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Outside Shrek City, within a hidden great hall
"My Lord, the Sky Azure Bull Python requests an audience with you," Di Tian said respectfully.
"Oh?" Gu Yuena glanced curiously toward the entrance of the hall. "Let him in. You need not withdraw—remain here and listen quietly."
"As you command."
Before long, a resolute man dressed in green robes entered the main hall and bowed respectfully. "Greetings to the Supreme Ruler of the Beasts, the Silver Dragon King."
Gu Yuena, however, chuckled lightly. "No need for formalities. You won't even address me as 'My Lord,' so why bother with such courtesy?"
"..."
The Sky Azure Bull Python—Da Ming—sweated in embarrassment, rising awkwardly before correcting himself. "My Lord, have you heard any news of Bai Xu?"
"Isn't he in the Demon Plane? At this point, nearly every faction in the Federation knows of him—that extraterrestrial demon who could launch a counterattack at any moment..." Gu Yuena replied meaningfully.
"Then you must also be aware of the current news regarding Tang Hao, the Master of the Plane."
"Hmm? Why bring him up? Unless..." Gu Yuena narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing this fellow beast who had ascended to godhood through Tang San's influence.
"To be frank, I come here on behalf of the Sea God, Tang San." Da Ming took a deep breath before uttering the name of that legendary figure from the past. Memories surged in his heart, and he couldn't help but reflect on how that man who had once loved Xiao Wu had fulfilled his promises—and done so spectacularly.
Even he and his brother had benefited from it.
When one man achieves the Dao, even his pets ascend to heaven.
"Oh? The God Realm? Wasn't the God Realm swept away? That's what you said." Gu Yuena's violet eyes gleamed with a chilling light as an overwhelming pressure erupted from her, enough to suppress even the Sky Azure Bull Python before her.
This was the disparity in bloodline. Among spirit beasts, encountering a being of superior bloodline often rendered one unable to exert their full strength.
"Indeed, but the God Realm will return!"
That single sentence caused Gu Yuena's oppressive aura to dissipate instantly. She coldly demanded, "State your purpose. No more games."
"The father of the Sea God Tang San—Tang Hao, the current Master of the Plane—wishes to invite you to join forces against the extraterrestrial demon." Da Ming straightened slightly, his tone grave. "Of course, he has set conditions. He promises to restore the habitats of our beast race and ensure that spirit beasts will never face extinction. Isn't this what you, I, and Er Ming have all desired?"
Da Ming knew that the Supreme Ruler had long schemed for the sake of the beast race. But in truth, all of it had unfolded under the watchful eyes of the Tang family. Their tolerance of her machinations had only been due to their own contingencies. Now, driven to desperation, they sought her cooperation.
"Isn't this absurd? After all my years of planning, the Beast God's Domain expands further each day. Most soul masters have absorbed spirit souls infused with traces of the Dragon God's Core. Once we seize control over all soul masters on the continent, how could the beast race not revive?" Gu Yuena deliberately steered the conversation—it was time to lay everything bare.
Da Ming sighed mournfully. "In truth... the Master of the Plane has been aware of all this. That man foresaw your awakening long ago and prepared countermeasures..."
Di Tian, hearing this, immediately interjected, "Impossible! My Lord has remained hidden in the deepest reaches of the Life Lake. How could the God Realm have detected her?"
"Beast God... Tang San is the one I once served. He calculates every move, plans every step—his foresight is beyond our comprehension." Da Ming spoke from the heart.
Both he and Er Ming deeply admired Tang San. Even after the God Realm was swept away by the spacetime turbulence, that man remained unshaken, his contingencies endless.
Di Tian fell silent. Gu Yuena's violet eyes dimmed slightly, as though she truly believed Da Ming's words.
"My Lord, I've heard you once shared a connection with Bai Xu. Might I ask... what it entailed?" Da Ming pressed further.
"We worked together for a time. But he deceived me, exploited me. When I uncovered his lies, he fled in panic..." Gu Yuena's voice carried a tinge of sorrow, as though reminiscing.
"If that is the case, why not join forces with the Master of the Plane to capture that extraterrestrial demon? Not only would it resolve the crisis facing Douluo Continent, but it would also allow you to exact vengeance—and achieve the revival of the beast race. At this stage, our living space shrinks by the day while humanity flourishes. Though the God Realm has vanished, the power of those Godkings ensures its eventual return. This is the decree of the Godking of Asura, Tang San, the God Realm's enforcer. We—"
"Enough!"
Gu Yuena could barely restrain herself. How could he grovel so shamelessly before the God Realm? Before Tang San?
Was Tang San truly so infallible? A master strategist who decided victories from a thousand miles away? Yet upon reflection... had his ten-thousand-year scheme not been precisely that? She had even once admitted that her own schemes paled in comparison to his.
Da Ming lowered his head and spoke solemnly, "My Lord, I beg you—consider the future of the beast race."
"Leave. Tell the Master of the Plane that I will deliver my answer in a few days."
"As you command."
Da Ming departed, carrying a sliver of hope. Gu Yuena's stance was not entirely opposed to cooperation. Perhaps she still held some expectation—or resentment—toward Bai Xu, leaving her torn.
Di Tian stepped forward, hesitating before speaking. "My Lord, this..."
"Who can say? The Sky Azure Bull Python himself came in person. Was it a test, or are they truly desperate enough to seek my aid? Their interest in me stems from two things: my ties to Bai Xu... and the Dragon God's Core." As she spoke, Gu Yuena retrieved the prismatic crystal radiating a nine-colored glow.
"Given the current circumstances—with Bai Xu and the Abyss both looming as threats—Tang Hao may have strategies to counter them. But we stand last in line, the mantis stalking the cicada. If we refuse him... the first secret exposed will be my identity as the Supreme Ruler of the Beasts."
Gu Yuena sensed something deeper. After long contemplation, she concluded that Tang Hao might truly be at his limit.
The relationships between Bai Xu, the Abyss, Tang Hao, and the beast race were far too complex. If Gu Yuena were willing to deal Bai Xu a crippling blow, Tang Hao might indeed permit the beast race's revival. Alternatively, the beasts could gamble on their fate—endure until the three forces exhausted each other, then seize the opportunity to claim dominance.
Of course... that was impossible.
"Feign cooperation for now. We'll proceed step by step," Gu Yuena murmured.
"As you command." For the first time, Di Tian grasped the complexity of the situation. Four forces stood opposed, each unaware of the others' full capabilities, all probing for weaknesses. Originally, Tang Hao had been the master manipulator, the player above the board. But Bai Xu's emergence had forced even him to step onto the field as a mere piece.
Life and death hung in the balance.
---
Demon Plane.
Bai Xu abruptly opened his eyes from meditation. His body shimmered with crystalline purity, and with every slight movement, an overwhelming aura unfurled, causing the entire continent to tremble violently. The Five Elements of Heaven's Law intertwined, nurturing all creation. The Four Celestial Beasts governed the cardinal directions, while at the center loomed the form of a dragon. Wherever this energy spread, the Demon Continent's ecosystem was restored in an instant. Even the demons themselves underwent transformation upon contact—their grotesque forms shed, replaced by ordinary, spiritless animals.
The Demon Plane was far weaker than Douluo Continent, and the Demon Continent was its sole major landmass.
Now revitalized, the plane brimmed with life. Though not yet as prosperous as before, it pulsed with vitality, set upon a stable path of development. However, producing a powerhouse on par with a Limit Douluo would require hundreds of thousands of years of evolution.
Bai Xu withdrew the celestial phenomena into himself before speaking solemnly, "Let's go. It's time to return."
The spirit of the plane, barely containing its excitement, condensed into a tiny figure perched upon Bai Xu's shoulder, clutching his robes. "Yes."