Time… started moving again.
The frozen world cracked like shattered glass.
Rain resumed its violent fall.
The guards blinked.
Zhao Yun shifted slightly, unaware that something had changed.
But Li Tian—
He felt it.
Inside his body, something ancient stirred.
Not calm.
Not controlled.
Wild.
Hungry.
Burning.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
Each beat sent sharp pain through his veins.
Li Tian clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.
"This… power…" he whispered.
It didn't feel like strength.
It felt like something that wanted to consume him.
The system screen flickered again.
[Warning: Host body unstable]
[Dragon Blood awakening incomplete]
[Immediate survival required]
A sharp pain stabbed through his chest.
Li Tian staggered.
"Ugh—!"
His knees almost gave out.
This wasn't a blessing.
This was a curse.
"Guards," Zhao Yun's voice rang out calmly, "finish him."
The moment those words fell—
Everything snapped into reality.
The nearest guard stepped forward, drawing his blade.
A cold, sharp sword.
Still dripping with rainwater.
Li Tian looked up.
His breathing was uneven.
His body weak.
His veins felt like they were on fire.
And yet—
He stood.
Not because he was strong.
But because he had no choice.
If he fell now—
He would die.
The guard rushed forward.
Fast.
Trained.
Deadly.
Li Tian tried to move.
But his body lagged.
Too slow.
The sword cut through the air—
SHING!
A sharp line of pain tore across his shoulder.
Blood sprayed.
"AGH—!"
Li Tian stumbled back, his vision shaking.
Too fast…
I can't keep up…
The guard didn't stop.
Another strike.
Straight for his neck.
Death.
Li Tian's instincts screamed.
Move.
MOVE!
At the last moment, his body twisted.
The blade grazed his neck.
Warm blood spilled.
He fell to the ground, gasping.
So close…
Too close.
"I'm going to die…" he thought.
A cold realization.
Heavy.
Real.
He wasn't a hero.
He wasn't special.
Even with this so-called system—
He was still weak.
Still pathetic.
The guard raised his sword again.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
Li Tian's fingers tightened against the ground.
His body screamed in pain.
His mind screamed in fear.
But deep inside—
Something else awakened.
A memory.
A feeling.
A hunger.
"Dragon Blood…"
The system pulsed.
[Emergency Response Triggered]
[Consume Host Blood to Activate Instinct Mode?]
[Cost: Severe physical damage]
Li Tian's eyes widened.
Consume… my own blood?
That means—
More damage.
More pain.
Maybe death.
The sword above him began to fall.
No more time.
No more choices.
"…Do it."
The system responded instantly.
[Instinct Mode Activated]
BOOM.
A violent force exploded inside his body.
Li Tian screamed as his veins burned like molten lava.
Blood rushed wildly through his body.
His muscles tightened.
His senses sharpened—
Too sharp.
The world slowed.
The falling sword—
Clear.
Predictable.
Li Tian moved.
Not gracefully.
Not perfectly.
But faster.
Just enough.
He rolled to the side.
The sword slammed into the ground.
CRACK!
Stone shattered.
The guard froze for a split second.
Confused.
That was enough.
Li Tian grabbed a broken stone shard from the ground.
His hand trembled violently.
He didn't think.
He couldn't think.
He just moved.
"AHHH—!"
He lunged forward.
The shard pierced into the guard's thigh.
"ARGH—!"
The guard screamed, losing balance.
Li Tian didn't stop.
He slammed his body forward, tackling the guard down.
Both crashed onto the wet ground.
Mud. Blood. Rain.
Everything mixed.
The guard tried to push him off.
Stronger.
He was still stronger.
Li Tian felt it clearly.
"I can't win…" his mind whispered.
Not in a fair fight.
Never.
Then—
Don't fight fair.
Li Tian's eyes darkened.
He grabbed the guard's face—
And smashed it into the stone.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
CRACK.
Blood splattered.
The guard's resistance weakened.
But Li Tian didn't stop.
He couldn't.
If he stopped—
He would die.
With one final desperate movement—
He grabbed the fallen sword.
And drove it down.
THUD.
Silence.
The guard's body went still.
Li Tian froze.
His breathing ragged.
His hands shaking.
He looked at the lifeless body beneath him.
He had… killed someone.
Not cleanly.
Not heroically.
But brutally.
Desperately.
He slowly pushed himself up.
His legs trembled.
His vision blurred.
Pain surged back.
Worse than before.
[Warning: Host condition critical]
[Blood loss excessive]
Li Tian staggered.
"Ugh…"
His body felt like it was breaking apart.
So this is the price…
Even for one fight.
Even for survival.
He looked toward Zhao Yun.
For a moment—
Their eyes almost met.
But Zhao Yun's attention had shifted.
"Interesting…" Zhao Yun murmured.
Not shocked.
Not angry.
Just… curious.
Li Tian's heart tightened.
I'm still nothing to him…
Even now.
The remaining guards stepped forward.
More of them.
Stronger.
Faster.
Li Tian's grip on the sword weakened.
His body couldn't take another fight.
Not like this.
Not again.
The system flickered.
[Mission Incomplete]
[Survival probability: 7%]
Seven percent…
A bitter laugh escaped his lips.
"So this is it…?"
Power.
But no control.
Survival.
But at a cost too high.
His legs gave out.
He dropped to one knee.
The guards closed in.
Step by step.
Death approaching again.
But this time—
Li Tian didn't panic.
His eyes slowly closed.
His breathing steadied.
"If I die…"
His fingers tightened around the sword.
"…I'll take at least one more with me."
The rain fell harder.
The courtyard filled with tension.
And just as the guards prepared to strike—
The system pulsed again.
[Hidden Condition Detected]
[Dragon Blood Resonance Increasing]
Something… was about to happen.
Something dangerous.
Something uncontrollable.
Li Tian opened his eyes.
And for a brief moment—
A faint golden glow flickered within them.
The storm above roared louder.
As if responding.
As if awakening something ancient.
But Li Tian didn't know—
Whether this would save him…
Or destroy him completely.
🔥 The Dragon's Ancestral Legacy 🔥