182 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

Chapter 852: Breaking the Cocoon "How did you discover it?" The unfamiliar woman gently stroked the fur behind Xiang Shi Yan's ears, causing her to involuntarily shrink back. The surrounding noise gradually diminished as the slowly advancing crowd cast long shadows. The woman Xiang Shi Yan had seen earlier had vanished without a trace, leaving Xiang Shi Yan trapped painfully within the body of a fox, staring warily at this stranger and unable to move. This unfamiliar face was a grim reminder that the He He she thought she knew was merely a disguise of the Black Dragon. Despite the system's spoilers, she knew very little about the real He He. Xiang Shi Yan realized that the girl who grew up was the spawn of a demon, taking human form and not her original appearance. The Black Dragon's humanoid form was merely a shapeshift of a monster, able to alter its physical attributes like a lump of clay to any desired shape — tall, short, fat, or thin. Did this appearance have any deeper meaning? She focused on the only familiar part of He He's face — those round apricot eyes. Resembling a dragon's eyes, they possessed an unforgettable wickedness, yet they harmonized surprisingly well with his otherwise serene countenance. "You shouldn't be able to see her... sometimes Master seems divinely guided, sparking curiosity," the woman said, her voice gentle but her grip on Xiang Shi Yan's muzzle powerful and unyielding. In this current form, she was not the girl from before; her hands were long, strong, and devoid of warmth. "What... what do you want?" Xiang Shi Yan struggled fiercely. She refused to believe He He had confined her here for nothing; there had to be some other mystery in this illusion. He He sat by the lakeside, placing the trembling with anger grey fox on his lap, gently stroking her soft belly fur. The moment he released his grip, the indignant Xiang Shi Yan pounced at his face, but her fox claws couldn't pierce his dragon skin, leaving only soft paw pads a flurry against him. Her fury seemed impotent before He He's stoic demeanor. He easily overturned her, flipping the entire fox upside down, exposing her short limbs and snow-white belly. Amused, He He pinched her inner ear fur and chuckled, "Master has so many secrets. I naturally want to uncover each one." What had this person done while she was ensnared in this illusion? Xiang Shi Yan's heart sank, knowing his spirit was much stronger. With their souls intertwined and no barriers, if she had invaded her memories while she was unaware, she could no longer hide the existence of the system. The small fox bared her teeth and bit down on He He's face. Utterly furious, Xiang Shi Yan blushed at the thought of him witnessing her earlier foolishness and could only wish for death to take her swiftly. Yet, despite this false tenderness, even a dragon's cold, corpse-like skin held an enticing warmth. He He cradled her in his arms, stroking her back while she clung to his cheek. "I merely found a spot to keep an eye on you. That illusion was of your own making." Xiang Shi Yan didn't want to hear his excuses. Seeing the faint bite marks only enraged her more, prompting her to bite down on his jaw. Angry on the surface, in her heart, Xiang Shi Yan urgently prompted the system: "We've been caught. Is there anywhere we can escape to?" "We must seize this loophole while we can. Follow my lead, Host." With just a little effort, He He broke free of her fangs. He lowered his head and pressed his face close to the little fox's ear, inhaling sharply twice before muttering indistinctly into the fox's fur, "If only we could stay here together forever." Xiang Shi Yan's struggles eased momentarily, as a subtle emotion emerged. She was familiar with He He, her disciple, still just a girl. Yet, holding her always felt as if she was enveloped in a vast and warm energy, an endless affection pulling her deeper and deeper. It occasionally gave her the illusion of fully possessing this person. In the past, she always questioned herself, feeling that the sensation was too perfect to be real, which oddly comforted her now. See, it's fake after all. But past anxiety and hesitation didn't lessen the current pain. Xiang Shi Yan silently scratched at the woman's black and gold robe with her paws, thinking bitterly, liar, what you truly want isn't me. Silently stepping back, she gazed at He He with widened, obsidian-like eyes, as if wanting to say something. He He patiently awaited her words, but unexpectedly felt a pulling force. The grey fox kicked off from his lap and flipped backward. He He instinctively reached out, but only grasped air as Xiang Shi Yan vanished into the torn rift. Master was clearly just talking to her... how did Xiang Shi Yan manage to break the illusion right under her nose? He He stood in bewilderment for a moment, then suddenly laughed. The invisible walls had trapped her in turn, binding her there, paralyzing her powers. Xiang Shi Yan stumbled, as if suddenly released from some magical artifact, collapsing to the ground. She felt as though she was still a small fox, and only after taking a dazed glance did she realize she was in He He's room. With her mind feeling muddled, Xiang Shi Yan couldn't help but press her forehead. During the previous battle, He He had shattered her life-bound spirit sword, causing a ripple through her entire soul. If not for that, she wouldn't have been so vulnerable to He He's antics. Ironically, He He, her soul connected with hers, should have been similarly impacted. Xiang Shi Yan clearly saw the girl cough up blood, yet He He moved freely in her consciousness, seemingly unaffected. Amusing, it seems a soul intertwining is trivial for a powerful beast like her. "Cough... cough..." Every part of Xiang Shi Yan's body ached, her head and chest especially searing with pain, as though a gaping hole had been stabbed into her without her knowing. The female cultivator rubbed her temples painfully, her eyes falling on He He, lying on the bed. He He appeared to be suffering a severe nightmare, her face pale, eyes shut tight, trembling slightly. Cold sweat trailed down her nose, onto her dry, cracked lips. It was He He who trapped her in the illusion, yet now she appeared to be in agony herself, likely another act to soften Xiang Shi Yan's heart. Weakly, Xiang Shi Yan approached the bed, looking down at the face she knew all too well — a face whose owner’s smiling kiss replayed in her mind, reigniting an inner fury. She pulled back the covers, discovering the girl wore nothing but a soaked thin garment, loosely clinging to her. Beneath the soaked garment lay a body tightly bound in bandages, dark blood seeping through the white fabric. The injuries still seemed severe, just barely stopping the bleeding. It hadn't been long since Xiang Shi Yan lost consciousness. This was He He's room at Mo Zhu Peak. Peers like Huai Ye must have just brought her back. The window was open, with the Mid-Autumn moonlight casting a hazy glow over the courtyard. Xiang Shi Yan stared at the window dazedly, the small Mo Zhu Peak yard empty. Was she lying there all alone with no one tending to her... Xiang Shi Yan almost laughed at herself. Even now, she could be swayed by He He's feigned pitifulness. Three hundred years of cultivation wasted. "Host, I've tried trapping her in an illusion. It's not a sturdy one, but if you want to escape, now's the time." Xiang Shi Yan took a step closer, her voice hoarse, "I can’t escape. There are restrictions everywhere in this room, limiting only my actions. There's no time." The cold autumn wind blew in from the window, but Xiang Shi Yan sensed something blocking her movement there. Breaking through restrictions was difficult, and with her current state, how far could she possibly get? He He didn't mind injury. Though her current frail state puzzled Xiang Shi Yan, it wouldn't take long for her to recover and pursue. Xi He didn’t take away Xiang Shi Yan's jade pendant. Lightly sliding her hand over it, it transformed into a dark short sword, which she slowly unsheathed, the icy blade hovering above the girl’s chest. The blade was noticeably different from ordinary swords, its silvery edge shimmering in the light. The hilt and guard were luxuriously ornate, intricately carved. Xiang Shi Yan never liked such embellishments, but had mistakenly bought it at an auction, thinking someone else favored it. After returning from Desolate Soul Gorge, Xiang Shi Yan modified it, keeping the ostentatious exterior the young girl adored. She had her senior use leftover materials from her life-bound spirit sword to forge this crude dagger into a short sword. Forged from meteoric iron, legend had it tempered by thunderfire, capable of slaying dragons. A demon emerged, rekindling a millennium-long war between humans and monsters, leaving four cities slaughtered and half of the Thirteen Seats of the Immortal Sect in decay. Casualties among the two races reached tens of thousands, and the fragile mortal world was plunged into chaos by the spreading flames of war, with the land of China littered with bones and starvation rampant. Xiang Shi Yan did not consider herself particularly benevolent, but to her, those about to perish, whether human or monster, were still living beings. Since her determination to change fate more than six years ago, she contemplated daily how to slay the dragon demon. Yet, she never expected that the child who pulled her back from death would be the chaos-bringing demon. She had believed... that He He was the only oasis in this absurd world unaffected by its control. In hindsight, if not for the world's will, how could Xiang Shi Yan have encountered such coincidences? "System, tell me where the vital spot is," Xiang Shi Yan demanded, her voice cold and devoid of emotion. A few moments passed before the system responded, "He He's chest cavity lacks organs and is instead filled with another entity, likely her true form. She is currently unconscious and unprotected by scales, making her easy to kill." It turned out the seemingly invincible dragon demon lay before her, vulnerably exposed. Xiang Shi Yan's lips twitched, but her hand trembled. She hesitated for just a second, only because the delicate form of the girl lying on the bed evoked pity within her. After the initial anger from the revealed truth subsided, Xiang Shi Yan's indecision surfaced again, making the blood staining the bandages appear glaringly stark. The moment her sword descended, the fragile hand caught hold of the short sword. The blade sliced into flesh until it was halted by He He's bones. Despite this, her eyes remained clear. He He blinked, looking at Xiang Shi Yan with her hands gripping the sword hilt, and smiled softly, "Master is truly ruthless." "Not as ruthless as you..." Xiang Shi Yan's brief pity vanished like a bubble, and she hoarsely growled, furiously pressing the blade further toward He He's chest. Blood from her hands dripped along the sword onto He He's chest. Xiang Shi Yan involuntarily furrowed her brow, for some reason finding the dragon kin's blood akin to ambrosia, emitting an overwhelmingly enticing aroma. "I fed you some dragon blood while you were unconscious. Master, you're now one of only two pure-blooded jade foxes in the world. Does that make you happy?" He He said, her smile teasing as she noticed Xiang Shi Yan swallow. "You...!" Xiang Shi Yan frowned, and in that instant, white fox ears and a long tail appeared. Her black hair transformed into white silk, her eyes turning predatory, and fangs emerged. Transformed into her monster form, an endless power surged from her once-weak body. Xiang Shi Yan gritted her teeth, fiercely pushing the short sword downward, causing He He's hand to shake. He He’s hands tightly gripped the sword blade as it descended with the powerful force of a grand completion stage monster cultivator, grating against her bones with a jarring sound. Xiang Shi Yan disliked this transformation; even with only a partial monster form, she struggled to control her emotions. Now, anger and rage erupted like a volcano, overwhelming her mind. The primal nature of beast blood she had never known before stripped away her sense of self. "When did you take over her body...why, of all people, did it have to be her?" He He's gaze faltered, and the sly curve of her lips momentarily stiffened before she spoke again, her tone containing a subtle undertone of discontent, "It was her honor that her body could be possessed by me..." Seeing the anger in Xiang Shi Yan's eyes, her voice softened back to the tender charm of a lovesick girl, "Besides, wasn't the He He you knew always me? What's the point of revisiting this?" Xiang Shi Yan found herself speechless, but He He noticed a glimmer of tears suddenly flash in her eyes. The dragon demon suddenly found it all dull, a strange blockage gnawing at her heart. Slowly, she released her grip, even guiding the sword tip to her own chest. As Xiang Shi Yan was drawn closer, her hand trembled uncontrollably, "What are you doing?" The sharp blade effortlessly cut through the blood-soaked bandages. He He held the sword with one hand, tearing away the bandages with the other, revealing a massive wound across her chest, still stark white at the edges and freshly closed, a shocking sight. The demon inhabiting the girl's body seemed to flaunt the wound, as if to say, "Look, see what you've done." "Stop..." The sword, pulled and thrust into that horrifying wound, twisted in He He's chest, the sensations of tearing flesh echoing in Xiang Shi Yan's hands. Softly coughing, blood gurgled up He He’s throat, spilling from her mouth as she attempted to speak, "Isn't this what you wanted?" Pushed by He He, the meteoric iron sword carved a gaping wound in her chest. Crimson flesh squirmed within her cavity, drawing involuntary tears from He Her eyes. He He's body twitched weakly, struggling as she feebly called out to Xiang Shi Yan, "Master..." The short sword clattered to the ground, and Xiang Shi Yan instinctively clenched her jaw, retreating in horror. She stared at the open wound in the girl’s chest and the writhing creature beneath the flesh, her breath quickening. The girl’s complexion turned ashen in mere moments, her apricot eyes blankly staring at the void, slowly losing their luster. The monstrous creature, caked in gore, burst from the girl’s chest, snapping three or four ribs with a sickening crack, disturbing the shredded flesh with unsettling wet noises. The blood-soaked black dragon opened its eyes, one shining like molten gold, and the other a hollow, gaping void as if torn out. Xiang Shi Yan stood petrified, her gaze affixed to the girl’s lifeless expression, a tear slipping down her cheek.