In the sky filled with blood mist, the terrifying figure of a dragon roared past. From the ground, one could barely make out a silhouette about three to four metres long. The dragon’s roar, almost tangible, fell upon the group, its immense pressure making their breathing quicken instantly.
Debbie and Green, having witnessed the Black Gold Flame Dragon before, wore smug expressions as if to say, “We’re absolutely incredible.” Reisha, the charming woman, was utterly stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief. She glanced at the dragon in the sky, then at Debbie, her mind seemingly unable to find words to describe her feelings. “A dragon? That’s a dragon? Big brother is riding a dragon?”
Debbie’s face lit up with pride. “You’ve got no idea. The adventures Ye Chui and I have been through are beyond your imagination, hmph.”
“By the way, why do you keep calling big brother Ye Chui?” Reisha asked, somehow finding the focus to care about such a detail.
“Ye Chui is his stage name,” Debbie replied. When she first met Ye Chui, he introduced himself as such, so she saw nothing odd about it.
“Stage name?”
Reisha was surprised. Did one need a stage name to make it in this world?
The Blue Fox mercenaries, including Nick, stood trembling nearby. One of the less courageous ones had collapsed, twitching occasionally. They now deeply understood how foolish it was to provoke Ye Chui. This was a man who could summon a dragon.
Reisha looked up at the figure in the blood mist, her beautiful eyes glimmering, a soft, alluring sigh escaping her lips. “Oh, big brother~”
Debbie, standing beside her, shivered with annoyance.
Amid the blood mist, a blazing white light suddenly burst forth, the dragon’s flame spewing from its mouth. With a loud “boom,” the flames poured down from the sky, crashing onto the outpost. The already dilapidated structure couldn’t withstand such a fearsome attack, and its walls began to crumble.
The dragon’s flames could evaporate stone, yet the corrosive blood mist couldn’t harm the dragon at all. Under the dragon’s fire, the evil mist was burned to ashes.
The dragon landed on the outpost’s highest tower. With the force of its powerful limbs and tail, the entire tower collapsed. Blood-red tendrils, aggressive in nature, stretched from the wall’s crevices, attempting to attack the dragon. But before they could touch it, the dragon’s overwhelming aura reduced them to dust. As the ancient god of beasts, the king of magical creatures, its power rendered these evil tricks useless.
Ye Chui sat astride the Black Gold Flame Dragon’s back, looking majestic, a true dragon-riding youth. But inwardly, he regretted his impulsive decision to climb onto the dragon. It was far from comfortable, his backside ached terribly, and flying through the air felt nothing like the graceful soaring he imagined, only intense nausea and dizziness.
Clutching two black gold dragon scales tightly, he muttered, “I need to prepare a dragon saddle or something next time…”
“Roar!” His quiet words reached the dragon’s ears. Standing on the outpost’s roof, it roared loudly. “Puny human, you dare complain about riding this dragon? Do you not know this dragon was raised by the goddess herself?”
The deafening voice rang in Ye Chui’s ears, not spoken but transmitted directly into his mind.
“You can communicate?” This discovery thrilled Ye Chui. Back at the Gods’ Relic, after the demon was killed, Dragon Baby exhausted its power and vanished before Ye Chui could speak with it. “Great! Your name’s Dragon Baby, right? From now on, I’m your master. You’re only here because of my summoning.”
“Roar! This dragon is the guardian beast of the divine realm, the beloved pet of the god of gods. How dare a mere mortal claim to control me!” Dragon Baby roared, its body thrashing, causing the outpost to tremble. A nearby tower collapsed into rubble.
“Don’t forget, you only exist because of me now, and your so-called god of gods is probably long gone,” Ye Chui retorted, surprised by Dragon Baby’s resistance. He quickly asserted, “I hold your life in my hands. Believe me, I could uninstall you right now.”
“Roar!” Dragon Baby clearly didn’t understand “uninstall,” but sensed it was something bad. What enraged it more was knowing Ye Chui spoke the truth; its dragon life was in his hands.
The massive creature thrashed like a petulant child, relentlessly battering the outpost. With a final crash, the structure could no longer withstand the dragon’s tantrum and collapsed into a pile of debris.
Ye Chui clung tightly to Dragon Baby’s neck, continuing, “You have no physical form and can only be summoned as a spirit. If my power grows strong enough, I might help you regain a body.” This was just to placate it; Ye Chui had no idea if it was possible. He patted the dragon’s hard scales. “Think of it as a deal. Be good, listen to me…”
The dragon’s movements slowed, as if considering the proposal. Moments later, a gentle voice, starkly different from its earlier wild, rough tone, spoke. “This dragon will trust you for now. But know, I am the god of beasts, the guardian of gods. I am very proud. For the sake of restoring my lost power, I’ll accept your control… for now.”
Was this dragon being tsundere?
“Got it,” Ye Chui said with a smile. He asked, “Your power is far from its peak. Is there a way to help you recover?” His magic book still held plenty of dragon bloodstones; perhaps they could help.
Dragon Baby paused, landing amid the ruins. Blood-red tendrils still stretched from the debris, attempting to attack, but the dragon crushed them like insects. It answered, “I’m currently just a dragon soul. Only by fighting magical beasts, killing them, and absorbing their soul power can my dragon soul grow stronger.”
“Magical beasts? Got it,” Ye Chui nodded. In this world, magical beasts were rare but not extinct. He’d heard nobles and wealthy families kept them as guardians.
Dragon Baby glanced at the ruins beneath its feet, its voice dripping with disdain. “This dragon is very proud. Don’t bother me with such filthy, insignificant things in the future. My opponents must be worthy.”
“Alright…” It seemed evil spirits were beneath Dragon Baby’s notice.
Though its power was only a fraction of its peak, Dragon Baby was still a formidable force in this world, stronger than even an adult Valkyrie like Ji Ji. However…
“That evil little thing isn’t fully dead. The filthy, cunning creature is still hiding beneath the ruins. This dragon isn’t suited to deal with such things, but it poses no threat to you now. My dragon soul power is nearly depleted, so be careful,” Dragon Baby said, referring to the evil spirit.
It could crush the enemy’s lair with overwhelming power, but like the fiercest cat facing a hiding mouse, it struggled. Ye Chui didn’t press it further and nodded. “Alright, I understand. You can go back now.”
The dragon let out another roar, flying toward Debbie and the others. Its form gradually faded, dissolving into light. Ye Chui, riding its back, appeared before Debbie and the others amid the glow, muttering, “That was thrilling.”
“Big brother, you’ve got such incredible skills!” Reisha exclaimed, her graceful figure sidling up to Ye Chui, affectionately hugging his arm.
Debbie was instantly displeased, crossing her arms and glaring at Reisha, her eyes flicking to the curvaceous parts shamelessly pressed against Ye Chui’s arm. How could this woman be only fifteen? She must be lying. It made no sense.
Nick and the others were completely awed by Ye Chui’s power. But as they noticed something, their eyes gleamed with a new light. Above the collapsed outpost, the blood mist was dissipating, and the top layer of the ruins shimmered with a faint… gold!
“Is that gold?” one mercenary gasped, his eyes glinting with greed.
Ye Chui glanced over and frowned. “Gold? This must be from the dragon’s breath.”
Gold was a substance formed by a golden dragon’s breath. Warriors like Jirga could extract dragon breath from gold to enhance their power. As the mightiest dragon of the divine era, the Black Gold Flame Dragon could transform matter into gold, but in its current incomplete state, this power was unstable, and the gold would soon revert to ordinary stone.
During the battle with the demon at the Gods’ Relic, Dragon Baby’s fight had turned nearby objects golden, but the dim environment and the hall’s already golden splendour had obscured this from Ye Chui, Debbie, and Green.
Seeing the countless shimmering golden stones, Ye Chui’s eyes flickered. He glanced at the greedy Blue Fox mercenaries and said, “This is real gold. Don’t miss out!” He made a show of heading to collect it.
The Blue Fox mercenaries could no longer hold back. Even the one who had collapsed in fear earlier sprang up, the allure of gold overcoming his terror. They rushed eagerly toward the ruins.
But as they reached the edge, Ye Chui held back Green, who was equally excited.
He shook his head at Green and glanced at the Blue Fox mercenaries. This was the proper way to use cannon fodder…
