Chapter Twenty-Five: The World of the Dragon Clan

Hotel

“Hey, can you tell me about... the real world?” Lu Mingfei asked, gazing into the void.

“Are you really that curious, brother?”

“Yes.”

“All right, then.”

The little devil stepped from the shadows and walked directly to the hotel television. Waving the remote with a flourish, he resembled a genius painter improvising a masterpiece.

A dragon's silhouette emerged on the LCD screen—the black king soaring across the sky, the dragon race ruling the world. The little devil turned elegantly, introducing the scene:

“In this world, there once existed a magnificent and awe-inspiring form of life: dragons. The world was ruled by the Dragon King, the black emperor Nidhogg, and his four great lords. Humanity was merely one of the many races subjugated beneath the dragons.”

“Thousands of years ago, the black Dragon King was slain upon his eternally frozen throne. His black wings stretched from mountaintop to base, and his molten blood melted the icy peak. Crimson steam rose to the heavens, then fell as a rain of blood. Those who slew him bathed in dragon’s blood and cheered. It was from that moment that a new era dawned.”

“Later, to rebel against the dragons, humans offered up maidens to breed with pureblood dragons, forging new offspring. In this blood-soaked history, hybrids of humans and dragons were born—beings who inherited the dragons’ powers. Weaker than true dragons but surpassing ordinary humans, they possessed the potential to challenge dragonkind.”

The television images shifted: pureblood dragons and maidens entwined in a crimson dance, a spectacle both breathtaking and terrifying. From within the wombs of the mothers, freshly hatched dragons—or deathsworn—burst forth.

The bloodstained history stretched endlessly. After untold generations of sacrifice, at last, a child was born.

Divine from birth, godlike in nature, weak yet articulate, precocious and insightful, wise and gentle as he matured, and in the end, he ascended to the heavens.

His name: the Yellow Emperor, known as Xuanyuan.

“Then, humanity overthrew the dragons, and now it’s the age of man, right?” Lu Mingfei asked.

“That’s right.”

“Hybrids are far more powerful than ordinary people. Such beings can’t simply vanish. So, they must be hiding somewhere unknown to me, dealing with crises that normal humans can’t even imagine?”

Lu Mingfei intertwined his fingers, murmuring to himself. Seated in his chair, he continued, “You said before, there’s a form of life that dies only to return again and again. That must be the dragons, right?”

“As for the others, I can’t say. But I have no memories. In a world where dragons are little more than legends, any returning Dragon King would likely be hunted down and slain by hybrids before their immense power could even adapt to this era.”

As he mused, Lu Mingfei gradually came to understand. He continued, “By the way, in terms of strength, how do I compare among the hybrids?”

“You’re at the very top—an S-rank hybrid.”

“And my bloodline?”

“Also the very best.”

The very best? That figures. After all, I’m the so-called monster in his eyes. It’s normal to be strong.

After some thought, Lu Mingfei went on, “The special powers I and other hybrids use—they’re all ‘Word Spirits,’ right? There’s no real difference?”

“Yes.”

“So, what about the breadth and depth with which ordinary hybrids use Word Spirits? How powerful can they get?”

“Ordinary hybrids don’t really have breadth or depth when it comes to Word Spirits. They can only use one, by inscribing it with the Dragon Script. At most, they can use blood-ignition techniques to evolve their Word Spirit to a higher rank.”

“Dragon Script?”

Lu Mingfei frowned slightly. He didn’t understand what it meant to use Word Spirits via Dragon Script. For him, all it took was speaking normally to cast a spell.

But perhaps this was a limitation unique to hybrids. He wasn’t one of them, so he wasn’t bound by those restrictions. The little devil had called him the greatest monster in this world, after all—it made sense that he could do things no ordinary hybrid could.

“If I want to study spatial manipulation, to master its core mysteries, is there anyone who could instruct me?” Lu Mingfei asked.

“Probably not.”

“I thought so.”

He wasn’t particularly surprised. The gap between him and ordinary hybrids was simply too vast; naturally, they couldn’t teach him.

As for dragons...

This was now a world ruled by humans. Dragons must be exceedingly rare. Those who might help him were likely almost nonexistent.

Thus, Lu Mingfei saw no need to reveal his true strength. All he needed was to quietly develop his abilities at school, steadily mastering his power, and search for a path to Teyvat.

Even so, he had to be prepared for the unexpected. So he asked, “Can I disguise myself as a hybrid? If I do, will anyone be able to tell?”

“No. As long as you don’t transform or unleash your spiritual domain, it’s fine,” Lu Mingze replied.

“I see.”

Lu Mingfei nodded gently, pondering how to face the supernaturals of this world.

Should he make contact? There was no real need. Right now, the strongest beings were likely still hybrids. Their experience and knowledge seemed of little use to him. Compared to cultivation, combat experience was probably more important.

The world was far from safe.

The little devil had once warned him that he might be hunted as a Dragon King.

What did that mean? Dragon Kings will return; they never truly die. One day, Lu Mingfei might face such enemies, or even be hunted by hybrids. Waiting until disaster struck to grow stronger would be far too late.

And then there was Furina. She might seem harmless in Fontaine, but as the Hydro Archon, she was a tremendous threat—a hidden bomb that could explode at any time.

So, his next steps were clear.

Hide his strength. Improve himself. Grow steadily. When the time came to reveal his power, he would present himself as a formidable hybrid, using only one Word Spirit, perhaps even faking a Dragon Script for good measure. When he’d gathered enough strength, he would cross into another world and seek the path to Teyvat.

In dragon society, bloodline was everything. All means of power enhancement were tied to it. Ordinary hybrids were shackled by their lineage, so there was little for Lu Mingfei to learn from them—no need to take unnecessary risks by making contact.

“Brother, have you made any plans?” The little devil watched Lu Mingfei’s thoughtful silence, a curious smile on his face.

“I have.”

“What kind of plans?”

The honest Lu Mingfei replied, “I intend to continue observing the space-time nodes, searching for weak points in the world’s fabric, while strengthening my own spatial authority. I hope I can travel to another world for my journey soon.”

The little devil: Dammit!