Meng Yiran followed close behind Gu Tian, her palms slick with cold sweat, still looking dazed. Only when the door shut, cutting off the Dragon King's pressure that had made every beast tremble, did she lean hard against the heavy jade door and gasp for breath, her chest heaving violently.
"Gu Tian... That sister Bi Ji, and the silver-haired big sister... Could they really all be Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts?"
Meng Yiran asked in a trembling voice. Her eyes, usually so full of spirit, were now unfocused with shock.
In her understanding, the common knowledge of the Soul Master World was as unshakable as steel: only Soul Beasts with a hundred thousand years of cultivation could transform into such perfect human forms so casually.
And those two women she had just seen—their sacred bearing and domineering presence, as if they had stepped out of a painting, and the aura of being able to reshape heaven and earth with a wave of the hand—had clearly surpassed the realm of human Titled Douluo entirely.
Seeing Meng Yiran's frightened little appearance, Gu Tian secretly found it amusing. He strolled over to the chaise longue and sat down, then scooped Na'er onto his lap. She had been rubbing against him nonstop.
He gently stroked Na'er's long hair and said breezily, "Mm, you guessed right. Gu Yuena is indeed the ruler of the Soul Beasts. You can call her the Silver Dragon King. As for Bi Ji, she's a five-hundred-thousand-year Emerald Swan."
"F-five hundred thousand years?!"
Meng Yiran shrieked. Her legs nearly gave out, and she almost slid to the floor. Five hundred thousand years! In an age when even Titled Douluo were considered earthly immortals and Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were immortal legends, a being with five hundred thousand years of cultivation was like a living myth standing right in front of her.
Before she could catch her breath, Gu Tian dealt her another crushing blow.
"Actually, it's not just those two." Gu Tian pointed to Na'er in his arms, then raised an eyebrow toward Gu Yue, who was leisurely sipping tea, and Xiao Wu, who was squatting on the floor counting carrots of various flavors. With a mischievous grin, he added,
"Gu Yue, Xiao Wu, and this clingy little Na'er in my arms are all transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, too."
"BOOM—!"
Meng Yiran felt as though a bolt of thunder had exploded in her head. The world before her seemed to sway.
She had always thought she was competing with a few exceptionally talented human youngsters for Gu Tian's affections, and had even secretly felt a little superior as the big sister. But now she'd learned that aside from herself, all the wives around Gu Tian were ancient beasts with at least a hundred thousand years of cultivation?
Even Xiao Wu, who did nothing but eat carrots all day, was actually a terrifying being who could kick a Soul Saint to death?
"Th-then what about you?" Meng Yiran looked at Gu Tian like he was a monster and took an involuntary step back, her eyes filled with self-doubt. "Little brother Gu Tian, could you... also be some old monster who's lived for hundreds of thousands of years?"
"What are you thinking?" Gu Tian rolled his eyes and gave her a cross look, tapping her on the head from a distance. "I'm a completely ordinary human, the real deal. It's just that there are two even more incredible big sisters living in my Sea of Consciousness. If you want to see them, I can take you there."
"Your Sea of Consciousness? And there are two people living in it?" Meng Yiran listened in bewilderment. Before she could figure out what he meant by "living in it," Gu Tian had already stood up, and Nine-Colored Divine Light instantly enveloped the entire room.
"Talking about it won't do you any good. I'll take you to see for yourself. Come on, let's drop by my place."
Without waiting for an answer, Gu Tian activated his spatial power, and a nine-colored vortex swept all five of them inside.
The silver space door turned once.
Meng Yiran saw countless blurry lights flash past her eyes, then felt the fine, soft touch of sand beneath her feet. When she opened her eyes again, she was struck by a whole new kind of shock.
Ahead stood a luxurious villa, gleaming in the sunlight, its pure-white facade brimming with modern style and lined with huge windows. In the distance stretched a vast ocean shimmering with nine-colored rays. The breeze carried a sweet fragrance that left her feeling refreshed and alert.
"Wow! It's so beautiful here... How can a house have a shape like this?"
Meng Yiran was just about to marvel at the strange building when she suddenly sensed something odd in the air around her.
Xiao Wu, Gu Yue, and Na'er, who had been wearing light summer dresses, closed their eyes in perfect unison the moment they stepped onto the beach. Soul Power surged violently around them, and their faces were filled with unprecedented wariness.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
In a dazzling flash of light, the three girls conjured up one ridiculously thick outfit after another with the speed of people who'd been single for years.
Xiao Wu somehow got the idea to put on a long, fluffy fur coat. It wrapped her up like a round pink ball, leaving only her wary little eyes exposed. Gu Yue conjured a full suit of tightly fitted heavy armor, its metallic sheen cold; she looked as though she'd happily covered even her teeth. Na'er went the furthest. Apparently thinking one layer wasn't safe enough, she piled on three thick capes, wrapping herself up like a white bundle.
Gu Tian stared at their defensive getups for half a second, then remembered the prank he'd played on them here last time. He pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a heavy sigh.
"Was that really necessary...? I was just trying to lighten the mood and add a little excitement to life last time."
The three girls all snorted in unison, their looks of contempt making it clear they thought this lecherous glutton for women would pull the same stunt again.
Gu Tian shrugged helplessly and turned to Meng Yiran, who had no idea what was going on.
"Yiran, don't mind them. Let me introduce you to two big sisters."
Gu Tian snapped his fingers with a flourish.
Two breathtaking figures slowly appeared on the villa's second-floor terrace.
First was Chiyan, the Fire Dragon King, lounging against the white marble railing in a scarlet silk nightgown. Her fiery hair swayed in the breeze. Her dangerously curvaceous figure and impossibly long legs gave off a mature allure beneath the nine-colored sunset, making everything else pale in comparison.
Beside Chiyan stood Ao Linxi, the Dragon God, wearing a translucent, nine-colored gauze dress and holding a cup of divine fruit juice as she looked down in incomparable splendor. Her ancestral majesty, which placed her above all living beings, combined with her warm yet unfathomable gaze, was enough to make anyone lose themselves in an instant.
Meng Yiran stared up at them, dumbstruck.
The two big sisters on the terrace were impossibly imposing in both figure and bearing, mature to the extreme. Their mature feminine fragrance and overwhelming presence crashed into her like a scalding wave, striking her right in the heart.
"Drip."
Two streams of bright red blood suddenly ran from Meng Yiran's delicate nostrils and dripped onto her fair collarbone.
"Why are you getting a nosebleed? Did you overextend your mental power?" Gu Tian was startled. He hurried over to check on her.
But Meng Yiran seemed spellbound. She gazed up, neck craned, and even forgot to wipe the blood away. She murmured, "So... so impressive... Is this what gods are like? Big sisters with this kind of style... I could... I really could..."
Her eyes were hazy, and her face had taken on the blissful look of someone who'd found a priceless treasure. She even swallowed unconsciously.
Gu Tian was utterly speechless now.
He stared at Meng Yiran, who was dazedly wiping at her nosebleed but still couldn't bear to look away, his mind full of questions.
"What kind of thing is this girl into...? Back at Nuoding Academy, she drooled while staring at Xiao Wu and the others. Now she's looking at these top-tier big sisters and gets a nosebleed? Does she not only like soft and adorable little girls, but also have a deep obsession with domineering, mature big sisters?"
"What kind of all-around beauty fanatic did the Peerless Dragon and Snake family raise?"
In truth, Gu Tian had gotten it all wrong. Meng Yiran was a bona fide furry! Compared to handsome Gu Tian, she liked cute animals more—especially Soul Beasts in human form like the ones standing right in front of her.
Gu Tian rubbed his nose. The sense of accomplishment he'd felt from expanding his harem had somehow turned into a faint unease. He had a feeling that when all his wives gathered in the future, Meng Yiran might become the most troublesome wildcard of them all.
"Come on, let's go sit inside the villa. Stop embarrassing yourself out here."
Gu Tian took Meng Yiran by the hand and led her toward the white villa, while the girls looked on with suspicion and disdain. Behind him, Meng Yiran kept glancing back at the terrace, her eyes full of fervent longing for the beautiful big sisters.