Gu Yuena nodded, but said nothing more.
Her identity had already been exposed. It was only natural for Zhongli to know about the Dragon God.
"Douluo Continent was closest to the God Realm. Because of that war known as the Dragon God War, God Blood was scattered..."
Zhongli's voice carried the weight of history, making Gu Yuena feel as though she had returned to those days.
Back then, she had faced the gods the moment she was born. Wounded by Asura, she had been forced to flee.
That memory was truly unforgettable.
"That was what gave rise to Soul Beasts."
"Soul Beast was merely a collective term, not the name of a single type of beast."
"Just like Demon Gods. Though they were all Demon Gods, they fought one another, and only a few formed alliances."
Zhongli stated it calmly, without a trace of personal emotion. It was simply the truth.
Gu Yuena's face turned pale, and her brows drew tightly together. Even her silver hair seemed to dim somewhat.
She recalled the slaughter within the Star Dou Great Forest. It was even more severe than humanity's slaughter of Soul Beasts.
Humans killed Soul Beasts to obtain Spirit Rings.
Under normal circumstances, humans would not enter the Star Dou Great Forest.
Yet the conflicts between Soul Beasts played out every day.
Cats ate fish, dogs ate meat...
Just as the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King had said, it had merely been hungry and wanted to eat.
Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts fed on Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, while Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts fed on Thousand-Year and Hundred-Year Soul Beasts.
Even among plant-type Soul Beasts, some devoured other Soul Beasts. Otherwise, how could the Myriad Demon King have been born?
Relations between Soul Beasts could not be reconciled. It was a law of nature.
Let alone different races, even Soul Beasts of the same race sometimes did this.
True unity was impossible within groups of Soul Beasts.
"The Dragon God placed a curse upon all Soul Beasts. Before a new Dragon God emerged, Soul Beasts could not become gods."
"For humanity, that was actually a good thing."
Zhongli spoke with a calm expression, as though he were discussing some trivial matter.
Besides, it had nothing to do with him.
What did not concern him was none of his business...
"?"
Gu Yuena's mind filled with question marks upon hearing that. She looked at Zhongli in confusion.
The Dragon God had placed a curse on all Soul Beasts?
Having inherited all the Dragon God's wisdom, she possessed no such memory.
Why had the Dragon God done that?
She had thought the Heavenly Tribulations that Soul Beasts faced upon breakthroughs had been set by the God Kings of the God Realm working together.
She had never imagined that the one responsible was actually the Dragon God!
Zhongli had no reason to deceive her. People at their level disdained lying... though certain schemes did not count.
Gu Yuena looked at the Sky Screen, which was still playing, then withdrew her gaze.
"Personally, I have no particular opinion of the Soul Beast Clan."
Zhongli shook his head and spoke bluntly.
It was a race destined for tragedy. Even without humanity, their end would not have been much better.
Given that, what opinion could he possibly have?
Douluo Continent was a remarkably magical place. Most Soul Beasts here had the potential to become Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.
Their cultivation years did not represent their age, but their lifespans were indeed extraordinarily long.
And yet, despite living so long, they remained incredibly weak!
What was rather regrettable was that over those long years, they had not "evolved" as Immortals had.
The gods of this world differed from those of Teyvat Continent. They neither guided Soul Beasts nor interfered with humanity's development.
Except for a select few who always "broke the law while enforcing it."
Gu Yuena fell silent for a long while before looking at Zhongli again.
She believed that the Dragon God must have had his reasons for doing this.
Thus, she did not blame the Dragon God.
The Dragon God was, after all, her father god. How could she resent him just because of a few words from an outsider?
"As for the humans of this world..."
Zhongli waved a hand and spoke indifferently.
"They are not my people, and this is not Liyue."
"I am merely a passerby."
Sky Screen Footage: the Golden House.
Within the resplendent hall, the massive "Immortal Ancestor's Molted Body" lay coiled in silence.
Though he had been "dead" for quite some time, he still looked imposing without even showing anger.
"If I didn't know the plot, I would have thought this really was the Geo Archon..."
"By the way, is Lord Emperor's true form really a dragon shaped like a snake?"
The moment this question arose, it sparked discussion among the world.
The dragons of Douluo Continent were almost all shaped like "giant lizards."
Some Soul Beasts with inferior Dragon Race bloodlines, the sub-dragons, might not have been True Dragons, but they were still immensely powerful.
Yet the Geo Archon's "Immortal Ancestor's Molted Body" was a snake-shaped dragon.
If not for the dragon horns atop his head and the eagle-like claws beneath his belly, they truly would not have known that this was a dragon!
It was truly an inversion of the natural order, but Douluo Continent was indeed like this.
As soon as the footage shifted, the Sentient Beings saw Chang Wei fighting...
Childe knocked the blonde girl to the ground. She let out a muffled groan and crashed heavily onto the hard floor.
Paimon's eyes widened in panic as she cried out.
"Ah!"
Her little face turned pale with fright. Trembling all over, she flew anxiously to the Traveler's side, wanting to help her up.
"Traveler, Traveler, are you alright?"
"That must have hurt, right?"
"Darn Childe, darn Tartaglia! Paimon is going to give you an awful nickname!"
"I'll call you Dada Duck!!"
Douluo Star.
"Isn't that Childe? Why is he fighting the Traveler?"
"When he first appeared, I already felt that he wasn't a good person. A stranger's sudden concern really did have ulterior motives!"
"Childe looks rather upright. How could he do such a thing?"
Tartaglia wore a mask, purple arcs of electricity flickering around him, making him look utterly chilling.
"Not bad. Your swordsmanship is indeed somewhat interesting."
"But that is as far as it goes."
Tartaglia swung his weapon. After saying that, he charged toward the blonde girl.
At that critical moment!!
The scene suddenly shifted. In the distance stood a similarly blonde youth. He clenched his fists, but ultimately did not step forward.
His appearance and clothing were very similar to the blonde girl's, though their expressions differed.
One was bewildered and innocent, while the other was cold and stern.
The blonde youth stared fixedly at Tartaglia, seemingly lost in thought.
Just then, the blonde girl had already risen. She stretched out her right hand, and a green glow appeared in her palm, forming a vortex to block Tartaglia's attack.
The two held their ground for a moment before the blonde girl suddenly retreated. Countless amber spikes rapidly rose from the ground.
When she steadied herself, only a purple short spear remained at their standoff point. Tartaglia had already appeared before the "Immortal Ancestor's Molted Body."
Under the puzzled gazes of the Sentient Beings, purple light flickered around Tartaglia's hand as he stabbed it toward the chest of the "Immortal Ancestor's Molted Body."
"Then... Morax's Heart of the God..."
"I'll take it..."
Before you continue