The Truth of the Nine Dragon Kings

The night was deep.

Inside the apartment at Nuoding Academy, the soft glow of the Soul Guidance Lamp cast a warm, golden rim around the room.

Gu Tian leaned against the headboard, watching the moonlight outside the window. Na'er was currently coiled around his right arm, tilting her exquisite little face upward, her large purple eyes filled with anticipation. "Brother Gu Tian, tomorrow is the weekend. You promised to take us out to play. Where are we going?"

Xiao Wu, sitting nearby, leaned in as well, her long rabbit ears twitching lightly. "That's right, we've already explored all of Nuoding City. How about we go somewhere further away?"

Gu Tian smiled, reaching out to pinch a strand of silver hair on Na'er's face, his eyes rolling thoughtfully. "Tomorrow, we're going back to the Star Dou Great Forest. I'm going to take you to see Gu Yuena, and while I'm at it, introduce her to a new friend."

Hearing that they were returning to the forest, the three girls' expressions brightened; after all, that was their true home.

Gu Tian had originally planned to set off early the next morning, but lying on the bed and looking at the three breathtakingly beautiful girls beside him, he suddenly felt the long night was hard to endure, and the emotion in his heart began to stir inexplicably.

"No more sleeping!" Gu Tian flipped over and sat up, a flash of excitement in his eyes. "Why wait for tomorrow when we can do it today? Let's set off right now and give Gu Yuena a surprise!"

"Now?" Xiao Wu was stunned. "But the city gates are already closed."

"I'm fine, and Na'er can open a portal; we don't need to use the gates."

Na'er nodded vigorously, extended her right hand, and slashed through the void. A portal shimmering with silver light instantly opened in the center of the room.

Compared to Gu Yuena's space portal, Na'er's was slightly smaller, but it worked just fine—and besides, smaller was more comfortable.

"Let's go!"

Gu Tian stepped through first, and the three girls exchanged glances before following him, filled with curiosity.

Star Dou Great Forest, core area.

Inside the Dragon Palace of the Lake Bottom beneath the Lake of Life, it was so quiet that only the faint sound of water could be heard.

Gu Yuena had just finished her day of meditation. Her snow-like skin appeared exceptionally crystalline under the starlight. Having shed her white dress, she wore only a translucent veil and was bathing in the Private Spirit Spring behind her bedchamber.

Steam rose, and her long silver hair fanned out in the water.

Just as Gu Yuena was preparing to stand up and change, a violent spatial fluctuation suddenly erupted in the air.

"Wife! I'm back!"

The next second, Gu Tian and the three girls crashed headlong into the mist-filled private bathroom.

In that instant, time seemed to stand still.

Gu Tian's eyes widened as he stared at the perfectly sculpted, stark-naked body before him. Crystalline water droplets slid down Gu Yuena's slender swan-like neck, disappearing into the deep, pulse-pounding cleavage.

Gu Yuena looked at the sudden arrival of Gu Tian, her brain failing to process the situation. After the two stared at each other for a moment, Gu Yuena transitioned in an instant from shock to stupor, and then to shame and fury.

"Gu—Tian—!"

Gu Yuena shrieked, and the previously warm air instantly dropped below freezing.

Gu Yuena reached out, grabbed her undergarments from the side, and threw them at Gu Tian's face, perfectly blocking his eyes. Before Gu Tian could even utter a word of explanation, he was instantly sealed tight inside a massive Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Pillar, his posture still frozen in that awkward, wide-eyed expression.

Guyue, Na'er, and Xiao Wu were also startled, shrinking back toward the portal and not daring to move.

Gu Yuena leaped from the water, and with a wave of her fair hand, a set of silver silk pajamas neatly covered her body. Her face was flushed so red it looked like it might bleed. She glared at Gu Tian inside the ice pillar and asked through gritted teeth, "Guyue, why did you come over now?"

Guyue lowered her head in embarrassment and whispered, "Big Sister, it was Young Master... Young Master said he wanted to give you a surprise and insisted on teleporting over tonight."

"A surprise? This is clearly a shock!" Gu Yuena snorted coldly, showing no intention of unfreezing Gu Tian.

Just then, the indestructible Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Pillar suddenly began to vibrate violently.

"Crack—!"

A violent, crimson flame erupted wildly from inside the ice pillar.

"Wife, don't be angry, this really was an accident!"

Gu Tian's hearty voice rang out once more. Nine-colored divine light swirled around him, and on his right hand, the phantom of the Fire Dragon King roared toward the heavens. The ultimate fire element instantly melted the solid ice into a pool of warm water.

No one noticed that Gu Tian quietly tucked the white garment from his face into his pocket.

Gu Tian stepped out of the mist and scratched his head awkwardly. "Wife, I really didn't mean to. But, since you've already seen it, there's no point in being angry. Let's talk about the important business first. I've brought a big sister out for you."

With that, Gu Tian moved his mind and communicated with Chiyan in his Sea of Consciousness.

"Sister Chiyan, come out and meet them."

The void twisted, and a crimson fireball shot out from Gu Tian's chest, transforming into a human figure within the Dragon Palace hall.

It was the Fire Dragon King, Chiyan.

Chiyan seemed to have just finished bathing in the villa within the Sea of Consciousness as well. She wore a fiery red silk camisole, her stunning cleavage and heaven-defying long legs shimmering with a translucent, porcelain luster under the lights. Her long, flaming hair was draped casually, and her eyes held the unique charm of a mature, dominant woman.

"So this is little sister Gu Yuena?" Chiyan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, swept her gaze over Gu Yuena, and then walked up boldly, wrapping her arm around Gu Yuena's shoulder. "You look quite good, though your skin is a bit too thin."

Seeing this suddenly appearing, aggressive fire-element big sister, Xiao Wu, Guyue, and Na'er all wore expressions of astonishment.

Gu Yuena, however, was completely stunned. She looked at Chiyan, feeling that same-rooted yet incredibly violent Dragon King aura, and her voice even carried a hint of a tremor. "Fire Dragon King Chiyan? You... you actually really revived?"

Gu Tian stepped forward and explained earnestly, "This is the reward I received after completing the First Trial of the Dragon God. Sister Chiyan's soul and spirit body have now merged with mine; she can appear at any time to protect me."

Gu Yuena took a deep breath, calming her turbulent emotions. As the Silver Dragon King, she had inherited the wisdom of the Dragon God, and the moment she saw Chiyan reappear, she deduced many things.

"Nine Trials of the Dragon God..." Gu Yuena's purple eyes looked toward Gu Tian, her gaze filled with an unprecedented gravity and anticipation. "If I'm not mistaken, each of your trials corresponds to the return of a Dragon King. Gu Tian, if you can pass them all, you will not only reclaim your godhood but also awaken all our comrades who died in battle back then."

Gu Yuena paced through the cold Dragon Palace with her hands behind her back, softly reciting the names long buried in the depths of her memory:

"Besides the Fire Dragon King Chiyan, you should next awaken the Water Dragon King Tide, the Light Dragon King Aria, the Dark Dragon King Lumia, the Wind Dragon King Ilulu, the Earth Dragon King Elma, the Mountain Dragon King Lucoa, the Space Dragon King Milim, and the Time Dragon King Krona, who masters the laws of time..."

As she reached the end, a fire ignited in Gu Yuena's eyes. It was not just the fire of the soul beast revival, but the hope for the Dragon Clan to return to its peak.

"Alright, since you've returned, just rest in the Dragon Palace tonight." Gu Yuena blushed and glared at Gu Tian. "If you dare to teleport recklessly again, I will throw you directly into a cesspit in the Star Dou Great Forest!"

Since it was late at night, everyone was exhausted after the day's turmoil.

After Gu Yuena arranged the rooms, an awkward situation arose.

Chiyan, the big sister Fire Dragon King, clearly had no concept of the boundaries between men and women; she threw her arms around Gu Tian's neck and sat down on the massive crystal bed.

"This is my first time officially out, and it was too lonely in the Sea of Consciousness. I'm sleeping with little Tian tonight." As Chiyan spoke, she cast a provocative glance at Xiao Wu and the other two girls nearby.

Xiao Wu, Gu Yue, and Na'er huddled in a corner of the room, whispering to each other.

"Sister Xiao Wu, have you noticed? This Sister Chiyan... is so intense." Na'er muttered, a hint of hostility in her eyes. "The way she looks at Brother Gu Tian, it's like she wants to swallow him whole."

"Mm." Xiao Wu nodded repeatedly in agreement. She tugged at the hem of her pink skirt, feeling a sense of crisis as she said, "This big sister is very aggressive. We have to stick together, or Brother Gu Tian will definitely be led astray by her!"

Gu Yue observed calmly; although she didn't speak, her dark green eyes revealed a trace of unprecedented vigilance.

Meanwhile, Gu Tian lay amidst the warmth and fragrant breeze, feeling Chiyan's fiery body temperature, and sighed inwardly:

This Dragon God Trial... the rewards are truly top-tier.