Back to the Past

"Don't sleep... Gu Yue, please, don't sleep..."

Tang Wulin's voice was so hoarse it was nearly inaudible. He desperately held the girl in his arms tighter, as if her warmth would not fade so long as he held her tightly enough. Yet that chill still seeped inch by inch into his bones, making his entire body tremble.

The wind and snow swallowed every color in the world. In that boundless white expanse, only the silver hair in his arms retained the last trace of light. Ice crystals hung from Gu Yuena's lashes, yet the corners of her lips curved faintly, as though she wanted to smile at him, or say something. In the end, she merely closed her eyes softly.

"NO—"

He roared, but his voice was swallowed by the storm. The seventeen seals of the Golden Dragon King shattered one after another, golden light exploding from within him as though it would set the entire icy plain of the far north ablaze. But no matter how blazing that light was, it could not warm the body in his arms as it gradually grew cold.

In the end, he still could do nothing.

His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, his consciousness like threads being pulled away, snapping one by one without a sound. In his daze, he seemed to see himself and Mang Tian crouching before the forging table again, sweat striking the anvil and scattering into tiny sparks of light. He heard Lang Yue humming in the kitchen, the clinking of her spatula blending with the fragrance of food. He heard Tang Ziran calling him home from the doorway of the forging room.

Dad, Mom...

His lips moved, but only air escaped.

At the very end, the golden light flared fiercely and swallowed him whole.

"Tang Wulin."

That voice came from every direction, majestic and ancient, carrying a primordial chill like a dragon's roar from the end of time.

"To think you managed to come this far. Even I did not expect it."

Tang Wulin suddenly opened his eyes.

There was no snow, no wind, no cold body in his arms.

The ground beneath his feet was cold and smooth, made of some metal covered in dragon-scale patterns, stretching all the way to the end of his sight. Before him rose a towering golden palace. Enormous pillars were coiled with dragons of countless forms; some roared toward the sky, while others lowered their heads to gaze down. Every pair of dragon eyes seemed alive, fixed upon him.

At the center of the palace, the figure upon the steel throne slowly rose.

Golden hair fell to his waist. His features were sharp to the point of harshness, and imperial-gold armor covered him from head to ankle, its surface flowing with patterns of light like molten lava. Most terrifying were his eyes, crimson as blood, with the brutality and ferocity left behind on ancient battlefields churning deep within his pupils. Simply standing there, he exuded an invisible pressure like collapsing mountains and crashing seas, making Tang Wulin's knees weaken as some instinct in his blood urged him to kneel.

It was submission carved into his bones.

"You..." Tang Wulin swallowed. "The Golden Dragon King?"

"Correct."

The Golden Dragon King descended from the throne step by step. Each step made the entire palace tremble faintly. "I had always wondered. That girl, the Silver Dragon, said she wanted to lead her people down a new path. I watched coldly, thinking that perhaps she truly could succeed."

He stopped before Tang Wulin, his crimson eyes looking down at him from above.

"But I never imagined that the new path she spoke of would be getting entangled with a human brat like you." The corner of his mouth twitched, an indescribable bitterness surfacing in his expression. "The two of you really are something. One froze herself away, while the other drained himself dry. Did you truly think I was dead?"

Gu Yue...

The moment that name surfaced in his mind, Tang Wulin felt as though a dull blade had gouged out his heart. He clenched his teeth, suppressing the surging blood in his chest, then raised his eyes to meet the Golden Dragon King's stare. "What exactly do you mean by saying all this now? If you have a way to save her, say it. If you're only here to laugh at me, then do it. I won't beg you."

"Hmph, beg? When did I ever say I wanted you to beg?"

The Golden Dragon King stood with his hands behind his back. The flowing light patterns on his armor suddenly stilled. "Naturally, I have a way. But—"

He drew out the final word, a glint of amusement flashing through his crimson eyes.

"First, I need to see whether you are worthy of using it."

The instant his words fell, the entire golden palace shook violently.

The golden light twisted, collapsed, and shattered. The magnificent pillars and throne seemed to be torn apart by invisible hands, replaced by a sea of blood-red that surged in from all directions. The metal ground cracked open beneath his feet, and savage fangs burst from the earth, interlocking as they stabbed toward the sky. The stench of blood in the air was so thick it seemed almost tangible. Tang Wulin felt his stomach churn, and even breathing became ragged under the pressure.

A battlefield.

This was the Golden Dragon King's battlefield.

Those fangs gave him no chance to catch his breath. Before the first one had fully emerged, the second and third came twisting in from every direction, their sharp whistles tearing past his ears.

"Golden Dragon Moon Whisper!"

Brilliant golden armor instantly covered his entire body. Tang Wulin kicked off the ground and shot backward, barely skimming past the tip of a fang. Yet in the next instant, even more fangs rose from the ground, dense as a forest, forcing him to weave and dart through the gaps.

Without hesitation, he clenched his right hand in empty air, and the Trident of the Sea God's radiance tore through the void toward him.

"Unfixed Storm!"

Golden arcs of light spread from the trident's tip, layer upon layer enveloping the Golden Dragon King upon the throne. It was a divine skill passed down by the Sea God, containing the laws of time and space. It had shielded him from countless powerful foes.

But the Golden Dragon King merely lifted an eyelid.

He did not even rise. Still lounging against the throne, he extended one hand and lightly clenched it.

The arcs shattered.

Like glass striking an iron wall, they broke cleanly, leaving behind not even the faintest ripple.

Tang Wulin's heart sank to the bottom. Without the Golden Dragon King's power, he had pitifully few cards left to play. Though the Trident of the Sea God was powerful, facing a genuine Rank-One Deity with only a divine weapon and his remaining soul power was no different from smashing an egg against a rock.

Before he could decide his next move, he heard wind behind his ear.

A palm covered in dragon scales pressed against the back of his neck. The force of its tightening fingers was precise and terrifying. It would not crush his cervical spine, yet it rendered every muscle in his body utterly immobile. Tang Wulin stiffened. His soul power was suppressed completely; he could not even bend a finger.

"Not a slow reaction." The Golden Dragon King's voice sounded against the back of his head, low and carrying a rare trace of approval. "Your mind is still too slow, though."

Tang Wulin ground his back teeth together, the veins at his temples throbbing. Just as he was about to force himself free even at the cost of damaging his meridians, the Golden Dragon King suddenly released him.

"Enough."

The figure circled around to stand before him. Crimson eyes looked down at him, and the ferocity within them had faded considerably at some point, replaced by a strange expression that seemed both scrutinizing and approving.

"Tang Wulin, I have seen your memories. You are barely qualified."

Tang Wulin panted heavily, keeping the Trident of the Sea God raised before him instead of putting it away. "What exactly are you trying to do?"

The Golden Dragon King turned his back and walked two steps toward the depths of the palace before stopping. "I am sending you back."

Tang Wulin froze for a moment. "...What?"

"My seals have already been more than half undone. The power I can wield now is far greater than you imagine." The Golden Dragon King turned his head, the profile of his face appearing especially sharp against the afterimage of the blood-red battlefield. "As for the laws of time, do not forget whose power your time reversal inherited. Sending the two of us back is still possible."

He raised a hand, and a mass of gentle golden light gathered in his palm. It was completely different from the battlefield's violent aura just moments ago. That light was as warm and mild as the morning sun in early spring, carrying a faint warmth.

"However, my soul and yours are currently trapped in one shell. I will go first and land at an earlier point in time. As for you—"

The Golden Dragon King turned back, his crimson eyes fixed steadily on him. "Who knows. You do not possess the power to withstand the torrent of time, and accidents may happen at any moment. Perhaps you will arrive while the Silver Dragon is still there. Perhaps when you open your eyes, everything will have only just begun."

"In short," the golden light in his palm surged explosively, dyeing the entire blood-red palace a warm gold, "we'll leave first and talk later."

Golden light rushed toward him, warm and heavy, like being wrapped in a pair of enormous dragon wings. Tang Wulin instinctively closed his eyes. By his ears, only the Golden Dragon King's final words continued to echo, carrying an unquestionable resolve—

"Tang Wulin, do not disappoint me."

The golden light swallowed everything.