newbobooks Chapter 466 The Art of Souls?
Chapter 466 The Art of Souls?
Gazing at the scene before her, Xiao Ruier's expression gradually turned serious. She could sense an extremely ancient dragon aura awakening deep within the lake.
The aura was not violent.
Yet it seemed to soar high above all dragons.
Even though she possessed the bloodline of the Golden Dragon, she could still feel a primal tremor emanating from the depths of her bloodline.
Seeing this, Tang Chuan reached out and gently pressed her shoulder, whispering a reminder:
"Don't be nervous."
Xiao Ruier glanced at him and nodded slightly.
The next moment, the lake surface shimmered with a brilliant silver light.
The fog parted to both sides.
A silver-haired figure slowly emerged from the center of the lake. It was a woman; her bare feet touched the water's surface without causing a ripple. Her long silver hair cascaded down her back, each strand shimmering with a faint iridescent light. Her face was exquisitely beautiful, serene and dignified, with a faint silver dragon mark appearing between her brows.
With each step she took, the surrounding elements—water, wind, earth, fire, light, darkness, and space—trembled gently, as if all the laws of heaven and earth were bowing to her.
Tang Chuan looked at the newcomer, nodded slightly, and cupped his hands in greeting:
"Tang Chuan, the Sea God, greets the Silver Dragon King."
Xiao Ruier also bowed her head slightly, but did not perform the grand salute that Di Tian and the other ferocious beasts did.
The Silver Dragon King's gaze first fell on Tang Chuan, then on Xiao Ruier. When she saw the Golden Dragon Spear in Xiao Ruier's hand and the pure and powerful Golden Dragon bloodline in Xiao Ruier's body, a flicker of emotion flashed in her silver eyes.
"A trace of golden dragon bloodline, not bad."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ruier raised her eyes and said in a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant:
"The Imperial Beast greets Your Majesty."
The Silver Dragon King looked at her for a moment, then slowly said:
"The golden dragon bloodline within you is very pure."
"It's just that it hasn't fully awakened yet."
Xiao Ruier's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped the Golden Dragon Spear.
Tang Chuan then looked at the Silver Dragon King and said:
"Senior, you forced your way in today; how are your injuries?"
The Silver Dragon King withdrew his gaze and said calmly:
"Not good."
She spoke very calmly.
There was no cover-up, nor was there any pretense of indifference.
"The wounds left by the Dragon God War cannot be healed in a short time. In recent years, I have been sleeping beneath the Lake of Life, slowly repairing my origins with the life force of the Star Dou Great Forest."
"It was originally going to take a long time."
"I forced myself out of seclusion today, which aggravated my old injuries. I won't be able to go all out for a while."
Tang Chuan nodded and continued, "So, if Tang San attacks again, you might not be able to repel him as easily as you did before."
The Silver Dragon King glanced at him.
"If it were just him alone, I could still defeat him."
"But if we add those people from the divine realm, it's a different story."
Tang Chuan remained silent for a moment, knowing that what the Silver Dragon King said was true.
Tang San had just become the Rakshasa God, and although his strength was formidable, his divine power was not yet fully stable. Even though the Silver Dragon King was severely injured and not yet fully recovered, he could still suppress him with the Dragon God's essence and elemental authority. However, once the hunters of the divine realm or even higher-level deities intervened, the Silver Dragon King could no longer easily reveal his strength.
Otherwise, the Star Dou Great Forest will become a true target of public criticism.
The Silver Dragon King walked to the lakeside and gently waved her hand.
Above the lake, silver divine light condensed into a phantom map.
In the center of the map lies the Starry Sky Forest.
Outside the forest, the landing areas of Tian Dou, Xing Luo, Wu Hun Empire, Coastline, and Sun Moon Empire were all marked with different points of light.
"I've already heard about the current situation on Douluo Continent from Di Tian."
"The Sun and Moon Empire landed from overseas."
"Tian Dou and Xing Luo joined forces to resist."
"The Martial Soul Empire will temporarily uphold the alliance."
"And you have already inherited the position of the Sea God."
Tang Chuan said:
"good."
The Silver Dragon King's gaze fell on the map, his voice cold and clear:
"Too many divine powers have appeared on this continent at the same time."
"The Sea God, the Angel God, the Rakshasa God, plus the trace of silver dragon aura I left behind today. It's impossible for the divine realm to be completely unaware."
Xiao Ruier frowned and said:
"Will they come down immediately?"
Silver Dragon's Way:
"The realm of gods has its own rules, and deities do not descend to the mortal realm easily."
"But the hunters are likely to come."
Tang Chuan said:
"That's my opinion too."
The Silver Dragon King looked at him.
"How do you plan to deal with this?"
Tang Chuan did not answer immediately, but looked at the Blue Silver Grass that was reviving around the Lake of Life. After a moment, he said:
"First, conceal the aura of your senior."
"I will cover all the remaining silver dragon essence around the Lake of Life with the life force of the Blue Silver Emperor, and then purify it with the light of the sea god."
"In this way, even if the hunters come to investigate, they will only be able to sense the chaotic divine power after the great battle, rather than the clear aura of the silver dragon."
The Silver Dragon King nodded slightly.
"continue."
Tang Chuan said:
"Secondly, the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest will be sealed off from now on."
"All soul beasts over ten thousand years old should retreat and not approach the outer perimeter of the ominous land. The outer perimeter should retain traces of normal soul beast activity. It cannot suddenly become too quiet, otherwise it will arouse suspicion."
Brigitte nodded gently from behind.
This is indeed the safest approach.
If the entire Star Dou Great Forest were suddenly placed under martial law, it would be tantamount to telling outsiders that there is a problem here.
Tang Chuan continued:
"Third, if the hunters come down, I will make contact with them."
Di Tian's expression changed slightly, and he asked in confusion:
How do you take the initiative to reach out?
Tang Chuan said calmly:
"If they come to Douluo Continent to investigate the anomalies in divine power, then I, as the newly appointed Sea God, should be the first to appear. I can tell them that the anomalies in divine power on Douluo Continent mainly come from three places."
"The Legacy of the Sea God".
"Angel God becomes God."
"The Rakshasa god became a god."
"These three things are enough to explain most of the divine power fluctuations. The so-called silver dragon aura is just their perception being wrong."
The Silver Dragon King's eyes flickered slightly, and he said in a deep voice:
"You want to keep them out of the Star Dou Great Forest?"
Tang Chuan said:
"If we can block them, we will block them; if we can't block them, we'll make sure they can't find out the real thing."
"The Star Dou Great Forest is so vast, teeming with life and teeming with soul beasts. If you don't make a move again, senior, they might not be able to lock onto the Lake of Life."
Silver Dragon's Way:
"What if they insist on venturing deep into this perilous land?"
Tang Chuan's eyes turned slightly cold as he continued:
"That depends on their status."
"If it's just investigation, I'll deal with them."
"If they try to make a move, I won't let them return to the realm of the gods alive."
After those words were spoken, the lakeside fell silent.
The Silver Dragon King looked at Tang Chuan, and a hint of seriousness finally appeared in his silver eyes.
"You dare kill a hunter from the realm of gods?"
Tang Chuan said calmly:
"If they are merely hunters, I will naturally not kill them. But if they are sent down from the divine realm to hunt down your sword, then they are not hunters, but enemies."
"Enemies can certainly be killed."
Di Tian's gaze was shaken.
Xiong Jun grinned, a hint of delight in his eyes.
"That sounds nice."
The Silver Dragon King did not laugh; she simply stared at Tang Chuan, as if trying to discern whether he was bluffing or truly committed to this decision.
After a moment, she slowly said:
"You are the sea god."
"If you kill the hunters of the divine realm, it means that a rift will be created between you and the divine realm."
"It might even incur divine retribution."
Tang Chuan said:
"If the gods are reasonable, then I will reason with them. If the gods are unreasonable, then I will only let them know that the mortal realm is not a chessboard for them to manipulate."
A faint silver light flashed in the Silver Dragon King's eyes.
She suddenly said:
"You are unlike any of the sea gods of the past."
Tang Chuan smiled faintly and said:
"Maybe it's because I never wanted to be a second Poseidon."
The Silver Dragon King remained silent for a moment.
"You want to change the rules of the divine realm?"
Tang Chuan said:
"At least we need to change the rule that soul beasts can never become gods. The feud between humans and soul beasts has lasted for too long. Soul masters need soul rings, so soul beasts are hunted down."
"Soul beasts hate humans, and humans fear soul beasts. The divine realm has blocked the path for soul beasts to become gods, forcing them to be forever trapped in the lower realm to suffer heavenly tribulations."
"This is not order, this is a cage."
The Silver Dragon King looked at Tang Chuan quietly. She did not comment immediately, but silver ripples spread slightly on the lake surface. These words had clearly touched her.
After a long silence, the Silver Dragon King finally spoke:
"After the Dragon God War, the Soul Beast lineage was defeated."
"Losers have no right to talk about fairness."
"The reason why the God Realm stripped soul beasts of their path to godhood was simply because they were afraid—afraid of the emergence of a second Dragon God, afraid of the resurgence of the divine beast lineage, and afraid of a repeat of the past wars."
Tang Chuan said:
"So the more they fear it, the more they need to suppress it."
"The more you suppress it, the deeper the hatred grows."
"One day, this suppression will erupt again."
"At that time, war will still happen again."
Silver Dragon's Way:
"You want to avoid war?"
Tang Chuan shook his head and said seriously:
"I am not so naive as to think that a few words can prevent war."
"If the divine realm is unwilling to change, war will come sooner or later. But before war comes, I must at least create a new path between humans and soul beasts."
The Silver Dragon King looked at him.
"What road?"
Tang Chuan said:
"Soul."
The Silver Dragon King's brow twitched slightly, clearly unaware of what this was.
Tang Chuan continued:
"Soul Masters need Soul Rings, which essentially means they need power to support them."
"Soul beasts are hunted because soul rings can only be obtained from them. But if there were a way for soul beasts to form contracts with soul masters without dying, becoming soul master partners in another form, the soul master would receive soul rings and soul skills. The soul beast would have the opportunity to extend its life, retain its consciousness, and even grow alongside the soul master. Then, the relationship between humans and soul beasts would no longer be limited to hunting."
A clear light appeared in Brigitte's eyes.
Di Tianze frowned and said:
"Is this feasible?"
Tang Chuan said:
"This technology is not yet mature."
"But the direction is right."
"As long as we are willing to study, we will definitely find a solution."
The Silver Dragon King's expression changed slightly.
She understood, of course, what Tang Chuan meant by those words. If the Soul Spirit System were truly established, the relationship between Soul Beasts and humans would be completely rewritten.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ruier looked at Tang Chuan with a softening gaze. She had long known that Tang Chuan wanted to do more than just kill Tang San; he wanted to change the world.
The Silver Dragon King remained silent for a long time, then suddenly said softly:
"You're bolder than I imagined."
Tang Chuan smiled slightly and said:
"You could also interpret this as me saying, 'I don't want this world to stay this way forever.'"
Sun and Moon Continent, Mingdu.
This vast capital city, known as the heart of the Sun Moon Empire, was originally brightly lit, with numerous soul guidance towers and crisscrossing metal tracks. When night fell, countless soul guidance lamps lit up simultaneously, making the entire city resemble a silver moon fallen to earth.
But tonight, Mingdu seemed unusually cold and gloomy.
Soul-guided searchlights swept back and forth on the city walls, and the number of soul-guided patrol teams on the streets was several times greater than usual. People kept their doors tightly shut, shops locked up early, and even taverns and arenas dared not stay open all night.
Because in recent days, a terrible rumor has been circulating in Mingdu.
The mysterious and powerful figure who served His Majesty the Emperor has returned.
Moreover, he returned covered in blood.
Nobody knows where he came from.
All that is known is that on that night, a dark green spatial rift suddenly opened up in the sky above Mingdu. Immediately afterward, a mangled and bloodied figure fell from the rift and crashed directly into the forbidden hall deep within the imperial palace. In that instant, the entire palace's soul-guided defense array automatically lit up.
Before the palace guards standing outside the forbidden hall could get close, they heard a hoarse, extremely low growl coming from inside.
"soul……"
"Give me your soul..."
Tang San is back.
But he was almost no longer human.
Rakshasa's divine armor was mostly shattered, his chest was caved in, half of his shoulder was torn apart by elemental power, his right eye was covered with cracks, and blood kept flowing from the corner of his eye.
The Silver Dragon King's attack did more than just shatter his divine armor.
It further damaged his divine body and soul. Even though he had become a Rakshasa god, he could not recover easily. Therefore, he needed souls, a large number of souls.
Thus, from the very first night he returned to Mingdu, the entire Sun and Moon Empire was plunged into fear, and the first to disappear were the prisoners in Mingdu's death row.
More than 3,700 death row inmates, serious criminals, and rebel prisoners were brought into the underground palace overnight. Some of them were still cursing, some were begging for mercy, and some had no idea what they were about to face.
But when the gates of the forbidden palace opened and a ghostly green aura of death surged out, all sound vanished.
The next morning, the Imperial Guards escorting the prisoners found only grayish-white powder covering the underground prison passageway.
There were no bodies.
There is no flesh and blood.
Not even bones were left.
Only wisps of vengeful spirits, not yet completely dissipated, echoed in the cracks of the walls.
Tang San's injuries stabilized slightly.
That's far from enough.
So, the second group of people were sent in.
This time, they were prisoners of war from the Douluo Continent captured on the battlefield.
Starry Sky Soldiers.
Coastal nobles.
Soul Masters captured by the Sun and Moon Expeditionary Force.
There were also port defenders who refused to surrender.
They were originally imprisoned in a temporary prisoner-of-war camp in the western suburbs of Mingdu, awaiting interrogation and reformation.
However, with a single secret order, the entire prisoner-of-war camp was emptied overnight.
When the officer in charge of escorting them returned, he was deathly pale and couldn't utter a complete sentence for three days.
Someone asked him what had happened.
The officer managed to utter only one sentence, trembling:
"He...he ate everyone..."
The people of Mingdu began to panic.
What truly shook the morale of the Sun Moon Empire's army was Tang San's next move.
There aren't enough death row inmates.
Not enough prisoners.
There aren't enough rebels.
He started asking for more people.
In mines across the country, batches of miners who had made mistakes were taken to the capital, Mingdu.
Some local noble families were even arrested by the Sun Moon Imperial Guards and taken to the palace at night for privately discussing Tang San as an "evil god" or "devil." (End of Chapter)