Douluo, my clone Groudon

Chapter 226 Who Subdues Whom?

The crystal-clear gold of life floated between Gu Yue's slender fingers, its emerald light flowing like water between her fingers, making her silver-white hair seem to be coated with a layer of jade-colored halo.

A rich aura of life emanated from the gemstone, making even the surrounding air feel fresh and sweet.

Gula gazed at the rare treasure, a barely concealed burning desire flickering deep within his golden pupils. He could feel his body's yearning for the gold of life, a resonance that originated from the depths of his soul.

"What?" Gu Yue tilted her head slightly, a hint of amusement flashing in her amethyst eyes, her silver hair swaying gently with her movement. "Changed your mind?"

“No, the deal remains the same.” Gula took a deep breath, forced himself to look away, and shook his head. He pondered for a moment, his eyes hardening: “I was just thinking… since you’ve already agreed to give me the Gold of Life, why not do me one more favor?”

"Oh?" Gu Yue raised an eyebrow, her interest deepening. She twirled the Life Gold between her fingers, a graceful arc of emerald light tracing its path. Her tone was gentle, yet carried an undeniable air of pressure.

"What else do you want?"

Gula looked directly into Gu Yue's eyes and said seriously, "I need an absolutely safe place to channel the essence of life into my physical body and spiritual sea, and evolve my second martial soul—Celebi."

"Celebi?" Gu Yue's eyes flickered slightly, a hint of curiosity rising in her heart at this unfamiliar name.

She gently held the Life Gold in her palm, a verdant light seeping from between her fingers. "This is the first time I've heard you mention the name of your Martial Soul. Your avatars... are they related to time? Why are they called that?"

Her voice remained calm, but the perceptive Gula could sense the hidden interest within it.

Gula hadn't expected Gu Yue to notice this detail, and couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head: "Celebi is a legendary spirit of the Time Forest, and it cannot unleash its true power in its mortal stage."

His gaze deepened. "But if we can harness the power of the living gold, perhaps we can truly unleash a sliver of its potential."

This is a lie. Celebi is a god-level martial soul. If it weren't for the divine beast evolution ticket rewarded by the system, even if the Dragon God were alive, he might not have been able to help Celebi evolve.

Gu Yue understood this as well, knowing that Gula hadn't told the whole truth. She couldn't help but be tempted by the opportunity to evolve a god-level martial soul.

She fell silent, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow on her face.

A moment later, a meaningful smile appeared on her lips: "Interesting... You want to use the power of the Life Gold to bring about a fundamental transformation in your Martial Soul?"

Her gaze was sharp as a knife, as if she could see through Gula's every thought.

“That’s right.” Gura met her gaze frankly, without any hint of guilt, but in his heart he couldn’t help but think about the high-level ball he still hadn’t used up. If he could capture the Silver Dragon King… what kind of reward would he get?
Capturing Groudon, a first-tier god, rewards you with god-level training techniques. Groudon, a god-king level dragon, wouldn't be satisfied without a Creation Stone.

Stopping his distraction, Gula shook his head inwardly and continued:
"But this process may cause a huge energy leak. If we are not careful, it may cause an energy outburst, attract the attention of some people, and be detrimental to our plans."

It would have been better if I hadn't thought about it, but the thought of the reward for subduing the Silver Dragon King made me feel like I was being scratched by a cat, and I couldn't help but look at Gu Yue.

Gu Yue frowned slightly at Gula's burning gaze, her slender fingers unconsciously toying with the Life Gold.

She could sense the immense life energy contained within, identical to the Lake of Life deep within the Star Dou Great Forest. After a moment's thought, she raised her eyes and said:

“Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest, there is a Lake of Life, where the life energy is extremely abundant.” A glint of silver light flashed in her eyes. “In addition, with my spatial barrier, I can ensure that no one will disturb us.”

A hint of joy flashed in Gula's eyes, and his tense shoulders relaxed slightly: "Then thank you very much." Gu Yue smiled calmly, her silver hair fluttering gently in the breeze: "No need to thank me, I'm just very interested in your martial soul evolution."

She paused, a profound light flashing in her eyes, "Moreover... if you truly master the power of time and space, we can continue to cooperate in the future."

She already had a longer-term plan in mind.

After becoming the Dragon God, she plans to recruit Gula as her top general, to assist her in governing the soul beast race alongside Di Tian. Gula's potential makes her investment in him worthwhile.

So, both sides were thinking of winning each other over, and they got along very well and quickly agreed on the details.

Gu Yue even gave Gula a fist-sized amount of Life Gold as an investment.

Gula accepted it without hesitation, exchanged a glance with Gu Yue, and tacitly avoided mentioning the issue of priority in the cooperation.

The two asked the academy for leave. That evening, Gu Yue summoned Di Tian, ​​who was hiding in the shadows.

The man in black stepped out of the void and respectfully bowed to Gu Yue. As Di Tian raised his hand and tore open a spatial rift, the three of them instantly passed through the many barriers of the Spirit Pagoda and headed deep into the Star Dou Great Forest.

The stars in the night sky were dim, as if foreshadowing something unusual to come.

-

Star Forest, Lake of Life.

The emerald green lake shimmered in the morning light, and rich life energy condensed into a pale green mist that flowed slowly across the surface.

Towering ancient trees surround the lake, each requiring ten people to encircle it. Their canopies block out the sun, with only sparse golden dappled sunlight filtering through the gaps.

The air is filled with the unique fragrance of grass and trees, and occasionally a crystal dewdrop slides off the leaves, splashing tiny water droplets on the soft moss.

Gula sat cross-legged on a flat blue stone by the lake, holding the piece of living gold that emitted a soft green light in his hands.

Golden sunlight filtered through the trees, casting a hazy glow upon him. Not far behind him, Di Tian and the other ferocious beasts stood in a fan formation, their dark golden dragon eyes warily scanning their surroundings. Their powerful auras were restrained yet poised to be unleashed, forming an invisible barrier.

"Let's begin." Gu Yue stood gracefully three zhang away from Gula, her silver hair moving without wind, flowing like silk woven from moonlight.

A silver light shimmered from her slender fingertips, and countless tiny spatial runes flickered in the air, eventually weaving together to form a transparent spherical barrier, completely isolating the two of them from the outside world. Inside the barrier, even the sound of the wind became indistinct.

Gula took a deep breath, the air filled with the scent of grass and lake water.

He closed his eyes and focused his mind, immersing himself in the system interface, watching the final fragment needed for Celebi's evolution shimmer with an emerald light in the virtual space.

"Exchange complete." As the system notification sounded, he felt a warm current spread from his brow to his entire body.

(End of this chapter)