Black and White Fusion! Draining the Spirit Ascension Platform!

Bai Yuan only felt his consciousness blur for a moment.

Endless nothingness surrounded him. There was no light, no sound, only a chaotic expanse of white.

Who knew how long passed.

Then, his feet suddenly touched solid ground.

He opened his eyes.

Green.

Green as far as the eye could see.

Ancient trees towered overhead, their branches lush and thick. Sunlight filtered through layer upon layer of leaves, casting mottled patches of light and shadow across the ground.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and vegetation. In the distance came the low growls of unfamiliar Soul Beasts, rising and falling as though proclaiming their dominion over this land.

Bai Yuan took a deep breath and could not help sighing.

"So real."

It really was real.

The softness of the soil beneath his feet, the warmth of the breeze brushing his fingertips, even the faint floral fragrance in the air.

It was no different from the real world.

The Spirit Pagoda's technology truly was beyond reproach.

He turned to look at Gu Yuena beside him.

The silver-haired girl stood where she was, utterly still.

Her gaze was fixed on the boundless forest ahead. Her violet eyes were slightly unfocused, her lips gently pressed together, her face expressionless.

Yet that very lack of expression was more heartbreaking than any intense emotion.

Following her gaze, Bai Yuan saw nothing but an ordinary forest.

Ancient trees, shrubs, vines, wildflowers—nothing different from anywhere else.

But then he suddenly realized something.

This forest had been recreated by the Spirit Pagoda based on the ancient Star Dou Forest.

And the ancient Star Dou Forest had been the home of Soul Beasts.

It had been the homeland of the Silver Dragon King.

Bai Yuan said nothing.

He quietly stood at Gu Yuena's side, watching her profile.

Her long silver hair drifted gently in the breeze. Sunlight danced across her strands, outlining a soft halo around her.

Her eyelashes were long, trembling faintly as if she were suppressing something.

That was the homeland she could never return to.

Bai Yuan looked at Gu Yuena's back.

A thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Was Gu Yuena reminiscing now?

Why hadn't she done it sooner?

What a pity for those Soul Beasts.

Ever since Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao founded the Spirit Pagoda ten thousand years ago, the circumstances of Soul Beasts had only continued to worsen.

Humans invented Soul Spirit technology, claiming it was to protect Soul Beasts, but in truth, it was merely another way to keep exploiting them.

Soul Beasts were no longer slaughtered on a massive scale, but their value had changed from "prey that provided soul rings" to "resources raised in captivity."

The Spirit Pagoda controlled the distribution rights of Soul Spirits. The fate of Soul Beasts had never been in their own hands.

And those Soul Beasts still hoped that the Silver Dragon King would lead them back to their former peak.

Bai Yuan looked at Gu Yuena's back ahead of him, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Expecting the Silver Dragon King?

Expecting this girl whose love-struck brain had taken over?

For Tang Wulin's sake, Gu Yuena had repeatedly abandoned the interests of Soul Beasts and delayed their revival plans time and again.

What "Co-Lord of Soul Beasts," what "Silver Dragon King"—when it came to love, all of it took a back seat.

And in the end?

The great cause of the Soul Beasts' revival came to nothing, while she herself was thoroughly arranged as a chess piece in Tang San's ten-thousand-year plan.

Why hadn't she done it sooner?

Bai Yuan sighed inwardly and shook his head.

Of course, these thoughts remained only in his mind. He would not say them aloud.

Gu Yuena was not yet the Gu Yuena from the original story who had gone mad for love. She was now the complete Silver Dragon King.

Her mind was still occupied with proper matters like "taking control of the Spirit Pagoda" and "reviving the Soul Beasts." As for whether she would walk the same old path from the original story in the future...

Bai Yuan narrowed his eyes, and a meaningful curve rose at the corner of his lips.

That was a matter for the future.

At the very least, for now, he would not let that happen.

He needed the Silver Dragon King's power. He needed her to become an ally in changing this world, not a chess piece to be manipulated by Tang San's ten-thousand-year plan.

"Bai Yuan."

Gu Yuena's voice came from ahead, cool and calm.

"Why are you hanging so far back? Scared?"

Well, in her current state, she probably would not be someone anyone could fall for, right?

Isn't that right, Tang Wulin?

Bai Yuan nearly burst out laughing.

Silver hair, violet eyes, cold and aloof, always ready to throw elements in someone's face.

The way this girl was now really was completely different from the Gu Yuena in the original story.

Back then, she would break her principles again and again for him.

And now?

Her mind was full of "taking control of the Spirit Pagoda," "reviving the Soul Beasts," and "stomping Qiangu Dongfeng beneath her feet."

Love? It did not exist.

Men? They would only slow down the speed at which she drew her sword.

"Junior Sister, get moving already."

With both hands in his pockets, Bai Yuan leisurely followed behind Gu Yuena.

"Your Senior Brother here has already had mine for a thousand years."

Gu Yuena halted.

"Ah—"

Bai Yuan dragged out the sound, shaking his head.

"No wonder you can't beat me.

Still not working hard enough?"

Gu Yuena abruptly turned around. Her violet eyes widened round, her lips pressed into a thin line, and a layer of pink spread across her cheeks at a visible speed.

Why did he make her so angry every single time?!

Gu Yuena gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, then another deep breath.

"Hmph!"

She gave a heavy snort, turned around, and strode forward.

Her footsteps were much heavier than before, each one seeming as though it might stomp a crater into the ground.

Bai Yuan watched her back, and his smile deepened.

Just as he was about to follow, something suddenly moved inside his body.

It was not his heartbeat, nor his pulse, but a deeper tremor that came from the depths of his bones.

Bai Yuan stopped, his brows knitting slightly.

He closed his eyes and sank his consciousness into his body.

The Core Flame lit up.

It was no longer the quiet, gentle glow from before. It had truly brightened, like it had been ignited.

The intertwined golden and black flames had risen a notch higher than before, their flickering much faster, like an accelerated heartbeat.

The engraved "1" on the surface of the Core Flame flickered, its glow clearer and more dazzling than before.

Bai Yuan froze.

What was this?

He carefully sensed the changes within his body.

His Soul Power had not increased, his spiritual power had not improved, and there was nothing unusual about his body.

Only the Core Flame had suddenly become active, as though something had awakened it.

It was not because he had activated it himself, nor due to external stimulation. It had lit up on its own.

Bai Yuan opened his eyes and swept his gaze across the surrounding forest.

Ancient trees, shrubs, vines, wildflowers—there was no difference from when he had first entered.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, and mottled shadows swayed across the ground. The distant growls of Soul Beasts continued. Everything was normal.

But the Core Flame had indeed lit up.

Bai Yuan frowned, and a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Could it be this place? The Spirit Ascension Platform?

Did this space between virtuality and reality have some special effect on the Core Flame?

He did not voice this discovery, merely committing it to memory.

The fact that the Core Flame brightened on its own inside the Spirit Ascension Platform had to mean something, but he would need to observe it further.

As he walked, he sent a thread of consciousness into his body, constantly monitoring the Core Flame's changes.

That cluster of golden-black flames was still flickering.

It was brighter than before.

Within the Spirit Ascension Platform, Gu Yuena walked in front while Bai Yuan followed behind. One before the other, they passed through a patch of low shrubs.

Bai Yuan suddenly stopped.

He felt it.

Starting from just now, the Soul Power around him had been surging toward him at an abnormal rate.

He was not actively absorbing it. Rather, it was being drawn by some force, gathering toward him uncontrollably like seawater rushing toward the center of a whirlpool.

That Soul Power flowed into his body and was devoured by the Core Flame.

The Core Flame flickered.

The golden and black flames rose another notch, and then—

Bai Yuan's eyes widened.

He clearly saw that the golden and black portions, which had originally been distinctly separate, were drawing closer together at a visible speed.

The boundary began to blur, and the edges began to merge.

"The progress here..."

Bai Yuan muttered, unable to suppress the delight in his voice.

"Is so much faster than outside!"

Bai Yuan took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and allowed the Soul Power to pour into his body.

The Core Flame grew brighter and brighter, while the engraved "1" appeared and disappeared within the radiance.

The faint outline of a second engraving at the edge seemed to become a little clearer.

Outside the Spirit Ascension Platform, in the monitoring hall.

"Beep—beep—beep—"

A staff member seated before a Soul Guidance Screen suddenly looked up. His pupils contracted as his fingers rapidly swiped across the screen.

"What's going on?"

The colleague beside him leaned over.

"The Beginner Spirit Ascension Platform, Zone Seven... the energy fluctuations are abnormal!"

The staff member's voice tightened.

"The Soul Power density is dropping rapidly, as if something is frantically absorbing it!"

"What?"

His colleague's expression changed.

"Quick, bring up the energy distribution map!"

"Th-this is impossible!"

Even the staff member's voice changed.

"The Soul Power density in that area has already dropped by ten percent...

No, fifteen percent! It's still dropping!"

The supervisor rushed over upon hearing the commotion. One look at the screen turned his face ashen.

"Adjust it immediately! Route the energy input from the other zones to Zone Seven! Hurry!"

"Yes!"

The technicians' fingers flew across the keyboards, fine beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

What was going on? I had only started this job not long ago!!

"Zone Seven's energy is beginning to rise..."

A staff member shouted.

"Keep feeding it! Don't stop!"

the supervisor said in a deep voice.

"Investigate the problem at the same time. What exactly is absorbing the energy?"

The supervisor stared at the glaring red area, his brows tightly furrowed.

The Spirit Pagoda's Spirit Ascension Platform had been operating for decades, yet nothing like this had ever happened.

What could absorb such an enormous amount of Soul Power in such a short time?