After transmigrating into the body of the protagonist's childhood friend, he was targeted by a

Lin Zhixu stood there in a daze. He slowly raised his hand, his fingertips touching the corner of his mouth, where a small patch of skin still retained a brief, warm sensation.

It felt like being gently brushed by a feather, leaving a tingling sensation in one's heart.

The tips of his ears turned red uncontrollably.

system:【……】

Are all the villains this year born in the Year of the Dog? They're so unpredictable!

Sure enough, a dog that bites never barks.

……

black market.

When Yu Linzhou arrived, the entire main street had already turned into a scene of carnage.

The deafening roar of exploding talismans, collapsed shelves, overturned stalls, and thick smoke mixed with the pungent smell of blood and burnt food.

The black market was in complete chaos, with people running for their lives and screams echoing everywhere.

A group of evil cultivators shrouded in black robes were slaughtering people along the street. Wherever they went, spiritual fire and black mist intertwined, and shops were reduced to ruins.

Merchants and customers who couldn't escape lay scattered in pools of blood.

Even more chilling was that, following behind the evil cultivators and taking advantage of the chaos, there was also a group of half-human, half-beast monsters.

The orcs were all burly, some with ferocious wolf heads, others with thick snake tails, their fangs protruding and their claws like hooks, as they frantically tore and looted the spirit stones and pills in the shop.

A wolf-headed beastman grabbed a fleeing boy in the street and opened his blood-red maw to bite him.

The boy was so frightened that he couldn't even scream, and he closed his eyes in despair.

The next moment, a dragon's roar that shook the heavens suddenly exploded.

It carried a kind of ancient and majestic power, like a giant bell resounding between heaven and earth.

The air along the entire street vibrated and hummed.

The evil cultivator with slightly lower cultivation level bled from both ears on the spot, screaming and clutching his head.

The wolf-headed beastman's movements froze in mid-air. His claws were just a hair's breadth away from the boy's throat, but it was as if an invisible hand was gripping his neck, preventing him from moving an inch.

Everyone looked up at the same time.

In the night sky, a huge black dragon coiled above the black market, its body winding like a mountain ridge, its jet-black scales gleaming with a cold, eerie light under the moonlight.

The dragon's head was lowered, and its two vertical pupils, like two lanterns, looked down at the ants and other creatures beneath its feet.

Yu Linzhou's voice came from the dragon's head, deep and majestic, like a judgment from the heavens, striking everyone's heart.

"You mere ants, how dare you run wild on my territory!"

Before he finished speaking, the dragon's might suddenly descended.

It was an absolute awe etched deep within their bloodline, a power derived from ancient divine beasts.

All the evil cultivators simultaneously let out a piercing scream. Their bodies felt as if they were being gripped by an invisible giant hand, twisting, swelling, and exploding from the inside out—

Bang bang bang!

One after another, plumes of blood mist bloomed on the street. Those arrogant evil cultivators didn't even have time to let out a complete scream before they were completely transformed into puffs of scarlet blood mist, which dissipated in the night wind.

The air fell into a deathly silence.

Then, after extreme shock and fear, someone was the first to kneel down, their forehead hitting the ground hard.

Then, the second, the third… the black market vendors and customers knelt down in droves, trembling, yet their faces filled with fanaticism as they gazed up at the enormous black dragon in the sky, shouting in unison, “The divine dragon has descended! The divine dragon has descended!”

Yu Linzhou's enormous dragon body slowly circled once in the night sky, its golden vertical pupils sweeping over the ruins and bloodstains beneath its feet, letting out a deep dragon roar.

Then he disappeared from everyone's sight.

……

The moment Yu Linzhou's feet touched the ground, he staggered a step, bracing himself against the wall with one hand and pressing his other hand tightly against his chest.

Unable to suppress the surging blood in his throat any longer, he turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood, the dark red blood splattering on the floor with an ominous hue.

The aftereffects of forcibly activating the dragon soul were even more intense than he had anticipated.

My internal organs felt like they had been brutally crushed by something, and the lingering backlash in my meridians was still rampaging. Every heartbeat brought a dull ache.

He closed his eyes, took a couple of heavy breaths, and a fine layer of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Owner!"

Manager Liu rushed over and his face changed instantly when he saw the pool of blood on the ground.

He rushed forward, grabbing Yu Linzhou's arm, his voice filled with barely suppressed anxiety: "Are you alright? Where are you hurt? Should I—"

"I won't die." Yu Linzhou raised his hand to wipe the corner of his mouth, frowned slightly as he looked at the bloodstains on his fingertips, and then nonchalantly wiped them on his robe.

"It's just the backlash from the fake dragon; it'll be fine in a couple of days."

Manager Liu opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately swallowed it back.

Having served Yu Linzhou for so many years, he knew his master's temper all too well. If he said it was nothing, then he wasn't allowed to ask any more questions.

Yu Linzhou leaned against the wall and took two deep breaths. Once the tightness in his chest had eased a little, he straightened up and said in a murderous tone, "Go and gather your men and find out who's behind this. I want to see which blind bastard dares to cause trouble on my turf."

The dark glint in his eyes flashed and disappeared, as if the afterglow of a dragon's eye had not completely faded.

"Dare to run wild on my territory? I will make sure he dies without a burial place."

Manager Liu's expression hardened, and he bowed and clasped his hands in obeisance: "Your subordinate obeys."

After Steward Liu left, the Secret Pavilion returned to calm.

Yu Linzhou's fingers, which were hanging in his sleeves, curled slightly, and his knuckles turned white from the force.

After spitting out that mouthful of blood, the dull pain in my chest did lessen a bit, but forcibly faking a true dragon's backlash couldn't be resolved by just spitting out blood.

Each time the Dragon Soul is activated, the backlash becomes more intense and prolonged than the last time.

He wasn't sure how long this body could last if he couldn't break through the Nascent Soul stage and transform into a true dragon.

But it's okay.

Before he could no longer hold on, he still had time to clear away obstacles and protect those who needed protection.

He looked up at the sky, and the cold, pale moonlight shone down on his face.

A tender look appeared in his eyes.

I wonder how many more times we can enjoy such a moonlit night together?

……

After returning to Tianheng Sect, Lin Zhixu went into seclusion.

After an unknown amount of time, another full moon night arrived.

Lin Zhixu sat cross-legged in the quiet room where he was in seclusion, his spiritual energy slowly circulating through his meridians.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a patch of cold white light in front of him; everything was as quiet as a painting.

Suddenly, the aura around him became chaotic.

A cold and violent power surged up from the depths of his dantian without warning, spreading wildly along his meridians. Wherever it passed, it felt as if a layer of scalding oil had been poured over it and then covered with a layer of ice, both scorching and bone-chilling.

Lin Zhixu suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of crimson in his pupils.

He looked down and saw the wisp of black energy reappear on his wrist. This time, however, it was no longer a thin strand, but rather grew wildly along his arm like a vine.

Wherever it spreads, black lines appear on the skin, looking grotesque and terrifying.

[Lin Zhixu! Calm your mind!] The system's voice suddenly rang out, urgent and stern, [It's tempting you! Don't listen to it!]