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This uninhabited island, remote and located in the deep ocean, was rarely known to anyone due to its isolation and the sea soul beasts that roamed the surrounding waters year-round.
Gu Yuena had long been waiting here, her divine sense spread out, attuned to the movements in the nearby sea.
Suddenly, a figure stepped into her perception.
Bai Xu walked across the water's surface, his clothes slightly disheveled, but judging by his appearance and aura, he seemed unharmed.
He seemed to sense Gu Yuena as well and, riding his sword, flew over, arriving on the desolate island in just a few breaths.
The two locked eyes, finally meeting again.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time," Gu Yuena said calmly, her gaze cool, as if somewhat displeased with Bai Xu.
"It took some time to recover, so I was delayed by a day. Are you alright?" Bai Xu asked.
In response to his concern, Gu Yuena chuckled lightly. "Aren't you going to ask about Gu Yue and Na'er?"
Bai Xu froze for a moment before asking, "They...?"
"They've been merged into me—a perfect fusion. This means you might never see them again," Gu Yuena said, seemingly trying to provoke him, curious about his reaction.
But...
Bai Xu let out a long sigh. "Is that so? What you did was only natural. I don't blame you."
!!!!
Gu Yuena's eyes widened in shock. "Do you even understand what this means? You'll never see them again! Weren't they your favorites? How can you not care?"
She couldn't comprehend why Bai Xu could remain so calm, so detached, as if none of this mattered to him.
"They were born from you in the first place, so their return is only natural. But that doesn't mean I've given up on them. As I've said before—the reason things have come to this is simply because my cultivation isn't strong enough. Once I reach a higher level, I'll spare no cost to retrieve them from the past, ensuring all of you can exist independently."
"A higher level..." Gu Yuena thought of the other Bai Xu from The Heaven of Selfless Transformation. Though she knew he was powerful, the full extent of his strength had never been revealed.
"Does such a realm truly exist? One where you can freely alter the past and pluck people from the river of time?" Gu Yuena murmured.
"Of course!"
"Hah, you really are rational. Even after all I've said, you haven't lost your composure."
She then declared sternly, "Bai Xu, fight me. If you win, I'll preserve Gu Yue and Na'er's personalities. If you lose, what I said earlier will become reality!"
"If you want to fight, I'll oblige. No need to hold back—vent all your confusion and frustration. Denying and doubting yourself over and over won't solve anything."
Gu Yuena was taken aback, but before she could react, she saw Bai Xu's Five Elements Flags sealing off the entire island, isolating the space and cutting off all connection to the outside world.
"Is this your trick?"
She scoffed at such tactics, spreading her dragon wings as the Silver Dragon Spear materialized in her hand. Wind elements surged as she lunged at Bai Xu with blinding speed.
Bang!
A pale-gray sword intercepted the spear, Bai Xu's right arm braced against the flat of the blade, forcefully blocking the strike.
Without hesitation, he said coldly, "If you don't get serious, you'll lose."
"Black Demon Vine!"
At his command, the island's terrain shifted violently as dark vines erupted from the ground, twisting and coiling toward Gu Yuena like a forest of shadows.
But she was agile. With swift slashes of her spear, she broke free from the encroaching vines and soared into the sky, astonished. "You can actually summon an extinct species like this?"
"My years at the Spirit Pagoda weren't wasted. Understanding, evolving, creating—that's my ability. And these aren't mere illusions. I've genuinely recreated these soul beasts," Bai Xu declared confidently.
"Impossible!"
"Heh, I've also developed a technique specifically for you. Care to try it?"
Before Gu Yuena could respond, she saw Bai Xu rapidly forming hand seals. Within the barrier, the Five Elements shifted chaotically, though outwardly, nothing seemed to change.
"Five Elements Dragon-Sealing Array!"
Clang—!
Five colossal chains erupted from the east, west, north, south, and Bai Xu's position, streaking toward Gu Yuena. The space around the chains seemed to emit a force tailored to counter her, disrupting even her spatial abilities as a Silver Dragon.
"You—!"
Gu Yuena dodged frantically, deflecting the black Water Chain with her spear and narrowly evading the Fire Chain. She unleashed her elemental power—Seven Elements Cataclysm!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions trailed the chains, but even when shattered, they regenerated instantly, absorbing the scattered elemental energy to grow stronger and more resilient, relentlessly pursuing her.
Bai Xu watched from below, explaining calmly, "I've spent years studying the Silver Dragon's essence. Though I still can't replicate it, countering you is well within my reach."
"You're despicable!"
"In this Five Elements Array, I am the master! Bind!" Without further ado, Bai Xu unleashed another spell. The chains pierced through space, instantly coiling around Gu Yuena's body.
The moment the chains touched her skin, she felt her soul power stagnate, as if her strength had been stripped away and her bloodline sealed. Even the Silver Dragon Spear began to dim.
Clatter!
The chains dragged her down until she hovered before Bai Xu, limbs bound, with an additional white Metal Chain coiled around her neck, leaving her suspended in a spread-eagle position.
The compromising posture made Gu Yuena flush with embarrassment. "You shameless—!"
Bai Xu paid no heed. "Everything in this world that falls within the Five Elements—given time, I can devise a way to counter it. That includes you. But some things transcend the Five Elements, requiring the principles of Yin and Yang to explain. Those, I haven't yet mastered. My path of cultivation is about learning from the phenomena of nature and mastering them. Understand?"
Gu Yuena wasn't listening. She yanked violently at the chains, trying to break free through brute force. The chains' anti-dragon seals prevented her from using her elemental abilities—not by stripping them away, but by locking them beyond her reach.
"Still refusing to concede?" Bai Xu stepped forward, reaching out to subdue her.
But a burst of nine-colored light erupted, forcing Bai Xu to retreat in shock.
The Five Elements Chains disintegrated as Gu Yuena assumed her most perfect form—silver scales now adorned with a nine-colored radiance, the Silver Dragon Spear gleaming with the same divine light, as if a fragment of the Dragon God's power had awakened.
"Hey, there's no need to go this far!" Bai Xu warned. Even he couldn't easily gauge her strength in this state.
"Hah, round two! You don't get to decide when this ends, Bai Xu!"
With a disdainful smirk, she flashed behind him in an instant, thrusting her spear with such speed that Bai Xu barely managed to block with his sword before being sent flying.
The Dragon God Core contained the essence of the Dragon God's lifetime. Even if Gu Yuena could only wield a fraction of its power, it far surpassed Bai Xu's current capabilities.
As he tumbled through the air, Gu Yuena teleported behind him, matching his flight effortlessly, as if she had ascended to a higher realm where she held absolute control.
"To force me into this form, you've already proven your strength!"
"That's not exactly a compliment." Bai Xu slashed backward, using the momentum to stabilize himself. "Green Emperor's Wood Divine Art!"
The world turned verdant as an overwhelming life energy surged forth. Countless vines shot skyward, entwining toward Gu Yuena with immense vitality.
Frowning, she hurled her spear downward, where it embedded itself in the earth, siphoning the life energy. Meanwhile, she charged at Bai Xu, taunting, "Still denying you're a pervert? Do you just love seeing women tied up?!"
Bai Xu, no longer composed, met her head-on, dark water swirling around his fist as he clashed with her.
Boom!
The shockwave alone shattered the surrounding terrain, driving Bai Xu's feet into the ground. Yet the dark water dispersed most of the force, leaving him unharmed.
"Trying to run?"
Elemental energy surged as Bai Xu attempted to restrain her, but the Dragon God Core's amplification was too great. Though weakened, she could no longer be suppressed as before.
Lightning tribulations rained down, leaving Bai Xu scrambling to evade, not daring to let a single bolt touch him.
Gu Yuena's innate prowess, combined with the Dragon God Core, made her overwhelmingly powerful. Tang Wulin, at Soul Sage rank, had once lost control of his Golden Dragon bloodline and instantly slain a rank-96 Title Douluo. Gu Yuena, as the more perfected Silver Dragon, was naturally even stronger.
At this moment, she was in her most complete state—no split personalities, wielding the Dragon God Core, lacking only her full strength.
Bai Xu would need to advance several minor realms within his Meridian Opening stage to contend with her.
Boom!
After repeated clashes, even Bai Xu began to feel the strain. His energy waned, while Gu Yuena showed no signs of fatigue, her expression relaxed, silently acknowledging his endurance.
"But it's not over yet!"
Bai Xu, now incensed, summoned his bronze cauldron. The ancient vessel hovered above him, radiating Five Elements light as he hurled it toward Gu Yuena.
The Silver Dragon Spear returned to her grasp, its shaft wreathed in a dragon's phantom as it collided with the cauldron.
Yet the dragon's head shattered on impact. The cauldron seemed to carry a law that suppressed the Silver Dragon, nullifying her techniques.
Clang!
Gu Yuena crossed her spear to block the cauldron, her strength vastly enhanced by the Dragon God Core.
"Five Elements Qi!"
Light flared within the cauldron as streams of Five Elements Qi surged forth, seeking to ensnare Gu Yuena once more and seal her bloodline.
But she activated the Dragon God Core in response. Nine-colored light flooded the array, neutralizing the Five Elements Qi. The cauldron was repelled, and in its place stood a peerless woman clad in a nine-hued dress. Spatial elements morphed into chains, binding Bai Xu just as he had done to her earlier.
Now, the tables had turned!
"You seem exhausted," Gu Yuena teased, a playful smirk on her lips as she gazed at Bai Xu's disheveled state.
"It's just that my current level isn't enough to suppress the Dragon God's tier," Bai Xu admitted, bound hand and foot, his pride wounded.
He wasn't wrong. The Dragon God's level likely resided in the second or third layer of the Divine Prohibition, far beyond Bai Xu's current capabilities. During the Divine Dragon Realm's era, even an alliance of gods had failed to defeat the Dragon God—the Supreme God King's might was indisputable.
Even a fraction of that power, wielded by Gu Yuena, was enough to overwhelm him.
Of course, his recent battles had also taken their toll.
"It's not fair that you can use formations while I can't rely on external aids."
Bai Xu: "..."
Gu Yuena stepped closer, her eyes softening. The battle seemed to have calmed her turmoil. "Gu Yue and Na'er's personalities are merely dormant... I didn't absorb them."
"I knew. Your eyes told me everything. You're lost, just like Gu Yue was, unsure of how to move forward..."
Gu Yuena's gaze flickered. With a wave, she dismissed the spatial chains. Bai Xu, drained of energy, plummeted from the sky—only for her to step forward and catch him in a firm embrace, as if she relished this dominant role.
"You—" Bai Xu tried to struggle, but he was too spent. This was the first time he'd been rendered helpless.
"Don't move. I like seeing you like this—that aloof facade gone, replaced by frustration and helplessness."
Bai Xu: "..."
They landed on the ground, Gu Yuena cradling Bai Xu's head on her lap. The island lay in ruins around them as the Five Elements Array dissolved, revealing the endless sea beyond.
The sun rose, painting the waves in golden light.
With a melancholic sigh, she confessed, "While you were gone, as my essence grew unstable, I began to awaken. From Gu Yue and Na'er's memories, I learned of the future shown in The Heaven of Selfless Transformation. And... it felt meaningless. Like everything was a farce."
"Hopeless... despairing... disappointing."
"The Dragon God was once the faith of all beast souls. But now, his image has crumbled in my heart. The extinction of soul beasts, their inability to ascend—all of it stems from his actions. Even my existence as the leader of soul beasts is because of him. Yet he never passed down the truth. Most divine beasts died ignorant, fighting the human gods in a pointless war that doomed our kind. And the former God of Slaughter has long since passed on his divinity. Those who knew the truth are gone, leaving only ruins behind. All we've done is chase after phantoms of the past, but it's all in vain."
"Neither the Golden Dragon nor I are true successors. We're just paving the way for others. Ten thousand years later, I'll lose everything that makes me the Silver Dragon. I exist because of a mistake... as if my life has no purpose. Now, I truly don't know how to go on."
By the end, tears fell onto Bai Xu's face. From his angle, he could see the vulnerability beneath her silver hair—the shattered mask of the proud leader.
Learning the truth had broken her. Everything they'd fought for was a lie. Even her own existence was a result of the God of Slaughter's blade.
Gently stroking her hair, Bai Xu spoke weakly, drained from the battle:
"The Dragon God is gone. There's no need to dwell on the past. From my homeland, there's a saying: 'Regret the past that cannot be undone, but know the future can still be shaped. Though lost, you've not strayed far; realize today's righteousness and yesterday's faults.'"
"Don't torment yourself over what's already done. The future still holds chances for change. You've wandered astray, but it's not too late to turn back. You've already recognized the mistakes of the past—no need to blame yourself or others anymore. The road ahead is yours to walk. Of course, no matter what I say, you'll have to find your own answer."
Bai Xu, no longer willing to rest in her lap, shifted to lie on a nearby rock. The sea breeze brushed past as he offered one last piece of advice:
"As a leader, remember this: 'He who fails to plan for eternity cannot plan for the moment; he who fails to consider the whole cannot govern a part.'"
"The soul beasts are worth fighting for. Perhaps one day, you'll reach the Dragon God's level as the Silver Dragon, breaking the curse that bars soul beasts from godhood and giving them a future worth living."
With that, Bai Xu seemed to drift into sleep. The long journey and successive battles had left him exhausted.
Gu Yuena sat quietly beside him, pondering his words.
After a long silence, she gently lifted him into her arms, spreading her dragon wings as she soared toward the rising sun.
Bathed in its golden light, the faintest smile graced her lips.