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...Douluo Star, Heaven Dou Province, Old Imperial Capital.
Ten thousand years is enough to turn the seas into mulberry fields, and enough to turn this once glorious classical imperial city into a modern metropolis filled with the aura of spirit tool technology.
Towering spirit tool skyscrapers have replaced the palaces and pavilions of the past, and shimmering spirit tool flying cars weave through established tracks in the sky.
The streets are wide and clean, lined with a dazzling array of spirit tool shops. Giant holographic projections in the sky broadcast the latest spirit tool products and hot news about the Soul Master Competition.
Only the protected ruins of the ancient imperial palace in the city center and the vaguely visible high-rise of the Moon Pavilion in the distance still silently speak of that history from ten thousand years ago.
Xuan Ming and Gu Yuena walked side by side on the bustling street. Although both possessed peerless looks, Xuan Ming casually cast a simple cognitive blurring skill, causing the surrounding pedestrians to subconsciously avoid them without being able to truly see their faces, nor would they feel it was abrupt.
As for Yan Linger, this "second-generation god" who had come to the Mortal Realm for the first time, she was like a bird just out of its cage, having long since excitedly run off to some corner to explore the new World.
"This change... is truly quite significant."
Xuan Ming looked at everything around him. "If it weren't for that imperial palace still being there, I would hardly recognize this as the Heaven Dou City of back then."
"Indeed." Gu Yuena linked her arm with his. "Ten thousand years is the passing of countless generations for Mortals. To be able to preserve even this small trace is already quite rare."
The two of them were like an ordinary young couple, strolling through the bustling crowd, enjoying this rare moment of leisure.
"By the way, tell me about the God Realm."
Xuan Ming asked casually, "I've been asleep for over twenty years. Aside from you old folks, what other new changes are there in the God Realm? How is the Great God Circle coming along?"
"Everything is going very smoothly."
Gu Yuena spoke as if listing her family treasures, "Destruction and Life are really working hard. After the Great God Circle project started, they used the power of the core to successively connect and merge seven surrounding God Realms. Now, the territory of the God Realm has expanded more than tenfold, and the energy concentration has also improved by several levels."
"Now, the God Realm already possesses a total of twenty God Kings."
Gu Yuena gestured with two fingers. "Besides the few of us from before, like the God of Emotion Hu Liena and the God of Destruction Xiao Wu, both of them are now genuine God King-level combatants."
"And those few you promoted back then, Snow Empress and Ice Empress, they're almost there too. In a few more years, as more planes merge, the number of God Kings should increase even further."
Xuan Ming nodded, not surprised by this.
"What about the Dragon Clan?" Xuan Ming asked again. "I just heard Bo Saixi say at Sea God Island that you went to the Dragon Tomb before to create a new Dragon Clan. Why haven't I sensed any Dragon Clan aura on Douluo Star?"
"I didn't do it on Douluo Star."
Gu Yuena shook her head. "Douluo Star is, after all, a World dominated by humans. Although the territory is larger, placing the newly born pure-blooded Dragon Clan here would inevitably lead to conflicts with humans. I don't want the newly born children to be caught up in pointless strife."
"So I placed them on the neighboring Spirit Star."
"The environment there is beautiful, the Spiritual Qi is abundant, and most of the native creatures have mild temperaments. I used the Dragon God Power to open up a Dragon Domain there, and let Di Tian, the Fire Dragon King, and Zi Ji take turns looking after them. It has already begun to take shape now, and the new generation of little Dragons are growing very strong."
"That fellow Di Tian, thanks to his merit in teaching the younger generation and the nourishment from the Dragon Clan's Luck, has finally broken through his Bottleneck and reached the God King realm. Now, he talks about you every day, saying that without you, the Dragon Clan wouldn't have today."
The two continued walking forward. As they passed a shop selling spirit tool desserts, Xuan Ming suddenly stopped, as if remembering something.
"By the way, why haven't I seen the Three-Eyed Golden Lion? And Tang Yuehua?"
Hearing this question, Gu Yuena's expression suddenly became a bit subtle.
She glanced at Xuan Ming, her eyes filled with a bit of reproach and helplessness.
"Tang Yuehua was invited by Kindness to visit her God Realm. It will probably be a few days before she returns. As for the Three-Eyed Golden Lion..."
Gu Yuena sighed. "That child, ever since you went outside the God Realm to condense your God Position more than twenty years ago, she has been depressed."
"Depressed?" Xuan Ming was stunned. "Why?"
"Isn't it all your fault?"
Gu Yuena poked his waist irritably. "When I was preparing to go to the Dragon Tomb to create the new Dragon Clan, I originally intended to take her along and use that opportunity to help her cleanse her Bloodline and assist her in an early Ascension to the God Realm."
"As soon as that girl heard she could go to the God Realm to find you, she was as happy as could be, counting the days in anticipation."
"And the result? On the very day I was about to take her away, news came that you had gone to the Void Realm to condense your God Position without saying a word. And it was such a dangerous move with only a slim chance of survival."
"The child broke down right then."
Gu Yuena recalled the scene from back then, feeling a bit of heartache. "She felt you deliberately kept it from her because you didn't want her to worry. She also felt it was because she was too weak and couldn't help you, only able to watch as you went into danger."
"Afterward, she adamantly refused to return to the God Realm with me. She said that as long as you didn't wake up, she wouldn't come out of seclusion."
"So, she went into seclusion in the depths of the Dragon Domain on Spirit Star. She swore she would Cultivate until she could be of help to you, otherwise, she would never come out to see anyone."
"This..."
Xuan Ming didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "This girl, her temper is still so stubborn. Seclusion? She is an Auspicious Beast; she can become stronger just by letting nature take its course. Why would she need any bitter seclusion?"
"You don't understand."
Gu Yuena looked at him faintly. "That child's feelings for you are quite special."
"You were the first human she ever encountered, the one who took her out of the Star Dou Great Forest to see the World, and the legend she witnessed firsthand, stepping from a Mortal to the supreme height."
"In her World, you are the only light, the omnipotent god, and... the softest corner in her heart."
Gu Yuena stopped and looked at Xuan Ming seriously.
"How should I put it..."
"For an Auspicious Beast, feelings are pure and persistent. She has already identified that feeling—from the initial hazy fondness to the later dependence and worship, and the longing and worry accumulated over these years—all of it as—love."
"Not the kind of respect and love for an elder, but... the desire to be with you forever, like the love between me and Bibi Dong."
Xuan Ming was completely stunned.
"Three-Eyed Golden Lion? Love?"
He had always treated her like a sister, or rather... a pet?
He didn't expect that girl would actually...
"This..." Xuan Ming rubbed his temples with a bit of a headache. "This is too messy, isn't it?"
"Messy?"
Gu Yuena looked at him with a half-smile. "What? Do you think it's too many? Or do you think an Auspicious Beast isn't worthy of you, the Primal God?"
"That's not what I meant..." Xuan Ming said helplessly. "I just think... she's still small."
"Small?"
Gu Yuena rolled her eyes at him. "How many years has she lived? She's older than all your little human girlfriends combined! In the Spirit Beast World, she reached adulthood long ago. It's only in front of you that she's willing to act like a child."
"Alright, don't act like you're being inconvenienced when you've got it good."
Gu Yuena pulled him along. "Anyway, with Di Tian watching over things on Spirit Star, nothing will happen to her in seclusion. Once you finish dealing with the mess here on Douluo Star, it won't be too late to go and coax that stubborn little lion out."
"Now... Hmm?"
Gu Yuena suddenly raised her head, her expression becoming a bit unnatural. "Coming so fast?"
"And charging down together?"