I, the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, am being kept by the state.

The moment the meeting ended, a top-level instruction was instantly transmitted to several core departments via an encrypted channel.

Jinghu Project.

The most advanced national machinery in the entire country of China has been running at unprecedented efficiency for a seemingly insignificant goal.

Less than three hours later, under the guise of "Joint Research on National-level Geological Disaster Prevention and Ecological Protection," an advance team escorted by special forces arrived at Jinghu.

Within twelve hours, the mountainous area within a 20-kilometer radius was completely sealed off. Temporary checkpoints were set up at all entrances to the mountains, and the public announcement stated that "there is a risk of large-scale landslides in the mountainous area, and all personnel are prohibited from entering."

Within 24 hours, several military transport planes landed at a nearby makeshift airport.

A group of China's top ancient architecture experts, environmental scientists, materials scientists, and folklore experts walked down the gangway with blank expressions.

All they knew was that they had been recruited to carry out a top-secret S-class mission codenamed "Jinghu," but they knew nothing about the mission's content, the target audience, or the project's purpose.

Everyone signed the highest level of confidentiality agreement.

Leaking secrets is treason.

Zhao Wenjin personally oversaw the on-site command center. Looking at the busy yet orderly scene before him, his heart was still filled with excitement.

To build a dragon palace for the dragon.

This kind of thing that only exists in myths and legends is now becoming a reality in his hands.

……

Yufeng Mountain, Dragon God Shrine.

Chen Dong stood in front of the statue, reporting on the initial concept of the project.

"Lord Dragon, we have developed several preliminary designs for your residence, including a palace complex modeled after the Forbidden City, and also..."

"No need."

Li Chen's languid voice interrupted him, "I am not a worldly emperor, I have no need for pavilions and towers."

Chen Dong was taken aback.

"I want a quiet room at the bottom of a lake, one that can draw in the light of the stars and moon; everything else, let nature take its course."

Drawing upon the brilliance of stars and moon?

Chen Dong relayed this cryptic statement to the design team verbatim.

The group of national treasure-level experts, whose average age was over sixty, first fell silent, then their eyes shone with an unprecedented light.

"Drawing upon the brilliance of stars and moon... Isn't this the concept of 'gathering spirits' found only in ancient array diagrams?"

"Building a house at the bottom of a lake, while also considering water pressure, light, and... energy guidance? This structure is unheard of!"

"Interesting! Absolutely fascinating! This isn't just architecture; it's pushing the boundaries of physics!"

Confusion and excitement intertwined, ultimately transforming into boundless creative passion.

They abandoned all ornate and elaborate designs, and instead studied how to use modern materials science and precision engineering to realize that ancient requirement full of Taoist charm.

three days later.

A prototype underwater "Dragon Palace" combining ancient formation concepts with modern technology has quietly taken shape in the deepest part of Jinghu Lake.

The main structure is made of special alloy and covered with simulated rock, blending into the lakebed.

At its core is a white marble platform that can concentrate the starlight and moonlight of the night sky into a single point through precise optical transmission.

Star-Guiding Platform.

Everything is ready.

……

That night, the moon was bright and the stars were few.

On the shore of Jinghu Lake, all was quiet.

Apart from the rustling of the wind through the treetops and the gentle lapping of the lake against the shore, there was not a single other sound.

Chen Dong, Zhao Wenjin, and ten elite soldiers selected from across the army, the most determined of them, stood in solemn silence before a makeshift white marble altar by the lake.

The atmosphere was solemn and tense, as if the air itself had frozen.

Everyone knew that they were about to witness a historic moment that would overturn thousands of years of human understanding.

Chen Dong took a deep breath, suppressing his wildly beating heart. He held a brocade box in both hands and walked step by step onto the altar.

Upon opening the brocade box, the antique dragon-shaped necklace lay quietly inside.

This small necklace carries the guardian spirit of China for over two thousand years.

Tonight, this guardian deity will break free of its shackles and return to the mortal realm.

He carefully took out the necklace and solemnly placed it in the center of the altar.

Then, he stepped back three steps and stood alongside Zhao Wenjin and the others, bowing deeply towards the altar and the calm lake.

"Celebrate the Dragon Lord's return!"

The voice wasn't loud, but it trembled slightly, echoing in the silent night sky.

The moment the words fell!

The dragon-shaped necklace on the altar suddenly burst forth with golden light that was even more dazzling than the sun!

"Buzz—"

Golden light shot into the sky, illuminating the night sky for miles around as if it were daytime!

The necklace slowly floated in the light, and countless fine cracks appeared on its surface.

"Snap!"

A crisp cracking sound, as if some ancient seal had been broken.

The dragon-shaped necklace instantly disintegrated, transforming into billions of shimmering golden points of light, like a dazzling galaxy, swirling and rushing towards the center of Jinghu Lake.

The points of light rapidly converged, rotated, and compressed, forming a massive golden vortex that blotted out the sky.

At the center of the vortex, space itself seemed to be distorted, presenting a profound chaos.

"roar--"

A dragon's roar exploded without warning deep within everyone's soul!

The sound was not loud, but it was vast, boundless, and ancient.

It seemed to have traversed endless time and space, coming from the primordial chaos, carrying the supreme majesty of the creation of the world!

Everyone present, including the ten elite warriors with steely wills, turned pale and their minds went blank in that instant.

Immediately afterwards, a golden dragon claw, the size of a millstone and with edges gleaming with a cold light, slowly emerged from the center of the vortex!

Then came the dragon's body, which stretched like a mountain range, with every scale flowing with sacred golden light!

Finally, a colossal dragon head, whose majesty and divine beauty defy description, was fully revealed from the light!

The dragon's body, hundreds of meters long, coiled in the night sky, its whiskers flowing like two celestial rivers, and its five claws protruding from its belly, gleaming with a sharpness that could tear the heavens apart.

It appeared.

No longer a phantom dragon soul, no longer a cold statue, but a living dragon, capable of stirring up wind and clouds with every breath, and reflecting stars in its eyes.

Five-clawed golden dragon!

Li Chen slowly opened his pale golden vertical pupils.

My gaze swept across the lakeside.

There was no anger, no joy, only an absolute indifference, as if looking down upon ants.

"thump!"

"Thump! Thump!"

A series of muffled thuds.

The ten elite warriors could no longer withstand the absolute pressure emanating from the level of life itself. Their knees buckled, and they involuntarily knelt on one knee, their steel guns slipping from their hands and falling to the ground with a crisp sound.

They were trembling violently, heads bowed, not even daring to look up.

Zhao Wenjin's glasses had already slipped down to the tip of his nose. His legs were weak, and he only managed to keep from kneeling down on the spot by sheer willpower. His face was as pale as paper, and his breathing was almost stopped.

Only Chen Dong, relying on the steely will forged in the crucible of death, managed to stand upright.

But he was also clenching his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and his bones were groaning under the strain.

Is this... God?

Is this... the guardian deity of China?

Li Chen was very satisfied with his newborn dragon body, which was formed from the power of endless incense offerings and prayers.

He slightly raised his dragon head, feeling the night breeze brush against his dragon scales.

He glanced at the tiny group of humans on the lakeshore, then paid them no further attention.

The dragon's tail swayed gently.

The movement seemed casual, but it stirred up a gust of wind, and water columns dozens of meters high instantly exploded on the lake surface.

A colossal dragon, hundreds of meters long, soared into the sky, its golden scales shimmering with a sacred glow under the moonlight.

In the blink of an eye, the enormous figure broke through the clouds and disappeared into the sky at an altitude of ten thousand meters.

Chen Dong looked up, watching the golden streak of light in the sky grow farther and farther away, finally merging completely into the night.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but found that his throat felt like it was blocked by something.

After a long silence, he finally uttered a single sentence.

"He... went home."