Gu Yuena rested her face comfortably on her left hand, a faint, mysterious and satisfied smile on her lips. Her mesmerizing amethyst eyes stared straight at Xiao Yan, who was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, his mind in turmoil.
"You are..."
"Don't bother asking how I know. I wouldn't tell you anyway."
Xiao Yan had paced around the cramped room several times before he spoke, perhaps having suddenly found something to ask. But before he could voice his question, the smiling Gu Yuena interrupted him. His thoughts, which had finally found the slightest way forward, fell into disarray again.
"Xiao Yan, since she knows about the awakening of your third Martial Soul, that means..." Yan Xiao, too, sensed that something was wrong and spoke up in warning.
That means either she's a high-ranking powerhouse with hands and eyes that reach the heavens, whose power and connections are extensive enough to cross layer upon layer of barriers and see what happened in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, or she was there in person. Not only did she evade my soul perception, even Dugu Bo, a Titled Douluo, couldn't sense her presence. Whichever it is, this woman has disguised herself through layer upon layer to take her present appearance. She must be after my third Martial Soul. Xiao Yan weighed the possibilities inwardly. Outwardly, however, he naturally maintained a pose of half-genuine agitation, using the image of a sheltered youth to disarm and deal with this powerhouse of unknown origins.
"Pfft... I suppose I'd better give you a brief explanation." Seeing Xiao Yan slump into his seat and tousle his hair as though he had burned himself out, Gu Yuena couldn't help laughing. She stood and elegantly snapped the fingers of her right hand. A pair of silver dragon wings grew from her back, their individual scales sharp as blades and flashing with a dangerously cold gleam. Matching silver scales promptly covered most of Gu Yuena's body, like exquisite, indestructible armor. Most striking of all was the pair of gleaming silver dragon horns on her head. The horns were elegant and splendid; on closer inspection, seven colors seemed to flow through their scales. They seemed to be more than a dragon's organs-they were a dragon's crown, the finest symbol of this King of Silver Dragons' supreme status.
"Allow me to introduce myself again. I am the former ruler of the Divine Dragon Realm, the Dragon God's other half, the sovereign of this world's Soul Beasts, the King of Silver Dragons. Of course, you may continue to call me Gu Yuena. Now that I walk the human world in this form, I must naturally follow human rules."
"I'm sorry, but I cannot join your human organization."
Gu Yuena sighed, though there wasn't the slightest trace of apology in her voice. Of course, Xiao Yan wouldn't think she was truly sorry about such a thing. At most, she regretted losing a means of helping Xiao Yan achieve his goal and then using the favor to seek repayment.
"There are many restrictions here, so naturally this place cannot support either of us revealing our true forms. But I can see that the dragon bloodline within you is hardly inferior to mine. Even though the person before you is not my true form, you should still be able to sense it across the distance. My hidden injuries have yet to fully heal, and I'm afraid that, as I am now, I may not be a match for the supreme human powerhouse behind you. So there's no need to be too wary of me. I followed the power of your bloodline to find you because I do indeed have a request. I also hope you can believe that, on this barren planet, I alone am qualified to speak with you as an equal."
Gu Yuena spoke softly, her voice still as melodious as a clear spring, even carrying a hint of an attack on the mind. An ordinary man would probably have obeyed her every word by now. But Xiao Yan's soul power was so formidable that he likely had few rivals in this world, and so his mind remained clear throughout. He nodded, indicating that he largely agreed with Gu Yuena. Then he raised his right hand and copied her, snapping his fingers and releasing his third Martial Soul along with the full force of his Bloodline Power.
Four purple-gold Blood Essence Soul Rings circled him, bringing Xiao Yan the earth-shaking strength of a magical beast. With a mere gesture, he seemed capable of moving mountains and filling seas, his might boundless. The enormous bone wings that seemed capable of blotting out the sky and sun appeared behind him once more, and an invisible pressure swept out, as though the king of all birds had descended in person. Thick purple-gold scales layered themselves over Xiao Yan's body and limbs, their defenses likely unmatched anywhere on the Douluo Continent. But the clearest display of power was the pair of purple-gold dragon horns on Xiao Yan's head, a size larger than Gu Yuena's. Compared with the elegance and nobility of her horns, Xiao Yan's were far more rugged, yet the Dragon Qi within them was unmatched, as though proclaiming to the world that dragon kings numbered in the tens of thousands, but there was only one true Dragon Emperor.
"Just as I thought..." Gu Yuena gazed at him in a daze. With Xiao Yan's Dragon-Phoenix Bloodline fully revealed, she could naturally sense what kind of bloodline the man before her possessed.
"...You aren't from this world, are you?"
Seeing Xiao Yan's startled expression, Gu Yuena couldn't be bothered to wonder whether it was genuine. She continued, "On Douluo Star, or even among all the lower planes of the present Douluo God Realm, I have never seen a dragon bloodline as strange and powerful as yours. I'm afraid that even the Dragon God at his peak could not have surpassed you by much in terms of bloodline."
Gu Yuena looked at Xiao Yan as though she could see past his body and straight to the source of his bloodline. "Your bloodline doesn't seem to be solely that of a dragon. There's a great deal of avian blood mixed into it. This presence... the king of all birds, a phoenix with an exceptionally noble bloodline? This is truly astonishing. Since ancient times, the union of two noble bloodlines has not necessarily produced a nobler one. The opposite is often true: mixing two noble bloodlines only makes them impure, ultimately tainting their purity and strength. Yet the dragon bloodline in you has not become impure through the addition of that phoenix bloodline. Instead, it has evolved and grown even stronger..."
"I suspect it's because the source of this bloodline may have come from two ancient divine beasts fighting to the death. Even after the two bloodlines fused, they continued to fight within the body. That both saved the bloodline from becoming impure and tempered it day and night, keeping it strong," Yan Xiao speculated on the basis of his existing memories. Unfortunately, Gu Yuena couldn't hear him, and the two missed their chance to discuss it.
"The source of my bloodline is called the Ancient Void Dragon Phoenix. It is the crystallization of the bloodlines of an Ancient Void Dragon, a dragon-type magical beast of supreme strength and purity, and an Ancient Heavenly Phoenix, another supreme magical beast, after they fought to the death. It is indeed incredibly powerful, but I don't know how this bloodline could help you."
Xiao Yan coughed lightly and explained, finally drawing Gu Yuena's thoughts back from the academic realm. Her pretty face reddened as she realized she had lost her composure. She rubbed her cheeks, then continued:
"I used every bit of power I could muster to investigate you, Xiao Yan. I know you are full of mysteries, and I'm probably the only person who knows you're from another world. As I just said, your bloodline does not come from the former Divine Dragon Realm or any of its lower planes, so you must come from a more distant and powerful world. Cooperate with me. I'm sure you've already realized that if my hidden injuries are healed, I can not only become the most powerful being in this world, but also use the element of space to find the coordinates of your world. I also have a way to rapidly increase your strength. I can help you return to your world as quickly as possible."
"And my price is not high."
"You want my blood, don't you?"
Xiao Yan's thoughts raced like lightning, and he already knew why the Silver Dragon King had come. He knew perfectly well how powerful his bloodline was. His powerful dragon bloodline could probably not only help Gu Yuena recover from her injuries faster, but also allow her bloodline to evolve to a higher level and take her strength a step further. Thinking of it this way, he really had gambled correctly when he sent his blood essence to his junior sister.
"Miss Silver Dragon, if I'm not mistaken, since you are only one half of the Dragon God, that supreme Dragon God must have met with some calamity and been forced to split apart, right?"
"My teacher once told me about the Divine Realm, so I've heard a little about it. That's how I know that what you call the 'Divine Dragon Realm' is now called the Divine Realm. Let alone dragons becoming gods, I doubt there's even a single beast god there. That gives one much to ponder..."
"If the Divine Realm once belonged to you dragons, to you, the 'Dragon God,' yet now belongs to us humans..."
"If I helped you, wouldn't I become a sinner to humanity when you fought your way back into the Divine Realm?"
Gu Yuena had clearly never expected Xiao Yan to reject her for such a reason. As she saw it, she could raise Xiao Yan to the level needed to return to his world within a few years, while the dragon bloodline essence she obtained from him could help her return to her peak and even climb higher. In the end, she would be able to slaughter all the humans of this world and use Douluo Star as her base to counterattack the Divine Realm. And Xiao Yan, the strongest human in this world and the only person she had no confidence in defeating, would by then have been sent back to his own world by her. No one would be left to stop her. Yet such a win-win and seemingly flawless plan had been rejected for a reason like this. Gu Yuena could not understand it at all.
"You aren't from this world..."
"But I'm still human, aren't I? Though I don't think humans and beasts should have to fight each other to the death. Somehow, I'm rather fond of beasts. But I'm still human, and the humans of this world are still my own kind. Besides, there are many people I care about. I'm afraid I can't use this world as a bargaining chip in a deal between you and me."
Xiao Yan spread his hands helplessly. In truth, he did need Gu Yuena's help. This King of Silver Dragons was indeed the strongest person of the time, and perhaps could even faintly touch the threshold of a Dou Sheng in the other world. Xiao Yan didn't know how to get home. Merely reaching the Dou Zun level-that of a Titled Douluo-was probably nowhere near enough. Even reaching the level of a Dou Sheng or a Dou Di might not guarantee he could find his way home. With the help of a powerhouse like Gu Yuena, his chances of returning home might greatly increase. By reason, he should cooperate with her. But to Xiao Yan, Spirit Hall in this world was his second home. His teacher, his junior sister, the brothers he had grown up with, the two Douluo Ghost and Chrysanthemum, and even that old poison Dugu Bo were all his family. He could not abandon their safety in exchange for the right to return to the other world. By feeling, he could not make such a choice.
"Miss Silver Dragon King, I'll walk my own path. I can return to my world without relying on your power. As for using the lives of this world's humans as bargaining chips, that is something I, Xiao Yan, cannot do. If this is the deal you came to discuss, I won't see you out. Please?"
Xiao Yan gestured toward the door, clearly unwilling to continue the discussion. But Gu Yuena sat back down. Clearly, a setback like this could not stand in the way of the Soul Beast King's ambition. Since she had chosen to come alone, she had never intended to leave empty-handed.
Gu Yuena lowered her head and rested her chin on her hand. After pondering for a long time, she asked, "Then what are your conditions?"
Xiao Yan clearly hadn't expected Gu Yuena to want to continue negotiating. Judging by her tone, she plainly intended to make concessions, and that shocked him. He had still underestimated the resolve and skill of this dragon sovereign.
After hearing her, Xiao Yan consulted Yan Xiao for a moment before finally replying, "First, I want you to swear a bloodline oath to me. No matter how badly the conflict between Soul Beasts and humans deteriorates, you must never make a move against humans for twenty thousand years."
"Very well. I agree."
Gu Yuena agreed to Xiao Yan's request without the slightest difficulty. Both of them knew perfectly well that a mere oath could not restrain this king, who was comparable to a god. Even a backlash from her bloodline could not stop her ambition to return to the Divine Realm. Xiao Yan had never expected this so-called bloodline oath to place any real restriction on Gu Yuena either. The real restraint would depend on his own methods. He merely wanted to put the terms of their deal down in black and white first, so that if Gu Yuena later had any thought of defying it, he would be justified in preparing something to give this "ally" a headache. Of course, that was all in the future. If Gu Yuena intended to honor the agreement all along, he would be happy to spare himself the trouble.
Having examined her with his soul power, Xiao Yan already knew clearly that even without his help, the Silver Dragon King's injuries would heal on their own after twenty thousand years. So he would rather win those twenty thousand years for humanity. As for whether humans would have the strength to resist the Silver Dragon King after that, it was not his concern.
"Second, if I or those close to me need Hundred Thousand Year Soul Rings, you must not refuse. Of course, I won't make things difficult for you. I'll only ask you for the Soul Rings of Sea Soul Beasts. Since that group of Soul Beasts worships the Sea God and pays no heed to you, the Soul Beast Co-Ruler, I'd be helping you punish rebels. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"
A vein bulged on Gu Yuena's forehead. This Xiao Yan was actually discussing hunting Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts right in front of her, the Soul Beast Co-Ruler. Did he have no regard for her at all? But what he said was true. The Sea Soul Beasts all followed the Sea God's lead. Though they were an immensely powerful branch of the Soul Beast Clan, they took the Sea God, a human deity, as their master. After she, the Soul Beast Co-Ruler, had been gravely injured and fallen into the Star Dou Great Forest, they hadn't even sent a word of concern. Though they hadn't openly rebelled, they still needed a warning. No matter how powerful a Soul Beast race is, if it cannot be of use to me, it is useless. With that thought, Gu Yuena agreed to Xiao Yan's demand.
"Third, Miss Gu Yuena."
"Perhaps one day in the future, I'll need you to make a move."
"I hope you won't refuse me then, Miss Gu Yuena."