The golden radiance of the spiritual river had long vanished. The tomb, once brimming with powerful artifacts, glowing herbs, and dense spirit qi, now stood empty—its treasures absorbed, its silence heavy with finality.
Long Tianyan sat in meditation, eyes slowly opening after ten days of transformative cultivation. His aura had undergone a complete metamorphosis. No longer a mere outer sect disciple, he now stood at the 1st Layer of the Heavenly Passage Realm, his qi flow stable and fierce. Two dragon souls rested deep within his sea of consciousness—Azureflame and the newly awakened Crimson Abyss Dragon Soul, their roars resonating with ancient might.
The tomb still echoed faint remnants of the battles and sacrifices that had taken place here countless years ago.
Tianyan stood and looked around, then calmly asked, "Azureflame King… how were you buried inside the forbidden area of my sect?"
A low rumble resonated in his mind as the dragon soul stirred.
"When I was nearing the end of my life," said the voice of the Azureflame King, filled with a weary but noble pride, "I came to this land and sealed myself here. This tomb may lie beneath your sect's forbidden ground… but it exists in a different space, a pocket realm I personally carved out."
Tianyan's brow furrowed. "A separate space?"
"Indeed," the dragon replied. "Even a Venerable Realm cultivator cannot sense this space unless they possess the essence of a true dragon. Back then, I was already at the half-step Immortal Realm. I created this tomb with my remaining strength, though… my foundation had long been damaged."
There was a pause.
"I fought two human cultivators," Azureflame King continued. "Both at the peak of the Venerable Realm. I killed one and gravely injured the other, but their last strike crippled my soul foundation. I could no longer ascend, nor heal. So I chose to rest."
Tianyan remained silent, his heart stirred by the story. To think such an existence lay hidden under the sect for ten thousand years.
"What about the two dragons guarding your tomb?"
"They are my loyal followers," said the King. "Both were once at the 7th Layer of the Venerable Realm. But due to spending so many years in this sealed space, their cultivation has weakened. Once they leave and reconnect with the world's qi, they will recover quickly."
As he finished speaking, a surge of draconic power rippled through the tomb. With a flare of blue flame, the two dragons from the entrance appeared once more, their vast bodies shimmering with restored strength.
The Azureflame King's soul took form one last time, rising before the three of them like a flame-etched silhouette. His gaze turned to his two loyal subordinates.
"From this moment onward," he declared solemnly, "You are to follow Long Tianyan. Protect him with your lives. His bloodline is of a rank even I cannot identify… and the potential he holds surpasses all predictions."
The two dragons, their massive heads bowed low, roared in unison, "We obey, My King!"
Tianyan's expression shifted slightly. "Why me?"
"Because your soul resonates with the truth of the dragon race," Azureflame King said. "Because you are the one destined to awaken all nine Primordial Dragon Souls. And because I see no hesitation in you—only resolve."
The dragon's voice grew weaker.
"My soul will now fade completely. This tomb… its treasures, and its strength, are yours. But more importantly, I entrust you with a will—to bring glory back to the ancient bloodlines."
As the last echo of his words faded, the form of the Azureflame King shimmered and then disappeared completely, his soul scattering like stardust across the tomb.
A long silence followed.
Then, with a soft pulse of space, a rift opened. The ground beneath their feet shifted, and before Tianyan could react, he, along with the two guardian dragons, were expelled from the pocket realm.
With a soft hum, they reappeared within the Verdant Mist Sect's forbidden grounds, standing amidst the mist-covered stones and ancient trees. The spiritual pressure here was high, but compared to the tomb, it felt like the calm after a storm.
The two dragons—now in their human forms—stood behind Tianyan. One was tall and clad in white robes, hair tied neatly behind, and eyes like molten sapphire. The other wore black battle robes, his gaze sharper, colder, yet respectful.
"You are our lord now," the one in white said. "What shall we call ourselves?"
Tianyan turned toward them. "Names matter less than loyalty. But if you must—use the names you bore before."
The black-robed dragon answered, "I am Yanlong, and he is Bailong."
Tianyan nodded, then looked toward the sky, where the mist began to part, the faint light of daybreak filtering through.
The tomb was behind him now, and a new chapter had begun. But even as his steps returned toward the known world, his heart was different.
The weight of ancient bloodlines.
The power of two dragon souls.
And the loyalty of two Venerable dragons who now walked behind him as protectors.
Everything had changed.