Natal Soul Spirit -- Goddess of Love

The gaze from those purple-gold eyes held a single emotion: pity.

This was the one emotion Tang Wulin had least wanted to read in anyone's eyes over these past few days.

Yet, whether it was the Spirit Pagoda master who helped him awaken his martial soul, the teacher who taught him the basics of cultivation, or the classmates in his soul master class who laughed at him...

Even his father and mother, who loved and cherished him, would unconsciously reveal that same look when they stroked his hair:

Pity, regret, heartache...

Those gazes were like tangible needles, piercing through the soul of a boy with immense pride.

But Tang Wulin could only endure it in silence, even forcing an optimistic and cheerful facade, because these were the people who cared for him, the people he loved.

But why...

Why did this stranger, who had nearly taken his life, also show pity in his eyes the moment his Blue Silver Grass martial soul appeared?

"What right do you have!" Tang Wulin's black pupils turned golden, the emotions suppressed for days finally erupting!

He yanked on the strand of Blue Silver Grass, using it as leverage to slam his head into the purple-haired boy's left wrist, completely forgetting the vast disparity in their strength.

A web of golden scales and a web of amethyst scales manifested once more from Tang Wulin and the purple-haired boy.

Yet, this collision left the purple-haired boy's eyes unfocused, as if his body and soul had been momentarily torn apart...

His left hand loosened uncontrollably, but he still reacted in time, using his numb right palm to shove Tang Wulin away.

The silver-haired girl, just a heartbeat away from being crushed, was saved by Tang Wulin and tumbled to sit behind the still-small boy.

"Don't be afraid, I'll protect you!" Tang Wulin pulled back the grass blade, its edge stained with blood.

He rubbed his aching chest, staring tensely at the stumbling, retreating purple-haired boy.

The silver-haired girl looked at this narrow back, her eyelashes trembling...

Just as the atmosphere grew increasingly tense, a subtle, elegant fragrance drifted between the three of them.

It was an intriguing floral scent; though too faint to easily identify, it carried an air of solitary pride, as if it were a bloom that eclipsed all others.

The purple-haired boy covered his forehead and right eye with his right hand, as if finally stabilizing his soul after the separation.

He looked at his left wrist, where a circular wound had formed—a scratch caused by the Blue Silver Grass when he had pushed Tang Wulin away.

In this moment, the crisp scent of the Blue Silver Grass and the elegant aroma of blood intertwined and neutralized in the air.

"Interesting." From the wound on the purple-haired boy's wrist, tiny flowers with white petals and red edges sprouted.

In the blink of an eye, the scratch healed as if it had never been, and the elegant fragrance gradually faded away...

The purple-haired boy looked across at them, still dazed from the separation of body and soul, watching the combination of golden eyes and silver hair, one standing before the other.

In this trance, he felt as if he had dreamt back to the time when the Divine Dragon Realm was first formed, when his younger brother had stood in front of a weak "little bug" with this very same look and posture.

That look, it was truly so similar...

(In the original work, the Divine Empress's true form is a dragon-kin with inferior bloodline.)

The purple-gold eyes moved past the Blue Silver Grass in Tang Wulin's hand to the shimmering silver figure behind him.

He saw that the silver-haired girl's body was already rippling with seven-colored light, like vast, colorful veins spreading across her skin.

It made her look like a cold-eyed elemental volcano on the verge of eruption.

She gave the purple-haired boy an ultimatum: if you dare move again, I will fight you to the death!

Just then, the sound of footsteps on grass echoed behind the purple-haired boy.

A middle-aged man with long golden hair, sharp facial features, and a Western-style white suit was walking calmly through the waist-high greenery, crossing from the other side of the street.

The man seemed to carry his own radiance; he held his left fist against his waist and his right palm across his abdomen, the very image of a high-ranking butler.

He stepped to the side of the purple-haired boy, bowed his head, and said, "Your High..."

"I observe that you are unwell. Do you still need to buy time?"

As he spoke, he glanced beyond the greenery.

On the outer street, many internal members of the Spirit Pagoda were stopping or driving away pedestrians who were attempting to watch or get closer.

Tang Wulin's eyes filled with worry, for he could guess from this scene beyond the greenery that the purple-haired boy's background was far from simple.

"Furthermore," the golden-haired man in white whispered, "I have observed with my Dragon Soul that a massive, dark aura is drifting a hundred miles away. If the commotion here becomes too great..."

"Enough, that won't be necessary." The purple-haired boy raised a hand.

He looked at Tang Wulin, or perhaps at the trace of blood on the Blue Silver Grass, and asked, "Little one, what is your name?"

"My name is Tang Wulin, not 'little one'." Tang Wulin remained on guard, shielding the young girl behind him as he took small steps backward.

"Heh~" The purple-haired boy took a handkerchief, wiped his left wrist, and revealed a meaningful smile: "A good name."

"We will meet again."

His purple-gold eyes moved past Tang Wulin's shoulder to look at the figure behind him, leaving behind a final sentence: "It just depends on who gets to eat first."

With a swirl of purple hair, the boy turned around. "Let's go."

"Yes." The golden-haired man in white remained as meticulous as ever.

"Hmph!" Tang Wulin shouted defiantly at the backs of the two figures, "When we meet again, I will definitely find a police officer to arrest you!"

Only after the two had waded through the green belt and moved far away did Tang Wulin retract his Blue Silver Grass martial soul, letting out a long, weary sigh.

He turned around and found the silver-haired girl also gazing into the distance, a look of contemplation in her eyes, while the Eight-Colored Veins completely faded away from her body.

Tang Wulin did not notice her anomaly, so he lowered his face, patted his chest, and said, "Don't be afraid. I am a real man, just like Dad says. I will bravely protect you!"

Only then did the little girl look up at him.

Now that she was close, those large purple eyes looked even more beautiful, and a shimmer of moisture seemed to be welling up within them...

Tang Wulin hurriedly waved his small hands to comfort her: "Hey, hey, hey! Don't cry! That bad guy with the surname 'Huang' has already been chased away by me."

"Hey, hey, hey, my name is Tang Wulin. What is your name?"

The little girl was stunned for a moment, then finally spoke for the first time: "I... I am called Na'er."

The afternoon sun slanted through the tree shade, and the two small figures—one in blue and gold, the other in brilliant silver—gradually faded into the distance as the scene pulled away...

A large, white, gold-trimmed Soul Guidance Car was parked on the side of the street opposite the green belt, separated by a wide road.

A blonde man in a white suit quickly pulled open the back door.

The interior of the car was covered in reddish-brown leather and light-colored solid wood, decorated with rare metals and expensive gemstones.

The purple-haired boy sat in the back seat, took a wrist-mounted display screen, and quickly strapped it onto his right wrist.

The gray screen remained quiet for only a few seconds before it immediately turned orange-red, accompanied by a "beep-beep-beep" alarm sound.

With a "bang," the car door closed, and the blonde man in the white shirt sat in the driver's seat.

He looked through the rearview mirror at the purple-haired boy in the back right seat, who was leaning his head back with his eyes closed, his tone carrying a hint of concern: "Your physical and soul states are not right. Is it because of those two human children?"

The purple-haired boy did not open his eyes as he replied, "Those are not simple human children. One of them is not even human."

After a brief silence, he added, "The other one is the target."

The blonde man's hand on the steering wheel stiffened; he seemed to stop breathing for two seconds.

The purple-haired boy rested the back of his head against the headrest and continued with his eyes closed: "You lost your physical body and are merely a remnant soul. Without the dragon bloodline, you naturally cannot sense the Golden Dragon."

The blonde man could not suppress his ragged breathing and asked tremblingly, "Is it... is it because the Father God's dragon soul appeared that you were unable to succeed?"

"No," the purple-haired boy denied. "That coward is still hiding somewhere, clinging to life to escape all the sins he has committed."

"Although that girl is the incarnation of the Silver Dragon King, she has only inherited his eight elemental laws: earth, water, fire, wind, light, darkness, space, and spirit." (The Dragon Emperor and the Light Dragon King did not know that the Dragon God still had a remnant soul left in the Dragon God Core.)

"Even though she inherited the spirit, which is equivalent to inheriting his memories, in essence, she is absolutely not him."

"Killing her will not avenge my clan's old hatred, nor will it remove the obsession in my heart."

Hearing that the Dragon God's remnant soul was not in this world, the blonde man's eyes dimmed slightly, but his emotions finally stabilized.

He started the Soul Guidance Car and continued to ask, "In other words, that boy is the reincarnation of the Father God's physical body? But he seems... not to have awakened his memories."

The purple-haired boy's state seemed to improve slightly; he opened his purple-gold eyes and shook his head: "No, although I am not sure what the situation is, he is definitely not the Golden Dragon King."

"Because on him..."

The purple-haired boy suddenly fell silent, casting his purple-gold eyes out the window.

As night fell, the streetscape changed; one by one, the streetlights reflected in his purple-gold pupils, looking like rows of colorful lanterns sweeping across his retinas.

He couldn't help but feel a bit dazed, the sharpness in his purple-gold eyes softening into a blur: Is this the era of humans?

"He possesses a very good quality that proves he... is absolutely not a manifestation of the Annihilation Godhead."

The streetlights illuminated the blonde man's facial features. He focused on driving and asked again, "You let that human child go—are you planning to use the growth of his body to gradually wear away the violence within the Golden Dragon bloodline and the Golden Dragon Core?"

"No," the purple-haired boy denied again. "Perhaps it is because your dragon soul is weak that you cannot perceive the true state of his body."

"Moreover, there are eighteen layers of seals and a wisp of divine consciousness acting as a barrier."

The blonde man focused on driving, his confusion reflected in the rearview mirror; clearly, he did not understand these words.

The purple-haired boy's condition began to improve, so he said with patience, "That boy's origin is not simple. He carries various 'blessings'—the will of a God King, the Kiss of Life..."

"In short, the Golden Dragon Core and the Golden Dragon bloodline within him are not things that the current, weak me can simply take."

Hearing the unfavorable news, the blonde man frowned and finally asked, "What if you return to your peak state?"

"I could." The purple-haired boy raised his wrist and clenched his fist, but then shook his head.

"Sigh, this body is still too weak to unleash much of my dragon soul's power..."

"But this is already the number one physique in the world." A hollow, ethereal voice drifted through the back of the car.

At some point, a semi-transparent figure had appeared, sitting in the other empty seat in the back.

She wore red and white silk robes that outlined a slender and graceful figure. Although she wore a red veil, it was enough to see that she was an absolute beauty of ancient times.

But for some reason, the moment she appeared, the atmosphere in the entire carriage became eerie and chilling.

Amidst the faint, shimmering red light, it was as if a vengeful spirit were awakening.

However, the purple-haired boy's eyes brightened slightly, and he turned his head to ask, "What? Has your soul body stabilized?"

"Goddess of Love."

The woman in red and white, known as the Goddess of Love, let out a faint, mournful sigh: "Still far from it."

"I only stirred from my slumber just now because I heard you mention this divine-grade 'Immortal Body'."

"However, since forming a contract with you, I have been nourished by your will. This consciousness of mine is far more solid and clear than it was back in that valley."

As the woman in red and white spoke, she stretched her wrists and fingers, as if adapting to the changes in her "body."

"Is that so?" the purple-haired boy lowered his gaze and said, "It seems that relying solely on my Destruction Will, which lacks the support of a godhead, is far from enough to fully repair your soul body."

"It is a pity that you are not of my Dragon Clan, nor do you have any connection to dragons. Furthermore, without a Sea of Spirit to support you, you cannot absorb the dragon energy formed by the wandering souls in the Dragon Tomb to stabilize your soul body."

"No matter. When we have time, we shall make a trip to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. I will find you an immortal herb to nourish your spirit and soul, and while I am at it, I will find a second soul spirit for myself."

"And by the way..."

The purple-haired boy paused suddenly, then looked toward the driver's seat to his front left. He spoke without reservation, his tone impartial: "Let Di Guangming see his Fire Brother, who once followed his lead among the Nine Children, and his Water Sister, who was crushed to death by his very claw."

Upon hearing these words, the golden-haired man's hands tightened on the steering wheel, and his complex expression was reflected in the rearview mirror.

Indeed, this personal bodyguard and full-time driver was none other than the human incarnation of the Holy Dragon King: Di Guangming.

And the tall boy with purple hair in the backseat was, naturally, the reincarnation of the Dragon Emperor, and...

His first soul spirit, his life-bound soul spirit: the Goddess of Love.

The one who fell in the Universe Asking-Love Valley, whose tears gathered into a lake, creating the foremost of the world's three great treasure basins...

A second-tier deity, the Goddess of Love.

At this moment, she had manifested as a humanoid soul spirit, peacefully accompanying the reincarnated Dragon Emperor in the seat beside him.

Author's Note:

1. The author guarantees that the fourth installment of the Dragon King series will be crafted into a perfect legend without regrets.

And the fallen Goddess of Love...

Is one such regret.

2. Regarding the controversy over whether the Goddess of Love is a second-tier or first-tier god.

It is indisputable that the Goddess of Love is a second-tier god. Although there are rumors that she is a first-tier god, there is no evidence to support them, so they do not hold water.

Because the Emotion God position is merely a first-tier god position, and the emotion of "love" is one of the seven emotions controlled by the Emotion God.

Therefore, it can be concluded that the Goddess of Love is definitely not a first-tier god.

3. The Goddess of Love was betrayed by her lover and fell on the Sun Moon Continent. There is no dispute about this in either the original work or the anime (this will be used in the next two chapters, so I am clarifying the setting).

4. In the Peerless Tang Sect anime, the Goddess of Love's resentment was purified and she dissipated from the world. However, in the original work, the Goddess of Love remained silent in the depths of the Universe Asking-Love Valley and never made an appearance.

The Universe Asking-Love Valley had always been in a "managed" state; during the era of Douluo 2, the Valley Master was the Nine-Colored Goddess: Ning Rongrong.

Now that the God Realm has vanished, the control over the Universe Asking-Love Valley has also been lifted.

5. Love is one of the seven emotions: Joy, Anger, Sorrow, Fear, Love, Hatred, and Desire.

After the Goddess of Love fell and faced the betrayal of her beloved, it is highly likely that a second emotion, "Hatred," was born.

Thus, she turned red and white, becoming stronger than before with greater potential, which is consistent with the original plot.

As for why signs of a third color appeared in this chapter, it should be because she found common ground with someone who shares her plight, thereby gradually developing the emotion of "Joy."

6. Regarding humanoid soul spirits.

As early as the Peerless Tang Sect era, humanoid soul spirits had already appeared, such as the Heavenly Snow Woman—the Snow Empress.

Therefore, when the protagonist uses soul skills in future plotlines and the Goddess of Love appears by his side, while it may cause astonishment, it will certainly not cause a massive sensation.

I hope that in subsequent relevant chapters, there will be no negative comments saying: The author did not consider this.

"Finally, I hope my meticulousness can bring you a better reading experience."