Douluo Continent: Simulating Douluo Dalu III: The Legend of the Dragon King, Solely to Screw Over Tang San

Just then, Gong Yu suddenly stepped out of a wormhole. When he saw Gong Lan in the bath, he was instantly embarrassed too.

"Um... I was just trying out the new skill I got. I think I thought of Lan'er while I was using it, so... forget it, I won't explain. I just missed you, Lan'er."

He didn't waste any more words. Things had already come to this, so Gong Yu made short work of his clothes, stripping them off in an instant and climbing straight into the bath.

"Perfect, I'll have a bath too." Gong Yu gave her a wicked smile, making Gong Lan blush.

"Then you'll have to be quick, young master. We already agreed to set out for the Star Dou Great Forest today. If we take too long, I'm afraid everyone will have something to say," Gong Lan said shyly.

"How long can a bath take? Why did you have to say 'be quick,' Lan'er?" Gong Yu asked, still wearing that wicked smile.

"Why do you have to play dumb and ask? You're awful!" Gong Lan said, pretending to sulk.

Seemingly feeling something, Gong Yu drew a sharp breath, then grinned. "All right, let's make it quick!"

It really was quite quick. This time, they finished bathing in just an hour, and by the time they were done, the hazy sky had only just brightened.

Gong Yu got dressed, feeling refreshed. After stepping out of the bath, he summoned the wormhole again with a thought, then stepped through it and returned directly to his room.

"It looks like the first ability the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's bead gave me is spatial: it creates wormholes for spatial teleportation. I just don't know how far they can teleport me. I'll have to find time to test it."

"But there should be other abilities too. Let's try again."

As he murmured to himself, several shadows seemed to spread out from his figure the next instant, then overlap again. He had moved to the door of the room, but nothing around him had changed.

"What kind of ability is this?" Gong Yu was puzzled, but something seemed to come back to him at once. "Wait, walking normally from the bedside to the door should take at least two seconds, but the second hand on that wall clock didn't move just now.

"I slowed time by two seconds. This is a time skill. I just don't know whether those two seconds of slowdown were limited to my room or covered a much larger area."

Gong Yu didn't dare imagine slowing time across the entire Douluo Continent by two seconds; he wasn't capable of it. But he believed he could slow time within the confines of the entire room.

"Forget it, I won't dwell on it. In any case, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's bead gave me the two abilities I wanted. As for the other abilities, I already have them, so there's no need to test them again."

Gong Yu's First Soul Ring had given him the lightning attribute, and later, his External Soul Bone, the Wind and Thunder Wings, had given him the wind and lightning attributes. The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's Soul Ring had given him the darkness attribute, so he had long since acquired all three.

The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's bead contained six attributes: evil, darkness, lightning, wind, time, and space. The evil attribute had been directly neutralized by the Break Evil Dragon's will, leaving only the time and space attributes for Gong Yu.

After fully refining the bead, Gong Yu naturally gained the time and space attributes as well.

Chapter 120: Innate Soul Ring (Part 1)

Gong Yu and Gong Lan moved swiftly through the forest.

The threatening presence of the Soul Beasts in the forest had noticeably faded, as though the Soul Beasts hidden within had suddenly cleared a path for the two of them.

Wherever they passed, the Blue Silver Grass on the ground seemed to call out excitedly, swaying gently in rhythm as though dancing joyfully to welcome them.

The plants here all looked ancient, as though they had lived through countless years.

Towering trees that seemed to reach the sky stood everywhere. Even sunlight had difficulty reaching the ground through the dense vegetation.

Along the way, the two encountered no obstruction from a single Soul Beast and advanced with ease.

After running swiftly for about half an hour, Gong Lan felt the spiritual force connected to her grow exceptionally clear.

"My emperor, I am here." The spiritual call sounded as though it had come from right beside her, making Gong Lan pause.

After passing between two ancient trees, each so thick that it would take several people joining hands to encircle it, Gong Yu stirred his spiritual force and locked onto a plant ahead.

Although the call was meant for Gong Lan, Gong Yu could clearly sense that the spiritual call to her was coming from this very plant.

Slender vines climbed upward, twisting together until they reached some ten meters into the air. It looked like an unusual plant formed from countless vines bound together.

Its entire body was a clear blue, its surface shimmering with a distinctive crystalline luster. Blue Silver Grass grew especially thick around it.

Each vine was as thick as an ordinary person's waist, with a diameter of more than a foot.

It was swaying slightly. At the center of the vines, where they joined together, was a marking that looked remarkably like a human face. Its expression seemed to be smiling.

"Were you the one calling me?" Gong Lan fixed her gaze intently on the enormous vine before her.

Although Gong Lan could already sense that it bore no malice, her experience in the Sunset Forest still made her a little more wary.

"Yes, my great emperor, it was I who called you." The human face at the center of the entwined vines moved, revealing a remarkably human expression. Its large mouth opened, and it actually spoke in human words, no longer communicating solely through spiritual means.

Gong Yu and Gong Lan weren't surprised that a plant could speak; they had encountered something similar before. It was just that the previous Blue Silver King hadn't communicated in its plant body, but had formed an illusory soul figure to speak with them.

"Are you mistaken? Why do you call me emperor?" Gong Lan asked calmly.

The vine smiled. "Because the blood flowing through you is nobler than mine. If I am the king of Blue Silver Grass, then you are the emperor of Blue Silver Grass."

Hearing the vine's words, Gong Lan recalled what Gong Yu had told her along the way: if they encountered a Blue Silver King, she wasn't to acknowledge whatever it said, but she wasn't to deny it either. An ambiguous answer would do.

Before Gong Lan could speak, the Blue Silver King spoke again. "To reach the level of your bloodline, I would have to cultivate for at least another fifteen thousand years. Having met you and sensed the presence of your bloodline, I seem to have found a way to attain a nobler bloodline. Thank you, my emperor."

But Gong Lan said, "I'm sorry, perhaps you're mistaken. I'm not your emperor. I'm a human, not Blue Silver Grass. I simply possess a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul."

"No," the Blue Silver King said somewhat urgently. "Great emperor, I couldn't possibly be mistaken. The presence you carry is that of the Blue Silver Empress. There can be no mistake.

"If you merely possessed the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul of an ordinary human, do you think you could have cultivated to your current level? What you possess is the bloodline of the Blue Silver Emperor Clan!"

"I don't understand what you're saying, but I owe everything I've achieved in cultivation to the young master. Without him, I wouldn't be where I am today." As Gong Lan spoke, she gazed tenderly at Gong Yu beside her.

"Hmm..." The Blue Silver King turned its gaze to Gong Yu, but couldn't discern his cultivation level. It also sensed a powerful threat from him.

The enormous vine continued, "There is always only one line of succession for the Blue Silver Emperor in this world. Only when the previous Blue Silver Emperor dies will the next one appear. Although you are human, you are the only person alive today in whose veins the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline flows.

"Perhaps this young master has helped you greatly, but that cannot be separated from the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline you possess. If your aptitude were too poor, no matter how capable this young master was, I'm afraid he couldn't have nurtured you to this point."

"If you say so!" Gong Yu spoke up. "Perhaps it really is because Lan'er's bloodline is special that plant Soul Beasts like you have plotted against her. Last time, in the Sunset Forest, we met a Blue Silver King much like you. It plotted against us, so I killed it and took its Soul Ring."

"What did you say? The Blue Silver King of the Sunset Forest plotted against you?" The vine drew out its words, its tone shocked but also somewhat angry.

"You heard me. It plotted against us. It didn't want to be a Soul Beast anymore; it wanted to seize a human body and become human." Gong Yu's voice rang out coldly. "What about you? You didn't summon us here with the same idea, did you?"

Although Gong Yu was only asking, the Blue Silver King could hear the unmistakable threat in his tone.

"No, no, I would never do such a thing," the Blue Silver King hastened to explain. "I summoned the emperor here only to complete the final step of her awakening. Although she possesses the Blue Silver Emperor Bloodline, it hasn't fully awakened. We still need to perform the final step for her."

Gong Yu nodded. "I hope you're telling the truth. But if you dare try any tricks, I don't mind destroying this entire forest and taking your Soul Ring then and there."

As he spoke, Gong Yu released the powerful presence of his Golden Dragon King Bloodline. Soul Beasts for several miles around were so intimidated that they trembled.

"This presence... could it be the presence of a god?" The Blue Silver King was shocked once again. It glanced at Gong Lan, growing even more excited. It even thought that if the emperor of the Blue Silver Grass Clan joined with a god, the clan's future would be boundless.

The Blue Silver King continued, "Rest assured, I have no designs on the emperor. I only want to help her complete the final step of her awakening. You can watch from the side. If I do anything that threatens the emperor, you are welcome to strike first and kill me."

The Blue Silver King completely changed its former tone, and its attitude became humble. It even began addressing Gong Yu with greater respect.

"Very well, then begin. I'll stand guard nearby." Gong Yu nodded, urging the Blue Silver King to get on with it and complete the final awakening as soon as possible, so Gong Lan could obtain her Innate Soul Ring and they could leave sooner.

"Very well, we'll begin now!" the Blue Silver King replied. It turned its gaze back to Gong Lan and said, "My emperor, come. Allow me to perform the final step of your awakening. I will place the crown upon your head and make you the true emperor of our Blue Silver Grass Clan."

Chapter 121: Innate Soul Ring (Part 2)

Gong Lan glanced at Gong Yu beside her. He nodded to her and then let go of her hand.

She took a few steps forward, putting some distance between herself and Gong Yu.

Seemingly sensing Gong Lan's thoughts, the Blue Silver King said patiently, "Great Majesty, on this continent, I am one of the oldest living Blue Silver Grass, which is why I am called the Blue Silver King.

"As your eternal subjects, we will always protect you. Are you willing to shelter your subjects forever?"

Gong Lan looked seriously at the Blue Silver King before her and nodded. "I am."

Just then, two drops of blue liquid flowed from the eyes of the Blue Silver King's human face. "For nearly twenty years, we have not felt Your Majesty's presence. Today, at last, we are no longer children without a mother. Your Majesty, please feel your subjects' worship!"

As soon as it finished speaking, an incomparably vast presence suddenly rose. It came not from the Blue Silver King before them, but from the entire forest.

A deep blue light quietly emerged from every blade of Blue Silver Grass. A single blade might have produced only a tiny blue speck, but when the blue lights from hundreds of millions of blades gathered together, they became a blue ocean.

Gong Lan immediately felt herself become the center of that ocean. Her body was like a giant devouring maw, madly swallowing the blue ocean surging toward her from outside.

An unprecedented current of heat rose from the deepest part of her body. At that moment, Gong Lan felt neither the impact and pressure of the vast energy nor any swelling within her body.

She discovered in surprise that as the current of heat surged within her, an exceedingly gentle presence brushed softly over her entire body.

The vast blue light flooded in, and Gong Lan's body drifted gently, completely immersed in an exceptionally soft ocean. There was no pain at all.

Then her Soul Rings appeared one after another.

The First Soul Ring was from the Mamba Silver-Banded Snake, the Second Soul Ring from the Man-Eating Demon Flower, the Third Soul Ring from the Man Faced Demon Spider, and the Fourth Soul Ring from the Death Spider Emperor.

Yellow, purple, purple, and black: after the four Soul Rings quietly appeared, they did not pulse, but arranged themselves neatly in order around Gong Lan.

Countless immense blue specks of light swiftly entered the four Soul Rings, imbuing each one with a blue halo.

At the same time, the Blue Silver Grass around Gong Lan's body began to change.

This did not come from the blue ocean gathered outside, but radiated from Gong Lan herself.

Under the influence of the halo she radiated, the once-crystalline Blue Silver Grass became even clearer. Gradually, it became as dazzling and transparent as sapphire.

At the center of that crystalline blue, a golden vein extended from the root of every blade of Blue Silver Grass all the way to its tip.

In an instant, under the influence of the blue-gold light spreading from Gong Lan, the blue light in the air became noticeably more immense.

On the ground, every blade of Blue Silver Grass began to turn crystalline and grow madly.

Even the Blue Silver King before Gong Lan became translucent under the influence of the blue-gold presence she released, a look of satisfaction appearing on its face.

The four Soul Rings around Gong Lan all gave off a blue-gold sheen. Soon, the blue-gold light seeped back into the Soul Rings.

Gong Lan's figure also seemed to become a little more slender, her whole appearance more proportionate. Her light blue hair gradually deepened to a deep blue, streaked with a faint golden radiance.

Her crystal-like hair was dazzling. At this moment, all of Gong Lan's attributes were improving imperceptibly. This had nothing to do with Soul Power; it was entirely the reshaping of his body after the awakening of her Martial Soul.

A vibrant life presence radiated from her. It was an unimaginably special attribute, one that, among all Blue Silver Grass, belonged exclusively to the emperor.

Before long, the surrounding blue light gradually receded.

The original four Soul Rings vanished into Gong Lan's body one after another, while the countless blue lights began to rapidly gather around her.

The vast mass of blue converged into a huge blue halo around Gong Lan's body.

As the halo continued to compress, it grew smaller, and its color became deeper and deeper.

Gong Lan didn't know what kind of sensation it was. She only felt the current of heat within her body surge and release completely.

At last, all the blue gathered around her into a halo the same size as a Soul Ring, and the countless layers of blue finally turned black.

The brand-new black halo began to pulse affectionately around Gong Lan's body, and everything around her fell silent.

On the ground, the Blue Silver Grass that had grown madly was at least three times its former height. Its crystalline sheen gradually faded as the blue light vanished, but the life presence it released had clearly grown stronger.

"This is the effect of the Blue Silver Emperor's presence. Under its influence, all the Blue Silver Grass has undergone a qualitative leap," the Blue Silver King said with some excitement as it watched the changes in the surroundings.

Gong Yu, standing to one side, glanced at the Blue Silver King's excited expression and suddenly said, "The Soul Ring has only reached fifty thousand years. That's not enough."

The Blue Silver Emperor said, "But my emperor's Soul Ring has already reached the age limit her body can bear. If it increases further, I'm afraid Her Majesty won't be able to withstand it. Besides, the Soul Ring I gave Her Majesty is a growth-type ring. Its age will slowly increase as Her Majesty gradually grows stronger."

But Gong Yu said, "No, this isn't enough. She can still endure more."

Then he said to Gong Lan, who was still fusing with the Soul Ring, "Lan'er, do everything you can to fuse with the Soul Ring and push it to one hundred thousand years. Let the External Soul Bone and the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone share the soul pressure for you.

"Run the Dragon Elephant Prajna as well. Since your body can't withstand such powerful Soul Power, use it to break through to the next level of the technique."

Gong Lan had been immersed in sensing the Soul Ring, and she felt she was close to her limit. Just as she was about to give up, she heard Gong Yu's voice. She immediately came to her senses and, without further hesitation, acted as he had instructed.

Just like that, Gong Lan held on for another full hour. At last, her Dragon Elephant Prajna broke through to the next level, and with that breakthrough, her physical condition improved further.

As her physical condition improved, the Soul Ring she was fusing with began to pulse again. With each pulse, the black of the Soul Ring grew deeper and deeper.

By the time a faint red glow appeared, Gong Lan's forehead was drenched in sweat. This time, it seemed she truly couldn't hold on much longer.

"Just a little more," Gong Yu murmured. "Looks like I'll have to step in after all."

With a thought from Gong Yu, the green eye of the yin-yang fish entwined in green and purple within his body flickered. A light of life then emerged from his body and fell upon Gong Lan.

In the next instant, Gong Lan's life presence grew even more vigorous, and her Blue Silver Domain involuntarily spread out.

Chapter 122: Two Sacrifices in One Day

As the Blue Silver Domain spread, the surrounding plants began to grow active. It was no longer just the Blue Silver Grass, but every plant within the domain's reach.

The green light Gong Yu had released was the light of the Seed of Life, and it contained the Life God King's power of life.

After Gong Lan's Blue Silver Domain fused with such a high-grade power of life, it began to evolve further. It could now control not just Blue Silver Grass, but all plants, reaching a state that encompassed all the myriad forms of nature.

With the domain's further evolution, Gong Lan's expression eased considerably. She was no longer under the same pressure as before, and the Soul Ring she was fusing with began to pulse once more.

The Soul Ring's color changed again. The original black gradually faded as the red glow it gave off deepened. Slowly, the red glow merged into the Soul Ring, gradually replacing the black as one waxed and the other waned.