Reborn as the Last van Ambrose

The path toward Ao Run’s palace became clearer as they swam forward, the mist thinning enough to reveal the magnificent structure in its full glory. The white jade walls rose in elegant spirals, mother-of-pearl inlays creating intricate patterns that seemed to shift and change as the currents moved around them. Silver towers twisted upward, each topped with crystals that pulsed with soft, rhythmic light.

But something was wrong. The palace, which should have been defended by layers of illusion and mist, stood exposed and quiet. The silver coral gardens that surrounded it were darkened with corruption, and the floating pearl lanterns that normally provided gentle illumination had gone dim.

"We’re too late," Lin whispered, seeing the dark stains that marked where the battle had already taken place.

The aftermath of conflict was evident everywhere they looked. Sections of the jade walls were cracked and blackened, showing where corrupted energy struck. The carefully cultivated seaweed forests that had served as natural barriers lay withered and twisted, their black and gold strands now completely black.

"Look at the water itself," Captain Zhen observed with growing alarm. Around the palace, the mist-like quality of the West Sea had changed. Instead of the ethereal, dream-like substance they had encountered before, the water here was becoming thick and viscous, tainted by corruption that spread in visible tendrils.

General Huoyan pointed toward the palace’s main entrance. "The gates are open. If Jiaolong’s forces breached the palace..."

"Then Ao Run might already be dead," Commander Yuehua finished grimly.

They approached the palace cautiously, but the expected resistance never came. No defenders emerged from the shadows, and no illusions rose to challenge them. The sea lay silent and seemingly abandoned.

Beyond the entrance, the palace’s interior corridors stretched into darkness.

"This doesn’t feel right," Grim said, his hand resting on his sword hilt. "Even if Jiaolong won, there should be some sign of his forces."

They swam through the entrance hall, their movements echoing strangely in the vast space. The walls here were covered with murals depicting the history of the West Sea, but many of the murals now bore dark stains where corruption had touched them.

"The throne room," Lin said, recognizing the palace’s layout from diplomatic descriptions she had heard. "If Ao Run made a final stand, it would be there."

They moved deeper into the palace. Ancient artifacts lay scattered on the floors, and in some rooms, the pearl lanterns still flickered weakly, as if struggling to maintain their light against the encroaching dark

The corruption was everywhere, but it was old corruption—not the fresh stains they would expect from a recent battle. Dark veins ran through the silver inlays in the walls, and the mother-of-pearl surfaces had taken on an oily sheen that made them difficult to look at directly.

"How long has this been going on?" General Huoyan wondered aloud. "This level of corruption doesn’t happen overnight."

"Jiaolong’s been planning this for longer than we thought," Captain Zhen realized.

They reached the throne room to find its massive door nothing but a pile of dust on the floor.

At the far end of the chamber, seated on a throne carved from a single massive pearl, they found Ao Run.

The Dragon King of the West Sea appeared exactly as Lin remembered from diplomatic gatherings—Scales that shifted between silver and pale blue, and eyes that looked like they’d seen too much. But he looked tired, more tired than anyone they’d ever seen before.

"Princess Lin," Ao Run said, his voice carrying clearly across the vast chamber despite being barely above a whisper. "And the human who carries dragon blood in his veins."

Grim felt a chill at the casual way Ao Run identified his heritage as if the Dragon King could see things about him that he barely understood himself.

"Lord Ao Run," Lin said, swimming forward quickly. "We came to warn you about Jiaolong, to help defend against his attack. Are you injured? Where are your forces?"

"My forces are safe," Ao Run replied, though he made no move to rise from his throne. "I sent them shortly after Jiaolong arrived. As for his attack..." The ancient dragon’s expression grew contemplative. "There was only a conversation."

Commander Yuehua was the first to speak. "What do you mean, no attack? We saw the corruption, the damage to your palace."

"The corruption has been spreading through my realm for months," Ao Run confirmed. "Jiaolong has been very patient, very methodical. He introduced it slowly, allowing it to weaken my defenses gradually rather than forcing a direct confrontation."

"Then fight back!" General Huoyan exclaimed. "You’re one of the four Dragon Kings! Surely you can—"

"I could," Ao Run interrupted gently. "But at what cost? How many of my people would die in such a battle? How much of the West Sea would be destroyed in the process?"

Lin felt a growing sense of dread. "Lord Ao Run, please tell me you didn’t..."

"I gave him the key," Ao Run said simply. "Willingly and without struggle."

The silence that followed was deafening. Even the corrupted currents seemed to still, as if the realm itself was holding its breath.

"You gave it to him?" Captain Zhen’s voice cracked with disbelief. "The West Sea key? After everything he’s done?"

"Because of everything he’s done," Ao Run corrected. "I have seen the future that would result from fighting him here. I have watched the paths that lead to victory through violence. In every scenario where I resist, the cost of innocent lives is unacceptable."

Grim stepped forward, his frustration evident. "So you just surrendered? Handed him exactly what he needed to complete his plan?"

"I made a choice," Ao Run replied with infinite patience. "The same choice I have made throughout my long reign—to prioritize wisdom over strength, understanding over victory."

"Where is he now?" Lin demanded. "How long ago did this happen?"

"He left perhaps an hour before your arrival," Ao Run said. "He has all four keys now. The path to the Dragon Emperor’s resting place is open to him."

General Huoyan’s hands clenched into fists. "An hour? We could still catch him if we hurried."

"You could," Ao Run agreed. "But first, you should understand what you’re truly pursuing."

The ancient Dragon King finally rose from his throne, his movements slow but dignified. As he stood, the corrupted currents in the chamber seemed to calm slightly, responding to his presence despite the darkness that had invaded his realm.

"Jiaolong is not seeking power for its own sake," Ao Run continued. "His grief has given him purpose, and that purpose will not be deterred by conventional opposition. If you wish to stop him, you must understand what drives him."

"We know about his mate," Lin said. "About Lanshen’s death in the Third Realm War."

"Do you?" Ao Run asked. "Do you truly understand what it means to lose the other half of your soul? To watch helplessly as political games destroy everything you hold dear?" freewebnøvel.coɱ

The Dragon King began moving toward a side chamber, gesturing for them to follow. "Come. If you insist on pursuing this course, there are things you must know. Things that will help you survive what’s coming."

As they followed him through corridors that seemed less corrupted than the rest of the palace, Grim couldn’t shake the feeling that they were walking into something far more dangerous than they had anticipated.

"Lord Ao Run," he said, "you mentioned the Dragon Emperor’s resting place. Where exactly is Jiaolong heading?"

Ao Run paused at the entrance to what appeared to be a map room, its walls covered with charts and diagrams of all four sea realms. "To the place where all this began," he said. "The cavern you emerged from connects not just the four realms, but to a fifth location. The hidden tomb where the Dragon Emperor has slept for a thousand years."

He gestured to a section of the map that showed the central chamber they had passed through. "The gate you seek lies in the chamber with all the carvings into the wall."