Twin Dragons Emerge

Within his sea of spirit, Huo Yuhao had yet to fully recover from the devastating news Tang San had brought. The words "the Void" pierced his soul like ice picks, bringing a bone-deep chill and fear of the unknown.

"The Void?" A somewhat teasing voice, yet one that still carried ancient majesty, passed through the barrier of the triangular seal and reverberated directly through Huo Yuhao's mind. It was the soul voice of the Golden Dragon King—his main body, possessing seventy percent of his power.

Huo Yuhao's heart tightened. He forcefully suppressed his turbulent thoughts and sank his consciousness deeper into his sea of spirit.

"Tsk, tsk, look at how lost you are." Another voice spoke up, slightly deeper in tone and carrying a carefree indolence. A more substantial phantom of the Dark-Gold Dragon King—formed from fragments, possessing thirty percent of his power—appeared. Though his limbs were likewise bound by illusory chains representing the seal, he had somehow assumed a reclining pose as he floated above the sea of spirit. "Gold is right, kid. If they ran into the Void, those old fellows in the Douluo Divine Realm are probably doomed. No, they gave you even the Divine Realm Core. They're definitely doomed."

Huo Yuhao focused on the two Dragon King consciousnesses. Though restrained, their souls remained active, and they could even casually "stroll" through his sea of spirit. He asked gravely, "You know about the Void? What exactly is it?" He had not expected these two "prisoners" to be the first ones able to explain it.

"Just as the name says: nothingness, devouring, extinction." The Golden Dragon King's soul phantom was comparatively solid, taking the form of a translucent dark-gold dragon. Like a restless loach, it wriggled through the gaps between the sealing halos. Its tone carried an indifference forged through countless ages. "It is not a living creature, nor is it a civilization. It is more like... the manifestation of rule-bound 'entropy increase,' or the universe's 'cleaner.' Any 'high-energy aggregate' it marks—such as a flourishing Divine Realm—is like a nutrient-rich culture medium targeted by a virus. It will not stop until it has devoured everything."

The Dark-Gold Dragon King took over, still reclining but speaking clearly. "Still, you can put your mind at ease for now about this backwater Douluo plane of yours. That thing generally only operates near massive black holes, or along the edges of energy-starved 'deserts' in the universe. This place has neither sufficient energy density—meaning its overall planar level—nor any notable coordinates—meaning its location in the universe. Why would it come here? It couldn't even find a northwest wind to drink."

"Then why would the Divine Realm..." Huo Yuhao pressed, though the cloud of unease in his heart had not fully dispersed.

"Idiot!" The Golden Dragon King's soul swam before him. Though trapped by the seal, it still managed to roll its eyes—if dragons even had whites in their eyes. "Your Divine Realm was first battered half to ruin by me, then struck by an excessive spacetime turbulence, and finally swept to the edge of a black hole! That chain of events was like a beacon in the darkness on a cosmic scale! If the Void didn't go after them, who would it go after?" It paused before adding, "Besides, the threshold for actively attracting the Void's attention is extremely high. By my estimate, it would take the complete self-destruction of an expert at the God Emperor level—an ancient term for someone beyond a First-Level God—to produce enough energy collapse and rule breakdown to form a temporary 'Void marker' outside a black-hole region. In this dump of yours, you can barely find a proper First-Level God. Who here could manage that?"

Huo Yuhao caught the key detail. "A God Emperor level self-destruction... is needed just to 'attract' it?" That reassured him slightly. Douluo Continent clearly did not possess such conditions at present.

But then he suddenly realized another issue, and his eyes sharpened. "Wait! You two... why can you manifest freely here and even speak? Could it be that my seal..."

"Hahaha!" The Golden Dragon King let out a triumphant laugh—despite being tied up—and rolled through the sea of spirit. "Your little seal is decent enough for dealing with the 'Divine Core power' that was fragmented and stripped from us, but you think it can completely imprison souls like ours? Souls that have lived for who knows how many millennia and endured the Dragon God's split and the Divine Realm War? Kid, you're still too green!" It mimicked patting Huo Yuhao's phantom shoulder with a claw. "The seal restrains the 'source of power,' but as long as we do not actively strike at its core, our consciousness and knowledge can still wander around your sea of spirit and have a chat. Naturally, don't even think about causing damage. Your Emotion Divine Ring and the suppression of those Divine Realm Cores are no joke."

The Dark-Gold Dragon King lazily added, "Simply put, our power is locked in a safe—the triangular seal—but the ghosts of us two 'safe owners' can drift around inside your 'house'—your sea of spirit. We just cannot get out or touch your core furniture—your spiritual consciousness origin."

The corner of Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched. The analogy... was rather apt.

"So," the Golden Dragon King's soul suddenly straightened up. Though the nine halos around him made him look somewhat ridiculous, his tone turned serious. "Kid, make a deal with us. Loosen the restraints on our souls a little more—not release us, but give us a little 'yard' in your sea of spirit. Stop constantly disturbing us with the aftereffects of your seal. In return, we'll give you our power completely. The smaller portion—meaning the Golden Dragon King's main-body power—has already gone to that little black snake, Di Tian. Keeping the larger portion—the part you sealed—serves no purpose for us now. It only takes up space."

Huo Yuhao's gaze narrowed. "Why are you suddenly being so 'generous'? Didn't you want to reclaim your power before? Didn't you want to become the Dragon God?"

"Times have changed." The Dark-Gold Dragon King finally sat up, an almost disdainful expression appearing on his phantom face. "Your plane may be safe for now, but Tang San already used the Divine Realm Core's power to 'mark' it. If... and I mean if... The Void follows the final signal sent before the Divine Realm's destruction and comes sniffing around the edges like a shark scenting blood... I have no interest in facing that ghostly thing in such a miserable place. Back when the Dragon God encountered a small remnant of the Void, he had no choice but to sever his own tail to survive, tearing apart part of his divine domain before escaping. I only have thirty percent of my power assembled from fragments. I'd have to be insane to fight it head-on."

The Golden Dragon King nodded in agreement. "Exactly! And you're carrying the core keys of seven Divine Realms now. They may all be broken sparks, but their essence remains. If things truly come to a life-or-death struggle and you borrow some power, our remnant souls might actually be the ones to suffer. Better to hand over control cleanly and forge a good relationship. Our souls get to rest easy, while you lose a hidden danger and gain a controllable source of power."

Huo Yuhao weighed the matter rapidly. The two Dragon Kings' soul essences were exceptionally elevated. It was indeed difficult to completely restrain their conscious activity. A prolonged struggle and attrition within his sea of spirit would not benefit his already grievously wounded state. If he could completely resolve the backlash from the Divine Core power, stabilize the seal, and obtain knowledge about higher-level matters such as the Divine Realm and the Void, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks. As for allowing them a bit more freedom... so long as they did not touch the fundamentals, he could accept it.

"I can consider it," Huo Yuhao said slowly. "But you must guarantee that the range of your soul activity will be strictly restricted. You may not attempt any form of assault on the seal, erosion of my consciousness, or direct influence upon the outside world."

"Deal!" The Golden Dragon King agreed immediately.

"Wait," the Dark-Gold Dragon King suddenly interjected, a crafty gleam flashing in his eyes. "Add one small condition. Make us... hmm, as you would put it, two temporary 'avatar bodies' that can briefly leave your sea of spirit and move around. They don't need to be powerful. They just need to be able to walk, see, and eat! It's too boring being trapped in here. We want to see that 'grilled fish shop' you run, and see what the human world has become! Don't worry, we'll just look around. We won't cause trouble!"

"Absolutely not!" Huo Yuhao refused without hesitation, his brows tightly furrowed. What kind of joke was that? These were the souls of two great Dragon Kings! Even if they were only souls, possessing any material would instinctively taint it with draconic aura and strengthen its vessel. With their understanding of energy and their residual perception of laws, if they caused the slightest commotion or were noticed by human experts—especially those with ill intentions—the consequences would be unimaginable. Letting them go "shopping" in the human world was no different from releasing two walking, unpredictable calamities!

"Ah, how stingy!" the Golden Dragon King grumbled, though a dragon's grumbling sounded rather strange. Then his phantom eyes turned. "Fine, then... sigh, how boring, how boring. This sea of spirit is so empty... Hey, I suddenly feel like singing! I learned something new during all that time I was imprisoned in the Divine Realm! La la la la la la~ I'm a happy little golden dragon~ Awoo awoo awoo~"

The Dark-Gold Dragon King immediately joined in with a deeper—though equally off-key—voice. "Hoo hoo hoo~ Sleeping for ten thousand years has made my heart so tired~ Ah ah ah ah~ I really want to go out and eat something crunchy~!"

Two utterly different yet equally piercing forms of "dragon-roar singing" echoed through the sea of spirit. The shockwaves sent ripples through Huo Yuhao's spiritual consciousness, splitting his head with pain.

"Stop! Stop! Stop singing!" Huo Yuhao felt as though the demonic noise was about to crack his soul apart. Left with no choice, he shouted, "The avatar bodies... can be discussed, but they must be subject to the strictest restrictions! And there is one question I need answered first."

The singing stopped abruptly. The souls of the two Dragon Kings stared at him with blazing eyes—blazing phantom eyes.

"Though you are souls, your essence is extremely high. There is a type of fallen soul master in this world called Evil Soul Masters, and they are especially skilled in all kinds of forbidden techniques involving souls and the undead. If I allow part of your consciousness to go outside, and they notice you or even set a trap specifically for you, then..." Huo Yuhao had to consider the worst-case scenario. To Evil Soul Masters, the remnant souls of these two mighty beings were likely treasures even more tempting than hundred-thousand-year soul rings and soul bones.

"Tch—" The Golden Dragon King snorted disdainfully, while even the Dark-Gold Dragon King shook his head.

"Kid, you underestimate the fundamental difference between 'gods' and 'mortals' too much." The Golden Dragon King spoke arrogantly despite his restraints. "Listen. Divinity is the crushing superiority of rank. Any mortal being that has not ignited Divine Fire and condensed Divine Godhood—all of its methods, including the soul-playing tricks of those Evil Soul Masters you mentioned—are fundamentally ineffective against a being with true divinity, even if it is only a remnant soul. It is like an ant being unable to understand or use a computer. Mortals cannot truly harm the soul of a god. They may sense an 'abnormality,' and they may use certain rituals to draw our 'attention,' but capture, control, devour? Dream on. The structure of our souls is something from an entirely different dimension than the 'souls' they understand."

The Dark-Gold Dragon King explained more concretely, "Take the Level Twelve soul tool from your continent's legends—Eternal Heaven. Its power is said to be enough to threaten gods. But, Huo Yuhao, let me tell you this: even if we were only remnant souls as we are now, if we stood still and let that thing explode, at most we would find it 'a little noisy' and think that the 'energy fluctuations are quite strong.' It could never destroy the core imprint of our souls. Why? Because no matter how great its power is, it remains the ultimate expression of 'mortal rules,' while divinity is the starting point of 'transcending rules.' Unless it contains divine power of an equal level or laws of a higher level—such as the utterly unreasonable Void—gods cannot be violated by mortals. That is one of the universe's fundamental laws."

The Golden Dragon King added with unquestionable confidence, "And besides, we are no ordinary souls. I am the incarnation of half the Dragon God, an existence that could not be completely erased even after being suppressed by the Creator God's power and besieged by all the gods of the Divine Realm! Dark-Gold may be weaker, but his essence shares the same origin as mine. In this plane? Hmph. Things capable of harming our souls... I won't say there are none, but they certainly do not include the gutter rats you are worried about."

Huo Yuhao fell silent. He knew that although the Golden Dragon King was arrogant, he was unlikely to lie about such a fundamental matter—and had no need to. Huo Yuhao had experienced the chasm between gods and mortals when he inherited his divine position, though after falling back into the mortal world, that sensation had become less clear than before. Now that they had explained it, it did make sense. No matter how strong Evil Soul Masters were, none had ever produced a true god. The upper limit of their methods might truly be unable to reach the level of Dragon King souls.

"One more thing," the Dark-Gold Dragon King said lazily. "Your sealing formation was built from the God of Emotions' divine ring, the ancient Forbidden Dragon Curse provided by Di Tian, your Ultimate Ice combined with undead magic, and four layers of power that even drew upon the core strength of the Undead Plane. And even that only managed to divide and seal us. Do you think this world has any soul imprisonment or attack method more targeted and more powerful than that? At least within this plane, our souls are far safer than you imagine."

After thinking it over again and again, Huo Yuhao finally sighed. "Fine, I agree. I can create two temporary avatar bodies with severely restricted power for you to use within a specific range under strict supervision. But we must set three rules..."

"We know, we know. No causing trouble, no revealing yourselves, and no leaving the range you set!" The Golden Dragon King eagerly cut him off, then urged, "Quick! Undo another layer of those 'soul restraints'! I'm bored to death! Oh, right, the bodies? I want mine to look handsome! That 'Dai Yuhao' appearance you took before was pretty good!"

Huo Yuhao said no more. With a shift of his thoughts, the additional sealing layers that restricted the activity of the two Dragon Kings' soul consciousnesses quietly loosened and dissipated within the sea of spirit. Though the core seals on their power and the barriers preventing their external interference remained firm, their soul phantoms visibly became more lively and distinct.

Then, from his storage soul tool, he took out several top-grade heavenly treasures he had kept in reserve, each containing pure life energy and the primordial essence of heaven and earth—a warm Ten-Thousand-Year Jade Marrow Heart, a section of Phoenix Perching Parasol Wood, and a small bottle of Nine-Heavens Pure Spirit Dew. Treasures that would have caused bloody turmoil in the outside world were tossed out without hesitation.

The soul phantoms of the two Dragon Kings immediately pounced upon them in excitement.

The Golden Dragon King's soul opened its mouth and inhaled. The Jade Marrow Heart and part of the Pure Spirit Dew turned into streams of light and entered its mouth. The Dark-Gold Dragon King swept away the parasol wood and the remaining spirit dew. No complicated ritual was needed. Guided only by the souls' instincts and their absolute control over energy, two gentle yet powerful balls of light blossomed in the air and began to take shape.

In the blink of an eye, the light faded away. Two young men stood where it had been.

One was tall and erect, dressed in a dark-gold combat outfit formed from energy. His features were handsome and rugged, and his brows carried an arrogant, sharp vigor. Loose golden hair fell around him, while dark-gold light occasionally flashed deep within his pupils—this was the Golden Dragon King's avatar. He moved his arms and legs, his face filled with curiosity.

The other was somewhat more slender, wearing a deep-purple robe patterned with dark designs. His features were equally handsome, but his temperament was more reserved and languid. Several strands of dark gold ran through his black hair. His gaze was profound, and an almost imperceptible smile rested on his lips—this was the Dark-Gold Dragon King's avatar. He lightly clenched a fist, feeling this "weak" yet real body, then nodded in satisfaction.

Huo Yuhao had deliberately suppressed the energy fluctuations of both avatars to an extremely low level, roughly equivalent to an ordinary Great Soul Master. Multiple restrictions had also been left within them, ensuring that they could not wield power beyond that limit or remain independently outside a certain range from Huo Yuhao for long.

"Haha! Interesting! Is this what it feels like to use 'matter' as a vessel?" The Golden Dragon King picked up an apple from the table and took a crunchy bite. After chewing a few times, his eyes lit up. "The flavor... is primitive, but not bad!"

The Dark-Gold Dragon King walked to the window and looked out at Eastsea City's nightscape. Neon lights flickered, and traffic flowed through the streets. He remained silent for a moment before softly sighing. "So this is the path you chose? Interesting."

Huo Yuhao watched the two "Great Soul Masters" driven by Dragon King souls and rubbed his brow, feeling that the task of supervising them would be long and arduous. Yet he also knew that completely resolving the potential backlash of the two Divine Cores within him, while obtaining reliable information about higher-level threats such as the Void, made this deal worthwhile.

Yet when he recalled Tang San's final cry, filled with despair and resolve—"Run!"—and looked at the seven silent Divine Realm Core phantoms deep within his sea of spirit, Huo Yuhao's heart remained heavy.

The Void... the destruction of the Divine Realm... the sparks of seven Divine Realms... the future of the Douluo plane...