"If I'm an imposter," Yun Lintian challenged, his voice now carrying the weight of a dragon's might, "then how do I possess this bloodline? Your father himself bestowed it upon !"
Long Qingxuan shuddered.
For a brief mont, recognition flickered in her eyes—the familiar aura of her own bloodline resonating with his.
But then—
"LIES!"
Her roar shook the heavens as an enormous projection materialized behind her—the Primordial Azure Dragon God himself.
The divine image radiated overwhelming pressure, freezing Qian Jinglei and the others in place. Their souls trembled, unable to move under the Dragon God Soul's suppression.
Only Yun Lintian remained standing.
Calm. Unshaken.
"You want to see a Dragon God Soul?" he murmured. "Then see mine."
Boom!
Another colossal projection erupted behind Yun Lintian—an identical Primordial Azure Dragon God. The two divine images faced each other, their auras clashing in midair.
The earth cracked beneath them. The sky split apart.
Long Qingxuan's eyes widened in shock. "Impossible! Only a true inheritor of father's bloodline can manifest this!"
Yun Lintian stepped forward, his draconic wings spread wide. "Now do you understand? Nian Shi altered your mories. He made you forget —forget us."
Long Qingxuan's massive form trembled violently. "No... no! You're lying!"
Her Dragon God Soul lashed out, its claws slashing toward Yun Lintian's projection.
Yun Lintian didn't dodge.
Instead, his own Dragon God Soul moved—not to attack, but to embrace.
The two colossal azure dragons intertwined, their energies rging rather than clashing. A brilliant light erupted, illuminating the entire battlefield.
Long Qingxuan gasped as mories flooded back—
Their first eting in the Azure World...
Their passionate night under the bamboo grove...
Their wedding beneath the celestial stars...
Everything was real but she couldn't bring herself to accept it.
Yun Lintian saw the struggles in her eyes and he couldn't understand what happened to her exactly.
Long Qingxuan's hands trembled as she clutched her head. The mories were real—she could feel their truth in her soul. The love, the passion, the vows... all genuine.
But one thought tore at her heart as she murmured.
"How can you be alive? You died in my arms..."
Yun Lintian's breath caught.
Died in her arms?
Then it clicked.
His fists clenched so tightly that blood dripped from his palms. Nian Shi... you bastard.
This wasn't just mory alteration.
Nian Shi hadn't just erased him—he had replaced him.
"Qingxuan," Yun Lintian said softly, forcing his voice to remain calm. "The Yun Lintian you knew... was another version of . From another tiline."
Her azure eyes flickered with confusion.
Yun Lintian stepped closer, ignoring the way her body tensed. "There are many versions of across countless tilines. All fighting Nian Shi. All... failing."
The words tasted bitter.
Long Qingxuan shook her head. "You expect to believe this madness?"
"I expect nothing," Yun Lintian said. "But if you'll let ... I can show you."
He reached out slowly, palm upturned. "Open your soul to . Just a little. And I'll prove it."
The storm around them stilled.
Long Qingxuan stared at his hand, conflict raging in her gaze. Every instinct scread at her to reject this stranger—yet sothing deeper, sothing primal, urged her to trust.
"...Do it," she whispered at last.
Yun Lintian exhaled sharply. Then—
He pressed his palm to her forehead.
Boom!
A surge of soul energy connected them. Images flashed between their minds—
A battlefield drenched in blood. A dying Yun Lintian gasping his last breaths in Long Qingxuan's arms. Nian Shi's mocking laughter as he tore her away...
A different tiline. A different Yun Lintian. The sa tragedy repeating...
Again. And again. And again.
"Ah!" Long Qingxuan scread as her massive body gradually reverted to her human form.
She tore away from the connection, collapsing to her knees. Tears stread down her face as the horrifying truth settled in.
"It's... real..."
Yun Lintian knelt beside her, his own eyes wet. "I'm sorry you had to see that."
A shuddering breath escaped her lips. Then—
Her fist slamd into his chest.
Thud!
Not hard enough to injure. Just enough to hurt.
"You idiot!" she sobbed. "Why did you make rember? Why couldn't you just let believe the lie?"
Yun Lintian didn't flinch. "Because you deserve the truth. No matter how painful."
Long Qingxuan's shoulders shook. For the first ti in centuries—perhaps for the first ti ever—the mighty Dragon Princess wept openly.
And Yun Lintian...
He simply held her.
Letting her rage.
Letting her grieve.
Letting her rember.
Around them, the ruins stood silent—bearing witness to a reunion that defied ti itself...
...
..
.
The storm clouds gradually dissipated as Long Qingxuan's sobs quieted. She leaned heavily against Yun Lintian's chest, her fingers clutching his robes like a drowning woman clinging to driftwood.
His familiar heartbeat steadied her, the rhythm syncing with her own as fragnted mories continued rging in her mind.
A long while later, she lifted her tear-streaked face.
"Why..." Her voice was hoarse. "Why didn't you co earlier?"
Yun Lintian's arms tightened around her. There was no excuse good enough, no justification that could erase her suffering. So he told the simple, shaful truth.
"I made a deal with Nian Shi."
Long Qingxuan stilled.
"The world is divided," Yun Lintian continued quietly. "Three forces—, Nian Shi, and Yin. I had to maintain the balance. My strength... wasn't enough." He bowed his head. "I was a coward. I didn't dare fight Nian Shi with everything I had to take you back."
The confession hung between them, heavy with regret.
To his surprise, Long Qingxuan's fingers gently cupped his jaw, forcing him to et her gaze. Her azure eyes held no accusation—only understanding.
"You made the right decision."
Yun Lintian froze.
"The bigger picture ca first," she said softly. "Without maintaining the balance, we would all be dead anyway." A faint smile touched her lips. "My husband has always been soone who carries the world's weight. That's why I fell for you."
For the first ti in what felt like eternity, sothing in Yun Lintian's chest unclenched. He pulled her close, burying his face in her hair.
"Thank you," he whispered. "For understanding."
Long Qingxuan nestled deeper into his embrace and remained silent.
Yun Lintian couldn't help but ask. "How long has it been since you ca here?"
Long Qingxuan remained silent for a mont before replying. "More than a million years."
Crackle!
Yun Lintian's bones cracked as his body tensed up… Long Qingxuan actually spent more than a million years here. How lonely was she?
Myriad emotions exploded in Yun Lintian's heart—anger, ashad, guilt, drowning his mind and soul…
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