Fooling the Silver Dragon King!

The Silver Dragon King hovered opposite the Golden Dragon King, her purple dragon eyes reflecting the silhouette of the golden behemoth.

She could sense the power of the other half within him, a power that shared her origin.

That power was frantically drawing her in, as if trying to pull her back to the moment before the Dragon God fell, when she had been at her most complete.

But she also knew full well that the Golden Dragon King before her was not truly her other half.

"You're not it."

"Of course not." Jiang Ce's voice came from within the Golden Dragon King. "But I can be."

A glint of scrutiny flashed through the Silver Dragon King's purple eyes.

The power of the Golden Dragon King flowed through this being, its purity no less than that of the original.

But he wasn't her other half, nor was he the real Golden Dragon King, the one sealed away in the Divine Realm.

"You possess the Golden Dragon King's power, yet you aren't the Golden Dragon King himself. What exactly do you want?"

"I want you." Jiang Ce's voice was frank.

"You're injured and need the Golden Dragon King's power to recover. And I have what you need.

"Join my team. I'll help you heal your wounds and give you new power."

"My lord, you mustn't!" Di Tian struggled to haul his dragon body out of the pit, golden dragon blood still hanging from his jaws.

"That fellow isn't the real Golden Dragon King! If you fuse with him, what if he devours your power—"

"Di Tian." The Silver Dragon King didn't turn around. "Do you think he can devour me?"

Di Tian opened his mouth, but couldn't find an answer.

Even after fusing with Zi JI,

this Golden Dragon King's power was still inferior to that of the wounded Silver Dragon King.

"Don't worry. I have no intention of devouring your power. I only want you."

"I'll give you new power.

"Then you'll possess all the Dragon God's power—

"and strike back at the Divine Realm, devour the other half of the Dragon God, grow stronger!

"Bring back the Dragon God's power!"

Golden flames reflected in the Silver Dragon King's purple eyes. After a long while, the corners of her mouth curled into a faint smile.

This Black Slime was bolder than any living being she had ever encountered.

It wasn't arrogance. It was confidence.

A few humans, together with the faint trace of Golden Dragon King Bloodline within the Imperial Auspicious Beast, had actually managed to force the birth of a demigod-level Golden Dragon King.

For ten thousand years, she had slept, waiting for a variable.

Perhaps that variable had finally arrived.

"Tell me your plan."

Jiang Ce chuckled. The Golden Dragon King raised a dragon claw, and a mass of pitch-black liquid welled up from beneath its scales.

"This is for you." The claw flicked, sending the Venom Symbiote flying toward the Silver Dragon King.

It hovered in midair like a throbbing black heart.

"This is a part of you, too, isn't it?" The Silver Dragon King narrowed her eyes.

"You want power, don't you? Then try it."

"My lord!" Di Tian tried to stop her.

Even with his lord's terrifying power, if she truly touched that mass of Black Slime, it might steal her power.

But the Silver Dragon King ignored Di Tian's protests and reached out to touch the black liquid.

The ink-dark Venom began seeping in where her claw touched it.

It spread slowly along the gaps between her scales, layer by layer wrapping around her dragon body.

The Silver Dragon King felt its sticky texture and flicked her Dragon Wing in annoyance.

"Does this thing only wrap around me?"

"Heh. Heh. Try sensing your power now."

Jiang Ce's voice rang out in the Silver Dragon King's mind as he activated his amplification to the fullest.

In an instant,

the Silver Dragon King's aura multiplied fivefold.

A terrifying pressure descended from above.

Di Tian, already gravely injured, was once again crushed to the ground by that aura, his bones creaking under the pressure.

As the Silver Dragon King felt the unprecedented abundance of power within her, she could hardly hide her astonishment.

A fivefold boost to every attribute—

Even she could be amplified by this Venom Symbiote.

And according to the information he had sent into her mind, this was nowhere near its limit.

That human called Liu Erlong had used a whole host of skills to enhance every attribute ninefold.

Turning 1 into 10!

Then, multiplied by the Symbiote's fivefold Independent Multiplier, her total attributes had reached fifty times their original level.

Yet that was only a fiftyfold increase to her attributes!

Her combat power had soared far beyond fifty times!

This mass of Black Slime truly possessed power capable of changing everything.

"How does it feel?"

"Not bad." The Silver Dragon King folded her Dragon Wing. "But you copied my power, too, didn't you?"

According to the information Jiang Ce had sent her, his abilities included copying.

No wonder he had so many skills.

He had copied the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's bloodline and abilities, then used the connection between Symbiotes to take that faint trace—

of Golden Dragon King Bloodline and force the birth of a demigod-level being.

That ability was simply incredible.

"I acknowledge you." The Silver Dragon King changed tack, her purple dragon eyes fixed on the Golden Dragon King. "But what do you think of humans and Soul Beasts?"

As the Co-Lord of Soul Beasts, even though she had been asleep for tens of thousands of years, she still knew everything that was happening outside.

Humans and Soul Beasts slaughtered one another, their blood soaking this continent.

What stood between them wasn't a misunderstanding. It was a blood debt accumulated over countless generations.

Humans and Soul Beasts were destined to never coexist—that was the ironclad truth she had believed for tens of thousands of years.

Now this mass of Black Slime had come before her, bearing power.

She needed to know which side this being stood on—the one who could bring forth a Golden Dragon King

and help heal her wounds.

Jiang Ce didn't answer immediately.

He wondered how he could fool this Silver Dragon King.

Gu Yuena clearly didn't know that the order forbidding Soul Beasts from becoming gods had come from the Dragon God. She was still so naive!

Suddenly, Jiang Ce had an idea!

The Golden Dragon King's eyes, burning with golden flames, met the Silver Dragon King's purple gaze in the empty air. Silence hung between them for a moment.

"You want to know what I think?

"My answer is—you're asking the wrong question.

"All you think about is humans and Soul Beasts, hatred and blood debts, who killed whom, and who should pay with their life.

"You've cared about these things for tens of thousands of years—so much that the Divine Realm nailed your other half inside a seal,

"and you're still agonizing over whether humans and Soul Beasts can coexist!"

His voice suddenly rose. Golden flames burst from his dragon eyes, and the entire Annihilation Dragon Domain trembled with his words.

"Coexist? What does coexistence even mean?

"Humans kill your people, and it's called Carnage. Soul Beasts kill humans, and it's just their nature??

"The blood debts between both sides have piled up beyond counting. And what do you expect now?

"To shake hands and make peace? To forgive and forget with a smile?

"Naive! Foolish! You're only fooling yourselves!"

The Golden Dragon King abruptly spread his Dragon Wings, and a golden storm swept across the entire battlefield.

Di Tian struggled to lift his head from the pit. Inside the Golden Dragon King, Zi JI held her breath.

Even the Silver Dragon King's purple eyes widened slightly.

"This world has never known coexistence!

"Never!

"Weakness is the original sin. Strength is the truth! Why were your people slaughtered?

"Not because humans are evil, but because your people were too weak!

"Why was your divine consciousness shattered, Silver Dragon King?

"Not because you did anything wrong. The Dragon God was already being targeted while he was still alive!

"The Divine Realm isn't afraid of your hatred. They're afraid you'll grow stronger! They're afraid another Dragon God will trample them underfoot!"

His voice crashed across the sky above the entire Star Dou Great Forest.

Yet only Di Tian and the Silver Dragon King before him could hear it. Not a word escaped beyond them.

Jiang Ce suddenly felt that a leader's speech was somehow incredibly stirring.

Keep going, deliver the impassioned speech, fool the Silver Dragon King!

It wasn't exactly a lie, either. The Silver Dragon King was supposed to be the Dragon God's wise half.

But what about everything she did afterward?

To destroy humanity, she first had to understand humanity.

She sealed away her memories, transformed into the amnesiac little girl "Na'er," and was adopted as Tang Wulin's younger sister.

After regaining her memories, unable to let go of her human emotions, she split off her original self, "Gu Yue," to keep leading the Soul Beasts, while trying to kill Tang Wulin.

During the mission, she fell in love with her target all over again, abandoned several opportunities, and eventually made a wager with her split personality.

After losing the wager, their personalities fused. In the final battle, she deliberately died at Tang Wulin's hands, sacrificing herself to bring peace between the two races.

A Dragon King with godlike power had gone into human society to understand humans.

What an idiot!

There was no way he wasn't taking her in.

The heavens themselves would condemn him if he didn't.

"So I'll give you the answer. It's not humans. It's not Soul Beasts.

"It's the Divine Realm!

"It's those gods sitting up in the sky, watching you slaughter one another while they live in peace!

"They're your real enemies!

"They nailed the Golden Dragon King inside a seal, split the Dragon God in two, and wiped the Dragon Clan from the Divine Realm.

"And then you fight here over the lives of a few poachers and Soul Beasts!

"Fools! Fools to the very core!"

The Silver Dragon King stared fixedly at the Golden Dragon King!

Di Tian's mouth hung open, but he couldn't utter a word.

Jiang Ce lowered his voice a little, but every word struck harder than the ones before.

"Look behind me. There are humans, the Imperial Auspicious Beast, and the Hell Demon Dragon King. Why do you think they're standing here?

"Not because I promised them some benefit, but because I showed them a third path!

"Not being human, not being beast—

"but becoming the kind of powerful being who doesn't need to be defined by race or bow to anyone!"

Zi JI: ???? I came here willingly?!

Zi JI: Bah!

Wasn't I dragged here by you?

The Golden Dragon King raised both dragon claws, its five blade-sharp talons slowly curling shut in the empty air, as if it had already grasped something.

Keep going, deliver the leader's impassioned speech with all the fervor you can muster!

West Sea!

"I don't care whether you're human or beast, or how much blood you've got on your hands.

"I only care about one thing—

"Do you want to become stronger?

"Do you dare to follow me and take back everything you're owed—with interest?

"You've been trapped in this question for tens of thousands of years, Silver Dragon King.

"Tens of thousands of years!

"That's enough time for Human Civilization to go through dozens of cycles, and for your enemies to feast and revel in the heavens.

"And you're still here asking, 'Can humans and Soul Beasts coexist?'!"

Golden flames burst from his dragon eyes, and his voice seemed about to tear the entire sky in two.

"The answer doesn't matter!

"Whether you coexist or not, those are just trifles!

"What matters is who gets to decide!

"Is it those beasts who dared to kill even the Dragon God, or is it us, standing here?"

He folded his Dragon Wings and lowered his head, his burning eyes fixed on the Silver Dragon King.

"You want power. I've already given you a fivefold increase.

You wanted the Golden Dragon King Bloodline. My purity was no less than the original's.

You wanted revenge. I'd give you a target.

You wanted a future—

I'd give you a throne that united all powers!"

His voice faded at last. It was no longer impassioned, but carried a calmness pressed to its very limits.

"It's been tens of thousands of years, Silver Dragon King. Will you wait another tens of thousands?"

[Back too late. I'll add another chapter tomorrow. Big shots, toss me some votes and hit that update reminder! Send me some materials, too. Many thanks!]