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Dual cultivation was undoubtedly a pleasurable experience, but under external pressure, Gu Yuena found herself less able to indulge in the enjoyment and more focused on the task at hand. She was eager to use Bai Xu as a medium to quickly comprehend the laws of yin and yang. However, reality proved to be the opposite.
No matter how hard she tried—even putting in more effort than before, even adopting an even more enchanting demeanor—perhaps due to her inner urgency, progress remained sluggish.
"What's going on? Why has dual cultivation with you become so inefficient too..."
On the bed, Gu Yuena sat cross-legged after their session, quietly sensing the changes within her body. The two had long since shed all reservations between them. Years had passed in the blink of an eye, and their relationship had taken on the familiarity of an old married couple—less shyness, more intimacy.
"This path requires a calm and composed mind. You can't rush for quick results. I've reminded you many times, but you still haven't changed," Bai Xu sighed.
Gu Yuena shot him a glare. "You make it sound so easy. Danger could strike at any moment. I don't want everything we have now to turn into bubbles and vanish."
"It's already been five years..." Bai Xu murmured, struck by how swiftly time had flown.
"In these five years... your strength hasn't improved at all. Apart from secluded meditation, all you've done is guide Gu Yue and Na'er in their cultivation. Even they are almost catching up to you. What exactly have you been doing?" Gu Yuena asked. She knew Bai Xu wasn't the type to slack off. Puzzled, she continued, "Is that divine ability really so difficult to grasp? Five years and not even a single clue?"
"It is quite challenging. It's a supreme divine ability of the fourth layer of the Divine Prohibition. For someone like me who hasn't even stepped into the first layer, it's far too incomprehensible."
"If the cosmic laws won't allow you to enter the Divine Prohibition, could you focus solely on physical cultivation instead?" she asked.
"If it can stop me from entering the Divine Prohibition, it can also hinder my physical training. But I've already found a way. Tomorrow, I'll attempt another breakthrough in the cosmos."
"Again? How many times is this now? You've tried to break through the Divine Prohibition so many times, and each time, the heavenly tribulation lightning leaves you battered and bruised. If not for your Five Elements Physique, you would have perished long ago. And you still want to go?" Gu Yuena felt that Bai Xu's persistence couldn't be without reason.
"Mm. I'm almost there. When the time comes, I'll need your help."
"...Fine"
---
The Next Day.
In the depths of space, Gu Yue and Na'er were unable to accompany them due to their ongoing re-cultivation, leaving Gu Yuena as the only one to follow Bai Xu, ready to assist if needed.
As expected, the heavenly tribulation descended once more, striking Bai Xu with devastating force and leaving him severely wounded. He collapsed into Gu Yuena's arms.
By now, Gu Yuena's body was shrouded in a radiant, nine-colored glow. Even her originally violet eyes had taken on new hues. An overwhelming draconic majesty emanated from her, as if she were the progenitor of all beasts. Two years ago, when Di Tian had seen Gu Yuena in this form, he had been ecstatic—as though a lifelong wish had finally been fulfilled. He had knelt and reverently addressed her as "Sovereign."
Yet, despite her resemblance to the Dragon God, Gu Yuena's strength paled in comparison to the Dragon God at his peak. At best, she could only tap into a fraction of his power by borrowing the Dragon God Core. When the original Dragon God perished, his strength had scattered—not only splitting into the Golden and Silver Dragons but also manifesting as the Dragon God Core, the Ascending Dragon Pillar, the Dragon God Marrow, and other artifacts.
The search for the Dragon Tomb, a minor dimensional plane, had been abandoned due to Bai Xu's stagnant strength.
Perhaps the best opportunity lay in Gu Yuena becoming the new Dragon God. But even if she ascended as the second-generation Dragon God, capable of standing against the entire Great Divine Circle, she would still be unable to escape the influence of the cosmic laws.
The visions the three women had seen in their dreams were eerily similar to what the Time and Space Dragon Kings had experienced back then. If the three women lost their clarity of mind and, like the two Dragon Kings, chose to ambush Bai Xu at a critical moment without communicating with him, it would mean they had fallen under the sway of the cosmic laws.
But today, everything would be put to the test.
Cradled in Gu Yuena's arms, Bai Xu's lightning-scorched wounds slowly healed under her care. Yet, his eyes shone with excitement.
"I knew it!"
"What is it?" Gu Yuena asked in surprise. This was Bai Xu's fifth attempt to break into the Divine Prohibition—roughly once a year—and each time, he had been left battered and suffering from backlash.
But now, he seemed exhilarated.
"Remember what I once said? The hallmark of the first layer of the Divine Prohibition is comprehending one's innate divine ability. But there's an extremely rare exception—where one can grasp it even without fully entering the Divine Prohibition!"
"You've comprehended it?" Gu Yuena's face lit up with joy.
Bai Xu nodded, his thoughts returning to the moment the cosmic tribulation had struck him. At the peak of his breakthrough attempt, he had been transported back—back to the depths of his memories.
No matter how much time passed, the most vivid memory etched into his mind remained the examination hall—the endless cycle of tests.
The preparation and revision before each exam, the tension of being unable to solve a problem during the test, the anxiety of waiting for results afterward—every detail of his student days flashed before him, the emotions still fresh even now.
And Bai Xu?
He had once wondered, on a late night a hundred days before the college entrance exams, as he walked alone down a quiet road after studying, his expression unreadable. He had suddenly sighed and muttered, "If only... I could know the result in advance. The seeds of effort have already been sown. No matter the outcome... I just wish I could see it now—see the future, see the result."
Buzz—
A strange ripple spread.
In the The Heaven of Selfless Transformation, another Bai Xu—who had been observing other worlds—paused, a faint smile curling on his lips as he turned to look. "Everything is unfolding exactly as we predicted."
Deep within the The Heaven of Selfless Transformation, yet another Bai Xu sensed the ripple and also turned his gaze, as if piercing through the mist to peer directly into the Douluo Universe. "The divine ability you passed down is the key that connects every Bai Xu. It's also a lifeline—a single chance to cheat death. Isn't it a waste to use it like this?"
"Not a waste. After all, he's facing the will of an entire universe—in other words, he's up against the cosmos itself."
"Among all the Bai Xus, his circumstances are among the more difficult. At least back then, if I couldn't win, I could still run..." The first Bai Xu chuckled.
"Hah! Hey, look—that version of us just died!"
Following their gaze, in another parallel universe, yet another Bai Xu had fallen on his cultivation path, failing to overcome the final hurdle.
Without hesitation, the first Bai Xu raised his hand and gently pushed forward.
In the next instant, that parallel universe was engulfed in a storm of blood. A colossal crimson hand materialized out of nowhere, crushing galaxies and collapsing time itself. The great universe disintegrated in mere moments, countless lives extinguished. The artificially created parallel universe was utterly annihilated within ten breaths.
"Next."
Having done this, the first Bai Xu showed no remorse, shifting his attention to another world.
The other Bai Xu, long accustomed to such scenes, asked curiously, "By the way... just how many major worlds have you destroyed by now?"
"Lost count. These worlds exist for the sake of Bai Xu. If they die, then the worlds have no meaning—no reason to exist. Since they are my creations, their fate is mine to decide. To find those who walk the same path, I made my resolve long ago."
"Yet even now, in the The Heaven of Selfless Transformation, there are fewer than a hundred like us. And only two have reached the seventh layer of the Divine Prohibition," the other Bai Xu sighed.
"There will be more. At the very least... the path to the eighth layer is now before us, isn't it?" As he spoke, both turned their gazes back to the Bai Xu in the Douluo Universe.
"Heh, true enough. Anyway, you're a loner. I'm going back to my universe to spend time with my family!"
---
Upon returning to Douluo Continent, Bai Xu immediately went into seclusion, disregarding his injuries.
And this seclusion lasted five years.
******
Five Years Later...
A spatial rift tore open. The Great Divine Circle, with its twelve Godkings, had returned. Even across the vastness of space, the killing intent of the Asura God had already locked onto Douluo. Bai Xu stood alone in the cosmos, with only Gu Yuena behind him.
Powerhouses like Di Tian and those from the Federation were still unable to leave the planet to witness the battle, forced to observe from afar, feeling only the distant tremors of the divine clash.
"Otherworldly Demon! You killed my parents and slaughtered my son! Today, I will make you pay in blood!" Tang San was the first to confront Bai Xu.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao and Tang Wutong faced Gu Yuena. The other deities watched from the Divine Realm, ready to intervene if the battle turned against their side. The original Shrek Seven Monsters were also observing. The death of Tang San's son had sent shockwaves through the Divine Realm, and Xiao Wu had succumbed to grief.
Tang San intended to reincarnate after taking his revenge, hoping to reunite with his wife in another life.
Today was the final battle.
Tomorrow marks the finale—one chapter to conclude the story, one chapter of spice, and then it's over. There may be some side stories in the future.