Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Black Dragon, I am the Lord of the Gods

……

Poseidon Island, Ice Crystal Castle.

A temporary castle, constructed from a mixture of extreme ice and indestructible rock, stood silently. This was a residence that Xuanming had casually created with his power for his convenience in staying with Gu Yuena.

Gu Yuena's figure appeared silently in the heart of the castle's main hall, like a silver stream of light blending into the moonlight. Almost without pausing, her powerful divine sense spread out like invisible ripples, precisely locking onto four auras.

A moment later, four beautiful figures entered the hall one after another.

The Snow Empress remained as aloof as a snow lotus, radiating an aura that kept strangers at bay. The Ice Empress, on the other hand, possessed a touch of arrogance and curiosity. Bi Ji was gentle and serene, her emerald eyes filled with inquiry. Zi Ji's dragon eyes flickered slightly, her figure alluring, exuding a wild beauty.

"My lord, what urgent matter has brought you here?" Brigitte spoke first, her voice gentle. She could sense that Gu Yuena's aura was somewhat unusual.

Gu Yuena's gaze slowly swept over the four people. There was no hint of jest in her silver-purple eyes, only an almost cold clarity and decisiveness. "I called you here for Xuanming, for yourselves, and even more so for the Soul Beast Clan."

Upon hearing this, the four women's expressions changed slightly, and they became serious.

Gu Yuena didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "You all have witnessed Xuanming's potential. He is now a level 99 peerless Douluo, possessing multiple rudimentary forms of god-level laws, and is only one step away from becoming a god at level 100. His future is limitless."

"The hope for the revival of the Soul Beast race rests on him. There is no doubt about that."

The four women nodded silently. They had all witnessed Xuanming's incredible growth rate and knew his significance to the soul beast race.

“However,” Gu Yuena’s tone shifted, becoming more serious, “reviving the soul beast race is not just about solving the problems left behind by the Dragon God, but more importantly… about the continuation and strengthening of the race.”

Her gaze deepened, as if she were looking into the distant past: "Looking back at the glorious era when the Dragon God ruled, how powerful our race was! There were countless people with strong bloodlines, and many of them survived the heavenly tribulation and achieved godhood through their own strength. But what about now? The energy of heaven and earth has declined, and the laws are suppressing us. There are very few of our compatriots who have cultivated for more than 100,000 years, let alone those who have reached the god level."

"Even if we successfully resolve the hidden dangers left by the Dragon God and break the shackles of the God Realm, the current situation of our race's top combat power being lacking successors and bloodlines being dwindling will still be difficult to change in the short term."

Snow Empress, Ice Empress, Jade Maiden, and Purple Maiden all fell silent. As ferocious beasts who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, they felt this most deeply. The Soul Beast race was indeed declining.

It's not just because of the rise of humanity, but more so because of the decline and decay of the soul beast race's bloodline. Those powerful bloodlines of the past are now few and far between.

“Although I have a way to gradually improve this situation, it will take a long time.” Gu Yuena looked at them, her eyes becoming sharp. “But now, there is a simpler and more direct way to speed up this process and even bring new hope to the soul beast race.”

The four women seemed to sense something was amiss, and their hearts began to race involuntarily.

Gu Yuena's gaze swept over them one by one, finally settling on Biji. Her tone was calm but meaningful: "This method is... the offspring of Xuanming."

"He has merged the bloodlines of two first-generation Dragon Kings and been further enhanced by the Dragon God's Heart. The nobility and power of his bloodline far surpasses that of any other soul beast today. His descendants are born with unparalleled potential and will surely become the new pillars of the soul beast race in the future!"

"Even if you do not have offspring for the time being, as long as you can establish the closest relationship with Xuanming and forge a deep bond, it will not only greatly benefit your personal future, but also bring immeasurable benefits to your clan."

Her gaze finally settled on Biji, carrying a hint of insight and gentleness: "Biji, I know you once had feelings for Xuanming. There's no need to deny it, and I also know that you suppressed those feelings because of your respect for me."

Brigitte's delicate body trembled slightly. She raised her head, her eyes filled with surprise and a hint of panic at having her secret exposed. She hadn't expected her lord to see through even this so clearly.

“But today I want to tell you all, and I also want to tell you,” Gu Yuena’s voice echoed throughout the hall, carrying the grandeur of the Silver Dragon King and the ruler of all soul beasts, “that I do not care about this.”

"The Soul Beast race has followed the laws of nature since ancient times. Strong males have more mates, which is a way to optimize bloodlines and strengthen the race. The human concept of one-on-one love is not an ironclad rule of our race."

Her gaze swept over every face, finally settling on the void, as if stating a perfectly natural truth: "Feelings are based on mutual consent. If Xuanming is unwilling, even if I bind him to my side and forbid him from contacting anyone, all I will get is an empty shell, which is meaningless. I, Gu Yuena, disdain such things."

"So," she concluded, giving them the right to choose, "whether for your own feelings and future, or for the interests of the community you represent, I hope that in this crucial year, you can put aside unnecessary reserve and concerns and do your best to fight for your own destiny."

“Of course,” she said, her tone carrying a final hint of leniency, “I won’t force you. The choice is yours.” A long silence fell over the hall. Snow Empress’s icy eyes flickered with contemplation, Ice Empress’s scorpion tail swayed unconsciously, Brigitte’s gentle face showed struggle and recollection, while Purple Princess’s dragon eyes blazed with an aggressive flame.

Gu Yuena said no more, turning to look at the boundless night sky outside the castle window. The seeds had been sown; whether they would blossom and bear fruit depended on their own courage and destiny.

Just as the atmosphere in the hall was delicate, and the four ferocious beasts remained silent with their own thoughts, the heavy ice crystal door of the hall was gently pushed open.

Xuanming appeared at the doorway, his face showing the weariness of having just come down from Mount Poseidon and... obvious confusion.

He had just finished thinking about his own soul ring plan and decided to come back and rest for a while before going to find Xue Di and the others to discuss the soul ring matter.

However, when he stepped into the hall and felt the almost stagnant air, as well as the four pairs of eyes that were fixed on him, he couldn't help but pause.

Xue Di remained aloof, but her eyes seemed deeper than usual, as if she were weighing some important decision.

Hyotei seemed restless, her eyes darting around, occasionally stealing a glance at him before quickly looking away.

Brigitte's gentle face showed a rare struggle and blush, and when she saw him come in, she even subconsciously avoided his gaze.

And Zi Ji… her wild dragon eyes were staring straight at him, burning with an aggressive flame that he couldn’t understand.

This atmosphere... is so eerie!
It was as if he had stumbled upon a scene where something big was being plotted, and he himself seemed to be the one being plotted against.
"What...are you talking about?"

Xuanming subconsciously stopped and stood at the doorway, asking somewhat warily. A strange sense of unease quietly rose within him, making him even consider turning around and leaving.

Five pairs of eyes in the hall instantly focused on him.

Being stared at by five pairs of beautiful eyes, each with its own distinct style yet all containing complex emotions, especially since some of those gazes carried a scrutinizing quality that sent chills down Xuanming's spine, he felt the hairs on his forehead stand on end.

“We didn’t talk about anything.” Gu Yuena spoke first, her voice as cold and calm as ever, as if nothing had happened. “We just talked to them about some ideas for the future development of the Soul Beast race.”

Future development?

Xuanming frowned slightly.

When discussing future development, do we need to look at him with this... look that seems like we want to devour him alive?

He looked at Xue Di and Bing Di with suspicion.

When Xue Di met his gaze, her icy blue eyes flickered slightly, and she surprisingly looked away first. However, the slightly pursed lips revealed her inner turmoil.

Hyotei snorted, flicked her scorpion tail, and turned her head away, but a faint blush seemed to rise at the base of her ears.

Xuanming: "???"

He then looked at Brigitte.

Feeling his gaze, Biji blushed even more on her gentle cheeks. She lowered her head slightly, her hands nervously twisting together. Her hesitant and shy demeanor only made Xuanming more confused.

Finally, his gaze met that of Murasaki.

Instead of avoiding his gaze, Zi Ji met his gaze with a seductive little step forward. The flames in her dragon eyes burned even brighter, and a wild and alluring smile played on her lips, as if to say:

"Guess what we're talking about?" (End of Chapter)