Word Count: 3,169
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The fierce afternoon sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, splitting the room into a battlefield of interwoven light and shadow.
Flecks of brightness danced across the sandalwood floor as the two girls faced each other in prolonged silence.
Their gazes collided in the empty air, grinding against one another until invisible sparks seemed ready to burst.
Gu Yue leaned against a long marble table, her figure slender and graceful, jet-black hair tumbling to her waist.
Her expression was serene yet cold.
Across from her, Na Er lounged on a red velvet sofa sunk deep in a flood of sunlight.
Her long legs were crossed, the ends of her silver hair flowing with liquid luster.
Golden light filled the delicate hollows of her pale collarbones, dazzling enough to leave one faintly lightheaded.
Each occupied one side of the room.
Sunlight outlined their lovely forms in elegant strokes, black and silver-white set in stark contrast, like the eternally opposed poles of yin and yang.
Even the dust drifting through the air seemed to freeze.
Gu Yue gave a soft laugh, her voice sharp with chill:
“Didn’t you say you wanted to talk? Why have you gone silent now that we’re here?”
The hostility in her tone was so obvious even a three-year-old could have felt it.
Na Er, however, did not seem to care.
She tilted her head, her silver hair flowing like water, and replied slowly, “I remembered some things. Memories that should belong to the Silver Dragon King… or to put it more plainly, to you, the Silver Dragon King’s primary personality. The memories stretch so far back. Hundreds of thousands of years at the very least. Though they don’t seem to hold much practical value. Ever since the defeat and the fall into the Star Dou Forest, most of that time was spent sleeping and recovering from injuries. It doesn’t even compare to the wonderful, happy four short years I’ve lived.”
Gu Yue’s breathing grew heavy and ragged at once, like a broken bellows.
She forcibly suppressed the violent surge of emotion and said coldly, “You are one half of the Silver Dragon King.
Those memories belong to both of us.
There is nothing strange about you recalling them now.
Through the Silver Dragon King’s memories, you witnessed the entire history of the Star Dou Forest’s decline from glory to ruin.
You saw the Star Dou Great Beasts lead the spirit beast race in desperate resistance, only to fail in the end, unable to reverse the tide, steadily driven back by humanity’s Spirit Guidance Technology.
The Outer Region and the Hybrid Region have long since fallen.
All that remains of the Star Dou Forest is the Core Region and the Lake of Life.
Humans built a high wall and called it protection for the last surviving spirit beast seeds, but in truth they merely penned spirit beasts in like livestock.
Once the time is ripe, they will charge into the Star Dou Forest without mercy and turn every last spirit beast into a Spirit Soul!
Na Er, we are both halves of the Silver Dragon King, co-lords of spirit beasts!
Humans are vicious and sinister, greedy as devils.
We have a duty to lead the spirit beast race out of the mire and raise a war of vengeance against humanity!”
Na Er lifted her brows and stared at Gu Yue.
A deep darkness swirled in her eyes.
Her lips curled, and she gave a faint, derisive snort.
“The spirit beast race has declined, and you want revenge. Yet the very first thing you’d do is devour me and transform into the complete Silver Dragon King. Never mind whether you’d actually succeed in your revenge. I would be dead for certain. Everything I have, my abilities, my soul, all of it would become part of you. To you, I’m nothing but a tool to be sacrificed at will.”
Gu Yue’s brows drew even tighter together.
“Your birth was an accident. You took away thirty percent of my power and the Silver Dragon Spear. I am merely setting things right, returning everything to the correct track. You and I were one to begin with—”
“No!”
Na Er cut her off with icy finality, her expression blank and cold.
“We are not the same. You are the Silver Dragon King, co-lord of spirit beasts. I am a human being of flesh and blood!”
“Human?”
Gu Yue stared blankly for a moment before her expression twisted slightly.
“One half of the Silver Dragon King rejects spirit beasts and acknowledges our mortal enemies instead… Na Er, you have truly opened my eyes.”
“Why can’t I acknowledge humans?”
Na Er asked seriously.
“Like humans, the Silver Dragon King was once just a child who descended into this world.
When we split apart, I was caught in a spatial turbulence.
The Myriad Demon King chased after me relentlessly, determined to drag me back and force me to fuse with you.
If not for the many Titled Douluo in Shrek City, and if I hadn’t happened to meet Zhao Xuanzhen and Aunt Leng, I would have ceased to exist long ago.
Humans gave me a home.
They gave me meticulous care.
They taught me to distinguish good from evil and to understand gain and loss.
Zhao Xuanzhen, Aunt Leng, Sister Da Bai, Sister Xiao Bai… they all like me very much, and I like them too.
I am willing to protect that home with everything I have.
Gu Yue, so what if I remembered the Silver Dragon King’s memories?
The memories appear before my eyes, and the moment I look at them it feels as if I’ve sunk into a dream.
But they are not real.
When I wake, I am still myself.
I am not the Silver Dragon King, co-lord of spirit beasts!”
“Shut up!”
That sentence had clearly struck Gu Yue’s bottom line.
Her fury erupted in full.
A dazzling trace of purple rose in the depths of her black pupils, and the bloodline aura of the Silver Dragon King crushed down toward Na Er!
Na Er yielded not an inch.
As the shadows of her lashes swept across her lower lids, boiling purple light flooded her silver-white eyes.
She too had activated the Silver Dragon King bloodline!
Purple eyes met purple eyes.
The water droplets clinging to the tender tips of the room’s greenery reflected two warped, overlapping images.
The instant their gazes tangled, the prism hanging by the window scattered brilliant rainbow light across the walls.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass, the sound of ocean waves drifted faintly from afar.
Against the shifting light and shadow, their two flawless forms shaped an ever clearer yin-yang totem.
In this clash between the Silver Dragon King’s halves, even the sunlight seemed to tremble with unease.
“Enough.”
Gu Yue gave a cold snort.
The gorgeous purple faded from her eyes, her gaze slowly returning to its clear, deep black.
“So you’re telling me that from now on you stand on humanity’s side, an enemy of me and of the entire spirit beast race?”
“Whether we become enemies doesn’t depend on me. That depends on your choice.”
Na Er withdrew her purple radiance as well and spoke in a low, steady voice.
“Gu Yue, I won’t beat around the bush. I’ll lay it all out directly. I don’t know your ultimate purpose in joining the Spirit Pagoda. To be honest, I’d rather not share the same environment with you, but Zhao Xuanzhen and Aunt Leng agreed to it, so there’s nothing I can do. I’ll only ask you one thing. In your grand plan, what becomes of the Spirit Pagoda? And what about Zhao Xuanzhen and Aunt Leng, what happens to them?”
“If I want revenge against humanity, I first have to understand humanity. That is why I joined the Spirit Pagoda. As for the two people you mentioned, if they stand in the way of the spirit beast race’s vengeance, I will kill them without hesitation!”
“Gu Yue, if you cross that line, don’t blame me for casting aside all sentiment. There is only one Golden Eyed Black Dragon King, but humanity has Limit Douluo in the double digits!” Na Er said coldly.
“From the sound of it, you intend to expose my identity to the entire Douluo Continent?”
Gu Yue folded her arms over her chest and lifted her snow-white chin slightly.
“If you did something like that, could you, as the Silver Dragon King’s other half, really stay out of it? Na Er, remember my warning. Once a spirit beast, always a spirit beast! No matter how deeply you believe yourself to be human, the blood flowing through your veins cannot be washed away. Humans have an old saying: those not of our kind must harbor different intentions. If your identity as one half of the Silver Dragon King were ever exposed, what choice do you think the people you love would make? Spirit ring, spirit bone, or Spirit Soul… which ending would you prefer?”
Na Er’s lips moved faintly, as if she were biting her tongue, refusing to concede any truth in those words.
Gu Yue stepped forward with light, graceful strides until she stood before Na Er.
Their beautiful faces slowly drew close, black and silver meeting once more.
“Mutual destruction is the worst possible ending. Let us make an agreement. I will not harm Zhao Xuanzhen or the humans you cherish. Even if I start a war between the races, I will leave them a way out in the end. In return, you must not expose my identity, and you are forbidden from arbitrarily interfering with what I do inside the Spirit Pagoda. Be a good little spectator and watch quietly.”
Na Er thought it over for a long while, then added, “One more condition. I want absolute freedom. You will not try to devour me again to become the complete Silver Dragon King.”
“…Are you dreaming?”
Gu Yue’s brows furrowed.
Her whole face practically screamed: Woman, don’t push your luck!
If I don’t become the Silver Dragon King, then what am I even doing here?
Spend every day staring at thirty percent of my power and my companion divine weapon swaying right in front of me?
How is that any different from some rascal of a teenage boy hopelessly longing for a bunny-girl senpai?
Na Er studied Gu Yue, who looked on the verge of cursing yet held herself back, and suddenly grew pleased with herself.
“I nearly forgot. Now that you’ve gained humanity, you can’t devour me at all. If I’m not willing, even a forced fusion would crack my body and soul from the resistance. Not only would you fail to become the Silver Dragon King, you might even end up with a shattered mind.”
Gu Yue clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white.
The embarrassment of having her hidden thoughts laid bare was written plainly across her face.
In another timeline, she had intended to make Na Er willingly agree to the fusion and become a Silver Dragon King complete in both body and spirit.
The two had even struck a wager: Gu Yue would disguise herself with an ordinary appearance, approach Tang Wulin, and make him fall in love with her.
Now she faced the same predicament again.
But this Na Er was far harder to deal with.
Backed by her humanity and the support of the Spirit Pagoda’s upper ranks, she actually dared to fight for her own interests and push the struggle to the very end.
“Na Er, how about we make a bet—”
Gu Yue prepared to resort to the same old trick.
“Not listening, not listening!”
The moment she heard the word ‘bet,’ Na Er clapped her hands over her ears and shook her head from side to side so fast she looked like a rattling drum.
“You think I’m stupid, but I’m not stupid at all! Zhao Xuanzhen told me years ago that only stupid pigs make bets. People with real capital force the other side to give ground! Anyway, I don’t care. If you hurt Zhao Xuanzhen or Aunt Leng, I’ll expose both our identities to the outside world. You can sit there and watch your plans shatter while every Limit Douluo on the Douluo Continent hunts you down! And if you try to devour me by force, I’ll destroy my own soul on the spot. Then the two halves of the Silver Dragon King can go to hell hand in hand!”
Na Er went full rogue on the spot.
Gu Yue was so furious her eyes nearly spat fire.
She sucked air through her teeth with a sharp hiss.
Who in the world raised this little menace?!
Fighting down the urge to strangle Na Er then and there, Gu Yue ground out, “The earlier conditions still stand. As for the added condition, I’ll amend it: until I recover to the rank of Limit Douluo, I will not attempt to devour you. That is the greatest sincerity I can offer. If I claimed I’d spare you forever, you probably wouldn’t believe it yourself.”
“A deal’s a deal!”
Na Er raised one hand.
Gu Yue extended hers with obvious reluctance.
Pa!
Pa!
Pa!
Three claps, and the pact was sealed!
After a full exchange of thrust and parry, the two halves of the Silver Dragon King finally reached an agreement.
Each held fast to her own bottom line, and for the time being, they would coexist in peace.
Gu Yue’s eyes darkened and shifted through several shades of thought.
She possessed seventy percent of the Silver Dragon King’s power.
Reaching Limit Douluo in the future was virtually a certainty.
So Gu Yue relaxed her timetable and resolved to devote more energy to infiltrating the Spirit Pagoda and carrying out her revenge.
The tense atmosphere gradually eased.
Na Er poked Gu Yue in the side and asked with open curiosity, “A couple of days ago on the Eastsea City Spirit Ascension Platform, that black-haired boy beside you seemed to carry the Golden Dragon King’s aura. You’ve been enrolled for quite a while now. How come you still haven’t stripped away his bloodline? That doesn’t fit your cold-blooded style at all!”
The Golden Dragon King and Silver Dragon King were naturally drawn to one another.
Tang Wulin had already broken through his first Golden Dragon King Seal at the time and possessed a Golden Dragon Claw, so Na Er could naturally sense that aura.
“You think I didn’t want to?!”
Gu Yue slapped Na Er’s hand away in annoyance.
This girl really knew how to jab right where it hurt.
It was precisely because Tang Wulin had pulled the ‘daddy’s here’ card that Di Tian, the Bear Lord, and the other Great Beasts had been severely injured and were still lying corpse-like in the Star Dou Forest recovering.
On top of that, Tang Wulin’s Golden Dragon King bloodline had mysteriously and inexplicably degenerated within a single day.
She was already irritated enough as it was!
The Golden Dragon King bloodline had degenerated.
The Silver Dragon King’s missing thirty percent of power remained out of reach.
She carried the blood feud of an entire race on her shoulders.
A whole group of Star Dou Great Beasts had been badly wounded.
And now she was even being choked off while trying to climb within the Spirit Pagoda…
For one brief instant, Gu Yue was convinced there was no spirit beast in all the world with a more miserable fate than hers!
“Oh please, if there’s no Golden Dragon King, then there’s no Golden Dragon King.” Na Er sounded utterly unconcerned.
“At worst, you can just become human with me and live happily every day. Aunt Leng already mapped it out. Zhao Xuanzhen, you, and I are the future trident who’ll share blessings and hardships together. The three of us living our lives well would be better than anything else!”
“Impossible. The sea of blood between spirit beasts and humans must be avenged!” Gu Yue’s Dao heart remained unshakable.
Na Er pouted.
A dark gleam flashed through her silver eyes and vanished just as quickly.
Zhao Xuanzhen’s power restrained Gu Yue’s Elemental Control.
As long as the two halves of the Silver Dragon King did not fuse, Gu Yue could never become a God, and Zhao Xuanzhen would always hold her in check.
She simply would not be able to cause too much trouble.
When the time came, Na Er would just act spoiled, act cute, and sweet-talk Zhao Xuanzhen into pinning Gu Yue down for her.
Then she would ride right over Gu Yue’s face and show her who the real big sister was!
“I’m leaving. Aunt Leng needs me for something. Remember our agreement!”
Even as she walked out, Na Er did not forget to remind Gu Yue one last time.
Once Na Er’s figure vanished from sight, Gu Yue’s lips suddenly curved into a smile.
A trace of coldness seeped through it.
‘Only a fool would set aside a racial blood feud to play house with humans…
We are both the Silver Dragon King.
Playing mind games with me is useless.
You want to buy yourself time to grow stronger, but you don’t realize that agreement was nothing more than a convenient excuse for me.
I can tear it up whenever I please…
Why wait until I reach Limit Douluo?
The sooner I devour you, the better!
Na Er, it’s true that humans are emotional creatures.
They can grasp feelings that spirit beasts can never touch.
But human nature is far less rational and far less cold than beast nature.
You were too eager, and you exposed your weakness.
The humans you love are the fatal flaw in your heart.
Once they abandon you, the humanity you possess will naturally collapse into despair.
That will be my best chance to devour you.
Zhao Xuanzhen, Zhao Xuanzhen… the moment his name comes up, your eyes fill with pride and warmth.
He must be the most important person in your heart, the human who has influenced you most deeply.
The very core of your humanity…
It’s convenient, really.
Zhao Xuanzhen is my sole assessor.
My promotions within the Spirit Pagoda, every chance to reach its core secrets, all of it will require his support.
Childhood sweethearts… such an evocative phrase.
It can mean a million different things, or it can mean nothing at all!
Talent, appearance, benefits, emotions… as long as I surpass you in every single way, Zhao Xuanzhen will cast you aside without hesitation and choose me instead!
Humans are selfish and self-serving.
Everyone in this world is the same!’
Wild ambition blazed in Gu Yue’s eyes.
Her fists clenched tight as she turned and strode toward the conference room where Zhao Xuanzhen had been.
‘Zhao Xuanzhen, the Spirit Pagoda, and you…
I want them all!’