Chapter 1: Soul Returns to the Eastern Lands

The Zhao clan produces an inheritor once every century, one who possesses both the Divine Eye and Divine Power. Once the inheritor is chosen, they are sent to a secret base for special training, remaining there until they reach the age of eighteen, at which point they may emerge to assume the role of clan leader.

In June of the year 2013, Zhao Erdong emerged from seclusion.

She was still three months shy of her eighteenth birthday, but only yesterday she had received intelligence: changes were afoot within the Zhao clan, with a collateral branch attempting to seize power.

To protect the Zhao clan, she had no choice but to come out early.

Eighteen—an ordinary age for most. Yet her heart was as still as dead water, utterly unruffled. Since childhood, her attendants had told her that her mission was to safeguard the Zhao clan, to ensure its eternal existence beneath heaven, to preserve its legacy forever.

Nothing else concerned her.

She gazed at the austere silver ring on her index finger. A slumbering dragon wound around the band, and etched on the inner surface were countless tiny characters—an ancient scripture. Upon the scripture, intricate patterns of the Dao were inscribed, veiling the text beneath. Only her Divine Eye could penetrate these patterns to read the words below; not even the most advanced modern microscope could glimpse through the mysterious designs.

Nameless—the beginning of heaven and earth. Named—the mother of all things...

Legend held that this ring was forged from the rarest treasures of the world, wrought from the primordial essence, and obtained by the Sacred Ancestor of the Zhao clan. Through a secret art, a separate space was created within the ring, known as the Sacred Ring. In his time, the Sacred Ancestor's powers were unrivaled; he had subdued a demonic dragon, who then acknowledged him as master. Moved by the Ancestor's compassion for all life, he purified the dragon’s demonic nature, imparted the Dao, and guided it to transcendence. Upon the Ancestor’s passing, the dragon, in gratitude, transformed into its true form and used its own body to seal the ring. It is said that, should a fated Zhao descendant arise, the dragon would return to the world once more, following to repay the Ancestor’s kindness.

The legend of the Sacred Ring was handed down through generations, yet fewer and fewer believed in its truth.

Zhao Erdong gazed quietly at the Sacred Ring. It had been her constant companion as she grew, and though she had never sensed anything unusual about it, she was certain it was no ordinary ring. One day, she would unveil its mysteries.

A violent shudder rocked the cruise ship. A massive column of water erupted beneath the hull.

Zhao Erdong’s eyes narrowed, a cold glint flickering within—how audacious, to strike at her so brazenly.

Elder Mo hurried over. “Clan Leader, something terrible has happened. The cruise ship is under attack, the hull is breached, and it will sink soon. We must get to the lifeboat at once.”

Zhao Erdong nodded, well aware that now was not the time to retaliate; survival was paramount. There would be ample opportunity for vengeance in the future.

“Where are the others?” Zhao Erdong stepped into the lifeboat, noticing that only Elder Mo was aboard. No one else was present. Suspicion stirred within her as she asked.

Elder Mo hastily started the motor, and the speedboat shot ahead. He shouted, “Clan Leader, they’ll be along soon. You needn’t worry.”

Zhao Erdong watched Elder Mo’s back—a lean figure clad in a bright yellow life jacket, his trouser pocket bulging conspicuously. From her experience, it certainly held a pistol—or perhaps a bomb.

Just moments before, chaos had swept through the ship, with everyone bewildered and panicked. Yet Elder Mo had appeared before her at once, with the speedboat already prepared. How could he have fetched it from the inner hold so quickly? Clearly, it had been arranged in advance.

Moreover, the speedboat lacked even the most basic life-saving equipment—not a single life jacket was aboard. Wasn’t that far too strange?