Return to the Sect

Morning light shone over the ancient city, bathing the bluestone streets of Tiandou City's inner district in a warm, gentle glow. Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena followed the increasingly quiet streets toward the heart of the city, toward the source faintly resonating with Tang Wulin's spiritual sea.

The surrounding buildings grew older, the pedestrians fewer, and the stillness and solemnity in the air more pronounced. At last, they stopped before an ordinary-looking alley nestled within the core district. Deep within stood an inconspicuous, even somewhat dilapidated courtyard of bluish-gray stone. It bore only the mottled marks of time, and two large characters on its plaque: Tang Sect.

Yet this seemingly ordinary courtyard caused the Mysterious Heaven Technique within Tang Wulin to accelerate on its own, while Gu Yuena too sensed an ancient, weighty aura that spanned the ages. This was where the Tang Sect had been founded and revived—the place where it had all begun thirty thousand years ago.

Just as they were about to step into the alley, a figure appeared before them like a ghost, silently blocking their path.

He was a middle-aged man dressed in fitted dark-blue clothing. His features were ordinary, but his gaze was sharp as an eagle's, and his aura was restrained yet profound. His cultivation was clearly formidable. His eyes swept over the disguised Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena with scrutiny and vigilance.

"You two are unfamiliar faces. This is private restricted ground. What brings you here?" The middle-aged man's voice was steady, yet carried unquestionable authority. At the same time, the pressure of level-110, god-tier soul power spread toward them like an invisible tide, attempting to probe their depths.

Yet the pressure that would have terrified ordinary soul masters vanished upon Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena like a clay ox sinking into the sea, without stirring the slightest ripple. Not even the hems of their clothes moved, and their expressions remained calm.

Tang Wulin stepped half a pace forward, placing Gu Yuena slightly behind him protectively. Facing the middle-aged man, he spoke in an even tone. "My wife and I have been traveling and came here after sensing that this place shares a deep connection with us. However..."

He paused, a fitting trace of confusion and sincerity flashing through his eyes. "However, for certain reasons, we have lost our memories of the past. We came here in the hope of finding clues, confirming our identities, and tracing our history."

As he spoke, a thought stirred in his mind. His formerly ordinary black eyes were instantly veiled in a deep, pure violet radiance. It was the Tang Sect's supreme art—the Purple Demon Eyes! Though it was only the faint violet hue of the Broad View realm, its purity made the middle-aged man's pupils constrict sharply.

Immediately afterward, Tang Wulin no longer deliberately concealed his aura. The vast, sea-like yet balanced and tranquil inner power of his Mysterious Heaven Technique stirred like a slumbering giant dragon awakening slightly. A soul power fluctuation that was not domineering but unfathomably deep naturally seeped forth. The purity and profundity of that power far surpassed the middle-aged man's understanding.

The vigilance on the middle-aged man's face was instantly replaced by immense shock. The Purple Demon Eyes could not be faked; it was the most orthodox Tang Sect technique! And that unfathomable cultivation... He did not dare neglect the matter and immediately reported inward through a concealed soul tool communicator.

"Sect Master, there are two visitors at the alley entrance, a man and a woman, both disguised. The man possesses Purple Demon Eyes cultivated to the utmost and an incomparably pure Mysterious Heaven Technique. His cultivation... is unfathomable. The woman's aura is ethereal and likewise extraordinary. They claim to have come here after losing their memories."

There was a brief silence from the other end of the communicator, followed by a composed voice. "Invite them in and bring them directly to the main courtyard. Observe proper etiquette."

"Yes!" the middle-aged man answered respectfully. When he looked at Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena again, his eyes held unprecedented reverence. He stepped aside and gestured invitingly. "The Sect Master invites you both. Please follow me."

They passed through the narrow alley and pushed open the seemingly aged wooden door, which in truth concealed profound mysteries. The sight before them suddenly opened up.

The compound was not as spacious as one might imagine. There were only five relatively independent courtyards, arranged according to some arcane formation. Blue bricks, gray tiles, and ancient trees rising into the sky—the grounds were spotless, with every corner exuding the sediment of time and understated heritage. There was no dazzling splendor, no brilliant display of soul tool technology, only a tranquil, weighty simplicity that returned to the essence.

The middle-aged man led them straight toward the central main courtyard. At its entrance, a young man in plain black clothes waited with eyes sharp as lightning. He was Tang Fenghua, one of the two current Sect Masters stationed at the Tang Sect Ancestral Grounds in Tiandou City.

"Welcome, honored guests. I, Tang Fenghua, failed to greet you from afar." Tang Fenghua cupped his hands in greeting. His tone was neither servile nor arrogant, but his gaze paused slightly when it touched Tang Wulin's eyes, where the violet hue had not yet fully faded.

"You are too courteous, Sect Master Tang. We are the ones intruding uninvited." Tang Wulin returned the salute.

They entered the main hall of the courtyard and took their respective seats. The furnishings were exceedingly simple: several sandalwood chairs, a landscape painting of profound artistic conception, and a portrait of a blue-haired man holding a Golden Trident and looking proudly upon all beneath heaven. It was the Sea God, Tang San.

Tang Fenghua stared intently at them. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Since you have come to the Tang Sect, may I ask you to reveal your true faces? This is the Tang Sect's most central ground. No outsider can spy upon us here."

Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena exchanged a glance, then nodded. Since they had come, there was no need to keep hiding.

A faint flash of light shimmered around them, and the divine power used for their disguises faded away like rippling water.

In an instant, Tang Fenghua, seated in the place of honor, seemed to have been struck by lightning and abruptly shot to his feet! His eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the two people before him, their true appearances revealed. His mouth hung slightly open, the muscles of his face twitching from extreme shock, while even his fingers trembled beyond his control.

Before him stood a man with black hair draped over his shoulders, handsome and resolute features, and eyes that held the stars. Beside him was a woman with silver hair cascading like a waterfall, deep violet eyes, peerless beauty, and a cool, noble bearing.

Those faces... He knew those faces far too well! Deep within the Tang Sect's confidential archives were portraits studied by generations of Sect Masters, as well as legendary figures recorded in the Tang Sect's highest classified texts—Golden Dragon Moonlit Tang Wulin and Silver Dragon Wulin Gu Yuena!

"Y-you..." Tang Fenghua's voice was impossibly dry, filled with disbelief. He desperately suppressed the cry that nearly burst from his lips and cautiously asked in a trembling voice, "May I ask... your names?"

Seeing his intense reaction, Tang Wulin understood several things at once. He answered calmly, "My name is Tang Wulin." He gestured to his side. "This is my beloved, Gu Yuena."

"Boom—!"

Though he had already suspected it, when those two names truly emerged from their mouths, Tang Fenghua's mind went blank. The Sect Master from ten thousand years ago! A face identical to the portrait! The silver-haired, violet-eyed woman at his side!

That bold, nearly absurd conjecture was actually true?! They... had they not already perished in the final battle ten thousand years ago...? How could they...

Tang Fenghua forcibly steadied the heart that was nearly leaping from his chest. After several deep breaths, he barely recovered his voice, though it still trembled. "Senior Tang... Senior Gu Yuena, forgive this junior's presumption, but this matter is too shocking. Could this junior... ask Senior Tang to demonstrate a small portion of your abilities?"

His request was perfectly reasonable. Appearances could be similar, and names could coincide, but some things were one of a kind.

Tang Wulin nodded in understanding. After thinking briefly, he raised his right hand.

In an instant, an incomparably majestic blue radiance brimming with life surged from his palm! A crystalline vine, as if carved from the finest sapphire, unfurled before them. Its leaves bore faint golden patterns, noble and mysterious—it was the Blue Silver Emperor!

Then Tang Wulin clenched his left hand in empty air!

"Buzz—!"

A low dragon's roar seemed to echo from ancient times as a long spear, entirely golden and fashioned in an archaic yet domineering design, appeared in his hand. The instant it emerged, an indescribably sharp and destructive aura filled the room, yet it also carried a sacred, inviolable majesty—it was the Golden Dragon Spear!

When that spear appeared, Gu Yuena could not help but furrow her brow.

Upon seeing that iconic divine weapon and sensing its unique aura, Tang Fenghua could no longer suppress his excitement. He abruptly retreated two steps, then gave Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena the Tang Sect's highest formal salute.

"Tang Fenghua, current Sect Master of the Tang Sect, pays respects to the ancestors and to Her Majesty the Silver Dragon King!" His voice carried shock, wild joy, and the emotion of finding the destination of his faith across ten thousand years.

"Please rise, Sect Master Tang. There is no need for such ceremony." Tang Wulin lifted a hand, and a gentle yet irresistible force raised Tang Fenghua. "We are no longer who we were ten thousand years ago. Now, we are merely two ordinary people who have lost their past and come seeking answers."

He paused, then stated his purpose directly. "We have not come to reclaim authority. We only wish to examine all of the secret historical records preserved by the Tang Sect concerning the final battle ten thousand years ago and the two of us. Apart from the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy, I do not believe anywhere else could possess more detailed records. We hope to recover a portion of our lost memories through them."

Upon hearing this, Tang Fenghua immediately restrained his excitement, his expression becoming utterly solemn. "Rest assured, Ancestors. Everything accumulated by the Tang Sect over ten thousand years, all core secrets, has been sealed here and never leaked to the outside world. Please follow me!"

He led them through the main courtyard to a room behind it that appeared to be a study. He pressed soul power into seemingly ordinary patterns on the wall in a particular sequence, and the floor silently slid open, revealing an elevator leading underground.

As the elevator descended continuously to its end, they arrived at a secret chamber protected by a powerful soul tool barrier. There were no windows inside, only gentle illumination from soul tool lamps. Rows of shelves forged from special metal stood neatly arranged, holding not paper records but information carriers made from a special type of soul tool crystal.

"Ancestors, Your Majesty the Silver Dragon King, all records related to you are here. This includes portions of the Sea God Pavilion's meeting minutes from that year, confidential correspondence with the Spirit Pagoda, and... the top-secret report on the final battle." Tang Fenghua spoke respectfully. "You may examine them freely here. No one will disturb you."

After saying that, he gave another deep bow, quietly withdrew from the secret chamber, and closed the entrance behind him.

Inside the secret chamber, only Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena remained, along with the vast historical records carrying the upheavals of ten thousand years ago.

After leaving the secret chamber, Tang Fenghua immediately activated the highest-level communications channel and contacted the other current Tang Sect Master in Shrek City, as well as another of Shrek City's highest decision-makers. His voice still carried irrepressible shock.

"Qingfeng! Enormous news! The Sect Master from ten thousand years ago, along with the Silver Dragon King, ruler of soul beasts, has returned! They are in Tiandou City right now. Their appearances, martial souls, divine weapons... all of it matches! Their cultivation exceeds mine and may even be above the godking level. I have already invited them into the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion."

The other end of the communication fell into a long silence.

After a long while, an exceedingly grave voice filled with disbelief came through. "Is the information confirmed?"

"Absolutely!"

"...Activate the highest confidentiality protocol! Classify this information as the Tang Sect and Shrek's highest secret. Only you and I are to know! I will coordinate with the Sea God Pavilion. Seal off the area around Tiandou City immediately—relaxed outside, tight within. No force must notice anything unusual! We... need time to process this, and even more importantly, we must ensure that the identities of those two are not leaked!"

The call ended. Tang Fenghua looked toward the secret chamber, his heart still surging. He knew that the return of these two legends would quietly alter the future landscape of all Douluo Star. And at that moment, amid the dust-covered historical records, Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena were about to touch upon the deepest secret concerning themselves, one buried by time.