The Ugly Little Snake: My Dragon Son | Chapter 78 | The Future Self's Revelation | Novela.app

When the White Marten woke up, it found itself in a bright, grand lobby. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, shimmering with brilliance. In front of floor-to-ceiling glass windows sat a luxurious red sofa, flanked by several pots of lush green plants. The White Marten was currently lying on that very sofa. "Young Master..." the White Marten whimpered weakly. Turning its head, it saw Leng Jing sitting on the adjacent sofa, reading a newspaper. *Is this really the proper attitude when we're about to face the mastermind?!* The White Marten leaped up and scrambled down to grab the hem of Leng Jing’s trousers. "Young Master, where are we?" "On the ninety-ninth floor of Wanxiang," Leng Jing replied, his tone as calm as if they were here for a sightseeing tour. "Then what about the mastermind? Where is he?" The White Marten began to panic. "Didn't find him," Leng Jing said, folding the newspaper. "There’s nothing here." "What do you mean?" The marten was stunned. Leng Jing pointed toward the empty hall. Three corridors led to various luxurious rooms, but every single one was deserted. In other words, the ninety-ninth floor of Wanxiang was empty. "Why is it like this?" After hearing Leng Jing’s explanation, the White Marten grew even more confused. Leng Jing explained, "Because the place we are in now is 'Wanxiang.' The so-called Wanxiang is actually a vortex of distorted time and space. Everything here—time and space alike—is warped, reconstructed by the core monster, Qing Yue. "The so-called ninety-nine-story building can be seen as a microcosm of Qing Yue’s inner mind. Surrounding this building are physical manifestations of Qing Yue’s past memories, which play out incessantly in time loops. There are also products of his own delusions given form—those floors of the building that trap people. However, no matter how much Qing Yue distorts time and space, he always harbors deeply traumatic memories of his past. The more painful they are, the more he indulges in them, unable to extricate himself. Therefore, Wanxiang also reflects the truth of the past." The White Marten scratched its head and asked, "Then where is Qing Yue’s true body hidden?" Leng Jing looked out the glass window. "Since Qing Yue is someone so deeply attached to the past, the foundation of this building was actually derived from the structure of the original Wanxiang Hospital. That’s why there is an emergency passage that even he doesn't know about. If I’m not mistaken, this building was originally the five-story Wanxiang Hospital. The power of Wanxiang added layer upon layer to the building, like skins of dough wrapping around a meat filling. "Han Yu said he was a trainee of the highest level, which means no one could break through the challenges above the eightieth floor. Since no one could reach that height, there was no need for Qing Yue to construct high-level purgatory training grounds above the eightieth floor. Thus, from the eightieth floor up to this legendary top floor, everything is empty—space Qing Yue left aside to fill gradually. "Therefore, I believe Qing Yue should still be on the 'top floor' of the real Wanxiang Hospital—which is to say, the fifth floor." "So we have to go back down?" The White Marten started trembling again at the thought of having to face the ultimate demon just after finally catching its breath. "Then we go back down," Leng Jing said. But this time, a change suddenly occurred in the perpetually silent hall. The upward-bound elevator on the left side of the lobby began to operate. The flickering numbers on the display showed that someone had taken the elevator from the eightieth floor and was coming up. "Qing Yue has found us!" Leng Jing grabbed the dumbfounded White Marten and ran toward the emergency passage. *** Now, let us look at the other side, with the group led by Han Yu. After Han Yu easily led the others out of Wanxiang, they passed through the iron gate only to find themselves in the true Millennial City—a deserted ruin. It turned out that everything they had seen before was maintained by the power of Wanxiang. Now that Wanxiang’s power was shrinking, the city revealed its true face. "How strange. Didn't you say you were doing everything in your power to escape Wanxiang’s pursuit? Why do you seem like you have everything under control?" Leng Qingqing began to harbor doubts about Han Yu’s identity. Han Yu pulled at his cloak and said, "Actually, everything Leng Wuchen knows, I told him. My real name isn't Han Yu." "Who exactly are you?" Everyone except Leng Wuchen looked at him in terror. Han Yu gave a cold laugh and slowly pulled back his hood. Everyone held their breath as Han Yu revealed a face of trembling beauty—but in the next moment, he actually peeled a layer of skin off his face! "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!" Everyone was shocked by the appearance beneath the human-skin mask!! It was simply too terrifying!! Leng Qingqing was so frightened he collapsed to the ground, his lips trembling for a long time before he squeezed out two words: "Little Jing...!?" That fellow’s face was exactly the same as Leng Jing’s! "Han Yu" wore the signature, wickedly icy expression unique to Leng Jing. "I am indeed Leng Jing. However, I am not the fifty-year-old Leng Jing; I am nearly seven hundred thousand years old." "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!" The crowd cried out in shock again. "Did you come from the distant future?! Leng Jing, can you actually travel through time now? What is the future like?!" Xuan Yuan Yue shouted. The seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Leng Jing cleared his throat and looked at Leng Qingqing. "How nostalgic. Back then, Father was so young and full of vitality." "Am I going to turn into an old man snake in the future?!!!" Leng Qingqing looked at him, drenched in cold sweat. "Hey, I say, Old Little Jing, do you still respect your father seven hundred thousand years from now? Do you offer incense to Daddy on time?" The seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Leng Jing curled his lip slightly but didn't answer. He simply crossed his arms and said arrogantly, "Still using that condescending tone, Father. I am already an omnipotent Great God of five or six different worlds! Though, occasionally reminiscing about the past is quite meaningful." Leng Wuchen threw cold water on the situation: "Leng Jing, as the Primordial Dragon God, you established the taboo against reversing time and space. Now that you are the first to break the rules, how do you explain yourself?" The seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Leng Jing said, "This time, returning to a past space was not by my will, but because the space-time vortex created by Qing Yue’s destruction summoned me here. When I arrived, the real Han Yu had actually been killed by them mid-escape. Thus, I took Han Yu’s place, mimicked his manner of speaking, and set this trap to completely eliminate Qing Yue—and I finally understand the truth of when I encountered that 'Han Yu' back then." "Then what was the point of making the young Leng Jing suffer inside Wanxiang?" Everyone looked at him with flat expressions. "Back then, that old fellow tormented me like that, so of course I have to torment him too," the seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Leng Jing said. "Tsk, after all that, it’s just you messing with yourself. As expected of someone raised by Leng Qingqing," Xuan Yuan Yue and Leng Yueshi muttered. "That's right! Little Jing was raised by me!" Leng Qingqing seemed quite proud. He stood up and said ingratiatingly to the seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Leng Jing, "Little Jing, let me ask you, are there any super delicious new types of noodles made seven hundred thousand years in the future?" The seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Leng Jing said, "Of course. I specifically created a world for you where the three realms of gods and demons all revere noodles. Making delicious noodles is the highest lifelong pursuit; only those who make good noodles can possess supreme magical power. Those who cannot make delicious noodles cannot hold their heads high, and those who cannot eat noodles are looked down upon. During festivals, people worship the Great Noodle God. When men and women discuss marriage, noodles are given as grand gifts and tokens of love. Children must learn to eat noodles from birth, and upon entering school, they must learn to make dried noodles. When they grow up, only by making good noodles can they have a future and find love. Even after death, they are buried with noodles—Father, are you satisfied?" "Ahhhhh~~~~" The great white snake’s eyes turned into stars, prostrating himself in worship of the seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Leng Jing. "Is there a world specifically for sweet and sour pork ribs?" Leng Yueshi asked. "I want a world of beautiful boys for my harem!" Xuan Yuan Yue raised her hand. It seemed the seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Leng Jing had become a divine dragon capable of granting any wish. Everyone had forgotten about the Leng Jing who was still being tormented inside the Wanxiang building. Leng Jing still had no idea he was being fooled by his future self. The seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Leng Jing silenced the excited crowd before saying, "Leng Wuchen, pass on my words. Thank you; I will take you all away. Father, what about you? Will you stay here to wait for that 'me' to come out, or will you go elsewhere to rest for a while?" Leng Qingqing’s eyes sparkled for a long time before he finally said, "Little Jing, are you super powerful now? Can you help Daddy with something?" "I know what you want to do." Leng Jing looked at him with a flat expression. "To think I was once that foolish..." "Ahhh~ I beg you~~ I beg you~~ You are my good son~ Even if you're seven hundred thousand years old, you're still Daddy's good son~~" Leng Qingqing kept rubbing against the seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Leng Jing. "Fine. But remember, the duration is only one year. Half a year from now, you must be mentally prepared for the kind of Dragon’s Wrath you will face," the seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Leng Jing said. "Long live! Long live seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Little Jing~~" Leng Qingqing cheered. At that moment, the seven-hundred-thousand-year-old Leng Jing swept his sleeves and pinched a divine seal with his fingers, saying coldly, "All things in heaven and earth, chaos and impermanence, follow my will—Transform!" With him as the center, a sea of silver light instantly spread out. Bathed in the silver light, Leng Qingqing felt a warm current rising from the soles of his feet. Subsequently, his entire body and mind merged into an endless warmth. His consciousness gradually dissipated under the powerful supernatural ability of the Dragon God. Carrying beautiful aspirations, the great white snake turned into a streak of rapid light and flashed away toward the southeast. Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation ---|---|--- 太古龙神 | Primordial Dragon God | The future, highly evolved form of Leng Jing. 龙之怒 | Dragon's Wrath | A term implying a severe consequence or a powerful draconic state. 面条大神 | Great Noodle God | A fictional deity in the world created by future Leng Jing for his father. 人皮面具 | Human-skin mask | A disguise used by future Leng Jing to impersonate Han Yu.