Spirit Transfer Pagoda Headquarters.
In the private quarters of Sky Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu.
Just as Leng Yaozhu was immersed in her fantasies, a mocking laugh reached her ears, instantly snapping her back to reality.
Frowning coldly, she snapped, "Leng Yulai, what nonsense are you spouting?"
"Whether it's nonsense or not, you know very well, dear sister. Haha!" A small black bird fluttered down before Leng Yaozhu's eyes, its gaze filled with unmistakable derision as Leng Yulai's voice emanated from it.
The mighty Dark Phoenix Douluo had been reduced to a palm-sized bird—a sight that would shock anyone who witnessed it.
"This is all your doing!" Anger flashed across Leng Yaozhu's jade-like face as she spat the words bitterly.
"And yet, I can't help but feel this suits you just fine?" The black bird continued with a frivolous, teasing laugh. "I heard everything clearly, sister. You were so loud, so happy—shall I imitate you for you? Ah~ so good—"
The voice cut off abruptly.
"Silence!" Leng Yaozhu seized the black bird, her delicate hand tightening around its neck. The bird gasped, its neck straining, eyes bulging—one more ounce of pressure, and it would perish instantly. "Don't think for a second I won't kill you!"
"Cough—cough—" Leng Yulai struggled for breath, fear of death flickering in her eyes.
Seeing this, Leng Yaozhu's expression softened slightly. No matter how despicable Leng Yulai was, she was still her sister—her only blood relative in this world. Relenting, she loosened her grip slightly and said coldly, "One more word of nonsense, and I'll throw you into the Soul Spirit Tower!"
At the mention of the Soul Spirit Tower, the bird's body trembled, but its voice remained defiant. "Hmph! I'm not afraid of death—you think imprisonment scares me?"
"Not afraid of death? Ha!" Leng Yaozhu couldn't help but scoff. "If that's true, why did your soul possess your own Soul Spirit to cling to life? Why not let your soul perish along with your body?"
Her taunts had no effect on Leng Yulai, who even seemed smug. "If I can live, why should I die? Even someone who slept with her own disciple is still alive—why should I die?"
"You—!" Leng Yaozhu's face flushed with fury. With a flick of her wrist, she released a red light, sealing Leng Yulai into a confined space. "You'll stay locked in this Soul Spirit Orb for now!"
Leng Yulai resisted, of course, but even at her peak, she had been no match for Leng Yaozhu—let alone in her current state. Helpless, she was imprisoned without a fight.
Leng Yaozhu gazed at her immobilized sister inside the orb and nodded in satisfaction, smiling. "A silent sister is a good sister! Don't worry—I'll find you a nice place to stay!"
Inside the Soul Spirit Orb, Leng Yulai could only glare in futile defiance.
When Leng Yulai chose to possess her own Soul Spirit and forcibly survive through the secret arts of the Holy Spirit Church and the Spirit Transfer Pagoda, her fate was no longer within her control—especially after she was discovered and taken away by Leng Yaozhu.
This was a one-of-a-kind orange-gold Inherited Soul Spirit, and unlike ordinary Inherited Soul Spirits, she possessed independent consciousness and intelligence. Leng Yulai's unintended actions had turned herself into an unprecedented, priceless treasure.
As her elder sister and the deputy master of the Spirit Transfer Pagoda, Leng Yaozhu naturally sought a good path for her dear younger sister—if not transcendence, then at least redemption.
Unbidden, the image of a handsome, smiling face surfaced in Leng Yaozhu's mind.
Meanwhile, Jing Shaoyu came to a stop in a secluded corner of Shrek City.
"Na'er, is that you?" Jing Shaoyu's voice trembled slightly, his eyes filled with tension, fear, and joy.
"It's me, Brother." Na'er's firm reply came from within his chest. Though her voice was weak, it carried strength—proof that her current state was stable.
Overjoyed, Jing Shaoyu raised his hand and drew out a green light from his chest. Within the radiance pulsed a vividly beating heart—this was the Heart of Natural God, the evolved form of the Heart of Eternity.
"Na'er, you're still here… That's wonderful!" Jing Shaoyu was overwhelmed with emotion. He had never imagined that his past decision would have such a profound impact now. Through the Heart of Natural God, he could sense Na'er's current state—her soul was extremely fragile. Without the Heart's protection, she would have long since dissipated.
Jing Shaoyu was truly exhilarated. What had once been an impossibly complex situation had now become simple: all he needed to do was reconstruct a physical body for Na'er and transfer her soul from the Heart of Natural God into the new vessel, and she would be revived.
Though this process would require an immense amount of energy, compared to the difficulty of having Gu Yue separate Na'er again, it was practically nothing.
"Brother… did you already know about my connection with Gu Yue?" Na'er's voice emerged from the Heart of Natural God, low and tinged with guilt. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to hide it from you."
"There's no need to apologize, Na'er." Jing Shaoyu smiled gently. "Your survival is all that matters. As for your relationship with Gu Yue, you can tell me whenever you're ready—or not at all. I won't mind either way."
"Wuuu…" The Heart of Natural God trembled as Na'er's sobs echoed from within. "Brother, I'll tell you everything!"
"Alright, alright, don't cry," Jing Shaoyu urged anxiously. "Your soul is unstable right now—you mustn't let your emotions fluctuate too intensely!"
Under Jing Shaoyu's soothing words, Na'er gradually calmed down.
Then, she revealed everything to him—holding nothing back. Though Jing Shaoyu already knew some of it, Na'er's confession deepened his understanding of the entire situation. Most importantly, she shared many secrets he had been unaware of.
"Brother, do you remember the legend of the Dragon God that Gu Yue and I once spoke of?" Na'er asked.
"Of course I remember." Jing Shaoyu nodded. "How could I forget? Don't you recall? I even saw the Dragon God Dragon Soul in the Dragon Graveyard."
"Gu Yue and I are actually the missing Silver Dragon King!" Na'er said, then paused as if deliberately giving Jing Shaoyu time to digest this fact.
Shaoyu remained silent at the appropriate moment.
"After the God Realm war, we were severely injured and had no choice but to flee back to the Douluo Continent, hiding in the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, sleeping and recovering in the Lake of Life," Na'er continued. "Until over a decade ago, when our injuries were mostly healed. But the situation for the Soul Beasts had become dire, so we decided to take revenge—to overthrow humanity and reclaim the Soul Beasts' rule over the Douluo Continent."
"Our original plan was to take human form, infiltrate human society and their leadership, and seize control of the Spirit Transfer Pagoda when the time came."
"But the first step of the plan went wrong. During the process of sealing our powers and memories to transform into humans, Gu Yue—the primary personality—fell into a deep slumber. I was born instead and gained control of the body."
"Hehe, when I was first born, I was no different from an ordinary human baby. I only knew my name was Na'er and remembered nothing else. And then... I was picked up by you, Brother. Hehe, that was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me."
"I should be the lucky one," Jing Shaoyu said, his expression softening with happiness as he listened to the joy in Na'er's voice. "Finding a little sister while picking up seashells by the shore—how fortunate!"
"Hehe!" Na'er laughed brightly, but as she continued, her voice grew somber again. "That time was the happiest of my life."
"Later, my memories returned, Gu Yue woke up, and our subordinates found us. That's why I had to leave your side."
Recalling the days after Na'er left, Shaoyu's eyes darkened with melancholy.
"After Gu Yue woke up, we disagreed on many things. This made it impossible for our souls to merge," Na'er went on. "To avoid disrupting her plans, she had no choice but to separate me from her, making me an independent existence."
"But as the primary personality of the Silver Dragon King, she could never tolerate her power and soul being incomplete—it would severely weaken her strength. Yet she couldn't forcibly absorb me either. So we made a deal."
"What kind of deal?" Jing Shaoyu pressed immediately. Though he had his suspicions, he wanted to hear it from Na'er herself.
"We had different views on humanity. I believed human emotions were real, while she thought they were fake. To prove she was right and I was wrong, she decided to approach you as Gu Yue," Na'er said, a hint of smugness in her tone.
"If she fell in love with you, Brother, it would mean I was correct. On the other hand, if she didn't, it would prove human emotions were meaningless illusions, and I would have to willingly merge with her."
"Hehe, the results speak for themselves. I was right. She spent less than a year with you before she was completely smitten. Brother, your charm is truly too powerful."
"If you won, then why...?" Jing Shaoyu asked, his voice laced with pain. He could guess the reason, and it filled him with anguish.
"Hehe, if it were for her so-called mission and she wanted to merge with me, I definitely wouldn't agree," Na'er said with a giggle. "But since it's for you, brother, of course I wouldn't refuse. Although I'd love to stay by your side forever, she and I are one. Her being with you is the same as me being with you!"
"No!" Jing Shaoyu immediately retorted sharply. "You are you, and she is her. You've never been the same person! The ones I love are Na'er and Gu Yue, not some Silver Dragon King!"
"I know, I know, brother!" Na'er was deeply moved by his words and exclaimed, "That's why I'm so happy now. We've become completely independent—she's the complete Silver Dragon King, and I've become a real person. Brother, all of this is because of you!"
"Yes! Na'er, don't worry. No matter the cost, I will definitely bring you back to life and make you a real person!" Jing Shaoyu vowed with a solemn expression.
"I believe in you, brother!" Na'er said blissfully. "Actually, things are pretty good like this. I can be by your side all the time, talk to you whenever I want, and even watch when you get intimate with Xiaoyan and the others in the future. Hehe."
Jing Shaoyu's expression froze for a moment before he said indignantly, "So you're just going to watch? Don't you want to be intimate with me too?"
"Of course I do!" Na'er replied without hesitation.
"Then you must stabilize your soul. Once I help you reshape your body, you can do anything with me!" Jing Shaoyu coaxed her like a sly uncle luring a little girl.
"Mm-hmm, I will," Na'er agreed repeatedly.
The glow of the Heart of Natural God flickered continuously, indicating Na'er's excellent mood, which in turn stabilized her soul even more.
"Oh, brother," Na'er suddenly remembered something and quickly reminded him, "It's best not to let Gu Yue obtain the Golden Dragon King Bloodline and the Source of Destruction of the Dragon God. She will definitely lose control."
"Why do you say that?" Jing Shaoyu asked.
"Because the Silver Dragon King is born from the benevolent will of the Dragon God and inherits the power of creation, while the Golden Dragon King is born from the malevolent will and inherits the power of destruction. Without an overwhelmingly strong external force, forcibly merging these two completely opposing powers can only lead to two outcomes," Na'er said gravely.
"Either the two forces clash and annihilate each other, reducing Gu Yue to an ordinary person, or they intermingle and corrupt one another, causing Gu Yue to lose control of herself and become a mindless beast."
"This…" Jing Shaoyu was startled and immediately said, "Gu Yue must know these consequences herself, right?"
"Of course she does," Na'er replied. "But I'm afraid she might act recklessly regardless. Only you can stop her, brother."
"I understand!" Thinking of Gu Yue's temperament, Jing Shaoyu knew Na'er's concern was not unfounded. He nodded solemnly.
The Golden Dragon King Bloodline and the Source of Destruction are now both in the hands of the God of Destruction. Jing Shaoyu couldn't yet determine the God of Destruction's stance toward Gu Yue, nor was he clear whether He had His own plans for the Golden Dragon King Bloodline and the Source of Destruction. But at least for the time being, there was no need to worry about Gu Yue obtaining these two things.
It seemed that the matter of going to Devil Island needed to be put on the agenda.
"Let's go," Jing Shaoyu said as he withdrew the Heart of Natural God back into his body.
"Brother, why do you still need to go to the Spirit Transfer Pagoda?" Na'er asked in confusion.
"No matter what, I still need to meet Gu Yue," Jing Shaoyu replied. "Besides, Mom and Auntie are still at the Spirit Transfer Pagoda. I can't just leave them there."
"Oh," Na'er responded, then added in a faintly accusing tone, "Brother, we all saw what happened between you and Senior Tian Feng."
Jing Shaoyu stiffened.
Meanwhile, at the Spirit Transfer Pagoda.
Gu Yue arrived at Leng Yaozhu's office in response to her summons.
Gu Yue had now restored her true appearance—the same as Na'er's—yet Leng Yaozhu didn't seem the least bit surprised. She smiled and said, "What? Have you made up your mind and decided to confess to A Yuan?"
However, Gu Yue didn't react to Leng Yaozhu's words at all. Instead, she stared coldly at her. Sensing the oddity in Gu Yue's demeanor, Leng Yaozhu asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Yue'er? Why are you looking at your teacher like that?"
"I saw everything," Gu Yue finally spoke, her voice icy with fury. "You committed adultery with your own disciple and fought with her over a man!"
Leng Yaozhu's expression changed drastically, her fair face flushing with panic as she snapped sharply, "W-what nonsense are you spouting?! I'm your teacher!"
"You're not just my teacher—you're A Yuan's teacher too!" Gu Yue refused to back down, her tone growing increasingly biting. "I noticed long ago that your attitude toward A Yuan was off. You shameless woman!"
"Shut your mouth!" Leng Yaozhu, now furious, flashed in front of Gu Yue and grabbed her by the collar. Golden flames flickered in her eyes, and the temperature in the room abruptly rose by several degrees.
Faced with Leng Yaozhu's rage, Gu Yue showed no fear. Instead, she glared back at her sharply and said, "What? Did I hit the mark? Want to kill me? Then go ahead!"
"I—" Gu Yue's attitude left Leng Yaozhu flustered, her imposing aura instantly weakening by half. But her expression shifted from anger to smugness. "That's right, you're correct. I do love A Yuan—my own disciple. I'm even carrying his child. What about it? Jealous?"
Now it was Gu Yue's turn to be stunned. She stared blankly at Leng Yaozhu, whose face was full of triumph and excitement as she caressed her lower abdomen, as if there truly was a child growing inside.
"Heh, if you don't want to acknowledge me as your teacher, you can always call me 'sister' instead. I wouldn't mind," Leng Yaozhu said, having regained her composure. She flickered back to her seat and looked at Gu Yue with a seductive posture.
"Hmph!" Gu Yue snorted coldly. "If anyone should be calling anyone 'sister,' it's you who should call me that! You're the one who came later!"
Leng Yaozhu immediately opened her mouth to argue, but Gu Yue seemed unwilling to continue bickering over this issue. She cut straight to the point: "I want the leadership of the Ten Thousand Beasts Platform Project."
"Alright." Leng Yaozhu immediately understood—all the girl's previous behavior had been leading up to this request! She smiled but didn't object.
(End of chapter)