Time didn't halt in the outside world as Yin Long started his venture into the land of fractured space, nor did the plans of other people stop. Yin Long may have brought along Jin Wang with him as he entered the fractured space, but there was one person he couldn't bring along since it would go against the rules of the championship. But the one that was left behind, Lan Yun, was perfectly fine with this. Her main goal for coming to this place was to meet up with a certain person after all.

As such, she had taken to wandering practically the moment she was dropped off at the lodgings that had been prepared for her. But she wasn't wandering aimlessly, she was just taking a bit of a detour while taking in several deep breaths. The air in this place was extremely dry, it was like trying to breathe in chunks of sand. But perhaps due to this peculiarity, the law of earth was particularly dense here so it was well suited for her cultivation.

Of course, such a rough breathing environment was still not something comfortable, even if you did cultivate the law of earth. So as she accustomed herself to the sensation and got a better grasp of drawing in the abundant Qi with each breath, her steps slowly started to bring her closer to her target.

She stopped in front of a simple stone building before long, it was just a simple square building that looked like it would contain two or three rooms at most. An unadorned wooden door served as the entrance to the building, a gentle voice leaking out from within before Lan Yun could announce her presence.

"The door's open so you can just come in."

Lan Yun didn't hesitate and pushed open the door, stepping into a brightly lit room that had a few green plants scattered about it, clearly brought by someone else to liven up the room. A circular table had been placed at the centre of the room, one of the two chairs around it already pulled out as if it was inviting Lan Yun over. Lang Ru sat on the other chair, her elbows resting on the table as she held a cup that was releasing a thin stream of steam.

"Please, take a seat. Tang Fen sadly couldn't be here today since someone had to stay behind to keep an eye on the clan, but she can't wait for the day that she can properly meet you."

Lang Ru's crimson eyes were narrowed softly as she spoke, bending slightly to accommodate the joyful curve of her lips. Her slightly curved brown hair wasn't tied up and was allowed to freely hang down to her waist, she truly gave off the aura of the girl next door. Lan Yun took the seat that had been prepared for her, Lang Ru sliding another cup of fragrant tea over to her.

"Your new haircut suits you nicely, you were charming enough with long hair, but you look more heroic with short. Also, I'm sorry that tea is the only thing I can offer, I got a bit too excited and handed all my brewed wine to Little Huo so that she could pass it to Little Yin. Well, all but one jug, but that one's for a special occasion so it doesn't really count."

In this world, there were only three people who could call Yin Long something as cutesy as Little Yin. Two of them had already departed to the next life so that left only Lang Ru, it was her privilege as his elder sister, a privilege that no one else was likely to ever acquire. Lan Yun picked up the cup and sipped the tea slowly, her brown eyes locking with Lang Ru's.

In truth, this was only the second time these two had spoken, the first time was back when Lang Ru told her that Yin Long would be dead for long. They had both worked for the dark side of the Lang clan, but in different departments so they didn't really come in contact, Lan Yun hadn't even known about Lang Ru's involvement until the day she and Yin Long left the clan. They couldn't really be considered people who had a lot to say to each other, but there was something Lan Yun wanted to say above all else.

"Thank you. You could have hidden it back then, you could have kept me in the clan so that I could keep being of use. But you didn't, you allowed me to follow him, you gave me this chance at happiness. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

Lan Yun still had plenty of use left after Yin Long's 'death', keeping her around would have been very useful to Lang Ru and Jiu Meiyu. But even so, Lang Ru had sought her out and told her the truth, she had given her several things and sent her on her way to await Yin Long's return. She had removed not just one, but two chesspieces from her own board, but Lang Ru's soft and gentle smile showed that she wasn't bothered by it at all.

"Lang Huo will be happy in the Lang clan, ruling it and controlling it alongside Tang Fen. But Yin Long won't, he can't find happiness as long as he remains shackled to the anchor that is the Lang clan, and he deserves happiness just as much as Lang Huo does. What I did, I did for his happiness, nothing else."

Lang Ru did not feel that she had done something that she should be thanked for. No, what she had done was kill her own younger brother and harm her own younger sister while doing so. She should not be thanked, not should she ever be forgiven, for she had failed her entire family. She also knew one other side-effect of what she had done, and this would perhaps be one that more closely affected Lan Yun.

"And I wouldn't thank me so quickly. I've unleashed him on the world, and his splendour is already starting to show. He'll start to shine more and more, and while some may avert their gazes from that light, others will be drawn to it. I mean, just look at you, you caught a glimpse of that light and it seared itself into your mind. Others will undoubtedly experience the same, feel the same as you. And I can't be guaranteed that he won't reciprocate. So don't thank me, I gave him freedom, and that freedom means that you may lose him."

Back when they worked together, she was the only one who got to see Yin Long's true beauty and glow, to everyone else he was the lazy and playful Young Master. But now he was free, and as could be seen from the fights that had been recorded so far, his splendour was already starting to show itself to the rest of the world. Gone was the lazy Young Master, all that remained was the elegant and powerful Prince of Fallen Leaves. But this time it was Lan Yun's time to smile softly but confidently, not bothered by Lang Ru's words.

"I know, I've known for quite a while. He outshines all else, a sun to drown out all other stars, some will find the light suffocating and blinding while others will find the light so gentle and warm that it could sustain all life. So like planets around the sun, people will start to orbit around him, and indeed, he may take a fancy to more than one of those planets. But I was the first, I'll always be the first and closest, no matter how many, no matter how hard I have to fight to maintain that spot."

How could she not have known? She had decreed the brilliance of his light before they had even left the clan, she had known all along how far it would spread and what effects it would have. But so what? No matter how many gathered by his side, she would be the first, she would be the one that had been with him the longest, she would occupy the largest place in his heart. She had chased him for several years and would continue to do so until the end of time, she would never allow anyone else to take the number one spot.

Lang Ru's smile couldn't help but soften further when she saw Lan Yun's confident demeanour, she was truly grateful that Yin Long had such a person by his side. His family was unable to give him the happiness he deserved, but at least he was able to make himself a new family that could give him that. She took a sip of tea and opened her mouth to speak, but a heavy pressure suddenly bore down on the both of them, sealing both their movements and their Qi.

"There we go, now he's finally not looking. You two don't need to speak, I'll take what I want directly from your memories."

The cold voice hammered against the chests of the two girls, a man appearing at the side of the table. He stood over three metres in height and had dark silver hair, a pair of crimson pupils sweeping over the two people that couldn't move. Emperor Starblood had started to make his move to discern the truth, and the place his gaze landed first was Lan Yun.

"You, puppet, I'll start with you."

--

Yin Long had no idea about what was going on in the outside world after he entered the land of fractured space, they were almost completely cut off after all. So he stood on the arid plain and exchanged looks with the three yellow eyes that had opened in the earth, tilting his head somewhat curiously when faced with its question.

"A dragon? Your dragon?"

He raised his gaze slightly as he pondered over it, not aware of the fact that he was thinking over it strangely deeply despite not knowing who it was that was asking. His gaze quickly landed on the gargantuan dragon that covered the sky above them, its seemingly perfect serpentine body frozen high above him. And looking at that exquisite specimen, he could only shake his head.

"Others often try to compare me to one, even named me to be one, but I don't think so. Dragons are regal and grand, embodiments of power and complexity. I don't have anything like that, don't think I ever will. If I had to compare myself to something then I would say that I'm probably a sword. Simple in form, straightforward in usage, born for only a single purpose. Yes, something like that is better suited for someone like me, all those grand and majestic things are best left for others."

He was just a youth trying to bring his sword to the highest peak it could reach, a horribly straightforward person that didn't have an ounce of regality about him. Bei Xiang, his parents, they all desired for him to be a true dragon, but he didn't think that he would ever be able to make those desires come true.

"A sword?... A sword needs a wielder, someone to grasp it to fully unleash its potential. You came here on your own so you cannot be a sword, you can only be my dragon."

The voice coming from the three eyes clearly didn't agree with Yin Long's analysis, all based on the simple fact that he had come there. But Yin Long hadn't come here on his own, he didn't even know where this was so how could he possibly have come here by his own volition? He shook his head once more, trying to explain the situation.

"But I didn't co...!"

His words were cut short when the three eyes unleashed a bright light, each of the three rays landing on him. Two of them superimposed themselves over his eyes while the third landed on the centre of his forehead to take the place of the third eye, fully blotting out his vision.

He instantly felt what he could only describe as omnipotence, he could see every inch of the arid plain, and even all the countless billions of kilometres of land that stretched out beyond it. The innumerable lives existing on the land all felt like they were in his grasp, like he could turn them into power with just a clench of his hand.

He felt like an invincible god, the sheer scope of the power laying bare some of the sword techniques he had previously been too weak to properly understand. But that sensation didn't last for long, the three rays of light flickering when something like a blockade appeared within Yin Long. The omnipotent feeling was cut short and the light forced back into the three eyes, a glimmer of understanding surfacing in them.

"Ah, you are not my dragon. You are that blank parasite, so clean and pure that you took in everything for yourself. But how woeful, you are broken and torn, the cracks only barely filled in by plundered lifeforce."

The voice had taken on a somewhat strange tone, a mixture of understanding, disappointment, and hope. Yin Long still didn't know what exactly these three eyes were, but its words made it clear that it at least knew something about him, or had at the very least learned something after imposing that light on him. But it didn't give him the chance to open his mouth, its powerful voice rumbling the land again before he could say anything.

"You are not my dragon, but you can become THE dragon. Should you ever desire to become the dragon, come find me again...I simply wish to fly freely, so I will help you become the dragon..."

The voice once again took on the tone of jealousy, but this time it was mixed with heavy sorrow, as if that lone desire to fly was the most important thing to this being. Yin Long could feel his consciousness after the voice spoke so it had clearly done something, rejected him, and only now did he get the chance to say something.

"But I don't even know where this is, that's what I've been trying to tell you!"

How was he possibly supposed to come here again when he didn't even know where this was? But he wasn't just willing to lose this chance to learn a bit about himself so if he could learn where this was and could come here in the future, then he might be able to learn a lot. But what a shame, the voice gave nothing more than a cryptic answer before Yin Long's consciousness turned completely black.

"No, you already know, you just haven't realized it yet. Farewell, blank parasite, I pray to no gods that you'll become the dragon and let me fly..."