Chapter Forty-Eight: Blood Soul Mark

Ye Zihan and Yan Chen looked grim. At this moment, they were surrounded on all sides, clearly with no way to escape.

“I’m sorry I dragged you into this. If not for me insisting on hunting down Ye Xiang, we wouldn’t be dying here together,” Ye Zihan said to his companion, guilt weighing in his voice.

Yan Chen grinned, replying, “The more I get to know you, the more I realize you’re even more sentimental than a woman. You saved my life once. From that day, I’ve thought of you as my brother. Brothers don’t have to be born on the same day, but it’s enough to die together. Besides, we’re still alive, aren’t we? As long as we’re standing, there’s still a chance to break through!”

Ye Zihan was moved, nodding firmly. At this point, nothing more needed to be said—their feelings were clear in every gesture and glance, words unnecessary to understand each other’s hearts.

This was true brotherhood.

Ye Zihan felt fortunate: not only did he have two devoted teachers, Red Flame and Blue Rain, but he also had a brother whose loyalty surged like the boundless sea and sky. What more could he ask for in this life?

A sinister hissing filled the air as thousands of Crimson Flame Serpents unleashed their chilling cries, and the two massive Ink Bamboo Serpents joined in.

Suddenly, a whistling sound, sharp as arrows loosed from a bow, swept toward them from all directions. Even with their skilled footwork and speed, Ye Zihan and Yan Chen could not hope to dodge such a dense barrage of serpent-arrow attacks—especially with the two Ink Bamboo Serpents watching their every move, ready to strike at the slightest provocation.

“Meeting you in this life has been my greatest fortune,” Ye Zihan declared.

“Hahaha… And I, Yan Chen, feel the same!” Yan Chen threw back his head and laughed. Neither man showed fear in the face of death; instead, they pressed their backs together, eyes blazing as they stared defiantly around them.

“Even if I die, I’m taking some of you with me!” Yan Chen laughed, swinging his Clear Breeze longsword in a flurry. Ye Zihan was no less fierce, his crimson Red Lotus dagger cutting down serpent after serpent.

Still more Crimson Flame Serpents flew at them like a rain of arrows. The two Ink Bamboo Serpents watched as their kin were slain, venom dripping from their fangs as they lunged at the two men with the force of battering rams.

With the fourth-rank Ink Bamboo Serpents attacking, Ye Zihan and Yan Chen could do little to defend themselves, especially with countless Crimson Flame Serpents swarming around them. Though they fought desperately, some serpents landed on their bodies—legs, shoulders, necks—seizing the opportunity to bite.

Their venom was not deadly, but the numbing sensation spread instantly through both of them. Their movements slowed, allowing even more serpents to land and bite wherever they could find an opening. At the same time, the two Ink Bamboo Serpents—each over thirty feet long and two feet wide—closed in, their foul-smelling jaws gaping, black venom dripping from their fangs.

Suddenly, a roar like a dragon’s call echoed from above. All the Crimson Flame Serpents and Ink Bamboo Serpents trembled and froze, their eyes wide with terror as they gazed up at a shadow that eclipsed the sky.

Its scales gleamed like liquid iron, black and lustrous, reflecting dazzling sunlight. Four claws, as lethal as ancient weapons, radiated crushing power.

“A dragon?!” Ye Zihan and Yan Chen stared up in disbelief at the figure in the sky.

Dragons were rare on the continent, an ancient divine race whose strength was beyond anything humans could match.

The dragon’s roar resounded again, shaking the border between the Ink Bamboo forest and the emerald bamboo grove below. The Crimson Flame Serpents and Ink Bamboo Serpents were paralyzed with fear, not daring to move.

High above, the dragon radiated the supreme aura of the most powerful of all beastkind. The serpents, as if witnessing the world’s end, scattered in terror, swiftly fleeing from Ye Zihan and Yan Chen without the slightest hesitation.

In an instant, the monstrous snakes had vanished without a trace, leaving only severed serpent bodies strewn across the bamboo forest.

Ye Zihan and Yan Chen exchanged wary glances, eyes fixed on the descending figure above.

The dragon’s ink-black scales shimmered with a cold light. Its four mighty claws landed on the ground, sinking deep into the earth. From a distance, its full length had been hard to judge, but now it was clear—it stretched over ten feet long, not counting its wings.

The dragon bared its chilling fangs, each breath from its nostrils filling the air with a suffocating pressure.

Ye Zihan took a step forward. He felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if meeting a long-lost kin. He frowned—could he possibly know this dragon?

“Be careful!” Yan Chen grabbed his shoulder in concern.

Ye Zihan smiled, gently removing Yan Chen’s hand, then walked step by step to stand before the young dragon. He reached out and stroked its head.

Yan Chen’s eyes bulged in disbelief. The proud, untouchable dragon actually allowed his companion to pet it—and seemed to enjoy it! How could this be? Was it possible they knew each other? If so, it was beyond incredible—his companion actually had a dragon for a friend?

Jealousy, envy, and awe flashed through Yan Chen’s eyes. He pinched his own thigh to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, then closed his eyes in resignation. This was too much to take…

A companion who traveled with a dragon, an ancient race? Yan Chen was at a loss for words, overwhelmed by the storm of emotions within. He could only gaze at his companion’s back with longing, wishing he could be the one stroking the young dragon.

“Did you come looking for me?” Ye Zihan read the emotion in the dragon’s eyes, as real and unaffected as the reunion of kin.

The young dragon nodded its majestic head and even licked Ye Zihan’s face with its tongue, a sight that would make anyone jealous.

Yan Chen strode over, hoping to pet the dragon’s head himself, but the young dragon glared at him fiercely, unleashing a wave of draconic might that forced him to retreat.

“He’s my friend. Don’t hurt him,” Ye Zihan said to the young dragon, their connection so deep that they could read each other’s hearts.

Ye Zihan turned to his frustrated companion. “It says you can’t touch it. If you try, it won’t show mercy.”

“You… you can actually understand dragon speech?” Yan Chen cried, eyes bulging in disbelief.

Ye Zihan shook his head. “I don’t know dragon speech, but I can understand its heart, and it mine. There’s a subtle bond between us.”

“What?” Yan Chen was even more astonished, his mouth suddenly dry. “There’s a connection between you? Did you… form some kind of contract?”

Between humans and powerful beasts, ties could only be formed through conquest or a formal pact—usually of master and servant.

Ye Zihan nodded, not denying it. “I’m not sure what happened exactly, but being with it feels familiar, as if we’ve been companions for decades.”

“I… I feel the same,” piped up a young, childish voice.

Ye Zihan and Yan Chen turned in shock—it was the young dragon speaking.

“Don’t… don’t look at me like that. I only just learned to speak human tongue by listening to you,” the young dragon said awkwardly.

To learn human speech after just a short conversation—such was the natural talent of an ancient race.

“Heh, so do you know what this bond between us is?” Ye Zihan asked, eager for the answer, curious about the mysterious connection.

Yan Chen listened intently as well, eyes fixed on the young dragon.

The young dragon opened its wide mouth and, speaking like a child who had just learned to talk—slow and with a lisp—said, “It… it started four years ago…”

After listening to its story, Ye Zihan finally understood what had happened, though Yan Chen was left full of questions, turning his gaze to his companion. The more he learned, the more he realized just how many secrets Ye Zihan harbored.

“Zihan, can you tell me what’s going on? What’s this about the Ancient Pool in the Demon Beast Mountains, the Thousand Netherblood Illusion Dragon, and the Illusion Emperor Dragon?” he asked.

Ye Zihan sorted out the young dragon’s tale and explained.

Years ago, after falling into the ancient pool, Ye Zihan was gravely injured and about to be killed by the young dragon’s mother. At the last moment, his teachers Red Flame and Blue Rain intervened, saving his life.

Then, a fierce battle broke out between the Illusion Emperor Dragon, Red Flame, and the young dragon’s mother, the Thousand Netherblood Illusion Dragon. When the fight ended, Blue Rain helped the young dragon’s mother recover, then turned to heal Ye Zihan. At that time, the young dragon’s egg had just been laid and was extremely weak. Some of Ye Zihan’s blood accidentally splashed onto the dragon egg. Because of his special constitution, in that moment, a contract was formed between man and dragon—a Blood Soul Mark.

This Blood Soul Mark was the source of the subtle bond between them, allowing the young dragon to find Ye Zihan even after traveling thousands of miles to hone itself.