The voice slowly dissipated, and the divine light faded with it.
Zi Linling and Long'er landed on the ground, a strange sensation washing over them.
It felt as if an invisible thread had bound their lives together, creating a shared existence.
Regardless of what happened, from this moment on, Zi Linling and Long'er were fated to be one, sharing life and death.
Seeing the faint, shared glow emanating from the two, the Black Dragon's eyes revealed a hint of relieved satisfaction.
She could finally depart with peace of mind!
Although her child, Long'er, was not yet out of danger, she firmly believed that Zi Linling would lead Long'er out of the encirclement.
No need to ask why; it was a mother's intuition.
She smiled at Zi Linling and said, "Miss Zi, I entrust Long'er to you!"
Zi Linling nodded solemnly and replied, "Senior! Rest assured!"
The Black Dragon's massive head moved slightly. With a reluctant glance at Long'er, she closed her eyes.
The sky darkened, and within mere breaths, a torrential downpour cascaded from above.
"Mother!"
Long'er's pained cry echoed through the sky.
Simultaneously, two large bumps rapidly formed on his head, and patches of dragon scales appeared on his face and neck.
Soon, Long'er's clothes were torn by his rapidly expanding body, revealing fair and tender skin, which was quickly covered by scales.
"Awoo..."
A mournful dragon roar shook the heavens and earth!
Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, as if expressing some form of rage.
"Awoo..."
Another clear dragon roar.
Long'er's body shimmered with golden light as his five-meter-long dragon form coiled in the air.
Zi Linling's eyes widened in disbelief as she gazed at the five-clawed golden dragon in the sky.
A five-clawed golden dragon, the king of dragonkind!
What was happening?
Didn't the Black Dragon say that Long'er had an ancient seal within him that prevented him from transforming into dragon form?
"Long'er!"
Zi Linling called out with concern.
The coiling dragon body in the sky paused upon hearing her call, then obediently returned to her side.
"Long'er, are you alright?"
Zi Linling tentatively reached out to touch the massive dragon head.
The dragon head affectionately nuzzled Zi Linling's palm, and a voice echoed in her mind.
"Sister! Long'er is fine, Long'er can transform into dragon form now!"
The voice was filled with excitement.
As a child, Long'er's joy at transforming into dragon form instantly overshadowed his sorrow.
Zi Linling asked doubtfully, "What's going on? Didn't your mother say you couldn't transform into dragon form?"
"Long'er doesn't know either. It just felt like after I made the contract with you, a thread inside me broke. I didn't pay attention then. It wasn't until just now, when Mother left, that in my grief, a belief formed in my mind."
"A belief?"
"Yes, that belief was 'transform into dragon'."
Zi Linling somewhat understood. Because Long'er had formed a life-and-death contract with her, the ancient seal within his body had disappeared.
She found it hard to believe that the Black Dragon's dying wish had been fulfilled so easily.
"Long'er, change back to human form first! It's inconvenient to talk to you when you're this big."
"Okay!"
Long'er responded and transformed back into human form, still a chubby little boy.
The moment Long'er reverted to human form, the sky brightened, the rain stopped, and the storm vanished.
The group of people in the distance finally reacted. They had worked tirelessly for days, only to pave the way for Zi Linling.
Xiong Tai wiped the rain from his face and said menacingly, "Brat, be sensible and hand over the little dragon quickly!"
Zi Linling completely ignored Xiong Tai. With a thought, she stored the Black Dragon's corpse into the Nine Spirit Ring.
Du Lao, who was in the process of repairing his soul, felt Zi Linling shoving something else into the ring.
"Girl, can you stop stuffing everything into the Nine Spirit Ring?"
He grumbled while scanning with his divine sense to see what Zi Linling had put in.
The moment he did, he was stunned.
This time, what Zi Linling had stuffed in was a dragon corpse, and the corpse of a Black Dragon, the second largest dragon species.
Just then, Zi Linling's cold voice transmitted in.
"What are you babbling about? What else can this Nine Dragon Ring do besides store dead things? Senior Black Dragon may have passed away, but she won't disgrace the Nine Spirit Ring! Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore, this venerable one is busy fighting!"
Fighting?
Du Lao was taken aback. He had been in seclusion and was unaware of the situation outside.
Hearing Zi Linling say this, he became curious and sensed the surroundings.
When he saw the group of people opposite Zi Linling, his expression turned grim.
"Girl, what heinous thing have you done to provoke such a grand mobilization?"
Zi Linling said calmly, "I haven't done anything, just contracted a dragon!"
"Contracted a dragon? That's why so many people... Wait, you said you contracted what?"
Du Lao nearly bit his tongue.
Zi Linling replied speechlessly, "A dragon, just contracted a dragon!"
A dragon?
This girl truly spoke words that defied imagination!
Du Lao felt his worldview being turned upside down. What did she mean by 'just contracted a dragon'?
Dragons had always been proud. How could they willingly be contracted?
Du Lao then remembered the Black Dragon corpse from moments ago and asked in shock, "That Black Dragon just now, you didn't kill it, did you?"
"No!"
Zi Linling replied with a sigh.
Even if she wanted to slay a dragon, she would need the strength, wouldn't she?
Du Lao breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good! Dragons are always vindictive. If you had killed the Black Dragon, it would have been troublesome! Oh right, you mentioned contracting a dragon, what's that about?"
Zi Linling gestured towards Long'er with her chin and said, "It's him. He's called Long'er, the son of that Black Dragon."
Du Lao suddenly felt his brain struggling to keep up.
"You said you didn't kill the Black Dragon, so how did you contract her son?"
"She asked me to form a life-and-death contract with her son, and she personally presided over the ceremony."
Du Lao became disoriented within the Nine Spirit Ring.
Had he been out of touch with the continent for too long, becoming ignorant?
Since when had dragons become so accommodating? To the point of facilitating their own sons' contracts with humans?
He had no idea that the Black Dragon's choice was one of last resort! To find someone Long'er could rely on, the Black Dragon had exhausted all her efforts.
Zi Linling, ignoring the bewildered Du Lao, said to Long'er, "Long'er, return to the contract space. When I find the right opportunity, I'll take you away."
That's right! After they formed the contract, a contract space had automatically generated within Zi Linling.