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Xu Yuan immediately understood the reason behind Gu Yue's words.
With Tang San's help, Tang Wulin likely stripped and fused all the milder parts of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline essence. This completely severed the opportunity for the Silver Dragon King and Golden Dragon King bloodlines to merge.
Gu Yue's words also made Xu Yuan realize a problem.
If the opportunity for the fusion of the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings' bloodlines had been severed long ago, did the Dragon God know?
If he knew, would he have been foolish enough not to devise a new resurrection plan earlier?
The path to re-fuse the Dragon God's bloodline into a new Dragon God body had already failed—not because of Xu Yuan killing Tang Wulin, but because it began to fail when Tang Wulin attempted to fully fuse the Golden Dragon King's bloodline with his Blue Silver Emperor.
Thus, if a new plan were needed, the Dragon God might have already made arrangements.
"The essence of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline may not mean much to me personally, but it is very important to the soul beast race." Gu Yue looked at Xu Yuan, her words earnest. "Even just one-tenth would be sufficient."
Not all of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline essence was needed—just one-tenth would suffice.
Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes.
"What makes you think I'll give it to you?"
"You're here to see me, so you must need something, right?" Gu Yue said. "Besides, you haven't fulfilled your promise to solve the soul beast race's tribulation issue."
"Correction," Xu Yuan sneered. "I only provide solutions. Whether or not they work depends on your own efforts."
"Oh?" Gu Yue's eyes lit up. "You have a solution?"
"There are several methods. You soul beasts can choose which one suits you."
Xu Yuan organized his thoughts.
"The first method is the 'Mixed Tribulation' approach—the simplest one. Combine lightning tribulation and heavenly tribulation, undergo both simultaneously, and the lightning tribulation will assimilate the heavenly tribulation, transforming the destructive power of thunder."
Upon hearing this method, Gu Yue frowned.
She didn't outright dismiss this path.
Though more dangerous, it provided a way out.
For lightning-attribute soul beasts, this might be worth trying.
"The second option is bypassing the threshold for soul beasts to ascend to godhood—for instance, through transformation."
Transformation?
Gu Yue clearly wasn't satisfied with this answer.
All soul beasts knew transformation was an option, but how many had actually succeeded?
Even the supposedly successful rabbit only achieved godhood by luck, becoming a vessel for someone else's divine seat.
"For ten-thousand-year transformations, it means starting over, and prolonged interaction with human soul masters is necessary to stabilize the transformed identity. What I'm referring to is a hundred-thousand-year transformation. After reaching nearly a hundred thousand years of cultivation, there are always ways to transform while retaining one's cultivation."
"But avoiding heavenly tribulation during such transformations is difficult. My suggestion is to use external forces outside the Douluo plane for transformation. For example, the Demon Emperor partially succeeded by shaping her transformed body using abyssal energy before Douluo Star and the Abyss merged. With enough accumulation, she could break through to godhood."
Gu Yue's expression softened considerably.
This method sounded the most feasible.
"By the way," Xu Yuan suddenly remembered a key factor, "external forces should ideally avoid the previous Divine Dragon Realm's influence range."
"Besides these two methods, there's also the brute-force breakthrough. If you're confident in achieving Super God-level strength, you can attempt it."
Gu Yue's expression darkened instantly.
She stared at Xu Yuan, questioning whether he was speaking sense.
Did he seriously think anyone would consider this method viable?
"This method has seen success—my own breakthrough was like this," Xu Yuan said, ignoring Gu Yue's expression.
He continued, "Lastly, there's one more option: species conversion. Perhaps there's a chance for a permanent solution."
"Species conversion?"
"Soul beasts remain soul beasts, but their form can change. Have you ever tried letting the soul beasts inside the Ten Thousand Beast Platform break through to become divine beasts?" Xu Yuan chuckled softly.
Gu Yue frowned.
Could the soul beasts inside the Ten Thousand Beast Platform break through?
"It's not that the Ten Thousand Beast Platform's soul beasts can break through—it's that their forms have partially shed their identity as soul beasts. However, the Ten Thousand Beast Platform still partially relies on the original Douluo Star, adhering to its laws."
"If the Ten Thousand Beast Platform were established in the Abyss, covering the entire Abyss and rooted in its plane while accepting the Abyss plane's rule modifications, the new soul beasts might attempt to ascend to godhood on their own."
Gu Yue's expression grew increasingly grim.
She glared at Xu Yuan, gritting her teeth. "Are you sure this last method is for the benefit of the soul beast race?"
"I've merely provided options. Which one to choose and implement is up to you, the Soul Beast Co-Master. Whether you succeed or not depends on your own race—it's none of my concern." Xu Yuan remained indifferent.
Gu Yue took deep breaths, her chest rising and falling.
Her gaze flickered uncertainly.
She was certain that Xu Yuan had come to discuss this final method—he wanted her to transform the Abyss plane into an alternative Ten Thousand Beast Platform, relocating the soul beast race there to undergo Abyssal transformation.
However, Xu Yuan cleverly packaged this request as a solution to help soul beasts escape the tribulation mechanism.
"You could have just said you wanted me to open the Ten Thousand Beast Platform in the Abyss and offered one-tenth of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline essence—I wouldn't have refused," Gu Yue said.
"No, no, no. This truly is what I thought of, but I recently saw changes in some sea soul beasts and had a few ideas," Xu Yuan shook his head. "My visit today concerns something entirely different."
"What is it?" Gu Yue asked coldly.
This time, though Xu Yuan had come to her with a request, her premature exposure of her needs had put her at a disadvantage.
But at the time, she had abruptly sensed a change in the Dragon God's heart and blurted it out without thinking.
Xu Yuan carefully chose his words, his gaze fixed on Gu Yue's chest.
Feeling Xu Yuan's gaze, Gu Yue instinctively took two steps back.
Xu Yuan's gaze didn't shift. He calmly said, "Give me the power left behind by a God King-level Dragon King."
Gu Yue frowned, annoyed. "There are only nine God King-level Dragon Kings, and they all perished in the great battle. How could I possibly possess their power?"
Xu Yuan shook his head.
"No, you should know."
Before Gu Yue could respond, she felt the nine-colored crystal in her chest heat up. An instinctive message flooded her mind.
It was as if a guide pointed her somewhere unknown, where something useful awaited her.
She fell silent.
Lowering her head, she gazed at the Dragon God's heart in her chest, feeling a sense of helplessness.
"You… are you talking to me?" Gu Yue looked at Xu Yuan, her gaze seeking confirmation, even tinged with anticipation.
Xu Yuan smiled but didn't respond.
Gu Yue gave a bitter smile.
She should have known all along but had been too afraid to believe.
The Dragon God had never died.
After waiting a moment, Xu Yuan spoke once Gu Yue had recovered. "The power of three God King-level Dragon Kings. After this, I won't interfere further in your resurrection plan—excluding the Ice and Fire Dragon King."
Gu Yue's face turned numb.
She waited for the Dragon God's heart to respond.
After a long wait, two streams of information flooded her mind.
Three guides, three directions.
Including the Ice and Fire Dragon King, this might amount to the power of five God King-level Dragon Kings.
Under Blood Demon God King's reminder, Xu Yuan felt he could shorten the otherwise useless accumulation period even further.
One Blood Demon God King could save twenty years of cultivation; surely, the assistance of five God King-level Dragon Kings could shave off another decade or so?
That meant achieving God King peak right after creating a god realm.
At the same time, the Dragon God's reaction confirmed something for Xu Yuan: the unexpected encounters of the nine Dragon Kings and the powers they left behind were indeed one of the Dragon God's contingency plans—but usable or not, depending on circumstances.
Moreover, in the Dragon God's new resurrection plan, this power played a minor role.
"The power of three Dragon Kings—that's the deal between us. Once you gather these three powers, I'll grant you a portion of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline essence."
With that, Xu Yuan left Gu Yue's cultivation room, leaving her alone to silently mourn.
Unconsciously, she approached the window and gazed at the sky, reflecting on everything since her birth. For a moment, she felt lost.
As her thoughts wandered, a silver-haired girl with purple eyes suddenly appeared in her mind. The girl said, "I am a new individual. Sorry, I cannot return my power to you."
Her scattered gaze refocused.
At this moment, Gu Yue realized she was in the same situation as that purple-eyed girl.
I am a new individual.
I am not part of anyone. I don't need to fuse with others for someone else's rebirth.
For the first time, Gu Yue no longer regretted failing to merge with Na'er.
"The soul beast race is your debt. I've repaid it for you. I owe you nothing," Gu Yue murmured, as if communicating with the Dragon God's heart in her chest.
Still, she remained the Soul Beast Co-Master.
From the beginning, she hadn't saved the soul beast race to atone for the Dragon God's sins.
She led the soul beast race to where it was today purely because the current soul beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest lineage thrived under her life force.
The soul beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest were her subjects.
---
Tang Sect.
"You want to go to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?"
Zang Xin looked at Xu Yuan, his expression grave.
He and Xu Yuan had hardly interacted, and they weren't close.
Now, Xu Yuan had come directly to him, bluntly stating his intention to visit the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, leaving Zang Xin conflicted.
The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was the foundation of the Tang Sect. Xu Yuan's request made Zang Xin feel as though this treasure was about to slip away.
"Consider it the Tang Sect's redemption," Xu Yuan said indifferently. "I resolved the Abyss issue for you. The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well is the reward."
"What issue?" Zang Xin frowned.
"Pretending ignorance is the stupidest move. Based on what you've seen, heard, and felt, you're qualified to guess the truth," Xu Yuan said coldly.
Zang Xin had experienced the crisis of the God-Slaying Missile. Could he not know about the burst of Sea God power from the Ocean Heaven Mirror?
Xu Yuan could sense Chen Xinjie's betrayal of the Sea God faith. Without much thought, one could imagine the scene when the Sea God's power surged—clear reluctance but forced action.
Yet, Zang Xin, who had personally witnessed everything, was still deceiving himself.
"I…" Zang Xin opened his mouth but found he had nothing to say.
"The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well will no longer be associated with the Tang Sect. As for which side the Tang Sect chooses, I won't influence Elder Zang's decision."
With that, Xu Yuan disappeared.
He didn't even ask Zang Xin for a map.
In other words, if he wanted to find it, he could easily locate it on his own.
His visit was merely a warning to Zang Xin, bringing the issue to light and forcing the Tang Sect to make a choice.
It wasn't that Xu Yuan had mercy on the Tang Sect—it was to avoid making Cao Dezhi's position awkward.
Cao Dezhi had helped Xu Yuan in the past, and his overall awareness seemed decent. Out of goodwill, Xu Yuan warned Zang Xin, Cao Dezhi's close friend, not to end up in conflict over the Tang Sect.
---
A peculiar lake, half blue and half red, lay divided distinctly. Along its shores, colorful flowers and herbs sprawled across the valley.
At the valley's entrance, toxic miasma obscured all exits.
Suddenly, spatial fluctuations disturbed this isolated valley. A vortex emerged, and a young man slowly stepped out.
"Who are you?"
A large pink flower swayed and transformed into a pink figure.
Beside her, five other rare plants swayed, forming humanoid silhouettes.
Six plant-type ferocious beasts transformed into human shapes, watching Xu Yuan without malice.
Xu Yuan's gaze swept over the six immortal herbs, then settled on the two springs of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
An intense aura of vitality radiated from him, explaining why the six immortal herbs bore no ill will toward him.
It was the power of the Golden Ancient Tree.
"What do you want?"
A fiery-red figure became wary as Xu Yuan focused on the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well evolved from the essences of two Dragon Kings. Today, I'm taking their essence. However, you are innocent. As compensation—"
Without negotiation, Xu Yuan activated his Hunyuan Spear, enveloping the entire valley with the Hunyuan World.
A vortex appeared, filling the space of the valley.
Within the vortex, a suction force emerged, causing the six immortal herbs' expressions to change drastically.
Though there was no intense tearing force, they instinctively felt a power acting upon them.
The surrounding soil remained undisturbed, but the herbs gradually dematerialized and reappeared in another world.
Xu Yuan casually packed up the herbs and medicinal plants in the valley, moving closer to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
The hot and cold springs transformed into two giant dragons in Xu Yuan's vision.
Spiritual energy was released, penetrating the springs.
Stimulated, two dragon roars echoed.
The entire valley trembled.
From the hot and cold springs erupted red and blue energies, forming two colossal dragons.
The two dragons exuded overwhelming dragon might, roaring at Xu Yuan.
Unaffected by their presence, Xu Yuan walked through the air, approaching the two dragons.
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