The Divine Realm sky, which usually radiated eternal peace, now cracked like shattered glass. The golden clouds that once veiled this heavenly domain had turned pitch black, accompanied by relentless flashes of lightning. A vortex of chaotic energy gnawed away at the purity of this realm, as if the universe itself were mourning its own destruction.
At the center of this devastation, a colossal Golden Dragon struggled to flap its severely injured wings. He was the main cause of this catastrophe—the Golden Dragon King. His condition was pitiful: his once radiant body, shining like the sun, was now riddled with horrifying wounds, some so deep they exposed his gleaming golden bones.
This conflict began with the legend of the Divine Beast who created the Divine Realm—the mighty Dragon God. Due to the contradiction within himself, the god was unable to control his immense power and eventually went on a rampage. Even the Five God Kings who tried to surround him were unable to defeat him, not even in his maddened state.
In the last shred of his sanity, the Dragon God made the greatest sacrifice. With one final effort, he suppressed his own power and allowed the Asura God King to strike him with a divine artifact. But even that legendary weapon couldn't completely kill the god. The best it could do was split him into two separate entities: the Golden Dragon King and the Silver Dragon King.
The Golden Dragon King, representing the destructive side of the Dragon God, inherited the god's physical form and time-related powers. Meanwhile, the Silver Dragon King, representing the benevolent side, inherited the god's elemental and spatial abilities.
At first, these two entities joined forces to fight the gods. But their combined might was still no match for the Five God Kings. In defeat, the Silver Dragon King fled to the lower realm, while the Golden Dragon King was captured and sealed in a hidden location in the Divine Realm. That place is now known as the Forbidden Land.
For years, the seal held strong. But without warning, the Golden Dragon King managed to break free. His return shook the Divine Realm to its core, unleashing destruction and chaos on a scale never seen before.
"Hahahahahaha! Finally, this king is free!" the Golden Dragon King laughed maniacally.
With a flap of his wings, he soared high through the collapsing skies. His ruby-red eyes radiated a deep hatred so intense it nearly took on physical form.
"After thousands of years, I finally have the chance to take my revenge!" His roar filled the heavens, pierced the boundaries of dimensions, and spread an aura of destruction that crushed the very souls of the gods.
Facing this enormous threat, the Five God Kings descended personally.
Amid the worsening destruction of the Divine Realm, five majestic figures appeared, enveloped in divine auras.
Standing at the center was the new Asura God King, who also held the position of Sea God—Tang San, the only god to hold two divine positions. To his left stood the God of Destruction, Hui Mie, and his wife, the Goddess of Life, Sheng Ming. To his right were the God of Evil and the Goddess of Kindness.
The Golden Dragon King grew even more furious upon seeing the Five God Kings. He roared and charged at them without saying a word.
...
The Golden Dragon King's laughter still echoed through the skies as the Five God Kings prepared their final formation. Their combined power converged, creating a resonance that shook the very structure of the Divine Realm.
It was the Sword of the Three Realms Judgement!
After the battle with the Dragon God, the God Kings had feared that another Dragon God could one day bring chaos to the Divine Realm again. As a result, the five of them created a special formation that required the combined power of all Five God Kings to activate.
The Golden Dragon King sensed the threat posed by the sword. Yet, with rage clouding his mind, he still charged recklessly at the God Kings.
...
The Golden Dragon King lay at the center of the destruction that had engulfed the Divine Realm. His body slowly began to disintegrate into fragments of dust, consumed by the Sword of the Three Realms Judgement. His final flap of his wings produced nothing more than golden dust drifting slowly into the sky.
For one last time, he looked toward the five God Kings. His eyes were still filled with immense hatred. In a weak murmur, he said, "Do you… think… this is… over?"
With a final act of determination, he summoned the last remnants of his strength. His crumbling body suddenly shone with dazzling light. "I will find her… the Silver Dragon King… and together we shall complete what you have destroyed!"
The five God Kings assumed the Golden Dragon King was about to self-destruct, and quickly retreated from the area.
BOOOOM!
A golden explosion swept through the entire Divine Realm. When the brilliance faded, all that remained was a vast, empty crater caused by the blast. A streak of red-gold light shot toward the human realm, vanishing between dimensional layers.
The cataclysmic explosion shook the Divine Realm to its very core. Golden dust floated through the sky—the final remnants of the once-mighty Golden Dragon King. The five God Kings stood at the edge of the crater, staring at the devastation he had left behind.
Tang San exhaled deeply, gazing toward the crater. "It seems… the Golden Dragon King is truly dead," he said in a heavy voice.
Hui Mie nodded in satisfaction, his weapon still gleaming with residual energy. "At long last, this threat is over."
Sheng Ming pulled her torn robes closer around her. "The Divine Realm can finally breathe in peace."
The God of Evil suddenly frowned. "Something feels… off…"
But before he could investigate further, Tang San raised a hand. "We need to begin repairing the Divine Realm immediately. This battle has left deep scars."
While the gods' attention shifted to the restoration of the Divine Realm, the divine core continued to streak through space, undetected. With the last sliver of its consciousness, it evaded all sensors and surveillance, drifting ever closer to the lower realm.
"Just wait…" whispered a faint voice from within the core, burning with undying resolve. "I will return… and I will kill you all!"
The divine core of the Golden Dragon King finally arrived in the lower realm, drawn toward the presence of the Silver Dragon King.
But along the way, his consciousness began to fade. "Damn it! The gods' attack still lingers within me and is dissolving my mind. If this keeps up, I might die before even reaching the Silver Dragon King."
The golden crystal housing the last essence of the Golden Dragon King descended upon the lower realm—or more specifically, the Douluo Continent.
The Golden Dragon King felt a flicker of satisfaction. But he quickly remembered his dire condition. He was on the verge of death. He began to contemplate various methods to survive.
The first option: reform his body. This method would preserve all his power and memories. However, it was extremely risky. During the process of reconstruction, his aura would be impossible to hide. The gods of the Divine Realm would surely sense it—and come to kill him before the transformation could be completed.
The second option: reincarnate into the womb of a human woman. This way, he could be reborn as an ordinary human and avoid the gods' attention. But there was a price: his memories would be lost. He would forget everything about being the Golden Dragon King. Though his soul would remain the same, he would grow up as a human, unaware of his true identity.
The Golden Dragon King fell silent. Neither of the two choices guaranteed his future victory. But he knew one thing for certain:
"I… must live."
And with his final will, the golden light of the divine crystal flared, piercing through the skies of the Douluo Continent in silence—searching for a new destiny to guide him.