The assassination incident on the Star Luo Continent came suddenly and ended swiftly.
The Star Luo officials took over the chaotic ruins, dispatching investigators. Under the impeccable handling of Zhuo Shi and Cai Yue'er, the two Sea God Pavilion elders, the details of how Gu La "counter-killed" the three mechs were glossed over. The emphasis was placed on the frenzied attack by the Green Skull organization and the "tenacious resistance" of the Shrek students.
As "evidence," the charred bodies of the three mech pilots and a few ordinary ten-thousand-year soul bones they had dropped were handed over to the Star Luo Empire.
Gu La paid no heed to this. He used these soul bones as bargaining chips to exchange for a batch of strictly controlled rare metals from the Star Luo Empire's officials.
Upon learning this, Zhuo Shi and Cai Yue'er exclaimed that he was a "spendthrift." Even ordinary ten-thousand-year soul bones were treasures that could not be easily obtained.
However, Gu La just smiled faintly. What he needed were materials for constructing divine-level mechs and battle armors in the future, not immediate profits.
Returning to the era of Douluo I, the mineral veins of the Star Luo Continent were still intact, but mining, smelting, and refining required enormous manpower and resources—resources he couldn't spare time for. It was better to exchange them now for ready-made resources.
After dealing with these trivial matters, Gu La and Gu Yue requested a temporary leave from Zhuo Shi.
They were originally "extra" members of the exchange delegation. Although Zhuo Shi was filled with curiosity and doubts about the "trump card" Gu La had shown and the mech wreckage he had collected, seeing his resolute intention to leave and considering that Gu La needed rest after the recent attack, Zhuo Shi only gave a few reminders about safety before agreeing.
The two left the main group and quickly arrived at a desolate valley in a remote part of the Star Luo Continent.
"The person who tried to assassinate you... it was Zhang Geyang, wasn't it?"
Gu Yue looked at the scenery of the valley and suddenly spoke, a flash of coldness in her purple eyes. "Are you just going to let him go?"
The pride of the Silver Dragon King made her remember every enemy who dared to offend her.
Gu La shook his head, his gaze profound: "Just a clown. No time to deal with him now; important matters first. Come with me." He didn't explain their specific destination.
Gu Yue asked no more questions, standing quietly to the side.
Gu La closed his eyes, and his body began to emit a strange silver glow. The space around him rippled and twisted like water. He reached out and grasped Gu Yue's wrist.
"Let's go!"
Buzz—!
An irresistible force of time and space instantly enveloped the two.
Gu Yue felt a blur before her eyes, the surrounding scenery elongating and twisting into a bizarre silver passage filled with countless shattered lights and roaring sounds.
She felt herself being pulled irresistibly, moving upstream against the flow, rapidly advancing towards the source of time!
"This… what is this?!"
A tumultuous wave surged in Gu Yue's heart. Crossing time, actively and controllably crossing the river of time.
This was nothing short of a miraculous feat that defied her understanding!
Even during the prime of the Dragon God, such an achievement would likely be impossible. She finally understood why Gu La knew so many secrets, even knowing that the Dragon God might not be dead—he was simply a being from outside time! Not belonging to this timeline!
At this moment, Gu La had no time to attend to Gu Yue's shock.
This was his first attempt at such a long-distance spatiotemporal traversal carrying a "living being," especially one of the caliber of the Silver Dragon King. This required extremely high stability of the spatiotemporal channel.
He had to concentrate fully, carefully maintaining the channel and avoiding hidden temporal eddies and causal vortices.
After an unknown amount of time—perhaps an instant, perhaps ten thousand years—amidst the endless silver torrent, Gu La suddenly captured a familiar spatiotemporal coordinate resonating with a loud dragon roar—it was the marker left behind by the malevolence of the Silver Dragon King when he first crossed over.
"Found it, here."
His eyes tightened, fully mobilizing the power of time and space, wrapping Gu Yue in it, and like an arrow leaving the bowstring, fiercely crashed towards that coordinate point.
Whoosh—!
A blinding flash of light passed, and a strong sense of spatial displacement came. The sensation of solid ground touched his feet, fresh air filled his nostrils, and the familiar sound of insects chirping and birds singing reached his ears.
Douluo Continent! The era of Douluo I!
However, the two had barely steadied themselves, not even getting a clear view of the surroundings—
Roar—!!!
A dragon roar imbued with boundless anger and majesty echoed through the clouds. An overwhelming dragon aura pressed down like a tangible mountain.
A huge silver figure tore through space, exuding an aura of destruction. A massive dragon claw gleamed with cold light, descending upon Gu La and Gu Yue who had just appeared.
It was none other than the Silver Dragon King of the Douluo I era, instantly arriving after sensing the powerful spatiotemporal fluctuations and the presence of "Gu La."
"It's your turn to perform," Gu La whispered urgently to Gu Yue beside him, swiftly retreating. "Convince her, don't fight with me."
Gu Yue was startled by the sudden attack, but upon seeing the familiar silver dragon, she immediately understood the situation.
Without hesitation, the vast aura of the Silver Dragon King within her erupted.
Buzz!
Two supreme dragon auras of the same origin but slightly different violently collided, causing the air to burst under the unbearable pressure.
The Douluo I Silver Dragon King, who was about to strike, abruptly stopped. Her huge dragon pupils stared intently at Gu Yue, filled with disbelief:
"You... who are you?!" She clearly sensed the pure Silver Dragon King essence emanating from Gu Yue, identical to her own. But how could this be?!
Gu Yue took a deep breath, meeting the astonished gaze, her voice calm and resolute: "I am you. Just... you from the future."
"Me from the future? Impossible!"
The Douluo I Silver Dragon King firmly denied it, her large head swaying slightly, bearing the pride of the dragon race and the impact of common sense. "Time cannot be altered. Even the Dragon God cannot traverse time and space at will, let alone have the same person exist in the same time!" This exceeded her comprehension.
Gu Yue looked at her past self, her eyes complex with a trace of weariness and determination from experiencing much: "But you also see, it is impossible for two complete Silver Dragon Kings to exist simultaneously in this world, right?"
"We are of the same origin and nature, yet our existence does not conflict or annihilate each other at the essence level. That itself is the greatest proof."
The Douluo I Silver Dragon King fell silent. Gu Yue's words hit the core contradiction. The authority of the Dragon God is unique.
If the other party were fake or merely a projection, it would be impossible to possess such complete essence without triggering rejection at the fundamental level.
Her massive body slowly descended, transforming amidst a dazzling silver light into a woman with seven to eight similarities to Gu Yue, appearing colder, prouder, and exuding a pure, wild beauty with silver hair and purple eyes.
She stared intently at Gu Yue, her sharp gaze cutting like a knife: "Myself from the future? Then why are you... together with him?" She glanced at the distant, calm Gu La. "Why are you mixed up with him?"
Gu Yue met her gaze calmly, her tone carrying a hint of bitterness and determination:
"Believe in your wisdom; you must already know the reason. He promised to help me... become a true, complete Dragon God."
"Just him?!" The Douluo I Silver Dragon King sneered contemptuously. A mere mortal in her eyes, lucky enough to wield some temporal powers, dared to speak of the Dragon God?
"Hmph!"
Gu La's voice came coldly, laced with undeniable confidence, "The past is the past, now is now. Silver Dragon King, if you want to fight, I'll accompany you to the end."
"Let me show you whether I qualify to say this. But I'll remind you, see who collapses first." His eyes swept over the slightly pale complexion of the Silver Dragon King, implying something.
The Douluo I Silver Dragon King's heart shuddered. Her injuries indeed hadn't fully healed. Forcing Gu La away half a year ago, though temporarily securing her peace, had come at a cost.
In the past six months, the faith energy she absorbed was insufficient, far from restoring her peak condition. Engaging in a battle with an unknown state Gu La and this mysterious "future self" posed too great a risk.
Taking a deep breath, she suppressed her anger and asked the most critical question: "You say you are my future self... what about the Golden Dragon King? Has he escaped?" This was her primary concern.
Gu Yue nodded heavily: "He has escaped. But... he became a pawn of a certain supreme being in the God Realm, his fate not his own. And I... similarly trapped in the chess game, constrained everywhere. Therefore, I need his strength, need this 'impossible' help."
She didn't mention Tang San's name, but the frustration and anger of being manipulated were clearly conveyed to her past self.
The Douluo I Silver Dragon King fell silent. She looked at the complex emotions and longing for power in Gu Yue's eyes, then glanced at the distant, composed Gu La, as if everything was under control.
Her future self, so proud, chose to cooperate with this human? The Golden Dragon King becoming a pawn... the machinations of the God Realm... all of this weighed heavily on her.
Ultimately, she refrained from shouting or attacking. She chose a temporary compromise. Believing that her future self wouldn't be easily deceived, choosing cooperation must have its compelling reasons.
For the future of the dragon race, for resisting the God Realm, she could temporarily set aside her hostility.
"Alright." The Douluo I Silver Dragon King's voice returned to its icy clarity. "I'll trust you for now. And temporarily... stop targeting him." Her gaze fell on Gu La, carrying scrutiny and warning.
Gu La secretly sighed with relief. Fighting on two fronts while dealing with a full-strength Silver Dragon King was not wise. Temporarily stabilizing her and forming a fragile alliance was the best outcome.
"Let's go, back to Shrek." Gu La called out and walked towards Tian Dou City first. Gu Yue followed closely behind.
The Douluo I Silver Dragon King watched their retreating figures, hesitated for a moment, then moved, following them.
Her reasoning was ample: to monitor Gu La, ensuring he harbored no ill intentions towards her future self. After all, the current Gu Yue seemed far weaker than Gu La in her eyes.
Meanwhile, she was overwhelmed with uncontainable curiosity about why her "future self" chose to transform and integrate into the human world.
Along the way, the two Silver Dragon Kings began indirect exchanges through a mental link.
The Silver Dragon King continuously inquired about future details: movements of the God Realm, the plight of spirit beasts, threats from humans... Gu Yue cautiously responded, avoiding key timelines and specific individuals, only describing general trends and dilemmas.
Both carefully probed each other, their words filled with invisible clashes.
Listening to the encrypted conversation between the two dragons in his mind, Gu La wanted to tell them: don't work so hard; you're not on the same timeline. Clarifying things won't affect the timeline because, with him around, knowing more couldn't influence the future of this universe.
But thinking that if the Silver Dragon King knew the truth, realizing she wasn't her "future self" but from a parallel timeline, the fragile alliance just formed might collapse instantly, even triggering greater conflicts, Gu La wisely chose silence. Let this beautiful misunderstanding continue.
Arriving outside the bustling Tian Dou City.
"Go explore the city first, get familiar with the human world." Gu La told the two dragons. "Remember, if you encounter someone unpleasant, killing is fine, but handle it discreetly. Don't cause trouble for me."
The Silver Dragon King snorted coldly, tacitly agreeing. Gu Yue nodded.
Having arranged the two "big troubles," Gu La went alone to Shrek Academy.
When his familiar figure appeared at the academy gate, time seemed to freeze.
"Brother Gu La?!"
Xiao Wu, training with her friends in the academy's open space, was the first to spot him.
Pink bunny ears instantly perked up. Those lively big eyes were first filled with incredulous shock, then quickly overflowed with surging tears.
"Big Brother Gu La!!!"
With a cry mingled with sobs, Xiao Wu, like a pink arrow released from the string, instantly crossed dozens of meters, crashing into Gu La's arms.
The tremendous impact force made Gu La retreat to dissipate the force, careful not to hurt Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu clung tightly to him, her small body trembling violently with excitement and grievance. Tears, like broken pearls, instantly soaked Gu La's shirt.
"Waaah... where did you go? Half a year! No news for half a year, we... we thought... waaah..."
Xiao Wu sobbed uncontrollably, her small face buried in Gu La's chest, seemingly wanting to cry out all the worries and longing accumulated over the past six months.
Gu La's heart warmed. His iron-hard heart softened at this moment. He gently embraced the trembling little rabbit in his arms, his palm gently patting her back, his voice unusually gentle:
"There, there, Xiao Wu, don't cry. I'm back, aren't I? I accidentally fell into a special secret realm, and it took some effort to find the way out. See, I'm perfectly fine?"
Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong also rushed over upon hearing the commotion. Seeing Gu La standing there unharmed, both pairs of eyes lit up with immense joy.
Zhu Zhuqing's usually cool face rarely showed a relieved smile, her steps instinctively moving forward.
Ning Rongrong's eyes reddened, her small hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, wanting to step forward but feeling shy, only able to excitedly watch Gu La and Xiao Wu.
"Boss Gu, you're finally back!" Excited voices rang out; it was Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun who had rushed over upon hearing the news. Oscar followed behind, his face full of surprise.
Soon, Flender, Zhao Wuji, Yu Xiaogang, Liu Erlong, and Tang San, who had heard the news and hurried over, appeared at the academy entrance.
Everyone looked at Gu La comforting Xiao Wu softly, faces revealing genuine joy and relief.
"Thankfully you're back, good to be back!" Flender pushed up his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses moist. Over the past six months, the worries and searches of the Shrek group never ceased.
Tang San stepped forward, looking at Gu La, his eyes complex with worry, joy, and a hint of subtle inquiry: "Big Brother Gu La, you... it's good that you're alright. These six months, where did you go? We were all very worried."
Gu La comforted the emotionally stabilized but still tightly clinging Xiao Wu, raised his head, facing everyone's concerned gazes, and revealed a relaxed smile:
"I've made everyone worry. Indeed, I fell into a troublesome secret realm. The time flow inside was different from the outside, and it took a lot of effort to find the way out." He lightly glossed over the topic.
"It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright." Zhao Wuji patted his chest, feeling a lingering fear.
Flender keenly caught the key points in Gu La's words, his eyes lighting up: "A special secret realm? You, always bringing back 'surprises' every time."
"Any new discoveries or... new research this time?" He remembered Gu La's countless "research achievements" vividly.
Gu La smiled slightly, taking out two items from his storage soul-guidance device.
One was a palm-sized, thin-as-cicada-wing, crystal-clear panel flowing with complex data streams and soul power fluctuation graphs.
Portable Soul Power Battery and Physique Tester.
The other was a compact metal helmet embedded with several glowing soul-guidance gems.
Spiritual Power Testing Helmet.
"Of course." Gu La's voice carried a hint of confidence. "Being trapped in the secret realm this time allowed me to develop new ideas about the combination of soul power and spiritual power. These two are some 'trinkets' I recently made."
Everyone's attention was instantly drawn. Tang San and Yu Xiaogang's eyes sparkled with intense thirst for knowledge.
They vaguely felt that the "trinkets" in Gu La's hands might once again revolutionize their understanding of the soul master system.
------------------------------------------------------
40+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)