INHA Chapter 9

The crazed Zhulong writhed its body. Despite its chaotic and mad thoughts, instinctively it still subconsciously wanted to break free from the chains. The feeling of being restrained made it extremely furious, its eyes growing increasingly wild as it stared at the creature closest to it.

That weak…

It used its tail to lift a massive boulder and hurled it in the direction of Xu Dongyou. At the same time, its rage caused it to unconsciously emit a vast pressure. Instantly, everyone and every demon inside the formation and at its entrance were affected, vomiting blood and collapsing to the ground.

Elder Chen couldn’t resist this pressure and suddenly reverted to his original form.

It was a white deer that emitted a gentle light, with antlers on its head resembling laurel branches, dropping specks of white light when swaying. Its limbs were entwined with red patterns, making it even more mysterious.

Tian Ze saw such a beautiful and holy white deer for the first time, like something out of a fairy tale, and forgot to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Beside the white deer lay a blood-red fox, constantly vomiting blood, its six tails twitching.

It looked very painful.

Seeing this, Tian Ze felt even more pain and vomited a few more mouthfuls of blood: “Ugh…”

The people and demons outside the array were also affected. But humans, because their luck was at its peak, did not suffer as severely as the demons.

Inside the array, Xu Dongyou was also terrified by the pressure, and his body started to ache intensely. The world before his eyes seemed to be growing larger, while he appeared to be shrinking. Then, in a daze, he crawled out from the collar of his fallen clothes.

At that precise moment, the massive boulder was about to fall. Xu Dongyou, still dazed, looked up, the little tuft of hair on his head swaying.

The ancient Zhulong, whose mind was in chaotic madness, suddenly quieted for a second. It quickly rushed over and used its huge head to block the boulder.

The boulder shattered into pieces.

Zhulong felt no pain at all, still staring unblinkingly at Xu Dongyou.

Xu Dongyou finally came to his senses. Looking at the enormous Zhulong, he began to cower and tremble, his round body resembling a quivering rice dumpling, very elastic.

The ancient Zhulong seemed to be amused, making a gurgling sound in its throat, its breathing becoming louder.

Xu Dongyou was blown about, making pained chirping sounds.

Soft yet crisp.

The ancient Zhulong gasped, not daring to move, even subconsciously retracting its oppressive aura.

Elder Chen and the others finally stopped vomiting blood. They struggled to get up, only to find that Zhulong had already reached the fourth formation gate, nearly scaring them unconscious.

However, the fox with the keenest eyes noticed a small white creature trembling beside the massive Zhulong.

It looked a bit like—a very plump fat bird?

And the high-spirited human who had gone in earlier was nowhere to be seen.

The fox immediately transformed into human form, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and asked the others, “Did any of you see that human? And when did that bird get in there?”

The sealing array could suppress even Zhulong’s pressure, let alone the aura of a demon like Xu Dongyou.

The fox had no idea that the human who had gone in earlier was actually a demon.

Elder Chen also reverted to human form. With his aged wisdom, he quickly analyzed the situation before him, his hands trembling with excitement, “Before the sealing array was activated, not even a bird, let alone a mosquito, could get in.”

“It’s impossible for a bird to sneak in. There’s only one highly unlikely possibility: that bird is the human called Li Dong who went in just now. He is an immature demon cub from our race.”

Unbelievable.

Unbelievable… In thousands of years, no new demon cubs had ever been born.

The fox was also shocked by this news. After a long while, he finally reacted and urgently said to Elder Chen, “Great Elder, it’s very dangerous for him now. Let me go in and rescue him.”

The fox’s disdain for Xu Dongyou vanished, replaced by a concern for his safety that surpassed everyone else’s.

Elder Chen, however, waved his hand and fixed his gaze on Zhulong’s direction, “Don’t go. Haven’t you noticed that Zhulong has become quiet?”

The fox and the chief turned their heads in unison towards the fourth sealing gate.

Tian Ze’s mind was still buzzing.

Li Dong… is actually a demon?!!

The ancient Zhulong slowly lowered its head. Its eyes were still wild, but it cautiously, almost hesitantly, used the tip of its tail to gently poke Xu Dongyou.

The sensation seemed to be exactly as the ancient dragon had imagined. It made a contented gurgling sound in its throat.

Xu Dongyou, poked again, staggered and swayed. His face is dazed, not knowing whether to be scared, terrified of his potential death, or shocked that he might not be human anymore!

The ancient Zhulong moved its body gently, then lay down, placing its head on the ground, staring unblinkingly at Xu Dongyou, its tail tip swaying softly, making a rustling sound.

Xu Dongyou tried hard to raise his head, but still couldn’t see Zhulong’s entire head, only its enormous blood-red eyes, still filled with madness and chaos.

But Xu Dongyou wasn’t as scared as he had been at first. At least, from the beginning until now, the creature had never harmed him.

Xu Dongyou felt curious yet nervous.

This was his first close encounter with such a terrifying, yet legendary, ancient being.

What kind of mindset would make it willingly seal itself here, injured and barely rational?

This thought suddenly flashed through Xu Dongyou’s mind.

Then he suddenly thought, shouldn’t he be wondering why he had turned into some kind of bird-like creature?

Xu Dongyou felt uneasy and panicked.

This sense of unease and panic seemed to be perceived by the ancient Zhulong. It moved its body and carefully used its tail to encircle Xu Dongyou.

Xu Dongyou lay on the enormous dragon scales, utterly bewildered.

At the array’s entrance, Elder Chen and the fox were trembling with excitement at the sight.

“Great Elder, our cub has done it. He has successfully calmed the ancient dragon, the ancient Zhulong,” the fox said, breathing rapidly, barely able to maintain his human form.

Elder Chen’s hands shook as he took a deep breath and decisively declared, “No matter the cost, we must protect this cub.”

It wasn’t just because he could calm Zhulong.

But more importantly—he was the only cub born in thousands of years.

The fox nodded.

The chief and Tian Ze remained silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

After lying on the dragon scales for about ten minutes, Xu Dongyou finally regained his composure and then belatedly remembered something.

Earlier, he seemed to have looked into Zhulong’s eyes for at least several seconds, yet he didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.

What was going on?

Xu Dongyou tried hard to look up but could only see the enormous dragon horns, unable to see Zhulong’s face.

He didn’t dare to move recklessly, so he lay on the dragon scales. Before he knew it, a wave of drowsiness and fatigue hit him, and he fell into darkness.

Zhulong gently moved its eyes, looking at the small bird on the tip of its tail, and also closed its eyes, falling asleep.

“He probably hasn’t transformed much before. Insufficient demon power has caused his body to self-protect by falling into a deep sleep,” Elder Chen, as an experienced demon, quickly said, “Take this chance to mobilize all the spiritual energy to support the array. I and the other demon elders will go repair the array.”

The chief nodded and raised his hand to issue the highest-level command on his spiritual energy watch. The personnel at the branch immediately began to take action.

Tian Ze, standing nearby, mustered the courage to ask Elder Chen, “Elder Chen, is Li Dong going to be okay?”

Elder Chen nodded, “He’ll be fine. Usually, the self-healing abilities of cubs are very strong. A good sleep should do the trick.”

Tian Ze breathed a sigh of relief.

Although it felt oddly strange to hear Elder Chen refer to a young man in his twenties as a cub, considering the long lifespan of demons, the more powerful they became, the longer they lived. A demon in their twenties was indeed still just a cub.

The entire branch got busy, and other branches also started sending over their fully charged spiritual energy storage balls to help recharge the sealing array.

Xu Dongyou was still sleeping.

It wasn’t until around nine the next morning that Xu Dongyou finally opened his eyes. He shook his head as if still not fully awake.

He only remembered everything that had happened yesterday when he saw the enormous Zhulong. Stiffly, he slowly raised his head. Confirming that Zhulong still seemed to be asleep, he carefully climbed down and, with his unsteady legs, began to walk forward.

When he passed by the clothes and the spiritual energy watch lying on the ground, Xu Dongyou hesitated, unsure if he should go outside.

Not to mention whether he could ever turn back into a human again, but if he went out in his current form, he would definitely be captured, right?

The fox, who had been watching the fourth sealing gate from the entrance, noticed Xu Dongyou waking up and immediately woke up the chief, who was sleeping on the ground, “The cub is awake.”

The chief rubbed his aching temples. He and everyone at the bureau had been busy until five or six in the early morning, only daring to lie down for a nap after the array was fully charged.

As for the demons, they were always full of energy and had been watching the fourth gate all night, ready to alert everyone at the first sign of trouble.

The chief was currently the only human who could enter the third sealing gate. The demons couldn’t even get through the first gate. The fox beside him couldn’t help but urge the chief, “You must bring the cub out safely.”

The chief nodded.

He then stepped into the first sealing gate. Perhaps due to Zhulong deliberately retracting its pressure and being asleep, it took the captain less than ten minutes to reach the third sealing gate.

He still didn’t dare to rashly enter the fourth sealing gate for fear of waking Zhulong. Fortunately, he could see Xu Dongyou through the gate.

The chief cautiously called out in a low voice, “Li Dong.”

Xu Dongyou, having turned into a bird, had sharp hearing. He quickly turned his head and saw the captain. His first reaction was joy, but then he remembered that he might not be human anymore, and he immediately felt a bit uneasy.

The captain quickly glanced at Zhulong, confirming it was still asleep, and then he sighed with relief, signaling for Xu Dongyou to come out.

Xu Dongyou hesitated, feeling uneasy, with perhaps even some unconscious wariness.

The chief, thinking of the current situation with the demon clan, quickly came up with an explanation for Xu Dongyou, “Don’t be afraid. You’re not the only one who is a demon at the bureau. Elder Chen is also a demon.”

Demon?

Xu Dongyou, once again, widened his eyes in shock.

Elder Chen wasn’t human either!

So, he wouldn’t be captured and studied after going out? Just looking at Elder Chen’s high status in the bureau made it clear.

Having a fellow demon reassured Xu Dongyou a bit, reducing his wariness. He grabbed his clothes with his beak and dragged them forward. After two trips, he managed to drag all his clothes and the spiritual energy watch to the third gate.

The captain immediately bent down to pick up the clothes and watch, then extended his hand to Xu Dongyou, “Come on up.”

Xu Dongyou felt a bit embarrassed but knew that, as he hadn’t mastered flying yet and didn’t know how long it would take to walk out on his short legs, he had no choice but to jump onto the captain’s hand, chirping gratefully.

At this moment, Xu Dongyou looked particularly cute. His head and body were pure white, with only his back and tail being a grayish-brown, resembling a rice dumpling filled with sesame paste.

The captain’s heart itched with adoration. As he walked, he whispered, “Li Dong, I never thought your demon form would be so unique.”

Xu Dongyou felt a pang of anxiety. What if his bird form was ugly?

More importantly, would he be able to successfully transform back into a human?

As soon as Xu Dongyou walked out of the first gate of the sealing array, he was surrounded by Elder Chen and the fox. Their eyes were filled with eagerness and excitement as they carefully scrutinized him.

“Good, good, good. It really is the scent of a demon cub, a scent I haven’t smelled in thousands of years,” Elder Chen said, his eyes slightly reddening as he gently patted Xu Dongyou. “Good child, you did very well.”

Xu Dongyou felt a bit uneasy, and being repeatedly called a cub made him feel particularly awkward.

The fox beside him, no longer showing any disdain for Xu Dongyou, was instead filled with affection and regret. He spoke the words he had held back all night, “I treated you poorly before. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have treated you that way, especially since you’re just a cub.”

Xu Dongyou shook his head, indicating he didn’t mind.

He was more eager to confirm whether what the chief had said about Elder Chen being a demon was true. If it was, could Elder Chen help him transform back into a human?

However, Xu Dongyou realized he could only make bird sounds and pointed with his wing at the spiritual energy watch in the captain’s other hand, indicating he needed to use it.

Elder Chen quickly understood Xu Dongyou’s intent and said, “It’s okay, you can speak directly in the demon language. I can understand.”

Demon language?

Xu Dongyou was confused again and shook his head firmly, indicating he didn’t know how to speak the demon language.

All he could do was chirp.

For a moment, everyone, including Elder Chen and the fox, fell into silence.

“Then why don’t you transform into your human form?” Tian Ze suggested, “That way, everyone can understand you.”

Xu Dongyou shook his head again in silence.

Once more, everyone fell into silence.

The chief spoke up, “I have a theory. Li Dong doesn’t know the demon language, and he can’t transform into a human. When I went in earlier, he was very wary of me. I suspect—he doesn’t even know he’s a demon.”

Xu Dongyou quickly nodded, chirping twice in agreement.

Elder Chen staggered, almost falling, but was swiftly supported by Tian Ze. “Elder Chen, are you okay?”

Elder Chen struggled to find his voice, “How did you grow up thinking you were human?”

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