Morning Sun

Chapter 144

Six hours left until the blood moon.

Although the general public is unaware of this, some people with powers have begun to feel uneasy about it.

They didn't know where the source of this uneasiness came from, but they were able to feel the unknown danger stirring, and the magic in their bodies was stirred up, seeming to resonate vaguely with the entire continent.

All the contaminated areas have been cleaned up, but the demons everywhere still seem particularly restless.

Although night had not yet fallen, the light was dim.

Heavy clouds covered the sky, daylight seemed distant and thin, the whole sky seemed to be covered in a light scarlet halo.

The black-robed man imprisoned in the narrow space slowly raised his head.

The greenish-black veins on his face throbbed, and he looked as horrible as a ghost.

The pupil of one eye was completely invisible, and the other eye was also covered with cloudy cataracts, but he could see vaguely.

He stared fixedly at a short distance away, as if he could penetrate the steel wall in front of him with those eyes with crippled vision.

At that moment, the door of the prison slowly opened, and Zhuo Fu walked in.

There was a sound, and the glass cover disappeared.

"You can come out now." Zhuo Fu said.

The black-robed man didn't ask any questions, just stood up in silence, his chains clanking with him as he staggered out.

The sky grew darker and darker with each passing day, but the sun never set.

A pale red mist swam through the air, shrouding everything in an ominous dark light.

The surrounding area is rocky and uninhabited, and the howling of demons can be heard in the distance.

Further on, there was a huge cave with hard stone walls that showed signs of being melted by the heat.

Zhuo Fu looked around and was slightly stunned, he recognized where this place was - during the attack on the Ability Academy, the dragon had taken Mu Hang away, and they had been searching for him with all their might during the period of time when he disappeared, and finally followed the trail to this place, where they met up with Mu Hang, who had been abducted for a few days. They finally followed the trail and came here to join Mu Hang, who had been taken away for a few days.

The high mountain ahead is hollow inside.

There were several irregular holes in the rocky wall that could accommodate several people, and further forward was a huge mountain that was completely hollowed out in the center, with half of the sky that had been cut off vaguely visible between the holes at the top.

Wen Yao came up from the side and looked at Zhuo Fu with a condemning gaze, "You're late."

Zhuo Fu shrugged and sighed:

"I can't be blamed for this, it's the roads."

The black-robed man's eyes crossed Wen Yao's shoulder and looked towards the cave.

He was violently stunned.

Not far away, in the center of the cave, lay the collected remains of the fire dragons, which lay quietly at the junction of the shadows, as if they were dead things without any soul.

In the very center of those wrecks, a petri dish more than one person high was faintly visible, and in the pale blue liquid, the pitch-black skull rose and fell noiselessly, its deep eye sockets hidden in the darkness, as if alive, quietly looking out.

Like a stiff puppet, the black-robed man was pulled by some invisible force and subconsciously stepped forward.

But he had barely taken a step when Wen Yao stopped him in his tracks:

"Don't go in there."

The black-robed man's withered form swayed.

Without speaking, he obediently stopped and gathered his pace.

However, his eyes, which had almost completely lost their sight, did not move from the beginning, staring fixedly at everything inside the cave, like a shadow that had been dead for many years.

Zhuo Fu: "Where are Mu Hang and Shi An? Have they arrived?"

"Apparently, it's late, too."

Wen Yao sighed silently.

It was at this moment that a harsh and powerful wind was raised overhead, and a huge shadow completely covered the area.

The wind whistled sharply between the rock walls, curling Wen Yao's long hair.

She pulled her hair behind her ear with one hand as she lifted her head and looked toward the sky.

In the twilight drenched in blood, the silver-white dragon pressed down, its huge wings with smooth lines unfolded and slid downward on the wind, a pair of golden-red vertical pupils burning in the darkness, looking majestic and beautiful.

He landed slowly, then dropped his right wing slightly, allowing Mu Hang to slide down his back.

Wen Yao and Zhuo Fu were both stunned.

They didn't expect Shi An to come as a prototype.

What I didn't expect even more was for the two of them to come out in such a way.

Mu Hang stepped forward, his eyes skimming over Wen Yao's body and finally landing on the black-robed man.

He looked at the other man steadily for a few seconds before calmly averting his eyes.

"A dragon's grave is best found within his cave." Mu Hang looked to the cave not far away and, not knowing to whom he was explaining, added faintly, "Though this is not his abode, it is a cave made by his kind."

The silver-white dragon folded its wings and stood silently outside the cavern.

Huge golden-red pupils flickered with dazzling fire, not much cruel hostility, but rather calm and gentle, and he stood wordlessly in the darkness, his silver-white scaled armor majestic and gorgeous, shimmering with a fine light as he gazed at the skeletons of his kind not far from him with a serene and deep gaze of enduring scrutiny.

No one spoke again.

A deep, dead silence fell over the entire rocky mountain range.

It was as if a solemn silence had been held.

Time passed little by little, and the sun that hung hesitantly in the sky finally fell in reluctantly, swallowed up little by little by the darkness of the horizon, but even so, the sky still showed a kind of sickly brightness, as if the day was still unwilling to leave.

As the sunlight disappeared, the blood mist in the air became even more viscous and thick, as if it covered the entire firmament like a cloud.

In the midst of this dimness and chaos, a scarlet glow rose from the interweaving of light and darkness.

The ominous color began to spread as if it were contagious, taking over the sky in a flash.

A blood moon rises sluggishly.

Like a huge, blood-filled eye, gazing fixedly at the continent below, icy red light was spilled down as if it possessed a solid body and spread over the ground.

The howls of the demonic creatures rose and fell in all directions, a myriad of voices mixing and cutting through the silent night sky, causing one to be creeped out.

The silver-white dragon raised its neck and let out a dragon roar.

That voice was loud and majestic, which seemed to contain endless power, causing the entire valley to vibrate as if it was resonating, and a powerful demonic pressure spread out.

In that instant, the voices of all the other demons were all inaudible.

Zhuo Fu was able to feel his legs shaking and the awe reviving in his soul, causing him to have an instinctive urge to bend down.

The gargoyle looked over the cliffs in front of him.

Fiery lines spread from between the silver-white scale armor, as if it were hot lava searing through the darkness.

Immediately after that, fiery flames spewed out from the dragon's open mouth, the furious golden-red color igniting half of the sky in an instant, rushing and roaring towards the cave, as if it could vaporize the moisture of the entire world, the heat wave rolled over and engulfed the entire cliff in front of him almost in the blink of an eye.

Zhuo Fu and Wen Yao felt unable to breathe in the hot, moist air.

The firelight reflected red on their faces and reflected in the bottom of their eyes, as if it had begun to burn from the inside of their bodies as well.

It was almost unthinkable to imagine how terrifying it would be to face such terrible flames head-on without any barriers, and the blaze in front of them seemed to contain some kind of horrifying aesthetic that was incomprehensible to humans, but so mesmerizing that it stole almost all of their attention.

It was at this moment that the black-robed man who had been restrained since a moment ago suddenly moved.

A terrifying power erupted within his withered, tattered, and on the verge of collapsing remnant body, and the chains, the confinement, all of them lost their significance.

It doesn't matter if you lose a leg and leave an arm behind.

That near self-inflicted explosion caused him to snap out of his hold in an instant.

"! Wait!"

"What are you doing!"

Wen Yao and Zhuo Fu were suddenly startled and snapped back to their senses.

They try to stop it, but they are stopped by Mu Hang.

The silver-haired man turned his head sideways, the side of his face reflected in a bright red, the depths of his icy blue eyes reflecting the searing fire, and shook his head with little amplitude.

"......"

Both of them were stunned.

During this brief moment of daze, the blazing fire had completely engulfed the black-robed man's figure, no longer visible in the slightest trace.

*

A thin barrier branched out in front of him, keeping the blaze out of it.

Although the Mu family had an innate immunity to dragon flames, it didn't mean that he was able to survive such terrifying flames.

But he wasn't going to survive either.

The dark, ragged robes of his body had been set ablaze by the heat, the moisture in his skin evaporated and flaked away, and he could smell his own body roasting on the end of his nose.

Bones are overwhelmed, beeping and crunching, and blood is roasted before it can flow out.

However, it was as if he didn't even realize it, walking forward step by step, the depths of his cataract-covered eyes reflecting the dragon flame that seemed to be able to set the entire world ablaze, and underneath it, the blue iris could be faintly seen underneath that strong light.

Across the roaring flames, he peered steadily into the blaze, not blinking, as if nothing else existed anymore except for the skeleton not far away.

His knees shattered, unable to support his weight any longer.

The already consumed carcass collapsed with a loud thud, then began to crawl forward a little, leaving behind the charred remnants of flesh and blood.

The shell of the petri dish was built specifically to suppress the element of fire, though it already showed signs of melting, and the outline of a floating head could be vaguely seen within it.

He lay on his back inches away, gazing at it wordlessly.

Finally slowly, carefully, almost humbly, he reached out his hand.

The fingertips had begun to burn, the flesh and blood peeling away to reveal white bone, touching a little on top of the outer wall.

...... Long time no see.

In that instant, the shell collapsed under the touch.

Between the roaring flames, he embraced the skull.

Then slowly he hung his head and closed his eyes extremely peacefully.

In the next second, all the magical barriers were removed.

The flames rose up, roaring fiercely, consuming everything in the twinkling of an eye.

*

At that moment, Wen Yao heard his communicator begin to beep.

She looked down, her breath catching momentarily.

It's intel from a member of the Combat Section.

Apparently, Mu Hang's refusal to engage pushed them to the brink of resorting to extreme behavior, and Administration's top brass bypassed the Combat Section, which had a clear inclination to do so, and instead joined forces with the other clans, arriving in the neighborhood with a force of abilites trained from various clans and resisting top brass.

Wen Yao gritted his teeth and twisted his head to sweep Mu Hang.

She decided to do something about it.

She found an excuse to leave early, then headed straight for Administration's base camp outside the Wasteland.

"What exactly is your purpose?"

Wen Yao opened the door to ask.

"You guys?" The Administration executive in charge of the team repeated slowly, narrowing his eyes slightly, "Captain Wen, may I ask when did you and Administration become "you"?"

He smiled a little, but there was all but no laughter under his eyes, "May I ask if this is your way of making a point?"

"You're overthinking it."

Wen Yao was expressionless, seemingly unaffected by the other party's sheepish words:

"All of my decisions are made with the safety of all humanity in mind, and I am puzzled by the behavior of the Administration at this time, is it possible that you are trying to start a war?"

"What if it is?"

Wen Yao immobilized and pressed his hand to the weapon at his waist, "Then I will have to stop your foolishness."

The top management of the Administration showed a puzzled expression, "Captain Wen, you should also know that the unchecked and terrifying power of the Fantasy Species' body will always be a hidden danger to the human race, so if you're really considering this from the standpoint of the entire human race, you should have stood together with us."

Wen Yao's fingers subconsciously tightened for a moment.

The dragon and the boy, Mu Hang and Zhuo Fu, and those scattered and broken words swept through my mind.

Zhuo Fu was right about one thing.

Since that day, she'd had a hard time referring to Shi An's presence as a dragon rather than a name.

The huge, terrifying image that had been obscuring Shi An's eyes ever since her identity was revealed dissipated, and through that dragon-shaped menace, she seemed to see once again the real Shi An that she had always ignored.

This realization was like a flash of lightning that passed in front of her eyes, causing Wen Yao's breath to catch slightly and her throat to twitch, like a boulder falling to the ground, or like a fog lifting.

She took a deep breath, then eased off:

"Indeed, I did once agree with that statement-"

"Was?" The senior narrowed his eyes, "Can I take it that you have now changed your opinion?"

Wen Yao's eyes were shaken for a moment, then quickly became firm.

She pursed her lips and said in a single word:

"...... maybe."

"I have to say, you really let us down."

The senior shook his head and sighed sadly.

Wen Yao's fingertips jammed above the hilt of his gun as he shot back, "Can I interpret this answer of yours as being bent on war?"

"No, that's where you're thinking wrong."

The senior showed a fake smile, ''Just with these people we brought? How stupid ...... is that Administration to think that they can take down a giant dragon with such a small force? It's a death sentence."

Wen Yao was stunned, "That ......"

The man across from him put his fingertips against each other:

"We're just trying to talk to your officer."

...... Mu Hang?

Wen Yao froze.

It was at this moment that a cold and low male voice came from behind, "Yes?"

Wen Yao jolted and twisted his head to look behind him.

Under the yet to dissipate blood moon, the silver haired man's form gradually revealed itself from the darkness, the azure eyes reflecting the thin blood aura, "What do you want to talk about?"

The executives were also startled and subconsciously stood up.

Wen Yao's calm demeanor has completely disappeared, and he seems to be a bit more formal.

He flashed a smile, "...... Officer Mu! It really is better to be known than to be seen-"

Mu Hang took a step forward, staring fixedly at the man in front of him, his voice cold:

"Haven't you been trying to contact me? Is that why you've been trying to get in touch with me?"

The smile on the other's face froze, "No ...... of course not."

He coughed lightly, then said:

"Your importance to us is unquestionable, and we also believe that all the behaviors you did earlier were ...... on impulse, and this time I previously, I hope to be able to put these former misunderstandings behind us, and once again establish a good cooperative relationship with you, of course, all your requirements --I mean all."

He added emphasis on the last two words:

"All can be catered for, just not sure about you ......"

"Willing to slay the dragon?"

Mu Hang picked up the conversation lightly.

The other man looked even more fidgety, and after a few seconds of silence, he stumbled a little, "This ...... can also be ...... if you want to interpret it that way."

Mu Hang let out a soft laugh.

For some reason, his laugh didn't make the Administration executive feel relieved; the other man's voice held some kind of horrible meaning that he couldn't understand, making him instinctively want to back away.

The silver-haired man stepped forward again, nonchalantly:

"Since I've already said this, I'll simply make it clear."

Only the man lowered his eyes, his eyes inscrutable, his joy and anger hard to discern:

"When you make an enemy of the dragon, you make an enemy of me."

"......"

The aura coming from the other party caused the Administration executives to subconsciously hold their breath, and a layer of cold sweat immediately seeped down their spines.

"What happened a few days ago, I wouldn't mind doing again."

Mu Hang leaned down slightly, an icy smile raised on his lips, but in his calm voice there seemed to be an invisible undercurrent surging, "Got it?"

Cold sweat beaded on the senior and he subconsciously nodded.

"Just understand."

Mu Hang straightened up and pulled away, "Forgive me."

He turned around, his slender and upright back quickly disappearing into the dark night.

Wen Yao twisted his head to look at the frozen Administration executives not far away, then retracted his eyes and turned to chase after Mu Hang in the direction he had left.

Only the Administration executives were left standing in place, with frightened eyes and unsightly faces.

A few minutes later, his subordinate came cautiously and inquired in a lowered voice, "So ...... sir, what do we do next?"

"......"

The senior's face was green and white as he finally clenched his teeth, his voice sounding as if he had squeezed it out from between his teeth:

"...... retreat."

*

After burning the entire mountain and the gargoyle skulls within it, Shi An closed her eyes and began to absorb the magic that was pouring in from the outside.

When the absorption was over, Shi An opened her eyes and realized that Mu Hang and Wen Yao were no longer there.

"Is it over?"

Zhuo Fu raised his head with some difficulty, looking at the huge dragon in front of him, and opened his mouth to ask.

Shi An nodded, "Yes."

He raised his eyes to the night sky overhead that was colored a light red, "He's free."

"You mean the black-robed man?"

Shi An froze and lowered her head, "No, it's a fire dragon."

"Also."

Zhuo Fu shot his head and shook his head somewhat chagrined, "I momentarily haven't gotten over the scene of him rushing into the fire just now, and subconsciously thought you were talking about him ......"

"He rushed into the fire?"

Shi An cocked her head.

"Yeah ......"

Zhuo Fu sighed, "But actually, if you think about it, this should be the best possible ending, earlier when I was in the lab I had given him a full body check, his internal organs and body had basically fallen apart, alas, this is what happens when humans try to gain power and longevity that doesn't belong to our race- -"

Shi An was slightly stunned, and seemed to be seized by a certain thought.

Zhuo Fu continues to ramble on.

Suddenly, a strong wind rose up in front of him, scraping him almost a little unsteadily.

He raised his hand to cover the dust in front of him and squinted his eyes toward the top of his head, "Hey! What's going on!"

Only the giant dragon spread its wings and flew up.

Zhuo Fu was dumbfounded and shouted at the top of his voice, "Eh eh eh! Wait! Where are you going!!!"

The gargoyle didn't answer.

The silver-white figure disappeared into the night sky shrouded by the blood moon in the blink of an eye.

Only Zhuo Fu was left standing alone in the clearing, staring blankly at the sky, "......"

Wait ......

How is he going to explain when Mu Hang comes back!

*

The dragon glided through the air.

The blood-colored moonlight fell on his spine, coating the silver-white scale armor with a light reddish halo, as if it were a fine veil like smoke.

The gale was whistling in his ears.

Shi An, on the other hand, was distraught.

The words Zhuo Fu had just said repeatedly rang in his ears.

"...... This is what happens when humans try to gain power and longevity that doesn't belong to our race ......"

"...... not of our race ...... lifespan ......"

Yeah, well, humans have a limited lifespan.

It's too limited.

Although the average lifespan has been extended to three hundred years, it is a snap of the fingers for dragons.

He's been sleeping for more than 300 years.

Shi An's mind flashed back to the black-robed man from earlier.

The withered white hair, the blue eyes covered with shadows, the twisted face covered with veins and wrinkles.

Could ...... Mu Hang one day become like this?

No can do!

Shi An flew a little faster.

By the time he came back to his senses, he realized that he had arrived at the border of the Rust and Avon districts.

Under the illumination of the blood moon, the dark canyon was faintly visible ahead, like a deep scar that was branded on the junction of the snow plains and the volcano cluster.

...... this canyon.

Shi An froze and subconsciously slowed down.

Powerful or not, all demons will be affected by the blood moon, they will be more primitive, tougher, and follow their instinctive call.

The moment she saw the canyon, Shi An immediately recalled what she had planned.

--How to preserve fleeting collectibles perfectly, permanently.

He ghosted over the canyon and looked down.

Translucent amber shimmered in the darkness, its smooth, clear surface reflecting the blood-colored moonlight and the silvery-white dragon's form in the moonlight.

Perfect, permanent preservation.

*

"Where's Shi An?"

Mu Hang looks around the room and narrows his eyes slightly.

"Ha, ha, ha ......"

Zhuo Fu dryly laughed twice, "Shi An ah ...... he just flew away ......"

Mu Hang was stunned and turned his head to look at Zhuo Fu:

"Fly off to where?"

Zhuo Fu's back was cold, and his voice was getting smaller and smaller: "This ...... that ...... I don't know ...... either "

Mu Hang's eyes sank.

Zhuo Fu went goofy and stepped back, "I-I really don't know! He didn't tell me at all when he left!"

Wen Yao gazed at Zhuo Fu with a caustic gaze and shook his head, "You are useless."

Zhuo Fu: "......"

Calling.

Mu Hang spent the rest of the night trying to find, or contact, Shi An. He even ripped the three demons out of the warehouse, but they obviously had no clue either.

If Shi An does not want to be found, then none of the people will be able to feel his breath.

The air pressure on Mu Hang's body was even lower.

As time passed, the blood moon gradually set, and although the sky still glowed with layers of light red, it had basically returned to normal, with the faint light of the morning sun faintly appearing in the sky.

Mu Hang lifted his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, a rare bit of agitation showing on his face.

Perhaps it was some kind of premonition, or perhaps it was out of a fond fantasy, he traveled to his original address in the Central District with a faint glimmer of hope.

The key was inserted into the lock hole and the clash of metal biting into metal rang out.

The door was pushed open and it was dark inside.

Mu Hang steps in.

In the next second, he felt a powerful force coming from in front of him, pressing him dead center against the wall, and the wall behind him made an unbearable clicking sound as spiderweb-like lines spread out.

The muscles in the man's body had a momentary tightening.

However, the moment he sensed the other party's aura, Mu Hang's body immediately relaxed.

The teenager leaned in close.

In the darkness, those golden-red vertical pupils were like blazing fire, flashing with almost savage primal violence.

He raised his hand and pressed it against Mu Hang's chest.

Jab--

The sound of fabric being torn by sharp claws rang out, and the clothes on the man's body instantly cracked into pieces, falling in a flurry of darkness.

The cold, scale-covered palm pressed against Mu Hang's chest, feeling the frequency with which the human's ribs rose and fell with each breath, and the regularity with which the vibrant heart beneath them flourished.

"Do you get scared?"

The teenager's voice was clear and level, with a hint of pure curiosity, and beyond that, pure danger.

He pressed his cool body against the other man's, touching the knot of the man's throat with his soft lips.

Not like a kiss, but rather like the ritual of a wild animal before it bites the throat of its prey.

Mu Hang ponders for a few seconds and nods.

"What would you be afraid of?"

Shi An felt the knot in the other man's throat roll under his lips, "Death?"

"No." Mu Hang pressed the back of his head against the wall above him, exposing his vulnerable throat, his voice calm and soft, low as if it were a sigh:

"...... I'm afraid you'll leave."

"Then will you be with me forever?"

The teenager's cold, deadly kisses landed on the side of his neck, his wet breath grazing his ear.

His voice was soft and sweet, as if he was pampered while rubbing the tip of his nose between the man's ears, "Even death cannot separate us?"

"Stay with me forever, okay?"

Mu Hang closed his eyes, his voice hoarse:

"Good."

Like a tempted sacrifice in all fairy tales, he offered his soul, body ...... everything to the evil gods without reservation or complaint.

The sharp fingertips pressed against his chest plunged deeper.

He could feel the pain of his skin being torn, his ribs being broken, and his heart being clenched.

But ......

How pleasant.

He had never felt so close to Shi An.

In the next second, an even more intense pain erupted deep in his chest, as if scorching hot magma was injected into his internal organs, spreading along his meridians and bones, emitting a nuisance burning sound, every inch of his muscles were blazing hot, and the severe pain that ordinary people could not bear chiseled his nerves.

A suppressed, muffled scream escaped Mu Hang's throat.

But the cold body pressing down on him never left, and even doubled its looming a little closer.

I don't know how much time has passed.

By the time Mu Hang opened his eyes in cold sweat, the originally dark room had been covered with morning sunlight, and the halo of the blood moon had disappeared, leaving only the clear sunlight.

The teenager was bathed in the sunrise, his eyelashes wet, the tip of his nose slightly red, and his golden russet eyes shining like they had been washed in water.

He was unclothed, his soft, pale skin gilded with a shimmering golden light, like a first-born god.

On the other party's chest, there was a scarlet healed wound, with the lines of scales faintly visible around it, looking particularly smoldering and piercing on the snow-white skin.

Mu Hang was stunned and leaned his hand over his chest.

There's an identical wound there.

The teenager sniffled and raised his eyes to gaze at him with extra solemnity:

"Then I am willing to share my lifespan with you."

Mu Hang's pupils clenched and his throat knots rolled as if a thousand more words were stuck in his throat, but he couldn't spit out half a syllable no matter what.

Especially ......

He knows how afraid Shi An is of pain.

The next second, the human's hot, rolling palms rested on the back of the teen's slender neck, dragging him into a deep, almost angry kiss.

The man's voice was low, with a bit of involuntary astringency, and he pressed himself against the teenager's soft lips, muffled:

"...... Why?"

Shi An subconsciously raised her hand, her slender arm embracing the other man's shoulder, and letting out a slightly shaky, quizzical coda:

"...... Hmm?"

"Why are you doing this?"

Mu Hang looked at the other party, his eyes seemed to swirl as deep as a vortex, and the complex and intense emotions almost engulfed him:

"You wouldn't have had to--"

The rest of the words were stuck in my throat, unable to go up or down.

Shi An blinked his wet eyelashes as he bristled, a little soft sob still in his voice, and sighed quietly:

"Actually, I didn't want to go with that."

"I was going to seal you in a large amber for eternity, but ......"

In fact, the amber he had all but collected and was now sitting in his bedroom, just waiting for the silver glitter of the collection to be sealed with it.

But at the last minute, he changed his mind.

"...... But?"

"But I realized ......" Shi An thought back for a moment, then raised her eyes and stole a couple glances at the human in front of her, her voice unconsciously fading to a whisper that seemed a bit embarrassed:

"I seem to be a bit of a shedder."

Mu Hang's chest rose and fell sharply for a moment.

He leaned down and dropped a searing kiss on the other man's lips.

The golden morning light poured in through the windows, coloring everything a blazing and beautiful brilliant gold, as if a whole new world was waking up.

"--I love you too."

Mu Hang said in a muffled, extremely gentle voice.

--[End of text]--