Legend of the Dragon King: I really didn't mean to provoke them!

The boy's palms were warm, and his fingertips held him tightly with a subtle yet firm grip, as if afraid that he might fall behind.

Yuan Ye's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

But he didn't break free; he just obediently followed the person in front of him, running forward step by step.

The streets of Tiandou City are far more bustling than those of Donghai City.

As dusk settles, the shops along the street light up with dazzling lights, and the bustling crowds, with their calls and laughter mingling together, create a vibrant and lively atmosphere.

Xie Xie pulled Yuan Ye through the crowd, their steps light and a little arrogant, their smiles impossible to hide.

"Look over there, there are lots of places selling spiritual food and snacks, let's go try some!"

Without stopping, he led Yuan Ye straight to the fragrant stall, where they ordered two servings of grilled soul beast meat skewers, a bowl of sweet spirit fruit porridge, and a few extra servings of Tian Dou City's specialty snacks.

The owner quickly handed over the steaming hot food.

Xie Xie stuffed the grilled meat skewers into Yuan Ye's hand, and seeing his rather thin frame, he simply stuffed the skewer in his own hand into Yuan Ye's hand as well.

"You're so thin, you need to eat more!"

As he spoke, he pushed the iced porridge in front of him again.

After doing all this, he picked up another bowl and ate with relish, mumbling indistinctly as he ate:

"Try it! The snacks in Tiandou City are much better than what we eat in Donghai City."

Yuan Ye lowered his head and took a bite of the meat skewer. The meat was tender and had a light spice flavor, but his heart felt warmer than the food in his mouth.

He glanced up at Xie Xie, who was eating with a satisfied expression. The wisps of hair on his forehead were gently blown by the evening breeze, and his profile was clean and sharp, making even the light in his eyes exceptionally dazzling.

Xie Xie noticed his gaze, looked up and grinned at him, then casually picked up a skewer of freshly grilled meat and held it to his mouth.

"Why aren't you eating? Is it not to your liking? Then let's try another place!"

Yuan Ye quickly shook her head and bit off the meat he offered.

Caught peeking, his cheeks flushed slightly, and he quickly lowered his head to eat in small bites, trying to hide the excitement in his eyes.

After finishing their snacks, Xie Xie dragged Yuan Ye to stroll through the small shops along the street.

As his gaze swept across the jewelry section, he immediately took a liking to a lustrous black pendant. The winding red patterns on the pendant looked exactly like the Taoist talismans he had seen in his previous life.

Xie Xie immediately took out his money and bought it.

Then, without saying a word, it hung around Yuan Ye's neck, its warm fingertips inadvertently brushing against Yuan Ye's neck.

Yuan Ye shuddered, but managed to stop himself from retreating.

After fastening the pendant, Xie Xie took two steps back, looked Yuan Ye up and down, who was standing obediently in front of him, and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad, not bad. This thing looks like it can ward off evil spirits. It will definitely keep you safe."

"Come on, let's continue shopping!"

Yuan Ye raised his hand and gripped the slightly cool pendant around his neck, his fingertips tightening as he looked up at the boy who had his back to him and was turned to the side.

At that moment, the bustling crowds and dazzling lights seemed to become mere background.

The boy's appearance was clearly etched in his eyes.

Even the warm touch of my fingertips brushing against his skin when I tied the pendant for him just now... all of it was gradually imprinted in my heart.

Yuan Ye remained a man of few words.

But she obediently followed Xie Xie the whole way, letting him hold her hand as they walked through one bustling street after another.

……

The brightly lit streets gradually faded away, leaving behind a bustling, vibrant atmosphere, while in front lay a quiet avenue leading to the hotel.

After they had had enough fun, Xie Xie reluctantly led Yuan Ye back to the Tiandou Royal Hotel.

On the way back, Yuan Ye kept clutching the pendant around her neck, her fingertips repeatedly tracing the winding red pattern.

The lingering warmth from Xie Xie's fingertips brushing against her skin seemed to still remain on her collarbone.

Silent all night.

The next morning, sunlight streamed into the room through the hotel's floor-to-ceiling windows, falling warmly on the bedding.

Xie Xie stayed in bed and refused to get up, so Yuan Ye eventually carried him, blanket and all, to the restaurant.

Fortunately, the restaurant also had private rooms; otherwise, it would have been incredibly embarrassing.

At the dining table, Xie Xie wolfed down his food.

While Yuan Ye ate, he also had to feed Xie Xie from time to time. There was no way around it; if he didn't keep an eye on him for a moment, Xie Xie would tug at his sleeve and whine, wanting this and that.

In the afternoon, the three of them embarked on their journey back to Donghai City.

As the car sped along, the outline of Donghai City gradually came into view for the three of them.

The familiar city walls, streets, and the iconic Donghai City Spirit Pagoda all gleamed in the sunlight.

As soon as the car came to a stop in front of the Xie family's main residence, Xie Xie eagerly pushed open the car door, and the unique salty and humid smell of the coastal city rushed towards him.

Xie Xie took a deep breath and stretched out a big yawn: "Ah—it's so good to be home!"

There's no place like home.

Xie Feng strode through the gate, gestured for the two to follow, and hurried toward the backyard.

After passing through the courtyard's long corridor, Xie Feng led the two to a hidden stone door. He gathered a wisp of soul power at his fingertips and gently pressed it into the groove of the stone door.

Accompanied by a low, clanging sound, the heavy stone door slowly opened inward.

This is the Xie family's exclusive cultivation chamber, equipped with arrays that isolate soul power and stabilize the mind, effectively preventing external interference. It is the most suitable place for preparations such as soul bone absorption and soul spirit upgrade.

Xie Feng stepped into the secret room first, and with a flick of his wrist, an ancient-looking storage soul tool appeared in his palm.

With a slight movement of his soul power, two soul bones, each radiating a different glow, slowly flew out of the storage soul tool and hovered steadily on the stone platform in the center of the secret chamber.

On the left is the Thousand Shadow Light Dragon Beast with dual light and dark attributes, possessing an external soul bone.

Its pale, skeletal body swirled with a halo of light and shadow, its aura both obscure and pure.

On the right is the left arm bone of the 100-year-old Shadow Devouring Dragon, which is dark black in color, with sharp patterns and faint shadow soul power fluctuations.

"Let's get ready to begin." Xie Feng's gaze fell on Xie Xie.

As the stone door slowly closed, the heavy stone completely isolated the inside from the outside, and the light in the secret room suddenly became dim, with only the soul bone in the center of the stone platform emitting a faint glow.

The surrounding soul energy arrays were slightly activated, and a calm and reassuring aura filled the air.

Xie Xie took a deep breath, suppressing the tension and anticipation in his heart, and stepped forward.

He reached out and gently lifted the Thousand Shadow Light Dragon Beast's external soul bone, which possessed both light and dark attributes, and carefully placed it on his forehead.

Chapter 104 Golden Dragon Horns

The instant the soul-possessed bones of the Thousand Shadow Light Dragon Beast were touched—

A surge of soul power, a mixture of coldness and heat, rushed wildly into Xie Xie's forehead, instantly engulfing his limbs and bones.

Two diametrically opposed forces, light and darkness, surged and crashed through his meridians.

On one side was the warm and gentle light of the soul power, cleansing the meridians throughout the body and bringing ultimate comfort; on the other side was the cold and abyss-like darkness of the soul power, wantonly crashing against the soul meridians and bringing a tearing pain.

The two forces counterbalanced each other, yet they spread wildly toward his skull and the sea of ​​his mind.

Xie Xie felt as if his head was being torn apart by a chainsaw, and a piercing pain shot through his forehead.

His muscles tensed instantly, and his fingertips trembled uncontrollably.

Xie Xie gritted his teeth, and fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead, sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto the ground.

Because he hadn't experienced any problems when fusing with the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Soul Bone before, he didn't expect that fusing with an external soul bone would be so painful.

Light Child, Shadow Child!

Xie Xie gritted his teeth and called out in his mind.

The next instant, two faint yet exceptionally clear auras suddenly awakened from the depths of his soul.

The light shone brightly and gently, carrying a warm aura of light, soothing Xie Xie's waves of tearing pain.

The shadow creature quietly entangled the raging dark soul power, gradually gathering and devouring it.

The originally incompatible and conflicting forces of light and darkness gradually became calm and orderly under the mediation of the two souls, and no longer clashed.

As the intense pain gradually subsided, Xie Xie took the opportunity to calm himself down and, following the path guided by the Light Child and Shadow Child, slowly activated his dual-attribute soul power.

The soul power flowed smoothly along the meridians, gradually merging and blending with the power of the soul bones.

Beside him, Xie Feng clearly noticed that Xie Xie's aura had suddenly stabilized, and the soul power he had been preparing to unleash at any moment slowly receded.

Yuan Ye's previously anxious heart eased a little.

He remained standing in the same spot, his gaze fixed on Xie Xie.

With the help of Guangzai and Yingzai, Xie Xie absorbed the soul bone much faster than expected, and the danger was greatly reduced.

He closed his eyes and fully cooperated with the two forces.

Silently feeling myself gradually becoming one with my soul and bones.

As time passed, the light around the Thousand Shadow Light Dragon Beast skull became increasingly soft, and its originally hard bone body gradually became illusory.

Finally, it transformed into a stream of light and darkness, gently brushing against Xie Xie's forehead, seeping in little by little, and completely merging into his skull, leaving no trace.

Just as their souls and bones were completely fused, Xie Xie suddenly felt a faint but clear burning and itching sensation on his forehead, as if something was about to break through the soil.

The next moment, a faint golden light emanated from his forehead and spread upwards little by little.

First, a small, round, golden glint appeared.

Then, a slender yet upright profile slowly emerged, and a pair of small but angular golden dragon horns began to grow from his forehead.

The dragon horn was entirely gilded, with delicate and smooth patterns, radiating a warm yet majestic aura. As the golden light continued to flow, it gradually solidified and took shape, standing firmly on his forehead.

Xie Xie let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes, but his once clear and handsome eyes had changed.

The eyes, a blend of dark green and golden light, had pupils that had completely transformed into rhomboid, golden dragon eyes.

In a daze, it seemed as if a magnificent, golden dragon was slowly stretching its body behind Xie Xie, its body coiled, its head held high, its scales and claws clearly defined.

As Xie Xie slowly raised his eyes to look at Xie Feng and Yuan Ye, the gilded dragon behind him also moved.

The dragon's eyes slowly turned, shining as brightly as the sun, casting a clear yet indifferent gaze upon the two of them.

That gaze was not malicious, yet it carried an oppressive sense of looking down upon all living beings, and in just a moment, it made the air seem to freeze.

Immediately afterwards, an extremely terrifying dragon aura, originating from the depths of the bloodline, suddenly spread out, sweeping across the entire secret chamber, even causing the surrounding stable soul power array to tremble slightly.

surrender!

These two words exploded in Xie Feng's mind without warning.

The suppression, originating from the top bloodline of the dragon race, pierced straight through his soul power defense and struck the depths of his soul.

Even with Xie Feng's profound cultivation and extraordinary temperament, he couldn't help but tremble at this moment, and his legs even showed a slight tendency to bend at the knees.

Xie Feng's expression changed slightly, and a look of surprise flashed across his eyes.

The next instant, his soul power surged violently, forcefully resisting the intimidating pressure and dispelling the thought of submission from his mind, thus stabilizing his turbulent mind.

Yuan Ye was also greatly startled by the sudden and unprepared pressure from the dragon race.

Almost instinctively, wisps of purplish-red soul power overflowed from his body, swirling around him, barely protecting his mind and resisting the oppressive force that struck his soul.

Fortunately, these strange phenomena did not last long.

In the blink of an eye, the golden dragon phantom behind Xie Xie quietly disappeared.

The intimidating dragon aura vanished like a receding tide in an instant, as if it had never existed.

Everything returned to calm, and Xie Xie blinked.

The diamond-shaped golden dragon eyes gradually lost their sharpness and regained their usual liveliness. Only the faint golden light remaining in the eyes and the gleaming golden dragon horns on the forehead proved that the transformation just now was no illusion.

Xie Xie felt completely refreshed and was about to cheer when he saw the two people with different expressions.

"Uh, Dad, Yuan Ye, what's wrong with you two?" He looked bewildered and reached out to scratch his head, but his fingers touched a warm, hard object instead.