While the Azure Dragon Clan worked hard to rebuild their destroyed underwater city, much of which was left in ruins by the invasion, Yuan focused on cleansing the lingering poison from the clan’s remaining children. Meanwhile, the Mystic Sea Dragon Clan did not stop moving at their peak speed until they escaped the water and returned to the surface. Once outside the water, Mystic Empress halted her movements and stared at the empty space before her in silence. The army behind didn’t dare to disturb her and patiently waited for her to snap out of it. After a few days of complete stillness, Mystic Empress finally moved again. She took a deep breath before releasing a profound sigh. "The cultivation world is quite brutal…" As the leader of one of the Ten Dragon Clans bearing a royal bloodline, the Mystic Empress had always believed herself to stand at the very pinnacle of the world. Never had she imagined a day would come when she’d be forced to bow her head and retreat so helplessly. Even now, she would tremble when recalling the presence she felt from Dragon Goddess Yeyou. ’Just who was that woman? I have never felt such fear before—not even when I stood before the Great One!’ With her vast influence, the Mystic Empress had crossed paths with most—if not all—of the most powerful beings in the Nine Heavens. Yet, not a single one had ever made her feel as utterly powerless as Dragon Goddess Yeyou did, and she had done so effortlessly, merely by releasing a sliver of her aura. ’There’s no way such a powerful entity isn’t known across the Nine Heavens! Somebody must know something about her!’ "Mystic Empress… what should we do now?" Someone eventually asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. The Mystic Empress turned to look at them and said, "The Tear of the Azure Heavens is no more, so the rest of our plan no longer matters. It’s unfortunate, but this is the end of our cooperation." "If you want to blame the Mystic Sea Dragon Clan—me for our incompetence, you’re free to do so, but I will not tolerate anyone thinking of coming after my family for this incident." "We won’t blame you, Mystic Empress. That entity’s appearance was completely out of our control. Hell, even if we knew about her existence beforehand, we still wouldn’t be able to do anything about it." Some time later, the Mystic Sea Dragon Clan and the others went their own way. Time flowed like a fleeting stream, and in the blink of an eye, a year had passed since the failed invasion of the Mystic Sea Dragon Clan. While everyone tried to move on and forget the incident, one individual had been living a waking nightmare ever since. No matter how desperately she tried to bury the memory, the Mystic Empress could not escape the looming shadow of Dragon Goddess Yeyou. The goddess’s presence from that day clung to her mind like a curse, and with each passing day, the weight of that humiliation gnawed at her sanity, slowly driving her toward madness. Boom! A thunderous explosion echoed from the Mystic Empress’s quarters, followed by a tremor that rippled through the surrounding area. Yet, none of those nearby so much as flinched, as such disturbances had become routine ever since her return. The Mystic Sea Dragon Clan tried seeking doctors to help her, but since this was a mental battle, there was nothing the doctors could do but suggest pills that strengthened the mind "I can’t believe a sixth-level God Ascension powerhouse like the Mystic Empress still has to deal with heart demons." "Heart demons are cruel and merciless. They can bring down even a Cultivation God if it gets bad enough." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺 "What should we do? We cannot let her get to such a point. No matter how many pills we feed her, her condition hasn’t improved. If anything, it has only gotten worse." "I’ll contact the other clans to see if they have any ideas…" Time continued to pass. Half a year later, several individuals from the other Ten Royal Dragon Clans arrived at the Mystic Sea Dragon Clan after hearing about the Mystic Empress’ unique situation. "How is the Mystic Empress?" asked a handsome man who had the cultivation at the 7th level of God Ascension. The members of the Mystic Sea Dragon Clan explained the situation and their incident with the Azure Dragon Clan. "The Mystic Empress with a heart demon…?" This news left them stunned, as they were all aware of how strong she was mentally. When they went to speak with the Mystic Empress, they could hear her yelling inside her room from the halls. "Who is she?! I need to know!!!" "..." The guests exchanged glances with each other. Someone from the Mystic Sea Dragon Clan explained, "Her fear has turned into some sort of obsession with that entity." Some time later, they knocked on the door. "Mystic Empress, can we speak to you for a second?" Bang! The doors burst open with a deafening crash, and the Mystic Empress emerged—her once-elegant appearance now disheveled, her eyes wild and unfocused, resembling more a madwoman than the regal figure she once was. Before any of the guests could open their mouths, the Mystic Empress suddenly grabbed one of their collars and shouted, "Do you know her?! Do you know who she is?!?!" "M-Mystic Empress! Snap out of it!" "It’s fine," said the handsome man she grabbed. "That woman… You want to know her identity, right? Well, I think I have an idea." "WHO?! WHO IS SHE?!" "This is merely a guess," he said slowly, his tone laced with reverence and awe, "but judging by the details of her appearance, I believe she was none other than Dragon Goddess Yeyou—one of the Three Dragons of Origin." "What?! Dragon Goddess Yeyou?! But I thought she died long ago!" The others expressed shock after hearing this. He shook his head and said, "Her death was never confirmed. She’d only gone missing." "Dragon Goddess Yeyou…" Mystic Empress mumbled with a dazed look on her face.