A flicker of consideration crossed Gu Yue's eyes.
She hadn't expected Arthur to carry a protective force left behind by Na'er. Thinking back over her observations these past weeks, Na'er seemed to place great value on her friends.
"Fine. Let him live." Gu Yue withdrew her gaze.
Let him live, then. Tang Wulin couldn't stir up much trouble anyway.
The Golden Dragon King had returned.
The rise of the soul beasts was now inevitable.
Gu Yue feared nothing. Her extraordinary intellect told her that from this point forward, extraordinary power would resolve everything.
On the other side, Na'er had fully absorbed the Golden Dragon King's power.
The Golden Dragon King's essence, which had once required careful soothing, was now utterly docile. The remnants of its savage consciousness had been dispersed through the combined efforts of the Golden Dragon and the Silver Dragon King working in tandem.
The Golden Dragon had merged completely into the Golden Dragon King, making it whole.
As for the small portion of the Silver Dragon King's power within Na'er...
Na'er slowly opened her eyes. A streak of gold and silver light flashed through her violet irises. When she raised her hand, a sphere of light condensed in her palm, fusing the power of both Dragon Kings into one.
Two streams of golden and silver radiance coiled and flowed around her.
A fragment of the Dragon God's divine might had returned to the world.
The surrounding beasts dropped to their knees in reverence.
Gu Yue stood still, eyes narrowing slightly.
Noticing Gu Yue's gaze, Na'er let out a soft scoff. Without the slightest reluctance for the Dragon God's power, she separated the Silver Dragon King's force from within herself.
And offered it to Gu Yue.
"What is the meaning of this?" Gu Yue asked, puzzled.
"What do you think?" Na'er gave her a sidelong glance.
When Gu Yue had torn Na'er out of herself long ago, she had, out of necessity, parted with thirty percent of the Silver Dragon King's power as well.
That power had been the very foundation of Na'er's existence.
Now that she had become the new Golden Dragon King, Na'er no longer needed those thirty percent to sustain herself.
So she returned them.
All in all, Na'er intended to make a clean and decisive break from Gu Yue, to become her own independent being.
The Silver Dragon King's power flowed like water from Na'er's palm and drifted steadily toward Gu Yue, carrying with it the luminous essence unique to the Silver Dragon King's origin.
In an instant, the silver light faded from Na'er's radiance, leaving behind only pure golden divine power, blazing like the midday sun. It was the power of the Golden Dragon King alone, without a trace of the Silver Dragon King remaining.
"Here. Take it back." Na'er's voice carried a note of relief. "From this day forward, I am Na'er, the Golden Dragon King. Not your alter ego, and not a vessel for your power."
She placed deliberate weight on the words "Na'er, the Golden Dragon King."
Gu Yue caught the Silver Dragon King's power. The moment it surged into her body, she could feel her origin becoming whole again.
The return of that missing thirty percent sent her aura soaring.
Yet watching Na'er's expression, she frowned. "You don't need to do this."
From the moment she had decided to separate Na'er out, Gu Yue had never intended to reabsorb her.
Why else would she have bothered splitting her off? For no reason at all?
Na'er's rather foolish behavior since then had only reinforced that conviction. Gu Yue had no desire to become that foolish herself.
"I think I do." Na'er looked at her steadily. "When you separated me from yourself, you gave me everything that belonged to a human's emotions."
"I am more human. You are more beast."
She turned to look at the soul beasts still prostrating before her, a gentle current of golden dragon power stirring around her. "So there are many things we cannot understand about each other. We cannot feel what the other feels."
"You gave me the emotions of a human, yet expected me to serve the soul beasts' cause."
Na'er's voice dropped low. "The Silver Dragon King's power is yours again. You are whole now."
"As for the Golden Dragon King's power, I can help you with it when you need me. But I cannot give it to you."
"I know that is selfish. But if I gave it to you, I would cease to exist."
"I want to live. To live as myself."
"Because... I can't bear to leave Arthur."
The last words left her lips before she could stop them, and a flush spread across her cheeks. Yet she held Gu Yue's gaze without flinching, violet eyes filled with quiet resolve.
"Suit yourself."
Gu Yue understood now. All this circling around, and it still came back to Arthur. That foolish dragon.
Whether the Golden Dragon King's power resided with Na'er or with herself made little difference to Gu Yue.
So long as it could serve the soul beasts' cause.
Still, Na'er's words, "I can't bear to leave Arthur," continued to echo in Gu Yue's mind. The Silver Dragon King's power she had just reclaimed should have made her origin feel more complete than ever, yet a strange, nameless feeling stirred somewhere deep inside her.
---
Inside the hidden chamber of a villa in Glorybound.
Steam hung thick in the air. At the center of the room sat a white jade bathing tub filled with dark violet medicinal liquid that rolled and churned, releasing a rich, heady fragrance.
It was a special concoction prepared by the Body Sect elder, brewed from the blood essence of various ten-thousand-year soul beasts combined with rare medicinal herbs, designed specifically to forge the body's foundation.
"Arthur, the hidden power lying dormant within you is beyond what your current physical foundation can withstand. It must be drawn out gradually." The elder stood beside the tub. "This medicinal liquid will cleanse your meridians, temper your flesh, and solidify your foundation. Once you get in, no matter how much pain you feel, remember to circulate the technique I taught you just now, and guide the medicinal energy into every inch of your sinew and bone."
"Yes, Teacher."
Arthur gave a nod, shed his outer garment, and leaped into the tub.
The moment he was submerged, the scalding liquid stabbed at him like a thousand needles, searing pain erupting all across his body.
Then a torrent of savage energy poured in through his pores, rampaging through his meridians and bones. A bone-deep agony swept over him from head to toe.
"Hold on! The medicinal liquid is tempering your body and laying your foundation!" the elder said firmly.
Arthur clenched his teeth. The veins at his temples stood out sharply.
Forcing himself to circulate the Body Sect technique his teacher had passed on, he guided the medicinal energy bit by bit, tempering every muscle and every bone.
Gradually the liquid's color began to fade, and a faint golden luminescence surfaced across Arthur's skin, the mark of a body foundation taking shape.
How much time passed, he couldn't say. By the time the violet liquid had turned clear, Arthur slowly opened his eyes. A flash of golden light passed through them and vanished, leaving behind an aura that was deep, steady, and contained.
He vaulted out of the tub and felt power coursing through his entire body. His senses, too, had sharpened to a new degree.
"Perfect." The elder's eyes lit up.
He stepped forward and studied Arthur intently, even reaching out to examine him carefully. His voice brimmed with approval. "Even I have never seen such a flawless foundation."
"Stay with me a few more days. I'll help you consolidate it further."
"After that, we can try to awaken the dormant power within you."
"Thank you, Teacher." Arthur bowed with genuine respect, gratitude clear in his eyes.
"Since I've taken you as my student, I will give you everything I have."
"Besides, I want to see just how far you can go."
The elder waved a hand, and his expression turned solemn. "In a little while, I will help you activate the hidden power inside you. But before that, you must first become fully attuned to your own body. Otherwise, when your power awakens, you won't be able to control it."
Arthur nodded. "Yes, Teacher."
His body felt as though it had been reborn. Every inch of muscle was coiled with explosive force.
He could even sense the power within him growing more active, steadily nourishing his entire being.
"Over the next few days, I'll teach you several foundational techniques from the Body Sect to help solidify your base."
---
Never underestimate a lovesick fool, you fool.