A dire warning

'What the hell is happening? Why am I the only one who isn't affected by this darkness?'

In an instant, everything was turned upside down. The festival ends up in a disaster that no one could have predicted. An explosion and the following attack from the demons shattered the peaceful atmosphere.

But what the most terrifying thing happened was, Yuzhen got affected by the demonic energy and the sealed power inside his body break out with immerse power.

Yuzhen's transformation was astonishing. His body transformed, his once-human form morphed into a hybrid of demon and dragon. Shiny scales and dark markings adorned his body, and his green eyes turned a striking golden and red. He began absorbing energy from both demons and humans, utilizing the darkness emanating from his body.

In that chaos, Chen Zoe remained unharmed, shielded by an invisible force. But people around him fall to the ground one after another.

In the midst of everything, Yuzhen's attention turns to Zoe. He walked towards Zoe, to defend himself, Zoe drew his magical sword and pointed it at Yuzhen as a clear warning, if Yuzhen came any closer, he would strike.

 "Xiao bai…" Yuzhen called out the name with a longing expression, as if he had finally found something that he lost for a long time.

As Yuzhen took a step forward, Zoe stepped back. His caution didn't stem from fear or hatred of Yuzhen's altered appearance. Instead, it was the old lady's earlier words that echoed in his mind.

["Run away from here… Before the bright moon is swallowed by darkness, you must leave this place. Run away to somewhere his eyes won't reach you. Go…"]

The full moon was covered by the dark clouds, darkness spreading all around and Yuzhen keep coming towards him.

With no other options, Zoe hesitantly pierced Yuzhen's left chest with the sword. However, it didn't stop Yuzhen. 

Yuzhen grabbed the sword but didn't let go, moved closer with a gentle smile. For some unknown reason, Zoe's heart ached at the sight of Yuzhen in pain.

"Xiao bai… Sorry… sorry…" Tears streamed down from Yuzhen's eyes, and Zoe couldn't understand why he was feeling such intense emotions pouring out from Yuzhen.

'Is he mistaking me as someone else?' Zoe stands there in a confusion and unexpectedly, Yuzhen kissed Zoe with passion, and Zoe couldn't resist it at all.

A few hours before the chaotic events unfolded. 

"I should have packed more women's clothes. What should I wear now?" Chen Zoe, not anticipating the upcoming twist in his journey, found himself with only three worn-out dresses he had been wearing repeatedly for the past few days. Disappointed, he went to change clothes and was surprised to find a white and red dress adorned with ornaments on the bed.

'I hope you like the dress. Please accept it as my gratitude and apology for the past events.' A note accompanied the dress, and there was no sender name.

"Did Ling who send the clothes? She really didn't need to go to such lengths..." Misinterpreting the gift as coming from Chen Ling, Ziya put on the dress and went outside.

Yuzhen was delighted to see Ziya wearing the outfit he had chosen for her. However, he noticed that she hadn't added any makeup or jewelry to complete the look.

At the same time, Chen Ling came downstairs and saw Ziya. With a genuine smile, Ziya greeted her, but she ignores and quickly left before Ziya could initiate a conversation.

 Could it not be from her... then... Y-Yuzhen... Impossible...' Ziya's thoughts raced as she tried to make sense of the situation.

"Don't concern yourself with her; she doesn't deserve your attention a bit." Comforting Ziya, Yuzhen continued while changing the topic. "You look beautiful, but if you wear some ornaments with it, you'll look stunning. How about I help you a bit?" 

Receiving a positive reply, Yuzhen led Ziya to a room and began to display his skills in making her look more attractive. After adorning her with ornaments and applying a bit of makeup, Ziya appeared as though she were a goddess.

"Wow... Is this really me?" Ziya couldn't believe her own reflection in the mirror.

'No wonder why the female leads were crazy over this guy... Wait, is he acting the same way he did with them? Is he planning to add me to his harem or something?'

"Now the mask suit you much better." Yuzhen complimented, but it only raised suspicions in Ziya's mind.

"You look great too in your black and gold attire. Shall we go then?" Changing the topic quickly, she went outside, and Yuzhen followed.

Outside, the festive atmosphere had taken over the streets entirely, with people wearing various masks and indulging in the ongoing events. Ziya and Yuzhen wandered around, immersing themselves in the lively surroundings. While wandering here and there, Ziya unexpectedly bumped into a weird old lady.

"Sorry grandma. Are you alright?" Ziya asked in a caring manner after bumping into the old lady. Her response was quite peculiar.

"Run away from here… Before the bright moon is swallowed by darkness, you must leave this place. Run away to somewhere his eyes won't reach you. Go…" The old lady's words were filled with desperation as she attempted to physically pull Ziya away. Yuzhen's sudden involvement stopped her and left her bewildered.

"Run away from him, my child. The darkness that hides inside him will bring ruin to your world. Just as before, he will shatter everything you hold dear."

"This mad woman again starts to scare people. Don't listen to her words, she is a crazy woman, always babbling anything that comes to her mind." A concerned onlooker, a nearby shop owner, dismissed the old woman's dire warnings.

"Ziya, let's go." Yuzhen takes her hand and run away from there to escape from the old lady.

"The black dragon will rise again to burn your world. Don't repeat the same mistake that you once done… Run away even from his shadow before it touches you. Run away…" The old lady continued to shout dire warnings at Ziya.

These words left Ziya feeling unsettled. Yuzhen tried to lift her spirits by buying her some fox candy from a street seller. The perfectly timed fireworks display helped calm her nerves.

As part of the festival's tradition, the goddess wine was being offered to everyone present. An elder prepared to ignite the effigy of a black dragon.

Once more, the old woman reappeared, attempting to seize the fire lamp from the elder. She fervently cried out, "Don't do it… He will rise again to bring disaster to the whole world… Don't." However, her pleas fell on deaf ears as the crowd forcefully pushed her aside.

Seeing the fire, everyone began to drink the wine. However, just as Ziya was about to take a sip, a child accidentally bumped into her, causing her glass to fall and shatter.

"My wine…" In a sad expression, she stays there. Meanwhile, from the opposite side Yuzhen drink it up in one go.

The elder overseeing the ritual called out, "Under the full moon night, standing in front of the burning fire, drinking the goddess wine will reveal a person's deepest desires before them. With pure hearts, gaze upon the flames."

Without any mishaps, Yuzhen saw the reflection of Ziya's face through the fire. He had strategically positioned himself directly opposite her, ensuring she could also see him in the dancing flames. 

To everyone's surprise, the flames suddenly surged higher, and within the fire, Yuzhen saw a figure as magical. The person's figure resembled his master Zoe, yet it was not him.

The figure was clad in black, without any scars on his face, but he can feel, there was an underlying sorrow hidden beneath his gentle smile. He seemed to be saying something, but Yuzhen couldn't make out the words.

Unbeknownst to him, tears rolled down Yuzhen's cheeks.