Chapter 328: A Challenge for Her? Gu Yue's Ten Thousand Year Plan?
For a moment, a gentle breeze stirred within Gu Yue's restoration space, lifting strands of their hair. The atmosphere between them felt… odd.
Did he not want this?
Han Li asked himself honestly he did.
With the support of the plane's consciousness, he didn't need to worry about anyone tampering with his soul. He could rapidly increase his strength, and his partner in this arrangement was not only a powerful figure but also stunningly beautiful. He had no reason to refuse.
But still… it felt a little weird.
He, Han Li, a man blessed with an endless cheat, had ended up being kept by an old celestial dragon lady? Sure, it wasn't that blatant it was mutual benefit but the meaning wasn't all that different.
Come to think of it, was he getting the short end of the stick here?
This whole teaching arrangement was something he had negotiated for, but now…
Forget it. If it let him power up quickly, it was worth it at this stage.
He'd just have to endure this suffering.
Han Li shook his head and exhaled.
"Fine. All for the sake of growing stronger."
Then, he looked at Gu Yue and noticed that she, too, seemed just a little uncomfortable certainly not as composed as she appeared.
They hadn't interacted much before. Even when they did, most of their conversations revolved around negotiation one seeking benefits for himself, the other for her race.
Gu Yue didn't fully trust Han Li, and truth be told, Han Li hadn't wanted to get too involved with her either.
To put it bluntly, if he didn't reach the level of power he anticipated, and their war against the Divine Realm had no real chance of victory, he was fully prepared to sell out the soul beasts without the slightest guilt.
Of course, even afterward, if it came down to it, he'd probably still sell them out just with some guilt.
Han Li glanced at Gu Yue, his thoughts turning dark.
This was just part of their deal. At most, if he became strong enough, he could help her with revenge. Of course, if they had no chance of winning, he wouldn't hesitate to walk away. Why be a lapdog when making others into lapdogs was far more satisfying?
"Show me your soul's strength," Gu Yue said seriously, unaware of Han Li's internal monologue.
Due to his soul core, Han Li's aura was well contained. Unless someone had the power to forcefully break through his defenses or made direct contact with him, even Gu Yue could only estimate his strength vaguely.
"How long will this take?"
Having made up his mind, Han Li no longer hesitated. He fully released his aura, letting it radiate freely as he casually asked about the time frame.
The Blue Silver Emperor was nearing its ten thousand year transformation, and his other people were making progress. If this process was going to take a while, he'd need to handle a few things first.
"It depends on how well we coordinate. It could take anywhere from an instant to three days."
Gu Yue assessed Han Li's soul strength and was surprised. But considering his access to boundless faith power and immortal energy, it made sense.
"Your soul's strength is impressive. After using my water and fire rules to reinforce you, you should still be able to handle two more full rule imprints."
"Of course, this is just an imprint. How much you truly grasp depends on you. But since you can directly perceive rules and analyze them, even at the worst, your progress won't be small."
As she estimated the "memory space" Han Li had available for rule imprints, she spoke calmly.
"Is that so? That's acceptable."
Han Li nodded, already beginning to encrypt his memories. This was his greatest secret. Forget Gu Yue even if he became invincible, no one would ever see it.
Even then, he still probably wouldn't reveal it.
His actions didn't escape Gu Yue, but he made no effort to hide them. He was openly securing his memories, and Gu Yue didn't mind.
If anything, it reassured her.
She had no intention of spying on his mind anyway. If she had the time, she'd rather study more rules.
As for her own memories, she had nothing worth sealing away. This guy already knew about the Dragon God what was left to hide?
"Which other two rules will you choose? I'll prepare accordingly."
Gu Yue's fingers curled slightly as she looked at the layers upon layers of mental protection he had put up.
She wasn't mad, per se. But this many layers of security? A little excessive, don't you think?
She needed to shift the conversation before she actually got annoyed.
Seriously who the hell wanted to see some dumb kid's memories that badly?
"Space and Darkness."
Han Li answered without hesitation.
Even without the imprinting method, aside from ice and fire, space was already one of his key focus areas.
As for darkness? Among the remaining elements, it was one of the strongest. More importantly, it could enhance his Grand Dark Sky ability, which fused the Evil God's Domain with the Slaughter God's Domain. It was a top tier choice.
Besides, he wasn't particularly proficient in wind or lightning. With space manipulation, he could partially compensate for those deficiencies.
"That's fine."
Gu Yue didn't seem surprised by his choice. Among the elements she mastered, these two were indeed among the strongest.
"And you? What rule are you planning to study?"
Han Li finally stopped what he was doing, having completed the seal on his memories. He casually asked, curious about what direction the Silver Dragon King would take for her breakthrough.
"The Power of Creation."
Gu Yue didn't hide anything. After all, she would later need to observe and comprehend through Han Li's perspective. Concealing it would be pointless since everything would be reflected in their shared soul imprint.
By then, to some extent, their souls would be connected. Why create unnecessary tension? Besides, she might need his help again in the future.
"The Power of Creation?"
Han Li blinked. It made sense, but he hadn't expected it.
He had already guessed that Gu Yue wouldn't choose something ordinary for her breakthrough she'd definitely aim for something game changing. But he had assumed she would focus on combat abilities, not the fusion of Life and Destruction Creation itself.
In the Douluo plane, these concepts weren't mutually exclusive. While powerful, they weren't unique either. The divine system here was somewhat chaotic titles often reflected a god's affinity for certain forces but didn't necessarily define their full scope.
Still, the Power of Creation was one of the most fundamental forces of the universe.
Was she trying to leap straight to the top?
But did she really have the time for that?
Who did she think she was underestimating?
Sensing his dissatisfaction, Gu Yue uncharacteristically took the initiative to explain:
"I don't need to master it completely just enough to form the seed of understanding. Once I recover my strength, I can use it to fuse with a godhood fragment, complete my breakthrough, increase my combat strength, and intimidate the enemy. Full mastery can come later."
That's just speeding up your death sentence!
Han Li nearly blurted it out but held back, instead giving her a deep look.
Her plan was based on a key assumption that the Divine Realm wouldn't notice her. Or that even if they did, their side would have some level of resistance. At the very least, she was assuming that Han Li wouldn't betray the soul beasts and would be willing to stand alongside them.
But if they were exposed, and she successfully broke through, did she really think the Divine Realm would sit back and do nothing? That was impossible.
What kind of brain does she have? Is this how she plans to revive the soul beast race?
Fine, even assuming Han Li wouldn't abandon the soul beasts because of his status as the plane's master, that didn't mean he would protect them all. If the high level combat forces were wiped out, it would actually be more beneficial to him.
"I know what you're thinking, but this is the only rule with a chance of turning the tide. Even if I fail, with you here, the soul beast race won't be wiped out completely. At the very least, they'll have a chance to survive."
"Perhaps without the Dragon God's revival, the soul beasts can finally return to their original path of development."
Sensing his skepticism, Gu Yue spoke calmly, though a trace of sorrow flickered in her gaze.
She knew very well that if they continued hiding, even if she fully recovered, their chances of victory wouldn't be high. In fact, they might not even have a chance at all.
And from the moment Han Li discovered her, there had been no other option.
The fact that he was willing to offer some level of support was already the best outcome she could hope for. So from the moment she agreed to work with him, she had already resolved herself to go all in.
She was gambling the fate of her entire race.
Gu Yue understood that to the Divine Realm, the Silver Dragon King didn't matter. The Golden Dragon King didn't matter. Even the soul beast race itself wasn't particularly important. But completely erasing the Dragon God's remnants? That was what truly mattered to them.
Han Li fell silent.
Looking at Gu Yue, who carried both resolve and sorrow, he suddenly felt as if he were the villain here.
Wait wasn't she the one who was deceived into a relationship and tricked into having a kid?
Di Tian had it even worse. A waste of space cough a pawn played to the extreme, not even left with a corpse of his own, instead turned into a battleship.
Then again, maybe it wasn't that bad. She did manage to infiltrate the Divine Realm, even though her seniority had probably dropped by several generations.
But she was still alive.
And she had even replaced the true heir of the Divine Realm's ruling force with a Dragon God blooded child.
Wait… was this actually a long term scheme?
Gu Yue's ten thousand year plan?
Horrifying.
No, he needed to start thinking ahead.
For the first time, Han Li felt genuinely uncertain. He couldn't tell who was truly winning here.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Han Li's ever changing expressions far more dramatic than her own Gu Yue couldn't help but ask.
"Nothing, nothing. Just thinking about a few things, nothing important."
Han Li snapped out of it, locking eyes with her deep violet gaze. In those eyes, he saw his own reflection.
Alright, yeah. I was overthinking it.
Gu Yue's eyes were too clear. They reminded him of fresh faced interns on their first day of work filled with that innocent sense of purpose.
Han Li collected his thoughts and refocused on the matter at hand.
"As long as you've made your decision. We're partners, after all."
"There's no use overthinking the future. Since we're both prepared, let's begin our… uh, imprinting."
Han Li managed to keep a straight face as he corrected himself, extending his hand toward Gu Yue.
Get 30% off on my Patreon and enjoy early access to new chapters.
You can also purchase the next 100 chapters of the novel directly from my Patreon page.
Hurry up! The promotion ends on February 2, 2026.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen