Chapter 18: Appearance and Negotiation
"Oh, right, he wasn't exactly human to begin with... I've decided: from now on, I'm sticking with Master through thick and thin! Titan Snow Devil King? Hmph, in front of Master, he's just a little brother!"
Meanwhile, several thousand meters away from the battlefield, within a ripple of void skillfully folded by spatial power and rendered nearly transparent.
An exquisite figure with silver hair and purple eyes—the clone of the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena—floated silently. Her flawless face was currently frozen in unprecedented shock! Those purple eyes, deep as the starry sky, were fixed dead-on the figure in the snow who had just casually waved a sleeve and sent a Ferocious Beast of the Titan Snow Devil King's level flying like a common fly.
She had witnessed that cognition-shattering scene with her own eyes: No soul power fluctuations, no elemental power—just physical strength pure to the extreme, and that absolute pressure leaking out from his casual movements, originating from the very source of their bloodline, looking down upon all living beings!
Especially at the instant Lin Yu struck, that aura—though fleeting—had been fully locked onto by her clone's perception...
Domineering! Ferocious! Pure! Ancient! Noble!
It perfectly overlapped with the memories she held deep within the Lake of Life, memories belonging to her other half! No! It was even... more vivid! More real! It possessed an even greater sense of primal power capable of destroying everything!
It was him! It was absolutely him!
The violent incarnation of the Dragon God's power who was supposed to be imprisoned in the deepest part of the God Realm's forbidden land—the Golden Dragon King! He had actually broken free from the seal of the five Great God Kings and descended upon the Douluo Continent!
The breathing of Gu Yuena's clone quickened slightly, waves of shock, disbelief, and a trace of a throb originating from the Dragon God's source—which even she hadn't anticipated—surged in her purple eyes.
Why had he come? How much of his strength had he recovered? Subduing Bear Lord, teaching that human boy... what exactly was he plotting?
Most importantly, his line: "Let a certain someone who likes to peek watch a good show."
Could it be... he knew she was here?!
The heart of Gu Yuena's clone sank instantly. The Golden Dragon King seemed even more unfathomable than she had imagined!
Lin Yu glanced at the Titan Snow Devil King, then looked toward the distant direction where Gu Yuena was located.
He wasn't a half-baked guy like Tang Wulin with the Golden Dragon King sealed inside him; his connection to his other half, the Silver Dragon King, wasn't just a vague feeling—he was the living Golden Dragon King.
However, he hadn't expected that the Silver Dragon King, who was supposed to be in a deep slumber, would detect him so quickly. She had followed him the moment he arrived!
"Man, I knew I'd be found, but I didn't expect it to be this fast. I just got here and she's already on my tail!"
Lin Yu contemplated how to handle this. Fighting was definitely out of the question. No matter what, the Silver Dragon King had been recovering on the Douluo Continent for a long time; her strength was bound to be significantly higher than his, having just escaped with heavy injuries. Furthermore, if the two of them started a real fight, it would be impossible for those guys in the God Realm not to notice.
Therefore, the only strategy was to stabilize Gu Yuena and ensure she didn't make a move against him. Lin Yu decided he had to talk to her. If she acted on impulse and attacked him, exposing their auras, everything would be over.
"Bear Lord, keep an eye on this Titan Snow Devil King and protect Huo Yuhao."
"Don't worry, leave it to me, Master! I guarantee the mission will be completed!" Bear Lord thumped his chest with a massive paw, making a solemn vow.
"Since you're already here, why hide? Old friend, come out and talk."
As his voice fell, that patch of spatial ripples undulated like water. Silver light flowed, and an exquisite figure slowly emerged. Her silver hair fell like a waterfall, her purple eyes were as deep as an abyss, and her silhouette appeared ethereal and noble amidst the wind and snow. It was indeed the clone of the Silver Dragon King, Gu Yuena.
A trace of astonishment at having her hiding spot revealed remained on her face, but it was instantly replaced by a cold, scrutinizing gaze.
"You indeed knew I was here."
The voice of Gu Yuena's clone was clear and melodious, carrying an imperceptible tremor: "Golden Dragon King... or should I call you by your current name, Lin Yu?"
She had keenly caught Huo Yuhao's name for him. Her gaze was sharp as a blade, as if trying to dissect Lin Yu from the inside out.
"You broke free from the God Realm's seal? How is that possible? The five Great God Kings..."
"How is it not possible?"
Lin Yu spread his hands in a casual gesture, but deep in his eyes was a heavy sincerity: "The price, well, it wasn't small. My God Core almost shattered, and not even ten percent of my divine power remains. It still hurts now."
He pointed to his chest, his tone self-deprecating yet laced with a touch of defiance. "But those old fogies wanting to trap me to death? They're a long way off. I took that old brat Asura's sword head-on, overturned half of the forbidden land, and slipped down here, didn't I?"
He didn't describe the process in detail, but those few words were thrilling enough, revealing the brutality of that escape and his sheer tenacity. He paused, looking directly into Gu Yuena's soul-piercing purple eyes, his tone turning serious:
"As for you being here... to be honest, I didn't expect it before I came down. I only vaguely knew you fled with heavy injuries after the split, but I didn't know you were nursing your wounds here in the desolate wastes of the Far North. This is... an unexpected surprise."
Lin Yu deliberately emphasized the word "surprise" with a hint of playfulness and a subtle probe. He knew, of course, that the Silver Dragon King was in the Star Dou Great Forest; this was merely a deliberate lie.
He skillfully bypassed the most central and sensitive topic: Fusion.
He knew that was the sharpest Sword of Damocles hanging between them. Talking about fusion now would be no different from lighting a powder keg. He needed time to recover, and she needed to accumulate strength. Their common enemy gave them a natural, albeit fragile, non-adversarial foundation for the moment. Tearing into each other? It would benefit no one and only favor those watchful eyes in the God Realm.
Gu Yuena's clone listened quietly, the light in her purple eyes flashing rapidly like a starlit sky before a storm. Lin Yu's confession confirmed her most incredible guess, and the waves in her heart could not be calmed for a long time.
The seal of the five Great God Kings was broken! The Golden Dragon King had truly escaped! Moreover, he clearly recognized her and was aware of their shared origin. She also keenly noticed what Lin Yu left unsaid—he had avoided the topic of fusion.
This allowed her heart to settle slightly, while simultaneously heightening her vigilance. This madman seemed... a bit more calculating than before? But he was right. Acting now would only invite a thunderous strike from the God Realm, exposing both of them to a desperate situation.
"Hmph, a surprise?" Gu Yuena snorted coldly, her voice exceptionally clear in the wind and snow. "What I find even more surprising is that after breaking the seal, your first act wasn't to find a place to hide and recover completely, but instead to ostentatiously take a Ferocious Beast as a mount and come to my territory to beat up my subordinates?"