Dragon Clan starts from digging the corner of Kassel

Chapter 389 The Road Ahead (Part 1)

■■■·The World of Mental Images

The twisted city resembles a bizarre creature, with skyscrapers hanging from the sky and winding streets and bridges stretching out, encircling the world's inhabitants.

Confined in this narrow space for a moment, everything seemed cramped and confined.

Rain, like tears, fell through the gaps in the tall buildings, soaking Lu Mingfei's vest and military trousers, making him look as if he had fallen into water.

But beneath the young man's short, wet hair, his golden eyes shone brightly.

Lu Mingfei stared at the two people in front of him, one in black and one in white.

Xi Xiao's silver ponytail swayed in the rain.

That was the mentor who guided him to grow and overcome his timidity.

Men who are always serious and rarely smile, with an unchanging cold expression, always give people a sense of distance, making it difficult to guess what they are thinking.

But Lu Mingfei knew he would never forget everything in that dream, and the source of the change.

Beside the pristine white, deep black followed like a shadow.

Lu Mingze crossed his arms, his short, jet-black hair and suit showing no signs of dampness.

This is the brother who gave Lu Mingfei all his power, a mysterious yet considerate man.

although……

He kept too many secrets from himself, and many unspoken words hidden in his heart.

But Lu Mingfei could inexplicably sense the indescribable sadness and concern in his heart.

Perhaps they really are twins born of darkness.

The little devil's "love" for him... was absolutely genuine.

Even if it is equivalent to harm.

"Has this day finally come?"

A vague sense of apprehension arose in Lu Mingfei's heart.

Aside from his teachers and classmates at Faus Academy, they were the people Lu Mingfei trusted most. They were secret "friends" hidden deep within his heart, unknown to others and belonging only to him.

The man looked at him with a hint of approval.

The boy's gaze was unfocused and sorrowful;
The heavy rain poured down, and the atmosphere grew increasingly somber among the three of them.

Unconsciously, Lu Mingfei clenched his fist.

The rain seems to be getting heavier.

Before the silence could last long, Xi Xiao spoke frankly: "The purpose of this ritual is to help you harmonize the four elements within your body, thereby achieving a unity of power and spirit."

His tone was calm yet powerful: "That is, to bring scattered forces back into one."

Lu Mingze snorted: "It doesn't need too many restrictions. With just the right assistance, it can achieve the appropriate effect while simplifying the ritual process as much as possible... The person who designed this 'Constant Space Coordination Ritual' is a master even among the first generation of dragon species."

Lu Mingfei nodded, a proud smile on his face: "Teacher Bu Shun, Teacher Liv, Professor Hippocrates... and Zhi Nu, Senior Brother, Zero and the others."

"Everyone in the college has given me a lot of help."

Without them, Lu Mingfei's "today" would certainly not be what it is today.

“But he is not part of the torrent of our destiny… My brother, I know that the man named Bu Shun has indeed changed you a lot and made you live an incredibly happy life.”

Lu Mingze sighed softly, his eyes icy cold: "There is no love without a reason in this world. Can you believe that someone who was just an ordinary online friend could have such selfless feelings for you?"

Hearing these words that would shake his former self, Lu Mingfei simply shook his head.

Does that matter?

The young man reached up and wiped his hair, brushing his wet bangs back: "Did I have anything about me that anyone would covet?"

“He…” Lu Mingze sighed again: “Brother, now you should realize your special qualities, right? Don’t you think that this ‘specialness’ is enough for him to try to control you?”

The little devil glanced at Xi Xiao, who remained silent beside him, and fiercely shook his fist: "Ling, Chu Zihang... He recruited all of you to his cause, he must have his own secrets! Brother, you should be wary of him too!"

Lu Mingfei curled his lip: "Just like how you are?"

As soon as he finished speaking, it was as if he had found a tooth in his hot pot; the boy's expression immediately turned sour.

Upon hearing this, Xi Xiao, who was standing to the side, smiled slightly, a rare occurrence. But before anyone could see it clearly, he said, "No matter what, it's never wrong to make yourself stronger."

"This was also a decision we made together."

The man raised his right hand, and a blood-red flame ignited in his palm.

"I am ultimately different from the 'Xi Xiao' you know. I am merely the sum and embodiment of the 'Power of Divine Name' within you."

"This power belongs entirely to you; I only appear before you because your subconscious needs my presence."

"but--"

Xi Xiao's gaze softened slightly: "That won't be forever."

A student's growth is inseparable from his teachers, but one day he will leave his teachers and school to embark on his own path.

"Come, take back this power that belongs to you; it was originally yours."

With a meaningful gaze fixed on the young man's resolute face, Xi Xiao smiled and sighed, "How can the power that symbolizes 'self' be interfered with by another person?"

"You have cultivated the divine name script of 'Self' to the limit of the fourth rank. Once you have completely mastered it, you will break through the shackles and enter a completely new realm."

That is, the complete power of the divine name, a state that Bu Shun called the "perfect divine body".

"Let go at the right time after students have grown."

"This is a virtue that belongs to teachers."

Therefore, in order to completely entrust this power to Lu Mingfei...

He has to leave here.

At this moment, Lu Mingfei also deeply understood this fact.

His premonition was confirmed. The black-haired youth pursed his lips tightly but did not utter any weak words of pleading.

After Xi Xiao finished speaking, Lu Mingze raised his eyebrows and then said, "The power of divine name is different from that of dragon bloodline. It does not rely on material things and is more like a 'lofty' belief."

"The more one walks on a path that aligns with the divine name, the more powerful one will naturally become."

"Brother, the portion of the Punishing Virus remaining in your body... this conceptual virus can even corrode dragon blood, yet you've managed to perfectly control it using the divine script 'Self.'...Although I'm unwilling to admit it."

Lu Mingze's expression turned angry for a moment, "But I also believe that 'self' is the most suitable path for you, allowing you to unify all forces and break free from the shackles of fate."

Lu Mingfei then opened his eyes wide in surprise.

If he wasn't mistaken... that mysterious, seemingly approachable but actually arrogant little devil had given in?

An unprecedented force suddenly gripped his heart.

“Fate…” Lu Mingfei chewed on the word, “Ever since I enrolled, both Teacher Bu Shun and you have often used this word.”

"For every gift, fate has a price tag attached behind the scenes."

"Is everything I have now a result of this bargaining chip given to me by fate?"

If Lu Mingfei's high school classmates heard him say these words, they would probably be so surprised that their jaws would drop to the floor.

Is this still the same timid, cowardly Lu Mingfei who spouts nonsense?

At this moment, the youth no longer possessed the "escapism" that had almost become his defining characteristic. His eyes suppressed his sorrow, yet remained incredibly calm and filled with unwavering resolve.

Anyone could feel that Lu Mingfei at this moment was a man one could rely on.

Just like Chu Zihang, just like Xi Xiao, just like... Bu Shun.

Looking at Lu Mingfei now, the little devil who always hides his countless thoughts behind his smile, one has to admit it.

After encountering someone who wasn't part of his destiny, his older brother, Lu Mingfei, under Bu Shun's tutelage, has already achieved a commendable level of "growth."

This made him feel distressed, uneasy, and unbearable... "growth".

"I once hoped that this day would never come."

His gaze was incredibly complex, like a surging undercurrent hidden beneath the surface of water: "Brother, do you remember the deal I told you about?"

Lu Mingfei certainly remembered.

In exchange for a quarter of his soul, he made a pact with the little devil to grant his wish.

He vaguely sensed that... if he hadn't met Teacher Xi Xiao in his dream, and if he had ever been in a desperate situation, he would still have made a deal with Lu Mingze.

For that once penniless, dead child, the so-called soul... wasn't that valuable. If he could sell it for a good price to the devil, it might not be such a bad choice.

Is not it?
However, Lu Mingze's deal went wrong from the very beginning.

The devil approached him, who was now under the hunter's protection, and forced him to put on shackles and sell himself to him without compensation.

With the help of divine name script and Xi Xiao, Lu Mingfei forcibly seized the power of the 'Dragon' from the little devil, becoming a super hybrid who surpasses Caesar, the most outstanding elite in the hybrid world...?
Lu Mingfei thought to himself that the so-called "super hybrid" seemed a bit cheap.

After all, it's questionable whether Caesar could even defeat a polar bear.

Back to topic.

Even now, when Lu Mingfei uses the power belonging to the "dragon" within his body, he still feels that "this power is more than that".

Although it is already very powerful.

It surpasses Caesar, surpasses Chu Zihang, surpasses Yuan Zhinü... but Lu Mingfei still feels that it is far from reaching its limit.

“Brother, your feeling is not wrong.” A deep sorrow, almost like grief, appeared on Lu Mingze’s face. “The power you took from me is still… just a ‘fragment’ that I was unable to completely suppress.”

Lu Mingfei remained calm and said softly, "Is it because of this that I never felt any different from ordinary people in the past?"

"That's just your imagination, brother."

Lu Mingze shook his head: "Brother, did you really not notice at all? When you were playing StarCraft... your analytical skills, multitasking abilities, and reaction speed were all far beyond those of ordinary people."

“I have suppressed all the power of the ‘dragon’ within you as much as possible and deceived your subconscious mind so that you would think you are an ‘ordinary person’.”

The little devil pulled out a goblet filled with black liquid from somewhere, tilted his head back, and drank the beverage in one gulp, facing the falling raindrops.

"That's why you lived an ordinary life."

Upon hearing this, Lu Mingfei couldn't help but ask, "But why did you do that?!"

Lu Mingze gave him a deep look.

"Those who lack power can only helplessly await the calamities that befall them, awaiting the punishment of fate—that's what you think, brother."

"But... I did it precisely to protect you, brother."

The tall buildings hanging upside down in the sky suddenly shattered and collapsed silently, soaked in the dark clouds like an ocean, undulating and surging with the sudden rain, but not a single brick or tile actually fell.

Lu Mingfei's expression was also shrouded in shadow, making it impossible to see his eyes.

"Why?" he pressed again.

The little devil, seemingly oblivious to his turbulent inner turmoil, chuckled: "I want to protect you, to let you enjoy this moment of peace in the face of a truly irresistible, hopeless fate... Is that a wrong idea?"

The next second, the smile vanished from his face. The little devil, like the world's most skilled actor, revealed a tearful expression in the next frame, a sadness on his delicate face that was hard to tell was genuine:
"If you possess power, then it's destined that you, brother, will step into this bloody feast, constantly losing and constantly getting hurt."

“Brother, that’s the kind of person you are. Even though you have nothing, you still feel sad when others are upset.”

"So I want you to stay away from grief, just wait quietly... to take root and sprout in these ordinary days."

"You don't need to do anything, you don't need to think about anything. Just be a child with nothing, wait for a peaceful encounter, live an ordinary life, and then you will be oblivious to the end of the story."

Lightning exploded in the sky, sounding like someone roaring and howling.

Lu Mingze's expression changed several times before finally settling into a faint smile: "Compared to the cruel fate we were supposed to face... this is already the best possible outcome."

"Unfortunately, your idea is going to fail." Lu Mingfei forced a smile, but couldn't quite manage it. "Besides, I don't think your idea is very good."

Xi Xiao nodded approvingly: "Even a saint who walks the right path without bias will still encounter calamities for no reason. Faced with the future you imagine... how can you guarantee that Mingfei will always live in the life you have envisioned for him?"

“Yes.” Lu Mingze sighed deeply: “I had found several beautiful and kind nannies for you, brother, but before I could even use them… a brick fell from the sky and destroyed my carefully designed sandcastle.”

"It's all because of these guys... that you, brother, have to face that cruel future."

A fury that seemed capable of burning the sky suddenly flared up in the boy's golden eyes: "Everything is destroyed!"

"The power of the 'Dragon' has awakened within you, brother. As you grow stronger, her gaze must have already turned to you!"

"Time is running out! The return of Njord, the Lord of Water, is a sign!"

"She will force you forward, force you to become the new 'Black King Nidhogg'!"

　Sorry everyone, the jailer isn't here. I'm taking advantage of my lucidity to update this chapter.

　　(End of this chapter)