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--- Chapter 458 ---
Han Yuan and Hanlong Nuji sat opposite each other on woven mats, wine cups in hand. They were currently resting inside a pocket plane hidden beneath the Ice God's Palace.
"Your mastery over the Law of Space is quite impressive, Nuji. Creating a pocket realm of this size must have been incredibly time-consuming," Han Yuan commented, taking a slow sip of his wine.
Hanlong Nuji sipped her own wine and shook her head gently. "While my attainment in the Law of Space is high, that only holds true in a universe as weak as this one."
"Back in the Primal Chaos Dimension, my primary domain was the Law of Water, and it still is to this day. The fabric of space and time there is much stronger than here, after all."
"So, the truth is... I merely used the Law of Water to dominate the Law of Space and bend it to my whim."
"One law to rule the rest, huh..." Han Yuan nodded thoughtfully, recalling the profound insights Venerable Yao had once shared with him about the nature of cultivation.
Hanlong Nuji raised an eyebrow slightly. She hadn't expected such deep wisdom to drop from his lips so casually. Then again, this was the man she had willingly chosen to follow for the next hundred years.
If Han Yuan could read the dragon's thoughts at this moment, he would have definitely facepalmed.
He would probably curse the Love Continent for being far too potent, or perhaps curse this female dragon for being so hopelessly silly.
"So, what is our plan?" Hanlong Nuji snapped out of her daze, bringing the conversation back to their future work.
Han Yuan rubbed the rim of his wine cup. "Honestly, I haven't finalized everything yet."
"As you know, I only arrived in this timeline because someone asked me to."
"Someone?" Curiosity piqued Hanlong Nuji's expression.
"My main consciousness," Han Yuan replied flatly.
Hiss!
Hanlong Nuji drew a sharp breath. "S-So, you're just an avatar? And yet, you're already this powerful...?"
Han Yuan rolled his eyes, a look of annoyance crossing his face. "Calling me just an avatar is rather insulting."
"I am a part of the entirety. Unlike those mindless, puppet-like clones, I possess my own free will, well, to a certain degree. But ultimately, I am Han Yuan!"
"That fact and logic will never change."
Hanlong Nuji rubbed her chin, processing his words seriously. "Even so, it's shocking."
"Having this much autonomy over yourself is rare. I've sealed the wisps of my soul countless times when leaving behind legacies in the Primal Chaos Dimension, and it was tiring."
"You, on the other hand, possess an independent vessel of your own."
"It's not as great as it sounds," Han Yuan sighed wearily.
"While I retained most abilities, it's essentially no different from starting over from scratch, just with a few extra perks. I think you're quite familiar with that concept, aren't you?"
"..." Hanlong Nuji stared at him blankly, her lips twitching. "That's a low blow, you know."
"Alright, my bad. I apologize."
"Fine, you're forgiven."
The two shared a look, smiled, and drank to break the tension.
"Actually..." Han Yuan suddenly spoke up, feeling a slight buzz from the wine. "I think I might have a task for you, Nuji."
"Oh?" Hanlong Nuji's eyes instantly lit up. "What is it? What is it?"
Han Yuan tapped his forehead gently. "I'll have a discussion with my main consciousness, Alpha, first."
"Then, we will decide whether to send you to an era thirty thousand years into the future, where Xu Deming came from, or have you accompany me back to the Dou Qi Plane."
"Though if you follow me back to the Dou Qi Plane, you'll likely just end up lazing around. There isn't much to do since I'm just building up my power base, and we'll be in a slow growth stage for the next few years."
'A few years until Xiao Yan awakened Yao Chen's soul, and then walk out of the Wu Tan City. Hehehe, I wonder what their reactions would be upon finding how much the Dou Qi Continent has changed.' He added briefly in his heart.
"That... sounds incredibly boring," Hanlong Nuji admitted, a trace of regret in her voice.
As much as Hanlong Nuji wanted to stay by Han Yuan's side, the thought of building an organization from the ground up sounded exhausting.
If she were the type of person who liked building and managing a faction, the Ice God would have long become the only faith on the Douluo Planet.
Instead, she had established the Ice God's Palace and its legacies merely to act as a hands-off manager, leaving everything else to fate.
If not, Ye Ziyun wouldn't have been chosen as the Ice God's inheritor, as she set up the Ice God's Legacy quite strictly, as she did with her legacy in the Primal Chaos Dimension.
"I knew you'd say that," Han Yuan chuckled. "Which is why there is a second option."
"If you agree to assist another consciousness sent out by Alpha, you'll get to experience something far more thrilling. That future era is defined by pure conflict."
"I'm talking about plane-invasions, wars among gods, and even worse."
"There are still 'gods' left behind by the Divine Realm, but that time, the Divine Realm was swept by Black Hole and won't have access to the Douluo Plane anytime soon."
Hanlong Nuji's breath hitched as she said, "Now that sounds much more interesting."
Han Yuan found her reaction amusing and remarked, "And yet, you didn't lift a finger when Glory City faced a plane invasion and was targeted by a god?"
"Glory City? The one Xu Deming founded?" Hanlong Nuji tilted her head, her response calculated.
"I knew that place was doomed the moment an ambitious god caught wind of his time-traveling."
"As for why I didn't meddle in those muddy waters..."
"I was just lazy."
"If I had exposed myself, I would have had to deal with those annoying fellows from the Divine Realm. They aren't strong enough to kill me, but fighting them is a massive waste of time."
"Oh? Then why are you so interested now?" Han Yuan flashed a playful smile.
"Because of... you, Daoist Han!" Hanlong Nuji answered, a flush creeping on her cheek. Maybe because of the wine, maybe not. "If I follow you into that era, even if you're starting from zero, it will be more entertaining than sleeping for another ten thousand years."
"Or just waiting until your organization in that Dou Qi Plane starts doing something big."
"Am I really that interesting?" Han Yuan drained the rest of his wine, murmuring in genuine confusion.
"Yes, you are," Hanlong Nuji replied, gazing at him intently.
As someone who understood just how bizarre Han Yuan's existence truly was, she knew that whatever path he chose would outshine any form of entertainment she could think of.
At least until they found a method back to the Primal Chaos Dimension, journeying far into the future sounded a thousand times better than watching grass grow in the Dou Qi Plane.
Flattered but still maintaining his composure, Han Yuan smiled. "Alright, you said it, not me. I'll contact Alpha right away."