Chapter 68 The Dragon Tamer

Suddenly, Chen Yi, as if possessed by an unseen force, charged toward the Dragon's Malice. Everyone present was struck with terror.

Professor Liu Dajun and the other Yi-ology experts understood the extreme peril and malevolence of the Dragon's Malice—far surpassing the toxicity of any poison. If, by chance, a burial site were chosen on a land tainted by Dragon's Malice, not only would the deceased fail to rest in peace, but their descendants would face dire consequences. At best, the family would fall into ruin, torn apart by misfortune. At worst, the lineage would be utterly extinguished. If the dead suffered so greatly, the harm to the living would be even more immediate and devastating.

"Chen Yi, stop! You must not go!" Liu Dajun shouted desperately.

But Chen Yi, his eyes bloodshot, seemed deaf to the warning. Instead of halting, he quickened his pace, rushing headlong toward the ominous force.

Luo Yan, though unaware of the full extent of the Dragon's Malice's danger, could sense its sinister power from its bizarre manifestation and the grave expressions of Liu Dajun and the others. Watching Chen Yi charge toward it like a moth to a flame, seemingly devoid of self-awareness, her face paled in horror.

In a frantic panic, she sprinted forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Chen Yi's waist, pulling with all her strength to drag him back. But it was futile. At this moment, Chen Yi was like a raging bull, his eyes blinded by red fury, dragging her along as he continued his mad dash toward the Dragon's Malice.

"Chen Yi! Chen Yi! Stop! It's too dangerous!"

Luo Yan clung to him, her voice urgent, trying to awaken him from his trance.

Her cries seemed to have some effect. The rampaging Chen Yi suddenly halted, turning to face her. His expression was a mix of pain and struggle.

Luo Yan's heart froze. What kind of eyes were those? The whites of his eyes had vanished, leaving only black pupils entirely engulfed in a blood-red hue.

"Chen Yi, what's wrong? What's happening to you?"

She, who had always been strong—never shedding a tear, even after her grandmother's passing—now found her eyes brimming with tears, her voice trembling with desperation.

Chen Yi seemed to slowly regain a sliver of clarity.

Those who had been about to step forward to help froze in their tracks, not daring to make a single move for fear of disturbing the fragile moment between the two.

"Leave... go now!"

With immense effort, Chen Yi forced out the words through gritted teeth.

"No! I won't leave! I'll stay with you!"

Luo Yan clung to his arm even tighter, pressing her delicate face against his back, which, though not broad, felt like her entire world at this moment.

"Ah! Leave now!"

With a hoarse and guttural cry, Chen Yi pried her arms away and pushed her to the ground. Under her stunned and tearful gaze, he strode forward with resolute steps toward the Dragon's Malice.

No one else could see the true form of the Dragon's Malice. They could only discern its presence from the distorted air, shimmering like vapor rising under a blazing sun.

In that instant, the eerie sensation of being watched by an unseen force vanished.

Chen Yi stopped at the edge of the deep pit, standing tall and unyielding. His clothes fluttered despite the absence of wind, a quiet yet powerful defiance emanating from his figure.

Within him, his spiritual energy divided into two distinct forces—one white, one black—each sharply delineated yet spinning furiously. One seemed to regard the other as a mortal enemy, while the other appeared to embrace it like a long-lost kin.

"Is he attempting to draw the malice into himself?"

Liu Dajun murmured in disbelief.

He could clearly sense the collision of two opposing forces within Chen Yi—spiritual energy and malice. Such a phenomenon could only occur in the forbidden practice of absorbing malice into one's body.

Could it be that Chen Yi had once performed this forbidden technique? The thought was almost too shocking to entertain.

"Professor Liu, what's happening to Chen Yi? Please, save him!"

Luo Yan, hearing Liu Dajun's words, clung to him like a drowning person clutching a lifeline. At this moment, the only person she believed capable of saving Chen Yi was this foremost expert in Yi-ology.

Liu Dajun sighed deeply. "Alas, the situation has spiraled beyond control. I am powerless to intervene. To absorb malice into one's body is a forbidden art. With both malice and spiritual energy coexisting within him, the Dragon's Malice now sees the malice within him as its kin, its sovereign. Only Chen Yi himself can save his own life."

"Then what should we do?"

"There is nothing we can do but wait and see."

Liu Dajun's gaze burned with intensity.

If it had been anyone else, Liu Dajun would never have believed they could survive such an ordeal. Yet Chen Yi, this enigmatic young man, inspired within him a faint and inexplicable hope.

Chen Yi's consciousness remained clear, though his body was no longer under his control. Step by step, he was drawn inexorably toward the Dragon's Malice. The push he had given Luo Yan moments ago was the last act of defiance he could muster.

He had no idea what fate awaited him, but he could not bear to let Luo Yan share his peril.

Golden script flashed continuously in his mind, their meanings cryptic and profound.

As these characters flickered, his spiritual energy began to circulate in an entirely unorthodox manner, separating itself from the malice within him.

Though the two forces were now distinct, they worked in tandem, propelling him ever closer to the Dragon's Malice.

"Who are you?"

A deep, resonant voice echoed in Chen Yi's mind.

"The Dragon Tamer," came another voice, identical to his own yet not spoken by him.

"Ha! The Dragon Tamer? Dragons roam the earth, ascend the heavens, traverse mountains and seas, and manifest in countless forms. By what means do you think to tame them?"

"The cosmos is vast, the Dao infinite. All things are governed by natural law. Where there is yin, there is yang; where there is life, there is death. Where there is a dragon, there must be a Dragon Tamer. I shall tame you through the Dao of Heaven."

"Through the Dao of Heaven? The Dao of Heaven is merciless, treating all beings as mere straw dogs. Let me witness how this Dao aids you!"

As the ancient voice faded, the colossal dragon head let out a deafening roar and lunged at Chen Yi with its gaping maw.

Within Chen Yi's body, the malice surged like boiling water, bubbling with exhilaration.

Chen Yi's hands moved with lightning speed, forming intricate seals with grace and precision. His voice rang out, steady and commanding:

"Boundless across three realms, within the myriad laws of the universe, heaven and earth transform, yin and yang converge... Supreme Golden Lock, invisible reins of the Dragon!"

The incantation was long and complex, his words flowing like a torrent.

The dragon's massive jaws enveloped Chen Yi entirely. Yet as they attempted to close, an invisible force held them at bay. No matter how much strength the dragon exerted, it could not advance even an inch.

"You are a spirit born of mountains and rivers, corrupted only by human malice, your throat nailed and your essence twisted into Dragon's Malice. Why do you not awaken?"

"I have become Dragon's Malice, and you have absorbed malice into yourself. Are we not the same, both doomed to eternal damnation?"

"Good and evil are not the same. How can there be no distinction?"

"If the end is the same, how can the path differ?"

...

The dragon head roared in fury, but Chen Yi stood as steadfast as a mountain.

To those watching, Chen Yi seemed to grow taller in that moment, his presence towering and immovable, like an unyielding boulder weathering the fiercest storms and torrents.

Strangely, Chen Yi felt detached from himself, as though he were merely an observer to the unfolding events.

"Heaven and earth are natural, impure energies disperse, the profound mysteries of the void..."

Amid the dragon's deafening roars and the awestruck gazes of those around him, Chen Yi formed another seal.

In that instant, a radiant aura seemed to envelop him—not visible to the naked eye, yet palpably real. It was an indescribable, otherworldly brilliance.