Chapter 31: The Dragon God Within

It felt as if the blood in his body was flowing in reverse, and a strange sensation of pain surged through Gu You's entire being.

"I'm starting now," the Ice Emperor Scorpion said, its head touching Gu You's forehead. A powerful aura of Ultimate Ice coated everything around them in a thick layer of snow-white frost.

His martial soul began to manifest externally, and his soul power seemed to have reached a critical threshold.

Level 30!!

A black soul ring with faint red edges emerged from the Ice Emperor Scorpion and floated beneath Gu You's feet.

Gu You's veins bulged all over his body. The pain was unbearable, yet his spirit felt an indescribable sense of comfort.

The black soul ring was highly unstable. Gu You brought his fingers together and suddenly opened his eyes. His pupils had transformed into vertical slits, and the struggling soul ring immediately settled, calmly floating beneath him.

"It really worked! You should know that all soul beasts have soul bones. Naturally, I'm no exception. The soul bone I grant you is my right leg bone, and it's already close to a qualitative transformation, nearly on par with an ordinary hundred-thousand-year soul bone. It also grants you two soul bone skills." The Ice Emperor Scorpion had fully transitioned into its soul spirit form. Its body had grown immensely, reaching over ten meters in height, radiating a true aura of a monarch.

"You've reached a hundred-thousand years?" Gu You was shocked.

"That's right. I was already supposed to be at that level. However, due to the tribulation, I had been suppressing my power. Now that I've fused with you, the restrictions of the tribulation are gone. I am now truly a hundred-thousand-year soul beast."

Gu You refocused his mind and stopped getting distracted. The pain in his body was mostly gone, but another wave was approaching. After all, there was still a hundred-thousand-year soul bone to integrate. Even though the soul beast had willingly sacrificed itself, the power of such a soul bone wasn't something an ordinary person could endure. If the soul ring could be stabilized through spiritual power, then the soul bone could only be endured through sheer physical resilience.

The black soul ring emitted a red glow, releasing an overwhelming surge of energy. The surrounding ice shattered from the force, and even the device that once suppressed the Ice Emperor Scorpion was broken apart.

Now!

The Ice Emperor Scorpion's right leg bone floated before Gu You, then merged into his right leg.

A nearly indescribable pain erupted in his right leg, reaching such an extreme that it eventually became numb.

Aaaah!

A sense of helpless annihilation rose within Gu You's heart. It was as if everything around him had fallen into darkness.

Then, a deep voice echoed in his mind.

"Why…?"

Suddenly, the world around him changed. There was nothing but eternal darkness—an endless void.

"Where is this?" Gu You pinched his arm hard. There was pain. He distinctly remembered that he had been fusing a soul bone just moments ago, so how had he suddenly ended up in this eerie place?

"Why…?"

The voice came again—low and deep, carrying the weight of desolation, loneliness, and a barely restrained fury.

"Why? That's right… why?" Gu You murmured. "Why did I come to this world? Why do I have this unique martial soul?"

As his gaze lowered, a flash of purple light suddenly illuminated the sky, casting a faint glow over the dark world.

Gu You raised his head, his pupils widening.

A dragon! A dragon tens of thousands of meters long!!

Nine strange rings of light floated around its body. Its purple scales shimmered brilliantly, as solid and unbreakable as divine stone. The nine rings of light behind its head expanded outward, then contracted repeatedly.

A God-King…

Gu You silently observed. The answer he had been seeking was finally within reach.

"Human, you've finally arrived," the dragon said. Its voice was gentle, a stark contrast to its overwhelming aura.

"Yes, I've finally arrived—to uncover the secret between you and me," Gu You replied with a smile.

"Do not approach the Dragon God. I am merely its benevolent will, an essential step in telling you the truth. I will soon fall into slumber. When that happens, my malevolent will will take over. It will seek revenge for your intrusion, and even if it doesn't kill you, you will pay a heavy price." The dragon spoke calmly.

"Then let it come." Gu You remained unfazed. "Senior, please tell me your story. I am very curious—what happened tens of thousands of years ago? I want to understand the new grievances and old hatreds within this history. The Dragon God is already dead. Now, only its two bloodlines remain—the Golden Dragon King and the Silver Dragon King. If they ever merge, it will resurrect. However… if necessary, I will personally ensure that never happens."

Gu You looked at the dragon with determination. He had borrowed its power, so he could not be an ungrateful person. If there was truly an irreconcilable grudge, he would hunt down the Golden Dragon King, eradicate its bloodline, and ensure the Dragon God remained forever lost.

But now was not the right time.

The Master of the Plane was a Tang family descendant, and in the future, the Life-Giving Tree would be as well. Two true god-level figures, along with one Second-Class God, were beyond Gu You's ability to oppose.

"In the Ancient Era, two great dragons were born—the Dragon of Creation and the Dragon of Destruction. At that time, the Dragon Clan flourished, becoming the most powerful race in existence, unmatched in the world. Later, both of us ascended to the Divine Realm, leading countless kin. Everything should have been peaceful… but then, the Dragon God made a decision that I could never understand—he forbade soul beasts from becoming gods!

"By then, the Dragon God's power was far superior to the human gods. To balance this, he issued this decree without consulting the other divine beasts. The Laws of Heaven and Earth acknowledged it, and nothing could be done to stop it.

"I was furious. The Dragon God placed too much faith in humanity. He didn't understand their wickedness, their greed…"

"Then why did you choose me?" Gu You interrupted, puzzled. "If you despise humans so much, why choose a human?"

"Did I have a choice?" The Dragon God's Benevolent Will sighed deeply.

"Hah… fair point. After all, soul beasts can no longer become gods," Gu You coughed awkwardly.

"I led my followers in rebellion, but I underestimated the Dragon God's power. He had already grasped more than just Creation. I thought we were two halves of a whole—he embodied eternal creation, while I embodied eternal destruction.

"He believed in the love of humanity, but I had witnessed their evil.

"Our strengths were equal, determined by the balance of Creation and Destruction. But in that battle… I lost. His wrath in destruction overwhelmed me. He had comprehended multiple laws of divine power, ascending to the rank of Supreme God-King.

"My rebellion failed. My divine soul was annihilated, and all the divine beasts who followed me perished under his judgment.

"Only a wisp of my soul remained, drifting across the cosmos. I watched as the Dragon God was later slain by human gods.

"I don't know if he regretted his choices in the end… but I know I won.

"Over countless years, I wandered forgotten by history—until, by chance, I fused into your mind. I used a fragment of divine power to send you across worlds and created nine seals for you to break, allowing you to absorb my strength step by step."

Gu You fell into deep thought after hearing the story.

Was it humanity's fault? Or was it the fault of a soul beast god?