Douluo Dragon King: Here we come! Golden Dragon King!

Tang Wulin stood blankly in front of the Divine Gate, his spiritual sea unusually quiet. Behind the gate, in that deep darkness, something was moving.

Golden scales flashed by in the darkness, followed by a dull, mountain-moving sound.

The darkness undulated, it breathed, it moved toward the door at an extremely slow pace.

Tang Wulin subconsciously took a step back, his blood-red vertical pupils suddenly opening in the darkness like two suns.

They hung high behind the divine gate, looking down at him from above, the patterns in their pupils clearly visible, like two cracks leading to the abyss.

Tang Wulin felt as if he were nailed to the spot; the mere opening of those eyes made him forget to breathe.

"Feed".

The sound came from behind the door, broad and powerful, and the entire sea of ​​spirit trembled in the sound.

"You brat, how long are you going to keep watching?"

It's alive! The thing behind the door is alive!

Tang Wulin believed that what was sealed inside this divine gate was only a power, a residual energy, and a curse without consciousness.

He never imagined that there was actually a living person living inside.

And judging from its tone, it seemed quite impatient.

"……Who are you?"

"What...are you?"

Those pupils narrowed slightly, and Tang Wulin inexplicably felt that he had said the wrong thing.

"What is it?"

The voice from behind the door repeated itself, with a hint of something ominous in its tone.

"In all these years, this is the first time someone has dared to ask me to my face what I am."

Tang Wulin swallowed.

"Okay," the voice said, its tone surprisingly calm.

"Ignorance is no excuse, and I will forgive your offense this time."

After all, you're probably the only living being in the last million years who can peacefully converse with me. If I scare you to death, I'll be bored too.

Listen up, kid.

"I am the king of divine beasts, my name is—Golden Dragon King."

Golden Dragon King...

Tang Wulin repeated these three words, his brows furrowed.

He had no recollection of the name; it hadn't been taught in class, nor had the spirit medium mentioned it.

However, the prefix "King of Divine Beasts" sounds quite impressive.

Also, he recognizes the characters "金" (gold) and "龙" (dragon).

So he asked a question that left the Golden Dragon King silent for a long time.

"Are you a dragon?"

silence.

Those eyes blinked.

"...Have you truly never seen a dragon, or do you think the 'dragon' in the name 'Golden Dragon King' is just for show?"

"I'm just checking."

Tang Wulin said seriously, "After all, I have never seen a dragon."

You claim to be the Golden Dragon King, but we need to verify if you're truly a dragon.

"I am not only a dragon, but also the king of dragons."

The Dragon King among true dragons, the supreme being among divine beasts.

The Golden Dragon King's tone carried a hint of condescending arrogance.

"The golden soul ring within you is the best proof."

"Besides my power, whose spirit rings can be gold?"

"So it was your power." Tang Wulin suddenly realized. "Then why—"

"Alright, let's talk about these trivial things later."

The Golden Dragon King interrupted him.

"More important than all of this, do you know you're dying?"

Tang Wulin was stunned.

Is he dying?

He remembered; he was dying.

"Yes, I'm dying."

Tang Wulin mechanically repeated it, then sat down cross-legged.

The ground of the Sea of ​​Spirit has no physical form, but the way he sat down at this moment was unusually natural.

"That man in black chopped me into several pieces. It hurt a lot, and that's how I ended up here."

He looked down at his perfectly intact hand.

"So this is what it's like when someone is about to die; they can still chat with you here."

"But I don't want to die."

Tang Wulin's voice began to tremble.

"I really don't want to die."

I've only just awakened my martial spirit, and I haven't even learned forging yet. Uncle Mangtian said I have talent, and that if I can earn money in the future, I can bring my parents back. I—"

His voice choked.

"I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye to them!"

"I don't even know where they went. They just said they went to a faraway place to make money. My mother said they would be back soon, but she didn't say how long 'soon' would be."

"I don't want them to come back and not be able to find me."

Tang Wulin raised his hand and wiped his eyes hard with his sleeve.

The Golden Dragon King listened quietly, watching the six-year-old child incoherently pour out all his resentment in the face of death.

Tang Wulin's voice gradually faded, eventually turning into silence.

"Are you done talking?"

The Golden Dragon King's voice rang out, and Tang Wulin sniffed and nodded.

"That's good. I hate it when you cry and whine like that."

"I can help you resolve this crisis."

Tang Wulin suddenly raised his head.

"What?"

"Why do you think I urged you earlier? At the rate you're crying, the blood outside would have dried up long ago," said the Golden Dragon King. "I can let you live; this little thing is nothing to me."

Before Tang Wulin could even get excited, the Golden Dragon King's next words came.

"Of course, there will be a price to pay."

"...What price?"

"It's simple, just hand over control of your body."

Tang Wulin sat silently on the ground, staring at the enormous divine gate in front of him.

He got it.

The last time he absorbed a soul, one of the seals shattered, and then that golden soul ring appeared.

Therefore, the seal of the Golden Dragon King needs to be broken by external force, and now it can only break the seal by itself.

The Golden Dragon King needs his body.

To some extent, it's possession—no, it can't be considered complete possession.

If it were truly possible to directly possess someone's body, the Golden Dragon King would have done it long ago; there's no need to negotiate with him.

This mythical beast is trapped in a seal and cannot get out. It can only contact the outside world through him as a "container".

Therefore, it needs Tang Wulin to be alive.

If the container breaks, the water will spill, which will not benefit the Golden Dragon King.

Tang Wulin took a deep breath.

He stood up and faced the king of the divine beasts before him once more.

"Golden Dragon King".

"Let's negotiate."

His voice was still trembling, but he spoke each word very clearly.

Silence. A low laugh came from behind the door.

"interesting."

"The Golden Dragon King said."

"You insignificant human being, how dare you negotiate with me?"

"Tell me, how do you want to discuss this?"

There was even a hint of curiosity in its tone.

Tang Wulin clenched his fists.

I refuse your terms.

"Um?"

"Then I'll just let you fend for yourself," the Golden Dragon King said unhurriedly.

"Anyway, I'm just bored here. Once you're dead, I'll just have to use more effort and methods to survive."

Tang Wulin's heart was pounding, and his mind was racing faster than ever before.

You can't fool me.

"If I really die, you won't be any better off. I don't know what our relationship is, but if I'm the vessel, and the vessel breaks, the water will spill everywhere. It won't do you any good either."

He didn't know where he got the courage to say those words, pouring out all the logic he had been repeatedly pondering in his mind since earlier.

There was no response from behind the door. Tang Wulin's legs were trembling, and he forced himself to stand still.

If his speculation is wrong, then—

"Tsk."

The Golden Dragon King let out a low, unpleasant growl.

"How annoying! I hate all this beating around the bush."

Tang Wulin's heart sank to the ground.

You guessed right.

The Golden Dragon King truly needs him to live; the metaphor of the vessel hits the nail on the head.

"Kid, you definitely don't want to die either."

The Golden Dragon King's tone became very impatient, like an old man eager to make a vow at the Luo River.

"Since that's the case, then I'll make a contract with you."

"contract?"

That's right.

"When I need you, just shout 'Contract,' and you'll give yourself to me. It's that simple."

"how long?"

"One hour."

Tang Wulin did not answer immediately.

An hour is neither a long nor a short time.

But if a king of mythical beasts occupies a human body for an hour, who knows what it might do?

"Are you sure you're not trying to possess me?"

"Possession? Possession of what?"

The Golden Dragon King was taken aback by the question.

"If I could possess you, would I need to waste my breath arguing with you? I'd just swallow you whole, wouldn't that solve everything?"

Tang Wulin thought to himself that these words sounded even more frightening.

But he still shook his head: "No. That condition alone is not enough."

"Not enough? Isn't saving your life enough?"

"not enough."

The Golden Dragon King needs his body to break the seal, and only Tang Wulin can use this as leverage.

Therefore, he is qualified to negotiate terms.

The Golden Dragon King behind the door remained silent for a while before speaking, his tone carrying a subtle change: "Then I'll add a little more to your score."

"If the contract is established, your martial spirit, your soul skills, and your power are nothing but child's play to me."

I am the Dragon King among true dragons, the supreme being among divine beasts.

With my guidance, your strength will improve ten times faster than if you practiced blindly on your own.

Tang Wulin was stunned.

"You want to become stronger, right?"

"You want those two to be proud of you when they come back. You want to protect them. You want to be strong enough."

"If you rely solely on yourself, how long are you going to last?"

The Golden Dragon King's voice came from behind the divine gate.

"Sign this contract, and I will help you."

Tang Wulin gritted his teeth, "...Fine, I'll sign!"

Above the divine gate, golden light shone brightly.

The ancient patterns seemed to come alive and began to flow, with golden lines peeling off the door and intertwining in the air to form a complex pattern.

The pattern slowly descended from the divine gate, passed over the seventeen chains, and hovered in front of Tang Wulin.

"Sign with your blood."

"The Golden Dragon King said."

Tang Wulin looked down at his hands.

"How can you bleed in the spiritual realm?"

He put his finger in his mouth with some skepticism and bit down hard—but nothing happened.

The finger was completely unharmed, without even a tooth mark.

"You're really stupid. Do I have to teach you something like this? Press your index finger against your chest." The Golden Dragon King was speechless.

Tang Wulin did as instructed, pressing his index finger to his left chest, and a warm sensation came from his fingertip.

When he removed his finger, a drop of blood was already stuck to the tip.

Without thinking twice, he pressed his index finger onto the contract.

The contract is established.

A blinding golden light burst forth from the dark space, and the contract transformed into countless streams of light. Some flew back to the Divine Gate, while others surged directly into Tang Wulin's body.

He felt as if something had been imprinted on the depths of his soul; it was a strange feeling, like a brand.

-

Deep in the alleyway.

Tang Wulin's body, which had been frozen on the ground, suddenly twitched, and his skin began to change.

Blood-red lines spread from his heart, quickly climbing up his neck, cheeks, and forehead along his meridians.

The lines on the skin shimmered with a dark red light, sometimes bright and sometimes dim.

Then his eyes opened, turning into a pair of blood-red vertical pupils.

"Substitution—"