When Yunxihua awakened, he felt his body filled with an unfamiliar yet stable energy.
His eyelids slowly opened, gazing at the sky that looked slightly different—brighter, sharper, as if every color carried a new meaning.
He frowned.
"…How long have I been asleep…?"
But there was no answer.
Usually, the Primordial Dragon's voice would appear in his mind—whether to scold, warn, or simply snort lazily.
But this time… complete silence.
"Senior??" Yunxihua called out in his heart.
There was no echo. No soul vibration. No trace of another consciousness besides his own.
That silence made his chest feel strange—not sadness, but as if a space had suddenly become empty.
He slowly stood up. The energy within his body flowed far more powerfully than before, yet it did not rage.
Instead, it was stable, dense, and warm like the morning sun.
Wait… what kind of energy is this?
He looked at the palm of his hand.
There, the circulating qi was no longer that of an ordinary cultivator—rather, it was condensed soul energy, the core of a realm he had only ever heard about from the elders.
"…Don't tell me…" Yunxihua looked up at the sky, shocked yet confused.
"This… is Soul Formation?"
Yunxihua let out a long breath, trying to calm his thoughts.
"How could this be me…? Was it because of that inheritance?"
He tried calling the Primordial Dragon again.
Still silent.
When he touched his chest, he felt a faint residual warmth—the place where the dragon's soul had once resided.
"…So it's true."
He lowered his head slightly.
That dragon had fused with him, and after doing so… it had completely disappeared.
No voice. No separate consciousness.
What remained was only the power now flowing within him.
Yunxihua clenched his fist.
His body trembled faintly—not from fear, but because the strength he now felt was far greater than the last time he had been conscious.
Yet what disturbed him the most was not the increase in power…
but the silence.
Before long, the Fourth Elder entered, overjoyed to see the Holy Maiden awaken from her long slumber.
"Holy Maiden!!…"
"Fourth Elder, how long was I asleep?" Yunxihua asked.
"You have been asleep for seven years," the Fourth Elder replied.
Yunxihua then asked, "How is the condition of the city now?"
"Do not worry, Holy Maiden. While you were asleep, Xuliang City has been managed by the Sixth Elder," the Fourth Elder answered.
"Where are Xubailong and Xufangyu?" Yunxihua asked.
"Xubailong is currently on an expedition to the south (Tian Tian City), while Xufangyu has returned to the Ancient Dragon Clan to report the Holy Maiden's condition," the Fourth Elder replied.
Yunxihua responded, "Thank goodness. Fourth Elder, thank you for helping me, and I…" bowing slightly "…I—"
"Holy Maiden, there is no need for that. It is my duty to serve and protect you. All of this happened because of me… because I was unable to protect the Holy Maiden and this city," the Fourth Elder replied.
Yunxihua slowly stepped toward the Fourth Elder with deep emotion and gave him a respectful salute.
As Yunxihua left her resting place and walked out of her residence, a sudden dimensional裂 appeared, accompanied by black-reddish lightning above Xuliang City, causing the city's residents to run into their homes in fear.
All life froze for a moment, as if time itself had stopped moving, leaving only Yunxihua and the Fourth Elder unaffected.
Yunxihua looked up at the sky and prepared herself for whatever would emerge from behind the cracked dimension.
Suddenly, the figure of an ancient god appeared, wearing attire like a demon king and possessing terrifyingly immense power. The mysterious ancient-god-like figure did not utter a single word and merely glanced at Yunxihua and the Fourth Elder.
Yunxihua, realizing how horrifying the existence before her was, found herself unable to move due to the pressure emitted by the ancient god.
With a single step, it tore through space, time, and life itself, appearing directly in front of Yunxihua. Holding Yunxihua's cheek, it said,
"This aura… the Primordial Dragon God," the ancient god spoke.
Seeing Yunxihua being touched, the Fourth Elder immediately launched an attack, but it was completely futile and failed to injure the ancient god in the slightest.
With a mere gaze from the ancient god, the Fourth Elder collapsed, utterly powerless.