Mingdu –
A certain floor of the Royal Hotel.
Inside a bedroom.
Tang San's face twisted with rage:
"They already received Destruction's help! Every one of them has at least four God-bestowed spirit rings! That's the highest-level reward! Has Destruction gone mad?! That brat hasn't even inherited a godhood yet and dares to…"
Before he could finish, he was interrupted by a spectral projection across from him.
"That's probably why Destruction is declining," the true body across from him sighed.
"What do you mean?" Tang San clutched his empty shoulder, still aching faintly, stunned.
"I can communicate with you for this long without Destruction forcing me to retract my divine sense—that already says a lot," the true body's eyes narrowed slightly.
"This is a form of compromise. After all, he broke the divine realm's rules first. He's in no position to keep attacking my weaknesses."
"So I lost my arm for nothing? And she was the one who cut it off!" Tang San's bloodshot eyes flared.
"Naturally not. You're my divine sense—we share honor and disgrace. I won't just let this go…" the true body murmured, "Since that's the case, once we survive the elimination round, if we don't face the Sun Moon Empire, just let the rest of the Clear Sky Sect disciples fight the remaining matches. In the meantime, I'll focus on infusing divine power into the Sea God's Trident—ideally… even mix in some Asura power."
"At that point, we can reinforce this body with divine power. Its burst potential could reach the peak of Limit Douluo—maybe even brush against demi-god level."
"You're insane!" Tang San shouted. "The Asura Demon Sword is inside Xiao Wu. If you draw on the Asura power, she'll notice! What lie are you going to use then?!"
"…" The true body fell silent, frowning. "I'll only draw a little—shouldn't be too obvious."
"You can't be sure!" Tang San gritted his teeth, clutching his shoulder harder. That axe was definitely not ordinary—he'd been using divine power to heal, but still couldn't erase the wound. The searing pain drained his complexion, his body trembling.
"Forget it…"
The true body shook his head.
"If it gets worse, I'll call Rongrong to heal you. She's the continent's top healing-type soul master now. Since the Ye clan has sided with the Sun Moon Empire, they likely won't help you."
"This axe wound… has other effects!" Tang San drew a deep breath, face full of fury.
To strike so viciously against a fellow clansman!That girl was beyond saving now!
"Just a vessel. Why waste emotion?" the true body's expression was as calm as still water.
"Which is exactly why we can't let Xiao Wu find out!" Tang San spat bitterly. "If she knew Wang Dong'er was part of Qiqi, she'd risk her life to protect her. Better I not use Asura power at all!"
"Besides—the Sun Moon Empire must be destroyed!"
"Naturally," the true body said coldly. "I've already accelerated the Abyss Plane's timeline. In less than half a year, they'll arrive near the Douluo Star. After the Clear Sky Sect wins the tournament, we'll exhaust the Sun Moon Empire's strength again. Even without my direct involvement, you should win. Hmph, Destruction—you've interrupted me from interfering in the mortal realm under the guise of 'divine rules.' This time, I'll return the favor. I'll make you watch as the Sun Moon Empire is wiped out…"
"Starlink Defense System Project"
Xu Cheng flipped through the proposal in his hands, eyes glinting with thought.
Using this against the continent's original powers would be overkill—clearly, it was meant for the incoming Abyss Plane. Though they had divine-level beings—like Ye Guyi, who after repairing her godhood, seemed to be approaching a level beyond First-Class Gods—she was ultimately a hidden trump card.
Because this Angel God was not under divine realm jurisdiction.
Even Tang San didn't know she existed. If she was exposed, she'd appear on the divine realm's radar.
And even with Destruction backing him, it'd be hard to withstand Tang San's "righteous" fury from the divine realm.
So unless absolutely necessary—he couldn't use her.
That left Xu Cheng with three cards left to play:
The Silver Dragon King (Gu Yuena).
Ascend to godhood himself within six months.
Unify the continent within six months, obtain the title "First Emperor," and extract one last low-cost but lavish reward from the system.
Creating artificial spirit rings had already earned him blueprints for interstellar warships—and even came with an 11th-level soul tool cannon.If he truly unified the continent—a historic first for the Douluo Plane—that feat would be legendary enough in the charity system to merit extreme rewards.
At that point, the level of soul technology would leap again.And in six months, another advancement might be achieved.
He pondered for a while and summoned Juzi.
"Begin preparing the Starlink Defense System. Any scientific breakthroughs—I'll hand over to Jing—cough, A'Xiao. The plan outlines multiple military corps, organized into fleets of interstellar warships. There's even integration details between mech units and warships—powered by the modified orbital cannon from the 11th-level soul tool."
"Also… the Ark Project."
He pursed his lips and pulled a classified file from his drawer. Juzi froze at the bright red "Top Secret" label.
"What's this…"
"This is the six-month plan," Xu Cheng pointed at the Starlink Defense System. Then he pointed to the Ark Project, "This—three-year plan."
"The future of humanity lies among the stars. If we want a place in the galaxy, we won't get it by boasting—we'll earn it with blood, with fists."
"Don't think humanity stands at the top just because they rule this continent. Across the cosmos, there are hundreds of billions of humans oppressed by monsters, barely surviving."
He saw himself as emperor—the leader of humankind.
His ambitions, naturally, extended beyond just this little piece of land.
In the original story, when Tang San died and his divine sense drifted to another plane, he was no longer under the divine realm's jurisdiction. In that new world, monsters rampaged, feeding on humans.
In truth, humans were weak—frail bodies, slow cultivation.
But they were also terrifyingly strong—thanks to technology. Soul tools, the crystallization of human intelligence, gave them precious time to grow.Given that time—their explosive potential could push them to the top of the universe.
The original divine realm misunderstood this. They didn't recognize humanity's true edge.They even suppressed soul technology.
While they played the role of benevolent guardians, they also shackled progress.
It wasn't until the divine realm vanished that humans finally grew wildly—leaving their planet, stepping into the stars…
"Are humans really suffering that badly in the universe?" Juzi flipped through the proposal, shocked.
"Heh…" Xu Cheng smiled and didn't answer.
As a terrifyingly strong late-game species, humans were always bullied early on by other races.But if you let even one group of humans rise in a remote corner of the galaxy—it'd snowball into unstoppable momentum.
"Oh right, Gu Yuena asked for you."
Juzi adjusted her glasses and returned to work.
"Hmm?"
Xu Cheng blinked, then chuckled.
"Speak of the devil…"
He was just about to visit the Silver Dragon King.
Inside the Room—
Gu Yuena's slender fingers brushed across Xu Cheng's chest. Her silver hair cascaded like moonlight, its tips grazing his neck with a chilling dragon aura that made his heart flutter.
"Finally decided to come see me?" she whispered near his ear, her breath hot.
Xu Cheng felt his spirit power begin to surge rapidly.
His Eye of Destiny on his forehead opened on its own—its golden vertical pupil locking eyes with Gu Yuena's amethyst gaze.
Come to think of it, this was their first time being this intimate.
Since they signed the contract four years ago, and later visited Shrek City, Gu Yuena had gradually let go of restraint—going all-in on the "giving" mode. But every time, it failed—either Ye Guyi interrupted, or something else went wrong.
"Gu Yuena, are you sure this is going to…"
Xu Cheng twitched.
Because it was his first time, Gu Yuena asked him to circulate his spirit power—and he forgot his BUG trait: he could form martial soul fusion with anyone.
Feeling his spirit power being drawn out—only to be replaced by a powerful, fiery force—Xu Cheng looked weirded out.
"Shhh—" Gu Yuena placed her finger on his lips, her voice soft and surprisingly tender, "The contract is complete. We're already one. The fact we can fuse martial souls… just proves our bond, doesn't it?"
Xu Cheng's face twitched.
If she found out he could do this with anyone… the whole "soulmate" narrative might unravel.
"Er, well…"
Just as he tried to explain, Gu Yuena's soft palm covered his lips. Her eyes were increasingly hazy:
"I understand everything. Compared to them, we were meant to be."
Her palm slid to his chest.
With a searing burst, his clothing burned open—revealing a complex silver dragon tattoo: the Dragon God Contract.
Meanwhile, behind him, the Temple of Destruction flickered faintly. Dark-purple energy strands wrapped around Gu Yuena's arm.
"Feel it?" Gu Yuena whispered. "Your pure destruction energy is repairing the hidden wounds in me." She winced, pain flickering in her eyes. "As expected… the wounds from that divine war ten thousand years ago… only true destruction essence can heal them."
"Wait… the God of Destruction injured you?" Xu Cheng asked, surprised.
"The Asura God split me and my brother apart. Neither of us accepted the divine realm's rule, so we waged war. In that battle, the God of Destruction severely wounded me." Gu Yuena gently rested her head against Xu Cheng's chest. Their soul power surged around them like a growing storm.
"I never thought… I'd lie in the arms of my enemy."
Xu Cheng noticed something strange. As Gu Yuena absorbed his power, the Eye of Destiny surged with boiling energy.
Golden fate energy intertwined with her elemental forces—filling the room with radiant auroras.
"In theory," Gu Yuena suddenly rose, swiftly pushing Xu Cheng onto the bed, silver hair cascading down, "the fastest healing method is…" her lips brushed his, "Dual cultivation."
Xu Cheng's breath caught. He saw frost on her eyelashes—a sign she'd lost control of her elemental powers.
The dragon race's body temperature was already high. Now, her entire body was scorching.
"You want me to heal you?" Her voice was proud and seductive. "What could be a better remedy than you?"
Her lips met his.
"Mmph~" Feeling the softness, Xu Cheng struggled briefly—but gave up.
Even in human form, Gu Yuena's strength dwarfed his…
No way he was overpowering her.
But as the kiss deepened, the atmosphere turned hotter.Xu Cheng realized his soul power was transforming.
With every ounce of destruction Gu Yuena absorbed, she fed back purer elemental energy.
His dozens of black-hole-class soul cores began spinning—at over three times their usual speed.
Holy crap—this is such a BUG exploit?!
He was healing her—but thanks to the contract, she was feeding back divine-level cultivation.
"Look," Gu Yuena parted briefly, conjuring a golden-silver energy thread. "This is the true power of our bond." She smiled slyly. "But… you were distracted."
The second surge of energy was even more intense.
Xu Cheng felt the Destruction Temple mark on his back blazing hot. Gu Yuena's waist shimmered with silver dragon god scales.
Two god-level forces completed a perfect loop through the most primitive connection, releasing shockwaves that wrecked the room.
"Slow down…" Xu Cheng gasped, regaining some clarity. "Your old wound is bleeding."
He touched her back—her clothing was soaked with red. The divine-inflicted wound was reopening.
Gu Yuena, however, pressed his palm against her bare back.
"Use your Eye of Destiny to guide it," she said, voice trembling in pain but incredibly calm. "Destruction and creation are one… Now, help me reclaim that part of my authority."
Xu Cheng's golden pupil contracted.
With the Eye of Destiny, he saw the complex network of injuries inside her.
The worst was just half an inch from her heart—a scar left by the Asura God Sword.
No wonder her recovery had been so slow all these years.
As his hand infused destruction energy to carefully wrap the hideous scar—Gu Yuena suddenly pressed herself against him, her clothes falling away. She bit his shoulder, her silver teeth piercing skin. Blood merged. The contract tattoo lit up with blinding light.
"This…" Gu Yuena grinned through the pain, "is true healing. From now on, our bloodlines are one…"
(End of Chapter)