Tears shimmered in Di Tian's eyes.
His voice now trembled and choked like a young boy's.
"Uncle Fire Dragon King—Aunt Ice Dragon King—is it really you? How did you end up—here?"
The Fire Dragon King let out a heavy sigh, his voice steeped in the weariness of years and sorrow. "Ah—it's a long story, child. Back then—I was slain by the Dragon God himself. My dragon soul should have been consigned to the Dragon Tomb—fortunately, your aunt—"
"What?!"
Di Tian reeled as though struck by lightning. His towering frame jolted, all color drained from his face, and his eyes filled with disbelief and horror. "You—you were killed by—Lord Dragon God?!"
He instinctively retreated half a step, as though unable to withstand the impact of those words. His voice came out painfully strained. "How is that possible? Wasn't it those greedy, despicable human deities who coveted the Divine Dragon Realm ruled by our Dragon Clan and rebelled together, bringing about—that catastrophe?"
The Ice Dragon King slowly shook her head. A trace of sorrow and exhaustion that even endless ages could not erase seemed to surface on her illusory yet still beautiful dragon head.
"It wasn't like that, Little Di Tian. The truth of what happened back then was far more horrific than the supposed rebellion you witnessed, and far more—ironic."
She paused briefly, then continued.
"It all began with the Dragon God's mad ritual to evolve the Divine Dragon Realm into a higher-order God Star. The Time Dragon King foresaw that it would disturb the fundamental laws of the universe, unleash a terrifying and unpredictable backlash, and perhaps even bring the entire realm to the brink of collapse."
"The Time Dragon King tried to join forces with the Space Dragon King to dissuade Lord Dragon God. But—" A hint of helplessness