"Whoosh-"
Light flashed, and Gu Yunxiao stepped into the underground chamber.
As soon as he entered, he saw Gu Yuena sitting on the crystal bed.
"Na'er."
Gu Yunxiao smiled faintly, walked over, and settled beside Gu Yuena with practiced ease. "I've already given you today's blood. Aren't you going to return to your true form and focus on healing?"
"You're about to leave the Star Dou Great Forest. I need to pave the way for you beforehand."
"The human world isn't like this place. You won't have Di Tian and the others respecting you there. Some hardship is inevitable, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing."
"Do you know why I arranged for Bi Ji and Zi JI to accompany you?"
Gu Yuena turned to look at Gu Yunxiao.
"Because those two are the most suitable." Gu Yunxiao smiled faintly.
"That's only part of it."
Gu Yuena shook her head and explained, "Bi Ji has impressive healing abilities. If you really do get injured, she can treat you in time."
"As for Zi JI... it's to give her an opportunity."
"Hmm?"
Gu Yunxiao froze, somewhat puzzled.
"Her true form is the Hell Demon Dragon King. She possesses both yin water and devouring attributes. She has considerable potential and is a rising star of the Dragon Clan."
"And you possess the Heavenly Tribulation Demon Dragon bloodline. Having her spend more time with you will greatly benefit her own dragon bloodline."
"There aren't many dragons left now. Zi JI is worth nurturing."
Gu Yuena explained everything to Gu Yunxiao, word by word.
Throughout the entire Star Dou Great Forest, aside from herself and Gu Yunxiao, there was only Zi JI besides Di Tian, a true dragon.
As a fellow member of the Dragon Clan, she naturally hoped Zi JI would grow stronger and stronger, striving to catch up with Di Tian one day.
"If you're willing, you can give her a little of your Heavenly Tribulation Demon Dragon bloodline when appropriate, to strengthen her dragon bloodline," Gu Yuena said.
"I'll see how things go."
Gu Yunxiao nodded.
"Besides those reasons, there's also..." Gu Yuena fixed her beautiful eyes on Gu Yunxiao, a trace of jealousy flickering in their depths.
"What else?"
"Producing offspring."
"Ahem..."
Gu Yunxiao coughed lightly. He badly wanted to laugh, but held himself back.
"What, are you that happy?" Gu Yuena suddenly looked at Gu Yunxiao with a calm expression.
Yet only Gu Yunxiao knew how much jealousy lurked beneath that calm.
"The stronger a bloodline is, the harder it is to produce offspring. For the Dragon Clan in particular, it's difficulty piled upon difficulty."
"You can try with Zi JI. Even if the odds are tiny, it's not entirely impossible. Consider it helping the Dragon Clan spread its branches and leaves."
"And another thing..."
Gu Yuena paused, staring at Gu Yunxiao with an inscrutable expression as she spoke through gritted teeth. "If you want to gloat, go ahead. I promise I won't beat you up."
Like hell I'd believe you.
Gu Yunxiao grumbled inwardly, then extended his right arm and slipped it around Gu Yuena's waist with practiced ease. "I'm not gloating. I'm listening seriously."
"Hmph."
Gu Yuena huffed and made a token struggle before letting Gu Yunxiao take his liberties. She continued, "I've already spoken to Zi JI about this too. She's willing."
"For the Dragon Clan, I'm willing too."
Gu Yunxiao nodded, his expression solemn.
Gu Yuena glanced at Gu Yunxiao and remained silent, not bothering to expose him.
In truth, she had another reason for assigning Bi Ji and Zi JI as Gu Yunxiao's guardians, one that could be considered either minor or significant.
To put it bluntly, she was arranging two women for Gu Yunxiao, having them attend to him and satisfy all his needs.
As far as she knew, during his excursions over the years, Gu Yunxiao had met a human girl in a small city in the Heaven Dou Empire.
Whenever he went to the Far North, Gu Yunxiao would stop by to visit that girl along the way.
Perhaps because Gu Yunxiao had helped her several times, the girl had developed other feelings for him, such as... romantic affection.
Originally, she had intended to have Di Tian secretly dispose of that mother and daughter.
However, considering that doing so might leave Gu Yunxiao with a grudge against the Soul Beast Clan, she had ultimately abandoned the idea.
Rather than let you become too deeply entangled with humans, I'd better arrange for Bi Ji and Zi JI to be with you, Gu Yuena thought to herself.
From the bottom of her heart, she did not want Gu Yunxiao to become too involved with humans.
However, she could hardly say too much or interfere.
Gu Yunxiao seemed easy to get along with, but that was only because no one had crossed his bottom line.
A human girl was nothing significant, but acting without Gu Yunxiao's consent, and even deliberately concealing it from him, would be absolutely fatal.
Causing Gu Yunxiao to harbor resentment toward the Soul Beast Clan over a mere human girl would truly mean losing far more than they gained.
"Na'er, what's wrong?"
Seeing that Gu Yuena seemed distracted, Gu Yunxiao waved a hand before her eyes. "What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing."
Gu Yuena came back to her senses and shook her head.
Gu Yunxiao gave Gu Yuena a long, searching look, but did not press her.
"I called you down here mainly to discuss three things."
"The first concerns Bi Ji and Zi JI. You already understand all that."
"The second thing-this is for you."
Gu Yuena beckoned upward with her delicate hand, and a silver scale larger than a washbasin appeared.
The scale was fan-shaped, light flowing across its surface. It radiated a formidable elemental aura that carried an overwhelming pressure.
The next moment, the scale rapidly shrank until it was the size of a palm.
"Whoosh-"
The silver scale descended, and Gu Yunxiao reached out to catch it.
The scale was crystal clear and flawless, smoother to the touch than a mirror. Holding it in his hand, he felt a cool sensation.
Strangely, the draconic might upon the scale vanished like smoke the moment it touched Gu Yunxiao, turning into a gentle warmth of affinity.
Even so, Gu Yunxiao could still sense the energy fluctuations within the scale. They were extraordinarily powerful, far beyond anything soul power could compare to.
"This is my Silver Dragon Reverse Scale."
"Although you now possess the Heavenly Tribulation Demon Dragon bloodline, you still carry a trace of the Dragon God's aura. If the Divine Realm discovers you, you'll still be in danger."
"The Silver Dragon Reverse Scale can conceal your dragon aura."
Gu Yuena did not yet know that something had happened to the Divine Realm, so she exercised caution at every turn.
Although Gu Yunxiao was no longer the Dragon God but a Heavenly Tribulation Demon Dragon, there was still a risk of exposure.
Moreover, her reverse scale could also protect him.
If Gu Yunxiao ever faced a life-or-death crisis, the Silver Dragon Reverse Scale would automatically protect its master. No one below the level of a deity could break through its defenses.
At the same time, she would immediately sense it and shatter the void to come to his rescue.
However, she did not tell Gu Yunxiao about this ability.
She feared that once Gu Yunxiao knew, he would grow dependent on it.
"Mm."
Gu Yunxiao nodded and pressed the Silver Dragon Reverse Scale against his chest.
The reverse scale felt cool against him and immediately merged into his body, disappearing from sight... though in truth, it had concealed itself in the surface layer of his skin.
"The third thing concerns the Ice God's remnant soul residing deep within your sea of consciousness."
Gu Yuena's purple eyes shimmered as she saw the "sleeping beauty" deep within Gu Yunxiao's sea of consciousness at a glance. "After thinking it over these past few days, I've decided to leave some safeguards on her."
"If she behaves herself, not only will she be unharmed, but she can also gradually stabilize this wisp of her remnant soul and no longer remain asleep all the time."
"If she harbors any ulterior motives, death will be her only fate."
Before you continue