The Fire Dragon King's voice was still slightly hoarse when he spoke again:
"It's not just about when you attain divinity…The purity of the power within you—and the foundation you've accumulated—is terrifying."
"I dare say that once you ascend, you will never be an ordinary god.You may well leap directly to the pinnacle of a First-Rank Deity—perhaps even… rival, or suppress the Silver Dragon King at her peak."
The Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King—two of the nine sons of the Dragon God, and once First-Rank Gods themselves—possessed a perception of power far sharper than any other being.
And Lan Yu's presence…
To them, he was a monster—a vessel long filled to the brim, overflowing with water, yet stubbornly refusing to expand into a lake.
Having gained such immense benefits, and having witnessed Lan Yu's unfathomable strength with their own eyes…
The two Dragon Kings exchanged a silent glance.
Then—slowly—they lowered their colossal dragon heads and bent their massive bodies into a kneeling posture mid-air.
With the most solemn rite of the Dragon Clan, they pledged fealty.
"By Your Majesty's grace, our shattered souls were restored and reborn!""From this day onward, I—Ice Dragon King (Fire Dragon King)—swear unwavering loyalty to the Emperor!"
"Rise."
Lan Yu accepted their oath calmly, then began explaining the descent of the Heavenly Screen, the divine rankings, and the rewards bestowed by the Dao of Heaven.
"...That is the situation," Lan Yu finished.
"What we can confirm now is this:Other than the Silver Dragon King, the top three spots on the list are essentially locked in by myself, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, and the Skydream Iceworm."
"As for the remaining seven positions, with your five hundred thousand years of cultivation and your royal Dragon King bloodline… you naturally have a chance to contend for them."
A faint flicker of uncertainty passed through Lan Yu's eyes.
He said this because—truthfully, even he was not sure whether his two other clones would be counted separately on the Heavenly Screen.
This uncertainty arose entirely because of the system that had been bound to him upon transmigration:
[Late Bloomer]
Its effect was simple, brutal, and absolute:
Persist long enough, and success becomes inevitable.
When Lan Yu first awakened as a mere Blue Silver Grass, he had been plunged into despair.
How long could a plant even live?
He believed this "Late Bloomer" destiny might take thousands—or tens of thousands—of years to activate.
But what Lan Yu never expected was this:
His destiny had bound itself not to the lifespan of Blue Silver Grass—but to the growth cycle of his transmigrated human soul.
Only eighty years later, the cheat began to show its power.
And from that point onwards, its effect grew exponentially.
Now, thirty thousand years later, his Late Bloomer Destiny had become utterly monstrous.
Each breath he took naturally gathered enough life essence to forge—out of thin air—a Rank 99 Ultimate Douluo.
It was precisely this overwhelming foundation that gave Lan Yu the confidence and resources to enact a plan to rule an entire planet.
Because two hundred centuries ago, the Angel God had ascended to First-Rank Godhood at this very location, Douluo Continent had been under her surveillance ever since.
There were too many variables.
So Lan Yu chose to treat the Ice–Fire Yin-Yang Well as merely a strategic piece on his chessboard.
His true focus had always been the other two continents—the lands that, in the original timeline, would only connect to Douluo after twenty thousand and thirty thousand years.
At the heart of each of those continents…
A Blue Silver Emperor clone, split from his main body, had long taken root.
After tens of thousands of years of growth, each clone's root network had fused with its continent's ley-lines entirely—drawing life essence from the land itself.
Their cultivation had also reached an astonishing 990,000 years, matching the main body on the Sun-Moon Continent.
They too stood only a single step away from divinity.
In other words—
If Lan Yu wished…
His two clones could break through at any moment, giving rise to three terrifying First-Rank Deities instantly.
But Lan Yu had no intention of doing that.
Because his goal had never been to become merely a First-Rank God.
What he wanted was this:
The moment he attained godhood, he would unite the faith and power of all three continents.Fuse the three selves into one.Ascend in a single leap—not as a god…but as a God-King.
Only then would he wield enough strength to confront the lofty God Realm—a realm that viewed all living beings as nothing more than pieces on a cosmic chessboard.
Lan Yu gathered his thoughts and addressed the newly awakened, still-confused Dragon Kings and the surrounding immortal herb spirit beasts:
"You are to guard this place.Accumulate your power.Wait for the shift in destiny."
"Ten days from now—if your names appear on the list—accept your rewards publicly."
"If any outsider dares covet this land…kill them without mercy."
"We obey Your Majesty's command!"
The Ice and Fire Dragon Kings spoke in unison.
After giving all necessary orders, Lan Yu's figure dissolved into the void and disappeared.
But even after he left, the Ice–Fire Yin-Yang Well did not return to calm.
Instead—it erupted with even more brilliant vitality.
The immortal herbs Lan Yu had awakened began undergoing astonishing transformations under the dense life force and celestial energy swirling around them.
Buzz—!
A mysterious, eight-petaled ice herb glowed brilliantly, shifting in the extreme cold and taking on the form of a stern-faced young man clad in an icy blue robe.
His cultivation aura surged—
200,000 years.
Beside him, the Blazing Delicate Apricot transformed as well—descending in the form of a breathtaking woman dressed in fiery crimson court attire, a flame sigil between her brows.
She too possessed the might of a 200,000-year spirit beast.
One after another, the Jade Bone Water Fairy, the Autumn Dew Drop, and countless other celestial herbs gained true life under Lan Yu's boundless infusion of energy.
Each one transformed into a powerful plant-type spirit beast—and even the weakest among them had reached 200,000 years of cultivation.
The most dazzling transformation belonged to the Seven Treasures Golden Tulip.
Amid thousands of shimmering petals, a noble and ethereal woman appeared—crowned with a seven-colored floral coronet, robed in a rainbow gown woven from myriad blossoms.
With each blink, she seemed to command every plant around her.
Having received Lan Yu's near-cheating level of life essence, her cultivation skyrocketed to a terrifying—
500,000 years.
Equal to the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings after their rebirth.
Floating in the air, the two Dragon Kings witnessed everything.Their immense dragon eyes flickered with complex emotions.
"These herbs… their aura feels so familiar," the Fire Dragon King murmured, voice deep with unexpected sentiment.
"Because they were originally formed from the divine power and dragon blood we released upon our deaths," he continued."They grew for tens of thousands of years—fed by what we left behind.In a way…they are another continuation of our lives."
The Ice Dragon King's voice was cold, yet the turbulence within him was impossible to hide.
Their feelings were indeed complicated.
These newly reborn spirit beasts had grown upon the "remains" of their former selves.
But even stronger than these emotions was their reverence—and gratitude—toward Lan Yu.
(As for why no heavenly tribulation descends yet—this will be explained at the end of Chapter 24.The situation is similar to the Skydream Iceworm: most of their cultivation was infused by Lan Yu.Only once they fully adapt and master this power will the tribulation arrive—and it will come all at once.)