The violet-golden seal hovered above the dragon’s head. Under such monstrous destructive power, even Zi Yan could do nothing but shut her eyes tightly. Just as she was about to endure the sudden onslaught of annihilation, the deadly seal abruptly stopped in midair. Seeing that the seal remained motionless above the dragon’s head, countless figures in the sky let loose relieved gasps. Some experts of the Hun Clan wore apparent looks of disappointment on their faces.
“Damned!” Gu Yuan’s expression had turned exceptionally grim by now. Clenching his teeth, with a flicker of his form, he abandoned the Heavenly Sovereign of Souls and appeared directly in front of that mysterious figure, waving forcefully backwards with a sleeve—sending both Zi Yan and Xiao Yan flying back due to the gusts he emitted from his palms. His eyes revealing an hint of anger, he looked at the stranger before him and asked coldly, “Would striking so suddenly with fatal intent not be considered overstepping your limit?”
The mysterious figure seemed completely deaf to Gu Yuan’s words—fixating his steely gaze at the golden dragon wrapped around Xiao Yan. From its core he sensed an extremely familiar scent… blood lineage from the same source. In this land, only the unique son he once cherished should ever possess such power.
“My child…” Within an instant, that mysterious man’s originally sinister and formidable gold irises softened in an heartbeat, and after centuries of silence, his heart had unexpectedly started thrashing vigorously. Fixated on Zi Yan, in an undertone words escaped him: “…my child.”
Seeing that expression upon his face, Gu Yuan was shocked momentarily, furrowing his brows as he muttered, “Who exactly is your child?”
At that moment, the golden dragon swiftly diminished in scale and transformed at last into a violet-haired woman of graceful curves. Shooting a glance laced with indignation at that mysterious stranger, she then turned to help Xiao Yan stand steady: “You alright?” she inquired softly.
“I am fine. How come you’re here?”
“You daresay… This is quite an affair and you failed to notify the Tai Xu Gu Long race beforehand… Raising eyebrows slightly, she rebuked as she spoke: “You were aware of everything yet didn’t let my kin involve—was that really wise?”
“Indeed, given the scale of this mission, should anything unforeseeable have occurred once dragged in, it might have brought harm directly upon the Tai Xu Gu Long race itself,” Xiao Yan sighed.
“But considering Huns’ characters, once obtaining the Palace of Ancient Monarch, none shall ever stay clean or neutral upon this land,” retorted Zi Yan, shooting an impatient sidelong glance, before fidgeting her eyebrows while surveying the mysterious man halted by Gu Yuan: “Who is this guy exactly, this formidable one? Besides—it felt strangely familiar…”
Indeed, the last sentence barely escaped murmuring from her lips. How possibly could she think she knew someone of his prowess earlier?
“The guardian of the Ancient King’s sanctuary—but I still have no idea of where his murderous intent originated,” Xiao Yan bitterly answered, feeling rather lost. He had only crossed accidentally in the sealed sanctuary and wasn’t sure why such hatred had manifested.
“These things are getting complicated.” With a delicate sigh, Zi Yan swiped gracefully through the front air, tearing a spatial rift where whistling wind sounded out sharply. Soon enough, countless figures leaped from within—in a blink, it turned unmistakable that it must be senior figures of the ancient dragon kin. “Despite that our ancestral dragon kin can no longer reach our former strength, still, you owe none of this great debt. If nothing else, today I’ll offer our support,” Zi Yan stated solemnly before Xiao Yan nodded quietly. Extending his fists together towards the ancient elites: “Gratefulness isn’t always spoken—it’s felt… Your kindness, Xiao Yan remembers deeply today.”
The elderly among the elder ranks smiled while returning bows of camaraderie: “We would be honored merely acknowledging the aid you brought our union together back during those fractured days, kind Sir Xiao!”
“Friends, should your heart crave ending him yourself—if that is truly your objective—you would possibly find in myself aid in holding Old King Gu down,” called the heavenly sovereign, Hun Tudi overhead while feeling a flicker of elated amusement seeing the standoff. His face promptly shifted on the words from the mysterious individual before him.
“Less prying.” However suddenly, the formidable and ferocious demeanor from that silent mysterious being melted away into a sudden icy dismissal, rebuking bluntly the Hun Sovereign’s involvement.
“Why, you!” The rejection of interest sent the usual cold calm Tudi into an unusual moment of irritation, which though he reeled back into steely calm—yet his steely stare revealed a flicker darkened ominosity of intent brewing.
“Fellow, Candleflame, recognize me now, or did time eat the respect you old-timers deserve?” Shouting off Hun Tudi’s meddling, that mysterious figure turned again to speak directly toward one leading among the ancient clan’s new arrivals: addressing by his voice with the name “Elder Fire.”
“Brazen talk!” All senior representatives of Taixu Gulong immediately rose into collective fury as if he meant mockery in word alone.
Witness all Elders fuming at him, the figure blinked confused but then gave a crooked wretchy half-smile instead, sensing time must have dulled the living past—where even legends of dragon ages had perished, perhaps few even remained as ancient witnesses still breathing.
Seating head among them and recognized as oldest, the Grand Elder ‘Candleflame’ regarded himself addressed with bewildered eyes now scanning the other’s golden eyes—seeing unfamiliarity mingled uncertainly into deep thought…
“The ancient dragon clans have long seen absence in true emperors of old. Yet it’s Zi Yan who commands true recognition and rule over my clan now,” Zi Yan remarked coolly, stating matter-of-factly.
“Hmm… ah.” Startled slightly with her declaration, that earlier dignified being’s posture slackened somewhat, caught a little off, yet rather than lash out as anticipated earlier—this ancient figure instead rubbed his hands, nodding agreeably and smiling nervously in return—“True! Indeed you lead now—I recognize it fully! You rightly wear a dragon-emperor mantle now.”
Everyone else, including Zi Yan herself paused—parsing surprise from the apparent sudden shift from a threatening aura to meek compliance in this otherwise seemingly fearsome individual, which had made an immediate change from earlier, bewilderingly, without prior signal.
“You speak right! Today stands as grand war against Hun… Please keep hands aside if at all you’d rather stand,” Zi Yan, softening in voice just a bit more now politely requested from him once tension receded. His figure eagerly nodded without hesitation: “I will. Alright. Anything you’ll permit…”—his eyes, glinted mischievous in next question: “But perhaps come closer for a moment? If I may?”
At hearing this oddly innocent question—everyone nearby blinked, even slightly recoiling metaphorically. The same shock rippled across Zi Yan’s face with that black-thread-of-an-expression line over her head at this man-childlike request, although restrained she remained, merely nodded, compelled to agree by fear of his might.
When the figure stepped forward swiftly, appearing next to Zi Yan in a flash, a strange glint danced fleetingly across his usually fierce expression, now showing a complex, warm smile as he muttered, “Just like… her mother, indeed…”
“Have you… seen my mother?”
The sudden realization caused a sharp breath from the violet-haired woman herself, disbelieving. A sudden jolt coursed through her the more intensely she scrutinized those glowing golden irises staring back—a certain inexplicable resonance, deep but real stirred at an unremembered part within her heart.
Her frame began to shiver slightly. Lips clenched gently against her teeth, she raised her hand and gripped boldly upon one of his in that moment. Instantaneously from their skin touched arose a cascade of brilliant gold light. Like suns igniting, two luminous flares of dragon power fused harmonically in their palms. As though their very beings echoed, resonated—releasing waves of terrifying oppressive force outwardly, overwhelming.
“Boom!”
The elders from Zi Yan’s rear could do naught but plummet onto bended knee from behind. This presence simply denied the slightest rebellion within its crushing gravity waves.
Stunned in gaze by this perfect merging radiance, her irises quivered—Zi Yan retracted the hand like burned, her once-soft face returned into a cool mask of wariness as her striking gaze drilled through the mysterious man’s gentle expression—the chill intensifying steadily.
Standing behind, Xiao Yan piecing the scene together suddenly sensed the same unmistakable ancestral pulse surging identically in both figures. Blood-bond undeniable connected these two figures. Chances? It might actually… run as deep as parent and child…
Thus this enigmatic warrior might well turn out to really be the long, thought-lost Emperor Sovereign of the ancient dragons—a lost patriarch to his clan and Zi Yan’s unknown ancestral tether.
“That was likely the motive all the murder attempts upon me…” He murmured realizing now the implications. His blood bore traces gifted from her once—an inheritance that likely drew this man’s ire originally as his sensing through that gift mistimed, mistood.
Zi’s visage didn’t warm easily to this truth even though the emotional tremors beneath surfaced clearly: “I was orphaned from the start. No father. No mother,” her chilly voice replied, tinged faintly wistfully, revealing perhaps some unacknowledged sorrows.
Sighing internally as if remembering an innocent lost child he’d discovered, Xiao Yan thought to those past hardships. Once she’d remained in hidden deep parts unknown, alone, in the corners known as Heijo Wastes, a child prodigious in power yet left untethered. Then she’d mistakenly eaten some raw transformation-grass before being finally discovered and adopted by Elder Su Qian into the academy’s inner chamber. Even then she’d remained largely alone. Only when he crossed paths did she finally discover bonds like friends.
In recollection of those distant, painful origins of this little dragon-mother’s child—the once ever-eager and sharp girl harboring secrets hidden even today brought sudden warm sting to many onlookers’ eyes, unspoken yet understood.
Still the violet-haired woman maintained her proud stance, her soft tone wavering subtly under the weight as the words spilled free: “The dream I cherished the most… was one with you in its picture.”
“My child… I—I made mistakes, failed…” Seeing the tearful moisture within her shimmering eyes—the formidable golden-haired male’s once-stone expression collapsed—nervously advancing his hand. “Please don’t cry, my child. It’s my fault… whatever you ask of this humble old guardian, your will reigns. Swear to it if not believed…”
Witnessing what stood as an iconic world-faming terror suddenly becoming a clumsy, stuttering patriarch lost at soothing tears made Xiao Yan inward breathe free.
His tenderness for her must run deep.
Surroundings turned silent as confusion gripped everyone else’s minds; no one comprehended fully what they were witnessing here… except perhaps for elders behind her who gazed, their minds stunned by one realization taking root slowly into awed disbelief.
Softly sniffling delicately through an emotionally caught-up gaze—the tear-laced, red-tipped eyes met the fidgeting middle-aged figure once fearsome now endearingly hesitant, her slender hand raised slowly pointing in distant Hun’s figure. A quivering but determined question wavered out: “Can you kill him at least?”
The middle-aged male’s surprise faded, and then he nodded firmly: “Yes!”—before his once warm golden irises reignited with merciless killing rage.
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