"This is… Dan Heng when he was young?"
In the underwater purgatory, Ao Guang stared in astonishment at the screen showing Dan Heng clutching his forehead, his expression pained. "He's… the Dragon Sovereign?"
Ao Qin swam over from the side, snorting with disdain. "Big brother, have you forgotten? Though the Vidyadhara are descendants of the [Aeon of Permanence], those who can transform into dragons are exceedingly rare. Dan Heng has been traveling alongside Stelle all this time—where's even the slightest trace of a Dragon Sovereign in him?"
"In my opinion, Dan Heng is indeed a Vidyadhara… but at the end of the day, he's just an ordinary one, far from being a Dragon Sovereign by a thousand miles!"
"Hmm…" Ao Qin's words made some sense, but Ao Guang still shook his head, skeptical. "What if Dan Heng has some hidden power he hasn't used yet?"
"Big brother, have you forgotten the scene when Stelle and the others faced Cocolia and the Creation Engine?"
Ao Shun chimed in from the side. "At that moment, Stelle was pierced through the chest by Cocolia's spear. In such a critical, life-or-death situation, if he had any hidden power, wouldn't he have used it? What kind of person would hold back when their companion's life is at stake?"
"Is it that Dan Heng didn't want to save anyone? Clearly, he didn't have the strength to spare!"
"Hm…" Ao Guang finally nodded. "That makes sense."
Though this reasoning convinced Ao Guang, he couldn't help but remain curious. What exactly would a Dragon Sovereign look like? Although Dan Heng had never shown any signs of the Dragon Sovereign's power from beginning to end, Ao Guang still greatly admired the young man's calm demeanor, as steady as "Mount Tai collapsing before him without changing expression," and his almost divine spearmanship.
[Dan Heng continued forward. When he reached the seaside, he saw two blue phantoms standing by the railing, gazing out at the distant sea.]
[Old man's voice: "The cauldrons built with the help of the Vidyadhara all contain the art of cloudhymn. The young master can use this to gain further insight…"]
[Young boy's voice: "Is that so? I can control water without relying on mechanisms. What's the use of insight?"]
[Old man's voice: "Ah, you are the chosen one, with limitless potential, but the art of cloudhymn is, after all, the foundation…"]
["Vidyadhara mirages… these shadows of the past still haven't dissipated?" Dan Heng shook his head. "These memories… no, these matters have nothing to do with me anymore."]
[Dan Heng pressed forward, and along the path, he saw two more phantoms, resembling children.]
[Young girl's voice: "They say you're the reincarnation of a true dragon. Is it true?"]
[Young boy's voice: "Hmph…"]
["Dragon…" The word seemed to strike Dan Heng's heart like a heavy blow, a flicker of sorrow passing through his eyes. "The me of today has already been exiled from the Xianzhou. I am no longer a descendant of the [Aeon of Permanence]…"]
[Arriving at the seaside, Dan Heng encountered a mirage that had been waiting for him for a long time. Unlike the other shadows, this one could actually communicate with him.]
[Woman's voice: "This surging power… You are… the Dragon Sovereign has returned."]
[Woman's voice: "Something terrible is happening in Scalegorge Waterscape. Please, do not proceed further. Your enemy… your enemy is waiting for you."]
["I'm sorry, I can't stay here. My friends have already left, and I must catch up to them," Dan Heng said without hesitation.]
["You're still as stubborn as ever, unwilling to listen to us… just like back then," the woman's voice sighed. "Very well, then. The boat to Scalegorge Waterscape is by the shore. Please board it."]
——
Ragnarok
"True dragon…"
In the VIP lounge for the divine side, Hades, the King of the Underworld, was patiently observing Dan Heng's every move. As a Western deity, the mention of "dragon" immediately brought to mind the black dragon—Nidhogg—that Odin, that old fool, had once explained to him.
In Norse mythology, Nidhogg ceaselessly gnaws at the roots of the World Tree. When the tree is completely devoured, the Twilight of the Gods will descend.
"…Is it a dragon similar to Nidhogg?"
As Hades pondered, a dazzling golden light from behind suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
The lounge door swung open, and a man with a cola-flavored lollipop in his mouth strolled in. He wore a blue vest adorned with a rabbit pattern, a pair of flashy pink glasses perched on his nose, and his handsome face was filled with a carefree, almost mocking expression.
Faced with the golden Buddha light radiating from behind him, the gods of both East and West in the lounge instinctively squinted.
"Buddha, tone down that Buddha light of yours," Zeus, the King of the Gods, raised a hand. "Showing up this late—are you dissatisfied with something?"
"Oh, not at all," Buddha said, glancing at Hades seated in the luxurious chair. "I just happened to overhear you all discussing Dan Heng's true dragon reincarnation outside, so I couldn't help but come in to say something—"
"…Don't compare your Western crawlers to Eastern dragons."
His words fell like the calm before a storm, silencing the entire meeting room.
The first to break the silence was Göll, one of the thirteen Valkyrie sisters, who couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. "Crawlers… pfft, that name… it's kind of cute."
But she quickly realized the atmosphere was off and hurriedly covered her mouth.
Odin stepped slowly toward Buddha, his aura as the King of the Gods making even the ravens on his shoulders tremble. "So, you're saying you've seen Dan Heng's dragon form? Or perhaps… you've seen the [Aeon of Permanence]?"
"Of course not," Buddha said, spreading his hands.
"Then your basis is…"
"…Intuition."
Buddha lightly tapped his forehead, the smile on his face growing even more unrestrained. "This kind of thing can be guessed with your toes, right? The dragons of the Xianzhou are obviously in the form of Eastern dragons. Those creatures that can't even fly without wings—how could they possibly be worthy of being descendants of the [Aeon of Permanence]?"
——
[Dan Heng boarded the small boat, slowly sailing toward Scalegorge Waterscape.]
[Moments later, Dan Heng finally set foot on this familiar yet unfamiliar land. But he had barely taken two steps in Scalegorge Waterscape when… even through the screen, all the beings across the myriad realms felt an overwhelmingly intense killing intent.]
[In Scalegorge Waterscape, Blade and Kafka stood side by side.]
[Suddenly, Blade spoke. "He's here."]
["Mm, right on time," Kafka's voice was languid, as if she'd grown tired of waiting.]
["…Those emotions are surfacing, Kafka. I can feel it. That feeling again!" Blade clutched his face, a glint of madness gradually appearing in his crimson eyes.]
["Then let it out, 'Mara-Struck'…"]
[Dan Heng had just disembarked when he came face-to-face with Blade and Kafka. But he had come prepared, and seeing Blade again after so long… he wasn't surprised.]
["You're here."]
[It was as if Dan Heng's face had, in some intangible way, eroded Blade's sanity. He suddenly burst into frenzied laughter. "It's time to pay the price! The time has come!!"]
["Did you think changing into this form would let you escape?! Escape…?"]