Elsewhere.
The Star Dou Great Forest.
Once a paradise for soul beasts, it had now become their cage.
In ages so distant that no one knew when they began, the emergence of the extraordinary profession of Soul Master on the Douluo Plane had planted the seeds of conflict between humans and soul beasts-an enmity that would endure for all eternity.
In ancient times, tens of thousands of years ago, human technology and extraordinary professions were still quite primitive. With their innately powerful bodies, soul beasts had always held an overwhelming advantage in their struggles against humans. Yet as human civilization rose and the extraordinary profession of Soul Master continued to advance, giving rise to branches such as Soul Engineer, the struggle between humans and soul beasts gradually reached a stalemate.
Ten thousand years ago, Spirit Ice Douluo, a mighty figure of his generation, created the Soul Spirit Method. His original intention had been to promote peaceful coexistence between humans and soul beasts, but he had failed to see the greed inherent in human nature. Soul beasts were numerous, but Soul Masters were even more numerous. Every year, countless Soul Masters needed soul rings to break through their current bottlenecks. Yet how many years did a soul beast need to reach the point where it was nearing the end of its natural life and willing to become a soul spirit?
There simply were not enough to go around!
Humans flourished; soul beasts declined.
Three thousand years ago, the ever-mounting hatred between humans and soul beasts finally erupted into all-out conflict. It ended, for the time being, with the defeat of the Star Dou Great Forest. Once brimming with life and the untamed splendor of a primeval forest, it now occupied less than one percent of its former area. With authorization from the Federation, the Spirit Pagoda had erected impregnable walls around the Star Dou Great Forest, while a translucent energy barrier covered the sky.
Had humans not been divided among themselves, with no organization willing to let its own powerhouses bear the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King's dying counterattack, the Star Dou Great Forest would have long since become history.
At least, that was how humans saw it.
The heart of the Star Dou Great Forest.
The Lake of Life.
A cool female voice, tinged with a trace of childishness, rang out.
"Come here."
Di Tian, the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King waiting outside, immediately approached the shore of the Lake of Life. Yet when his gaze fell upon the two girls beside the lake, an almost imperceptible flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
My sovereign... had become two?
Two girls stood beside the lake, both wearing white short-sleeved shirts and long trousers, yet their appearances and bearing were worlds apart.
One had black hair and black eyes. Her smooth, dark hair reached her waist, and her clear, bright eyes resembled a tranquil pool, reflecting the Lake of Life, which looked as though it might dry up at any moment. The light of wisdom danced within those eyes, and countless thoughts occupied the girl's mind.
Her delicate little face had yet to mature, but her bearing was even more captivating. Despite her small stature, she seemed like a majestic sovereign who could not be profaned, with a faint air of transcendence that seemed not to belong to this world.
She commanded awe without anger.
The other looked like a sprite blessed with all the favor of heaven and earth. Her shoulder-length silver hair seemed woven from flowing light, and her limpid silver eyes resembled crystal steeped in a river of stars. Her long lashes curled naturally upward, and she looked like an exquisitely sculpted porcelain doll into which the Creator had poured every ounce of care.
Her delicate beauty and sweetness were dreamlike. Even when she tried her hardest to appear imposing, she only looked adorably fierce.
"My sovereign." Di Tian could clearly sense his sovereign's aura on both girls. After a moment of bewilderment, he respectfully dropped to one knee before the black-haired, black-eyed girl and waited for her to speak.
"Hey!" The silver-haired, purple-eyed girl was displeased at the sight. Her pretense of majesty crumbled in an instant, and she pouted unhappily. "Can't you see there's another one here?!"
"Na'er." Gu Yue, the black-haired, black-eyed girl, gazed calmly at Na'er beside her. Like a daughter confronted by her stern mother, the little girl with the beauty of a sprite immediately turned her face away guiltily and looked up at the sky, pretending to study it intently.
Gu Yue looked at Di Tian, her cool voice ringing through the space. "Having considered the information you reported earlier, Di Tian, I now understand the current situation."
"Humans have gone too far in oppressing our Soul Beast Clan!"
"Of course we must avenge this grudge," Gu Yue said, "but our ultimate goal should be to establish a Divine Realm of our own for the Soul Beast Clan."
"Though my injuries have healed, I have lost a tremendous amount of power. I have less than one percent of the strength I possessed at my peak. Never mind establishing a Divine Realm-even breaking the law that prevents soul beasts from becoming gods is beyond me now."
"I have been useless." Di Tian lowered his head.
Gu Yue shook her head gently. "This is not your fault."
"It is those rebellious subjects in the Divine Realm who have pushed us too far!"
"But this is an excellent opportunity. The Divine Realm has disappeared. Several thousand years ago, I sensed immensely powerful fluctuations of space and time from the universe. A spacetime turbulence must have swept the Divine Realm away."
The light of wisdom shone in Gu Yue's eyes. "Our foremost priority now should be restoring my strength."
"With the Divine Realm gone, I could reveal my true form and use overwhelming power to forcibly plunder life energy from numerous planes to restore myself."
"But..." A trace of helplessness flashed through Gu Yue's eyes. "That course of action would be somewhat dangerous."
"Why?" Di Tian was puzzled.
With the Divine Realm gone, the Silver Dragon King, who possessed god-level strength, was utterly invincible.
"Because I suspect this is a trap," Gu Yue said.
"Several thousand years ago, I sensed the Golden Dragon King's aura vanish completely. He had been sealed in the Divine Realm. The only possibility is that those despicable human gods killed him."
"Yet just a few years ago, I actually sensed the Golden Dragon King's origin on the Douluo Plane!"
"Di Tian." Gu Yue's clear black eyes rested on her loyal subject.
"Tell me, after the Golden Dragon King was killed, his origin should have fallen into the hands of those human gods. So why have I now sensed his origin appearing on the Douluo Plane?"
Di Tian fell silent.
A bold conjecture emerged in his mind. "Those hateful human gods detected your aura, my sovereign?"
Gu Yue nodded gently, then shook her head. "I do not know either."
"The Golden Dragon King's origin appearing on the Douluo Plane might be an accident, or it might be bait meant to lure me out. Human gods might also be lurking in the shadows."
"But whatever the case, I will never give up on the Golden Dragon King's origin."
Only with the Dragon God's return could the Dragon Clan truly experience a renaissance.
To the Golden and Silver Dragon Kings, the other's origin was a temptation greater than anything else.
"I am willing to pledge my life on this mission."
Di Tian's face was filled with stern
solemnity. As the child of the Light Dragon King and the Dark Dragon King, and the former captain of the Dragon God's Personal Guard, he understood all too well what the Dragon God meant to the entire Dragon Clan. "Even if I must stake my life, I will seize Lord Golden Dragon King's origin for you, my sovereign."
Gu Yue shook her head gently.
"I intend to act personally."
"My sovereign!" Di Tian grew anxious.
"Say no more," Gu Yue said. Once she had made a decision, she would not change it. "If the Golden Dragon King's origin ending up on the Douluo Plane was merely an accident, that would naturally be excellent. But if this is bait laid out by human gods, you, who lack even divine consciousness, would merely add a few more dishes to their dinner-even if you brought every ferocious beast with you."
Di Tian fell silent.
"This is one of the reasons I assumed human form," Gu Yue said.
"To infiltrate the human world and reclaim the Golden Dragon King's origin."
"The second is to take control of the human world. I can sense another, more powerful world beyond the Douluo Plane attempting to invade it."
"With the Dragon Realm as our foundation, absorbing the Douluo Plane and the other world invading it would be enough to establish the embryonic form of a Divine Realm belonging to our Dragon Clan."
"A wise plan, my sovereign." Di Tian was impressed.
"Then..." Di Tian looked at the silver-haired, silver-eyed Na'er beside her. "Who is this?"
"Hmph!" Na'er planted both hands on her hips, a stray tuft of silver hair swaying gently atop her head. Her attempt at an imposing pose looked particularly adorable. Imitating Gu Yue's tone and manner of speech, she declared, "Address me as Queen Na'er!"
"Bonk!"
Na'er took a knock right on her fair forehead.
"Do not imitate the way I speak." Gu Yue looked at her other self with some helplessness.
"What was that for?" Na'er raised her adorable face, covering her freshly knocked forehead with both little hands. She pouted unhappily. "We're both the Silver Dragon King."
Yet under Gu Yue's calm gaze, Na'er's bravado dwindled guiltily.
"She is my other side," Gu Yue explained. "She is me without my draconic nature, but she inherited thirty percent of my origin, along with the Silver Dragon Spear."
"Human factions are as tangled as roots and branches. Controlling only one faction would make it difficult to control all of human society, so I intend to approach this from two directions. The underlying reason, however, is that I previously sensed the aura of pure Netherworld laws, mingled with a faint, elusive trace of divinity."
"The Netherworld?" Di Tian was puzzled. As the son of First-Generation Dragon Kings, he was knowledgeable enough to know what sort of place it was. "A hundred years ago, I heard that a very powerful Evil Soul Master had appeared among the humans, calling himself Pluto Douluo. He might have some connection to the Netherworld."
"Hah." A trace of dismissive contempt flashed through Gu Yue's eyes. "A mere mortal dares to call himself the King of the Netherworld."
After all, the King of the Netherworld was an existence on the same level as a God King.
Gu Yue shook her head gently. "That little insect has, at most, brushed against a little of the Netherworld's aura."
"But the aura of Netherworld laws I sensed was exceptionally pure. Those are the laws of life and death, of reincarnation-a part of the universe's origin, something even many powerful gods struggle to touch. They are certainly not something a mortal could reach. The aura bears some resemblance to that of the King of the Netherworld recorded in the knowledge and memories the Dragon God passed down to me, yet there are also many differences."
"The King of the Netherworld!" Di Tian's expression changed drastically.
"But wasn't he already killed by His Majesty the Dragon God?"
The Netherworld and the Divine Realm had always stood opposed. With different stances and aims, they were natural mortal enemies. According to legend, the Netherworld was part of the universe's workings, maintaining its cycle through life, death, and reincarnation. Yet the existence of gods broke that cycle. Immortal as they were, they no longer entered the cycle of life and death, and as powerful individuals, they could potentially damage the universe's growth. It was like a group of unrestrained individuals suddenly appearing in an orderly nation.
The war between the Netherworld and the Divine Dragon Realm-the Divine Realm that preceded the Douluo God Realm-had ultimately ended in the Divine Dragon Realm's victory, with the Dragon God killing the King of the Netherworld.