Negotiation and Tang Wulin's Second Martial Soul

The River Styx had lain silent for eternity, while mist from the River of Oblivion stretched across the realms of life and death.

Pitch-black nether gales swept over the endless mountains of the Underworld. The Ancient Bridge of Reincarnation lay concealed beneath the heavy sky, its Six Paths Reincarnation Runes slowly circulating as they upheld the order of all departed souls.

This was the Underworld Divine Realm, beyond the rules of the Douluo Plane—the unique domain where Li Chen ruled life and death after his ascension.

A dark rift that tore through space suddenly opened. Golden Dragon God Holy Radiance intertwined with profound deathly divine light as Li Chen slowly stepped out.

His black Pluto Divine Robe fluttered in the wind, the Reincarnation Runes upon it flickering in and out of view. With every step he took, Nether Manjusaka bloomed beneath his feet before withering in an instant. Life and death, creation and destruction—all rested on a single thought.

A dazzling diamond-shaped divine crystal hovered quietly above his palm. Purple-gold light flowed across its surface, while dragon roars lay dormant within. Its dragon might was boundless. Even sealed beneath eighteen layers of Death God Seals, it still leaked a terrifying aura of destruction capable of shaking the foundation of the plane.

This Golden Dragon King Divine Core was the core origin Li Chen had forcibly stripped from Tang Wulin's body without harming the foundation of his soul, after joining hands with the Douluo Plane Spirit and using the authority of the Death God Position to confront Tang San's lingering divine consciousness and Tang Hao's Clear Sky Power descending into the lower realm.

That battle stretched from north to south across the Douluo Continent. Li Chen crushed Tang San's spiritual restraints with the Power of Reincarnation and defeated Tang Hao's descending body with the Power of Life-and-Death Annihilation before finally taking this supreme treasure that should have belonged to the Dragon Clan into his hands intact.

"I never expected you to truly dare confront Tang San and Tang Hao head-on—and even strip out this dragon core intact."

A gentle yet ancient light gradually condensed. Electrolux stood in white robes, the Holy Light of the Undead around him pure and soft, yet carrying a depth that seemed capable of seeing through souls across eternity.

He looked at the still-restless dragon core, his pupils narrowing slightly. "The Golden Dragon King's core origin had long taken root deep within Tang Wulin's bloodline and soul. Tang San spent countless efforts laying down eighteen seals, while Tang Hao suppressed it day and night with the Clear Sky bloodline. To strip it out intact, one slight mistake would mean the destruction of the soul and the collapse of the plane."

Li Chen pressed down with his fingertips. Black Death Chains immediately tightened around the Golden Dragon King Divine Core, firmly wrapping it up. Most of its violent destructive aura was instantly suppressed, and the trembling Underworld slowly calmed.

"I had no choice." His voice was calm, yet filled with unwavering resolve. "Tang San wants to force Gu Yue into a dead end and use Na'er as a pawn to control the Dragon God. If this divine core remains in the mortal world, sooner or later it will become a tool for him to manipulate everything."

His bond with Gu Yue and Na'er had begun within the Spirit Pagoda. Though they had not spent endless days and nights together, they had long shared an unspoken understanding.

When Li Chen awakened his martial soul at the age of six, the Pluto Martial Soul emerged. His Innate Full Soul Power caused a heavenly phenomenon, and the upper ranks of the Heaven Dou City Spirit Pagoda immediately noticed him. Recommendation after recommendation eventually brought him before Leng Yaozhu, the Spirit Pagoda's vice tower master and a Rank 98 Limit Douluo.

Leng Yaozhu saw at once the law power within his martial soul that transcended life and death. Her appreciation for talent rose immediately, and she made an exception by taking him under her wing, finding him excellent teachers, watching over his growth, and helping him make up for his shortcomings.

Gu Yue, meanwhile, had been brought in by the Leng Family as core talent under the name of a "continent-leading elemental genius," meant to consolidate the family's influence within the Spirit Pagoda. When Leng Yaozhu personally tested her, she discovered that Gu Yue's control over the six great elements had already reached perfection. She could even touch the edge of the spatial laws, and her talent far surpassed that of her peers. Leng Yaozhu immediately accepted her as a disciple.

As for Na'er, Li Chen had found her at the corner of Phoenix Street while accompanying Leng Yaozhu to the Shrek City Spirit Pagoda.

The girl had nowhere to go, yet possessed astonishing talent. Moved by pity, Leng Yaozhu took her away and raised her in the Leng Family.

The three lived together in the Leng Family. Li Chen was steady and dependable, Gu Yue cool and intelligent, and Na'er soft and adorable.

Over their days together, they had long seen through the secrets buried deep within one another's souls—Li Chen knew that Gu Yue was the Silver Dragon King incarnate, carrying the destiny of the Co-Ruler of Soul Beasts. He also knew that Na'er was the incarnation of Gu Yue's pure goodwill and humanity, separated from her soul. Gu Yue and Na'er likewise understood that Li Chen was no ordinary soul master, but the future ruler who would command the Underworld's Reincarnation.

Yet no one exposed it. No one asked.

Their identities, destinies, and the grudges between their races were all hidden within the tacit understanding of fellow disciples.

This bond had long surpassed position and destiny. It was why Li Chen would not hesitate to become enemies with the God Realm in order to protect the two of them.

"This divine core is incomparably violent. Its Law of Destruction stands above the power of every living being in this world." Electrolux slowly spoke, interrupting his thoughts. "You walk the path of death and Reincarnation, which is completely opposed to the Dragon God's yin-yang origin. You cannot refine or fuse with it at all. If you force contact, the dragon core's resentment will backlash against you, and your soul will be destroyed."

"I never intended to fuse with it." Li Chen raised his eyes, his gaze as deep as the abyss of the River Styx. "I brought it back to the Underworld to use the supreme authority of the Death God Position to sort through the dragon core's violent power, purify the Golden Dragon King's remaining violent obsession, and separate out harmless threads of origin. Only then can it be returned safely without harming Gu Yue or Na'er, and without letting it become the fuse that destroys the continent."

Electrolux immediately understood his intention and nodded slightly. "You want to use the Death God Position to lock down the turmoil, then analyze its origin threads? But the Dragon God's origin transcends life and death. The Law of Death can only suppress it, not completely purify it. With only the two of us, it will be difficult to precisely separate the origin. If we lose control even slightly, the entire Underworld will be torn apart by the Dragon God's destructive power."

"Which is why I need the laws of time and space to assist me," Li Chen said calmly.

Before his words had faded, the entire Underworld sky suddenly shook violently.

Two terrifying auras spanning endless time and space pierced through the plane barrier, crossed the boundary of life and death, and surged madly into the depths of the Underworld.

One controlled the eternal flow of time, with past, present, and future turning within its palm. The other spanned endless dimensions, treating distance and plane barriers as though they did not exist.

Supreme Dragon Clan pressure, pure to the utmost extreme and sharing the same origin as the Golden Dragon King Divine Core, instantly swept through the entire Underworld Palace.

During the great calamity of the Dragon God's internal conflict, the out-of-control Dragon God had personally slain two of the greatest Dragon Kings beneath him—the Time Dragon King and the Space Dragon King.

Their souls had shattered, leaving only wisps of remnant souls that fled into the gaps of time and space. After drifting for endless years, they had ultimately hidden within the chaotic spatial cracks of the Underworld to survive, sleeping for tens of thousands of years.

The leaked aura of the Golden Dragon King Divine Core caused the Dragon God's origin to tremble violently, instantly awakening the two primordial Dragon Kings from their long slumber.

Two streams of light, one gray and one silver, ignored layer after layer of Underworld barriers and charged directly into the Reincarnation Chamber. When the light faded, two illusory yet overwhelmingly majestic Dragon King figures slowly appeared.

The river of time flowed around the Time Dragon King, with the years endlessly renewing themselves around him. Ancient vicissitudes filled his eyes. Space constantly twisted and folded around the Space Dragon King, silver radiance flowing over his body. His cold, stern features brimmed with the pride of a Dragon Clan supreme.

Though they were merely remnant souls, the level of their laws still far surpassed ordinary gods. Their Dragon Clan origin pressure made every law within the chamber tremble without end.

The Holy Light of the Undead around Electrolux instantly tightened as he entered his highest state of vigilance.

Li Chen, however, remained calm. He raised a hand to stabilize the restless Golden Dragon King Divine Core and slowly said, "The two primordial Dragon Kings beneath the Dragon God—the Time Dragon King and Space Dragon King. You were slain by your lord's loss of control, and your remnant souls remained in the gaps of time and space. I never expected you to be hiding in the Underworld."

The Space Dragon King's cold gaze locked tightly onto the Golden Dragon King Divine Core in Li Chen's palm. His voice passed through layers of space, carrying overlapping echoes. "Dragon God origin! The pure core divine crystal of Lord Golden Dragon King! Who are you?"

"Li Chen, Lord of the Underworld."

Li Chen's tone was frank, without the slightest evasion. "I joined hands with the Douluo Plane Spirit, defeated Tang San's divine consciousness and Tang Hao's descending power, and reclaimed this Golden Dragon King Divine Core from Tang Wulin's body. Tang San occupied the Dragon Clan's origin for ten thousand years, using it to suppress the Silver Dragon King's lineage, oppress the soul beast race, and manipulate the direction of mortal bloodlines. I merely returned it to its rightful owner."

Time surged within the Time Dragon King's eyes, allowing him to instantly see every fragment of the past. He saw through the God Realm's ten-thousand-year scheme, the tragedy of the Dragon Clan's extermination, and Li Chen's emotional bond with Gu Yue and Na'er.

Endless grief and fury welled up in his heart, and his aged body trembled slightly. "The Sea God is truly shameless beyond measure. He sowed discord in the God Realm, took the fortune of the continent and soul beasts, and now still dares scheme against the Dragon God's bloodline."

"I brought the dragon core back to the Underworld today not to claim this supreme treasure, nor to seize the Dragon God's power." Li Chen met the two Dragon Kings' gazes openly, with no greed or fear in his eyes. "I only wish to separate a trace of pure dragon core origin and Dragon God aura, completely suppress and purify the violent destructive obsession within the divine core, prevent Gu Yue from repeating the Dragon God's loss of control after fusion, and prevent Na'er's pure soul from being corroded by destructive resentment. Once everything is secure, this intact Golden Dragon King Divine Core will be returned entirely to the Dragon Clan."

The Time Dragon King and Space Dragon King exchanged a glance, instantly understanding.

They could sense that Li Chen held no malicious intent toward the treasure. They also shared a common enemy—Tang San of the God Realm—and protecting the Dragon God's inheritance was their mutual goal.

"How do you intend to separate it?" the Time Dragon King asked gravely. "The Golden Dragon King's origin is a single whole, the core of the Dragon God's violent aspect. Forcibly dividing it will inevitably trigger an origin backlash and send the Dragon God's remnant will into a frenzy. At best, the divine core will shatter. At worst, the plane will collapse."

"I will use the Death God Position to lock down the divine core's center, suppress the Golden Dragon King's remnant will, and prevent the Power of Destruction from leaking out.

Electrolux will use Wraith Law to stabilize the soul's threads and soothe the Dragon God's remaining consciousness. Lord Time Dragon King will use Time Reversal to trace the Dragon God's ancient origin and lock onto an origin point that will not harm the core. Lord Space Dragon King will use the Absolute Spatial Severing Law to precisely separate a trace of origin aura without damaging the divine core in the slightest."

The four supreme laws—death, undeath, time, and space—would work together, complementing one another. This was the only foolproof method in the world capable of safely separating the Golden Dragon King's origin.

The two Dragon Kings no longer hesitated and nodded at the same time. "We will assist! We ask only to protect our lord and preserve the Dragon God's inheritance!"

The Reincarnation Chamber's barriers fully opened, and Six Paths Reincarnation Runes enveloped all directions.

Li Chen used the power of the Death God Position to firmly imprison the dragon core's turmoil. Black Reincarnation Chains wound around it layer after layer. Even when the Golden Dragon King's remnant will erupted several times with waves of destruction, it could not break through the Life and Death Barrier he had erected. Electrolux turned the Holy Light of the Undead into fine threads, sending them deep into the divine core to soothe the remnant will and calm the unwillingness and violence that had accumulated over ten thousand years.

The Time Dragon King shouted low. A gray-silver torrent of time swept over the divine core, reversing the chaotic violent power to its most stable state. The tangled threads of origin became clear, precisely locking onto the point of division that would not damage the core. Silver light flowed from the Space Dragon King's fingertips, and an incomparably sharp Spatial Blade, thin as a strand of hair, precisely cut into the marked point without disturbing even the slightest part of the core structure.

"Roar—!"

Sensing its origin being touched, the Golden Dragon King's remnant will erupted with fury. Vast purple-gold divine light exploded outward, violently shaking the entire chamber and leaving the whole Underworld Palace on the verge of collapse.

Li Chen grunted, a faint trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, yet he continued to withstand the backlash of the Power of Destruction without retreating a single step. Electrolux and the two Dragon Kings exerted their power at the same time, forcibly stabilizing the order of laws and completing the final separation amid the utmost stalemate.

With a soft sound, a strand of flawless, pure purple-gold Dragon God origin slowly separated from the main divine core and hovered silently in midair.

Meanwhile, under the continuous purification of death and Reincarnation power, the main Golden Dragon King Divine Core's violent aura greatly diminished. It no longer risked easily spiraling out of control, and its origin structure remained completely intact.

The entire process succeeded perfectly, without a single accident.

Li Chen slowly withdrew his divine power and let out a long breath. Raising his hand, he sent two pure Divine Lights of Reincarnation Vitality into the two Dragon Kings' bodies.

The nourishing power of the Death God Position instantly repaired the loss in their remnant souls. Their previously illusory forms rapidly became solid and stable.

"Thank you, Lord of the Underworld." The two Dragon Kings bowed deeply, their hearts filled with gratitude.

Li Chen nodded slightly, carefully putting away the purified Golden Dragon King Divine Core. His gaze turned toward the Douluo Continent, and his voice was firm. "The matter is settled. It is time to go to Eastsea City."

Gu Yue and Na'er were currently training at the Eastsea City branch of the Spirit Pagoda. Tang Wulin was there as well.

As his words fell, he raised a hand and tore open a spatial passage between the Underworld and the Douluo Continent. Li Chen, Electrolux, the Time Dragon King, and the Space Dragon King stepped into the rift together. Their figures instantly vanished beneath the Underworld sky as they sped toward Eastsea City.