The night had grown deep. The footsteps outside the tent gradually faded, and the sentries changed shift after shift. The newcomers stepped more lightly on the loose gravel, likely trying not to disturb the injured like Xuan Xi. Elsa’s tent had gone completely quiet—Veralis had probably fallen asleep, and Elsa had stopped making noise as well. Reggie’s snoring continued, long and short, with a steady rhythm.
Xuan Xi lay in her sleeping bag, her bandaged right arm resting outside. SigrdrÃfa lay beside her, silver-white hair spread across the ground mat, breathing shallowly. The two of them weren’t holding hands tonight—an unusual break—each staying in their own sleeping bag. Her right shoulder still ached, and the pain in her abdomen hadn’t faded, but it was much better than before. The Wolf Family’s healing potion was genuinely effective. The liquid had seeped into the wound, and it was now radiating a slight warmth—the body’s response as it repaired itself.
Her consciousness began to blur. With spiritual energy depleted, blood loss, and multiple injuries, her body no longer had enough strength to maintain wakefulness. Xuan Xi closed her eyes, and darkness surged up. Nothing remained. Everything dissolved into nothingness.
Then she heard the sound of water—water coming from within her own body. Spiritual energy flowed through her meridians like an underground river that had slept for ages, finally breaking through the surface and surging forth. She stood in a vast emptiness. No ground beneath her feet, no sky above her head. Only endless darkness and a faint light in the distance.
“Ying’er.”
Xuan Xi whipped her head around. The light was approaching her. Within it stood a figure—with the same ink-blue hair, the same amber-gold eyes. But different: the Destiny Marks beneath her right eye were far more numerous than Xuan Xi’s.
“You are… Mother?” Xuan Xi’s voice echoed through the void.
Ao Lan gazed at her, the amber-gold eyes reflecting Xuan Xi’s image. She nodded slightly.
“Child, you’ve grown up.” Her voice was soft, as if carried from a great distance.
Xuan Xi tried to walk toward her, but her feet wouldn’t lift. Something was binding her—this void refused to let her move. She could only stand in place, watching her mother stand within that distant light.
“I don’t have much time.” Ao Lan’s voice lowered. “The spiritual energy in this jade pendant is only enough to sustain this one conversation. So, Ying’er, listen carefully.”
She stepped forward, the light moving with her. Her face, seven parts similar to Xuan Xi’s own, appeared strikingly clear in the soft glow. Her Destiny Marks outnumbered Xuan Xi’s, stretching from the corners of her eyes down to her cheekbones and then to her jawline, each one carved with the marks of time.
“Three hundred years ago, the Azure Dragon Dynasty fell into civil war,” Ao Lan spoke steadily. “By all rights, the Azure Dragon direct line had been passed down for millennia—there shouldn’t have been any misstep. But that year, the three Dragon Kings, swayed by some unknown influence, all rose up at once. Using the excuse that the Dragon Emperor was old and senile, they demanded a division of power and autonomy. When the Dragon Emperor refused, they raised their armies.”
Xuan Xi watched her, her fingers clenching. Her nails dug into her palms, but there was no pain—this dream held none.
“The northern, western, and southern Dragon Kings joined forces to besiege the royal capital. The Eastern Azure Dragon was the only king who refused to rebel. He held the passage at all costs, buying the Dragon Emperor three months of time. Three months later, he fell in battle atop the eastern border walls.” Ao Lan’s voice paused. “His death bought the Dragon Emperor’s bloodline three days to retreat.”
“Three days?”
“Yes. Three days later, the Dragon Emperor ordered the city abandoned. All direct-line descendants were scattered and evacuated—save whoever could be saved.” Ao Lan’s eyes closed, as if recalling something, then opened again. “I carried you out through the palace’s underground tunnels. Pursuers at our heels, I ran with you in my arms for three days and three nights. I didn’t dare stop. I couldn’t stop. The seal on you was placed by my own hand—right here in Echo Valley’s stone forest. I spent three days and three nights sealing the Azure Dragon direct line’s bloodline power into your Destiny Marks.”
“Why?”
“Because without the seal, the pursuers would sense your aura. Once the golden eyes of the Azure Dragon direct line revealed themselves, they could be detected from a hundred miles away.” Ao Lan looked at Xuan Xi, an indescribable expression in her amber-gold eyes—something deeper, something far more complex. “I sealed your bloodline and entrusted you to an ordinary Western Dragon blacksmith. He became your adoptive father—Hellas. Though he’s nobody important, just a common blacksmith, I believed he would take good care of you.” Ao Lan’s throat tightened.
“Mother failed you. I couldn’t watch you grow up, couldn’t teach you to wield the Azure Dragon’s power, couldn’t even bring you home.” A tremor finally entered Ao Lan’s voice. “But Mother believes in you, because you are my daughter.”
“The World-Destroying Black Dragon—Nidhogg’s seal has weakened.” Ao Lan’s voice steadied once more. “Nine hundred years ago, the masters of the dragon, beast, elf, and human races joined forces to seal him deep within the Storm Sea. But nine hundred years later, that alliance exists in name only. The beast tribe has withdrawn from the guardians. The elves have closed their forest passages. The human kingdoms wage war everywhere, spreading nothing but slaughter. Even we dragons have split completely into eastern and western factions, with no contact between us. Only we Eastern Dragons remain to maintain the seal alone. But after the civil war three hundred years ago, the Eastern Dragons were severely weakened. The seal won’t hold much longer. If Nidhogg returns to the world, everything will be destroyed—and our Azure Dragon clan is the key to suppressing the seal.”
Her eyes fixed on Xuan Xi, golden pupils reflecting her daughter’s face.
“The golden eyes inherent to the Azure Dragon bloodline are the core of the seal. The day all nine Destiny Marks fully awaken is the day the Azure Dragon returns to its rightful place. When that time comes, you must return to the Eastern Dragon Domain, reclaim the Dragon Emperor’s throne, and rally the races of the world to reinforce the seal. This is the responsibility of the Azure Dragon direct line. It is also the reason Mother fought to keep you alive.” She extended her hand, her fingertip tapping the void. Xuan Xi’s collar lit up—two jade pendants glowing simultaneously. No, three. A third emerged from the light, ink-blue in color, finally slotting into the groove between the yin-yang faces.
“This is the last vestige of spiritual energy I left in the pendant—the final missing piece. Now it is complete, and it is time for it to return to you.”
The third key embedded itself into the pendant’s groove, forming a perfect circle. Dragon patterns rose from the jade’s surface, coiling through the clouds, five claws spread wide. The Azure Dragon was finally whole. Xuan Xi’s right cheek suddenly burned. A fifth Destiny Mark emerged from beneath her skin—dark gold—aligning with the four before it. Under Ao Lan’s push, the seal loosened another layer. Her bloodline was awakening.
Ao Lan’s figure began to fade. The ink-blue light dispersed, piece by piece.
“Mother!” Xuan Xi lunged forward, but her feet still wouldn’t lift.
Ao Lan looked at her, a bitter smile forming as tears streamed down her face. “Ying’er, live. Return to the Eastern Dragon Domain and save the world. This is our clan’s duty.”
The ink-blue light vanished completely. The void plunged back into darkness. Only the complete jade pendant at Xuan Xi’s collar still glowed, gently tapping against her chest with a faint, crisp sound.
She opened her eyes. Something was trickling down her face—warm, ticklish. She raised her hand to touch it. It wasn’t until her fingertips met her cheek that she realized she was crying. She didn’t know when it had started. Perhaps when her mother said, “Mother failed you.” Perhaps when that ink-blue light vanished completely.