Escalation of Conflict

Escalation of Conflict

On a vacant lot in the northern suburbs of Aolai City, there lay an abandoned factory district.

Without a doubt, this place had become a gathering spot for vagrants. Whenever the night grew deep and quiet, the area would become exceptionally chaotic, with all sorts of criminal activities visible everywhere.

But today was different. For some reason, the vagrants gathered here had all quieted down and were flocking toward the gate of one particular warehouse.

"No way, are we just going to keep waiting here? What is this? This is clearly our turf!"

"What else can you do besides wait? You saw how terrifying that purple-haired woman was earlier. If you want to die, feel free to go in and try."

The crowd whispered to one another, still feeling shaken as they recalled the domineering scene of the purple-haired woman dragging a person and tossing them away.

"Our master is commandeering this place today. If you don't want to die, keep quiet!"

Though they were filled with resentment, they were just a bunch of ordinary people, and that purple-haired woman was clearly a formidable big shot they couldn't afford to provoke.

"What do you think happened to the kid they dragged inside? I saw him earlier, he was beaten so miserably."

"How much do you know about the power within you?"

"I don't know!"

There wasn't even a hint of mockery.

Gu Yue took a breath and looked deeply at Tang Wulin without saying a word, merely increasing the pressure of her foot, causing his chest cavity to creak.

"Power?"

"One day, I will definitely make you pay the price!"

This was especially true for Tang Wulin, who had only possessed third-rank soul power since he was a child.

"I don't know!"

In front of her, Tang Wulin was beaten black and blue, lying on the ground, panting heavily.

"It really is the power of the Golden Dragon King..."

The crowd murmured, their hushed discussions lingering in the vast, dilapidated factory district.

"Yes."

"Gu Yue, where did you go earlier? Why are you back so late?"

"Heh, because I challenged Qiangu Wuji. You're annoyed by my overestimation of my own capabilities, aren't you?"

Gu Yue stood up at this moment, approaching him step by step. When she reached him, she looked down at him from above.

"Gu Yue, you and Qiangu Wuji are both bad people. One day, I will definitely surpass you both and take my revenge!"

"Hiss~"

Gu Yue watched calmly, her face devoid of joy or sorrow.

This time, Tang Wulin did not answer immediately. He remained silent for a while before nodding and responding softly.

"Miss, shall we not kill this guy?"

She was too weak right now and had no way to fuse with the power of the Golden Dragon King. Even if she killed Tang Wulin by force, she would only be left with the Golden Dragon King's power that she couldn't absorb.

By the time Gu Yue returned home, it was already eight or nine in the evening, and at that moment, Qiangu Wuji was discussing with Leng Yaozhu whether they should go look for her.

This time, Tang Wulin looked back at her, snorted coldly, and spat out another sentence.

Looking at these golden dragon scales, Gu Yue's expression darkened, the anger in her heart becoming difficult to suppress.

Originally, he had been picking mussels on the beach as usual when Gu Yue had inexplicably found him and, without a word, given him a beating.

Tang Wulin gritted his teeth hard, struggling to lift his eyes to look at Gu Yue.

In the end, it turned out like this.

Gu Yue frowned, a trace of coldness flashing across her face.

Gu Yue shook her head, saying nothing.

Having said that, she turned and walked out of the warehouse.

Sometimes, indifference is the best form of mockery.

Hearing this, Gu Yue paused, looked back at him once, and then left without saying a word.

In truth, she had considered killing Tang Wulin right then and there to seize the Golden Dragon King's power, but if she did that, she would have to face a problem.

Meanwhile, in the pitch-black warehouse, Gu Yue was sitting on a dilapidated wooden chair.

The purpose of dragging Tang Wulin here today was simply to confirm something.

Tang Wulin was still bewildered; he knew Gu Yue disliked him, but he had never imagined she would dislike him enough to go to the extent of retaliation.

Tang Wulin was stunned.

This caused his eyes to turn red, and his fists clenched so tightly they creaked.

Gu Yue looked at him calmly and nodded.

"Tell me, what exactly is going on with the power inside you?"

Gu Yue stepped on him for a while, but feeling bored, she released her foot and slowly crouched down.

Gu Yue figured he wouldn't know either, so she didn't react and continued to the second question.

Tang Wulin gritted his teeth and stubbornly looked away.

Rather than risking the exposure of the Golden Dragon King's power, it would be better to let it remain hidden within Tang Wulin for now; once it grew stronger in the future, it wouldn't be too late to kill him then.

"If you don't want to die, then be honest. Answer whatever I ask, and don't think about hiding anything from me. I have plenty of ways to tell whether you're lying or not. Do you understand?"

He had certainly thought about resisting, but Gu Yue's strength had completely exceeded his expectations.

Ziji, who had been waiting on the sidelines the entire time, hurried forward upon seeing this.

"How is it? Hmph, having offended such a fierce star, I think his chances of survival are slim."

He truly didn't know; he wasn't just being stubborn.

"Last question: can this power of yours continue to grow?"

The power of the Golden Dragon King was her other half, yet it had appeared in the hands of a human. The feeling of having something that belonged to her stolen away made her extremely irritated.

When outsiders were present, Ziji generally addressed Gu Yue as Miss.

Tang Wulin didn't know her thoughts; seeing her grim expression, he assumed she was jealous of his power and mocked her.

Tang Wulin winced in pain, but his eyes were filled with stubbornness, refusing to admit defeat no matter what.

Gu Yue didn't care about his attitude and slowly stood up from the ground.

Influenced by the power of the Silver Dragon King, the Golden Dragon King bloodline in Tang Wulin's body instantly boiled, and a bright golden dragon scale flickered on his forehead.

Gu Yue didn't speak, merely placing a light foot on his chest.

Seeing her arrive, the two of them finally felt at ease.

Tang Wulin said without looking back.

"How did you obtain this power?"

However, she didn't take action, instead taking a deep breath to force herself to calm down before speaking in a low voice.

"So, the reason you're taking revenge on me is because of this power of mine. What, are you afraid that I'll surpass you geniuses and threaten your status?"

Just as Gu Yue was about to walk out of the warehouse, Tang Wulin's weak voice suddenly came from behind.

"Do you know why I beat you up?"

"Fine, I get it."

Of course, there might also be the reason Tang Wulin mentioned—to retaliate against him for his overestimation of his own abilities in provoking Qiangu Wuji.

"It's nothing, I was just walking around the street earlier."

Gu Yue said indifferently, then turned and headed toward her room.

Behind her, the two watched in surprise, not understanding what had come over her.