Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda.
Dusk crept across the window lattice, and a dark red glow drifted across his retinas like sharp thorns piercing his nerves. Amid hollow ringing in his ears, Zhao Xuanzhen opened his eyes. Fine cracking sounds came from deep within his skull, as though someone were repeatedly chiseling at his brain with an Ice Cone.
The mental backlash persisted. This was the price of a Soul Elder fusing with a Quasi-God. It would last a month, with the first week being especially severe.
"Creak—"
The handle turned, and the door was pushed open from outside. Zhao Xuanzhen saw a figure walking in beneath the blood-red sunset: a bald, burly man with a thick layer of iron-gray dragon scales covering his body, sturdy, hard claws, and a cold smile hanging at the corner of his mouth.
"Guang Long?"
He recognized the visitor at a glance. The next instant, the porcelain cup on the table exploded into powder beneath the burst of wind pressure. Zhao Xuanzhen spun, leaving an afterimage that sliced through the air. Guang Long opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the sudden attack cut him off!
With a muffled bang, Guang Long's back slammed heavily into the mahogany table. White paper scattered like startled butterflies, fluttering between their sleeves. Zhao Xuanzhen bent his knee and pinned Guang Long's struggling hands, gripping his throat with his left hand while raising his right high. His five fingers gleamed with dark gold, and a razor-sharp aura surged outward!
Darkgold Fearclaw!
Zhao Xuanzhen had no idea why Guang Long had appeared here. He was even rather surprised. This guy should have been locked in the Eastsea City Spirit Pagoda's little black room, repeatedly tortured by stewards eager to curry favor with the high-level disciples and earn promotions.
The reason did not matter. Zhao Xuanzhen did not mind reuniting the Guang brothers!
The Darkgold Fearclaw descended. Confusion and shock burst into Guang Long's abruptly constricted pupils. In that instant, another person's image seemed to overlap with Guang Long's.
A black-haired, black-eyed young girl with a slender figure and lovely features. That image tore through the fog shrouding his mind, and the violent Darkgold Fearclaw froze just before touching her jade-like skin.
Reality and illusion clashed savagely. Zhao Xuanzhen could feel the artery beneath his fingertips pounding wildly. Light spots cast by the sun drifted across the young girl's face, and her outline gradually became clear.
"Gu Yue..."
Zhao Xuanzhen realized who had come. The hallucinations caused by his mental backlash had made him mistake Gu Yue for Guang Long, and he had nearly gouged out the Silver Dragon King's supreme bone!
"Cough, cough..."
Gu Yue's swanlike neck was clamped by Zhao Xuanzhen's fingers. Her body heat burned through her thin shirt into his palm. Butterfly-wing-shaped bruises rose on her fair skin, and surprise and pain appeared on her face as broken breaths mingled with her coughs.
"Zhao Xuanzhen, Aunt Leng brought some snacks. Come try them!"
Just one second before Zhao Xuanzhen released her, Na'er rushed in in a flurry. But upon seeing the scene inside the room, she froze on the spot. The pastries in her hands crashed to the floor.
Her delicate body trembled violently. Na'er pointed at the two of them from afar, her voice heart-wrenching:
"Zhao Xuanzhen, didn't we agree to fake it?!"
With that, Na'er transformed into a silver whirlwind and forcibly separated them. Then she glared viciously at Gu Yue, her silver eyes blinking furiously. You're not human!
Na'er had spent four years with Zhao Xuanzhen. They had grown up together as childhood sweethearts. She did not think Zhao Xuanzhen was perverted enough to make a move on Gu Yue, whom he had only known for two days, so Gu Yue had to be the problem!
A rotten cabbage worth five cents a pound was trying to seduce the plump little pig she had raised so well!
Seeing Na'er's condemning gaze, Gu Yue understood for the first time what it meant to suffer an immense injustice. She had indeed planned to get closer to Zhao Xuanzhen and slowly work her way toward her goal, but she had not even put it into action yet!
Her left foot had barely crossed the doorway, and her toes had not even touched the ground before she was instantly subdued and twisted onto the table!
"Something went wrong with my cultivation..."
Zhao Xuanzhen apologized and quickly gave them a concise explanation of what had happened. He avoided secrets such as the Soaring Serpent and Tang San's Divine Sense, saying only that an accident during meditation last night had left him mentally disoriented. If he did not explain himself, the two Silver Dragon King Half Bodies would start fighting!
"Your complexion was especially bad at noon. Do you really not need to see a Healing System Soul Master?"
The grief and condemnation in Na'er's eyes gradually faded, replaced by concern as she looked at Zhao Xuanzhen.
"No. I'll recover naturally in a few days."
Having a Healing System Soul Master examine him would be futile. In the end, Zhao Xuanzhen himself was simply too weak. A Soul Elder could not bear the immense power of the Eight Deceitful Gods.
"Sorry, Gu Yue. You suffered an unforeseen disaster because of me." Zhao Xuanzhen apologized again.
The flush around Gu Yue's ears had yet to fade. She straightened her rumpled clothes with both hands. With her proud personality, she should have stormed out angrily, but from the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Na'er's tense pretty face.
Seeing that unexpected scene between Zhao Xuanzhen and Gu Yue had caused a dramatic change in Na'er's emotions. Her panic was impossible to miss.
This sudden incident had both gains and losses. The last trace of doubts in Gu Yue's heart vanished, and she became completely certain that Zhao Xuanzhen was the person Na'er cared about most.
As long as Na'er lost him emotionally—for example, if Zhao Xuanzhen cruelly abandoned her, or if she could only watch helplessly as he grew close to someone else and distant from herself—Na'er's humanity would collapse completely. Gu Yue could then act directly, forcibly devour Na'er without interference from human emotions, and become the complete Silver Dragon King!
At that thought, Gu Yue's angry little face suddenly became kind and gentle. She said softly, "It's fine. Every Soul Master has times when they are not in their best condition. You did not attack me on purpose, so don't take it to heart."
Gu Yue clasped her hands behind her back, seemingly trying to hide the red bruises on her wrist. A gentle, faint smile appeared on her pretty face. Her considerate appearance made Zhao Xuanzhen sigh inwardly. Gu Yue was actually pretty nice!
"Something's wrong. Nine parts out of ten are wrong..."
Na'er caught a trace of something subtle. Her gaze shot straight toward Gu Yue, filled with deep wariness and suspicion.
Confess honestly. What are you trying to do?!
Finding an angle only Na'er could see, Gu Yue answered with a cold smile. Let me tell you: there are differences between half bodies too!
Na'er gritted her teeth. This Gu Yue, who had found a new path, was even more troublesome than the wildly ambitious one from before!
Her delicate hands gathered up the black hair Zhao Xuanzhen had pressed and bent out of shape. Gu Yue's lips curled slightly upward. She rather liked this feeling.
Step by step, she would establish a beautiful image in Zhao Xuanzhen's heart and occupy a supreme status, letting Na'er watch helplessly as the person important to her drifted away and fell into another woman's arms!
Excitement faintly rippled in Gu Yue's eyes. She could already foresee the near future: Na'er kneeling on the ground in despair, her humanity crumbling into scraps as she was devoured like a puppet on strings!
"To achieve the Silver Dragon King and rise to the top of the Spirit Pagoda, Zhao Xuanzhen must favor me!
"I am the Soul Beast Overlord, the Soul Beast Clan's hope for revenge. My will is unshakable! I absolutely will not act on true feelings like that foolish Na'er. I'll throw him away once I've used him!"
Gu Yue silently swore.
Meanwhile, the innocent Zhao Xuanzhen looked at the sky outside the window, calculated the time, and said, "Na'er, I'm going to Heaven Dou City to deliver a letter for Old Han. Are you coming with me, or staying in Eastsea City for a few more days?"
"Of course I'm going with you!"
Na'er answered without hesitation. She was used to having Zhao Xuanzhen by her side.
"Can you take me too?" Gu Yue volunteered. "The Final exam is over, and Eastsea Academy has a month-long break. I don't have anything to do during this time, so I can go to Heaven Dou City with you.
"We're all Spirit Pagoda disciples and will be comrades fighting together in the future. I've only just arrived, so I can use this chance to get familiar with you two.
"Na'er even said before that the three of us carry the Spirit Pagoda's hopes, so we should be close and inseparable."
"Wait, did I say that...?"
Na'er rubbed her chin and tried hard to remember. Oh, it seemed like she really had said that!
"Fine. We'll go together."
After all, he had hurt her while out of control. Zhao Xuanzhen felt a tiny bit guilty, and Gu Yue's words made sense. At the same time, he was very interested in learning more about this Silver Dragon King Half Body, who differed from the one in another spacetime.
It was a spontaneous trip. Half an hour later, the three arrived at the Eastsea City Soul Guide Train Station.
Eastsea City was a famous coastal tourist city, and the Train Station was packed with people. Yet the three still stood out from the crowd, drawing countless gazes.
Soul Masters developed much faster than ordinary people. Though Gu Yue and Na'er were still young, they had already grown graceful and upright, with slender figures and the makings of peerless beauties.
Black and silver-white stood in contrast to one another, yet on closer inspection, there seemed to be a faint resemblance between them. Whenever they happened to glance back, even the microexpressions on their faces were identical.
The balance point between black and white was equally eye-catching. Zhao Xuanzhen's handsome appearance swept through the crowd. His eyelashes were thick and dark, dense and long enough to make any girl jealous. His temperament was even more extraordinary—gentle as jade, refined and courteous.
"We're lucky. We caught the nearest train."
After buying Soul Guide Train tickets, the three headed for the ticket gate. Along the way, Zhao Xuanzhen took out his Soul Guide Communicator, found Leng Yaozhu's chat window, and began typing.
Teacher, Na'er, Gu Yue, and I have set off for Heaven Dou City. We'll return to the Spirit Transmission Tower Headquarters in a few days. Don't worry. I'm wearing the Phoenix Pendant, and I'll remember to report in every day. (Heart) (Heart) (Heart)
The message was sent successfully. Zhao Xuanzhen put away his Soul Guide Communicator. He had not chosen to meet Leng Yaozhu and say goodbye because his complexion did not look good at the moment, and he feared her concern would make her panic.
Normally, the odds of an accident happening on a Soul Guide Train were extremely low. Not everyone was some Train Killer. Besides, Zhao Xuanzhen had the Phoenix Pendant and the Eight Deceitful Gods' Soaring Serpent protecting him. There was no chance of a life-threatening crisis.
After passing through the ticket gate, the three headed to the platform and boarded the Soul Guide Train.
The Soul Guide Train looked almost identical to the high-speed rail in Zhao Xuanzhen's memories from his previous life. Strictly speaking, the Legend of the Dragon King Era was itself a modern society. Soul Guide Trains were like high-speed rail, Soul Guide Communicators were like phones, and many Soul Guidance Technology products had corresponding real-world counterparts.
The three had bought three connected seats, A, B, and C. Na'er looked at the calm Zhao Xuanzhen, then at the equally composed Gu Yue beside him, and scratched at her eyebrows in distress.
She neither wanted to sit beside Gu Yue nor wanted Gu Yue sitting next to Zhao Xuanzhen. Yet no matter how she arranged them, she had to choose between those two options.
In the end, Na'er chose to sit beside Gu Yue and pushed Zhao Xuanzhen into the innermost window seat.
She would wrong herself to protect her little pig.
Gu Yue noticed Na'er's little schemes but did not care at all. Meals had to be eaten one bite at a time. They had only known each other for a short while, and she would not do anything excessive. Na'er was simply worrying too much—using Xiao Na's heart to judge Gu Yue's belly.
"Dear passengers, welcome aboard the Soul Guide Train traveling from Eastsea City toward Heaven Dou City. Please take care of the public facilities on the train..."
A pleasant female voice came through the carriage broadcast, signaling that the Soul Guide Train had begun moving toward Heaven Dou City.
Zhao Xuanzhen turned to look out the window. The Soul Guide Train sped past a lush green forest and along Eastsea City's proud, beautiful coastline. The sun was setting, sea and sky merging into one. The ocean glittered, its surface dancing with orange glimmers.
At the Soul Guide Train's speed, the journey from Eastsea City to Heaven Dou City would take only a few hours. The three would have time for dinner after getting off.
The Soul Guide Train's environment was far from quiet, with all kinds of sounds coming from around them. Na'er's gaze narrowed slightly, and Mental strength flowed out from her body. Everything around them immediately fell silent, and the noisy sounds vanished completely.
Sound blockade, a small technique powered by Spirit Sea Realm mental strength. Simple and practical—a must-have trick for traveling.
Her Mental strength formed a shield around their seats, ensuring that outside sounds could not enter and sounds inside could not escape. Na'er smiled in satisfaction, lowered the tray table, propped up her Soul Guide Communicator, and searched the Soul Net for short videos with her jade-like fingers.
"Xiao Wu—"
An almost trembling, miserable cry came from the screen. Beside Na'er, Zhao Xuanzhen and Gu Yue shuddered in perfect synchrony. Driven by intense curiosity, they stretched their necks toward the middle.
"What are you watching?" Gu Yue asked.
"San-Wu Tragic Love."
Na'er glanced at her and introduced it. "It's a web drama I just found. It's hugely popular on the Soul Net right now. It seems to tell the tragic love story of Poseidon Tang San and his wife, Xiao Wu. Produced by Xuan Shi Tang Sect Company. It looks like the Tang Sect invested in it to promote their own ancestor."
"I've noticed you're always interested in strange things." Zhao Xuanzhen teased.
"Is it strange? I heard Xiao Wu was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit who took human form. How exactly did a Human Soul Master and a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast end up together?"
Na'er opened the most popular episode with an attitude of earnest study. She very much did not want to admit that Gu Yue's words about beasts staying with beasts had stung her.
What's wrong with soul beasts?! Soul beasts getting close to humans has plenty of precedent!
Na'er watched with exceptional seriousness, afraid of missing even the slightest detail. Zhao Xuanzhen grew interested too and watched the screen curiously, while Gu Yue frowned, her expression full of criticism.
For a soul beast and a human to become husband and wife was simply outrageous! A traitor to the beast race—unforgivable!
San-Wu Tragic Love began. Within a verdant ancient forest, a transparent woman with a scorpion braid floated in midair, her affectionate eyes gazing down at the young man below holding a Trident.
The young man did not retreat in the slightest. He stared steadfastly and resolutely at his lover, their feelings tender and moving enough to shake heaven and earth. The blood red sixth soul ring circling his body began to separate.
"Oh no, it's that—"
Zhao Xuanzhen was alarmed, but he was already too late!
"Revive My Lover!!!!"
The young man shouted each word in a thunderous roar that seemed to tear apart his vocal cords, his surging emotions erupting like a mountain flood!
Zhao Xuanzhen and Gu Yue were struck as if by lightning. With eyes full of humiliation at being forcibly insulted yet powerless to resist, they glared furiously at Na'er!
Give us back our ears!
Before you continue