At the same time, many others noticed the strange sight high in the sky.
Those farther away first mistook it for dark clouds, but a closer look revealed something was wrong.
The residents directly below felt it most vividly.
The sunset vanished in an instant, shrouding the ground in sudden darkness as powerful gales swept through.
Magic power surged wildly, and dragon breath leaked into the air.
No matter who they were or what they were doing, every beast tamer’s magical beasts prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling alongside their masters in terror, as if the end of the world had come.
Ordinary residents couldn’t sense the dragon breath or magic elements, but the invisible pressure in the air still left them gasping for breath, paralyzed and unable to move.
Few dared to raise their heads for a proper look at what it was.
Not until the moving “dark cloud” raced all the way to Central City.
As the most prosperous hub on Cangyuan Continent, Central City ranked among the top three in size. Yet when the “dark cloud” bore down, the entire district plunged into pitch blackness.
With Element River already sealed off at Lobe Academy, Central City had been on edge. This sudden anomaly only deepened everyone’s panic.
A few high-tier beast tamers sensed it first, their voices quaking. “This… this can’t be possible…”
The magical beasts’ reactions and the aura filling the gales—it wasn’t some freak weather event. It was a flock of dragons.
Even after a century of absence, nearly erased from memory, some still recalled the legends of the Dragon Clan.
The Dragon Clan’s return to Cangyuan Continent—this was undoubtedly a day to be etched in the history books.
Once the dragon flock reached Central City, they halted, their destination clearly here.
Bystanders were clueless amid the shock, but whispers of “Dragon Clan” began to spread.
The scene outside the academy was even more spectacular by comparison.
The beast tamers’ magical beasts caught the thick scent of dragon breath and lost all power to act on the spot.
The dragons’ arrival shifted the battle into utter imbalance.
A magical beast’s emotions could influence its tamer, and with the dragon flock descending, the entire Miasma-Clearing Team watched a magical attack fall while their minds froze, too stunned to react.
Boom—
An explosion lit up the overwhelming darkness once more.
Before his death, Qiu Lai had made extensive preparations. He knew Xiang Lun was a formidable opponent, and Xuzhi of the God Clan possessed unfathomable strength.
The beast tamers dispatched to the academy were nearly all 8th Tier or higher—the strongest force he could assemble.
High-tier beast tamers naturally had keener senses and knew exactly what they faced.
Joining the Miasma-Clearing Team required signing voluntary contracts, so the team had no fears of insubordination or leaks. Every beast tamer knew the real reason for sealing the academy.
A suspected God Clan member had appeared inside, along with a young dragon.
The Dragon Clan had vanished, leaving Xiang Lun isolated. The Miasma-Clearing Team needed that young dragon.
But how had the Dragon Clan reemerged?
Many had overheard Qiu Lai’s dying words: Xiang Lun’s companion was a mixed-blood dragon with impure lineage. Even if the Dragon Clan survived, they might not…
After a full century with no trace found by anyone, the Dragon Clan had truly come back.
It felt like a dream—a scene straight out of one.
Boom! Another massive blast echoed as a different magical attack rained down. Pure, concentrated magic elements needed no skill to raze the area flat.
Flickering light alternated with shadow as gales continued howling, snapping branches and flinging sand and stones while the dragon flock circled overhead.
Yan Si and Xiang Lun both sighed in relief. Xiang Lun shot Yan Si a glance, as if to say, “You kept that well hidden.”
Xing Huai lit up with joy, waving enthusiastically at the sky to greet someone.
The wind raged too fiercely, so Xiang Lun shielded the group with his magic to prevent stray injuries.
Once it was clear the human team below had lost all fight, the dragon flock held back.
Ming Shuang remained nestled in Xuzhi’s arms, the little dragon hatchling craning his neck skyward, eyes sparkling bright.
Wow…
These were all his kin!
Under the dragon breath’s influence, Tomato and the others huddled inside Xiang Lun’s space magic.
The ones happiest on-site were the fluffy plushies.
They began in shock and disbelief, then erupted in wild joy, leaping and howling in celebration.
“Awoo!”
“Awoo awoo woo—”
Dragon God Lord! The Dragon God Lords!
The surrounding beast tamers watched the ecstatic cluster of Dragon Clan guardian beasts, their faces draining to ashen gray.
Yan Si called up to the sky. “Wu Shao?”
A black dragon peeled away from the flock, diving low and shifting to human form just before landing.
“Where’s the little dragon? Hope we didn’t arrive too late.” Wu Shao glanced around. “These the ones who dared eye our clan’s little dragon?”
His usual laziness was gone, sharp glints flashing in his golden pupils as he raked his gaze over the crowd.
Ming Shuang poked his head out at once. “Awoo!”
Hearing the sound, Wu Shao’s expression eased. “Good as long as you’re fine.”
The elder who had spoken before was nearly fainting, head buried as he shuddered.
Like a dream… just like a dream…
The dragon flock’s numbers were impossible to count—it was as if the entire clan had mobilized. Every magical beast submitted to the dragon breath, and no beast tamer dared resist.
Sure enough, Wu Shao’s tone sharpened, his voice rising. “Our clan has returned to Cangyuan Continent in full force. Any old scores can be settled right now.”
The Dragon Clan… all of them… had come…
Old grudges… who would ever dare hold one against the Dragon Clan?
In the suffocating tension, one elder summoned his courage, voice trembling. “We… we were misled by Qiu Lai and acted rashly. Please, show mercy…”
“Qiu Lai?” Wu Shao snorted. “Who the hell is that?”
Yan Si pointed off to one side. “Just croaked.”
Yan Si and Xing Huai dropped their disguises now, revealing their golden pupils.
Wu Shao strode over to Qiu Lai’s corpse. “Dead works just fine.”
He channeled his magic, invoking necromancy to rip Qiu Lai’s spirit free from its husk.
A few bold souls peeked up and saw it, spines turning ice-cold.
A shadow dragon… Dark magic innate talent, something only the Dragon Clan truly possessed. Necromancy like this had been lost to Cangyuan Continent for ages.
Qiu Lai hadn’t been dead long; his spirit rose in a daze.
Once his hollow eyes registered the scene, terror stretched his mouth in a silent scream.
Wu Shao eyed the spirit up and down. “You’re the one who brought this mob to surround the academy? What’d you want? I asked, what did you want?”
At that moment, dragons from the flock began landing one by one.
Unsure of the full situation but burning to see Ming Shuang, they didn’t wait for Wu Shao or Yan Si’s orders, dropping wherever they could.
Bang! A wind dragon’s enormous claw slammed into an open patch of academy grounds, cracking the pale bricks into a small crater.
Xing Huai yelled quickly. “Shapeshift! Shapeshift—it’s easier that way!”
The wind dragon shifted to human form then, the ones behind following suit.
He appeared around forty, demanding right away, “Where’s the little dragon?”
Xing Huai beckoned. “Right here!”
Xuzhi looked to Xiang Lun, who gave a nod. Only then did Xuzhi loosen his hold on the little dragon hatchling.
Ming Shuang tamped down his nerves in the face of these strangers and flew over to Xing Huai.
The wind dragon nearly burst with excitement at the sight of the little dragon hatchling.
He itched to scoop Ming Shuang up but remembered he was technically an adult dragon—hardly appropriate. He stood there awkwardly, rubbing his hands.
As more dragons landed and shifted, the sunset broke through again, banishing the darkness from the ground.
The Dragon Clan’s focus locked entirely on Ming Shuang. They clustered around Xing Huai and the little dragon hatchling, utterly ignoring the beast tamers outside.
But that very sight stirred complicated feelings and bitter regret in everyone.
Qiu Lai’s dogged pursuit had seemed reasonable at the time, convincing many the Dragon Clan was probably extinct.
Reality begged to differ. The Dragon Clan thrived.
They had come for that one young dragon… Naturally. The Dragon Clan guarded their hatchlings fiercely—how could they stand by while it was taken?
Yan Si swept his calm gaze around.
Wu Shao’s timely arrival with the full clan meant leaked news posed no threat anymore.
The beast tamer who had called out earlier from the flying magical beast’s back had tumbled far off long ago.
Sweat poured down his face as his shaking hands sent off a message.
At the academy, dragons packed ever tighter around the little dragon hatchling.
Facing so many kin at once left Ming Shuang a bit on edge at first, his blue-gold heterochromia eyes darting shyly.
But he quickly sensed their friendliness. Their joy—even tears of emotion—washed over him, and none cared a whit about his mismatched eyes.
“Don’t be afraid, little dragon! We’re here now!”
“Just call me Uncle. This one’s an uncle too, and she’s an auntie…”
Ming Shuang eased up, nuzzling one kin’s sleeve, then another’s.
Xing Huai tugged a Dragon Clan member aside for a quiet word. “You brought the dragon eggs?”
The dragon nodded. “Of course!”
The fluffy plushies shoved in too, awooing up a storm as the mood turned festive.
But after so much time glued to Ming Shuang, their favorite was still him. They habitually wormed their way back to his side.
Nearby, Xiang Lun watched the scene and let out a soft, relieved sigh.
Thank goodness… thank goodness.
The Dragon Clan had returned to the continent at last. Ming Shuang finally had his kin to protect him.
At that moment, no one noticed as Xuzhi quietly slipped back to a shadowed corner off to the side and rear.
Once the dragon flock had landed one after another, the surge of magical power they unleashed proved far too fierce. It scattered the previous ribbon of the Element River entirely.
In the end, only a small cluster remained, hovering above the stone bricks where fine cracks had split open. It steadily funneled Miasma Fog straight to Xuzhi.
Xuzhi sensed the black qi churning within his Magic Vein. Deeper still, in the marrow of his bones and blood, a streak of purple light stirred restlessly, eager to awaken.
Having absorbed so much already, he was on the verge of reclaiming his original divine power at last.
~~~
