Time passed relentlessly in the silent cave. Day after day, week after week, month after month, and finally, year after year. Huanglong Zun did not leave. She remained by Chen Ming's side, caring for him with unimaginable patience for a majestic dragon. She cleaned Chen Ming's wounds, ensured his body stayed warm amidst the cold of the cave, and occasionally channeled a little pure Qi from her own body into Chen Ming's Half-Dragon Meridians, trying to stabilize and sustain the young man's life.
She observed every change in Chen Ming. The Half-Dragon Meridians pulsed with strange energy, sometimes emitting a faint golden glow, sometimes radiating a mysterious white light. Chen Ming's face, though pale, appeared increasingly perfect over time, as if his body continued to evolve even in sleep, radiating an aura that was increasingly difficult to define. Huanglong Zun, who initially only saw Chen Ming as a lowly, troublesome mortal, slowly began to see something else. The young man's strangeness, which had once enraged her, now became a source of deep curiosity. That essence bond, which initially felt like a curse, slowly transformed into something she couldn't ignore, a thread of destiny binding her to this mortal, an unexpected fate.
Ten years passed.
On a cool morning on Golden Dragon Peak, a thin mist still enveloped the rock peaks. Inside the cave, Huanglong Zun, who had now fully accustomed to her beautiful human form, sat cross-legged beside Chen Ming, her golden eyes fixed on the young man's serene face. Her golden hair flowed beautifully, shimmering faintly under the dim light of the pool.
"It's been ten years, Chen Ming," she whispered, her voice now softer, more human, yet still possessing a faint resonance of majesty, the Dragon's Echo. "You have slept too long. I have been waiting for you. I have contemplated my defeat, and I have learned much. Wake up. I have many questions for you, my strange life companion."
Huanglong Zun rose, deciding to look for some rare spiritual fruits around the cave for herself. She carried a small basket, walking slowly among the rocks.
Suddenly, amidst the silence of the cave, filled only by the sound of dripping water, Chen Ming's unconscious body began to float slowly. A dazzling golden light emanated from his body, not an ordinary light from this world, but a light that felt like it originated from a much higher realm, as if the deity itself had just awakened. The light illuminated the entire cave, making Huanglong Zun, who had just returned with a basket of fruits, gasp, her steps halting.
Chen Ming's eyes, which had been tightly closed for a decade, suddenly opened. His pupils were no longer black, but completely white, emitting a blinding flash of sacred light, an awakening that seemed to shake the heavens. His body trembled for a moment in the air, then...
Thud!
He fell to the cave floor with a loud sound, landing in a most ungraceful position.
"Ouch, my... my butt hurts so much!" Chen Ming groaned, his voice hoarse but full of surprise. He tried to get up, rubbing his backside. "Huh? I'm awake again? Thought I was dead, hahaha!" An awkward and slightly hysterical laugh escaped his lips. He looked around, his body felt light, and he realized that he was fully recovered. His hair was now long and flowing, jet black but with a faint golden shimmer, and his face... his face felt even more captivating than before, far beyond mortal beauty, radiating an aura he couldn't define.
At that very moment, Huanglong Zun, who had just returned to the cave mouth with a basket full of spiritual fruits, was shocked to see the scene before her. The basket in her hand slipped, and the rare spiritual fruits fell to the cave floor with a Thud! that broke the silence. She felt as if she was seeing a mighty being who had just awakened, with a strong and proportional body, an incredibly beautiful face, long shimmering hair, fully recovered and now even more captivating, radiating an aura she couldn't define.
Chen Ming, hearing the sound of falling fruit, turned. His white eyes saw an incredibly beautiful figure standing at the cave entrance, golden hair flowing, golden eyes radiating majesty.
"Haaa... who is that?" Chen Ming mumbled, confused yet mesmerized. Somehow, Chen Ming, who was in the cave, having just woken up from a ten-year coma, was now looking at an incredibly beautiful figure. His heart pounded rapidly, Thump-thump-thump!! as if boiling water was in his chest, his face flushed with awe. In his heart, Chen Ming screamed: W-w-who is she? Why is she so beautiful? My heart is going to burst! Am I going to die ridiculously from a heart attack after surviving a dragon?!
From Huanglong Zun's perspective, she also felt the same. Her golden eyes widened, staring at Chen Ming with a face full of unexpected enchantment and admiration. W-w-why is he so captivating? I've nursed him for 10 years, he wasn't like this! Did he just awaken and his appearance changed drastically? My heart is pounding like lightning striking! Thump-thump-thump!!
At the same time, far away on the Tian Xuan Continent, a subtle yet significant energy vibration spread among the great guardians of the Four Directions. They felt something strange, a change in one of them.
In the northern region shrouded in eternal ice, on the peak of Snow Phoenix Mountain, the Great Phoenix, Guardian of the North, who was bathing in blue spiritual flames, suddenly opened her eyes. Her sapphire blue feathers stood erect, and the flames around her rustled restlessly.
"Krrraaaakk!" A sharp shriek escaped her beak, not a shriek of anger, but a shriek of profound surprise. "Huanglong Zun's energy... drastically weakened?! And a strange bond has formed?! What happened in the East?! This... this has never happened before!" The vibration was so strong that it shattered several ice crystals around her nest.
In the depths of the ancient southern swamps, beneath the shadows of giant trees, the Black Tortoise, Guardian of the South, who was meditating at the bottom of a spiritual lake, suddenly felt his shell tremble violently. His ancient eyes slowly opened, radiating thousands of years of wisdom.
"Grumph..." A heavy, deep sound escaped his throat, stirring the lake water. "Huanglong Zun's energy... disturbed. And a trace of essence is missing. What... what could disturb the Golden Dragon to this extent? An unexpected anomaly shaking the foundations of balance!" The energy wave from the east felt like a ripple disturbing the tranquility of his meditation, far beyond ordinary disturbance.
On the vast and wind-swept western plains, on the peak of White Tiger Mountain, the Sacred White Tiger, Guardian of the West, who was sharpening his claws on a jade stone, suddenly stopped. His perfect white fur stood erect, and his sharp eyes radiated a fierce glint.
"Rrrrooaarr!" A low growl, full of surprise and anger, escaped his throat, shaking the surrounding rocks. "Huanglong Zun's aura... drastically weakened! And there's an impure bond! Who dares to harm the Eastern Guardian?! I will tear them apart! This is an insult to the Four Directions!" His anger triggered a small sandstorm that swirled around him.
The three of them, the great Guardians, were shocked and uneasy. The change in Huanglong Zun, and the existence of that strange essence bond, was something they had never experienced in the long history of Tian Xuan Continent.
However, in a much higher realm, in the Immortal Realm, at the center of all existence, Qilin, the Central Sovereign, who was lying on a cloud of fortune, only opened one of his wise eyes. Cosmic light danced around his majestic body.
"Hmph. How weak you are, Huanglong Zun," he mumbled, his voice calm, yet full of authority and a hint of... mockery. He showed no surprise, no concern. Just a cold assessment. "Too long you have dwelled in arrogance. Perhaps it is time for a change. That strange power... interesting, very interesting."
Qilin closed his eyes again, returning to his eternal meditation, as if the disturbances in the mortal world were merely small ripples in a vast pond. He knew, destiny had turned, and something new had been born on Golden Dragon Peak.