Gu Yue's thoughts were simple.
It all boiled down to attrition.
At present, she was fairly certain that the godly realm had disappeared for some unknown reason—or at the very least, its connection with Douluo Star had been severed .
As for why Tang Wulin carried the consciousness of a deity, Gu Yue had her suspicions. She even had answers regarding the identity of that divine consciousness and Tang Wulin's origins after years of investigation.
Since the godly realm had vanished, that divine consciousness—no matter how powerful its original form might have been—was now like a rootless floating weed. As long as she kept wearing it down, it would eventually be exhausted.
This time, Gu Yue held the advantage of terrain, confident in resisting even the explosive power of a God King's consciousness. Thus, she planned to use this opportunity to deplete the strength of that divine consciousness.
But what if the divine consciousness was already gone?
Even though she hadn't felt its threat for many years, Gu Yue still prepared for the worst-case scenario.
If that divine consciousness had already disappeared, then this trip to the Dragon Valley would be enough to deal with Tang Wulin!
Xu Yuan seemed to sense something as well. He glanced toward the direction where Gu Yue was.
Unfortunately, he couldn't see her.
However, he could roughly deduce that there was a Silver Dragon King over there.
"Let's go, we'll head down first!"
As Xu Yuan spoke, he fused with his mech and flew downward.
Seeing this, Tang Wulin hurriedly followed, jumping down directly. Thick strands of Blue Silver Emperor vines wrapped around him, anchoring him to the top of the valley and pulling him down quickly.
Upon truly entering the valley, the sight of the dragon bones within was even more breathtaking. Each massive skeleton was taller than Xu Yuan's mech, and such remains were scattered everywhere throughout the valley. Even from the top of the thousand-meter-high valley, they couldn't see the end!
How exaggerated was this?
From this alone, it was clear just how prosperous the dragon race had once been.
Tang Wulin instinctively stepped forward, touching one of the skeletons. A desolate aura instantly infected his emotions, as if he could hear the mournful cry of this mighty dragon before its death.
Xu Yuan looked at Tang Wulin, sensing his emotional fluctuations.
Regarding this, Xu Yuan made no comment.
The Dragon God's Tear?
Whether or not it could still be obtained was another matter entirely.
After this journey to the Dragon Valley, Xu Yuan would return to the mainland.
Yes, back to the mainland—Douluo Continent.
Outside, Mu Ye and Yun Ming, who were secretly en route to the Star Luo Continent, were already waiting.
With their cooperation and Xu Yuan's actions inside, they would be able to locate the missing small world of the Dragon Valley caused by Gu Yue's reckless actions.
By then, Tang Wulin wouldn't have the chance to bury himself among the dragon bones in the Dragon Valley anymore.
It wasn't so much a scheme as it was a difference in objectives.
For now, Xu Yuan needed the support of the dragon race to negotiate with Gu Yue and the soul beasts she led.
The Spirit Ascension Platform, capable of steadily upgrading ten-thousand-year spirit souls, was surely under development. It contained a deliberate backdoor designed by Gu Yue. Once the technology matured and was publicly released across the continent, any high-level soul master using the platform to upgrade their ten-thousand-year spirit soul would fall under her control.
Not only was there the Spirit Ascension Platform, but also the Beast Ascension Platform—an additional method for obtaining spirit souls. If it were made public, any soul master fusing spirit souls from the Beast Ascension Platform would similarly come under her control.
But Xu Yuan couldn't say any of this aloud.
He could only leave behind some hidden contingencies—for example, the dragon souls of the dragons in the Dragon Valley. With these dragon souls in hand, Xu Yuan would at least have the leverage to negotiate with Gu Yue.
Of course, thinking about all of this now was unnecessary.
Xu Yuan's plans for the Dragon Valley would inevitably cause Tang Wulin to miss out on some opportunities.
There was nothing wrong with that.
It wasn't a matter of right or wrong.
"The dragon race of ancient times must have been incredibly glorious!" Tang Wulin sighed.
He could almost envision an ancient battlefield, where mighty dragons fell, overwhelmed by formidable enemies, their tragic cries echoing through the air.
---
Further ahead, Xu Yuan and Tang Wulin came across the skeleton of a Mountain Dragon King.
"This Mountain Dragon King must have been a deity in life—at least a Level One God."
A God King level?
Xu Yuan thought the possibility was slim.
Only the nine great Dragon Kings, who had been personally empowered by parts of the Dragon God's strength, had the potential to reach the God King level. Countless dragons had perished in the Dragon Valley, but Xu Yuan still doubted whether any of the original nine great Dragon Kings were buried here.
After all, the two dragons beneath the Ice-Fire Twin Extreme Eye were more likely to be the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings among the nine great Dragon Kings.
The other seven must have died elsewhere.
Circling past the Mountain Dragon King's remains, Xu Yuan and Tang Wulin spotted another valley ahead—a valley within a valley.
This was an enormous pit with a diameter exceeding ten thousand meters. Upon reaching the edge of the pit, even Xu Yuan, who had no connection to the dragon race, seemed to hear a dragon's roar.
Despite lacking dragon bloodline, he still felt a surge of blood essence boiling within him.
Inside this smaller valley, a massive, seven-colored glow appeared as mist.
"Let's go down."
Without hesitation, Xu Yuan maneuvered his mech to fly down the cliffside into the valley within a valley.
Tang Wulin hurriedly followed.
Simultaneously, he frantically shouted within his spiritual space, trying to awaken Old Tang. When he sensed no response, he cautiously used his soul power and spiritual power to lightly touch the sixth seal.
Of course, he didn't dare to apply too much force—just a gentle nudge.
He knew that such an action would allow the sleeping Old Tang to sense his presence.
Meanwhile, Gu Yue also entered this valley within a valley.
Descending into the valley, their vision blurred momentarily as they both laid eyes on a colossal dragon.
It was larger than the Mountain Dragon King and remarkably intact.
To be precise, this was a dragon soul, its entire body shimmering with a seven-colored radiance. Even its scales were seven-colored, irregular in shape, each one unique. Yet, when viewed as a whole, they harmonized perfectly, resembling countless embedded gemstones.
The dragon soul proudly raised its head, emanating an indescribable aura.
Even Xu Yuan, without a dragon bloodline, felt an overwhelming pressure.
This was the Dragon Majesty, integrated into the laws of existence itself, oppressing all living beings. Despite having no dragon lineage, Xu Yuan was still affected by it.
"The Dragon God!"
Tang Wulin exclaimed, his eyes filled with fervor. He felt the remaining thirteen seals within his body tremble violently, further reinforcing his suspicions.
"The Dragon God's dragon soul!"
Xu Yuan ignored Tang Wulin's astonishment. Silently stepping forward, he approached the dragon soul, feeling the aura it emitted.
Surrounding the dragon soul was a seven-colored glow, mist-like in appearance, enveloping it like a veil.
Xu Yuan pondered for a moment and tossed out a piece of rare metal. Instantly, the metal vaporized mid-air.
Xu Yuan refrained from making any rash moves.
Instead, he manipulated his dreamscape, gradually merging it with the real-world space—the current small world of the Dragon Valley—encompassing the area where the dragon soul resided.
Before the fusion even began, he sensed a terrifying fluctuation of power.
The energy radiating from the dragon soul had already pierced the boundary between reality and illusion, affecting Xu Yuan's dreamscape.
Indeed, when power reached a certain level, any tricks became futile.
Xu Yuan took a deep breath, stabilizing his dreamscape and resisting the erosion of the dragon soul's power as he slowly proceeded with the fusion.
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