"Y-you, who are you calling small fry?"
"You."
Black Gu Yuena turned her head away, her lips curling slightly.
"Small fry who can't even heal her own injuries, yet keeps touching me all over. Aren't you annoying?"
Gu Yuena froze in place, three huge black question marks seeming to pop up above her head. Her expression nearly made the Emperor Auspicious Beast beside her laugh aloud, and she hurriedly covered her mouth with a paw.
"Wh-why is she like this?"
Gu Yuena turned to Ye Guixu, a trace of grievance in her voice.
"I'm the original! How can she talk to me like that!"
Watching Gu Yuena puff up in anger, Ye Guixu said unhurriedly, "The puppets' personalities are manifestations of your dark sides. Though she wasn't wrong about you being unable to heal your own injuries..."
"Guixu!"
Gu Yuena stamped her foot in anger, her long silver-white hair swaying gently with the motion.
"Whose side are you on!"
"You have the nerve to call him that? You small-fry original, do you think you can address my master so casually?"
Black Gu Yuena grabbed her cheeks, forcing her lips into a pout.
"The mighty Silver Dragon King, and even the way you express displeasure is like a three-year-old's, stamping your feet and acting spoiled."
"Damn it, let go!"
Gu Yuena protested indistinctly, but could not break free at all.
"Hmph, small fry will always be small fry. Even your insults sound like you're acting spoiled. Your title as sovereign of the Soul Beasts is wailing!"
Black Gu Yuena released her, then turned, walked up to Ye Guixu, and bowed slightly.
"Master, a small-fry original like this isn't worth your concern."
The five great Ferocious Beasts all stared at Black Gu Yuena in disbelief.
That domineering, piercing, confident presence truly possessed the imposing might befitting the sovereign of the Soul Beasts.
For a moment, their gazes shifted back to Gu Yuena, looking at that exquisite, expressionless, slightly adorably vacant face.
Then they thought of how she had just clung to Lord Guixu's hand like a kitten eating ice, before looking again at Black Gu Yuena's overflowing dominance and fully unleashed presence.
The same thought flashed through the minds of all five great Ferocious Beasts.
Was it time to replace their sovereign?
Ye Guixu reached out and knocked Black Gu Yuena on the head.
"I didn't expect the Silver Dragon King's dark side to have such a sharp tongue."
Black Gu Yuena trembled slightly. "Your subordinate is humbled."
Only after Ye Guixu waved his hand did Black Gu Yuena straighten up and walk over to stand beside Yan Lingji and Tide Siren.
Watching this black-haired, red-eyed dark side with her presence fully unleashed, Gu Yuena felt deeply conflicted. Why did it feel... as though she was about to be replaced?
"All right, once these Soul Beasts digest some of their power, they'll be able to survive the hundred-thousand-year lightning tribulation. After absorbing all of it, they should all easily survive the two-hundred-thousand-year lightning tribulation."
Ye Guixu glanced at the Soul Beasts still digesting their power and told Di Tian, "Di Tian, take them outside."
Di Tian lowered his head slightly. "Yes."
Then Ye Guixu dispersed the Mystic Ice Illusion Realm.
Di Tian led those Soul Beasts away from the core of the Lake of Life.
Seeing that Black Gu Yuena had not followed them out, Gu Yuena immediately crept back to Ye Guixu's side and tugged at his sleeve like a kitten cautiously testing the waters.
Ye Guixu raised his hand and stroked her head. "All right, you should focus on recovering your strength. Although the Divine Realm was swept away, it might return."
Now that he was the true master of the Star Dou Great Forest, it was time to plan out the future properly.
According to his deductions, Tang San seemed more like the Asura God's puppet.
His memories had been altered, and the contents of the "Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record" had been tampered with.
And Tang Chen had been trapped in the Eighth Trial of the Asura God Trial, unable to advance an inch. If the Asura God truly wanted someone to inherit his divine position so he could leave, why not let Tang Chen take over directly?
Instead, he insisted on a grand relay of "one generation plants the trees, and the next enjoys their shade."
What was that about his body collapsing and being unable to withstand it?
Hah, in the original story, even the dead Tang San could have the Food God and the Nine-Colored Goddess send down the light of resurrection.
Add to that Tang Hao's exploits, activating Ring Detonation and fighting his enemies for three days and nights, with even Qian Daoliu unable to stop him from leaving.
There was no doubt Tang San was a puppet.
Gu Yuena nodded obediently, letting him stroke her head, but then seemed to remember something and looked up at him.
"So I'm staying here? But... I clearly feel that my injuries heal faster when I'm with you."
She had stayed at the Lake of Life for far too long.
Although she could wear away the divine power hundreds or thousands of times faster after the Divine Realm was swept away, it still could not compare to the healing speed of Ye Guixu's Void Profound Ice.
As long as she had that profound ice, she would soon be able to heal her injuries completely.
Ye Guixu glanced down at her. "That works too. Come along."
This would also let her recover faster.
"Guixu, you're the best!"
Gu Yuena immediately rubbed against his arm like a kitten, her long silver-white hair brushing over it.
"Oh, right."
As though suddenly remembering something, she raised her head.
"You seem to have reached level 70 already. You should get a Soul Ring too. Which Soul Beast do you want to have sacrifice himself?"
Sacrifice preserved the soul, which made it a good choice.
With how terrifying Ye Guixu was, it would not take him long to become a god.
For a Soul Beast, it might only be the time it took to have a nap.
At her words, something stirred in Ye Guixu's heart.
A Soul Ring... I do need a Seventh Soul Ring.
Two consecutive sacrifices, especially that of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm-although his spiritual power had been mixed and scattered, he was still a Million-Year Soul Beast. His sacrifice had not only given Ye Guixu a great deal of spiritual power, but also an empty martial soul slot.
A Second Martial Soul... aside from the Silver Dragon King, the Soul Beast with the strongest bloodline in the Star Dou Great Forest is undoubtedly Di Tian.
The Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King is indeed a good choice.
Have Di Tian sacrifice himself... no, wait.
Something suddenly occurred to him, opening up a new line of thought.
The Mystic Ice Illusion Realm could replicate those trapped within it as puppets, and those puppets possessed exactly the same strength and abilities as their originals.
Since the Void Profound Ice could enhance even a deity like the Silver Dragon King threefold, did that mean-
The puppets could also produce Soul Rings and Soul Bones?
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
After all, the Void Profound Ice was essentially formed by fusing a tiny fraction of the Galaxy Star's power with Sauron's dark power.
It even transcended the rules of the Douluo Continent.
It could unconditionally enhance even a deity like the Silver Dragon King threefold.
If the Galaxy Star was exerting its power behind the scenes...
Then everything made sense.
He immediately took the Galaxy Star out of his Inner Space.
The instant that icy-blue orb of light appeared, the air throughout the Lake of Life's space grew heavy.
Gu Yuena's pupils abruptly contracted, and she instinctively retreated half a step, even her breathing becoming somewhat hurried.
She felt that heavy pressure.
It was a power far beyond the Dragon God's, as though the weight of the entire world had been compressed into that tiny orb of light.
"What terrifying power... Guixu, what is that?"
"The Galaxy Star."
Ye Guixu answered casually, his eyes fixed intently on the orb in his hand.
His earlier deductions had been correct.
The source of the Void Profound Ice's Mystic Ice Illusion Realm, as well as its ability to replicate puppets and enhance them threefold, was this Galaxy Star.
Since he possessed the Galaxy Star, he should naturally set his sights higher for his Second Martial Soul.
The most suitable choice was undoubtedly Sun Star God Apollo.
Even within the world of "Cosmic Star God," Apollo was an existence that utterly exceeded the limits.
Even the villain Sauron feared him. If not for the "plot-mandated defeat" involving the Void Profound Ice and the Mystic Ice Illusion Realm later on, Apollo would have been almost invulnerable.
After all, the older generation had shown no restraint when filling in his stats.
The other Cosmic Star Gods only had a handful of stars, unevenly distributed, even ranging from one to five.
Every stat on Apollo's profile was maxed out at fifteen stars, without a single weakness.
And what other hero pointed a sword at the Evil Star God the moment he awakened and shouted, "Evil Star God, how dare you!"
Then there was his later visit to Sauron's base.
He grabbed two robot soldiers by their heads and slammed them together, casually leaving them with one remark.
"A bunch of trash."
Even Sauron had been shaken by that imposing presence and grown wary.
Later, even with the plot-mandated defeat, the Mystic Ice Illusion Realm replicated a puppet Apollo with unlimited stamina and energy, as well as the ability to heal his injuries.
Yet a single Corona Light from Apollo could strike the puppet Apollo hard enough to make him leak electricity.
And despite taking two direct hits from the puppet Apollo's Corona Light, Apollo showed no sign of leaking electricity at all.
That showed just how terrifying this stat monster beyond all limits was!
"Unfortunately... while it's still sealed, the Galaxy Star probably won't respond to this request."
Ye Guixu murmured to himself.
Yet the instant his words fell-
The Galaxy Star suddenly burst into dazzling light.
Radiance like a blazing golden sun enveloped the entire space of the Lake of Life. The light condensed into a golden orb hovering in midair, then transformed into a crimson iron sphere.
A Corona Halo spouting luminous flames encircled the iron sphere, while a crimson-gold greatsword rested embedded in one side.
Then, accompanied by a series of crisp metallic clangs-
That crimson-gold figure unfolded layer by layer within the light, gradually taking solid form.
An armored body over a dozen meters tall, interwoven with crimson, white, and gold, appeared. His golden eyes shone in concert with the Eye Core on his forehead, while the golden energy core in his chest resembled the sun, emanating a majestic and sacred aura.
Behind him was a Corona Halo, and a golden Corona Sword rested on his back, searing streams of light flowing along its blade.
The Silver Dragon King and the other Ferocious Beasts stared in disbelief at this metal creation over a dozen meters tall!
What was this?
Why did it feel as though the sun had descended into the world?
Ye Guixu turned and raised his head, gazing at that familiar figure as he slowly spoke.
"Sun Star God, A-pol-lo!!!"
Before you continue