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Tang Wulin and Nana were separated once again. After their hard-won reunion and the brief time they spent together at Shrek Academy, they were torn apart once more. Tang Wulin was sent to the Federation, as rumors spread that an ancient being had awakened within the Eternal Life Secret Realm and wished to meet him.
Meanwhile, Gu Yuena was imprisoned within the Dragon Valley.
"Lady Silver Dragon King, follow me. Your luck is truly unfortunate—had you not encountered the Dark Dragon King, your face alone would have allowed you to roam freely through the Valley of Ten Thousand Dragons. But now, you've crossed paths with one of the Nine Great Dragon Kings," the Water Dragon King said as she led Nana toward the base of the Nine-Colored Divine Mountain.
A secret seemed to be hidden here.
Gu Yuena had considered fighting back. She and Tang Wulin could fuse their martial souls to briefly summon the Dragon God, and with the Dragon God Core, they might have been able to carve a path to freedom. But all such thoughts shattered the moment she saw the divine ring behind Di Tian. Di Tian had already attained the body of the Dragon God and fully refined the Dragon God Core. The Valley of Ten Thousand Dragons was his domain, and the power of his self-created godhood far surpassed her expectations.
The Golden and Silver Dragon Kings could not even face Di Tian directly—they could only bow their heads in submission.
"My Dragon God divinity is slightly different from the old Dragon God's," Di Tian had explained. "I forged it for the sake of sacrifice. The dragon race is bound by bloodline—I am the pinnacle of their cultivation. As a first-grade god, they can only reach second-grade at most. This is the limitation of bloodline. This is not ideal. They would grovel before the Dragon God's bloodline, before your Silver Dragon bloodline. I do not wish for this. I want to create a dragon race that is free. The master of ten thousand dragons could be the Jade Dragon King, or the Dark Dragon King—so long as they refine their laws to the extreme, they could far surpass the Dragon God in strength. You are the answer, my lady."
"In the future, they will no longer bow before you. The dragon race will only lower their heads to those they truly respect."
Nana recalled the fervent look in Di Tian's eyes. The disappointment in her own gaze grew more pronounced. It seemed she had contributed little to the beast race.
The Beast God Di Tian… he was already dead. He had willingly become his son Lan Xuanyu's spirit soul, recognizing him as the next Dragon God and pledging to serve him for life. It was said that Bi Ji and Zi Ji had also become spirit souls for others. As for the former soul beasts… Xiong Jun's whereabouts were unknown. That Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear had never once yielded to humans.
"This Silver Dragon King… is truly a failure," Nana murmured.
The Water Dragon King glanced at her in surprise and sighed. "I've heard of your story. We are not unfamiliar with the Golden Dragon King, Tang Wulin. It was he who buried the dragon bones for three years. Many dragons remember him with gratitude. But that is all. A human, no matter how he obtained the complete Golden Dragon King bloodline, stole the throne. Three years of burying bones alone cannot earn the recognition of the entire dragon race."
"This is also why His Majesty did not directly kill him. The debt from burying bones in the past has been repaid with his life today. This is karma!" The Water Dragon King cheerfully explained.
"Was that… what that person said? Karma?" Nana suddenly asked.
"Yes! Let me tell you, it's best not to speak ill of that person in front of the dragon race. Otherwise, they might go mad. The Federation is another matter—aside from the current higher-ups, few remember that person's name. Only the legends of the Immortal Lord and the Demon Lord remain."
"We're here!"
The Water Dragon King led Nana to a sealed stone gate. With a hand seal, the gate's restrictions slowly opened, revealing what lay within.
Inside was a cavern, shaped like a depression. The aura of the Dragon God permeated every inch of the space, even staining the stones with a nine-colored radiance.
At the center stood the towering Ascending Dragon Pillar.
Faint shadows flickered around it—some of dragons, some of humans.
"This is where dragons receive their education. Unlike humans, we cannot hold lectures, so His Majesty designated this place as a forbidden ground. Every newborn pure-blooded dragon must cultivate here for ten years. Here—this is the history of Douluo."
Nana was stunned. The Water Dragon King bore no malice toward her. She had expected to be locked in a dark dungeon, awaiting rescue, but instead, she had been brought here.
"Additionally, there are some ideological texts here. We requested them from the Federation, made some modifications, and placed them here. True dragons cannot cultivate in this place, nor do they have any entertainment. They can only read. After ten years, their ideological understanding is tested. And finally… the most important part is here."
The Water Dragon King led her to a corner where space was unstable, shadows overlapping, giving a distorted impression.
"This is said to be the former Dragon Tomb, the place where that person first revealed the secrets of the old Dragon God. Back then, he collaborated with the Plane's Will. After the Plane's Will became the Plane's Master, it engraved his image into the Douluo Continent. Here, you can witness that person's true form with your own eyes! And you can hear his true name!"
The Water Dragon King channeled divine power, intensifying the distortion in the air before it smoothed into a series of images.
"Bai Xu… Heaven is unjust, the Divine Realm unforgiving. All of us dragons are buried here. This is an ironclad fact—how could it be wrong?"
In the image, Gu Yue and Na'er stood side by side, with the Dragon God's soul behind them. Opposite them stood a rather ordinary-looking man—Bai Xu. At that time, Bai Xu's appearance was unremarkable, neither as adorable as Tang Wulin nor as peerless as the present-day Lan Xuanyu.
Yet, Gu Yue and Na'er's eyes held unmistakable longing for Bai Xu. Nana saw it clearly.
As Bai Xu's words echoed, Nana staggered back in shock, nearly collapsing.
"What nonsense! Are you saying the dragon race's downfall was caused by the Dragon God? Impossible! The memories I inherited contain no such scene!"
The Water Dragon King did not refute her, instead solemnly watching the memory. Di Tian had been kneeling nearby, trembling. In the end, Gu Yue and Na'er fused into Gu Yuena and left with Bai Xu.
The scene should have ended there, but suddenly, Bai Xu's shadow did not dissipate. His gaze seemed to carry profound meaning, crossing from ten thousand years ago to the present, fixed intently on the Water Dragon King. He did not speak.
"!!!"
The Water Dragon King paled and immediately bowed. "My Lord… have you returned? Will you not come back? Our dragon race… wishes to thank you for your grace of rebirth."
Bai Xu did not respond, as if he could not hear her. Instead, he curiously approached Nana, studying her.
This was the first time Nana had seen Bai Xu so closely. It was as if the distortions of time had projected the past into the present.
Finally, Bai Xu's gaze flickered toward a corner before his shadow dispersed, the divine power exhausted.
"Phew! Dad's finally gone! That scared me!"
From the corner, Bai Yue suddenly appeared, skipping forward cheerfully, followed by Bi Ji.
"Young Lady… was that phenomenon your doing?" Bi Ji asked.
"I don't know. Maybe Father left his Heavens of Transformation and wants to drag me back! Ahhh! Aunt Bi Ji, I don't want to go back!" Bai Yue clung to Bi Ji's leg, panicked.
"Don't worry, Young Lady."
The two approached, and the Water Dragon King bowed. "Greetings, Dragon Queen. Greetings, Young Lady."
Bi Ji nodded, then looked at Nana. "My Lady… it has been ten thousand years."
A sigh laden with sorrow. Though this was not the original Lady, still…
"My Lady… Bi Ji, I am unworthy of that title. I do not deserve to be your Lady." Nana's eyes were filled with guilt and self-reproach. Here, only Bi Ji had called her "Lady" sincerely.
"I've heard your story. You married Tang Wulin." Bi Ji said. "He must be a gentle man, to have won your heart so completely. With the Golden Dragon King bloodline, he is certainly a worthy match."
Nana did not know how to respond, silently nodding.
This was the first time she had ever felt like a prisoner.
Bi Ji sighed softly. "Since you've chosen him, walk your path with conviction. No matter the outcome, at least… you loved fiercely."
"Love? What's love, Aunt Bi Ji?" Bai Yue asked curiously.
Bi Ji smiled. "You'll have to ask your mother about that. Back then… she was brave enough to declare her love for His Majesty in her youth!"
Bai Yue gasped. "Mother said no early romance! At least wait until eighteen!"
"By the way, Young Lady, have you met anyone you fancy during your travels?" Bi Ji teased.
Bai Yue shook her head. "No. The people here are interesting, but… something feels missing. Like my second brother—always talking about proving his path, dominating the world. He left to train in other universes ages ago, and Second Mother never stops him."
"Second Mother…" Nana caught the odd term. Earlier, Bai Yue had mentioned having three mothers, which Nana had dismissed as a joke. But now, it seemed true.
Could Gu Yuena, Gu Yue, and Na'er coexist?
"Little girl, you said your second mother is…?" Nana asked cautiously.
"I already told you! Second Mother's name is Gu Yue!"
Whoosh!
A gust howled through the cavern as space distorted once more, forming Bai Xu's silhouette.
This time, three women stood behind him, overlooking something. For the first time, all three appeared before Nana's eyes.
"How… is this possible?"
---
Douluo Federation.
Central Hall.
Tang Wulin had been delivered here, his bloodline sealed by the Dragon God, rendering him powerless. Standing in the desolate hall, he felt a creeping dread.
Suddenly, laughter echoed. "They really look identical, don't they?"
"Enough chatter. Remember our stance!"
"Ow! Stop pinching me! It's been thousands of years!"
The voices were unmistakable to Tang Wulin—this was Xie Xie!
His heart pounded. "Xie Xie… is that you?"
"Caught me. Ten thousand years… Wow, Boss, long time no see! So nostalgic!"
Xie Xie leaped out from the shadows, unchanged by time, followed by Yuanen Yehui.
Tang Wulin moved to embrace them but found himself unable to approach.
Xie Xie grinned. "Let's just catch up and then we'll go."
The unfamiliar coldness in his tone froze Tang Wulin's blood.
"Boss, no offense, but you might not even beat me now. How did you think you could sneak into the Valley of Ten Thousand Dragons? There are plenty of divine beasts there stronger than me!" Xie Xie sighed.
"I didn't know how things had developed here. I underestimated it."
"Tsk."
"Ten thousand years, and you're still alive." Yuanen's tone was icy, unlike the Yuanen Yehui he remembered.
"Yuanen…"
"Meeting again after so long… it's bittersweet. In this world, we lived ten thousand years while you perished. In another world, you lived while we died." Yuanen said.