Di Tian left, and Su Yu looked up at the silver dragon. The pair of mysterious purple eyes stared straight back at him.
They simply gazed at each other for a moment, the atmosphere between them heavy with silence.
"Can you become a little smaller?"
Su Yu suddenly asked.
The silver dragon was startled, clearly not expecting this request.
"Why?" she asked curiously.
"I don't like looking up at people," Su Yu replied nonchalantly, his tone carrying an inexplicable weight.
A trace of human-like surprise flashed in the dragon's eyes, followed by a hint of understanding. She gave Su Yu a deep look, then nodded. Immediately, a dazzling silver light enveloped her.
Su Yu raised his hand to shield his eyes. As the light gradually faded, a tall and graceful figure emerged.
Her long silver hair cascaded over her shoulders, like strands of the Milky Way.
Her figure was elegant, with delicate curves and a graceful, mesmerizing posture. A silver veil covered her body, and through it, one could glimpse her snow-white skin and slender waist.
Her long legs seemed to walk straight into Su Yu's heart. He had thought that Zi Ji's legs were unmatched, yet somehow, these were even more striking.
Zi Ji's legs he could admire for a year, but these legs, he could admire for a lifetime.
His gaze slowly moved upward, passing over the majestic peaks of her chest, before stopping at her flawless face.
Her features seemed sculpted by a god—perfect in every way. The pair of purple eyes added a touch of mystery and uniqueness.
Looking at her, even Su Yu, who had seen many beauties, was momentarily entranced.
She was truly beautiful—perhaps the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, with a beauty beyond words.
No wonder she was known as the most beautiful woman on the Douluo Continent. Her reputation was well-deserved.
The silver-haired woman approached Su Yu step by step, her bare feet glowing with silver light as if she moved without touching the earth.
She stopped about a meter in front of Su Yu, close enough for him to see her fine eyelashes.
A captivating fragrance filled the air, intoxicating him.
The silver-haired woman looked at the Dragon God's Seal on Su Yu's hand and raised her hand as if wanting to touch it.
But before she could, the Dragon God's Seal emitted a burst of light, and the nine-colored dragon roared.
She quickly withdrew her hand.
"As expected, the Dragon God cannot be disrespected," she murmured, shifting her gaze back to Su Yu.
The imposing backlash and the dragon's roar both made it clear: the Dragon God's majesty could not be violated.
Even she was rejected by the Dragon God's Seal.
The silver-haired woman smiled slightly, radiating a beauty like spring in full bloom.
She wasn't worried about Su Yu's ambition—she feared only that he might lack the determination to become powerful. This child was destined for greatness, both for his own sake and for that of the soul beast race.
She hoped he would grow stronger—stronger than her, even.
"The power of the Dragon God's Seal is immense. You must use it wisely," she said softly.
"I understand," Su Yu nodded firmly.
"It was I who asked Di Tian to bring you here," she explained.
"I wanted to meet you."
"Since the day I took you from the Dragon Valley, this is the first time we've met."
"You… Sister, was it you who took me away back then?"
Su Yu asked, surprised. He had always thought it was Di Tian who had saved him.
He hadn't expected that it was her.
And she had taken him from the Dragon Valley?
Suddenly, everything made sense—why he had innate divine strength and such high spiritual power. The Dragon God's power had brought him countless benefits during his time in Dragon Valley.
No wonder!
"Yes, I took you from the Dragon Valley, brought you to the Star Dou Forest, and entrusted you to Di Tian and Bi Ji, so they could take you to human society," the silver-haired woman said.
"Even as the Dragon God's reincarnation, you were still fragile as a baby. The Star Dou Forest wasn't a suitable place for you to grow. The human world was better."
"When your martial soul awakened, they were to bring you back."
"But even I didn't expect that you'd also be chosen by the will of the world on the Douluo Continent."
Hearing this, Su Yu scratched his head.
"Being chosen by the will of the world is both a blessing and a curse," she continued.
"It brings fortune, but also draws the attention of the Divine Realm. Considering the power of the Dragon God within you, that's not good."
"So, for now, refrain from cultivating the Dragon God's Seal. Wait until later."
"I understand, Sister," Su Yu replied with a smile.
"My name is Gu Yuena. You can just call me that," she said.
"Then I'll call you Sister Na'er!"
Su Yu grinned mischievously.
Gu Yuena shook her head helplessly.
"Fine, as you wish."
"By the way, Sister Na'er, my name is Su Yu," he introduced himself.
"I know. I've been watching over you for a long time."
"Ever since you came to the Star Dou Forest, I've watched you."
"For instance, how you like to tease the Auspicious Emperor, collect protection fees from ten-thousand-year-old soul beasts, pester the Scarlet King, and even enjoy bathing in the Lake of Life shirtless…"
With each thing Gu Yuena mentioned, Su Yu's face grew redder.
Oh no—his embarrassing antics had all been seen by Gu Yuena.
Weren't you supposed to be in a deep sleep, healing your wounds? Why were you watching me, Su Yu thought.
But Su Yu had no idea—he was Gu Yuena's top concern.
Her injuries wouldn't heal anytime soon, but the Dragon God's reincarnation deserved her attention.
For the soul beast race, Su Yu's growth was essential. Compared to that, a few years of sleep meant nothing.
"Sister, please stop!"
Su Yu grabbed Gu Yuena's hand with a pitiful expression.
"What's wrong?" she asked, confused.
"Give me some face!"
Su Yu said, embarrassed.
Gu Yuena was startled at first, but then she smiled gracefully.
That flawless face blossomed with a captivating smile, so stunning it could charm the world.
Su Yu was entranced, thinking that this woman had truly captured his heart with her beauty.
"Alright, I won't say any more," Gu Yuena gently removed her hand from Su Yu's grasp and said, "Actually, the reason I asked you to come here was, first, to see you and talk to you."
"And second, to help you acquire your third soul ring."
With that, Gu Yuena shifted the conversation to the main topic.
"My third soul ring?"
Su Yu looked at Gu Yuena curiously.
What kind of third soul ring needed Gu Yuena's intervention? It must be something extraordinary!
"Yes, this soul ring is prepared just for you. Although it's not completely ideal for you, it's still a good match."
"And it's very high in age, which makes it quite rare."
"Come with me," Gu Yuena said with a light wave of her hand, and a spatial vortex appeared.
She gently took Su Yu's hand and led him toward the vortex.
As Su Yu held Gu Yuena's hand, he felt its coolness, like a piece of exquisite jade.
Her slender, jade-like fingers were long and delicate, her palm soft, and it felt wonderful in his hand.
Before he could savor the feeling, they stepped into the spatial vortex, and when they reappeared, they were in a different, special space.
This space didn't seem as deep as where Gu Yuena usually resided. It was vast and well-lit, and as soon as they emerged, Su Yu spotted Di Tian.
"Greetings, Master. Greetings, Young Master!"
Di Tian bowed respectfully.
Gu Yuena waved her hand and led Su Yu forward. In front of them was an altar, three-zhang wide (about ten meters).
On the altar was an unusual soul beast. It was over seven meters long, round and plump, wriggling slightly atop the altar. Its entire body was pure white, like jade, translucent and gleaming, as if it were a giant piece of jade.
Under its skin, light rippled, and its head had a pair of small, golden, shining eyes. The most remarkable feature was the ten golden rings around its body at regular intervals, starting half a meter from its head.
A faint golden glow surrounded the altar, seemingly locking this soul beast in place.
Upon seeing the creature, Su Yu trembled all over. What else could it be but an Iceworm?
Having spent considerable time in the Extreme North, he immediately recognized it as a Skydream Iceworm—specifically, the Million-Year Skydream Iceworm, which was Huo Yuhao's first spirit!
Without the Skydream Iceworm, there would have been no Huo Yuhao. Didn't it escape at some point? How had it ended up captured again?
Of course, with Gu Yuena awake, how could it have possibly escaped?
At this point, Gu Yuena spoke, "This is a Million-Year Iceworm."
"Though its attributes aren't particularly strong, even to the point of being considered mediocre, it's still a Million-Year Soul Beast. The benefits it can bring are far beyond what any ordinary soul beast could provide."
"This Iceworm has absorbed too much of the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Marrow, causing it to accumulate an excessive amount of heaven and earth energies."
"Di Tian and the others spent tens of millennia absorbing that excess, and they barely managed to finish."
"A while ago, this Iceworm broke through a million years and used special methods to evade Di Tian and the others, sneaking away."
"Knowing that you might need it, I brought it back."
Gu Yuena's tone was calm as if it was all insignificant and not worth mentioning.
Su Yu, however, couldn't help but feel pity for the Skydream Iceworm. Just when it finally broke through to a million years and thought it could escape the clutches of Di Tian and the other fierce beasts, it ran into Gu Yuena instead.
Though the Skydream Iceworm's spiritual power was unparalleled on the continent—its total spiritual energy even surpassing that of the Evil-Eyed Tyrant Lord—it was still no match for Gu Yuena. Its little tricks were useless against her.
Poor worm.
Wait, was this prepared for him?
In that case, all hail Gu Yuena! Well done!
"Now, the Iceworm's spiritual energy has been fully absorbed, leaving only its fundamental power. But that's a good thing."
"If its power were too strong, you wouldn't be able to handle it."
"Sister Na'er, even if it has lost most of its power, I still won't be able to handle it," Su Yu said helplessly, spreading his hands.
With his current physical body and spiritual power, he could easily handle a spirit ring of around 30,000 years. But trying to absorb the Skydream Iceworm? That was overestimating him. In the original story, the Skydream Iceworm's soul ring even overloaded a Titled Douluo!
"No need to worry. I'll help you," Gu Yuena said serenely.
"Well, in that case, I'm completely at ease!"
Su Yu grinned. With Gu Yuena's help, how could anything go wrong? Even injured, Gu Yuena was still a god-level powerhouse. Handling a Skydream Iceworm? No pressure at all.
Su Yu's eyes gleamed as he walked toward the altar. In just a few steps, he arrived at the front of the altar. He reached out to touch the golden glow surrounding it, and his hand passed through it.
"Huh?"
He exclaimed in surprise, looking at the Skydream Iceworm's round head, then prepared to touch it again.
At that moment, the Skydream Iceworm suddenly spoke. It shrank back, and fear flashed in its golden eyes.
"W-what are you trying to do?"
"Don't come any closer!" (Roar.jpg)
The Skydream Iceworm had overheard the entire conversation between Su Yu and Gu Yuena. These scoundrels! They weren't going to let him go, were they?
Were they going to do something to him? He felt so wronged!
The Skydream Iceworm wanted to cry but had no tears left. They had already absorbed his spiritual energy, and now they wanted to take his last bit of core power.
These people—could they even be considered human?
They weren't people—they were devils!
Su Yu chuckled maliciously and intentionally put on a creepy smile. He squatted down, placed a large hand on the Skydream Iceworm's head, and rubbed it roughly, threatening, "Skydream Iceworm, you wouldn't want to be squeezed to death, would you?"
"What do you mean by 'squeezed to death'?" the Skydream Iceworm asked cautiously.
"Look at you—all plump and juicy. You must be full of fluids. Do you think if Uncle Di Tian used his dragon claws to grab your body..."
"And then squeezed hard, you'd explode into a puddle of juice?"
Su Yu made a squeezing gesture and grinned wickedly.
This immediately scared the Skydream Iceworm into trembling all over.
"D-don't mess with me! I'm very powerful! I'm warning you!"
"If I get angry, even I'm afraid of myself."
"I'm a Million-Year Soul Beast! Don't push me, or I'll fight you to the death!"
The Skydream Iceworm trembled as it spoke, but just imagining being squeezed like that shattered what little courage it had left.