A Ten-Thousand-Year Pact, Arriving as Promised

Dragon God, the progenitor of the dragon race, once stood at the pinnacle of the God Realm. He was the only existence capable of contending with the Five Great God Kings and remains one of the most powerful deities in the history of the God Realm.

Even though he has been fallen for countless epochs, his name remains a taboo within the God Realm.

How could he have found her? How could he still exist in this world?

"You need not be surprised," the Dragon God's voice remained calm.

"When I fell, I stripped away a wisp of my origin will and lay dormant within the Dragon Graveyard of the Douluo Continent, evading the surveillance of the God Realm. For countless years, I have been waiting for an opportunity—an opportunity that would allow me to revive and overturn the existing order of the God Realm."

"And now, that opportunity has arrived. Tang San has ascended to the God Realm, and the God Realm's surveillance of the Douluo Continent has developed a loosening that has not been seen in ten thousand years. And you, Qian Renxue, you are the collaborator I have chosen."

Qian Renxue sneered. Even though her cultivation was completely lost, her pride remained etched into her bones: "Lord Dragon God is joking. I am merely a failure whose godhood is shattered and whose cultivation is completely ruined; how could I be worthy of collaborating with you?"

"A failure?" A hint of amusement laced the Dragon God's voice.

"You are the only orthodox successor of the Angel God lineage, with the purest divine blood flowing through your veins. Even if your godhood is shattered, your origin remains that of a deity. In the entire Douluo Continent, only you—and only you—can help me complete this ten-thousand-year layout and assist in my revival."

"And I can give you everything you desire."

The Dragon God's voice carried a bewitching power, striking every word precisely into Qian Renxue's heart.

"I can help you recast your Angel God godhood, and even allow you to surpass the former Angel God, standing at a higher realm. I can help you overturn the order of the God Realm established by Tang San and make him pay the price for everything he has done. I can allow those who follow you to regain their glory, no longer hiding in the shadows, no longer left to be slaughtered."

Qian Renxue's heart skipped a beat.

She had to admit that the conditions offered by the Dragon God struck at all her obsessions and unwillingness.

She wanted revenge; she wanted Tang San to pay for his blood debts. She wanted to recast her godhood and reclaim her lost pride. She wanted to rebuild Martial Soul Hall so that those who followed her could have a true home.

Yet, she was also clear about what kind of existence the Dragon God was. Dealing with a tiger for its skin, one might end up in a state of eternal damnation if even the slightest mistake were made.

"What makes you think I would believe you?" Qian Renxue asked in a low voice.

"You are the Dragon God. Once you revive, no one in the entire Douluo Continent, or even the God Realm, will be able to stop you. My cooperation with you is nothing more than dealing with a tiger for its skin. Once you achieve your goal, will I still have any value?"

"What I require is the overturning of the God Realm's order," the Dragon God's voice took on a hint of gentleness.

"Back then, it took the Five Great God Kings working together to slay me. Even if I revive, I will need allies. You are my best ally. Furthermore, I have an irreconcilable hatred for those God Kings in the God Realm. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. You should understand this principle."

"Moreover, I can enter into a soul contract with you. If I break our agreement, I shall let my origin dissipate and never be able to revive for all eternity."

This statement completely dispelled Qian Renxue's final misgivings.

A soul contract is the most supreme contract between deities. Once established, if it is violated, one will inevitably suffer the backlash of the contract; even the Dragon God is no exception.

She remained silent for a long time.

In her mind, she saw the look in her mother's eyes before she died, the subordinates who perished to cover her escape, the indifferent and pitying gaze of Tang San, and the light of both expectation and despair in the eyes of the remnants who followed her.

Finally, she raised her head, a flash of determination in her eyes.

She had no way back. Even if it meant dealing with a tiger for its skin, even if the path ahead led to eternal damnation, she would take this gamble.

"Fine. I agree to cooperate with you."

The moment the contract was established, a gentle yet incomparably vast dragon power surged into Qian Renxue's body, repairing her shattered meridians and soul. Her previously crippled cultivation began to recover at a speed visible to the naked eye. The Dragon God had not lied to her.

In the decades that followed, Qian Renxue, guided by the Dragon God, led the remaining remnants of Martial Soul Hall through countless dangerous lands, evading the layers of pursuit from Heaven Dou and Star Luo. After paying a tremendous price, they finally arrived at another continent and reached this isolated Dragon Graveyard.

When they entered the Dragon Graveyard, all the remnants of Martial Soul Hall were stunned by the sight before them.

Boundless dragon bones, ancient dragon might that never dissipated, and the gentle summons emanating from the Dragon God's origin.

They finally understood that their Young Mistress had found them a truly safe place where they could settle down and survive.

This place was isolated from all outside detection; even the divine sense of the God Realm could not penetrate the rock layers and dragon might here.

They no longer had to hide in the shadows, nor did they have to worry day and night about being hunted down.

Over the next hundred years, Qian Renxue led the remnants of Martial Soul Hall to begin setting up the Ten Thousand Year God-Locking Array according to the Dragon God's requirements.

This array was deduced by the Dragon God at the cost of countless efforts before his fall.

Using the remains of the Dragon King as the array eye, the dragon bones of the entire Dragon Graveyard as the foundation, the holy power of the Angel God as a cover, and the soul power of the Martial Soul Hall remnants as support.

Once completed, it would accelerate the revival of the Dragon God's origin and buy ten thousand years of time.

Over those hundred years, Qian Renxue exhausted almost all her mental and physical strength.

She took the field herself, using her remaining Angel God origin to engrave the core patterns of the array, fainting countless times due to the overdraw of divine power.

She watched as those who followed her exhausted their soul power to set up the array, some even sacrificing their lives, yet not a single one retreated.

They all knew that this array was not only the hope for the Dragon God's revival but also the future hope of Martial Soul Hall.

A century later, the Ten Thousand Year God-Locking Array was finally completed.

The moment the final pattern was engraved, the entire Dragon Graveyard was shrouded in an invisible golden light barrier. The array was fully activated, perfectly isolating everything inside from the outside.

The aura of the Dragon God's origin was completely locked within the array; even the Five Great God Kings of the God Realm could not detect any disturbance here.

All deployments had settled into place.

Now, they only needed to wait for ten thousand years, allowing the Dragon God's origin to revive bit by bit under the nourishment of the array, until it finally broke through the cocoon and was reborn on this day, ten thousand years later.

And Qian Renxue made her final decision—self-sealing.

Using the supreme secret technique of the Angel clan, she sealed herself within the Ten Thousand Year Mysterious Ice Coffin and fell into a deep slumber.

First, her Angel God origin was the core of the grand formation; only by falling into a deep slumber could she fully integrate her origin power with the formation, ensuring it operated for ten thousand years without a single flaw.

Second, ten thousand years was an agonizingly long time, and she did not wish to watch her subordinates age and die generation after generation while she remained alive. She did not want to endure the pain of watching those around her leave one by one ever again.

More importantly, she needed to be in her best state to welcome her resurrection after ten thousand years.

Slumber would allow her Angel God origin to slowly repair and recast itself within the Ten Thousand Year Mysterious Ice Coffin, ensuring that when she awakened after ten thousand years, she would fully recover her peak power and even break through her former shackles.

Before sealing herself away, Qian Renxue gathered all the remaining members of the Martial Soul Hall.

Standing upon the altar, she looked down at the subordinates who had followed her for a century, observing the determination and loyalty in their eyes, her voice trembling slightly with a guilt that was uniquely her own.

"From this day forth, this place shall be the sanctuary of our Martial Soul Hall. You shall guard the Dragon Graveyard and the grand formation for generations, passing down the spark of the Martial Soul Hall. Ten thousand years from now, I shall awaken, and together with Lord Dragon God, we will lead you to reclaim everything that belongs to us and restore the glory of the Martial Soul Hall!"

Below, countless Martial Soul Hall spirit masters knelt on one knee, raising their martial souls high and issuing a vow that shook the entire Dragon Graveyard.

"We swear to follow the Young Mistress to the death! We swear to guard the Dragon Graveyard! Ten thousand years unchanging, until death do us part!"

That day, Qian Renxue looked at these loyal subordinates and revealed her first truly relieved smile.

Then, she lay down inside the Ten Thousand Year Mysterious Ice Coffin that had been prepared in advance.

At the final moment before the ice coffin closed, her gaze turned toward the Dragon God Core at the center of the altar, and she whispered, "Ten thousand years from now, we shall meet as promised."

The ice coffin closed completely, the secret angelic arts activated, and endless cold air and holy golden light enveloped her entirely as her consciousness gradually sank into an endless slumber.

This sleep lasted for ten thousand years.

"Hum—"

Countless angelic patterns on the ice coffin lit up, merging perfectly with the golden light of the Dragon God Core.

Crack—

A crisp shattering sound rang out, and a fissure appeared on the Ten Thousand Year Mysterious Ice Coffin.

Immediately after, countless cracks spread like a spiderweb. Finally, with a thunderous boom, the entire ice coffin shattered completely.

Amidst the endless golden light, Qian Renxue slowly opened her eyes.

Ten thousand years of slumber had left no trace upon her face. Her features remained exquisite, her temperament remained noble, and those golden eyes held not a shred of confusion, only a pride and an undying obsession that had grown even firmer after ten thousand years of silence.

She slowly raised her hand, feeling the Angelic Power within her body, which was several times more vast than at her peak, and sensing her origin, which was now fully repaired and even more perfect, a cold smile slowly curled at the corners of her lips.

Tang San, ten thousand years have passed.

You thought the Martial Soul Hall had been completely wiped out and that I had perished.

But you never expected this! I am still alive.

And I have returned.

She looked up at the Dragon God phantom that had condensed into form at the center of the altar and nodded slightly, her voice cold and filled with the determination of a promise kept.

"The ten-thousand-year pact—I have arrived as promised."

A flicker of approval flashed through the Dragon God's eyes, and a deep voice resonated throughout the entire Dragon Graveyard, carrying a momentum that swept across the heavens and earth.

"Good. From this day forth, I, the Dragon God, officially resurrect."

"What the God Realm owes me, and what Tang San owes you, we shall reclaim it all, every last bit, with interest."

The moment the words fell, countless dragon roars erupted simultaneously throughout the Dragon Graveyard, and the golden dragon might intertwined with the holy Angelic Power, surging straight into the sky.