The rain did not fall gently.
It crashed down like a punishment from the heavens.
Each drop struck the cold stone courtyard with brutal force, splashing against the blood-stained ground where Li Tian knelt, trembling but silent.
Chains bound his wrists behind his back, cutting deep into his skin.
Blood mixed with rainwater beneath him, forming a thin red stream that slowly crawled across the courtyard.
But Li Tian did not cry.
Not anymore.
Pain had become too familiar.
What hurt more… was the silence in his heart.
Above him, under a black silk umbrella, stood the man he had trusted more than his own life.
Zhao Yun.
The Young Master of the Zhao Clan.
The man Li Tian had followed since childhood.
The man he had once believed was his brother.
"Why…?"
Li Tian's voice was weak, almost swallowed by thunder.
But the question carried everything.
Years of loyalty.
Years of sacrifice.
Years of blind faith.
Zhao Yun looked down at him with calm, emotionless eyes.
"You still don't understand?" he said softly.
His tone was gentle.
But cold.
Deadly cold.
Li Tian slowly lifted his head.
Rain blurred his vision, but he forced himself to look.
"I carried your sword…"
"I took punishments meant for you…"
"I protected your secrets…"
His breathing became uneven.
"And this is how you repay me…?"
For a brief moment, silence filled the courtyard.
Then—
Zhao Yun smiled.
A faint, indifferent smile.
"You were useful," he said.
"Nothing more."
The words shattered something deep inside Li Tian.
Useful.
Just a tool.
Nothing else.
Li Tian's chest tightened.
His fingers trembled against the chains.
He wanted to deny it.
Wanted to believe it was a lie.
But deep down…
He already knew.
Behind Zhao Yun, a soft figure stepped forward.
Graceful.
Elegant.
Wearing a pale blue robe that danced in the storm.
Li Tian's eyes widened in disbelief.
"No…"
His voice cracked.
"Lian'er…?"
She stopped a few steps away.
Her expression was calm.
Too calm.
Not even a trace of sadness.
"Li Tian," she said quietly.
"You should have known your place."
Those words…
They cut deeper than any blade.
His mind went blank.
"You… used me?" he whispered.
Lian'er lifted her eyes and met his gaze.
There was no warmth.
No hesitation.
"Yes."
Just one word.
Simple.
Final.
Li Tian felt like the world had collapsed.
Every memory with her.
Every smile.
Every promise.
All of it…
A lie.
Zhao Yun chuckled softly.
"You were born with something rare," he said.
"A dormant bloodline hidden deep within you."
Li Tian froze.
Bloodline?
"I didn't know what it was at first," Zhao Yun continued.
"But thanks to Lian'er… we confirmed it."
Li Tian stared at her.
She didn't look away.
Not even for a second.
Zhao Yun stepped closer, his shadow falling over Li Tian.
"Tonight," he said coldly, "we take it."
Lightning split the sky.
For a moment, the entire courtyard lit up.
And in that flash—
Li Tian saw it.
The formation beneath him.
Ancient symbols carved into stone.
Glowing faintly red.
A ritual.
His heart dropped.
This wasn't an execution.
It was extraction.
"No…!" he struggled violently.
"You can't—"
A guard slammed his foot into Li Tian's back.
"Stay down!"
Zhao Yun turned away.
Uninterested.
"Begin."
The moment the word left his mouth—
The formation ignited.
Crimson light burst across the courtyard like flowing blood.
It pulsed.
Alive.
Hungry.
Li Tian felt it instantly.
A burning sensation inside his veins.
Then—
Pain.
Unbearable pain.
"AAAAAAHHHH—!!!"
His scream echoed through the storm.
It felt like his blood was being torn apart.
Not flowing out—
Dragged out.
Pulled.
Ripped.
Thread by thread.
His body convulsed violently.
Veins bulged.
Skin cracked.
Blood rose from his pores like mist.
His vision blurred.
His consciousness began to fade.
But even then—
He looked at them.
Zhao Yun.
Calm.
Cold.
Watching.
Lian'er.
Silent.
Unaffected.
Not even turning away.
"Why…" Li Tian whispered one last time.
But no one answered.
The crimson light intensified.
And then—
Everything went black.
…
Silence.
Endless darkness surrounded him.
No pain.
No sound.
No feeling.
Was this death?
Li Tian floated, weightless.
Empty.
Maybe this was better.
No betrayal.
No suffering.
No lies.
Then—
A sound.
Faint.
Distant.
Thump.
His consciousness flickered.
Thump.
The sound grew stronger.
THUMP.
It wasn't just a sound.
It was a heartbeat.
Ancient.
Powerful.
Something… was there.
Watching him.
Waiting.
A voice echoed through the darkness.
Deep.
Ancient.
Terrifying.
"Blood… acknowledged."
Li Tian felt something stir within him.
"Dragon Blood… awakened."
Dragon…?
Before he could react—
A golden light exploded across the darkness.
Blinding.
Overwhelming.
He gasped.
Air rushed into his lungs.
Pain returned.
Cold rain hit his skin.
He was back.
Back in the courtyard.
But everything… was different.
The chains around his hands—
Shattered.
The crimson formation—
Gone.
The guards—
Frozen.
Time itself seemed to have stopped.
Li Tian slowly pushed himself up.
His body trembled.
Not from weakness.
From power.
Something was burning inside him.
His heart pounded violently.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
Each beat felt like thunder.
Then—
A screen appeared before his eyes.
Floating.
Glowing.
Unreal.
[Dragon Sovereign System Activated]
[Host: Li Tian]
[Bloodline: Ancient Dragon – Incomplete]
[State: Rebirth Initiated]
Li Tian's breathing became heavy.
"What… is this…?"
The voice returned.
"You have been chosen."
A flood of memories rushed into his mind.
Dragons soaring through burning skies.
Worlds collapsing.
Blood raining from the heavens.
Power beyond imagination.
Li Tian clutched his head and screamed.
But slowly—
The pain faded.
His breathing stabilized.
His eyes opened again.
But they were no longer the same.
Gone was the helpless servant.
In his place—
Something colder.
Something sharper.
Something… dangerous.
He stood up slowly.
The rain continued.
But he no longer felt it.
His gaze shifted toward Zhao Yun.
Still frozen.
Still unaware.
Li Tian stared at him for a long moment.
Then—
He smiled.
A dark, chilling smile.
"I understand now…"
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"You didn't betray me…"
A pause.
His eyes turned cold.
"You created me."
The system pulsed again.
[Mission Assigned: Survive the Night]
[Reward: Dragon Blood Essence x1]
Power surged through his veins.
Wild.
Uncontrolled.
Hungry.
Li Tian clenched his fists.
For the first time in his life—
He wasn't weak.
He wasn't a servant.
He wasn't a tool.
He was something else.
Something ancient.
Something terrifying.
And tonight—
Everything would change.
The Dragon has awakened.
But will the world survive what comes next?
🔥 The Dragon's Ancestral Legacy 🔥