Midnight.The wind howled like a chorus of ghosts, sweeping across the nine-tiered eaves of the Astronomical Bureau.
The stone-carved Chao Feng beasts crouching beneath the corners of the roof let out what sounded like low, tormented wails in the gale.
Rows of bronze bells hanging from the eaves suddenly began to tremble in unison, without warning—Ding-ling-ling—!The sharp, frantic clamor tore apart the dead silence of the night.
Inside the Hall of Celestial Secrets, Feng Yu's thin, bony fingers clenched tight around the cold, weighty jade gui tablet in his hand.
The carved turtle-shell patterns on the tablet were sharp and raised, biting deep into his palm. Lines of searing red welts marked his flesh, as if blood might soon seep through.
He lifted his head abruptly. His desiccated eyes fixed upon the towering dome above.
There—where the grand celestial map should have been gleaming with constellations and clear lines of astral flow—a thick, surging, living black mist was devouring it whole.
The stars of the Twenty-Eight Mansions flickered weakly, like fireflies thrown into a vat of ink—fading in and out within boundless darkness, their light faint and dying, ready to be snuffed out at any moment.
"Senior Brother!"
A voice pierced the cold stillness of the night, taut with anxiety and unease, echoing from the courtyard outside.
"Have you found anything?!"
Feng Yu's gaze remained fixed on that chaotic, nearly engulfed star map above. Exhaustion weighed on him, but he slowly, heavily shook his head.
His voice was hoarse, rough as sandpaper.
"The heavenly pattern is shrouded… nothing but chaos."
"I cannot see through it."
Before his words even faded, a figure stumbled into the hall, dragging a trail of frost and cold air behind him.
It was Feng Yang—his brow knotted tight, his face steeped in worry so deep it seemed to spill from his once-clear, insightful eyes.
"Can't see through?!"
Feng Yang froze mid-step, his voice rising with disbelief and fear.
"Senior Brother! Then… what are we to do?!"
He rushed forward, gripping Feng Yu's arm with both hands, his knuckles white from strain.
"If this continues—will the thousand-year foundation of Huaxia truly end… in our generation?!"
He drew several deep breaths, trying to calm the turmoil in his chest, but the shadows on his face only deepened, and his voice began to tremble.
"We, the descendants of Fuxi's line, have watched over the fate of Huaxia for generations. Never… never have we seen such an omen!"
"Since that foolish decree to seal the borders, the Imperial Star that represents our national destiny has dimmed day by day—and now… now it's on the verge of being devoured completely by this endless darkness!"
"Our fortune wavers, the road ahead fades… Senior Brother, tell me—how can I possibly remain calm?!"
"Junior Brother," Feng Yu murmured, placing his free hand gently over Feng Yang's trembling ones. His voice was low but steady, carrying a strange power meant to anchor.
"Still your heart."
"Heaven's order has its cycles. Not by our mortal hands can it be forced to turn."
"Still my heart?!" Feng Yang's voice cracked as though a tail had been stepped on. He wrenched free, his chest heaving, eyes bloodshot with fury.
"Senior Brother! At a time like this, you tell me to calm down?!"
His voice rasped with rage and helplessness.
"Look outside! Wolves circle us, tigers watch from afar! To the west—the Bear. On the seas—the Eagle. Which of them doesn't glare hungrily at us?!"
"And that wretched little island nation to the east—those ungrateful descendants who have forgotten their ancestors! Their wolfish ambition is plain as day, their howls the loudest of all!"
"We, the vast and mighty Huaxia—when have we ever suffered such humiliation?! How can I possibly calm myself?! Tell me—how?!"
Feng Yu did not grow angry at his brother's outburst. He merely sighed softly. Beneath his exhaustion, there was no despair—instead, a faint, unfathomable spark flickered within his eyes, as though piercing through the darkness.
"I understand."
"Huaxia stands on the edge of a blade, her fate hanging by a thread."
He paused. His tone sharpened, each word striking like iron.
"But when darkness peaks—light is born."
"When the end comes—rebirth begins."
"The turning point… has appeared."
Feng Yang froze. The torrent of emotion in him faltered, like cold water poured over fire. He looked Feng Yu up and down, uncertain.
"A turning point? Senior Brother… do you truly mean that? You're not just trying to comfort me?"
Feng Yu's expression grew solemn. His gaze seemed to pierce through the churning chaos above, seeing into some distant, unseen future.
"The star map may be in disarray, the omens clouded," he said slowly, his voice echoing through the silent hall with an undeniable gravity."Yet within this boundless chaos… I've caught a trace—of life born from despair."
"What is it?!"
Feng Yang's breath caught; hope flared in his eyes again as he pressed forward.
"Senior Brother! What did you see?!"
Feng Yu lifted his head toward the deepest, darkest void above the dome, as though struggling to converse with some invisible force.
Finally, he drew a long breath, and with all his strength, uttered four heavy words:
"The Rise—of the Hidden—Dragon!"
The words had barely left his mouth when—
CRACK!
A blinding, searing streak of light tore across the heavens, splitting the night open like divine judgment!
It ripped apart the thick, clinging mist that had smothered the star map, scattering the chaos with irresistible force!
"Aaaaargh—!!!"
A dragon's roar exploded through the world—majestic, earth-shattering, echoing from the depths of ancient ages!
The sound pierced through the Bureau's towering halls, ignoring every barrier of space, and in an instant, spread across the entire land of Huaxia—all nine million six hundred thousand square kilometers of it!
"Senior Brother! Look—look!"
Feng Yang trembled uncontrollably, pointing at the celestial dome, his voice hoarse with excitement.
"The Imperial Star! Huaxia's Imperial Star—it's shining again!!"
In the heart of that rift carved by the divine light, the main star of Huaxia—once dim to the brink of extinction—burst forth with an overwhelming golden radiance!
The brilliant light surged like a breaking flood, sweeping through the heavens, driving away every last wisp of stubborn black fog with unstoppable might!
The long-silent stars stirred once more—like a slumbering dragon finally opening its eyes, awakening from the brink of death!
The glow blazed brighter—ever brighter!
"Ha… ha ha ha ha!!"
Feng Yang could no longer contain his joy. Grabbing at his trembling beard, he threw back his head and let out a booming laugh that shook the rafters.
"Heaven bless Huaxia! The heavens have eyes—at last, they have eyes!"
"The True Dragon… the True Dragon rises again!!"
His laughter and tears mingled, echoing through the hall with raw, unrestrained relief.
But before the sound faded—change struck once more!
The entire Hall of Celestial Secrets began to quake violently, as if the earth dragon beneath had turned in its sleep!
Clang! Clang! Clang!The bronze bells beneath the eaves went mad, crashing into each other in a deafening storm of sound!
Above, the celestial dome blazed into life—the star map now thrumming as though alive!
All twenty-eight mansions shone in succession, their lights weaving into a vast ocean of stars.
And in the eastern quadrant—the Azure Dragon's domain—the star of Hornwood Jiao, forming the dragon's horn, erupted in a blinding blue light so fierce it could sear the eyes.