The water dragon formed from seawater seemed alive. With a roaring dragon cry, it rammed Gu Yue straight into the sky!
"What?!"
Gu Yue crossed her silver dragon claws before her chest, bracing against the water dragon, but it drove her rapidly skyward!
She frantically channeled her spatial attribute, slicing the water dragon countless times a second. Yet water had no fixed shape; every cut sealed itself immediately, without diminishing its power in the slightest.
Na'er smiled playfully, looking up at the figure flying higher and higher, and sneered, "Jailbird Yue, having fun?! Hahahaha!"
The water dragon ascended, stretching longer and longer. In an instant, it sucked up all the seawater within a dozen meters of Na'er, and its reach kept expanding.
Meanwhile,
The water dragon's body grew ever longer in the sky, carrying Gu Yue farther and farther from the ground.
Watching the ground race away beneath her while her attacks achieved absolutely nothing, Gu Yue finally panicked.
"Damn it!"
"Stop! Stop!"
Whether it was the threat of death or her fury at being offended by her inferior, Na'er,
Gu Yue's drenched body instantly underwent a complete Dragon Transformation. Silver light blazed, finally blasting the water dragon apart!
Gu Yue returned to human form, her clothes torn entirely to shreds.
But the danger had not passed.
Her body plunged in free fall from dozens of meters above the ground!
"I'm done for!"
Gu Yue desperately tried to control her body, but forcibly using her sealed power earlier had already drained all her strength.
Na'er's Tsunami Dragon Roar rivaled a Soul King's full-strength strike. Gu Yue could only watch helplessly as she hurtled toward the ground, elbow-first.
"Tch! Jailbird Yue, remember this. I'll let you off this once!"
On the ground,
Seawater surged back around Na'er. She snorted coldly and raised one hand.
The seawater rose, quickly forming a waterbed in midair that caught Gu Yue securely.
Gu Yue bounced a few times upon landing on the waterbed, dissipating the momentum of her fall.
Na'er relaxed her hand. The waterbed dispersed, and the stark-naked Gu Yue dropped into the sea from a few meters up.
"Don't bother me again, or I'll beat you to death!"
Na'er brandished her fist, then turned and left.
"Cough, cough..."
Gu Yue struggled to her feet, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.
Pain throbbed throughout her body.
Her wet hair hung down, hiding her face and the complicated look in her eyes.
Whether it was because of Na'er's strength or because Na'er had ultimately chosen to save her, she did not know. Perhaps it was both.
Gu Yue could not help shouting,
"Hey, at least give me something to wear!"
But Na'er was already far away.
At the Spirit Pagoda,
Gu Yue returned with soaking-wet hair, wearing someone else's ill-fitting clothes she had stolen from the beach.
Passing Na'er's room, Gu Yue glanced through the window.
Na'er had returned ahead of her and was already sleeping sprawled out on the bed, without a care in the world.
Gu Yue reached her own room, only to find Li Zha standing outside with both hands resting on the railing, seemingly waiting for her.
When he saw Gu Yue return,
Li Zha's eyes held a smile. "Gu Yue, what's with that outfit?"
"Ahem. It's so late. Did you need something?"
"Ah, nothing major."
"If there's nothing, I'll go back to bed..."
Gu Yue walked to her door and had just placed her hand on the handle.
Li Zha suddenly stretched.
The Lotus Body Dharma Form manifested, enveloping Gu Yue in immense pressure and making her body go rigid.
Gu Yue's eyes abruptly widened, and she could clearly hear her own heartbeat.
"I just wanted to tell you that if you dare cause trouble for Na'er again... you won't be so lucky next time."
"Na'er has been with me for three years. If anything happens to her, I guarantee whoever did it will end up worse than Guang Biao."
"Get some sleep."
Li Zha returned to his room.
Only after a long while did Gu Yue lift her head and look down the corridor Li Zha had just walked through.
"It really wasn't an illusion... Li Zha's Martial Soul really can suppress me!"
Gu Yue clutched her chest, panting heavily.
She could not imagine that anything so bizarre could exist in this world, yet it had happened right before her eyes.
"Wait, Li Zha just said Na'er has been with him for three years? Doesn't that mean she met him almost immediately after fleeing the Star Dou Forest?"
"Could it be... that Na'er's so-called power of the East Sea Dragon King was bestowed on her by Li Zha?"
A suspicion rose in Gu Yue's mind. Though she had no evidence, her instincts told her that was exactly what had happened!
"That's very likely it. In that case, Li Zha probably obtained some incredible inheritance."
"And this inheritance allows him to bestow power on others."
"Which means... Li Zha probably fell for my other self, Na'er, and gave her the power of the East Sea Dragon King."
Little did she know,
Every step of Gu Yue's reasoning was wrong, but her conclusion was entirely correct.
Gu Yue considered it carefully. "Yes, that must be it."
"That's probably why Na'er and Li Zha can perform a Martial Soul Fusion Skill."
At that thought,
A gleam flashed through Gu Yue's eyes.
"Hmph! If Na'er can obtain that power from Li Zha, why can't I?"
"If-and I'm only saying if-Li Zha fell in love with me, then he'd give me that power too..."
Gu Yue narrowed her eyes.
Power that could utterly crush the Silver Dragon King.
A standing that could even rival the Dragon God's.
With such power, reviving the Soul Beast Clan and leading the soul beasts to glory once more would be no mere dream!
"Good. Not only can I not leave now, I have to stay by Li Zha's side. I'll make him fall in love with me!"
Having settled on her strategy, Gu Yue immediately began thinking of how to break through her predicament.
"I seem to have angered Li Zha, but that's no great problem. A child just discovering love probably only fell for Na'er's looks."
"I just need to find a way to stay first. Once we spend more time together, Li Zha will naturally discover my charm."
"Stay by Li Zha's side..."
After turning it over in her mind, Gu Yue decided to focus her efforts on Li Zha's teacher, Leng Yaozhu.
She believed,
With her talent, getting chosen by Leng Yaozhu would be as easy as lifting a finger.
Then,
The three of them would live together, and she would have the chance to steal Li Zha away.
At that thought,
Gu Yue felt much more at ease.
She turned the handle and opened the door.
Leng Yaozhu had arranged a three-bedroom suite with a shared living room for her, Xie Xie, and Tang Wulin.
Gu Yue's bedroom shared a living room with Tang Wulin's and Xie Xie's.
Gu Yue entered the living room and instinctively looked toward Tang Wulin's room.
She opened his door.
Tang Wulin was sleeping peacefully.
"Mm, as long as the Golden Dragon King is still here..."
"Huh? Is the Golden Dragon King... still here?"
Gu Yue had long since discovered the Golden Dragon King's power inside Tang Wulin. She had been waiting to merge into her complete form and for Tang Wulin to grow up before killing him.
But now!
Gu Yue sensed carefully. Why did it seem that the Golden Dragon King inside Tang Wulin had disappeared?!
Gu Yue hurried into the room.
She approached Tang Wulin's bed.
Reaching out, she placed her hand on Tang Wulin's forehead. A moment later, her eyes widened.
She could not sense the Golden Dragon King.
Gu Yue backed out of the room, even retreating beyond the living room, then opened both doors again and walked up to Tang Wulin.
Then she placed her hand on Tang Wulin's forehead once more, trying to locate the Golden Dragon King anew.
Yet her senses told her there was nothing.
"What the hell?!"
"Where's the Golden Dragon King?"
"Where did my great big Golden Dragon King go?!!"
Before you continue