Dragon God—Golden Dragon King

God Realm, Divine Forbidden Land.

This was the forbidden zone of the gods, surrounded by layer upon layer of restrictive laws. Any ordinary deity who came even half a step closer would be torn to pieces by the violent divine power. Yet today, a tall, slender figure strolled into this deathly silent place as if taking a leisurely walk.

The newcomer wore the Sea God's divine armor. His blue hair cascaded like a waterfall, fluttering lightly in the wind. His features were so handsome they seemed almost feminine, even more delicate than those of a woman. That was right—he was Tang San, enforcer of the God Realm.

He stopped before the prison, his gaze filled with compassion, like a loving father looking upon a lost child.

"Golden Dragon King, surrender. If you are willing to bow your head, the God Realm Committee can show leniency and allow you to return to the God Realm."

The moment his words fell, a deafening roar erupted from deep within the cage.

"Tang San! Don't put on such a hypocritical act here!"

The Golden Dragon King's enormous body slammed against the indestructible iron bars engraved with divine runes, making the entire forbidden land tremble. His scarlet dragon eyes locked tightly onto Tang San, as though they were about to spew tangible flames. "Surrender? Return? Ha! Ha! Ha! Tang San, Tang San—how could you bring the word 'hypocrisy' to such perfection?"

Boom—!

With that furious roar, a dense, suffocating blood-red radiance erupted in an instant, surging out of the cage like a tide as it attempted to swallow the blue-haired figure.

Yet Tang San did not retreat even half a step. The corner of his mouth curled upward almost imperceptibly. In that instant, the Heart of the Sea God flickered faintly, silently absorbing every trace of that blood-red power containing the Golden Dragon King's origin.

That had been his true purpose—persuasion was merely a pretext; what he truly sought was a "sample." Only through close contact could he accurately analyze this world-destroying power and place the decisive piece in the grand scheme that spanned ten thousand years.

When the red light faded, the smile on Tang San's face had vanished, replaced by lofty majesty and heartfelt sorrow.

"Golden Dragon King, you remain stubborn to the end. The dragon clan was wrong, and so are you." Tang San slowly shook his head, his tone heavy with grief. "The God Realm has never rejected soul beasts. We would welcome more soul beasts becoming gods, strengthening the prestige of our God Realm. Why can't you see the greater cause of 'equality for all beings'?"

"Equality for all beings? What a pleasant thing to say!" The Golden Dragon King roared wildly, as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world. "You always stand so high above everyone else, looking down upon all living beings as a judge! Is that your so-called 'greater cause'?"

Tang San's expression stiffened, then he revealed a helpless look of everyone is drunk while I alone remain sober. He looked exactly like a sage bearing humiliation and hardship for the sake of all living beings.

"No, you are mistaken. I am not standing above—"

"Enough! Put away that hypocritical rhetoric of yours!" The Golden Dragon King abruptly swung a claw, cutting Tang San off. "You want this king to surrender? Dream on! Get out! Get out of my sight!"

Seeing this, Tang San let out a deep sigh and turned to leave, his departing figure bleak yet resolute.

"Stubborn and incapable of appreciating kindness. Everything I have done was only to let all living beings live better lives. What have I done wrong?"

With his departure, the Divine Forbidden Land returned to its deathly silence. The evening breeze of the God Realm brushed through every corner, carrying the freshness and sweetness unique to the depths of the universe—the scent of purified immortal spirit energy. Yet somehow, that scent felt chilling.

Inside the cage.

The Golden Dragon King lay sprawled weakly on the ground, his massive dragon claw pounding fiercely against the floor.

Could it be... that the dragon clan was truly about to vanish from existence?

He was unwilling to accept it. The malice originating from the depths of his bloodline was frantically eroding his sanity, yet he was still making his final struggle. Though that malice drove him mad, it also stirred a last remaining spark of earth-shattering wisdom from the era of the Dragon God.

Roar—!

He violently raised his right foot and stomped down hard.

Left fist, heavy damage. Right fist, heavy damage. Knight's flying kick... super-high damage!

This was the dragon clan's most primitive battle instinct, yet at this moment, it had become his only means of venting his despair.

Thud!

His foot landed heavily on an ancient floor tile deep within the cage. Under normal circumstances, this would have been nothing more than a powerless struggle. But now, perhaps because the gears of fate had meshed somewhere beyond sight, that floor tile sank ever so slightly.

In an instant, a sudden change occurred.

A dazzling stream of light burst forth from underground, instantly swallowing the Golden Dragon King's body. That was not the power of the God Realm. It was—the fragment of the River of Time!

After the dizziness passed, the Golden Dragon King abruptly opened his eyes.

He discovered that he was no longer inside the cage, but floating above a ceaselessly surging river. There was no past here, nor was there a future. Only countless scenes flashed before him like images on a revolving lantern.

That was... the future of the God Realm!

The Golden Dragon King's dragon eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the scenes before him.

He saw the God Realm being swept away by a spatial-temporal turbulence, drifting through the boundless universe. He saw a black-haired youth descend upon Douluo Continent—Tang San's son, Tang Wulin!

Then the scene shifted, and he saw the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena... No, that was Na'er, that was Gu Yue! She had actually fallen in love with that black-haired youth—the descendant of her mortal enemy!

"No... impossible!"

The Golden Dragon King felt as though his heart were being twisted by knives. He saw the Silver Dragon King step by step enter the game Tang San had arranged. It was a tender trap, but also a hero's grave.

Twenty thousand years later...

The Ultimate Douluo Era arrived.

A youth named Lan Xuanyu rose suddenly to prominence. He possessed the Dragon God's bloodline and ultimately inherited the Dragon God's divine position, becoming the new ruler.

Everything seemed to herald the dragon clan's revival.

Yet in the final scene, that youth stood at Tang San's side. That position belonged to humanity.

"So that's how it is... so that's how it is!"

The Golden Dragon King trembled all over, not from fear, but from a bone-deep chill rising from the depths of his soul.

"What an impressive Tang San! What an impressive ten-thousand-year plan! What an impressive 'equality for all beings'!"

"In the end, even the Dragon God's divine position became property of your Tang Family! Your so-called acceptance of soul beasts was merely a way to completely turn their power into nourishment for humanity! In this game, you are the greatest winner!"

"Every time you came to see me, you wore that compassionate expression, but behind my back, you were plotting how to steal my power and squeeze the last bit of value from the dragon clan!"

The Golden Dragon King threw back his head and let out a long howl. His cry pierced through the River of Time, carrying endless resentment and clarity.

"Tang San—! This king will remember this debt! As long as I still draw breath, don't you dare think you can play your game in peace!!!"