NOVEL NEXT Chapter 190: Cooperation
"Follow me."
Gu Yue took a step forward, and Di Tian appeared by her side, guarding her closely without moving an inch.
Di Tian opened a spatial rift, the crack leading to the lakeside of the Life Lake at the core of the Great Star Dou Forest.
The lake shimmered with a faint silver glow under the morning light, casting shifting shadows on her profile. She turned her head, her violet crystal-like eyes locking onto Gu La's dark golden pupils. A few dead leaves spiraled down near the lakeside but were instantly pulverized into dust by an invisible soul force the moment they touched the ground.
Gu La showed no fear and followed her into the spatial tunnel.
"So, you're not human after all."
Back in their lair, Gu Yue stopped pretending, her skin covered in silvery dragon scales.
Her cold voice rang like icicles striking against ancient iron, its lingering vibrations characteristic of a dragon's resonance.
"Think what you will."
Gu La was often labeled as non-human, but his heart remained as calm as still water.
He curiously surveyed the core area of the Great Star Dou Forest. The primal jungle environment made his Celebi martial soul exceptionally lively. Freed from the steel forest, he felt a sense of liberation, like a bird released from its cage back into nature.
The deep psychological scars that had formed over the years were quietly erased without him noticing.
Di Tian suddenly vanished and reappeared, having gone somewhere unknown. He stood behind Gu Yue, watching Gu La warily. He could sense that Gu La lacked dragon bloodline, indicating that he might be a divine beast outside the dragon race—most likely from a star region beyond the jurisdiction of the god realm. This posed a significant threat to their current master.
"But it seems you hold some hostility toward me. Do we have a grudge?"
The Silver Dragon King wasn't entirely foolish, though much of Gu La's hostility hadn't been concealed.
Gu La hadn't forgotten how the Silver Dragon King had forced him into temporal displacement. Even in an alternate timeline, he'd been kicked while down.
"It's not hatred. What do you want from me?"
Gu La avoided answering directly. Temporal displacement was his final trump card, and he wouldn't reveal it to anyone.
Gu Yue lightly rubbed the silver dragon scales hidden in her wide sleeves, the cool touch a reminder of her current predicament.
As the ruler of spirit beasts, she shouldn't have bowed to an outsider. But the surveillance devices of the Spirit Pagoda were flashing above the clouds. Only a handful of areas within the core zone remained unmonitored.
She could clearly sense that the micro-detection devices embedded in the treetops were transmitting real-time energy fluctuations and movements of spirit beasts back to the central hub of the Spirit Pagoda.
"Cooperation." The word slipped from her lips, laced with shame. While she had confidence in countering the schemes of a God King, leading the spirit beasts to rise required more wisdom than even a God King possessed.
This was a necessary compromise. The Silver Dragon King had sealed her powers to take human form. To unleash her true power, she would need to break the seal—but once broken, it wouldn't be as easy to reseal as it had been during her initial transformation.
And seeing how Gu La could tap into his true power at any moment, Gu Yue had no choice but to temporarily set aside her pride and choose cooperation.
"Cooperation?"
Gu La raised an eyebrow. What possible basis for cooperation could there be between him and the Silver Dragon King?
This "divine" dragon, driven by her love-struck brain, had squandered countless opportunities—losing poker games despite holding two kings and four twos.
Perhaps love truly held the power to transcend all things, but committing suicide on the eve of battle? Wasn't that a bit rash?
Gu La eyed Gu Yue strangely.
Uncomfortable under his gaze, Gu Yue furrowed her delicate brows, feeling as if he were thinking something offensive.
She claimed she wouldn't be swayed by emotions, but after taking human form, she had grown closer to human feelings. Otherwise, why would Tang Hao have guided her transformation?
Had the Silver Dragon King not transformed and remained cold like a true dragon, she would have drained Tang Wulin's bloodline upon his appearance, using it to complete her own.
Now, under Gu La's scrutinizing gaze, Gu Yue felt a pang of unease. If it were anyone else daring to stare at her like this, she would have attacked immediately. But at this moment, she wasn't a match for him.
Gu La withdrew his gaze and shook his head. "Cooperation is possible, but I don't see what you can offer me. From what I've gathered at the Spirit Pagoda, your spirit beast clan is already struggling to survive, trapped like turtles in a jar."
"What do you have to offer me? Let me warn you—I have high standards, so don't try to fool me."
Gu Yue fell silent. At her peak, she had possessed the strength of a God King, but she had been gravely wounded shortly after her birth. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was now destitute.
Even her innate divine artifact, the Silver Dragon Spear, had become a martial soul fused with her half-body Na'er. Aside from her reverse scale, the current ruler of the spirit beasts had nothing of value.
But her reverse scale was her most prized possession—it couldn't be handed over to just anyone…
Fine.
Caught between a wolf in front and a tiger behind, if she had to choose a partner, Gu Yue would choose Gu La—the one who had uncovered the Sea God's conspiracy.
Even if neither of them were good people, at least Gu La wouldn't side with the human gods.
At some point, a silver scale appeared in Gu Yue's hand. Its intricate patterns shimmered under the sunlight, reflecting a spectrum of colors that blended perfectly together.
Under the leaden gray clouds hanging low in the gloomy sky, Gu Yue's silver-white hair was lifted by the mountain breeze, revealing faint dragon scales on her neck. Her fingers beneath her sleeve dug into her palm.
With a flick of her fingertip, the reverse scale glowing with silver radiance sliced through the air and hovered before Gu La. Di Tian abruptly rose, his dark golden claws gouging five deep marks into the stone seat. Shock and confusion churned in his dragon pupils.
"Since you chose to warn me, you're not aligned with the Sea God. This is my reverse scale—you can contact me anytime… For now, you may keep it."
The girl's voice carried the weight of a dragon's roar, but a slight tremor betrayed her unease. The silver scale resting in Gu La's palm emitted a faint warmth, unlike the touch of any metal he had ever felt, causing him to pause for a moment.
As a theoretical master, he understood the significance of a reverse scale to a dragon—it was akin to a second life. It was not given lightly, even to close kin, and served as an unbreakable blood oath.
He rubbed the scale twice, smoother and finer than any metal, its subtle warmth steady like body heat.
Gu Yue's earlobes reddened slightly, but she feigned calmness, pretending not to care.
"I see your sincerity. I agree to cooperate with you. As a gesture of goodwill, I'll answer three of your questions."
Gu La toyed with the scale, which rivaled a divine artifact, a dangerous smirk curling his lips. He didn't mind spoilers. The Abyss was a challenge for others, but as long as he reached the rank of a Title Douluo, he could annihilate all abyssal demons with the help of his doppelgänger.
As for Tang San's family, Gu La narrowed his eyes. Fifteen years was enough time for him to methodically eliminate threats, liberate Douluo Planet, and complete everything before the gods returned.
Gu Yue lowered her head, pondering what three questions she should ask.
Logically, she should inquire about the Sea God's plans and Gu La's origins.
But the former involved a cunning God King—she doubted Gu La knew the specifics. As for the latter, even if she learned of his origins, her incomplete inheritance left her clueless, rendering such knowledge useless.
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