Douluo Dragon King: Embarking on the Path to Godhood from the Start

(...10,000 words, third day, a bit too long...)

Inside the cocoon, a tranquil world unfolds.

Gu Yue has returned to human form, but her forehead is pressed tightly against Yu Chen's.

She closed her eyes and used her immense spiritual power, far beyond the comprehension of ordinary people, like the most skillful and delicate carving knife, to carefully probe into Yu Chen's turbulent and collapsing spiritual sea in an extremely powerful yet extremely gentle way.

As soon as she entered, the scene before her eyes caused Gu Yue to be slightly shaken.

The sky was filled with low-hanging, swirling, thick, dark clouds, forming a suffocating dome. Thunder rumbled through the clouds, and pale lightning occasionally tore through the darkness.

The air was thick and viscous, carrying a suffocating dampness and oppression, as if the entire spiritual world was on the eve of a devastating storm.

"Is this Chen's spiritual sea? So vast, yet so chaotic and violent..." Gu Yue sighed inwardly, her resolve to stabilize it as soon as possible strengthened.

"Chen, where are you?" she murmured to herself, her spiritual body rushing towards the deepest part of this chaotic world, the source of pressure and chaos, like a silver streak of light.

The deeper you go, the more terrifying the surrounding pressure and violent energy turbulence become.

After traveling for an unknown amount of time, at the edge of their vision, an incredibly vast outline appeared, exuding an aura of ancient desolation.

It was a towering, blurry projection of a black dragon!

It is not a physical entity, but rather a spiritual symbol formed from the purest dragon might, fighting spirit, anger, and the indomitable souls of countless fallen dragons.

The projection was vast and boundless, radiating an aura of majesty and sorrow that made the soul tremble. Its very existence seemed to be a silent roar, venting the fury and power that originated from the deepest part of its bloodline.

"This...this is the spiritual manifestation of the power of the Chen bloodline? It is so vast...so furious!" Gu Yue's mind trembled.

She continued to approach, and finally, at the edge of the area covered by the black dragon's projection, she saw Yu Chen's spiritual core curled up on the ground, tightly wrapped and entwined by the thick black mist.

"Chen!" Gu Yue's heart tightened, and she immediately sped forward.

As she approached, she tried to mobilize her spiritual power, transforming it into a gentle breeze, to dispel and soothe the eerie black mist that was entangled around Yu Chen and constantly eroding his consciousness.

However, the moment her spiritual power touched the black mist—

"Buzz!"

The black mist seemed to be injected with vitality, and suddenly began to boil!

Instead of being dispersed, they attacked like sharks that had smelled blood, frantically wrapping themselves around Gu Yue's spirit body through the connection of her spiritual power!

"Hmm!"

Caught off guard, Gu Yue felt a cold, greedy, and negative force pulling him in. A trace of the purest life and spirit essence of the Silver Dragon King, contained within his spiritual origin, was forcibly stripped away and merged into the black mist!

She groaned, her spiritual body became ethereal, and her face (spiritual projection) instantly turned pale.

"These things... can actually devour my very essence?!"

Gu Yue was horrified and immediately severed the connection of the entangled mental energy, realizing the seriousness of the problem.

"We can no longer use conventional methods to slowly disperse it! We must act swiftly and decisively!"

She gritted her teeth, and the purple light in her eyes surged to its maximum!

Without any reservation, the Silver Dragon King's spiritual power, which had truly reached the god-level and was as vast as the starry sea, erupted in full force!

A powerful mental storm swept out from her center, forcefully suppressing and calming the surrounding raging and chaotic mental currents, temporarily stabilizing this mental sea that was on the verge of collapse.

Immediately afterwards, behind her, an incomparably huge and majestic silver dragon shadow slowly emerged and solidified!

It was a breathtakingly beautiful, yet despair-inducing, silver-white dragon.

Its entire body is covered with crystal-clear dragon scales, which look like they were forged from the fusion of the finest ice crystals and mithril, refracting a dreamlike seven-colored luster.

The dragon's horns on its head are elegant yet sharp, and its body is long and flowing, with every line embodying the ultimate balance of power and beauty.

The dragon's claws are like sharp blades forged in ice, and its tail is like a long whip formed from galaxies.

Around her, seven dazzling halos representing different basic elements slowly rotated, surrounding her in the center, as if she were the master of the elements themselves!

This is precisely the reflection of the Silver Dragon King's true form in the spiritual world; it is her most primal and powerful form!

The silver-white dragon raised its head, facing the towering black dragon projection in the distance.

Below, Gu Yue's spiritual form stood side by side with Yu Chen's huddled figure.

This bipolar scene, which transcends time and space and connects the past and the future, seems to make one feel as if the figures of the two supreme beings who jointly ruled over heaven and earth and all living beings in the primordial era have reappeared.

A higher level of divine spiritual power reached out again. This time, it was not to dispel, but like the most precise scalpel, it carefully began to peel away and sever the connection between the black mist that was wrapped around Yu Chen's core and him.

Perhaps it was the presence of the Silver Dragon King's original aura at its peak, or perhaps it was the qualitative suppression of Gu Yue's current spiritual power level, but this time, the black mist's resistance was much weaker, and the peeling process went much more smoothly.

As the black mist was continuously stripped away and purified, the curled-up spiritual light and shadow at the core of Yu Chen began to tremble slightly.

"Hmm... Where is this? My Sea of ​​Spirit? You are... Gu Yue?"

Yu Chen's consciousness gradually broke free from the deep chaos and rage, and some clarity returned.

He looked somewhat bewildered at the figure beside him who was helping him, radiating a soft silver light, his tone filled with uncertainty.

No wonder he was puzzled.

The image of Gu Yue that appeared in his mental perception at this moment was completely different from the delicate and pretty girl she usually appeared in the academy!

The figure before me had black hair that cascaded down to her waist, and skin that was as white as snow, radiating a warm, jade-like glow.

Her face was exquisitely beautiful, as if she embodied all the beauty of heaven and earth—her amethyst-like eyes were clear and deep, sparkling with brilliance; her nose was straight and upturned, and her cherry lips were as soft as flower petals.

Although she was still young and her body had not yet fully developed, her already emerging perfect outline and flawless white skin were enough to amaze people.

"What?! How could I... regain consciousness so quickly?!"

Gu Yue was startled, and her hands paused involuntarily.

Yu Chen regained consciousness earlier than she expected, which disrupted her original plan.

The most pressing issue now is how to explain his current appearance, which is so different from his usual self? Or... should he simply use some means to temporarily seal this part of his memory?

She looked at Yu Chen, only to find that he also looked preoccupied, seemingly not paying full attention to the changes in her appearance.

"No! This is my spiritual sea!"

Yu Chen suddenly realized where he was and immediately focused his attention on sensing his own condition.

As his consciousness returned, he could clearly feel the surging dragon blood within him gradually calming down. The rage and power originating from the depths of his bloodline, though still surging, had begun to be guided by his will.

The enormous black dragon projection behind him, though still radiating a chilling pressure, no longer violently assaulted his consciousness. Instead, it stood there quietly, like a mirror reflecting the power of his own bloodline.

"That was...it seemed very dangerous." He was still shaken, and then looked at Gu Yue beside him.

She's helping herself, and... the way she looks...

Yu Chen's gaze lingered on Gu Yue's stunningly beautiful face for a moment, a slight stirring in his heart, but he immediately suppressed the more important question.

Now is not the time to explore this.

"Gu Yue... doesn't seem to have any ill intentions. And she seems to have some suspicions about my bloodline."

This realization left Yu Chen with mixed feelings. Part of the secret seemed to have been exposed, but Gu Yue's attitude was not hostile.

Just as Yu Chen was pondering the matter and Gu Yue was weighing the pros and cons, Gu Yue made the first decision.

"Chen".

She took a deep breath (as a spiritual entity), her purple eyes looking intently at Yu Chen, her voice clear and solemn.

"Let's... make a contract."

After a brief period of intense thought, she decided not to seal Yu Chen's memories.

There are two reasons:

Firstly, Yu Chen is a newly born Dragon God, carrying the hopes for the future of the Dragon Clan.

Having a frank conversation with him at this moment, and even establishing a deeper connection, is crucial for jointly addressing future challenges and guiding the revival of the dragon race.

Concealment and deception are not sustainable solutions.

Secondly, even if she can make the forced sealing of memories flawless with her methods, there is no guarantee that they won't be accidentally unsealed one day in the future.

The resulting estrangement and distrust will be irreparable rifts.

As for why not consider directly devouring Yu Chen and seizing his bloodline to restore one's own power...

The thought did cross her mind, but she immediately dismissed it.

Regardless of the feelings of affection and reluctance that had already grown deep in her heart, which she herself might not be fully aware of, judging from the experience of her primordial essence being swallowed by the strange black mist just now, the bloodline power hidden in Yu Chen's body is extremely domineering and exclusive in nature.

Acting rashly could very likely trigger an unpredictable and terrifying backlash, or even cause her to suffer severe damage and lose more than she gains.

Moreover, the Soul Beast race is now weak and surrounded by powerful enemies.

A powerful ally with unlimited potential and a shared origin is far more valuable than a risky "supplement" that may be difficult to digest.

"Contract?" Yu Chen murmured repeatedly, his gaze shifting from Gu Yue's serious face to the silent and majestic black dragon projection behind him.

In the depths of his being, he seemed to sense something, and a sudden realization dawned on him.

This might be... a turning point in fate.

"Can."

He nodded without much hesitation.

He paused slightly, as if searching for the most appropriate words, or perhaps declaring his will to some unshakeable entity.

"Gu Yue, my ally."

His voice rang out in this gradually calming sea of ​​the mind, not loud, but carrying an unwavering coldness and determination.

"Along this journey, we will not abandon each other, nor betray each other..."

He looked directly into Gu Yue's beautiful purple eyes and declared, word by word, with absolute clarity:

"Until the end of death."

This vow, like the coldest, hardest ice deep within the Arctic glacier, carries an undeniable weight, deeply imprinted in the consciousness of the two, echoing in this spiritual space that belongs to them.

Gu Yue's expression also became extremely solemn.

Meeting Yu Chen's gaze, she repeated, just as clearly and solemnly:

"Along this journey, we will not abandon each other, nor betray each other..."

"Until the end of death."

The moment the words left his mouth, a sudden change occurred!

A light simultaneously shone from the space between the two people's brows.

A ball of energy, as white as moonlight and as black as the night, separated from their origin.

These two energies seem to be naturally attracted to each other, yet also opposed to each other.

They slowly approached each other in the air, and began to rotate, intertwine, and merge...

Ultimately, this forms a perfectly balanced, slowly rotating Yin-Yang Tai Chi diagram!

The moment the pattern solidified, it split in two, transforming into two streams of light that disappeared into the depths of Yu Chen and Gu Yue's brows, leaving only a profound soul connection deeply imprinted in their respective soul origins.

This covenant, guided by the soul and bound by vows, was thus established.

If either party violates the contract, they will suffer the consequences and their soul will be severely damaged!

"Hmm...this power!" X2

Almost at the same moment the contract was completed, the two of them let out a soft cry in unison.

They both clearly felt that, through that newly formed soul connection, a part of the other's original qualities and power was gently and continuously nourishing and feeding them!

Yu Chen quickly looked inward at himself.

"My soul power has reached level 25, and I can use 'Dragon Bone Mode' again, but at a high cost. With my current strength, I can only use 'Dragon Bone Mode' for 15 minutes, and the price is a week of weakness..."

What surprised Yu Chen even more was—

"Bloodlust... The requirements for the 'Path to Godhood' have been met!"

He clearly sensed that after forming a soul contract with Gu Yue, who possessed the purest Dragon King bloodline, he had invisibly fulfilled the demanding advancement condition for the "Path to Godhood"—bathing in royal blood.

"This means that there will be no more obstacles on the path to godhood, and 'Bloodlust' will be less likely to get out of control, allowing for greater and safer use of 'Bloodlust' to boost temporary combat power!"

On the other side, Gu Yue was also carefully experiencing the changes brought about by the contract.

"This is... some kind of shared ability based on blood ties or soul connections? 'Mirror Eye'? Understanding, analyzing, simulating, reconstructing... a very useful ability."

What shook her to her core even more was—

"While there hasn't been a significant improvement in my physical strength,... my soul seems to have become... more 'complete'?"

It's an indescribable sense of fulfillment, as if a long-missing piece of a puzzle has been quietly added.

"Mirror Eyes... can copy other people's soul skills, even... 'Word Spirit'? Is Word Spirit the name of Chen's special ability? Although there are limitations and conditions to copying, it is undoubtedly a powerful auxiliary ability."

"There's also 'Grand'? What's that...?"

Having initially digested the information and changes brought about by the contract, Gu Yue looked at Yu Chen beside her, whose breathing had completely stabilized and whose eyes had regained their clarity.

"Chen".

She called softly, her tone returning to its usual calmness, yet with an added, almost imperceptible, intimacy and familiarity stemming from a connection of souls.

"Now that the matter has been resolved, we... should head out."