Gu Yue stood there quietly, her expression calm, as though everything around her had nothing to do with her.
Time ticked by, and only after more than half an hour had passed did Gu Yue slowly open her eyes.
Calm had returned to her gaze, but deep beneath her expression lay a weariness that seeped from her very bones.
"You don't seem to be in very good shape. I thought integrating Tang Wulin's bloodline wouldn't affect you much," Li Qingxun said, looking at Gu Yue with a smile.
Gu Yue's expression barely changed at his words.
She simply stood there in silence, watching the Blood-Gold Scale flash briefly in her hand, and sighed softly.
"It's harder than I thought. Although each time I strip away some of the bloodline, its influence on me diminishes."
"But it still affects my sanity."
"The Golden Dragon King's power is far too savage, savage to the point of having no reason whatsoever," Gu Yue said with a soft sigh.
She said no more and was the first to walk out, with the others following close behind.
Only Zi JI took Tang Wulin back to Eastsea Academy, while Li Qingxun and Gu Yue went outside and sat by the roadside.
The temperature had already dropped, and even the ground was rather cold, but Gu Yue paid none of that any mind.
Her expression was complicated, and she remained somewhat silent. That strange tangle of emotions left even Li Qingxun feeling helpless.
"I know you must have questions about me, but there are certain things I really can't tell you."
"Or rather, you aren't qualified to know."
"The only thing you can be sure of is that our agreement stands, and I won't violate it," Li Qingxun said, not bothering to explain any further.
Even as he rose to leave, Gu Yue did not look at him. Only once Li Qingxun had gone far away did she glance at his retreating figure.
The strength Li Qingxun had displayed, along with his so-called God Level power, had truly made Gu Yue deeply wary.
Previously, Gu Yue had paid little attention to any of it, merely regarding Li Qingxun as a somewhat strange youth.
He might have possessed some peculiar ability, but now, from the instant the Snow Empress and Ice Empress appeared-
From the instant the God King clone revealed himself, their respective standing had become entirely different.
Even though Li Qingxun had never once said he favored the human camp, or even said anything at all to that effect.
His God King Level combat strength alone was enough to make Gu Yue suspicious and secretly wary.
But even if Li Qingxun saw through Gu Yue's feelings, he could not be bothered to care. He was not going to indulge that habit of hers.
Because he had no need to.
He did not need to beg Gu Yue to cooperate. He wanted to master the Dragon God's power, and he already had four or five different plans for doing so.
If the first version failed, he could switch to another plan.
For Gu Yue, however, this was the only time she might possibly-or rather, have a chance to-obtain the Dragon God's power.
By any normal reckoning, even now, it would be difficult for Gu Yue to strip Tang Wulin's bloodline away completely, let alone in the future.
Without him, Gu Yue's chances of becoming the Dragon God would, in truth, approach zero without limit.
Those chances could be described as ninety-nine percent and one percent.
But whether it was ninety-nine percent or one percent, the actual result would still be zero.
Because the final outcome could never be achieved.
Even if Gu Yue could completely devour the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, taking the Dragon God Core from the Old Dragon God would still be extremely difficult.
After all, she herself had split off from the Old Dragon God.
With Li Qingxun's presence and secret assistance, obtaining the Dragon God Bloodline would not be difficult.
But if Gu Yue relied on herself alone, the Old Dragon God might not even be willing to see her.
And if they really had to be ranked, even Tang Wulin becoming the Dragon God-
Or Di Tian and Zi JI becoming the Dragon God, would be more likely than Gu Yuena becoming the Dragon God.
After all, she herself was a part of the Old Dragon God.
Even if Gu Yuena's chance of going mad after becoming the Dragon God was only one in a million, the Old Dragon God might not dare take that gamble.
And even if he did dare gamble, Gu Yuena still could not accomplish it under those conditions.
As he thought, Li Qingxun headed back to his dormitory, passing through a somewhat narrow passage.
He gently breathed in the scent of trees drifting through the late-night air around him.
That fragrance was not something one could find everywhere. In an industrial city like this, it was already exceedingly rare.
As he continued breathing it in, Li Qingxun's expression visibly relaxed.
He slowly took a few steps forward, then returned to his room and shut the door.
After sitting cross-legged, Li Qingxun raised his hand, took out several bottles of pills, and gently opened a Pill Bottle.
As a faint medicinal fragrance spread, he swallowed the pills and began his regular cultivation.
In the Divine Realm, Tang San watched that golden streak of light disappear, overwhelming killing intent surging in his eyes.
But stronger still was the humiliation that seeped from his very bones.
He had never imagined that he, the great Tang San, would one day lose to a little beast like this, without the slightest ability to fight back.
Yet when he looked at Sea God Tang San and Asura God Tang San beside Li Qingxun, he did not know what he should do.
Although Li Qingxun was currently under the watch of four God Kings and did not dare attack him.
Tang San understood that Li Qingxun's overall combat strength surpassed his own.
And whether it was Lie Yan, Ji Dong, Zhou Weiqing, or Rong Nianbing, to be honest, none of them were truly his people.
They had no blood ties to him, nor were they reliable. He had no authority to command them, either.
They were only helping him because he currently controlled the Divine Realm.
But as events unfolded, if he made some mistake or something unexpected happened-
Li Qingxun could easily take over power and become the new God King.
When that happened, even if he did not die, he might still suffer torment.
Seeing Tang San's defiant expression, Li Qingxun shook his head.
"I know you refuse to accept it. You think I only defeated you by relying on outside power, but you're overthinking it."
"Within the same rank, even if I, too, have only just become a God King."
"At the God King level, unless I face a Supreme God King, I am invincible," Li Qingxun said, shaking his head.
He took a step forward, all the memories in his mind flashing past without the slightest change in his expression.
Although this clone of his had already become a God King, in truth, he still possessed only the standing of a Sequence 1 Author, not the true power of a Visionary.
After all, there could only ever be one Visionary at any given time. Even so, this was already terrifying enough.
As Li Qingxun casually took a step forward, strange white mist spread around him, and his eyes turned golden.
Li Qingxun did not use his power to create two figures, nor did he summon temporal projections or other such powers.
He could not even be bothered to borrow the Authorities of other Pathways, because a Sequence 1 Author was already terrifyingly domineering in his own right.
"So what if I haven't mastered the nine Authorities? A Sequence 1 Author is not someone a God King can contend with."
"For example, right here and now, if I say my strength surpasses that of a God King, then my strength is invincible among God Kings."
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