Chapter 6: The Dragon Wanted Warmth

The white dragon’s body was cold, but Ding Ren felt his chest burn where the other held him.

He knew Xi Yu was extraordinary as a divine dragon, but the look in his eyes right now was too innocent for anyone to refuse.

“Mhm.”

Ding Ren couldn’t either; he controlled his heart rate to keep it from beating too wildly.

“Thank you, Captain Ding.”

Xi Yu closed his eyes and leaned his head weakly against Ding Ren’s chest, feeling at peace.

In his previous life, he could only lick his wounds alone; the feeling of having someone to lean on was truly wonderful.

His entire body was in pain, even moving was difficult, and his head felt like it was exploding, so he didn’t plan to make things hard for himself.

It was inevitable that the dragon’s instincts would backlash after such an injury.

But he wasn’t afraid of it; he just needed enough rest.

“There are lingering traces of dragon aura here; this area will be safe for the next three hours, so everyone should take the chance to rest,” Xi Yu said softly with closed eyes.

Zhang Qingyuan and the others finally understood why nothing had gone wrong for so long.

“Boss, are you tired from holding Xi Yu? Do you want me to take over for a bit?”

Zhang Qingyuan asked carefully.

Xi Yu needed care, and he didn’t think the “Madman” would have much patience.

Delicate work like this should be left to him.

Ding Ren glanced at him and ignored him.

Zhang Qingyuan felt heartbroken; before this, Ding Ren repelled all living things except himself, but now he was so attentive to a dragon.

Can’t you maintain your usual image?

Zhang Qingyuan was disappointed; he hadn’t expected Ding Ren to be this type of person, showing so little persistence.

Ding Ren didn’t care about many things, but a mythical creature from Middle Continent legends was definitely an exception.

Furthermore, Xi Yu was the one who asked to be held.

At this moment, Xi Yu was incredibly docile in his arms, not acting up at all.

This experience was truly great.

Only those who hold a dragon would know.

‘It wouldn’t be bad to raise a dragon,’ Ding Ren couldn’t help but think.

Of course, he was just thinking; no matter how much he followed his own rules, he knew a divine dragon wasn’t something he could covet.

Though the dragon had suffered some accident, it probably wouldn’t take a second claw to crush him.

Zhang Qingyuan felt hurt; he wanted to hold the dragon too.

He felt Ding Ren would eventually get restless, so he had to wait patiently.

Once Ding Ren grew impatient, he would take the dragon over so it wouldn’t be mistreated.

Qin Wei and the others were also looking on longingly; they wanted to hold the dragon too!

As it turned out, five minutes, ten minutes, an hour passed.

Ding Ren didn’t show any impatience; he didn’t even move.

Zhang Qingyuan watched Xi Yu sleeping soundly in his arms, but he wasn’t happy at all.

Everyone cherished the three hours of absolute safety.

They hurried to recover their strength.

They hadn’t rested properly for nearly two days, having been on high alert and in battle; now they could finally recuperate.

As for Ding Ren, he was a C-class expert after all, even if he was injured.

Not to mention holding Xi Yu for an hour or two, he could remain motionless even if it were a week or two.

In any case, no one was taking the dragon from him right now; it was absolutely impossible.

The feeling of the white dragon belonging only to him was wonderful, and the longer he held him, the more he felt it.

Seeing the little white dragon leaning against him, breath puffing against his chest, was a truly unforgettable experience.

Just as Xi Yu said, their location remained safe for over two hours.

Xi Yu hadn’t truly fallen asleep.

He wasn’t afraid of the pain in his head, but the white dragon would definitely give him a nasty shock if he grew careless.

So his consciousness had to constantly battle the draconic instincts.

This was a war without smoke, one that hadn’t stopped since the day he became a white dragon.

Perhaps it would only end when his soul was completely devoured by the dragon or when he truly mastered its power.

This time, the impact of the draconic backlash was relentless and surging.

But in the end, he easily endured it.

Now he could finally sleep for a little while.

Next, he had to keep recovering his physical strength to face the next wave of draconic instinct.

The first backlash was just the beginning; once the white dragon recovered some strength, the next impact would be even more ferocious.

Only when the dragon’s power was replenished would the influence of the dragon’s nature return to its regular level.

And the true power of the white dragon’s body seemed to have no limit.

In his previous life, up until his rebirth, he still hadn’t fully excavated the white dragon’s potential.

From start to finish, the dragon’s revival never stopped; it grew stronger every second.

Every time the dragon absorbed Mutation Particles, or every time he used dragon power during transformation, it would stimulate the revived power to further increase.

His method of weakening the dragon’s power earlier was just drinking poison to quench thirst, carrying great risks.

But it was better than being controlled by dragon lust; he could endure it.

Fortunately, nothing had gone wrong until his rebirth, and now that he was back in the Middle Continent, he was even less worried.

Although the little white dragon was quiet, sweat kept appearing on his face, showing he was enduring unbearable pain.

What exactly had he gone through?

Thinking of what he had just done, Ding Ren’s heart grew heavy.

He knew nothing and could do nothing.

Instinctively, he wanted to wipe the sweat from Xi Yu’s forehead.

At that moment, Xi Yu opened his eyes.

He felt warm all over, and his strength had finally returned.

“Captain Ding, thank you.”

Xi Yu couldn’t help but smile at Ding Ren; he hadn’t expected him to be such a gentle person despite his cold appearance.

Ding Ren lowered his hand calmly, but his heart skipped a beat.

Xi Yu pretended not to see his previous movement.

He felt a warm glow in his heart.

Although he was used to being alone in his past life, he didn’t truly like loneliness.

He could endure all the pain he suffered, but he really wished for a friend, even if it was just someone to talk to.

This was the first time he had been held since his rebirth, and the first time in two lifetimes he had been so intimate with another person.

He truly craved this cozy feeling.

The taste of licking his wounds alone in a corner for countless nights in his past life was truly too difficult.

It was a pity his wariness was too strong back then; by the time he was willing to trust the country, it was too late.

He had already made countless enemies, many of whom he had retaliated against, and he couldn’t bring the malice of their factions to the Middle Continent.

But now he was reborn; he had a chance to choose again.

He had finally returned to the Middle Continent.

He wanted to hold on to everyone who gave him warmth and work hard to repay them.

As for those enemies from his past life, he naturally wouldn’t forget a single one.

But in this life, he would never have to fight alone again.

While they were still unaware of his existence, he had to use his abilities and the information he possessed to arm the Middle Continent.

He would nurture a host of powerhouses for the country and give those enemies—who were destined to harbor ill intent—a massive surprise.

Just thinking about it made him impatient.

Of course, this wasn’t just to protect himself, but to deal with the even more terrifying disasters to come.

The Ogaso people thought they were the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware they were also prey.

The twenty-one years of catastrophe were just the beginning; the calamities Kun Star faced were far from just the Three Great Catastrophes.

The timing of his rebirth was very timely, because in six months, a mysterious wonder called the [Divine Arena] would descend upon Kun Star.

This would further affect the fate of the Middle Continent and the world.

At first, people thought the [Divine Arena] was hope bestowed by the heavens, but later, blood-soaked lessons taught them it was only the beginning of another nightmare.

It was because of the [Divine Arena] that ninety-nine percent of the world’s top elite combatants fell.

This was the eternal pain in the hearts of future humans known as the “Kun Star Lament,” one of the greatest tragedies after the catastrophes began.

It wasn’t that no one was wary in his previous life, but no one could have predicted such a horrific disaster; he was the same.

By the time it happened, it was too late.

The dead could not return to life, and he could do nothing.

Because of this disaster, the C-class and D-class forces of Kun Star almost saw a total generational break, and it took seven or eight years to recover slightly.

Also because of this event, the Middle Continent suffered a massive blow under the Ogaso conspiracy.

Meanwhile, the world-class terrorist organization [Underworld] and the eleven A-class criminals who committed heinous crimes in the Middle Continent rose to power instead.

In this life, he would resolve these sources of chaos together with the Middle Continent.

While they knew nothing, perhaps there was a chance to stop their rise in advance.

However, all of that was ultimately nothing.

Thinking about the Food Sequence Lords who stood at the top of the food chain—who hadn’t appeared in his past life but were already influencing Kun Star’s fate—made his heart skip a beat.

The unknown was the most terrifying; no one knew what they truly wanted.

Perhaps it was just as he suspected in his past life: they treated all worlds as ingredients to be cultivated.

Starting over, with the Middle Continent’s help, he was confident he could excavate all of the white dragon’s potential; he might actually be able to contend with those monsters.

Xi Yu regained his composure, but at this moment, he still greedily sought the intimate and warm feeling of the physical contact.

After a moment, he said softly, “Captain Ding, put me down.”

Ding Ren let go immediately.

About to leave the comfortable embrace, Xi Yu’s body instinctively felt reluctant, wanting to enjoy the warmth for a bit longer.

He didn’t know why, but despite the strong scent of blood on Ding Ren, he felt his scent was very comfortable right now.

He could even clearly hear Ding Ren’s heartbeat.

Thump-thump, thump-thump, as if it were beating in his own heart.

It seemed to be the first time he clearly saw Ding Ren’s true appearance; despite the expressionless face, he suddenly found it so good-looking that his heart started to flutter.

Fluttering?

Suddenly, Xi Yu became alert.

But just then, a strong impulse surged in his heart; the emotion was so sudden and intense that everything in his sight underwent an earth-shattering change in an instant, and an unimaginable transformation appeared on Ding Ren.

Before he could even react, his body had already uncontrollably lunged forward and hugged Ding Ren tightly.

Ding Ren’s mind went blank for a second, completely unaware of what was happening.

What is this dragon doing?

One moment he said to let him go, the next he’s hugging back—and so tightly?

But with his little bit of strength, let alone hurting him, he was afraid Xi Yu might suffocate himself.

A dragon is indeed a dragon—unpredictable.

But he didn’t mind; being hugged by a dragon for a bit wouldn’t cost him anything.

Zhang Qingyuan and the others nearby were all dumbfounded, completely unable to figure out what act Xi Yu was playing.

Actually, Zhang Qingyuan really wanted to say: ‘Divine Dragon, why don’t you hug me instead? You can hug me however you want.’

Zhang Qingyuan was heartbroken, while simultaneously winking frantically at Ding Ren to make sure he didn’t go crazy.

He had to treat the divine dragon gently, absolutely not letting his temper get the best of him and throwing him away.

Whatever Xi Yu wanted to do, let him do it; he had to go along with him.

Ding Ren couldn’t be bothered with him.

He felt Zhang Qingyuan was a bit abnormal today.

Being hugged back so intimately by a dragon, Ding Ren found his mood was quite good.

Because Xi Yu was proactively hugging him with both arms, it felt completely different from when he was holding him horizontally.

Now, he could embrace Xi Yu with just one arm.

Although Xi Yu didn’t look small, holding him like this made him feel tiny.

It was truly unimaginable.

Meanwhile, Xi Yu was in trouble.

He had been careless.

The dragon lust was actually resurfacing.

Just greedily seeking the warmth of Ding Ren’s body for a moment had given the dragon lust an opportunity.

This truly caught Xi Yu off guard.

Only now did he realize that the dragon lust hadn’t completely receded; in his past life, he had always been alone at this point, so he had never noticed this hidden danger.

But now, just showing a tiny crack, the lust had seized the chance.

And this time, the most formidable part was that the lust was launching a dual-layer assault; while influencing his body, it amplified the mental attack.

At this moment, he felt Ding Ren was filled with an indescribable charm.

He even saw a crystalline, dazzling light radiating from Ding Ren, and every inch of his skin appeared so full and perfect.

His eyes were as bright as stars, and his lips were more enticing than candy.

His breathing touched his soul, and his body emitted an alluring scent.

Even the flow of his blood was filled with a melodious rhythm.

Under the influence of dragon lust, Ding Ren’s entire body radiated an unimaginable attraction toward him.

Xi Yu knew all of this was an illusion.

But his body, his soul, and his reason were all craving intimacy with Ding Ren at this moment.

Xi Yu knew that as long as he wanted to, he could.

Following this feeling wouldn’t hurt him in the slightest; he could even live a stable and carefree life for a long time.

And deep in his heart, he had long had this kind of thought.

He was too tired; his heart was already riddled with holes, and he desperately needed consolation.

Now, he could finally end all of this.

“But he doesn’t want to.”

Xi Yu suddenly shoved Ding Ren away, then took a large step back, gasping for breath.

He broke free from the temptation.

For him, this truly wasn’t hard; after all, he had experienced countless hardships in his past life, so the lingering power of the dragon lust, which only strengthened the mental attack, naturally couldn’t make him truly fall.

It was just that he really had the thought of ending it all a moment ago.

The dragon lust couldn’t hurt him in the end, and these cycles of rebirth were truly becoming too annoying.

He had to admit that with the dragon lust’s enhancement, Ding Ren’s charm was simply indescribable; it was impossible not to feel fluttery.

If Ding Ren were willing too, perhaps he really would have gone with the flow.

In truth, the influence of dragon lust wasn’t always harmful; it was just his own heart resisting.

Perhaps it was time for him to end all this; he was already in the Middle Continent and had a second chance at life.

But he had to endure today first.

“Wait a minute, don’t come over.”

Xi Yu saw Zhang Qingyuan trying to come over to help him up and quickly waved him off.

As Realm Guards, Zhang Qingyuan and the others were all exceptionally outstanding.

Under the influence of dragon lust, the charisma of their temperaments was also being gradually amplified.

If he didn’t want to suffer, he had to stay away.

Fang Jianbo and the others looked at each other, not daring to approach.

But Xi Yu’s current behavior was unfathomable and left them at a loss.

Zhang Qingyuan was worried Ding Ren would be angry, so he kept signaling Ding Ren with his eyes, telling him not to take offense with a dragon.

It made Ding Ren really want to beat him up.

‘I won’t take offense with the little white dragon, but I really want to take offense with you right now.’

After gasping for a while, Xi Yu finally felt a bit better.

He stood up and quickly apologized to Ding Ren, “Sorry, Captain Ding. I didn’t mean to push you just now. I hope you don’t mind.”

“I know,” Ding Ren said calmly.

Whether he meant it or not, he didn’t mind; being pushed by a dragon wasn’t a big deal.

“Apologies, everyone. I lost my composure just now.”

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing,” Zhang Qingyuan and the others shook their heads quickly; they naturally wouldn’t care.

“Alright, time’s up. We should head out.”

Ding Ren stepped forward, wanting to grab Xi Yu and take him quickly to a Middle Continent city.

To his surprise, Xi Yu suddenly batted his hand away and took a large step back as if he had seen a ghost.

A wave of discomfort immediately rose in Ding Ren’s heart.

“I’m sorry, Captain Ding. Your current charm is a bit too much for me; I have to stay away to be safe,” Xi Yu explained quickly.

“Mhm.” Ding Ren nodded, then his pupils suddenly contracted. “Mhm?”