Douluo Continent: From Internal Martial Arts to the Law of Heaven and Earth

Chapter 430 The Reckless Auspicious Beast

This woman, whose appearance and figure were in no way inferior to Zhu Zhuyun's, and whose temperament was both cold and charming, was none other than Dugu Yan, the granddaughter of Poison Douluo Dugu Bo.

Since Tang Shan began traveling across the continent, the opportunities for the two to meet have greatly decreased. Dugu Yan did not want to fall too far behind Tang Shan, so since Tang Shan left Tiandou City, he has devoted himself to cultivation and has also gained considerable benefits.

Now that her cultivation has reached the level of a high-level Soul King, she may be able to break through to the Soul Emperor level before the start of the competition in two years.

Bringing her long, emerald-green hair to the front, Dugu Yan smiled faintly as she recalled the message she had received: "Tangshan, I heard you're back. I'll come to see you in a while."

……

This wasn't the first time Tangshan had experienced spatial teleportation. As he released his spiritual energy, he felt an invisible barrier. This was a unique barrier of the spatial channel. If he tried to force his way through, it might cause spatial energy to become disordered, or he might even be caught in spatial turbulence.

Withdrawing his mental energy, Tang Shan felt the jade hand in his palm unconsciously clenching. Combining this with the words the other party had spoken before the teleportation, he vaguely guessed the destination of this trip. His thoughts raced, and he quickly came up with a way to deal with it.

Before Tangshan could make many preparations, the teleportation for this trip had already ended. The silver spatial power gradually subsided, and the rich spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the powerful life force appeared in Tangshan's perception.

"My lord sister, you're back! I missed you so much..." A slightly familiar voice came from the distance, and Gu Yue's face instantly darkened. She hadn't even figured out how to explain it yet when a certain soul beast gave her a big surprise.

The silver light completely subsided, and the exuberant "golden cat" took off running. But when she saw that Gu Yue wasn't the only one there, she stopped abruptly, her mouth uttering a single sound.

The few ferocious beasts that had been secretly watching exchanged glances and then turned their heads away somewhat guiltily.

"Didn't you tell the auspicious beast that the master would be bringing people back?" Zi Ji's lips twitched as she looked at the Demon King and the three-headed Crimson Demon Hound, clearly speechless at the auspicious beast's latest antics.

"I originally thought that after the last incident, the auspicious beast would have learned its lesson, but unfortunately, her recklessness still exceeded my expectations," the Demon King tried to justify himself.

The Crimson King retorted defiantly, "I've followed the auspicious beast for so long, and now that I've finally returned to this ominous place, can't I take a break?"

"Alright, quiet down. Let's see how our lord handles this." In the end, it was the Beast God Di Tian who spoke up, forcibly stopping the group of ferocious beasts from shifting the blame.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was speechless with bitterness. Tang Shan and Gu Yue, who had just been teleported over, were staring intently at her. Tang Shan's gaze was relatively gentle, mostly driven by curiosity, but Gu Yue's gaze was quite hostile, like a thorn in her back, filled with murderous intent.

While inwardly groaning, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion wished it could slap itself twice. Why couldn't it learn its lesson? It had already suffered a loss once before, yet it still recklessly courted death this time. Why bother?

"This is my pet. It's a rather rare beast in the Star Dou Great Forest. It can speak human language. She was the cat in my arms when we first met. She was in disguise then, and this is her true form." Gu Yue smiled faintly and reached out her fair little hand to gently stroke the light golden fur of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

The three-eyed golden lion remained motionless. Gu Yue stroked it very gently, but goosebumps rose uncontrollably on its skin, as if it had sensed some terrifying presence. A large "威" (majesty) character seemed to appear on its head.

Tang Shan nodded in realization, a hint of pity creeping into his gaze as he looked at the auspicious beast before him. He wasn't stupid; he had keenly sensed the strange atmosphere between Gu Yue and the other party, and combined with the abruptly ended conversation, it wasn't difficult for him to deduce what had happened.

Gu Yue's plan was clearly not so hasty, but the other party's single sentence, "Sister Master," completely ruined the plan. How could Gu Yue not be angry?

Speaking of which, does the Three-Eyed Golden Lion possess a trace of Golden Dragon blood? Since she disrupted Gu Yue's plan, could it be considered a unique case of Golden Dragon power overcoming Silver Dragon wisdom?

Gu Yue was completely unaware that Tang Shan's thoughts had gone astray. She stroked the fur of the three-eyed golden lion, decided to teach her a lesson when she had the chance, and then sent her away using a spatial teleportation.

Tangshan!

Gu Yue called out softly, and Tang Shan turned his gaze to the lovely woman beside him, his expression gentle.

Why was he so calm? Wasn't he shocked? The question flashed through Gu Yue's mind, but she didn't delve into it. Instead, she took Tang Shan's hand and led him forward, saying, "Come with me, I'll tell you everything in a bit."

The series of setbacks made Gu Yue abandon the roundabout way of informing her. Forget about all those messy plans; she was going to be direct and lay her cards on the table.

Gu Yue's grip was strong, carrying an air of undeniable authority. Tang Shan didn't struggle, letting the beautiful figure in front of him lead the way, while he curiously looked around at his surroundings.

Although it is said to be a very dangerous place in the Starry Sky Forest, the environment is not harsh. Ancient trees that rise from the ground block out the sun and tear the sunlight that is projected down into pieces. A rich life force comes from the front and permeates the air, making people feel refreshed.

There was plenty of fragrance from the flowers, but no birdsong. It makes sense, really; only the bravest birds would dare to live among a group of ferocious beasts.

All sorts of natural treasures grow freely, most of them taking hundreds or thousands of years to grow, but their numbers are extremely large. After all, it is adjacent to a large source of life, so it is hard not to be rich.

The two wandered through the dense, layered forest. Wherever they passed, the grass and trees parted automatically, forming a natural path that stretched to the horizon.

Tang Shan was slightly curious and his gaze unconsciously turned to the girl in front of him. Gu Yue also slowed down her pace, looking at everything that was happening in front of her with curiosity. Obviously, the grass and trees that parted on their own were not her doing.

In the shadows, facing the slightly strange gazes of the group of ferocious beasts, the King of Ten Thousand Demons remained unfazed. This was not flattery, but rather a display of due respect for his lord and future mistress.

……

Every road eventually comes to an end. When Gu Yue stopped, the two had reached their final destination.

Before your eyes is a huge lake, clear and green, like a piece of jade inlaid on the ground, with rich life force rising from it, and finally slowly spreading to the entire Starry Sky Forest.

Gu Yue took the initiative to let go of Tang Shan's hand, walked in front of him, gazed at the vast lake for a moment, then turned to look at the young man who had made her experience emotions for the first time, and slowly raised her hand to point to the Lake of Life.

Chapter 431 Honesty or Confession

"This is the Lake of Life, the core of the Starry Sky Forest." The voice was calm and indifferent, like the solemn declaration of a deity.

Tang Shan's expression gradually turned serious. Although he had expected this day, when Gu Yue was about to tell him everything, he couldn't help but feel a little complicated: What did he do to deserve the person in front of him giving everything and entrusting everything to him? How much had the other party sacrificed, and what could he possibly give in return? He had only wanted to cling to a powerful figure, but things had turned out to be beyond his control.

Looking at the silver-haired girl who seemed indifferent but whose eyes betrayed her unease, a thought took root in Tang Shan's heart: I can't guarantee that you will be my only one in the future, but I can guarantee that when humans and soul beasts are enemies, I will stand on your side without hesitation.

Gu Yue turned around, her bright silver eyes shining like never before, gazing at the man before her. Her voice could no longer remain calm and composed: "And I am the ruler of the Star Dou Great Forest, the sovereign of all soul beasts. Tang Shan, are you willing to stay with me for endless years!"

The air seemed to freeze, and even the ferocious beasts watching from the shadows dared not breathe. Biji and Xiong Jun had just arrived and witnessed a conversation that could determine the fate of humans and soul beasts.

One is an absolute genius of the Heaven Dou Empire, the absolute core of the Spirit Hall, and a monstrous talent never before seen on the Douluo Continent; the other is half of the Dragon God, the ruler of all spirit beasts, and the true ruler of the Star Dou Great Forest. The relationship between the two may lead the two races to develop in completely different directions in the future.

At this moment, Gu Yue couldn't help but feel a little regretful. She didn't know if her choice this time was right or wrong, and whether continuing to hide it would have been a better choice.

Tang Shan's response was simple: he took a step forward and pulled the silver-haired girl into a tight embrace, kissing her tender, luscious lips with a domineering gesture. His actions had already made everything clear.

The group of ferocious beasts who had been watching the spectacle withdrew their mental energy in perfect unison, and Bi Ji revealed a stunning smile on her face: "It seems things should be going well."

Xiong Jun nodded: "If the boy from Tangshan has accepted the master, doesn't that mean I'll have a continuous supply of delicious food to eat in the future?"

"Tang Shan is the mistress of soul beasts. You dare to ask him to cook for you? You have some nerve." The Demon King slammed a huge accusation on Xiong Jun's head, his words brimming with provocation.

Xiong Jun wasn't annoyed. He smirked and said, "Hmph, once you've tasted that kid's cooking, I bet you'll crave it."

Biji watched Xiong Jun and Wan Yao Wang bickering with a smile, feeling more relaxed than ever before. The relationship between the ferocious beasts, who used to be full of conflicts and often fought each other, had greatly improved. Although there were some minor quarrels, they were no longer fighting to the death like before. These changes seemed to be brought about by them by the Lake of Life.

Before Biji could ponder the changes Tangshan and Guyue had brought to the group of ferocious beasts, a large hand landed on her shoulder. She instinctively turned her head and saw a pair of dark golden eyes.

"Di Tian!" As soon as Bi Ji called out the name of the owner of the golden eyes, her body was already soaring into the air, and the surrounding scenery rushed past.

Before disappearing into the ominous place, a charming yet gloating female voice rang in Biji's ear: "Sister Biji, this period is in your hands now. Try to get pregnant and keep that guy Ditian trapped in the Star Dou Great Forest!"

Watching Biji and Ditian disappear from sight, the Hell Demon Dragon King Ziji breathed a sigh of relief, gently patting her slender waist. She couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Isn't the human world supposed to say that there are no fields that are over-cultivated, only oxen that die from exhaustion? What's wrong with me?" Recalling everything she had experienced these past few days, Ziji couldn't help but doubt her life. Although falling into depravity was exhilarating, she couldn't keep doing it every day. Fortunately, Biji had returned, and she could finally rest for a few days.

……

Tangshan and Guyue didn't actually do anything special; they simply explored the taste of ambergris in depth. After rigorous and objective experiments, Tangshan came to the following conclusion.

First: The taste of ambergris is not bad, with a sweet and refreshing flavor, but it does not seem to have any other special effects. I wonder if it is related to the fact that the owner of the ambergris has undergone a transformation and cultivation.

Second: Ambergris mixture has excellent toughness and is extremely easy to pull into threads, and its flavor does not change after being exposed to air;

Third: Snatching food from the dragon's mouth is a very dangerous thing. Even if you only manage to snatch some insignificant dragon saliva, you may still be attacked, and you will inevitably get injured.

……

Tang Shan pointed to the obvious teeth marks on his lips and looked down at the girl in his arms: "Gu Yue, aren't you a bit ruthless! You even bit her until she bled."

Gu Yuecan blinked her silver eyes innocently, examined her carefully for a moment, and said in a clear voice, "No, there's still a little bit before you bleed. How about I give you another hand?"

Tang Shan's face darkened: He only lingered around kissing someone for a little longer, there was no need to be so harsh.

If Gu Yue knew what Tang Shan was thinking, she would most likely bite him without hesitation. Heaven knows what she just went through, that she would use a god-level controller for something like this?

That kind of all-encompassing "provocation" was truly captivating. If it weren't for some lingering doubts, Gu Yue might have already been immersed in that "desire for food and drink."

Even though she slammed on the brakes and slowed down for a while, Gu Yue's earlobes were still bright red. Luckily, her body, modified by the divine source, was strong enough, otherwise her lips would probably have swelled up long ago.

"Tang Shan, I have something I want to ask you." With great effort, Gu Yue sat up, her body still limp from the shock, took a deep breath, and forced her heart to beat faster before meeting Tang Shan's gaze.

Tang Shan nodded slightly. He already had some guesses about the questions Gu Yue might ask, and he had already prepared a draft. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Gu Yue some things, but rather that even he didn't know how to explain them. Rather than causing both of them distress, it was better to tell a white lie.

"Did you already know my identity?" Gu Yue stared intently at Tang Shan. This was the question that had arisen in her mind when she confessed to Tang Shan earlier. Tang Shan showed no surprise or astonishment at the time, as if she had known her identity all along and was simply giving her the answer.

“That’s right, I’ve known for a long time that you’re a soul beast. After all, that ‘Sister Master’ and the way Xiong Jun and the others addressed you were really suspicious. Combined with the fact that your reclusive family lives in the Star Dou Great Forest, many answers are self-evident.” This was Tang Shan’s prepared answer. He speculated that Gu Yue was a soul beast. As for directly exposing Gu Yue’s identity as the Silver Dragon King, there was really no need. If he did expose her, he would have no reason to explain the source of the information. Could he say that he saw it in a novel? That reason was too absurd.

He didn't even mind telling Gu Yue about his identity as a visitor from another world, since there were already many worlds in the Douluo Universe itself. However, Tang Shan decided to keep the matters concerning Douluo Continent and the novel to himself and not tell anyone.

After all, the impact on one's worldview is enormous. When someone tells you that you actually live in a book, and you are just a character in that book, whether you believe it or not, it is a huge shock to your mindset and even your sense of self.

Chapter 432 Gods, Laws, and Faith

"You must be a dragon, your true form should be a silver dragon that controls the elements." Tang Shan looked at Gu Yue's flawless face and made his final judgment.

"More or less, but you're wrong about one thing. I'm not a soul beast, but a deity." Upon hearing this, Tang Shan's face showed a perfectly timed look of astonishment: "You're a deity? Deities really exist?"

Finally seeing the expression she wanted, Gu Yue nodded with satisfaction and affirmation, and began to give Tang Shan a brief introduction to the general situation related to the gods, including the division of levels, as well as the grudges and entanglements between the Dragon God and the God Realm.

Hearing that Gu Yue had begun to reveal her background, Tang Shan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Gu Yue hadn't explained her origins thoroughly, he wouldn't have been able to analyze the future situation for her.

Most importantly, the reason why the Dragon Clan went to its demise is really outrageous and absurd. If Tang Shan hadn't read the script directly, he himself would have had deep doubts. After all, the Dragon God's final actions were really incomprehensible. What did he mean by setting up the Soul Beast Heavenly Tribulation to prevent the conflict between Soul Beasts and humans from escalating and thus preventing Soul Beasts from becoming gods?

Even Tang Shan, a human, couldn't help but admire the Dragon God after reading about his actions in the book. He thought, "You're wasting your talents being the Dragon God. You're so devoted to humanity; you should be a human god instead."

Gathering his scattered thoughts, Tang Shan began to inquire with Gu Yue about matters related to divine cultivation.

"Gu Yue, since gods are divided into ranks, what are the criteria for their rank?" This is something Tang Shan has been pondering. The original Douluo Continent novel does not provide a detailed description of the cultivation process at the god level, which has made his thinking about future cultivation incomplete. Now that he knows Gu Yue's background, some of his doubts can be answered, such as what the relationship is between laws and gods themselves.

Gu Yue nestled in Tang Shan's arms, resting her head lightly on his shoulder. After a moment of thought, she replied, "The earlier stages of a deity's cultivation involve laws, or rather, rules. The names may differ, but the essence is the same."

Tang Shan didn't rush to ask any more questions, but waited quietly for what would happen next. He had a premonition that after today, his future path would become completely clear.

"Whether they are priests or first-level gods, they are all trying to comprehend the laws and rules, only the degree of comprehension differs. To become a first-level god, one must thoroughly comprehend a law."

Tang Shan raised an eyebrow, thinking that there were sea gods and water gods among the gods. They should be comprehending the same or similar laws. Wouldn't there be a conflict?

"Shouldn't the laws comprehended by deities be similar? If the laws comprehended are similar, will there be any consequences? Also, what are the levels of law comprehension for priests, third-level deities, and second-level deities, respectively?"

"It has no effect." Gu Yue's answer was somewhat unexpected to Tang Shan, but fortunately, Tang Shan quickly got the answer: "The so-called comprehension of the law is just to understand the principles within the law, not to completely control the law like a real object. As for the similarity of the god's abilities, it will not have a big impact. There is more than one law to comprehend, and the combined abilities will also be different."

"I see." Tang Shan fell into deep thought. Gu Yue's cool little hand pressed against Tang Shan's temple: "Alright, that's all I'll tell you today. There are still some things I need to tell you."

He pulled the girl who had slipped behind him back into his arms, held up one finger, and said seriously, "One last question."

Gu Yue blinked her bright eyes and nodded gently.

"Why do gods need faith? Is faith important for maintaining their strength?" This is a question that Tang Shan has always wondered about. The gods in Douluo seem to be quite similar to the gods worshipped in the Western magical world, but in reality, they are quite different.

In the Western magic system, apart from some ancient gods who were born with the rules of heaven and earth, the rest of the gods basically rose and fell because of faith.

As for the gods in Douluo Continent, it seems important to gather faith to become gods, but look at the Sea God and even the Asura God, they just let things take their course when it comes to the faith in Douluo Continent.

The Asura God might also be explained by his superior strength, but the Sea God is different. Don't say that the faith provided by the ocean soul beasts is enough for him to use. The fact that he dared to snatch the inheritor from the Asura God is enough to show the Sea God's true nature. If there is enough benefit involved, he will definitely compete with the Angel God for faith.

“Faith has nothing to do with a god’s strength. At most, it can speed up the process of comprehending the laws. But once all the laws related to a god’s position have been fully comprehended, the faith gathered will not be of much use.” Gu Yue seemed afraid that Tang Shan did not understand thoroughly, so she gave an example: “For example, the Sea God who once gathered faith on the Douluo Continent, his faith could at most help him comprehend the laws of water, life, and maybe even a little bit of the laws of light. Once he had fully comprehended all three laws, the faith gathered afterward would at most be used to distribute rewards, and would not be of any benefit to improving his own strength.”

Tang Shan now finally has a clearer understanding of the gods in Douluo Continent. He enjoys the privilege of immortality, doesn't have to fulfill the duties of a god, and the power of faith only brings benefits and no harm. It's simply wonderful.

Having cleared his mind, Tang Shan looked down at Gu Yue: "You said you had something to tell me earlier, what is it?"