

In truth, he had known all along that finding Ding Ren’s trail was impossible.

Ding Ren had already attained the S-class realm, so the point of light representing him among all the believers should have shone like a radiant moon.

He hadn’t even needed to enter the inner world to know that he couldn’t sense Ding Ren’s presence, yet he had simply refused to give up, unwilling to accept reality.

He had held onto a thread of wishful thinking.

Yet there was truly nothing.

In every place he could perceive, there was no sign of him.

***

Xi Yu’s consciousness returned to his physical body, and Chu Luan’s voice immediately echoed beside his ear.

By now, Chu Luan had also realized something was wrong, his heavy breathing coming through the communicator, having never hung up the call.

“Ding Ren is gone”, Xi Yu said softly into the communicator.

“Could he have left for some urgent matter without telling you? Chu Luan offered words that even he himself did not believe.”

“His aura has vanished; not only on Kun Star, but in every realm I can perceive, there is not a single trace of his presence”, Xi Yu said calmly.

“First Guard, I will hang up for now to search around; perhaps there is somewhere I overlooked.”

“Alright, I will have the others help search as well, Chu Luan’s voice remained equally calm.”

Yet after ending the call, he found himself utterly unable to settle his mind.

Only after a long while did he shudder, hurriedly dispatching urgent notices to the others.

***

Xi Yu transformed into the white dragon, circling the surrounding lands again and again, yet there remained no trace of Ding Ren.

Neither living person nor corpse could be found; everything pertaining to Ding Ren seemed to have vanished entirely from this world.

By afternoon, Xi Yu finally returned to the house.

The century egg and lean pork porridge remained on the table, completely devoid of heat now.

Xi Yu walked over and sat on a chair beside it, his eyes never leaving the table.

Suddenly, he swept the entire table into his space.

Xi Yu let out a deep breath, abandoning his search for Ding Ren.

Right now, having no news of Ding Ren was the best news; perhaps Ding Ren had inadvertently stumbled upon some fortuitous encounter and entered a realm beyond even his perception.

Perhaps Ding Ren, just like himself, had encountered some divine wonder, making it entirely natural that his aura could not be detected.

In short, he refused to believe Ding Ren had died just like that; Ding Ren was an S-class after all, and even if he wanted to die, it wouldn’t be so easy.

To kill an S-class at Star-Dream Farm right under his perception was something he believed even a Food Sequence Lord could not accomplish.

Even if Ding Ren had died, a corpse would be left behind; who would bother carrying a corpse away?

He had searched every inch around the farm and found nothing.

Yes, that was definitely how it was.

Moreover, Chu Luan had mentioned that he hadn’t given Ding Ren time off, meaning Ding Ren had requested leave himself to accompany him.

Did this imply Ding Ren had known all along that he would be leaving, which was why he had stayed by his side?

“In any case, when I find you, your strength had better surpass mine, or else I will definitely beat you black and blue for pulling this sudden disappearance act.”

Xi Yu couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I’ll definitely beat you into a pig’s head when the time comes.”

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

“Come in,” Xi Yu said softly.

“Xi Yu, are you hungry?”

Zhang Qingyuan walked in cautiously.

“A little. I’ll head to the dining hall to grab a bite.”

Xi Yu patted his stomach, feeling genuinely hungry, having forgotten to eat both breakfast and lunch.

“I brought food over,” Zhang Qingyuan’s voice sounded somewhat hoarse.

“Where is the table?”

The moment he walked in, he noticed the table in the middle of the room had vanished.

Xi Yu merely smiled, saying nothing.

There were other tables in the house, including one in his bedroom.

Zhang Qingyuan brought that table out, setting out the dishes from his food container as he spoke, “I’ll have someone deliver a new table later.”

Xi Yu nodded.

Zhang Qingyuan set down the meal and handed a pair of chopsticks to Xi Yu.

Xi Yu thanked him, then began eating in a slow, methodical manner.

Zhang Qingyuan stood to the side watching Xi Yu eat, until he suddenly couldn’t hold back any longer, tears spilling from his eyes as he stepped forward and grabbed Xi Yu’s arm.

“Xi Yu, don’t worry, the boss will definitely be fine; we will find him sooner or later.”

“I know.”

Xi Yu looked up with a smile, comforting Zhang Qingyuan instead, “Don’t worry, I know he will definitely be fine.”

It took a long while for Zhang Qingyuan to calm down, an indescribable ache clutching his chest.

“Eat first; I’ll head out.”

Xi Yu nodded, then said to Zhang Qingyuan, “From tomorrow on, don’t deliver food here anymore; I’ll head to the dining hall myself. Having more people around makes eating livelier.”

Zhang Qingyuan gave an affirmative hum, then hurried out of Xi Yu’s house.

Once outside, Zhang Qingyuan looked up at the sky, forcing his tears back down.

It was far too sudden; Ding Ren had vanished without a trace, leaving him completely in the dark.

He desperately wanted to know what had happened, but seeing that even Xi Yu knew nothing, he realized asking would be meaningless.

Yet Zhang Qingyuan clenched his fists, believing that Ding Ren would certainly be safe.

When they found him, boss or not, he would definitely give him a good beating.

---

From that day on, Xi Yu truly stopped searching for Ding Ren’s trail.

Yet aside from him, Zhang Qingyuan and the others never gave up looking for Ding Ren’s whereabouts.

Chu Luan did not call Xi Yu again either, but his efforts to search for Ding Ren never ceased.

As long as Ding Ren’s body was not seen, they refused to give up, clinging to hope.

Without Ding Ren by his side, no one dared to feed Xi Yu anymore.

Sometimes, Xi Yu felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.

In the past, whenever he had free time, Ding Ren would pop up beside him without warning, telling him to open his mouth.

Then, with Xi Yu opening his mouth, all sorts of delicious treats would be fed to him.

Now, he could sit in one spot for an hour or two without anyone showing up beside him, and certainly no one dared feed him.

Xi Yu couldn’t help but shake his head; it was truly easy to grow used to luxury, but hard to return to simplicity.

Still, he gradually adjusted.

He had endured years of solitude in his past life, so this was naturally nothing.

Yet now that the Middle Continent possessed sufficient strength to handle everything, he suddenly found himself with nothing to do.

The Middle Continent was expanding its territory into unclaimed lands without encountering any real obstacles.

Xi Yu went out twice to check, and seeing that his help truly wasn’t needed, he stopped monitoring them.

***

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

Only one final month remained before the [Divine Arena] would appear, and Xi Yu felt rather anxious, wondering if the arena would still manifest given the massive butterfly effect he had caused in this life.

For now, he could only wait patiently.

During this extended period, no creatures capable of reaching the Dimensional Black Abyss had been discovered on Kun Star.

Similarly, there had been no news of the little white cat or the shadowless squirrel.

Many things had transpired over these two months, with the Middle Continent’s communications restoring at the fastest possible speed.

Though not yet back to pre-catastrophe standards, accessing the internet was no longer an issue in many regions.

New smartphones were being released nationwide, though current production was limited.

Yet with the Middle Continent dispatching top-tier powerhouses to occupy former mineral veins that had become ownerless lands, these resources would soon allow smartphones to spread across the country once more.

Xi Yu was among the first to receive a new smartphone.

Basic roads nationwide had been thoroughly cleared, and regional transportation was largely restored.

Although automobiles had not yet hit the market in large numbers, meaning people still traveled on foot, the Middle Continent was now teeming with superhumans.

Many genuinely enjoyed the sensation of sprinting across the land under their own power.

While they couldn’t soar on clouds or traverse the earth instantly, skimming across water and scaling walls like nimble martial artists was effortless.

This made everyone feel that they were no longer ordinary mortals.

Pre-catastrophe high-speed trains and airplanes would likely not be restarted for a long time, replaced instead by super-floating vessels akin to the Wanmin Vessel of this new era.

The Middle Continent was marching down a brand-new path.

Every corner of the country was bustling, and even Star-Dream Farm transformed day by day.

Yet amidst all this, Xi Yu found himself with nothing to do outside of cultivation.

Thus, he could only urge every believer to digest their power swiftly, seizing every opportunity to elevate their strength.

With the Dharma Idol Dragon in place, dragon power was the one thing he never lacked.

Not only in the Middle Continent, but in the Celestial Palace Realm as well, the cultivation of all his believers skyrocketed.

Aside from the newer believers, all his prior believers had reached at least the E-class level.

S-classes were also multiplying; whenever Xi Yu spotted someone ready for a breakthrough, he bestowed a surge of dragon power upon them directly.

The Middle Continent now boasted over a hundred S-classes, while A-classes were too numerous to count.

Fortunately, no matter how much he elevated them, the Mutation Particles on Kun Star were seemingly boundless, never running dry, which spared Xi Yu any concern over depleting dragon power.

By this point, with the enhancement from his believers on Kun Star, Xi Yu’s combat strength could multiply three to four times over, showing remarkably significant results.

Xi Yu had no clear concept of his exact strength right now, lacking a Food Sequence Lord to compare against, so he simply focused on advancing his cultivation.

As for experiencing the urge to devour his believers, he had felt none so far, which was welcome news.

As for SS-classes, Xi Yu temporarily held off on elevating anyone.

SS-class was also known as the Super Divine Body.

At this stage, physical mutation and soul transformation would completely fuse into one, achieving a state of super evolution.

A Super Divine Body was essentially a Morbid Food Sacrifice ability, extraordinarily horrific and powerful.

Reaching this step meant an SS-class entity could achieve genuine immortality; as long as Food Sequence Lords and Calamity Lords did not appear, they were absolute supreme overlords.

In Xi Yu’s perception, even if they were slightly inferior to the Lords of the Beyond in the Celestial Palace Realm, the gap was not massive.

At this stage, they could also be called demigods.

In truth, the representatives of various Food Sequence Lords were precisely SS-classes.

Xi Yu had never reached this stage in his past life, so he had no idea how to forge a Super Divine Body, which made him hesitant to elevate others carelessly.

Therefore, he capped the highest combat power of the Middle Continent at S-class for the time being.

Naturally, he hadn’t slacked on his own strength either; aside from keeping the final Food Sequence Essence, he had consumed all usable essences and Dragon Sources.

The only resource remaining on his person was the Blood-Jade Rabbit’s blood, bringing his strength to a bottleneck.

[Comprehensive Grade: A+ class]

[Mutation (C-class): 788 (1177)]

[Soul Transformation (C-class): 894 (1501)]

He was still some distance from breaking through to S-class, but his combat strength had definitively surpassed his S-class self from his past life.

He had sparred with Nine Sages, and in terms of pure power, he firmly outmatched Nine Sages.

Xi Yu had no precise gauge of his own strength, but he was likely not yet a match for an SS-class, at least not against a Lord of the Beyond in the Celestial Palace Realm.

At this stage, the resources Kun Star could provide him were insufficient; even slaying all A-class ghosts yielded Dragon Source that provided minimal growth for him.

Though he could siphon a portion of the Mutation Particles channeled by the Dharma Idol Dragon, relying on that for explosive breakthroughs was impossible.

Xi Yu had been debating whether to consume the Blood-Jade Rabbit’s blood directly.

Strength came first right now, and no matter how precious the blood was, it was meaningless without personal power.

He planned to stabilize his strength a bit longer before consuming the Blood-Jade Rabbit’s blood directly.

His remaining mass of blood should be sufficient for him to break through to S-class.

Before that, he wondered whether to fill his remaining two true believer slots.

Yet doing so would expand his potential ceiling further, making his breakthrough to S-class even harder.

Moreover, the strongest powerhouses in the Middle Continent were merely S-class right now, so selecting someone wouldn’t provide massive benefits.

Kun Star already had Cheng Liang as a true believer, and using the remaining two slots here felt wasteful.

After much deliberation, he refrained from using those two slots.

Ordinary believers could not facilitate inter-realm teleportation; only true believers could.

He figured he could save those two slots for when he reached other worlds in the future.

Yet this left him with genuinely nothing to do.

He had even grown bored enough to capture the [Black King of Hades] directly.

Previously, Zhang Qingyuan and the others had kept the Black King of Hades around to hook the King of Hades.

Yet whether the King of Hades had sensed something or was terrified by the Middle Continent’s rapid renaissance, he had never shown his face in the Middle Continent.

Recently, as the Middle Continent dispatched massive forces across the globe, Chu Luan had wanted to use the opportunity to wipe out the [Underworld] entirely.

Yet Ding Ren was missing.

Fishing was no longer viable, so Xi Yu planned to tour other nations himself to see if he could capture the King of Hades.

He acted on his thoughts immediately, briefing Zhang Qingyuan before grabbing the Black King of Hades and flying toward the Six-Eyed Alliance, where the King of Hades was reportedly located.

In his past life, though the Underworld was active, the King of Hades had been exceptionally cautious, with no one ever discovering his true face.

Recalling the horrific massacres committed by the Underworld, now that Xi Yu had time, he naturally wanted to wipe them out completely.

It was a pity Ding Ren wasn’t around; otherwise, with his abilities, locating the King of Hades would have been simple.

Still, while Ding Ren had his mind-reading, Xi Yu had his own brute-force methods.

***

It took Xi Yu just over ten minutes to reach the Six-Eyed Alliance.

Xi Yu held no fond feelings for this nation, recalling that they had harbored designs against him in his past life.

However, this nation lacked levitating battleships, and after he circled their territory a few times in his past life, they had become well-behaved instantly.

Though he had visited briefly in his past life, returning here still felt entirely unfamiliar.

Had it not been for capturing the King of Hades, he wouldn’t have come.

As for his landing spot, Xi Yu selected one of his believers.

During his previous global tour, he had gained several hundred believers in this nation.

He had disclosed the secret of believers to everyone, including those here, unsure whether their attitudes toward him had shifted, though he hadn’t forgotten them during the recent mass elevation.

He hadn’t made a deliberate choice regarding which believer to seek out.

He landed silently in Anger, the current capital of the Six-Eyed Alliance.

This was a massive city, with a population of at least three million.

Wearing a white jacket, Xi Yu manifested in the eastern corner of Anger, facing a colossal stone wall that enclosed the entire city.

Xi Yu’s destination was an ordinary house built of stone and mud.

From the outside, layers of mud coated the house, with a wooden roof overhead.

It was an ordinary single-story building, and quite small.

In front of the house sat a modest courtyard, holding a dozen mutated chickens with clipped wings.

The road was muddy soil, likely wet from recent rain.

Xi Yu walked across it without leaving a single footprint.

He walked at an unhurried pace toward the courtyard.

His appearance drew the attention of the surrounding residents immediately.

The houses here were packed tightly, identical to the one Xi Yu approached, with almost every household pressed against its neighbor.

The population was dense, but the vast majority were destitute, lacking clean clothes, their patched garments dirty and ragged from infrequent washing.

Xi Yu’s features were peerlessly exquisite, and paired with clean, crisp clothing, he stood out glaringly against the environment.

His attire made people hesitant to approach.

Few people were fools in this era; those lacking vigilance had died long ago.

Xi Yu’s appearance and cleanliness clearly signaled something abnormal, not to mention his Eastern features, which would have meant certain death for an ordinary person here.

His presence here proved he was far from simple.

Furthermore, he left no footprints as he walked, which was impossible for a normal human.

Thus, the onlookers watched with caution and dread, no one daring to draw near.

Some suspected he was a ghost in disguise, yet none thought of attacking him.

Many backed away quietly, sprinting off once they were out of Xi Yu’s line of sight, though whether they were fetching reinforcements or fleeing was unclear.

Xi Yu paid no mind to their reactions.

These were Western faces, their features somewhat rugged; he felt no special kinship, nor did he feel disgust.

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The Black King of Hades was currently imprisoned in his inner world, and he had come here alone.

Finally, he arrived before the courtyard, knocking on the door.

“Who is it? The door isn’t locked, come in,” a gruff voice called out from within.

Xi Yu understood the pre-catastrophe universal language, pushing the door open to enter.

Yet he paused suddenly, looking toward the left.

In a nearby room, a teenager aged fifteen or sixteen was attempting to rush toward him, only to have his mouth covered by family members and dragged back frantically.

Xi Yu smiled at them, which sent the family into absolute panic, pulling the boy back inside as muffled whimpers drifted out.

Seeing this scene, Xi Yu’s mood brightened slightly.

---

Xi Yu entered the courtyard, and the person inside emerged.

It was an Eastern man in his thirties, tall and dressed simply, though looking rather thin.

He held an axe in his hand, preparing to set to work.

Seeing Xi Yu, the man was taken aback.

Anyone in the Six-Eyed Alliance would be shocked to see someone sharing black hair and dark eyes.

The moment Yuan Zeng laid eyes on Xi Yu, he knew this was no ordinary person.

His peerless appearance alone, walking unscathed in such a place, proved it, and seeing Xi Yu’s clean clothes put Yuan Zeng on high alert, despite the familiarity of their shared heritage.

“Hello, may I ask who you are looking for?” Yuan Zeng asked in the universal language.

“I’m looking for you. Do you speak the Middle Continent language?”

Xi Yu wasn’t surprised by Yuan Zeng’s Eastern features; those who became his believers in the Six-Eyed Alliance were either Middle Continent descendants or deeply familiar with its culture.

“A little,” Yuan Zeng replied instinctively in slightly rusty Middle Continent speech, asking in confusion, “Do you need something from me?”

Xi Yu spoke directly into Yuan Zeng’s mind through believer power: “I’ve come looking for my believer. Are you him?”

“You… are the Divine Dragon?!”

Yuan Zeng stared slack-jawed, his body shivering uncontrollably in the next instant.

This was unmistakably the voice of the divine dragon, which he had heard in his mind once before.

Having heard it once, he could never forget it.

“I am the White Dragon,” Xi Yu smiled.

“Greetings, Lord Dragon! Greetings, Lord Dragon!”

Yuan Zeng dropped to his knees immediately, kowtowing to Xi Yu.

He held not a shred of doubt; aside from the divine dragon, no one else could know he was a believer.

And he harbored zero resistance toward being the dragon’s believer.

“Rise, no need for formalities. I rarely visit without a purpose,” Xi Yu helped Yuan Zeng up.

Yuan Zeng felt his heart overflowing with shock.

This was the divine dragon, suddenly appearing in his humble home; it was simply beyond belief.

Moreover, the divine dragon had sought him out for help!

It felt completely like a dream.

“Please come in, please sit inside,” Yuan Zeng invited quickly, though he paused abruptly, looking flustered. “Why don’t you sit out here for a moment? I’ll pour you a glass of water.”

It wasn’t that Yuan Zeng was unwilling to invite Xi Yu inside, but his home was far too messy, making him embarrassed to let Xi Yu enter.

“Alright,” Xi Yu obliged the host.

Yuan Zeng quickly brought out a stone stool, wiping it repeatedly before inviting Xi Yu to sit.

Xi Yu sat down on the small stone stool naturally.

Watching Xi Yu sit there like an ordinary youth, completely lacking the aloof, unapproachable aura of a divine dragon, Yuan Zeng found it hard to believe.

This appearance shattered the holy image of the dragon in his mind, yet left him feeling thoroughly flattered.

“No need for water. I came to ask for a favor, wondering if you’d be willing,” Xi Yu got straight to the point.

“Dad! Who came to our house? Is it a monster?! I’ll fight him!”

Just then, a shouting voice came rushing from the distance.

Xi Yu looked over to see a teenager aged fifteen or sixteen, thin and of modest height, standing around 1.7 meters tall.

Yet the boy possessed decent strength, rushing over furiously with a large stone in hand.

However, seeing the scene in the courtyard, the stone he prepared to throw froze in mid-air.

Yuan Zeng’s vision nearly went dark; what was this rascal doing?

‘What if he offends the divine dragon?!’

“What are you doing with that stone? Who do you think you’re throwing it at?! Apologize to Lord Dragon immediately!”

Yuan Zeng was furious.

He grabbed a nearby broom, preparing to thrash the boy.

Yuan Zeng was an E-class warrior now, and if he struck with full force, the boy would suffer severely.

Seeing Yuan Zeng move to strike, the teenager dropped the stone and prepared to bolt.

“It’s fine, the ignorant are blameless.”

Xi Yu stood up to stop him, looking the boy up and down with a smile.

Yuan Zeng stood trembling with apprehension, unsure if Xi Yu was angry.

His son had committed a grave offense, and if the divine dragon felt disrespected, his son would be in deep trouble.

Yuan Zeng roared at the teenager furiously, “Yuan Bu, get over here! If you don’t come here right now, I’ll beat you to death tonight!”

Seeing Yuan Zeng hold back, Yuan Bu stopped running.

He was quite clever, realizing from Yuan Zeng’s attitude that this mysterious youth in their home was an extraordinary figure.

Hadn’t someone told him a ghost had entered their house?

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have rushed over to fight for his life.

Regardless, seeing his father alive and well was a blessing amidst misfortune.

The boy walked over with hesitation, studying Xi Yu with curious vigilance.

This was his first time seeing a human with black hair and dark eyes like himself and his father.

Yet this person looked so young; who could he be to make his father act so respectfully?

He hadn’t heard what Yuan Zeng had shouted earlier.

Yuan Zeng was frantic with worry.

Yuan Bu knew nothing, and he couldn’t tell if the dragon was angry, yet the boy stood there staring foolishly without understanding the gravity of the situation.

He forced his voice to sound gentle, squeezing out a smile, “Come over and bow to Lord Dragon!”

“The Divine Dragon?” Yuan Bu asked, suspicious.

“The one I told you about last time, the one flying in the sky!”

Yuan Zeng’s voice cracked with anxiety; his heart was about to leap out of his chest.

“The Divine Dragon?!”

Yuan Bu stared wide-eyed at Xi Yu.

He naturally knew of the dragon, having heard stories from Yuan Zeng since childhood.

More importantly, he had seen the divine dragon fly across their skies last time, leaving an unforgettable impression.

Yet the dragon in the sky was so colossal, while the person before him was so small, looking even younger than himself—how could he be the divine dragon?!

Yuan Bu felt his worldview shaking.

“Are you really the Divine Dragon?” Yuan Bu stared at Xi Yu. “You aren’t a ghost in disguise, are you?”

Yuan Zeng’s vision went black; he didn’t want this son anymore, resolving to thrash him tonight.

Xi Yu chuckled, then said to Yuan Zeng, “The favor I need—let him help me with it.”

***

Ultimately, Yuan Bu came to believe Xi Yu was the dragon; if he didn’t, his father would truly beat him to death today.

Most importantly, the dragon’s ability to conjure vast quantities of food out of thin air conquered him completely, convincing him beyond doubt that Xi Yu was the divine dragon.

And without even realizing it, he offered his devout believer faith to the white dragon.

Yuan Zeng’s family was quite large, and Xi Yu listened as he recounted his past.

Yuan Zeng’s wife, Alice, was a local of the Six-Eyed Alliance, hailing from a modest family that had sheltered Yuan Zeng’s household.

Otherwise, when the catastrophe erupted, Yuan Zeng would have perished at the hands of locals even if he hadn’t died to beasts.

Later, both Yuan Zeng and Alice’s parents died in the catastrophe, and their family declined.

Fortunately, Yuan Zeng survived, raising a son and a daughter, barely scraping by after struggling to reach F-class during the catastrophe.

He hadn’t been able to break through since, living a modest life, grateful that his family remained safe.

Recently, Yuan Zeng had suddenly broken through to E-class, improving their livelihood significantly.

No one knew how Yuan Zeng had advanced, as he hadn’t told his family, but now they finally understood the truth.

This filled them with excitement, feeling as if they were dreaming.

Alice also had a younger brother and sister living in the same neighborhood, sharing close ties, with each family having an F-class member.

No one discriminated against Yuan Zeng and his son for their Middle Continent features, supporting each other to survive to this day.

Hearing that trouble had occurred at Alice’s house, her siblings’ families had rushed over with weapons to fight.

Instead of a fight, they ended up with a feast.

Knowing Xi Yu was the divine dragon left them in disbelief, yet the food appearing out of thin air was far too miraculous; even if Xi Yu wasn’t a dragon, he was an extraordinary figure.

Out of awe, they hesitated to eat the food Xi Yu offered, but the aroma of meat on the table was intoxicating—chicken and duck without mutation traits, smelling heavenly.

“Eat up. If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn’t need to go through the trouble of poisoning your food,” Xi Yu smiled.

Yuan Zeng and his family felt sheepish; how could they dare think such a thing?

“Mom, Dad, eat quickly! The Divine Dragon told us to eat, and not eating means disobeying Lord Dragon!”

Yuan Bu had been drooling for a while; he wasn’t afraid of Xi Yu, but afraid of getting beaten by Yuan Zeng.

Seeing Xi Yu speak, he no longer feared his father’s anger.

He was quite clever, placing a large duck leg in Xi Yu’s bowl first, giving another to his sister, and distributing the remaining chicken and duck legs to his cousins.

Only then did he tear off a duck wing for himself, devouring it hungrily.

The other youths couldn’t hold back any longer, gnawing on the drumsticks in their bowls.

Yuan Zeng and the adults looked at each other; with the rich aroma wafting over, they had long been starving for meat.

After thanking Xi Yu, Yuan Zeng cast aside his reservations.

The entire family devoured the meat without stopping.

The adults couldn’t hold back their tears; they had tasted meat in their childhood, but hadn’t had it since the catastrophe, tasting real meat again today.

Instinctively, they offered their believer faith.

Xi Yu gave his duck leg to Yuan Bu’s sister, watching them eat.

The meat was delicious, but watching his son eat without manners, Yuan Zeng had little appetite.

He didn’t know what task Xi Yu wanted Yuan Bu to perform.

A mission from the divine dragon surely wouldn’t be easy, right?

---

The next morning, Yuan Bu woke up early and walked toward the inner city.

He carried the divine dragon’s mission today.

His father had wanted to take his place, but the dragon had asked him directly.

Without thinking, he had agreed.

At the time, Yuan Bu hadn’t felt much beyond intense excitement, proud that he could serve the divine dragon over his father.

Yet now, he regretted it.

This was the inner city; he had dreamed of entering countless times, only to either lack the courage or be driven away.

Rumor had it that houses in the inner city were made of crystal, and tableware was made of gold.

He yearned for it deeply.

He had never seen it before.

The problem was: could he genuinely enter?

That aside, he was terrified of encountering local gang members along the way, knowing he would be in trouble if he did.

Yuan Bu walked cautiously, trying to stay out of sight.

Whatever one feared was bound to happen.

The moment Yuan Bu left his neighborhood, seven or eight burly, fierce-looking men approached from ahead.

“Well, well, if it isn’t this yellow monkey.”

Seeing Yuan Bu, the men’s eyes lit up as they surrounded him.

“I heard your old man became an E-class? Congratulations! Does that mean your protection fee needs an increase too?”

Yuan Bu was both alarmed and furious; these people were the notorious Black Gloves of the area.

They were backed by a D-class powerhouse, and one among them was an F-class.

He knew he was no match for them, and his father had warned him repeatedly to yield when encountering them.

Against monsters, they could fight for their lives, because not fighting meant certain death.

Yet against these people, they could only compromise, because fighting meant certain death—not only for themselves, but implicating their families, with no one here to help them.

Thus, Yuan Bu shrank back.

“Push through them.”

Just then, a voice echoed in Yuan Bu’s mind.

Yuan Bu’s heart leaped—this was the Divine Dragon’s voice.

Yet looking at the tall, muscular figures before him, Yuan Bu felt fear.

Though he had dreamed of beating these bastards to death countless times, when the moment arrived, even with the dragon’s encouragement, he still didn’t dare.

The man who had spoken was Cles, an F-class fighter whose gang was backed by a D-class.

His father had been no match in the past, having been beaten severely when he was merely an F-class; Yuan Bu hated him, but dared not show it, lest his family suffer.

“Oh? Not speaking? Gotten bold, haven’t we?”

Cles had long hair and a vicious scar across his face, shoving Yuan Bu violently.

Yet the next moment, Cles let out a sharp shriek, his entire body launching into the air and flying backward, slamming heavily onto the ground without moving again.

“Murder!”

Screams erupted instantly.

Cles’s companions stared in horror at Yuan Bu. “There’s something wrong with this yellow pig!”

Yuan Bu stared blankly at his hands.

He hadn’t done anything, yet an F-class fighter had been sent flying!

‘It’s the Divine Dragon!’ Yuan Bu thought in delightful realization.

Hearing the insults from the men, fury completely submerged his mind.

Moments later, looking at the men lying groaning on the ground, Yuan Bu’s heart pounded violently.

“Keep walking forward,” the dragon’s voice echoed again.

Yuan Bu took a deep breath, suppressing his panic and excitement, striding boldly toward the inner city.

In this moment, an intense wave of pride welled up within him.

‘I am protected by the Divine Dragon!’

---

The guards at the city gates prepared to intercept Yuan Bu, but seeing the fierce aura radiating from him, they felt an instinctive throb of fear upon meeting his eyes, not daring to stop him, letting him enter the inner city without even charging a toll.

Yuan Bu walked forward without obstacle, his objective direct: locate the B-class experts of the Six-Eyed Alliance.

With the Lord Dragon guiding his direction within his mind, Yuan Bu had no fear of losing his way.

Soon, he appeared before a towering, palace-like estate.

Looking at this grand estate he had once yearned for, Yuan Bu was filled with awe; was this the residence of a B-class expert?

Yet in this moment, he felt zero fear in his heart, striding straight to the main gates before stopping, while the guards immediately stepped forward, watching him with vigilance.

“B-class inside, listen up!”

“By the decree of the Middle Continent White Dragon, you are ordered to arrive at my house at ten in the morning in three days sharp; Lord White Dragon has matters to discuss with you!”

“If you fail to attend, bear the consequences yourself!”

Yuan Bu roared at the top of his lungs toward the magnificent estate.

He had thought he wouldn’t be nervous, but having shouted his words, his heart pounded wildly, feeling flustered seeing the guards stare at him like an idiot.

On the surface, he turned around casually, and then bolted away at top speed.

It was far too thrilling—he had actually dared to shout at a B-class powerhouse!

Suppressing his leaping heart, Yuan Bu took a breath to calm himself; he had to find the next B-class expert now, though this time, he was filled with anticipation.

Inside Yuan Bu’s home, Xi Yu facepalmed.

‘Where on earth is your house? You didn’t even leave an address; this is truly making things difficult for people.’

***

“Is this kid out of his mind?”

The guards didn’t pursue Yuan Bu; picking on a teenager was far too beneath them.

“Forget it, these Middle Continent folks don’t have it easy here; going crazy is normal,” the other guard shook his head.

As they spoke, they saw their Lord emerge in disheveled clothing, rushing out in a frenzy.

“Who was shouting just now?!”

Eric, the [Wind King] and one of the B-classes of the Six-Eyed Alliance, asked anxiously.

“It was a young Middle Continent kid,” the guards’ expressions shifted, saying cautiously, “My Lord, shall we go capture him right now?”

“Capture what?!” Eric scolded loudly.

“Go invite him! Forget it, which way did he run? I’ll invite him personally!”

“Where did this little ancestor come from?! At least leave me your address!”

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