Chapter 172: Na'er, Giving You Hope Again—But What Will It Cost?
"Hmph!"
Gu Yue knew her own idea was a bit disrespectful to her kin. This was the dragons' final place of rest, their sacred tomb.
How could she use it for something so selfish?
Gu Yue, you're supposed to become the Dragon God; you can't let yourself do something so reckless!
"I was just testing you," she finally said.
"Hmph, as if you'd dare anyway."
Jiang Chen:
Okay, fine—I got worried for nothing.
Gu Yue dropped the subject. For now, mastering the Dragon Tomb was beyond her reach.
She was neither the true Dragon God, nor could she regain her real power in the current Douluo Plane.
All she could do was let the Dragon Tomb follow its own fate. That was also the will of the Dragon Tomb itself:
There was nothing left for it here. The Douluo Plane was spent—time to drift off into the universe.
"At least I have the Dragon God's Heart and a true descendent of the Fire Dragon King. That's enough."
Still, she wasn't about to abandon her mission.
This hatchling—born of the Fire Dragon King's lineage, the only living spark among all the eggs the Dragon Tomb had nurtured—
deserved every last scrap of strength the tomb could offer.
So, holding the dragon egg gently, Gu Yue began to channel energy into it, just as Jiang Chen had fueled his nascent divine world with the Golden Dragon Spear.
The Dragon Tomb:
…
"Does Gu Yue really not know about the dragon clan's true super divine artifact?" Jiang Chen suddenly wondered, his thoughts drifting elsewhere.
The real treasure of the dragons—
The Dragon Ascending Pillar!
Forged by the Dragon God at the height of his reign, this artifact had long since been lost, and even Gu Yue seemed ignorant of its existence.
"Too bad I'm not a dragon. I can't claim it myself."
He smirked.
"And I'm not handing it to Gu Yue for free, either."
A devious idea struck him.
For Gu Yue to become the true Dragon God, she had to first reclaim Na'er, her split-off human self, to absorb the Golden Dragon King's full power.
They were destined to clash. Neither could avoid it.
But Gu Yue had the Dragon God's Heart, while Na'er possessed the Ascending Pillar.
It was a fair match.
Now that Na'er was here…
He knew exactly what to do.
What happened to the future of the Tianlong Star's dragon clan and their Ascending Pillar wasn't his concern.
He'd done enough.
He put away the Golden Dragon Spear and strode off.
"I'm going to find Na'er."
Gu Yue watched him go, pursing her lips but saying nothing.
Cradling the dragon egg and sitting atop a pile of bones, she fell deep into thought.
"Long time no see, Na'er!"
Na'er: !!!
Suddenly, a voice echoed in her mind—it was Jiang Chen!
Of course. If Gu Yue was here, he must be too.
"So… she got it, didn't she?"
Na'er didn't know which "thing" it was, but she was sure it mattered—a treasure crucial to both her and Gu Yue.
If it was in Gu Yue's hand, there was no way left for her to win.
"Why so cold?" Jiang Chen teased. "Don't you miss calling me 'big brother' in that sweet little voice?"
Na'er's face darkened. Like I had a choice? That was all you!
Their conversation was telepathic; none of the other Shrek kids could sense a thing.
"Never mind," Jiang Chen continued, "I guess everyone grows rebellious some day. You just got there faster than most."
Then, in a calm tone, he got to the point:
"The Dragon God's Heart—a true super divine artifact, full of the Dragon God's might—is with Gu Yue now."
Na'er smiled bitterly. "So what?"
"I'm here to help you."
The truth was, touching the Ascending Pillar would anger not just the tomb, but perhaps even the Dragon God himself.
How could anyone speak of reviving dragonkind, then exclude all other soul beasts? The dragons suffered, yet the other beasts prospered. It was a contradiction even Jiang Chen could barely rationalize.
"To help… me, with what?"
"I mean everything. But now it's all pointless, isn't it?" Na'er's voice was lost and tired. Her purpose had vanished.
Maybe, she thought, it would be easier to just let Gu Yue reabsorb her.
There was nothing left to hope for.
No direction, no strength left to fight.
Jiang Chen reacted immediately.
In his eyes, Na'er had always been strong, resilient—never willing to give up!
He couldn't let her fall like this.
Gu Yue dreamed of erasing humanity, but Na'er was different.
She valued the bonds she'd experienced in the human world. She wanted peace between species.
The world now was what she'd always hoped for: humans and soul beasts coexisting.
Yet, as part of the Silver Dragon King, she could sense Gu Yue's true intent.
Without human compassion, Gu Yue would crush humanity without hesitation.
Na'er was powerless to stop it. She could only watch as Gu Yue's power grew.
"Jiang Chen, would you destroy humanity?"
Jiang Chen: "What? Why would I do that?"
"Gu Yue would. She's the Silver Dragon King—a soul beast sovereign. She wants soul beasts to dominate the world!"
Jiang Chen pictured Gu Yue's face—her sharp temper, her flashes of clumsy intelligence.
"Maybe she does," he admitted. "I couldn't stop her even if I tried.
That's your job."
What kind of love—or sacrifice—could stop Gu Yue's ambition?
It was a pointless question. He'd rather die making her throne than try to "redeem" her.
Na'er felt even more lost.
"How? What could I possibly do?"
She was destined to lose, doomed to be reabsorbed.
Now her last hope, the only way to fight back, had been taken.
"Yes," Jiang Chen said firmly. "There's still hope. That's why I'm here."
"This isn't the place to talk. Come find me."
He sent her a spiritual signal, then cut off their link.
Na'er lingered a moment, then spoke to the Shrek team.
"I have something important to do."
Before they could react, she vanished into a silver streak of light.
"Where's she off to?"
"Did she find a true dragon soul bone—planning to keep it?"
Dai Lingyu glared at her brother.
"Even if she found it, it's got nothing to do with us. Watch what you say!"
Dai Yueyan just shrugged, then turned to Long Yue instead.
"Hey—have you felt anything special, Dragon Maniac? Don't go wandering off again; if you do, these dragon souls will rip us to pieces!"
The deeper they went, the more frequent the dragon souls became.
If Long Yue left their side, things would turn fatal fast—no martial soul, no protection, no chance.
(END CHAPTER)
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