Postscript 1

In the Land of the Extreme North, the wind and snow were like blades. A raging blizzard ravaged this frozen wilderness, as though it meant to tear everything apart.

Yu Xiaogang traveled alone, wrapped in a tattered cloak as he trudged laboriously across the ice field. His steps were heavy, for he carried an important mission—to properly settle the remnant seed of the ice lotus brought from Solitary Cultivation Hall.

Though this ice field was bitterly cold, it was a place of peace to Yu Xiaogang. He had originally intended to find a quiet spot here and bury the "Dao Seed Origin" Yang Jun had left behind deep within the earth veins, allowing it to merge with the continent's dragon veins and continue the power of protecting the Dao.

Yet as he advanced in silence, a dazzling streak of violet lightning suddenly flashed across the sky like a sharp sword, instantly tearing through the lead-gray clouds. Immediately afterward, a deafening dragon's roar resounded across the entire snowfield. It was like an ancient bellow, shaking every heart to its core.

Along with the dragon's roar, the glacier began to tremble violently. Shattered ice flew in every direction, sending snow mist soaring into the heavens.

Amid this breathtaking scene, an enormous blue-violet dragon dove from the clouds. Its massive, imposing body was covered in scales that flickered with lightning, like flowing bolts of electricity. Its eyes resembled burning lava, radiating a scorching light that no one dared meet directly.

When the dragon landed upon the ice field, its claws, hard as steel, easily tore through the sky and gouged a deep valley straight into the frozen earth.

After circling once, the dragon suddenly transformed into human form. A middle-aged man clad in a Thunder Pattern Robe appeared before Yu Xiaogang. His features were cold and stern, his bearing as sharp as lightning. A faint dragon's might coiled around him, giving him an air of inviolable authority.

"Who dares trespass into my Blue Electric Forbidden Ground?" the man demanded, his voice like thunder that made the ice field hum.

Standing amid the wind and snow, Yu Xiaogang slightly raised his head, his gaze calm. "I did not trespass. I am merely passing through. This place no longer has any restrictions—only wind, snow, and the lingering light of a Dao Seed."

The man's gaze sharpened and suddenly fell upon the icy jade pendant at Yu Xiaogang's waist—the Dao Seed Token Yang Jun had left behind, containing a trace of Solitary Cultivation Hall's will.

"You... are one of Solitary Cultivation Hall?" The man's tone shifted slightly, and his previously imposing dragon's might receded a little.

Seeing this, Yu Xiaogang clasped his hands in an unassuming yet dignified salute and said clearly, "I am. I am Yu Xiaogang. I once lived in Solitary Cultivation Hall in the Land of the Extreme North, and now I am an inheritor of the Dao Seed."

Though his words were simple, they carried unwavering resolve and confidence.

The man fell silent for a moment, as if considering something. Then he suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Solitary cultivation? Hahaha, a mortal without a martial soul dares call himself an 'inheritor'?"

His laughter was full of contempt and mockery, as if Yu Xiaogang's identity and standing were utterly beneath notice.

Yu Xiaogang did not grow angry. He merely said softly, "A martial soul does not necessarily lead to divinity, and a mortal heart can still protect the Dao. If you do not believe me, ask the dragon in your heart—has it ever seen the light of a Dao Seed illuminating mountains and rivers when countless people stand united?"

The man was none other than the current patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan—Yu Yuanzhen, Yu Xiaogang's clan cousin. During the clan's internal strife years ago, Yu Xiaogang had been cast out for lacking a martial soul and had drifted into the extreme north, while Yu Yuanzhen had inherited the position of patriarch and taken command of the Blue Lightning Clan's Thunder Vein.

"You are still alive." Yu Yuanzhen's tone was complicated. "When you left back then, I told you that one without a martial soul was unworthy of the surname Yu."

Yu Xiaogang smiled, serenely. "I have never denied that my surname is Yu. I merely chose another path—not to live by a martial soul, but by the Dao."

He slowly took out the remnant ice lotus seed and gently placed it upon the snow. In an instant, ice crystals spread outward. Lightning intertwined with icy thunder, forming a phantom image above the snowfield—Star Dou Village, where tens of thousands cultivated together and the Dao Seed Great Wall rose into the sky.

"Do you see?" Yu Xiaogang asked. "This is not Soul Power, nor is it a martial soul. It is the Dao, condensed from the Power of Will of countless millions. It belongs neither to gods nor emperors. It belongs only to the people."

Yu Yuanzhen's pupils contracted as dragon blood surged within him. He suddenly felt the will of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon inside his body tremble—not in fear, but in resonance.

"This... is the 'Dao' you speak of?" he murmured.

"Yes." Yu Xiaogang nodded. "It does not seize martial souls or destroy bloodlines. Instead, it protects the weak and awakens mortal hearts. Your Blue Lightning Clan has wielded thunder for generations. Have you ever considered that thunder can protect, rather than merely kill?"

Amid the wind and snow, Yu Yuanzhen remained silent for a long while.

He recalled what his father had said when he was young: "The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon does not exist to dominate, but to stand guard. Thunder is the wrath of heaven, but also heaven's protection."

Yet for a hundred years, the clan had styled itself as tyrants, using thunderous might to oppress others. They had even colluded with Spirit Hall for resources. Now that the evil god had descended, the clan had suffered heavy casualties, and their Thunder Vein was nearly exhausted.

"We... were wrong." Yu Yuanzhen finally spoke, his voice low but firm.

He dropped to one knee, lightning winding around him, and performed an ancient clan rite before Yu Xiaogang. "Yu Yuanzhen of Blue Lightning, today I reclaim my true heart—thunder must protect."

In that instant, the dragon blood within him boiled, and his Thunder Vein revived. A streak of violet lightning burst from the crown of his head and resonated with the remnant ice lotus seed, transforming into a Thunder Path Rune that branded itself upon the Dao Seed Stele.

The snowfield shook. Countless ice crystals and bolts of lightning intertwined, gathering into the phantom form of a Thunder Scale Ice Dragon in the sky. It did not roar or bite. It merely coiled in the heavens, gazing down at the earth like a guardian deity.

For the first time, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon had set its will upon protection rather than tyranny.

Several days later, at the Blue Electric Mountain Range.

Yu Yuanzhen stood before the Ancestral Shrine and announced loudly to the entire clan:

The clan members were shocked, but not one objected. Looking at the Thunder Path Rune behind their patriarch and feeling the resonance between the dragon blood in their bodies and the Dao Seed, they finally understood—true strength was not devouring, but protecting.

Yu Xiaogang stood outside the shrine, watching this scene, and gave a slight nod.

Yu Yuanzhen approached and handed him a Blue Electric Dragon Scale. "This is my clan's token. From this day forth, Blue Lightning and Solitary Cultivation Hall will protect the Dao Seed together."

Yu Xiaogang accepted it with a smile. "Though you and I walk different paths, we share the surname Yu and protect this mortal world together."

At night, atop Blue Electric Mountain.

Yu Xiaogang sat alone by the cliff, gazing at the stars. Yu Yuanzhen approached and handed him a cup of hot tea.

"Do you think Yang Jun truly became the 'Dao'?" Yu Yuanzhen asked.

"He never left." Yu Xiaogang took a sip. "He is within every Dao Seed Stele, within every Farmer's Oath, and within the heart of everyone unwilling to bow their head."

Yu Yuanzhen looked into the distance and softly asked, "Then... does that mean Blue Lightning has also entered the Dao?"

Yu Xiaogang smiled. "If thunder protects the people, then it is the Dao."

Suddenly, a shooting star streaked across the sky and fell deep into the Blue Electric Mountain Range. The two exchanged a glance and rose at once—

At the place where the meteor landed, a Thunder Scale Ice Lotus had sprouted. Its nine petals were crystalline, lightning flowing across them. At its heart was a speck of Dao Seed light, like an undying spark.

The Dao Seed had entered the dragon veins.

Thunder had finally returned to the mortal world.