Paths Diverge

Just as Gu Yue gradually gained the upper hand, attempting to bind Na'er completely with the water and probe the armor's secrets, two figures silently appeared on the cliff where they had just fought.

They were Huo Yuhao and the Golden Dragon King, who had arrived through the teleportation array.

"Whoa, they really started fighting? Pretty lively." Golden Dragon King folded his arms with interest as he watched waves churn across the sea, silver light colliding with dark-gold armor. "This is the obsessive original body and the clone that developed her own thoughts you mentioned? Interesting."

Huo Yuhao swept his gaze over the battlefield, his brow faintly furrowed. "Na'er's Emergency Battle Armor has activated. Gu Yue must have hit her hard. Gu Yue's state... seems more extreme than we expected. Didn't she see another possibility from the changes in Di Tian and the others?"

"Extreme? That's putting it mildly." Golden Dragon King snorted, his eyes carrying a lofty insight. "I'd say the obsession with 'reviving the Dragon God' has completely clouded her mind. Splitting into separate individuals is a means, but splitting off a clone like this—weak, incapable of surviving independently, yet possessing complete memories and emotions—and throwing her into the human world... that's one of the stupidest arrangements imaginable."

He paused, using himself as an example, his tone carrying a trace of pride and calm analysis. "Look at Dark Gold and me. Though we split apart, with our power divided seven-to-three, we share memories and have the same goal—we originally both wanted to break free and recover. Dark Gold has thirty percent of my power, enough in this plane to protect himself and even dominate without relying on anyone. So our disagreements are mostly about methods and specific strategies. It's just different facets of the same mind arguing. Our core interests and ultimate goal will never fundamentally conflict."

He pointed at Na'er, struggling stubbornly in the sea, then at Gu Yue, whose sharp aura concealed agitation and anger. "Now look at these two. Na'er has part of Gu Yue's memories. She knows she's a clone, knows about the dragons' past, but she's too weak—so weak that she has to rely on humans, Tang Wulin's family, to survive safely. Through that long-term, deep dependence and emotional interaction, her 'purpose' naturally changed—from 'assisting the original body in reviving the Dragon God' to 'protecting her current home and family.' Once the original body's orders threatened that new purpose, conflict became inevitable. So, the Silver Dragon King's move was truly... tsk, tsk. No wonder people say she's stupid."

Huo Yuhao listened to Golden Dragon King's analysis and nodded slightly. This seemingly rough Golden Dragon King possessed an exceptionally sharp and clear eye when it came to the logic of survival and power.

"You have a point. But now isn't the time for analysis. Let's separate them and take them away first. Di Tian and the others are still waiting for us to go back and continue grilling meat." Huo Yuhao urged him, noticing that Na'er's armor energy was steadily draining. After all, it had no source of replenishment.

"Of course. And remember, I want double grilled fish!" Golden Dragon King emphasized his "payment," then grinned at the sea. "It's time this 'smart' Silver Dragon King learned what true dragon power is."

Before his words had even faded, Golden Dragon King vanished from the cliff.

The next instant, an invisible wall seemed to appear out of nowhere between the two women fighting above the sea, separating Gu Yue's water currents from Na'er's fist winds at the same time. Then, a large hand covered in faint dark-gold radiance, seemingly containing boundless power, effortlessly pierced Gu Yue's water-element defense and seized her wrist. Another hand gently pressed against Na'er's shoulder armor, and a gentle yet irresistible force instantly calmed the restless energy inside her armor, bringing her to a halt.

Golden Dragon King lifted Gu Yue and Na'er from the seawater, one in each hand as though carrying chicks, then landed steadily on shore. Seawater streamed down his sturdy arms, but he paid it no mind.

Caught completely off guard, Gu Yue raised her head in shock. When she saw the newcomer's face—especially when she sensed the pure, tyrannical Golden Dragon King's Origin pressure from deep within her bloodline, far surpassing Di Tian's—she was struck as if by lightning and cried out, "You... you're... the Golden Dragon King?! How could you be here?! Weren't you supposed to be sealed in..."

Her words came to an abrupt halt. Although the Golden Dragon King before her possessed a terrifying aura, he did not seem to be complete, and... something about his state was strange. What alarmed her even more was that Huo Yuhao was standing quietly not far away!

Golden Dragon King gently pulled the visibly exhausted Na'er, whose armor had dimmed, behind him. That protective gesture made Gu Yue's gaze sharpen. Only then did he release Gu Yue's hand, leisurely patting away nonexistent water stains from his body as he looked down at her with undisguised mockery.

"What? After tens of thousands of years, you can't even recognize me? Silver, it seems your eyesight has gotten worse too." He tapped his temple with a finger and grinned. "But your brain has gotten even worse. That part is obvious. I'm different. A split is a split, but I haven't lost any of the vision or wisdom I should have."

Gu Yue quickly calmed down from her initial shock. The Silver Dragon King's pride made her straighten her back, though she felt instinctive fear and pressure from her bloodline in the face of the Golden Dragon King's aura. "Golden Dragon King, since you escaped, then perfect! You and I were originally one. We should merge as soon as possible, rebuild the Dragon God's body, and restore the supreme glory of our dragon race! This clone..." She cast a cold glance at Na'er behind Golden Dragon King. "And the power you have obtained should all serve that goal!"

"Merge? Dragon God?" Golden Dragon King looked as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world. Then his expression darkened, and his tone became incomparably serious, even carrying a hint of warning. "Silver, I'm warning you. Put away those unrealistic fantasies! Never mind who would take the lead in the fusion—obviously me—do you think this is still back then? The Divine Realm has been targeted by the Void. The seven Divine Realms are practically being wiped out! If you want to stir up something as huge as the Dragon God at a time like this, are you tired of living? Do you want to deliver yourself straight to the Void as an appetizer?!"

"The Void?" Gu Yue knitted her brows. The term made her instinctively uneasy, but the information she possessed was far inferior to Golden Dragon King's, who had learned of the Divine Realm's upheaval through Huo Yuhao. "What is that? What happened to the Divine Realm?"

"I can't be bothered explaining it all to you. In short, if you want to live, stop thinking about restoring the Dragon God!" Golden Dragon King impatiently waved a hand, then his tone became even sharper. "And Silver, look at what you've been doing all these years. Then look at what Di Tian and the others have been doing."

He pointed at Na'er's armor. "This technology, these materials, were developed by Di Tian's people! Then look at the top brands in the human world—Emerald Court, Dark-Gold Heavy Peak, Violet Dragon Pavilion... which one doesn't have their influence behind it? They're learning from humans, using human rules, then turning around and influencing humans, creating new living space and a stronger voice for soul beasts! It may be slow, but it's stable, and its roots run deep!"

His gaze pierced Gu Yue like a sword. "And what about you, my Silver Dragon King? Your so-called 'integrating into the human world and understanding them' meant turning yourself into an apprentice with second-rank soul power, taking a human master, and playing house in the Spirit Pagoda? You call that control? You call that infiltration? You're killing me!"

Gu Yue's face flushed red from his merciless ridicule, and she snapped, "What do you know?! I'm gaining trust and reaching the core! The Spirit Pagoda is crucial to the future of soul beasts!"

"Crucial my ass!" Golden Dragon King cut her off without the slightest politeness, his tone full of contempt. "You think controlling the Spirit Pagoda means controlling the lifeline of soul beasts? Idiot! I followed this kid"—he pointed at Huo Yuhao—"into their database. Do you know what they're researching with everything they have? Artificial Soul Spirits! Their age limits are getting higher and higher, and their effects are becoming closer and closer to real soul rings! Once the technology matures another few decades and they can create Artificial Soul Spirits comparable to hundred-thousand-year soul rings, who will still risk their lives hunting soul beasts for soul rings? Other than a few rare materials, what value will soul beasts have to them? Decoration? Pets?"

He stepped forward, his powerful aura making Gu Yue's breathing stall. "Di Tian and the others are finding soul beasts a new path, one not shackled by the demand for soul rings! But you're still trapped in the mindset of the old era, thinking you can revive the dragon race by controlling an organization destined to gradually eliminate the need for soul beast rings? Silver, you're not only obsessive—you're laughably shortsighted! And you still want to merge with yourself as the main body? Dream on!"

"Enough!" Gu Yue could no longer endure the naked humiliation and the words overturning everything she believed, especially when they came from the Golden Dragon King. In her fury, she ignored the difference in strength. The Silver Dragon King's Origin Power within her surged wildly, and an incomparably condensed silver blade of light, as though capable of slicing space apart, suddenly slashed toward the Golden Dragon King alongside a clear dragon roar!

This furious strike had nearly drawn upon the ultimate power that this incarnation of hers could bear!

Faced with an attack that would have made an ordinary Ultimate Douluo treat it with utmost seriousness, Golden Dragon King merely curled his lip, a flicker of disdain passing through his eyes.

"Trash."

He did not even use any flashy technique. He simply raised his right hand casually, spread his fingers, and reached forward!

Time seemed to slow at that moment. When the sharp silver blade of light touched the dark-gold radiance at the edge of his palm, it melted and vanished soundlessly like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun! It could not even stir a single ripple of energy!

The next instant, the Golden Dragon King's hand clamped around Gu Yue's neck like iron pincers, steadily and effortlessly lifting her entire body off the ground!

Absolute suppression by power! A fundamental crushing on the level of laws!

Gu Yue's eyes widened, filled with incredulous terror and shock. All her power seemed completely sealed beneath the Golden Dragon King's palm. Even struggling felt powerless. The suffocating sensation and the instinctive fear from deep in her bloodline when facing a higher-level existence instantly drowned her.

Golden Dragon King leaned close, his icy gaze staring directly into her panicked eyes. Every word struck her soul like a heavy hammer.

"For the sake of our shared origin, I'll spare you this time. Remember this, Silver Dragon King. Don't set your sights on Na'er and Tang Wulin again, and don't interfere with Di Tian and the others' path. You can walk your broad road, but if that broad road dares to crash into my narrow bridge, or threatens this plane's stability"—Huo Yuhao's key instruction—"I won't mind letting you experience ahead of time what true 'Dragon God power' is—though it'll only be this half of mine."

With that, he casually flung Gu Yue toward the nearby beach as though discarding a piece of trash.

Gu Yue staggered as she landed, clutching her neck and coughing violently. Her face was deathly pale, and her gaze at the Golden Dragon King was filled with fear, humiliation, and a trace of bewilderment. Every word Golden Dragon King had spoken had stabbed like a blade into her established understanding and plans.

Golden Dragon King no longer looked at her. He turned toward Huo Yuhao and the still-shaken Na'er, his tone immediately returning to its previous slightly carefree manner. "Done. Let's go, little girl. Your brother is probably worried sick. And you, Huo Yuhao, don't forget my double portion of grilled fish!"

Huo Yuhao nodded and stepped forward to check Na'er's condition. After confirming that she was merely exhausted and frightened, with no serious injuries, he helped her remove the energy-depleted Emergency Battle Armor. Na'er clutched Huo Yuhao's sleeve tightly as she looked at the lost and despondent Gu Yue in the distance. Her eyes were complicated—there was lingering fear, a trace of pity, but even more determination.

Golden light enveloped the three of them again. Amid spatial ripples, their figures vanished from the coast of Aolai City, leaving behind only Gu Yue, slumped on the beach and unable to recover her senses for a long time, along with the unchanging sound of waves striking the shore.

In the direction of Star Dou, Di Tian and the others' gathering was still ongoing. The fragrance of grilled fish seemed to still be waiting for the diners' return. As for Silver Dragon King Gu Yue's plans, after today, they would likely have to face a complete reevaluation... and perhaps correction.