Deep within the core of the Star Dou Great Forest, at the depths of the Lake of Life.
Endless life force condensed into liquid, nourishing the massive silver dragon sleeping at the bottom of the lake. Her body was like a winding mountain range, her scales shimmering with a cold, moon-like luster, each one engraved with the ultimate truths of heaven and earth. Yet, beneath this incomparable beauty and power lay hidden unhealable, grievous wounds dating back to the era of the God Realm wars.
Just as Yu Yuanchen and his group slew the Star Ancient Tree and Ye Kuan began to absorb the soul ring, the sleeping Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena, felt her eyelids—covered in silvery-white lashes—tremble slightly.
It was not the shockwaves of the battle that awakened her, but the perception of a certain... aura that was homologous yet distinct. Three strands of extremely faint dragon might, thin as a candle in the wind but possessing an essence and status so high that they resonated deep within her soul, were intermingled within that human kid she had once glimpsed.
At the time, she had merely thought the boy was gifted with innate talent and a pure martial soul, potentially becoming a variable in the future, but she had paid him little mind due to the divine inheritance he carried. However, this closer investigation left her truly astonished.
"This is..." Gu Yuena's consciousness slowly stirred from an eon-long slumber. She "looked" toward the direction from which the aura originated.
"Ice Dragon King... Fire Dragon King... and, the Thunder Dragon King?" Ripples stirred in her heart. Although these three auras were so thin they were almost negligible, the brand originating from the source of their bloodline could not be wrong. They were of the same origin as her, the three of the Nine Great Dragon Kings who had once followed the Dragon God to conquer the four corners of the world and rule the God Realm!
In the strict hierarchy of the dragon race, the Dragon God was the supreme emperor, while she and the Golden Dragon King, as the split halves of the Dragon God, were like crown princes with absolute rights of succession, possessing noble bloodlines that stood above all dragons.
The nine elemental dragon kings were like princes enfeoffed across the heavens, each holding power and status; though their bloodlines were slightly inferior to hers, they were far beyond what ordinary dragons could compare to. Now, the auras of three "prince-level" dragon kings had appeared simultaneously on a single human?
Her gaze pierced through space and landed on Yu Yuanchen once more. This time, she looked more carefully.
"The aura of the Thunder Dragon King... originates from that soul bone on his head? It has actually been fully repaired and transformed into a 'crown'? Interesting." Gu Yuena instantly discerned the origin of the Dragon King's Crown.
But what concerned her more were the other two auras. "Ice and Fire Power... not attached via soul bone or soul ring, but... absorbed and refined by him, integrated into his own bloodline? He found the resting place of the Ice Fire Dragon King? And he can extract their dragon power?"
This speculation caused ripples in Gu Yuena's stagnant heart. The Ice Fire Dragon King were existences of immense power even among the Nine Great Dragon Kings; their burial ground must contain vast dragon origins and law fragments. If she could find it, it might accelerate the recovery of her main body, or even...
Just then, shadows surged at the bottom of the lake, and several powerful auras quietly approached. The Beast God Di Tian, the Jade Swan Bi Ji, and other fierce beasts felt their master's awakening and emerged from their silence, waiting respectfully by her side.
"Master, you are awake? Do you have any instructions?" Di Tian's deep voice rang out with awe.
"Hmm." Gu Yuena responded indifferently, sharing her recent perception with the fierce beasts.
Di Tian's massive dragon eyes suddenly erupted with a terrifying gleam: "The resting place of the Ice Fire Dragon King? Master, this kid must know the clues! I request to go and capture him, to interrogate him for the location! If we can recover the remains of the two kings and absorb their origins, it will surely help you recover sooner!"
Bi Ji, however, frowned slightly. Her perception leaned more toward life and harmony, and she said softly, "Di Tian, do not be reckless. According to the Master, this child carries a divine inheritance; acting rashly might alert the gods behind him."
Gu Yuena nodded slightly, her cold voice ringing out: "Bi Ji is right. The divine mark on him, though obscure, is real. Unless necessary, it is best not to directly conflict with the God Realm."
She was still suffering from unhealed wounds, but she did not fear an ordinary first-level god; however, if she drew the attention of the God Realm Committee, the consequences would be unpredictable. Furthermore, while gods might not always watch their successors, any powerful external force forcibly interfering with an inheritance trial would be immediately detected, and they might even descend personally. She could not take that risk.
"Are we just going to let this human kid occupy the legacy of two princes while we can do nothing?" Di Tian growled in frustration, though he dared not defy his master's will.
Gu Yuena was silent for a moment, a flash of determination in her silver eyes: "This matter requires careful consideration. Forcible capture is not advisable, but the clues to the Ice Fire Dragon King are of vital importance."
Her thoughts raced, and a plan began to take shape. "I intend to split off one-tenth of my origin, supplemented by the essence of the Lake of Life, to shape a perfect human body. Then, I will inhabit it with my main consciousness and travel to the human world myself."
"Master! No!" Di Tian was shocked. "Your wounds are not yet healed; to split your origin again would be adding frost to snow! Moreover, the human world is treacherous; why must you risk yourself? I am willing to go in your stead!"
Gu Yuena shook her head: "Only by going myself, with my divine soul inhabiting the avatar, can I perfectly mask my soul beast aura and deceive the God Realm's patrols. The avatar does not need high power, only enough to protect itself; the focus is on concealment and investigation. My main body will leave a strand of soul to control it and maintain its life force, continuing to sleep and heal here, so the impact will be minimal. This matter concerns the great plan of the dragon race's revival and cannot fail."
Her gaze seemed to pierce through layers of space, landing once again on the human youth. "Let me go and see what is so special about this human who carries the karma of three dragon kings."
"The Dragon King's Crown is not something just anyone can wear," Gu Yuena said hauntingly.
Seeing that their master had made up her mind, Di Tian and the other fierce beasts bowed in submission. The Lake of Life returned to silence, but an undercurrent had already begun to surge.
⁂
Dragon City, Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Yu Yuanchen was naturally unaware of the schemes regarding his fate deep within the Star Dou forest. Since returning from the Star Dou Great Forest, he had spent most of his time in the cultivation chamber, struggling to find a way to deal with the dragon nature encroaching upon his mind.
"Blocking is not as good as guiding; forced suppression is not the best strategy." Yu Yuanchen sat cross-legged on a cushion, thoughts racing in his mind. "The key is that I cannot rely too heavily on the innate abilities brought by the True Dragon Bloodline for my combat power. Otherwise, once I encounter an existence that can suppress the dragon bloodline, or if my temperament is completely assimilated by the dragon nature, I will be like a bird with broken wings, suffering a massive loss in combat power."
"Relying on the bloodline means being constrained by it. To transcend its shackles, I must first possess the power to look down upon my peers without relying on the bloodline!" This was the conclusion he reached after several days of reflection.
The power brought by the True Dragon Bloodline was indeed strong, but it could not be his only reliance. He needed to create methods that belonged solely to himself, transcending the boundaries of the bloodline.
He first thought of his own power system. Aside from his martial soul and soul bones, his greatest reliance was his self-created soul skills and his control over thunder.
"The Five Thunders Orthodox Law was created by combining the concepts of my past life's Taoist scriptures with my current thunder martial soul. It contains the orthodox laws of heaven and earth, fierce and vast. Its foundation lies in my understanding and application of the thunder law, which is relatively weakly linked to the bloodline."
"And the ninth soul skill, 'Two Forms Divine Thunder', integrates the changes of yin and yang, ice and fire, which is profoundly mysterious. If I can combine the two at a deeper level to create a more formidable self-created soul skill that does not rely on dragon might or dragon body, I can greatly enrich my combat methods and reduce my reliance on the bloodline."
He closed his eyes, sinking his mind into his body to carefully experience the five types of thunder energy changes in the Five Thunders Orthodox Law, as well as the profound meaning of yin and yang generating each other and the balance of hardness and softness in the Two Forms Divine Thunder. In his mind, he continuously deduced the possibilities of various combinations, changes, and sublimations. This was a process that required a great deal of time and insight to polish; it could not be rushed.
At the same time, he turned his attention to the external soul bone he almost treated as an extension of his martial soul—the Thunder Dragon Spear.
"The spear is the head of all weapons, and also the king of all weapons. In close-quarters combat, technique is of the utmost importance." Yu Yuanchen gently stroked the purple-gold dragon spear floating in front of him; thunder patterns flowed across the spear body, transmitting a sense of intimacy. "In the memories of my past life, the Heavenly Sky Douluo Yun Ming could roam the continent with just a single Heavenly Sky Spear and a set of masterful spear techniques, truly a hero of his generation. His talent is indeed admirable. Although I have the advantage of the dragon spear, I have neglected the training of spear techniques, mostly relying on its hardness and thunder-conducting ability, which is truly a waste of a treasure."
He decided that, in addition to practicing soul skills, he would begin to systematically study spear techniques. He would not pursue flashy moves, but return to the basics, honing the fundamental actions of thrusting, stabbing, lifting, splitting, sweeping, pointing, collapsing, and flicking. He would pursue precision in force, trickiness in angles, mastery of timing, and the perfect integration with his own soul power and thunder attribute. He wanted to truly refine the Thunder Dragon Spear into a killing weapon that was as an extension of his arm, capable of both offense and defense, rather than just a carrier for releasing thunder.
Of course, Yu Yuanchen was not someone who would give up eating for fear of choking. He would not abandon the fundamental path of soul power cultivation just because he feared the erosion of dragon nature or bloodline suppression. The improvement of strength was the hard truth; soul power level, soul core tempering, and the growth of spiritual power remained the top priorities. He simply wanted to broaden the "width" and "depth" of his strength while increasing his absolute power, making his power system more diversified and his foundation more solid, no longer overly reliant on a single bloodline talent.
"Soul power cultivation cannot be neglected, self-created soul skills need to be carefully deduced, and the basics of spear techniques must be practiced daily. Time... I need more time." Yu Yuanchen took a deep breath, suppressing the slight impatience caused by the influence of the dragon nature, his eyes becoming steady and firm once again.
He knew that this was a long cultivation journey, a race against his own laziness, his bloodline instincts, and time itself. But his heart was set; he would move forward unswervingly on this path of "using the human heart to control dragon power."
Outside the chamber, the moonlight was like water; inside the chamber, Yu Yuanchen's mind was clear, and he began his initial exploration of a new path. The prototype of a new soul skill, the basics of spear techniques, the circulation of soul power... everything had just begun. And far away at the bottom of the Lake of Life in the Star Dou Great Forest, a human avatar condensing the origin and will of the Silver Dragon King was also quietly gestating. The trajectory of fate was about to welcome a new intersection.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan