Chapter 147: The Black Dragons
The portal behind Jiaolong pulsed with malevolent energy, and the first figures to step through confirmed Lin’s worst fears. They were dragons, but not like any he had ever seen. Their scales were midnight black with an oily sheen that seemed to absorb the golden light of the Heart of the Abyss. Their eyes glowed with the same corrupted darkness that now tainted Jiaolong’s gaze.
"Impossible," Ao Shun breathed, his voice filled with a mixture of horror and recognition. "Black dragons... they don’t exist in nature. They can only be created through corruption."
More of the twisted creatures emerged from the portal—five in total, each one radiating an aura that made the air itself feel thick and oppressive. Behind them came something even more disturbing: another whale-creature like the one they had just fought, but this one was larger and its hide bore the same black corruption as the dragons.
Jiaolong laughed, the sound carrying harmonics that resonated with darkness. "You recognize the signs, Uncle. How perceptive of you. Though I wonder if you recognize the hand behind their creation."
Ao Shun’s eyes widened with terrible understanding. "There is only one being capable of corrupting dragons on this scale. But he was imprisoned—"
"Was," Jiaolong interrupted, spreading his wings wide. The membrane between the spines showed veins of black corruption spreading like infected blood vessels. "Many things that were imprisoned have found freedom in these changing times."
The black dragons arranged themselves in a loose formation around their transformed leader, their movements coordinated with military precision.
"You want to know why I’m doing this?" Jiaolong continued, his voice taking on a bitter edge. "You want to understand what drives me to seek the Dragon Emperor’s power?"
His gaze swept over them, lingering longest on Lin, who stood frozen in shock at his transformation. "It’s because I am tired of being nothing. Tired of watching my brothers find their true selves, their true names, while I remain incomplete."