A fireball came crashing down from the sky, plunging into the Star Dou Great Forest. In an instant, everything within a hundred-mile radius was incinerated.
"What was that thing?"
"I don't know! I'll go check it out!"
Inside the Star Dou Forest, Xue Qinghe was in the middle of hunting for his sixth spirit ring. He frowned deeply. The energy that burst out from that fireball made him extremely uncomfortable, like he had just encountered a natural enemy.
Blood Lance Douluo and Snake Spear Douluo exchanged glances and moved out to investigate.
When they arrived at the massive crater, their faces were filled with shock. With that kind of destructive force, if it had landed directly on them, they'd be dead without question.
They carefully examined the area but didn't find much—until…
"Wait, is that... an egg?"
"Huh? You're right! And it's a pretty big one!"
Brushing aside the rubble, they revealed the egg: about half the size of a grown man.
"I'll go notify His Highness. You stay here and guard it."
Blood Lance Douluo scanned the surroundings. No one should touch the egg until His Highness arrived.
"Understood."
Snake Spear Douluo nodded firmly and released his nine spirit rings. The powerful aura of a Title Douluo surged across the forest.
The egg was pitch-black, with a glossy sheen. Ancient, divine markings were carved into its surface—it was clearly no ordinary object.
Inside the egg, Xiao Lin instinctively rubbed his forehead. He looked around in a daze—everything around him was pitch black.
He vaguely remembered that the night before, he had gotten drunk and gone up to a rooftop with a stunning, mature woman. Just when he was hoping for a romantic moment, he'd lost his balance—and fallen off. Headfirst.
"Where the hell am I? Even the afterlife should at least have lighting, right?"
He muttered to himself, already accepting that he had probably died from the fall.
But then—his hand froze.
Wait... what are these little bumps on his forehead? And what's with this... tail?!
His expression went blank. Had he really reincarnated already? Just like that?
"No way I became some animal, right? I mean, sure I spent my hard-earned money to drink with a hot woman, but that's not enough to reincarnate as a beast, right?!"
[Loading Complete. Initiating Supreme Divine Dragon Growth Program!]
"Huh? What?"
A cold, emotionless, sultry female voice echoed in his mind. Suddenly, a torrent of fragmented memories surged into Xiao Lin's head.
"Hell yes! Haha… This Douluo world side quest is gonna be easy!"
"And I'm in a Demon Dragon body?! My starting stats are insane!"
In the darkness, Xiao Lin felt around with his claws. His grin grew wider.
This was the kind of luck every overworked man dreamed of!
[Choose Your Divine Dragon Growth Path:]
Option 1: Radiant Might – Bless the world, disperse spiritual energy, and become a Sacred Domain Dragon worshipped by all races, bound to great destiny.
Option 2: Technological Awakening – Hide, evolve, and become a Mecha Dragon, reshaping the world through science and machines.
Option 3: Descent into Darkness – Walk the path of blackening, live freely, become the Dark Demon Dragon, seize everything, and own everything.
"I choose Option Three!"
Xiao Lin made his decision without hesitation.
In the next moment, he felt his body changing—his horns grew larger, his physical strength surged.
[Child of the Divine Dragon. Bound by no taboos. Darkness shall engulf the world. As the sole ruler of night, do as you please. Prologue: The Dark Demon Dragon Clan! Reach 100% progress to unlock the next mission.]
"Expand the clan, huh… Tsk, tsk…"
The darkness around him slowly began to glow. A soft purple light lit up the inside of the eggshell as energy surged into Xiao Lin's body.
"No surprise I'm handsome even as a dragon."
Looking into the reflection on the inside of the eggshell, he could just make out his dragon form.
Traditional Eastern-style dragon—fish-like scales, deer antlers, tiger paws, eagle talons, his whole body gleamed with jet-black brilliance. Even his long dragon whiskers screamed elegance and wild freedom.
Two words: Absolutely. Perfect.
The only downside? His belly was a bit round, which made him look kinda cute.
"Alright… time to get out of here."
Just as Xiao Lin was preparing to burst out of the egg, the entire thing suddenly shook violently.
"Whoa! What the hell!"
Outside the egg, Xue Qinghe and Blood Lance Douluo had arrived at the crater. Without a second thought, Xue Qinghe ordered the two Douluo to crack open the egg. They obeyed and began blasting it relentlessly.
"Ugh… Who the hell does that? Attacking a dragon that hasn't even hatched yet?!"
Xiao Lin felt dizzy from the shaking and chaos. After grumbling, he decided to lay low for now. Who knew what was happening outside?
"Hmm? The egg is becoming see-through?"
Perhaps from the sustained attacks, the eggshell began to turn translucent. Xiao Lin could now see what was going on outside.
"Oh ho~ Two Title Douluo, huh? I'm a dragon—shouldn't I be able to smack them dead with one claw?"
Curled up inside, Xiao Lin observed the situation through the eggshell.
Soon, the two Douluo stopped. That super-handsome guy (almost as handsome as Xiao Lin himself) said something, and the two of them picked up the egg and flew off.
"Wait… Title Douluo acting like servants? That guy must be…"
Xiao Lin narrowed his eyes, watching as they carried him toward the imperial palace of Heaven Dou City.
In the Imperial Palace, Xue Qinghe waved off the two Douluo and began studying the egg.
"Looks like he can't see me… alright, let's see what you're planning."
As the shell became increasingly transparent, Xiao Lin felt his strength growing steadily. At this point, he could already break out if he wanted to.
"This dragon egg's aura is disgusting. Can't even destroy it. If that woman sees it, she'll definitely try to take it…"
Xue Qinghe's expression was cold and twisted. His inner light-type energy absolutely rejected the egg's dark aura. But the shell was too tough—even destroying it might require a Rank 95 Super Douluo.
"No other choice. I'll just kill the dragon the moment it hatches."
"Oh I get it now! You're planning to kill me?! Are you kidding me?!"
Xiao Lin's eyes widened. He didn't need to be an expert in lip-reading to figure out what Xue Qinghe meant.
"Fine. You wanna play dirty? My 'growth plan' starts with you, fake prince."
"No more waiting—open sesame!"
With a powerful slash of his claw, the egg let out a booming crack.
"What the—?!"
Xue Qinghe stumbled back in shock. Soul power surged around him and a longsword appeared in his hand.
"It's coming out!"
BOOM!
The eggshell shattered into countless fragments. A black figure burst from within, lunging straight at Xue Qinghe.
"Perfect timing!"
With a cold gaze, Xue Qinghe activated his fifth spirit ring. A sword slash burst forth.
Fifth Spirit Skill – Holy Sword!
Clang—!
Xiao Lin caught the sword slash with one claw and crushed it like glass.
"What?!"
Xue Qinghe's expression twisted in fear. Just as he tried to fight back again, his sword was slapped away.
Xiao Lin expanded his size several times and tightly coiled around Xue Qinghe.
"Ahhh!"
Xue Qinghe let out a scream as an unbearable wave of pain engulfed him—his body was nearly crushed under the weight of Xiao Lin's power.
"Your Highness!!"
Blood Lance Douluo and Snake Spear Douluo rushed in. But the moment they stepped into the room, a terrifying wave of dark energy knocked them back violently.
"Hahahaha… I'm outta here!"
Clutching Xue Qinghe in his claws, Xiao Lin shot out of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
ROOOAR—!
A dragon's roar echoed through the sky above Heaven Dou City. People looked up, only to see a massive black shadow streak across the sky—then vanish.
Star Dou Great Forest
Xiao Lin found a cave large enough to hold four or five people and tossed the unconscious Xue Qinghe inside.
"This little golden guy is a real handful."
Returning to his original size, Xiao Lin crawled into the cave. His claw—used to carry Xue Qinghe all this way—was now glowing red from the heat.