C32 The Monster

The red sun blazed overhead, pouring scorching heat over the land. Leaves hung limp and lifeless. Cars crawled slowly along the highway, faint wisps of smoke rising from the hot pavement. All life seemed weak and breathless under the oppressive summer sun.

But inside the Dragon Clan’s council hall, the air was cool and calm. Modern technology had erased the lines between summer and winter; smart air conditioning easily defeated the outdoor heat.

Yet Ethan sat there, feeling as if he were on a bed of nails.

He was wrapped in thick, heavy clothing, shifting restlessly under everyone’s strange, questioning stares. He barely heard a word Dragon One spoke, or the hints Dragon Five tried to give him. They were talking about a dangerous cult that could control people’s minds—but none of that mattered.

Itch.

Itch everywhere.

He knew he was about to disgrace himself completely.

“Ethan! What are you doing? Speak if you have something to say! Stop acting like a fool! Do you think this ridiculous outfit makes you look tough? This is a sacred meeting!” Dragon One finally snapped, unable to stand his absurd behavior any longer.

Ethan barely heard him.

Zhao Fan gently nudged him.

Suddenly, Ethan jolted to his feet.

He threw back his head and let out a long, wild howl.

Everyone stared at him like he was a monster.

And in that moment, he became one.

Rage and pain exploded inside him. Ethan tore off his heavy clothes, revealing scales covering every inch of his body. His hat fell off. His sunglasses vanished. His eyes burned bright, fiery red, staring blankly at the crowd.

From head to toe, he no longer looked human.

Even his face was covered in smooth, shining scales.

“What kind of monster are you?!” Dragon One shouted in shock. He had lived for centuries, but he had never seen anything like this. He turned to Zhao Fan, furious. “How could you bring this creature in here? Where is Ethan? What have you done with him?!”

Ethan only howled louder, the sound echoing like a dragon’s roar. His body swelled, his muscles bulging. His remaining clothes burst apart under the transformation.

The sound was ear-splitting. Even the powerful warriors in the room began to stagger and fall.

“Insolent beast! How dare you invade this hall?!” Dragon Five leaped forward and slammed his fist into Ethan’s body.

The monster shuddered—but did not fall.

Those burning red eyes locked onto Dragon Five.

Ethan charged.

Dragon Five’s heart jolted. His punch had carried the force of a small grenade. But hitting this creature was like punching a sheet of solid steel. His hands went numb with pain.

The monster was coming for him. Dragon Five stepped back, terrified.

The monster roared and attacked again. Dragon Five dodged, then kicked the creature as hard as he could in the back.

He was thrown backward by the recoil.

The monster turned, even angrier, and lunged at him again.

The entire hall erupted into chaos. Everyone attacked at once. Hidden weapons flew through the air; fists and legs struck from every direction. But the monster only cared about one thing—hunting Dragon Five.

Wherever Dragon Five fled, the monster followed.

Dragon Five was humiliated and terrified. For hundreds of years, he had never been defeated. Now he was being chased like a rat by some unknown beast. He would never live this down.

A powerful aura burst from the monster’s body. Any weapons that came near were thrown back instantly. Screams filled the hall. Attacks bounced harmlessly off the creature’s scaled skin, and every time it struck back, someone was injured.

Thankfully, its target remained fixed on Dragon Five. It remembered the first person who had hurt it.

Dragon Five was forced to run for his life, using his fastest speed to dodge.

“Spread out!” Dragon One roared.

Bright, blazing light gathered between his hands, shining like a miniature sun. As soon as Dragon Five leaped away, Dragon One unleashed the attack—a blast of lightning and pure energy.

Thunder shook the heavens.

The monster was sent flying.

Dragon One was truly furious. A single beast had thrown the mighty Dragon Clan into complete chaos. If word got out, they would become a laughingstock.

After the massive explosion, the monster slowly climbed back to its feet. Blood dripped from its mouth. Its eyes glowed with a terrifying, murderous light.

This time, its target shifted.

From Dragon Five… to Dragon One.

Dragon One backed into the reinforced concrete wall. He could not retreat—not with his status and dignity on the line. He took a deep breath, and his round body swelled even larger. He gathered all his power for one final, desperate strike.

Blazing light blazed from his chest, creating a swirling vortex of energy. The air itself trembled with his breath.

Dragon Five saw the danger. The monster was changing again. A power sphere inside it was about to detonate. He gathered every ounce of his strength, ready to deliver a killing blow.

Every Dragon Clan warrior still standing charged their energy.

Only Zhao Fan did not move.

She knew the truth.

This monster was Ethan.

The legendary, ancient Dragon Pearl had turned him into this. She didn’t know how to stop it. Watching even Ethan’s closest allies attack him in rage, Zhao Fan felt tears stinging her eyes.

He couldn’t even be human anymore. She felt grief for him.

The monster sensed the danger in the air.

It roared.

From its mouth, a bright, shining pearl floated upward.

“The Dragon Pearl! It’s the Dragon Pearl!!”

Dragon One screamed in shock.

Dragon Five shrieked.

Every elder who knew the ancient legend cried out in terror and awe.

The pearl rose slowly above the monster.

It breathed fire.

The attack was not aimed at one person—it was aimed at everyone.

Dragon One attacked.

Dragon Five attacked.

Everyone attacked.

Even Zhao Fan had no choice. Ethan’s outburst had become too destructive, too dangerous to hold back.

Fire exploded everywhere. The council hall was consumed in flames. Energy detonated, forming a small mushroom cloud over the building. The entire hall was reduced to ruins.

The Dragon Clan had suffered an unprecedented, catastrophic blow.

When the smoke cleared, the monster was gone.

Zhao Fan had vanished too.

Everyone left alive was bleeding and broken.

Dragon One touched the blood at the corner of his mouth, his dantian empty, his power drained completely.

Dragon Five’s clothes were torn to shreds. He was covered in blood from head to toe.

Casualties were massive. No one escaped unharmed.

That attack had been apocalyptic.

No force in the world could match it.

This meeting had become the Dragon Clan’s worst nightmare.

The ancient Dragon Pearl had reappeared.

Inside a monster.

The legendary treasure’s power was beyond imagination—the symbol of ultimate power and authority.

The Dragon Clan was thrown into panic.

Every clan under heaven panicked.

Every time the Dragon Pearl appeared, disaster followed.

Now the myth had returned.

Dragon Pearl appears → Heaven and Earth change.

Some celebrated. Some trembled in fear.

The myth was ancient—but the monster was real.

The Dragon Pearl had returned to the world.

No one knew how the monster had obtained it.

No one knew where it had gone.

No one knew where the missing mayor had gone.

So many questions… that they stopped mattering.

Ethan, now a monster, had escaped the deadly attack.

For a moment, his mind cleared.

He could sense pursuers behind him. He could feel his life slipping away.

But he knew he would not die—not yet.

He no longer had any hope of being human again.

Human society would never accept a scaled monster.

The only places waiting for him were a zoo… or a laboratory.

Ethan fled toward the deep mountains at inhuman speed.

Where no people lived—that would be his home.

The scenery around him felt strangely familiar.

He stopped, trying to remember where he was.

His pursuers stopped too.