1: Prologue: Azure Dragon Sorrows Under the Bright Moon, Lone Goose Flies to the Dark Spring

That night, the young girl looked up at the night sky: "From now on, I shall be called Ming Yuexin."

"The vast sea reflects the moon, pearls hold tears; in Blue Fields, the sun warms the jade, birthing smoke. A good name." The young man in white turned to look at her, his silhouette outlined by the moonlight, "Give me one as well."

"...The wild geese take flight, their feathers rustling. You should be called Shen Yu."

"Gongzi Yu."

"What?"

"I want to be called Gongzi Yu."

"Why? Since when is there a surname Gong?"

The young man in white smiled, "That way I can often hear you call me Young Master; how sweet."

— —

Wine in the cup, cup in the hand.

The man in white held his wine facing the small window; outside the window lay green mountains, verdant valleys, a small bridge, and flowing water.

A pair of hands rested on his shoulders, so beautiful, so gentle.

She asked softly: "When did you finally make up your mind to do this?"

"Until I truly let go."

"Let go of what?"

"What does a person live for?" His hand also pressed gently onto hers. "People live only for their own peace of mind and happiness. If there is no joy in living, then even if his fame, wealth, and power could last forever, what use would they be?"

She smiled.

She smiled so sweetly, so gently.

She knew he had truly let go.

Although others now believe he is dead, he is still alive—truly alive—because he has learned to enjoy life.

If a person can truly understand how to enjoy life, then even if he only has one day left to live, it is enough...

— —

Bashu has always held the reputation as the Land of Abundance. Among them, the most famous School is none other than the Tang Sect.

The location of the Tang Sect is a mysterious place. Many only know it is on a mountainside, and the Peak of this mountain where the Tang Sect resides bears a name that makes one tremble with fear—Ghost-Dread.

If one throws a stone from the Ghost-Dread cliff, it takes a full nineteen counts before hearing the echo of the stone hitting the bottom of the mountain. One can see its height, and it is precisely because of these nineteen seconds, surpassing the eighteen levels of Hell, that it earned its name.

As the saying goes, fallen leaves return to their roots. The generation-defining hero and former number one in the Martial Forest, Gongzi Yu, having reached the end of his life with his wife, chose to bring his beloved wife's remains here.

His wife, Ming Yuexin—Tang Lan—was once a daughter of the Tang Sect.

Of course, that was only in the past—ever since this Sect, rotten to the core, hurt her, they have had no connection.

At this moment, countless white figures leapt toward the summit from the mountainside like jumping marbles. The youngest among them was over fifty, each with a grave expression. The white robes they wore represented the Inner Sect, and the golden "Tang" character on their chests was the symbol of a Tang Sect Elder.

The Tang Sect's Inner Sect Elder Hall, including the Sect Head, had all reached the Transcendent realm. In the blink of an eye, they had arrived at the summit.

When Outer Sect Disciples see Inner Sect Elders, they can only kneel to welcome them. But at this moment, Gongzi Yu, holding Ming Yuexin, did not move; he merely stood with his back to these grave-faced Elders.

In front of him was Ghost-Dread.

"Who... exactly are you?" The Tang Sect Head, Tang Taiyue, had a face full of lingering fear, simply because the opponent knew the Sect's layout better than the vast majority of its Disciples. If the opponent hadn't intentionally created a commotion, they likely wouldn't have even detected him.

"So many years have passed; the Jianghu of today should have forgotten me, right?" Gongzi Yu set his wife down and slowly turned around. A faint smile appeared on his aged face; years of cultivating his heart and nature made him appear quite kind and benevolent.

As he spoke, he gently fiddled with a rusted longsword at his waist, which was wrapped in yellow silk.

"Watch out!"

Seeing this, several Tang Sect Elders, regardless of the opponent's identity, struck first. A dazzling array of Hidden Weapons flew out from under their robes.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Multiple Elders attacked simultaneously. Dozens of poison-tipped Hidden Weapons flew like a swarm of locusts, carrying a sharp whistling sound as they shot toward Gongzi Yu.

Gongzi Yu's expression was calm and unhurried. He gently drew his longsword and spun it, creating brilliant sword flowers. His sword stance was grand and sweeping; with every swing, it brought forth a patch of azure sword light, as if the entire vast sea had been gathered into his sword moves.

In the blink of an eye, countless strands of Sword Qi crisscrossed to form an impenetrable sword net. This sword net contained a majestic and powerful force, as if it could crush everything in the world. Once the Hidden Weapons fired by the Tang Sect Elders touched this sword net, they were all deflected, falling to the ground with a series of crisp sounds.

Seeing this, the Elders' expressions changed drastically; they had not expected this person's swordsmanship to be so fierce.

In the brief exchange just now, Gongzi Yu had displayed his swordsmanship to the fullest. It was like a surging sea wave—indestructible and flawless. He seemed to have merged with his sword, leaving everyone dazzled and unable to keep up.

"This... how is this possible!" The Tang Sect Elder looked at the still-standing Gongzi Yu, his face full of shock and unwillingness. He truly could not believe that their combined Hidden Weapon techniques had been so easily neutralized by Gongzi Yu.

Gongzi Yu sheathed his sword and stood, a faint smile on his face: "The Six Harmonies of the Vast Sea encompasses all things. Though your Hidden Weapons are poisonous, they cannot harm me in the slightest." His voice was weathered and relaxed, echoing long in the valley.

"The Six Harmonies of the Vast Sea? Could you be... Shen Lang?"

"No... he is... the true leader of the Azure Dragon Society..." Tang Taiyue raised a hand to interrupt the Elders. He had finally confirmed the opponent's identity. He spoke the once-taboo name in the Jianghu with difficulty.

"—Gongzi Yu, Shen Guyan."

Hearing his long-unspoken real name, a trace of reminiscence flashed in Shen Guyan's murky eyes. After he had intentionally displayed the Six Harmonies of the Vast Sea, the other party had indeed recalled his identity.

"You have some insight, at least." Shen Guyan nodded.

"I wonder... what is the purpose of the Azure Dragon Leader's visit to our Sect?" Tang Taiyue's expression gradually turned ugly. The Tang Sect had once had conflicts with Gongzi Yu and his wife. After many years, this great deity had come uninvited; he likely had other motives.

"My visit to your Tang Sect this time is merely to bring my beloved wife back to her roots." Shen Guyan picked up Ming Yuexin from the ground again, "However, I will not bury her in your ancestral shrine."

Upon hearing this, Tang Taiyue exchanged glances with the Elders; their faces were full of suspicion, but their hands hidden in their robes tightened.

"Do not waste your effort; the River Styx water can no longer be of any use against me." Shen Guyan scoffed. These Tang Sect members had not made much progress over the years; they were still the same, playing with underhanded Hidden Weapon tricks.

Tang Taiyue and the other Tang Sect high-ranking members remained unmoved, their Hidden Weapons quenched in River Styx water ready to be fired.

"Your sister was right; your Tang Sect is stagnant, hypocritical, and weak, either killing your own kin or fishing for fame and reputation." Shen Guyan shook his head and continued to mock: "Although the Tang Sect pursues martial arts and does not involve itself in the grievances of the Jianghu, it holds onto sectarian biases, with strict Sect rules forbidding the practice of outsiders' martial arts. But such rules only lead the path of martial arts toward decline."

"How the Tang Sect conducts itself is not for a Devil Head like you to judge... Hmm?" Tang Taiyue was furious and about to strike, but discovered that he and the others could no longer move.

That was because, among them, countless obscure silver threads had appeared without them knowing when.

Puppet Technique!

Tang Taiyue could no longer remain calm. How did Shen Guyan learn their Tang Sect's secret Puppet Technique?

"The Tang Sect is unrivaled in the Martial Forest for its Hidden Weapons and mechanisms, and because it is skilled in using mechanisms and Puppet combined attack techniques, it is called 'Half-Man, Half-Shadow' by the people of the Jianghu... A true Tang Sect expert never uses poison... Actually, there is one line missing..." Shen Guyan smiled lightly, the fingers under his robes rhythmically moving.

"And that is—there is also never a need for a Puppet by one's side; the enemy is the best Puppet."

Upon hearing this, the Tang Sect members' expressions changed drastically. Just when did Gongzi Yu obtain their Tang Sect's secret book on mechanism Puppet Techniques?

"I once pointed at the setting sun and swore an oath: everything I caused my wife to lose that day, I will surely take back for her one day!" Shen Guyan's white hair fluttered, and the eyes on his aged face seemed to come alive again, just like the youth he once was.

As soon as the words fell, the Tang Sect high-ranking officials present felt their knees go weak and knelt before Shen Guyan one after another.

Shen Guyan disdained to kill them, because to an old man who had lived for decades, taking revenge on the spot might bring momentary pleasure, but it was by no means the most humiliating way to treat an opponent.

At this moment, a mechanical lotus cast from refined iron appeared in Gongzi Yu's hand, possessing seven colors and forty-nine petals.

"The Seven Leaf Lotus Splendor is a peerless Hidden Weapon created by combining my wife's signature techniques; it is not inferior to the Peacock Plume of the Peacock Manor." Shen Guyan seemed very satisfied with this object that he and his wife had tinkered with after their retirement, and his tone of introduction carried a hint of pride.

"You..." Tang Taiyue looked at the small lotus before him, at a loss for words for a moment.

"Today, I shall use this Hidden Weapon, crafted in our later years, to settle the grievances of the past."

With that, Shen Guyan channeled his Internal Energy, and the lotus in his hand turned into a streak of red light, shooting toward the Elders.

Ding—

The sound of the lotus exploding was strange, crisp, and moving, just like the sound produced when gold and jade collide. Yet, it was this single crisp sound that became the focus of everyone's attention.

At the same time as this faint sound, before the Tang Sect Elders could dodge, a gilded tornado had already quietly expanded.

After the golden-red tornado swept past in an instant, the group of Tang Sect Elders stood dumbfounded in place, no longer making any movement.

Puff—

I do not know which Elder's body made this sound first; a red mist of blood permeated the cliff top in an instant, sweeping over those dozens of bodies. They were like rag dolls, blood spraying wildly from every part of their bodies as they fell to the ground simultaneously.

In the blink of an eye, every Tang Sect Elder here had their Meridians shattered!

"Hahahaha..." Shen Guyan laughed wildly toward the sky. He picked up his wife's remains and took a sudden step backward. At this moment, no one could stop him. He leapt gracefully toward the Ghost-Dread in front of him, flying into the clouds and mist in the mountains.

The clouds and mist were thick, carrying waves of blood, taking away countless Tang Sect Elders, and taking away that legendary old man who had once climbed to the Peak of the Martial Forest...

After a long, long time, Tang Taiyue dragged his severely injured body to the edge of the cliff and looked down.

But in the thick fog, where was there any trace of that Gongzi Yu who had once shaken the Jianghu?

[part:deepseek-chat]

Someone!" Tang Taiyue's voice was hoarse and strained as he roared.

"Find them! I want to see them alive, or I want to see their corpses!" He was nearly driven mad. Shen Guyan's martial arts had actually reached such a level. That large-scale lethal hidden weapon, under the control of his Internal Energy, had actually failed to kill a single one of them, only crippling the martial arts of everyone present. This was undoubtedly more unbearable than killing them!

One must know that the Tang Sect's senior members present were all the pillars supporting the Sect!

"Also, collect as many fragments as possible of the hidden weapon that Gongzi Yu just used!"

Although Gongzi Yu had left, this rare hidden weapon he and Ming Yuexin left behind held immense research value for the Tang Sect. Even if they could glean a tiny bit of insight from it, it would be enough to sustain the Tang Sect's glory for several hundred more years!

From then on, the Tang Sect officially faded from the Jianghu and began researching the Seven Leaf Lotus Splendor left by Gongzi Yu...

But who exactly was Gongzi Yu? How could the Hidden Weapons he was capable of wielding be easily used by others in the Martial Forest?

In the decades that followed, the Tang Sect's Dark Blue Workshop threw all its efforts into researching and developing the Seven Leaf Lotus Splendor. To compensate for the gap in propulsion by Internal Energy, they had to incorporate large quantities of gunpowder. After generations of divine craftsmen, they finally created a counterfeit!

Following the instructions left by Tang Taiyue before his death, later generations of the Tang Sect named it — Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus!

Many more years passed, and the crafting techniques of the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus gradually fell into obscurity. Or perhaps it was that no one in the Sect could replicate its former glory.

Until one day, an Outer Sect Disciple secretly studied the inner Sect's supreme skill, the Mysterious Heaven Skill. He left behind three Buddha's Fury Tang Lotuses he personally crafted before taking his own life to prove his resolve—

Yet these later events, for Gongzi Yu and Shen Guyan, had become a prelude.

...

On the Yellow Springs Road, the stream of people was endless. Each wore a sorrowful expression, their wails unceasing. They walked the road as slowly as possible, looking back with every few steps, as if the world they had bid farewell to still held endless unfinished business...

His faded blue robe brushed over the moss-covered stone steps of the Homeward Viewing Terrace. Gongzi Yu lowered his gaze to the crisscrossing wrinkles on his palm, marks left by twenty years of toiling in the fields. The wind swept past his graying temples, blowing the wooden hairpin from his hair to the ground, revealing the old scar on his forehead, grazed by Fu Hongxue's blade light. Now, under the faint glow of the Yellow Springs, it shimmered with a faint red, as if the bloodstains of the Jianghu from the depths of time were beginning to stir once more.

Floating on the surface of the River of Forgetfulness were no longer the command flags of the Martial Forest Alliance Leader or the tokens of the Azure Dragon Society, but yellowed farm account books, coarse cloth clothes mended by his wife, and the willow wreath his daughter wove that spring.

Gongzi Yu bent down to touch the river water. As his fingertip just touched the surface, countless vines suddenly coiled up from the riverbed. The vines were adorned with the trivialities of his peaceful life after retirement — the morning cooking smoke, the autumn harvest grain piles, his wife's smile on her deathbed.

"Young Master, it's time to drink the soup."

Meng Po's raspy voice mingled with the bubbling sound of the boiling soup pot.

Gongzi Yu stared at the wavering reflection in the bronze bowl. He saw not the Jianghu overlord wearing a bronze mask, but a white-haired old farmer.

The soup swirled, blurring into scenes of the past: the exhilaration of riding through the Jianghu with Ming Yuexin, the tenderness of playing chess under the moonlight, and her busy figure by the stove after they laid down their arms and returned to the fields.

The moment he stepped onto the Naihe Bridge, the Manjusaka flowers suddenly bloomed with a soft, warm light. The bridge trembled slightly. Gongzi Yu steadied himself against the railing and saw a scene from thirty years ago emerging from the depths of the River of Forgetfulness: his younger self, locked in a dark room by his father, gazing at the Hundred Knowledgeable's Weapon Ranks hanging on the wall, listening to tales of Jianghu vendettas. When the bridge's trembling subsided, he finally understood — compared to the rankings on the Weapon Ranks, the simple fare by the hearth was the most precious Jianghu.

Netherworld Butterflies suddenly gathered into the form of Ming Yuexin, wearing the simple blue cloth clothes they often wore after retiring, silver threads also gracing her temples.

"All these years, have you grown weary?" The illusion's voice held heartache. "The Azure Dragon Society, the title of Martial Forest Alliance Leader... you should let them all go." Gongzi Yu wanted to grasp her, but saw her hand pass through his palm, gently stroking his white hair.

Memories flooded in like the tide: the flashing blades and sword shadows of Fu Hongxue, Yan Nanfei's betrayal, the twenty years of life walked hand-in-hand with his wife... those heart-stopping moments and the simple warmth were now equally clear.

Deep within the peach grove, Gongzi Yu sat down beside her, picking up fallen petals from the ground. The petals transformed into wisps of cooking smoke, drifting towards the heavens.

Meng Po's soup pot suddenly emitted the fragrance of rice. Countless memories from ordinary days rose from the soup. Gongzi Yu recognized those Jianghu figures who had once been his enemies; now they all wore peaceful smiles. He also saw long-departed friends raising their cups, inviting him to drink.

At this moment, he was no longer that earth-shaking overlord of the Jianghu, but just a traveler returning home, carrying a lifetime of memories, walking towards a new life.

Perhaps in the next life, he might meet, in some season of warm spring and blooming flowers, the woman for whom he was willing to set aside the Jianghu, and continue a love story that was ordinary yet warm...

"Once you cross this boundary, all past lives are forgotten." Watching Gongzi Yu drain the Meng Po Soup in his hand in one gulp, Meng Po's eyes flickered slightly.

Gongzi Yu keenly caught this scene. The rusted longsword at his waist unsheathed itself—

*Clang!*

The blade suddenly emitted a clear, sharp ring, piercingly loud on the silent Yellow Springs Road.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Gongzi Yu's eyes, sharp as a hawk's, fixed intently on the Meng Po before him as he asked coldly.

"Hehe... I am Douluo, greetings to the Azure Dragon Society Leader. In your past days, Young Master, you roamed the Jianghu, peerless in wisdom and strategy, your methods even more astonishing."

Mysterious talismans swirled around 'Meng Po'. Her face, which should have been serene, now revealed a meaningful smile.

"Since Your Excellency walks between Yin and Yang, your strength must be extraordinary. Why seek out this retired person alone?" Gongzi Yu unhurriedly set down the soup bowl, lifting his eyes to examine the constantly shifting 'Meng Po' before him.

Douluo's face gradually grew illusory, even blurred. His voice also became ethereal: "My remaining time is short. I could only reach this realm by following someone's Soul trajectory across... So let's speak concisely..."

——

Douluo Continent, Star Dou Great Forest Core Circle.

The towering trees were so dense that not even sunlight could penetrate, so that within this great forest, only darkness could be seen.

Deep in the forest, there was a small lake. The water was clear to the bottom, pure as a piece of azure crystal. Yet, the water level was already far from the shore; desiccation seemed imminent.

The aura of life rippled in the lake water, but it felt somewhat weak.

By the lakeside stood a man dressed in a black robe, looking to be in his forties, handsome and resolute in appearance. A strand of golden hair hung down from his forehead to one side of his cheek.

He looked up at the sky, his gaze seeming somewhat shocked. The aura around him grew restless.

Not far from him stood several others, tall and short, fat and thin, of various forms.

At that moment, the ground beneath their feet trembled slightly. The lake water before them actually began to bubble as if boiling. These bubbles rapidly rose, and the frequency of the earth's tremors intensified.

"What's happening? Could it be those despicable humans have come?" The green-skirted woman's lovely face was filled with grief and indignation.

"Fight them to the death!" A burly, towering man roared, shaking his body. He actually transformed into a giant bear over thirty meters tall, its whole body emitting a dark golden luster.

"Bear Lord, calm down! It's not humans." The Beast God shouted loudly. On his originally dim face, an indescribable look of wild joy actually appeared.

"Di Tian, do you sense it too?"

A low voice, without warning, drifted through the forest. Then, the earth cracked. The entire great forest trembled violently. The already scant remaining water in the small lake poured back into the cracks, revealing the lakebed in an instant.

As a mass of silver light suddenly surged from the fissures in the earth, a giant claw slammed heavily onto the shore.

On that brilliant silver giant claw were densely packed hexagonal silver scales. Each scale refracted a strange radiance. The tremendous impact sound carried an unparalleled oppressive force, making all living beings want to kneel in worship.

The wild joy in the Beast God's eyes intensified. He stepped forward, dropping to one knee, and said respectfully, "I welcome our Sovereign."

The earth instantly exploded. The powerful aura even sent the thirty-meter-tall giant bear flying. A colossal figure over a hundred zhang in length suddenly soared into the air and, the next moment, landed heavily on the ground.

Giant trees were uprooted one after another. The human figures originally standing around all transformed into giant beasts.

They faced the silver behemoth, prostrating themselves on the ground.

"It is dead, but I still live." The low voice seemed to murmur. "I never thought... just as our Spirit Beast lineage was on the verge of extinction, the Azure Dragon's projection has finally appeared..."

Azure Dragon? The giant beasts immediately looked at each other.

"Legend speaks of four Divine Beasts. The projections of the four Divine Beasts can appear in any plane: the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird. Above the plane of Douluo Star, the Azure Dragon's projection has been long unseen... Regardless, the myriad Dragon Clan share the Bloodline of the Divine Beast Azure Dragon."

Dazzling silver light erupted, making all the giant Spirit Beasts dare not look directly. They could only prostrate themselves there humbly, trembling, wild with joy.

The Beast God said urgently, "But... Sovereign, the Azure Dragon's projection will definitely not be a Spirit Beast. It's even highly likely to be a human's Spirit..."

"Humans today have already grown too powerful. Their top-tier Battle Armor Masters, even I, cannot withstand too many. Humans, relying on the power of spirit tools, have made us unable to contend with them!"

Hearing the Beast God's words, the silver colossal body slowly lowered its head. Its low voice echoed through this no-longer-vast forest: "As long as the Azure Dragon exists, the Dragon Clan will surely rise, and Spirit Beasts... will also be reborn."

The giant figure slowly began to walk, heading towards the direction outside the forest. Under the cover of the massive tree canopy, in this dim light, its enormous body gradually shrank, and shrank. When it gradually disappeared at the edge of sight, it had already taken human form...