Douluo Continent: Simulating Douluo Dalu III: The Legend of the Dragon King, Targeting Tang San at Every Turn

But now everyone was covered in a layer of golden armor. Each of them looked heroic and valiant, an impressive sight indeed.

"There, that's the skill," Gong Niuniu said slowly. "That Light White Tiger Soul Ring gave me a skill something like a protective barrier. After assimilation by my Martial Soul, it became a group defense skill, so I can provide everyone with a suit of armor that increases each person's defense by thirty percent."

Gong Yu rubbed his chin in thought, then slowly said, "All of us know how to attack, but there really wasn't anyone who could provide defense. Your defensive skill has taken care of that worry for everyone."

The women all nodded. They usually only knew how to fight and really didn't understand defense. Although offense was the best defense, at the end of the day, offense couldn't replace defense.

The reason they never defended whenever they went into battle was that their opponents had always been weaker than them. Once the fight was over, that was that. But if they encountered someone stronger, that might not be the case.

There was nothing to explain about Gong Miaomiao's Soul Skill, so everyone began chatting about their own topics.

Gong Yu looked back at Gong Qianqian, who was still sitting in meditation. He had no idea when she would wake up. It was hard to predict how long Deep Meditation would last: some people woke after a few hours, some after a day or two, some after three or four days, and some could even last seven days.

Most of those cases, however, occurred when someone entered Deep Meditation for the first time. This wasn't Gong Qianqian's first time, so it was hard to say what would happen.

The meal soon came to an end. After everyone spent some time digesting, Gong Yu told them to go meditate on their own, while he stayed behind alone to watch over Gong Qianqian.

The night passed in a hurry.

As soon as the first hint of fish-belly white appeared on the horizon, Gong Yu began cultivating the Purple Demon Eye. Of the Tang Sect's arts, this eye-training method was about the only one that was passable. As for the Tang Sect's other ultimate techniques, Gong Yu had rarely practiced them after learning the basics.

The girls were the same. They had grown accustomed to getting up early to cultivate the Purple Demon Eye, so after Gong Yu began cultivating, they followed suit one after another.

The Purple Demon Eye could only be cultivated effectively for an hour or two in the morning. Once that time passed and the purple Qi coming from the east subsided, there was little point in continuing, unless one had heavenly and earthly treasures that increased spiritual power to aid cultivation.

Not long after the women gradually finished cultivating, Gong Qianqian finally woke from Deep Meditation.

"Fourth Sister must have gained a lot this time." Seeing Gong Qianqian wake up, everyone gathered around her. As usual, Gong Xue was the first to speak, though no matter how one listened to her words, they carried a sour note.

"Feeling envious and jealous, are you?" Gong Miaomiao, who was always arguing with Gong Xue, immediately needled her.

"I admit it, I'm envious. Aren't you?" Gong Xue shot back. "That was Deep Meditation. Plenty of Soul Masters spend their whole lives seeking it and never get it."

"All right, I'm envious too, actually." This time, Gong Xue had finally left Gong Miaomiao with nothing to say.

Gong Xue was delighted. This was the first time she had ever gained the upper hand in a war of words with Gong Miaomiao.

"You two, rein it in. Haven't you noticed you're not the main characters right now?" Gong Lan cut straight into the pair's bickering.

Gong Xue and Gong Miaomiao pulled faces at each other, then fell silent. Eldest Sister had spoken, and they had to give her at least that much face.

"Qianqian, how are you?" Gong Yu asked. "You entered Deep Meditation, and it's already the next morning."

"So it's already the next day. That means I meditated all night." Once Gong Qianqian had figured out her situation, she said, "I did gain something. After absorbing the cold crystal from the octagonal mysterious ice grass you gave me, young master, my domain evolved, but not by much."

"It's good that you gained something," Gong Yu said. "The cold crystal of the octagonal mysterious ice grass isn't very effective for you, so it couldn't bring you much benefit. But in the future, I'll take you to a place where there's something that can help you!"

"All right, young master." Gong Qianqian nodded, a hint of anticipation in her eyes. Since the young master said such a place existed, it surely did.

"Then, Lan'er, go prepare something for Qianqian to eat first. She's been hungry all night." Gong Yu looked at Gong Lan and said, "We'll stay here and continue attracting Soul Beasts!"

"All right, young master." Gong Lan nodded, then turned to prepare some food.

Gong Yu then looked at Gong Xi'er and said, "Xi'er, sorry to trouble you again!"

Gong Xi'er nodded, stepped forward, and summoned her Martial Soul. She released her First Soul Skill, sending a rose made of energy outside the poison formation.

As the delicate fragrance released by the rose drifted away on the breeze, it gradually drew in some Soul Beasts. Unfortunately, none were what Gong Yu, Gong Qianqian, or Gong Niuniu needed.

Time continued to pass, and just like that, the morning was gone.

During that time, high-age Soul Beasts had come, but none were suitable for the three of them.

Gong Yu currently needed a Soul Beast around 4,800 years old, but the age range could be extended to around 55,000 years. Gong Yu thought that as long as it didn't exceed 55,000 years, he should be able to withstand it. If he really couldn't, he could use his External Soul Bone to share the burden of the soul pressure.

As for Gong Qianqian and Gong Niuniu, their third rings were black Soul Rings just like Gong Yu's, barely over ten thousand years old. So for their fourth Soul Rings, they needed rings in the range of twenty to twenty-five thousand years.

Even after noon, they still hadn't obtained the Soul Beasts they wanted, so Gong Yu turned his attention to Dugu Bo.

He looked at Dugu Bo and asked, "Old Poison, you've spent years roaming the Sunset Forest. Have you ever come across any Soul Beasts in the forest with powerful flames or ice attributes?"

Dugu Bo was taken aback by the question and searched his memory. After a moment, he said, "I seem to remember a Three-Legged Fire Crow in the southwest of the Sunset Forest. Its flames are quite powerful, and I think it's just over twenty thousand years old. It should meet your requirements.

"As for ice-attribute Soul Beasts, they aren't common in the Sunset Forest. Even the few that are here don't meet the age requirement. If you want to hunt an ice-attribute Soul Beast, you'll have to go to the Frozen Forest in the Far North."

In this era, the Sun Moon Continent had yet to drift over and merge with the Douluo Continent. The Far North was only as large as the Frozen Forest, so the name Frozen Forest had not yet been discarded.

Gong Yu's eyes lit up. "The Three-Legged Fire Crow, also known as the Sun Bird. Legend says they're creatures that flew out of the sun, and they contain True Sun Fire, a flame no weaker than Ultimate Fire. It's a good choice. Niuniu's Soul Ring is settled."

A faint smile appeared on Gong Yu's face as he stood and looked at everyone. "I doubt we'll attract any suitable Soul Beasts, so let's go. Old Poison, lead the way. We're going to hunt that Three-Legged Fire Crow."

Chapter 92: The Blue Silver King's Call

Led by Dugu Bo, the group headed straight for the southwest of the Sunset Forest.

After walking for about an hour, Gong Yu felt a response from his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, as though something were calling him.

Gong Lan, walking to Gong Yu's right, also felt a faint summons, and her expression involuntarily changed.

"Lan'er, did you feel it too?" Gong Yu asked, noticing that something was off about her expression.

Gong Lan nodded. "Yes. I felt a sense of familiarity. No, to be precise, my Martial Soul felt it."

Gong Yu smiled faintly. "It seems the Blue Silver King is calling us."

Gong Yu then turned to the others. "We need to go somewhere first. I think my Soul Ring may have come looking for me of its own accord."

With the Blue Silver King calling him, Gong Yu wouldn't mind having an additional Blue Silver King Soul Ring if it was possible.

Blue Silver Grass was mostly wood-attribute, though some followed the path of life, like Ah Yin. A life-attribute Soul Ring would naturally be best, but he could accept a wood-attribute one too. He was collecting attributes anyway.

If his Golden Dragon King bloodline could gather all the attributes of the Nine Great Dragon Kings, he wondered whether it could create a new Dragon God.

As for creating a Dragon God Bloodline with the Silver Dragon King, as he had discussed with her, who knew how long that would take? What if she couldn't conceive?

So Gong Yu thought that if he could become the Dragon God himself, he naturally wouldn't consider leaving the role to a descendant.

No one objected to what Gong Yu said, so he led everyone in the direction of the summons.

After walking for what he estimated to be an hour, they arrived at a small grove where beasts were rarely seen.

The grove was lush and green, filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers. The trees grew densely, and fragile Blue Silver Grass could be seen everywhere beneath them.

Gong Lan was delighted to be there. It was as though she had returned home.

"Young master, the summons came from this grove," Gong Lan said softly to Gong Yu, unable to hide the joy on her face.

Gong Yu nodded. "Lan'er, use Blue Silver Perspective to see what's in the grove."

"All right, young master!" After answering, Gong Lan sat down cross-legged and began using Blue Silver Perspective.

The so-called Blue Silver Perspective was actually the embryonic form of her Blue Silver Domain; it simply had yet to evolve into a true Blue Silver Domain.

A moment later, Gong Lan stood and said, "Young master, there's no danger in the grove. There are very few Soul Beasts, and most of those are flying birds ten or a hundred years old. They aren't very aggressive and generally nest in the grove."

"All right, let's go in!" Gong Yu first spoke to Gong Lan, then looked back at the others. "All of you wait here. We won't be in any danger inside!"

"Really? No danger? I don't believe it. I'm coming with you," Gong Xue said skeptically. This was the Sunset Forest, after all, and she refused to believe there was no danger in the grove.

The other girls had the same attitude and thoughts as Gong Xue.

"There really isn't any danger!" Gong Yu gave a rueful smile and explained, "This is the Blue Silver Grass Clan's territory. A Blue Silver King is calling Lan'er and me. There really isn't any danger. Besides, if there is danger, I can just unleash my Domain of Fire and burn this little grove to the ground in one blaze."

Gong Lan also spoke up. "There really isn't any danger, so don't worry! We're only going in to see the Blue Silver King. It would be worse if too many people went, so just wait here. There really isn't any danger! Besides, if there is danger, too many people would only be a burden."

After listening to Gong Lan, they thought she had a point, so none of them insisted on going in together anymore.

Gong Yu turned to Bi Ji and Dugu Bo. "Sister Bi Ji, Old Poison, sorry to trouble you with protecting them. Lan'er and I will be right back!"

Bi Ji nodded and said with concern, "Go on, but be careful!"

Dugu Bo also said, "Don't worry. Leave their safety to me."

Gong Yu and Gong Lan then headed deeper into the grove together.

After walking for about ten minutes, they spotted a large tree covered in vines.

The tree appeared to be quite old, and it looked somewhat different from the others. The tree before them seemed more like it had been made from a single vine.

On its trunk was a pattern of wrinkles shaped like an old man's face, remarkably lifelike, complete with a beard, mouth, nose, eyes, and eyebrows formed from a few roots hanging straight down. Its eyes, however, were tightly shut.

"You're here!" Seemingly sensing Gong Yu and Gong Lan approaching, the old tree immediately conjured the image of an elderly man in an energy form before them.

"Are you the Blue Silver King?" Gong Yu asked, looking at the old man's energy form. "Were you the one who summoned us?"

The old man slowly nodded and raised a hand to stroke his beard. Looking first at Gong Lan, he said calmly, "Yes. I sensed your presences. This young lady carries the presence of our clan's sovereign, so I imagine she must have the royal bloodline of our Blue Silver Grass Clan."

He then looked at Gong Yu and said, "As for you, you seem to carry a presence even stronger than the royal bloodline. If I'm not mistaken, that should be the presence of a deity.

"Your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul should only be ordinary Blue Silver Grass, but because it has been imbued with a deity's presence, it has become even stronger than the royal bloodline of the Blue Silver Grass Clan."

Gong Yu nodded without denying it. His Blue Silver Grass really was ordinary, but because he had fused with the Golden Dragon King bloodline, his Blue Silver Grass had mutated as well.

"Then why did you summon us here?" Gong Yu asked.

The old man said, "I sensed the presence of our clan's sovereign on the young lady, so naturally I had to meet her. I sent out the summons to see if she needed any help."

"So I was just an afterthought?" Gong Yu smiled awkwardly. "She doesn't need any help for the moment. She hasn't reached level fifty yet, so she doesn't need to awaken her Innate Soul Ring. I could use some help, though. Since you summoned me here too, surely you can't let me leave empty-handed?"

The old man smiled kindly. "Naturally, I won't let you leave empty-handed. After all, your Blue Silver Grass has been imbued with divinity. In the future, it may reach heights our clan has never attained.

"So, on behalf of the clan, I am willing to give you a gift. I only hope that if you truly reach that point in the future, you will offer our clan your protection."

"Protection won't be a problem." Gong Yu nodded, thinking he would get the gift first and talk later.

As for protection and the like, he was really only saying it. Look at Ah Yin: after she became a god, when had she ever protected her so-called clan? Hadn't she simply left the Blue Silver Grass Clan to fend for itself? Besides, being left to live and die on their own was the way of survival suited to grasses.

Chapter 93: Blue Silver Domain

After Gong Yu agreed, the old man nodded. In truth, though, he had only mentioned it casually. When it came to actually protecting the clan, he didn't place much hope in a human.

Glancing at Gong Lan beside him, the old man said to Gong Yu, "I see that the young lady's Blue Silver Domain has already developed an embryonic form. In that case, I'll help her first."

With that, the old man raised his right hand. In an instant, countless branches and vines stretched out from the great tree behind him, slowly reaching Gong Lan's feet and forming a vortex of vines, with Gong Lan at its center.

The vortex slowly expanded until it reached a radius of about five meters, then stopped. The vines began to glow like glow sticks, and the ends connected to the tree all trembled.

Puff, puff, puff...

After trembling, the glowing vines broke off one after another, and the entire vortex began to shine with a powerful green light.

Gong Lan's Martial Soul emerged of its own accord and trembled. The green light was then absorbed into her Martial Soul at a speed visible to the naked eye.

About five minutes later, every last bit of green light had been absorbed. Gong Lan then shuddered unconsciously.

The surrounding air buzzed and quivered twice. An invisible presence spread out from Gong Lan, forming a domain that belonged to her alone.

Within her personal domain, she was plainly right in front of them, yet it was as if she had vanished. Her presence seemed to have become that of the Blue Silver Grass on the ground.

Gong Lan withdrew her domain and walked over, smiling as she said to Gong Yu, "Young master, I've successfully awakened my domain."

Gong Yu nodded. He had seen everything that had happened. He then asked, "What skills did that domain give you?"

Gong Lan said, "Mainly concealment: disguising the colors of my Soul Rings and concealing my presence. In a forest, I can even hide using the presence of the flowers, grass, and trees. It can also be combined with my Soul Skills. For example, it can form a group Entanglement with my First Soul Skill, or combine with my fourth Soul Skill to produce a wide-area thrust."

"Very good." Gong Yu nodded. "If you used this skill in an arena, you could bring all your enemies under control in less than a minute. On a battlefield, one wide-area thrust from you would kill a huge swath of enemies outright."

"I'm glad you think it's good, young master." Gong Lan smiled faintly, then looked at the old man. "Is it my young master's turn now?"

The old man smiled kindly and nodded. "Of course. We intended to give him a gift in any case. Come, then. Please release your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul."

The old man looked at Gong Yu, who nodded. With a thought, golden Blue Silver vines as thick as an arm instantly extended from his right hand, spreading like snakes.

Once Gong Yu's golden vines stopped spreading, the old man smiled faintly and raised his hand again. The great tree behind him extended a vine and gently tapped the ground at Gong Yu's feet.

It was as though they heard the sound of a drop of water falling onto a still lake. Then a speck of glowing green light appeared where the vine had tapped the ground at Gong Yu's feet.

The green light suddenly trembled. After that tremor, a transparent circular ripple spread through the air, centered on the point of green light.

The circular ripple grew larger and larger, stopping only when it was about the same size as a Soul Ring condensed after a Soul Beast's death.

At that moment, the old man raised his hand once more, but this time he pointed to the sky and called out, "Come, my subjects, offer up your strength, even if it's only a little! Let us create a god, a god for our Blue Silver Clan!"

Hearing the old man, the corner of Gong Yu's mouth twitched. He felt that the Blue Silver King was a little out of touch. Did he have no fucking idea what he was? Creating a god, indeed. He'd better watch out, or a bolt of lightning might fall from the sky and blast him to pieces!

As the old man's voice faded, a speck of light appeared on every Blue Silver Grass plant in the entire grove. The lights varied in size. They slowly detached from the leaves and gathered toward the old man's fingertip, creating a truly spectacular sight.

As more and more lights gathered, a huge ball of light formed at the old man's fingertip.

The bright ball radiated a soft glow. If someone saw it at night, they would surely mistake it for a moon.

The old man then pointed at the transparent circular ripple beneath Gong Yu's feet. The ball of light slowly descended into it and gradually fused with the ripple.

Gong Yu watched it all closely, committing every detail and even every sensation he experienced firmly to memory. This was a method of condensing a Soul Ring out of thin air; it might well prove useful in the near future.