Chapter 9: The Forbidden Wilderness
Wind whispered through the shattered forest, carrying the smell of ash and ozone. Trees lay splintered and scorched, their bark blackened from the storm's lingering fury.
Amid the wreckage, Ren Yu stirred.
He lay half-buried under fallen branches, his body aching as though he'd been struck by thunder itself. Golden light flickered beneath his skin, then dimmed again as he forced himself upright. His vision blurred before settling on the strange, otherworldly landscape before him.
The wilderness was nothing like the Qinghe he knew. The ground shimmered faintly with spiritual energy — rivers glowing like liquid moonlight, trees humming with life, beasts moving in the shadows whose eyes gleamed with intelligence.
A faint whisper echoed in his mind.
"The seal has brought you home."
Ren Yu pressed a hand to his temple. "Who… are you?"
"The one you call the Golden Dragon. But this place is not memory — it is exile. The fragments of our world, sealed away from mortal eyes."
He staggered to his feet, staring around in disbelief. "Exile? You mean—this is part of the lost Dynasty Realm?"
"The remnants of it," the voice answered. "A sanctuary woven between worlds. Only those who carry the veins of the dragon can step within."
Ren Yu exhaled slowly, realization dawning. "Then the Array didn't kill me. It forced open the seal."
"Indeed. And now, you stand at the edge of awakening. But beware — this realm feeds on your spirit. Every step forward draws you closer to the core… and closer to the truth of what you are."
He walked until night fell, guided by faint currents of energy that led toward the heart of the wilderness. The deeper he went, the heavier the air grew — filled with unseen pressure that tested his endurance.
Finally, he reached a wide clearing surrounded by towering crystal obelisks. Each one pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat, glowing with the same golden hue that marked his veins.
As he stepped into the center, the obelisks hummed louder.A spectral form emerged — the outline of a dragon coiling lazily through the air, translucent yet majestic.
Ren Yu bowed instinctively. "Are you the true spirit?"
The dragon's eyes, molten gold, studied him for a long moment.
"You bear my blood and my burden. But power alone is not inheritance. You must remember who you were."
"Remember?" Ren Yu frowned. "I don't—"
The dragon extended a claw, touching his forehead. The world dissolved again.
He was standing on a stone terrace high above endless clouds.Before him, warriors in ornate robes knelt as a young man raised a blazing spear toward the heavens — the same face as Ren Yu's, yet older, fiercer.
"Ren Tianlong," the dragon's voice echoed. "My chosen vessel, who defied heaven to seal the rift between realms."
Ren Yu watched in stunned silence as his ancestor drove the spear into the sky.A gate of light opened — beyond it, chaos: writhing shadows, roaring beasts, rivers of pure destructive qi.
Ren Tianlong's expression was both sorrowful and resolute.
"If the dragon's might endures, mankind will never be free. I seal the veins… until they find a successor strong enough to balance both blood and will."
The gate closed, and the vision ended in silence.
Ren Yu gasped as he returned to the clearing. The dragon spirit loomed above him again.
"Now you know. The power within you was never meant to dominate, but to protect balance. To wield it, you must face yourself."
A ripple passed through the air — and from the shadows stepped another Ren Yu.But this one's eyes glowed pure gold, his aura wild and burning. His grin was cold. "Balance? Or weakness? You've seen what the world does to those who hesitate."
Ren Yu's heart clenched. "You're the part of me that wants power at any cost."
"Call it what you will," the echo replied, drawing a blade of light. "Only strength matters. Without it, your family will fall again. Your city will burn. Your so-called allies will betray you."
The ground cracked as the two charged each other.
Steel met steel. Sparks erupted like tiny suns. The echo fought with reckless abandon, every strike heavy with killing intent.Ren Yu countered, but each parry sent pain up his arm. The force was monstrous — it felt like fighting the dragon itself.
"Why hold back?" the echo sneered. "Unleash it! Let the dragon consume you!"
Ren Yu's aura flared, golden light swirling into a storm. For a moment, the world trembled — but then he stopped, breathing hard, lowering his weapon.
"I don't need to consume it," he said quietly. "I'll make it mine."
The echo froze. Golden threads began to unravel from its form, drawn back into Ren Yu's body. The storm faded.
When it was over, the dragon spirit bowed its great head slightly.
"At last, the blood and soul are one."
Ren Yu's eyes glowed faintly as energy flowed through him — calm, powerful, whole.A new technique formed instinctively in his mind: Dragon Vein Art, Second Form — Heart of Balance.
The dragon's voice grew distant.
"Leave this realm. The world beyond calls again. The storm has not ended… it only sleeps."
The wilderness dissolved into light.
Return to the Mortal Realm
When Ren Yu opened his eyes, dawn had just broken over a mountain ridge. The ruins of the Council Tower were a faint silhouette far below.
He flexed his fingers, feeling the quiet hum of energy running perfectly in sync with his heartbeat. The once-wild power now flowed like a river — steady, strong, alive.
He looked toward the city and smiled faintly. "Qinghe… I'm coming back."
Somewhere behind him, faint footprints glowed in the dirt — not his own, but Lira's.
She had been here.
He turned north, the rising sun reflecting in his eyes like molten gold.
"No more hiding," Ren Yu murmured. "It's time to uncover the truth behind the Council — and finish what my ancestor began."