On the Sacrifice Island, inside the central cave, a young boy leaned against a stone bed, with a young man in a splendid robe standing beside him.
"How did you know about the dragon-shaped mark on my chest?" the boy asked, surprised. He had not expected that the leader would know his true identity the first time they met, realizing that he was not Luo.
"I not only know about the dragon-shaped mark on your chest, but I also understand its great significance to you," the man replied.
"What does it mean?" the boy asked, confused. He had always thought the mark was just a family emblem and didn't know it held any significant meaning.
The man turned around and looked at the boy, saying, "When you were born, you carried a rare and strange poison in your body. This poison was unlike any other, and it couldn't be expelled by normal means. Even if I, Huan, and Xie Lun combined our powers, we couldn't do it." Hearing this, the boy was shocked. He knew that those three were the top experts in the Four Realms, and if they couldn't do it, then perhaps his poison was incurable.
"However, at that time, we found a way to suppress the poison in your body," the man continued. "The young master of the Sītu family, Sītu Juékōng, brought their family heirloom, the Dragon-shaped Jade."
"Dragon-shaped Jade? What is that?" the boy asked.
"It is a piece of jade created by the first patriarch of the Sītu family, Sītu Long, who fused his entire life's power into it before he passed away. You should know, Sītu Long's strength had surpassed the realm of the Master Domain," the man explained.
"What! There are beings stronger than the Master Domain?" the boy exclaimed in awe.
"Yes, at the time, we could not fully unlock the power of the Dragon-shaped Jade, but the three of us worked together to embed it into your body to suppress the poison. We never expected that it would disappear in just five years," the man said with a helpless shake of his head.
"So, you're saying that the family crest on my chest is because of that Dragon-shaped Jade? Then... Luo and I look so similar... does that mean..." The boy paused, deep in thought, before speaking to the man.
"You've guessed it right. You are not from the Sītu family, and neither is Luo from the Dōngfāng family. Both of you... are twin brothers, and by age, he should be your older brother," the man said gravely. The boy was stunned. Although he had thought of this possibility, it was still hard to accept. The family he had lived with for five years wasn't his true family.
"Then, who are our real parents?" the boy suddenly asked.
"This... I can't tell you yet. Also, if you meet Luo in the future, don't tell him, because it's not the right time for you both to know," the man replied. He sat down beside the stone bed and gently stroked the boy's hair. "Now, can you tell me the secret of the disappearance of the dragon-shaped mark on your chest?"
The boy thought for a moment and then asked, "Will you promise not to tell anyone my secret, including Sītu-ge and Dōngfāng-ge?"
"Yes, I promise," the man replied.
The boy then recounted everything that had happened in the Sacred Dragon Temple's back garden underground to the man.
"It seems that the Dragon-shaped Jade is now inside Luo," the man pondered. He then stood up and walked over to a stone table. Picking up a medicine bottle, he poured out a pill and handed it to the boy. "This is a Rejuvenation Pill. It will help restore your vitality. Your life force has been severely depleted by the poison, and while it has stopped consuming you, you're still unable to move freely."
The boy opened his mouth and swallowed the pill. As soon as it entered his body, a warm sensation spread throughout him, and he felt a bit more in control of his body.
"You're still weak. To fully regain your ability to move, you'll need to stay here on the Sacrifice Island for a long time," the man said. "Also, the reason your poison stopped spreading is because of this." The man pointed to a floating crystal stone. "That's the Tian Gang Stone, a sacred artifact of our Sacrifice Council. It's what keeps the island floating and moving. The power it contains is comparable to the Dragon-shaped Jade. The Tian Gang Qi released from it has suppressed the poison in your body. So, until you find something else to counteract the poison, you'll have to stay here."
On the Sacrifice Island, in the Tian Gang District's Peach Blossom Garden, a young boy in white pushed a wheelchair as he walked through the garden. The boy in the wheelchair was still recovering. After over a month of rest, his upper body could move freely, but his legs were still paralyzed, and he could only sit in the wheelchair.
"Dōngfāng-ge, you don't have to stay with me this much. After all, I have to stay here on the island," the boy said.
"It's no trouble. I've got nothing else to do, and being here in the Tian Gang Qi helps with my cultivation," the young man replied. While his reason sounded forced, the dense Tian Gang Qi on the island was indeed helpful to his cultivation. The young man had already faintly sensed he was close to the threshold of the Master Domain. "I'll leave when you can move freely," he added.
"That will delay your wedding!" the boy said anxiously.
The young man laughed. "That's why you need to recover quickly. Then I can return and you won't hold me up." The boy didn't respond, knowing that all he could do now was recover his body as quickly as possible, so he wouldn't delay the young man's life.
It took nearly two months for the boy to regain basic mobility, but by then, the young man had broken through to the Master Domain and was ready to leave. Before he left, he taught the boy his Phantom Sword Technique and the Light Saint Heart Law, which would help the boy in his future cultivation.
In the Demon Realm, at the Demon Dragon Palace, the boy had been researching the black egg ever since he returned with Sītu Juékōng. After three months, it finally showed signs of movement. The boy sat on the bed, staring at the strange black egg. This morning, he noticed the egg's patterns had been flickering, as though something was about to break out. Suddenly, the patterns vanished, and the egg appeared ordinary again. Then, the egg began to tremble violently, and cracks appeared on its surface. In the next moment, the egg shattered completely.
The boy cleared the shattered pieces off the bed, looking at what had emerged from the egg—a small humanoid lizard. Suddenly, the lizard's eyes glowed a dark red, and it let out an ear-piercing roar that seemed to shake the entire world. The boy quickly covered his ears, feeling as though the very heavens and earth were trembling with the sound. After a moment, the lizard stopped its roar and fell unconscious again. The boy cautiously approached, poking the lizard. There was no response, only a long, deep breath.
"What happened?" Sītu Juékōng, who had heard the roar, rushed in and asked urgently. He had never heard such a terrifying sound.
The boy looked at Sītu Juékōng but didn't say anything. He had no idea how to explain, especially not revealing that the black egg had been stolen from the Divine Realm's underground palace.
"This is a Ground Dragon. Have you been to the Evil Dragon Forest?" Sītu Juékōng said, looking at the humanoid lizard. The Evil Dragon Forest was a vast stone forest behind the Demon Dragon Palace, home to many wild dragons. The Demon Dragon family had a direct military force called the Demon Dragon Army. Every member of the army had their own wild dragon, either a ground dragon or a flying dragon. These dragons were raised and trained together. The army was divided into air force and cavalry, and it was the strongest force of the Sītu family. Sītu Juékōng clearly considered the lizard to be a ground dragon.
"Didn't expect you to be interested in the Demon Dragon Army. But judging by the roar, this ground dragon is not ordinary," Sītu Juékōng said.
"Is... is it?" the boy hesitated to answer, unsure how to explain the true origins of the black egg. For now, he just accepted that the creature was an unusual ground dragon.
"Well, play with it as you like. If you have questions, go ask Old Hei, the best dragon trainer in our Demon Realm!" With that, Sītu Juékōng left the boy's room.
Back in the hall, Sītu Juékōng turned to a figure emerging from the darkness behind him. "Anye, how's it going?"
A figure, a man in black clothes with a mask, appeared from the shadows. He spoke to Sītu Juékōng, "The information is correct. The entire Sacred Dragon Clan died on the day of Dōngfāng Yìfēng's wedding. Dōngfāng Yìfēng, Gān Líng, and Luo are all missing. The new ruler of the Divine Realm is Aì Gélún, the leader of the Angel Clan!"