Upon hearing Su Cheng's overtures, the Silver Dragon King's eyes flickered slightly, but she didn't show much reaction.
The aura from the man in front of her did evoke a faint sense of familiarity, but that was all.
As the leader of the dragon race, she couldn't allow herself to be swayed by such trivial matters.
"It's natural that you don't trust me," Su Cheng said solemnly, "After all, I'm an outsider, and a human at that. Words alone are not enough to gain your trust."
"However, what if I told you that I could help you become stronger? Your true strength should be far beyond what it is now, right? I've already noticed that you're injured—an injury that runs deep into your essence, leaving you with less than a tenth of your peak power."
"Hmph." The Silver Dragon King finally spoke, but her voice was laced with heavy sarcasm.
"Help me become stronger? Where do you get your confidence from?"
In reality, her strength wasn't just less than a tenth of her peak. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she retained less than one percent of her original power.
But she had no interest in explaining this to Su Cheng. This meaningless dialogue was beginning to bore her.
Su Cheng smiled, not directly answering her question. Instead, he asked, "Do you know the fundamental difference between humans and dragons?"
The Silver Dragon King remained silent, coldly watching him.
"Humans aren't born strong. They're born weak, and calamities, wild beasts, hunger, disease—things that seem trivial to you—can easily determine their life or death.
"They have no sharp claws or fangs, no strong limbs or physiques; they're just ordinary creatures of the world.
"Yet, humanity has come this far by relying on their intellect. Generation after generation, they have labored and learned from past experiences, corrected their mistakes, adapted to and altered the laws of nature, then studied cultivation techniques, optimized them, and climbed step by step until they stood at the pinnacle of all races."
Speaking confidently, Su Cheng asked, "I bet that in the 'Divine Realm' you speak of, many of the strongest beings were originally ordinary humans, right? Perhaps even the majority of them?"
"..."
The Silver Dragon King fell silent.
He wasn't wrong.
The once fragile and insignificant race had now become the mainstream members of the Divine Realm, occupying key positions.
If you don't count the five God-Kings, humans hold overwhelming power in the Divine Realm.
"Do you know how long it took me to enter this valley?" Su Cheng held up his right hand, palm open. "Five years. It only took me five years to develop the technique I just showed you. Before that, the dragon race, for thousands upon thousands of years, hadn't figured out a way to amplify their bloodline's influence. In fact, they probably never even thought of it."
He then closed four fingers, pointing towards the depths of the valley.
"Are you thinking of going there, finding the 'Dragon God's' remnant will, and trying to absorb it?
"That's a foolish move!
"In your current state, you can't make full use of it because you're not the Dragon God. You're just an incomplete, fragmented incarnation of the Dragon God.
"And if you take that power, this small world will become unstable, as it will lose its core.
"Even if the 'Divine Realm' doesn't notice the changes, and the outside world remains intact, this treasured land will be completely wasted."
The Silver Dragon King remained silent, her gaze fixed on him, lost in thought.
Seeing this, Su Cheng continued:
"Are you thinking of regaining the Dragon God's power to turn the tide?
"That's just wishful thinking! As a fragmented being, no matter how hard you try, you can never return to your peak. If you could, you wouldn't have spent so much time unable to heal your old wounds.
"Oh, and didn't you say that after the Dragon God's defeat, the other half of your being was sealed by the Divine Realm? Are you still planning on relying on that half?"
"..."
The Silver Dragon King's eyes narrowed.
This guy...
He had guessed all of her thoughts.
"I advise you to give up.
"Now that you've become the 'Silver Dragon King,' the other part of the Dragon God must have developed its own consciousness.
"You two are no longer the Dragon God. You're two different beings! Forcing a fusion would do more harm than good!
"Even if, by some miracle, you succeed and return to the Dragon God's level, what would it accomplish?
"Even the Dragon God in its prime failed. What makes you think a second attempt would end any differently? Do you think all the corpses lying around here are just for show?!"
"Enough!" The Silver Dragon King growled, slightly lowering her head.
Her voice was deep, and her sharp fangs were exposed.
A cold breath, like a chilly wind, brushed across Su Cheng's face.
Oddly, instead of the stench typical of beasts, her breath carried a hint of freshness.
This female dragon must be a vegetarian, Su Cheng thought to himself.
"Human, my patience has limits. Matters that don't concern you are not for you to comment on!"
This time, she addressed him as "human" again, a clear sign that her anger was rising.
But Su Cheng couldn't be blamed. His earlier words had not only exposed her thoughts and hopes but had also mercilessly denied them.
His words were like daggers, each one slicing into her wounds.
"I already told you, I can help you. Give me time, and let me do things my way." Faced with the Silver Dragon King's wrath, Su Cheng simply repeated himself.
"..."
The Silver Dragon King paused for a moment.
Then, baring her teeth slightly, she raised her head and turned away from him.
"Why not consider a different approach? Instead of absorbing that energy, why not delve deeper into the power of the dragon race, gradually tapping into the Dragon God's strength?"
Su Cheng ignored the disdain in her eyes and continued speaking.
"With my abilities, if I could develop that technique in five years, I can certainly uncover deeper secrets within your bloodline with a bit more patience.
"Although I'm not of the dragon race, I dare say my understanding of your power far surpasses yours.
"The Dragon God's power was flawed. I don't believe a normal life form would split like that.
"While that split made you lose most of your power, it might actually be a blessing in disguise—an opportunity to go beyond, to surpass the Dragon God!
"Silver Dragon King, are you really willing to relinquish your former position? Are you content with letting the dragon race remain subjugated to the Divine Realm?
"If that could truly change your circumstances, fine. But is that even possible? To the Divine Realm, you dragons are treasures, cultivation resources to break through their bottlenecks.
"Your thinking is nothing more than self-deception, a delusion!"
Finally, he looked into the Silver Dragon King's dazed eyes. "So, why not consider my suggestion?"
"...No."
"Not even a little tempted?"
"..."
The Silver Dragon King closed her eyes, remained silent for a moment, then slowly turned towards the depths of the valley.
"Not tempted."
But how could she not be tempted...
The technique Su Cheng had taught her had already proven that his research on dragon bloodlines was indeed profound and not just empty boasts.
As the Dragon Queen, how could she be content to dwell on a small human planet?
Even her former divine sense had degraded to an ordinary spiritual sense, and it had taken hundreds of thousands of years of recuperation to barely recover some of it.
Back then, how powerful the dragon race was.
The planet they inhabited once stood at the pinnacle of the universe.
If she hadn't experienced it, it wouldn't have mattered.
But the feeling of falling from the heavens into the dust was something anyone would find hard to accept.
However, hope, longing, responsibility, and mission...
What she shouldered was not just her own future.
Compared to herself, the burden of her race weighed heavily on her heart.
She longed for success, but feared failure.
Compared to "reviving the glory of the dragon race," it would be enough if the dragons and soul beasts could stand alongside humans in the same starry sky.
Not like now, hiding in the shadows, always wary of the Divine Realm's watchful eye, willing to be mere stepping stones for humanity's ascension.
But many things aren't as simple as wanting to do them.
All kinds of shackles, pervasive malice, constantly hindered her steps.
Bound by chains, she dared not take risks, fearing that one wrong step might lead not to a bright path, but to a bottomless abyss!
So, what if Su Cheng had grasped some of the wonders of Dragon God's power?
In the end, it was just a special case.
How could she believe in the exaggerated claims he made? How could she dare to gamble?
No matter how reasonable his words were, no matter how tempting the future he depicted, she would not waver.
She had to consider the future of her race and the consequences of failure.
At present, neither the dragon race nor the soul beasts were at a dead end.
Her own injuries would heal in a few thousand years. How could she take such a risk at this critical moment?
Compared to the grand promises of "surpassing the Dragon God" from Su Cheng's lips, the Dragon God's core was a tangible benefit.
For this journey, she and Di Tian had taken enormous risks, braving their unhealed injuries and tearing open a space rift to make it happen.
Perhaps by now, they had already attracted the attention of the Divine Realm.
If they missed this opportunity, there might never be a better one in the future.
The space rift they had opened earlier had already affected this small world of Dragon Valley.
Even if the Divine Realm hadn't noticed it yet, within a few years—maybe even sooner—this place would inevitably be exposed.
By then, who could say if the Dragon God's core could still be kept safe?
"No need to wait for many more years. We cannot afford to take risks at this moment..."
The Silver Dragon King opened her eyes again and silently told herself.
As she walked away, Su Cheng called out loudly, "Do you know how many years it has taken me, wandering through various worlds, to reach my current level of cultivation?"
The Silver Dragon King's footsteps paused, but she did not reply.
"Over a hundred years! Only a little over a hundred years—less than a fraction of your lifespan! Not only that, in these hundred-plus years, I broke through the limits of my predecessors and forged my own path!
"Even now, I still haven't reached my limit. Just give me five more years, and I'll surpass you by far!
"Give me ten more years, and I can go even further, to the point where crushing you would be effortless!
"Do you think it's impossible that one day I could reach the level of the Dragon God you speak of?"
The Silver Dragon King remained silent, standing still for a long time before finally taking another step forward.
Without turning back, she coldly said, "I don't believe you!"
Su Cheng watched as her figure grew smaller and smaller in the distance.
Until the silver dragon was far away...
"Hahaha..."
Suddenly, Su Cheng burst into laughter.
"That's right, you're right not to believe me. If you did, I would laugh at your stupidity! Because what I just said was all made up to fool you!
"The Dragon God, what kind of existence is that? Even your previous powerful form was at a level of life that I could never reach!
"Anyone could tell that it's impossible for a mere human like me, with just over a hundred years of cultivation, to fully understand such things!"
His unrestrained laughter echoed in the Silver Dragon King's ears.
She abruptly turned around, staring at Su Cheng with intense fury.
Her purple dragon eyes flashed with brilliant silver light, like blazing silver flames.
In the depths of her pupils, fury and killing intent surged violently.
At this moment, she was truly enraged!
Even when Su Cheng threatened her with words, pressured her with methods, or later mocked her with cold words, she hadn't been this angry.
That was because she had been outmatched and had nothing to say.
But now, at this moment, no matter who it was, no one could stay calm when their beliefs and convictions were mocked and ridiculed.
This was the mission she had been burdened with since the moment of her birth—it was her lifelong dream, her obsession!
It was precisely because she harbored hope that she hesitated and wavered.
Those visions she had once shelved for various reasons, once ignited, could turn into the strongest impulse within her.
And when those dreams were thoroughly shattered, the ensuing disappointment and resentment would be a hundredfold stronger.
The anger in her heart erupted like a volcano.
She wasn't just angry at Su Cheng; she was also angry at herself.
The regret of the dragon race, the plight of her people, the weight that had pressed on her for nearly a million years...
And the most ridiculous thing was that she had even believed him a little...
All these emotions erupted in an instant, turning into a towering inferno of rage that could ignite the world!
"But what if..."
At that moment, the Silver Dragon King heard that detestable human's voice again.
It was soft and quiet but calm and serious, without any trace of jest.
"What if there really is a chance? Don't you want to try...?"
The next moment, her eyes widened in shock.
"How is this possible..."
She actually sensed a faint trace of Dragon God's bloodline in that human!
Not an ordinary dragon, not remnants of the Dragon God's power...
But the aura of the Dragon God's bloodline, something even she herself did not possess in full!