Ascending to the Heavens

Lily, a wildly uninhibited writer with a penchant for salty flavors, suffered a devastating blow.

The distance between reality and fantasy is infinitely vast.

For example, the BL that female fans of BL like is watching two handsome men having sex together, not the kind of BL that's popular in Okinawa or Okinawa. If you showed them that kind of thing, they would vomit.

Just like many men love watching porn, but if you show them a Land Cruiser, they'll refuse.

The tentacle type favored by the Beast School writer and Dragon Girl Lily is pink, with many gentle tentacles that are clean except for the slime, lifting a beautiful girl and moving her around in the air.

Instead of the explosive scene of a grotesque monster covered in purple growths forcibly drilling its filthy, enormous tentacles into a dragon's body, injecting it with a terrifying, unknown substance, and driving it into a madman.

Her youth ended when she realized she was the next target.

Looking around, the aftershocks of the battle had not yet dissipated, the fallen dragon was still howling in agony, and Cuixisi's curse and declaration before leaving still lingered in her ears. Lily felt as if she were in a dream, her body swayed, and she almost fell over.

A hand patted her from behind.

With his mask off, Kang De asked, "Are you alright?"

The Dragon Girl forced a smile.

She wanted to say something witty and suggestive to cover it up, but she couldn't say anything at all.

"That dragon is Cuixisi?" Kang De asked. "What did it say to you earlier?"

Lily lowered her eyes and said softly, "It's nothing, just some scolding, provocation, and threats. Don't take it to heart. Cuixisi has gone mad, and besides, he did experience Space-Time Flashback..."

Kang De frowned slightly, about to ask a question, when the giant dragon lying on the ground, its body distorted and corrupted, raised its head and weakly said, "No, human, she's lying to you..."

Lily's expression changed, and she snapped, "Shut up!"

Kang De stared intently at the dragon girl, his expression grim. "So... its next target is you?"

If it were just threats and provocations, Lily wouldn't have shown such obvious fear. Only empathy and a sense of shared sorrow would reveal such a genuine and urgent unease.

And before that, Cuixisi had been talking to Lily.

The purpose and targeting are too obvious.

Faced with Kang De's questioning and gaze, Lily lowered her head. After a moment, she whispered, "He said the next target is me... He said the Space-Time Flashback he saw were guidance from Akatum. The Dragon God said he had to offer seven dragons as sacrifices, and I was the seventh one to appear..."

Kang De retorted coldly, "Bullshit."

What kind of bird-dragon is this? It dares to talk to me, Brother Tu? Shut up! I am the chosen one.

He glanced at Lily, whose eyes were lowered. The dragon girl's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and her usual calm demeanor had faded. Now she looked pitiful and helpless, filled with powerlessness and unease about the unknown.

She may indeed have been frightened.

Kang De's tone softened, and he said, "How about this, I'll send you out first, then call the Dragon Emperor to clean house. We can even share some of the spoils with him."

Although that's what he said, he had already made up his mind that once he got out, he would force the Parrot out even if he had to use Forbidden Spell, and then have her impersonate Dairila to participate in the spoils-sharing meeting, so that she could check and balance the Dragon Emperor.

At that time, he and the Parrot would work together to lead the dragons and put pressure on the Dragon Emperor. They would not only make him work, but also reduce his share of the profits. If he agreed, they would give him the video evidence of Cuixisi's madness and massacre of her own kind, which he could use as a powerful weapon to attack the conservatives.

If they refuse, hand over the pictures and videos to the conservatives as evidence of the Dragon Emperor's poor command and misjudgments that led to the dragon's corruption and decadence, forcing the Dragon Emperor to step down.

That's the thing about evidence. The same thing can be used in different ways depending on who has it. The advantage of being first determines the course of events.

Of course, Lily had no idea what Kang De was planning.

She paused, looked up, and glanced at Kang De.

She had previously urged Kang De to stop, but Kang De hesitated. Now that she was facing threats and danger, Kang De readily agreed. To say that she wasn't moved would be a lie.

Her eyes no longer held their usual indifference; they were brimming with light, making her look pitiful.

This is what they mean by "gap moe" (or "unexpected charm").

Kang De looked at her naturally revealed panic and helplessness, and smiled slightly.

"It's alright, I'm here. So what if it's just a mad dragon?"

As a child, she suffered cold looks and bullying on Dragon Island. When she ran to her mother crying, her mother would smile and comfort her, saying, "It's okay, I'm here for you."

Since her mother's death, she has had no relatives to rely on and can only make herself strong to cope with the cold stares of the outside world. She thought she was fearless, but today's experience still awakened the long-sealed fear in her heart. That feeling of trembling, unease and helplessness is still unforgettable.

When she came to her senses, she had already snuggled into Kang De's arms, clutching his collar.

--Before this, Horus, with the foresight of a master strategist, had quietly separated the breastplate of the suit so that his poor father could fully experience this precious moment.

To be honest, transfiguration is definitely the greatest invention in the field of law.

Kang De's first thought was this.

He then awkwardly raised his hands and subconsciously looked at A Xing beside him. A Xing looked at him quietly, his expression indifferent, but his eyes were full of meaning.

--This A Xing is so strange! And so scary!

After a short while, he tentatively patted Lily's shoulder gently. "Then... shall we go?"

As if startled, the Dragon Girl quickly straightened up, took two steps back, lowered her head, and whispered with a heavy nasal tone, "Hmm."

"... You cannot leave." The Long Yi lying on the ground in silence, seemed to have made a tremendous decision, and resolutely declared, "You cannot leave."

"You're beyond saving. That power has corrupted your entire body; all your life essence and Magic Power have been completely replaced," Kang De said. "Any last words or wishes?"

He raised his hand and pushed Lily backward.

Lily gripped his arm, looking at her kin on the ground and her former friends. "Luzi..."

"Cuixisi... you must stop him, now, as soon as possible." The dragon weakly spat out several mouthfuls of purple blood clots. "Just as you said, human, he has drained all my power and essence. I understand what he wants to do. He used our power as a bargaining chip... to exchange power with that evil being who is definitely not a dragon god. That's why he is so powerful now..."

"Now is the best opportunity to pursue. He has expended a great deal of power to corrupt me, exchanging my essence for more power, which will take time. Wei'insi is still alive, so he has at least two dragon essences left to sacrifice and exchange. We cannot give him that time..."

Lily exclaimed, "Wei'insi..."

"Yes..." Luzi sighed. "Our companions kept disappearing along the way. First it was Aocheweier, Cuixisi said to send him back to Dragon Island to report. Then it was Miluosidun, Cuixisi said to let the coward run away. The scenery became increasingly bizarre as we ventured deeper into the land. The elemental fluctuations in the air made us more and more uneasy, and Cuixisi became increasingly eccentric. He claimed to have received Akatum's favor and selection, and he showed us the prophecies that the Dragon God had shown him..."

"We once believed, we were once thrilled, because Cuixisi has always been our leader, and we firmly believed that we could accomplish something great and restore the dragons to their former glory. Now is the time..."

"But as we ventured deeper, unease grew. No one voiced this unease, for we are dragons, and dragons do not tolerate cowardice. Yet our companions continued to disappear, and Cuixisi grew increasingly erratic. I always felt a gaze upon me, I always felt..."

Lily remained silent.

Kang De interrupted the dragon's mutterings, "Say something useful! Where did Cuixisi go? What did you discover? What is he planning to do? And what about the sacrifices?"

"Sacrifice... I didn't know there was such a thing as sacrifice. Cuixisi just revealed it. He must have been holding it in for a long time. After seeing Lily, he was overjoyed and couldn't hold back anymore."

The dragon Luzi closed his eyes and stopped trying to move, because the strange feedback from every movement reminded him that he had become a monster.

He slowly said, "Cuixisi, or rather, us, in the end, only three of us remained. We ventured into the deepest realms, fiery and crimson. Along the way, we found many valuable resources: ores, crystals, and the captivating Cuixisi Ore... Hmph, that's what he named it. This is the first time I've truly felt the arrogance of a dragon. May Akatum forever despise his soul..."

"The further we went, the stranger and more fanatical Cuixisi became. At first, he would excitedly share each omen with us to reinforce his authority and encourage our courage, but soon he would fall silent, silently and excitedly plotting. When we asked him questions, he would give us evasive answers. Of our group of seven dragons, only three remained in the end..."

"Wei'insi and I grew increasingly uneasy because we had absorbed that unknown purple substance, that corrupting energy that had driven Cuixisi to such madness. At first, it felt good, as this substance could enhance our bodies and magic, significantly increasing our strength. But later, I felt my body slowly becoming unwell; an ominous change was taking place within me."

"I spoke with Wei'insi in private and felt the same way, but when I asked Cuixisi, he rebuked me, questioning whether I doubted Akatum's will."

"His rage and imposing manner terrified me. I had initially thought it stemmed from his childhood power, but now it seems that wasn't the case. The real pressure came from his rapidly growing strength. He had secretly harmed and devoured the other four dragons, sacrificing them to that unknown evil being, which granted him extraordinary and formidable power."

"Wei'insi and I both felt our bodies being corrupted and changed, but Cuixisi was completely oblivious and becoming increasingly excited. We couldn't help but question him and try to bring him to his senses. He pretended to agree and then spoke to us sincerely, telling us some things..."

Upon hearing this, Kang De asked, "What is it?"

"Intelligence, the truth, and the plan."

The dragon sighed, "The evil substance we found is the raw stone of an unknown element he named after himself. There are many of them down there. We crush these ores and extract their essence. Cuixisi said that deep underground, in the place Akatum pointed out..."

"Possesses an inexhaustible supply of highly pure 'Cuixisi Element'."

"That is Akatum's blessed land, the source of everything, the River of Origin that he has been constantly emphasizing from the very beginning, flowing with a sacred and great spiritual river..."

"So, his plan," Kang De scoffed, "Is to take a bath in there?"

"No," the dragon replied, "He will raise this river to the land, to the heavens, and along the water cycle, spread the blessings of the Dragon God and the glory of the dragon race throughout the world..."

"... Hold."

Kang De unconsciously uttered that sound.

If this stuff, this stuff that can even corrupt and erode even dragons, were released into the atmosphere and spread across the continents through the water cycle, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Compared to this, the mess that Lily described—the dwarves of the previous era digging through the top of Hell and inviting a demon invasion—is practically nothing.

The smoky clouds that blanket the globe, formed by erupting hellfire, can gradually subside and dissipate, and the resulting harsh winter will also pass. Demons can freeze to death, be killed, or be pushed back, but if this mysterious element spreads across the globe, corrodes and corrupts all living beings, then even with the purifying power of the Fire Thief, it will be too late to stop this terrifying global catastrophe—damn it.

Kang De decisively said, "You all retreat first, I'll go out and call for help!"

"No... no..."

The dragon's body trembled, forcing its head up as rotting flesh peeled away. It gritted its teeth and said, "No! You must catch up now, before Cuixisi completes his plan, kill him! Stop him! Otherwise, if he sacrifices my and Wei'insi's essence, his power will continue to expand, and he may even find the River of Origin, and then it will be too late!"

"We can't ask for help!" He looked at Lily and said urgently, "You've come this far, you should know just how big this place is. He's no longer a dragon, the Dragonfire Soul Lamp is no longer effective, even the Dragon Emperor can't locate him, even if His Majesty himself comes, he'll hide. If he's determined to hide, you'll never find him. He's lurking in the shadows, and you'll face endless calamities in the future..."

"So continuing the pursuit is the only chance!"

As he spoke, he laboriously moved his paws, quickly tracing lines on the ground, and said to Lily, "I'll guide you. Remember, here..."

"Tell me," Kang De said. "She can't go. Since she's the sacrifice chosen by Cuixisi, she shouldn't be here. I'll send her back. I'll stay here."

"Human, you are brave, but she must stay here. Only with her here will Cuixisi's attention be kept at bay and prevented from being drawn to the river or other dangerous places."

The dragon said in a deep voice, "I admit that as a human, your abilities and skills are superb. To forge an alchemical weapon that threatens a dragon with the body of an ant is something to be proud of. But you have already seen the result of the battle just now. Your weapon can only pose a minor threat and cause him some damage..."

Kang De narrowed his eyes. "That's not necessarily true."

Even after falling into such a monster, the dragon's soul still retained its pride, or arrogance. Seeing that Kang De remained unmoved, it did not continue to persuade him, but instead turned to Lily.

"You understand," Luzi said. "This is your responsibility and your mission."

Lily bit her lip and remained silent.

"You have a responsibility to serve the dragon race and wash away the shame your father brought upon them. This is your chance..."

"--fart!"

Kang De snapped, "There's no shame in it at all! Shut your filthy mouths! What her father did is none of your business, you selfish and arrogant reptiles!"

Although we don't know who Lily's father is or what he did before, he followed the previous Fire Thief to fight against the extraterrestrial enemies, fighting bloody battles and performing countless acts of salvation. How can there be any shame in that?

The dragon roared in fury, "Human! How dare you insult a dragon! I..."

"So what? Look at yourself now! Do you even deserve to be called a dragon? Arrogant, conceited, selfish, greedy, and shameless, you barge into other people's homes with a menacing air, coveting their treasures, sneaking in and being led astray by the devil's gifts. These so-called great dragons are killing each other, your noble race has become ugly and deformed, now you're not even as good as dogs! Isn't all of this your own doing?!"

In its Long Yi had never witnessed such a verbal battle. Every word was piercing and hit the nail on the head. Its whole body trembled violently, purple pus spurted out continuously, blood gushed from its mouth, and it glared fiercely at Kang De.

But a hand tugged at Kang De's sleeve, and Lily whispered, "You're right, this is my mission."

Kang De angrily shouted, "Hey!"

"Don't you understand?" Lily looked at Kang De, "If Father were here, he would do the same."

"Okay, okay, okay."

The dragon Luzi's anger turned to joy. He exhaled and said calmly, "At least you have lived up to the name of the dragon... Perhaps we were too harsh on you before."

He explained the route ahead and the situation to Lily, then suddenly remembered something and solemnly said, "Remember, if the situation becomes critical and you are captured by Cuixisi, you should immediately burn your life force and soul to prevent him from devouring you, understand?"

Kang De raised his right hand, and the rotating cannon muzzle gleamed with intense light. "You fucking... right now..."

Lily grasped his arm and chuckled softly, "You won't let that happen, right?"

Kang De was momentarily stunned.

The Dragon Girl's smile was more gentle and beautiful than ever before, and he saw it with his own eyes this time.

So, it doesn't matter what he says.

Lily smiled slightly, "Right?"

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PS1: I don't need your complaints anymore. I can even guess right now that there will be a post saying, "Holy crap, is this a death sentence?" and then there will be another post saying, "Oh, it's not a guy, so it's okay." Damn.