Xiao Lin stood at the edge of the *Valley of Split Souls*, where a poisonous purple mist obscured his vision. In his hand, the Jiuying fragment pulsed like a dying heart, leading him to an ancient stone gate covered in moss. According to Su Chen's imagination, this was where the true **Jiuyinlong**—a sword that transcended time and space—was hidden. But to obtain it, he would have to pass the *Three Trials of the Ancestors*.
**First Trial: Forgotten Blood.**
The moment Xiao Lin touched the gate, the world spun. He woke up in the body of his ancestor, **Su Liang**, who was standing in the middle of a battle against Su Chen. Every blow, every stab, he felt as if it were real. "You are weak!" Su Chen shouted in Xiao Lin's body. "Your descendants will suffer for your betrayal!"
Xiao Lin—in Su Liang's form—was unable to control his own body. His hand stabbed the sword into Su Chen's heart. Golden blood gushed out, and he heard Luo Yan's scream from the present: *"Xiao Lin, don't!"*
**Second Trial: Living Shadow.**
The mist enveloped him again. This time, he was in the forest of his childhood. A younger version of Luo Yan ran toward him, smiling. "Let's practice swords!" But when Xiao Lin reached out, the child transformed into a **Tianmo** with his own face. "You and I are the same," Tianmo whispered. "You *want* this power."
Xiao Lin fell, Jiuying nearly falling away. But Su Chen's voice echoed: *"Choose: living a lie, or the devastating truth!"*
With a scream, he stabbed the Jiuying fragment into his own chest. His purple blood flooded the illusion, turning the forest into an empty space filled with **Jiuyinlong**—a sword as transparent as glass, bound by chains of red and blue energy.
**Final Trial: Uncertain Sacrifice.**
"To take me, you must abandon something that cannot be returned," Jiuyinlong's voice echoed.
Xiao Lin did not hesitate. He tore out a piece of his soul, storing it in a fragment of the Jiuying. "Take this. But give me the power to save her!"
The Jiuyinlong merged with him. But what he didn't realize—the piece of soul he sacrificed contained *all of his memories of Luo Yan*.
---
**Dark Side: The Ancient Dragon and the False Chain**
Luo Yan woke up on a throne of ice, a dragon crown on his head. A silver-haired woman—**Shen Li**, the last leader of the Ancient Dragon Worshippers—stood beside him with a satisfied smile. "See, your power is complete," she whispered, pointing to a giant mirror that showed an army of dragons gathered below.
But behind Luo Yan's consciousness, a fierce battle was taking place. **His real soul** was trapped in an ice labyrinth, facing off against the shadow of the Tianmo disguised as Shen Li. "You think they care about you? You're just a tool!" the shadow scolded.
Luo Yan tried to break free, but the Yinglong in his hand transformed into an ice snake that strangled his neck. "Obedience... or death," the real Shen Li hissed through the mirror.
---
Xiao Lin arrived at the top of the mountain with the shining Jiuyinlong, but when he saw Luo Yan who was now the Dragon Queen, there was no flash of love in his eyes—his memory was gone.
"Hand over the Primordial Dragon, or I'll destroy everything!" Xiao Lin snarled, his sword pointing at Luo Yan.
Luo Yan gasped. Frozen tears fell from her eyes. "You... don't remember me?"
In the shadows, Shen Li and Tianmo laughed. Red-blue energy chains suddenly wrapped around Xiao Lin and Luo Yan's bodies, merging Jiuyinlong and Yinglong into the **Sword of Doom**.
"Thank you for completing the final ritual," Shen Li said before disappearing.
The sky collapsed. Jiuyinlong and Yinglong merged, forming a dimensional gate where the **True Primordial Dragon**—Tianmo's original form before it split—slowly emerged from the black hole.
Xiao Lin and Luo Yan, bound by their own swords, could only remain silent as the Primordial Dragon's voice boomed:
"Your Forbidden Blood... is the final key to my immortality."