Chapter 181: May I Call You Gu Yuena?
The Silver Dragon King narrowed her violet eyes slightly, her gaze falling upon Furina as if it were tangible, carrying both scrutiny and vigilance.
"However, bare words without proof mean nothing. On what grounds should I trust you?" Her voice remained cool and clear, but now carried a faint, elusive trace of mockery. "Furthermore, go to the Divine Realm? Is that not simply courting death? Are you trying to deceive me as if I were some three-year-old little girl?"
Furina waved her hand unhurriedly, that same calm and unruffled smile still on her face: "I wouldn't dare! You, as the Dragon God's companion, the incarnation of wisdom and the power to command the elements—how could I possibly dare engage in such deception? Especially when it comes to deceiving a great figure such as yourself."
She silently added a line in her heart: It's just a pity that the bit of wisdom you inherited is truly insufficient. After all, the Dragon God's own wisdom was never that plentiful to begin with. In comparison, what you inherited far more of is likely the elemental power.
Of course, she dared not say this aloud.
"But the issue is," Furina said, her expression turning serious, "the Golden Dragon King is indeed in the Divine Realm. He once transformed into a dragon cocoon and is now sealed within the God-Forbidden Land. At this point, I imagine you know even more clearly than I do."
She paused, then pointed a finger at herself, a hint of confidence in her tone: "Just as you can perceive, I carry the auras of the Goddess of Life and the Water God upon me. I have accepted their divine trials and will become the second deity in history to hold twin divine positions."
The Silver Dragon King's violet eyes flickered faintly, but she said nothing.
Furina stepped forward, her voice dropping slightly lower, yet every word enunciated with clarity:
"What's more important is that beyond the Goddess of Life and the Water God, I also have channels to the God of Destruction on my side."
She smiled calmly, those clear eyes looking directly at the Silver Dragon King: "You should well understand the relationship between the Goddess of Life and the God of Destruction. I am not threatening you. I am merely laying out more bargaining chips to put your mind at ease. Since I dared to come and negotiate with you, I will absolutely not let you down."
As these words were spoken, Di Tian, standing at the side, subtly tensed his body.
The gaze he directed at Furina suddenly grew complex—there was vigilance, there was wariness, and there was also a trace of something difficult to detect... shock.
This young girl before him had actually managed to connect with two God Kings and one First-Class Deity simultaneously?
If such a person were an enemy, she would be the greatest threat to the soul beast clans; if an ally...
Di Tian did not dare to think too deeply. He only knew that whatever decision the Sovereign made next, he must summon every ounce of his attention and do his utmost to protect the Sovereign's safety.
The Silver Dragon King fell silent.
A breeze swept across the lake, lifting her silver hair. Her violet eyes were as deep as the abyss, as if something were churning within them.
After a long while, she finally spoke again, her voice carrying an elusive, inscrutable undertone: "Why seek cooperation with me?"
She looked directly at Furina, her tone calm but concealing a hidden edge: "You already have the Goddess of Life and the God of Destruction—two God Kings—as your backing, plus a First-Class Deity Water God, and this Water Dragon King at your side whose aura is in no way inferior to that of a god. Am I truly that indispensable?"
She paused, the corner of her lips curling into a faint, barely perceptible arc: "Soul beasts... are not really that important to you, are they?"
After listening, Furina smiled.
There was not the slightest hint of displeasure at being offended in that smile. Instead, it carried a touch of helplessness and... appreciation?
"Miss Silver Dragon King, your suspicion truly runs deep." She shook her head, her tone lightening somewhat. "Ah, always calling you 'Silver Dragon King'—it somehow doesn't feel quite appropriate. How about..."
She blinked, as if a sudden, amusing idea had popped into her head: "How about I call you Gu Yuena? What do you think? I feel this name suits you very well."
The Silver Dragon King paused, slightly taken aback.
"Gu... Yuena?" She repeated it softly, a flicker of dazed bewilderment passing through her violet eyes.
A moment later, she spoke slowly, her voice carrying a trace of gentleness that even she herself did not notice:
"It does sound... rather nice. Deep in the dark, I feel as though this name... as if it originally belonged to me all along."
She paused, tilting her head slightly as if in contemplation: "However, if I were to name myself, I might have chosen the name 'Gu Yue,' without adding the character 'Na' on top of it."
Furina's heart rejoiced, but she revealed nothing on her face.
"Gu Yue, Gu Yuena..." She chuckled lightly. "Then it depends on which one you prefer in the future. A name, after all, is meant to be called. If you like Gu Yue, then it shall be Gu Yue. If you find Gu Yuena rolls off the tongue more easily, then it shall be Gu Yuena. Whatever pleases you."
The Silver Dragon King—no, Gu Yuena—inclined her head slightly and did not refute it.
Di Tian, watching all of this from the side, felt a myriad of mixed emotions surge within his heart.
The Sovereign... actually accepted a name given by a human?
He had followed the Sovereign for tens of thousands of years, yet had never once seen her show the slightest favor to any human. And today, this human girl named Furina had not only made the Sovereign appear in person but had also made her accept the name "Gu Yuena"...
The look he directed at Furina grew even more complex.
Just who in the world was this human girl?
"Alright, let us continue the negotiations." Furina switched to the new form of address with practiced familiarity, her tone as casual as if she were chatting with an older sister next door. "Allow me to explain in detail why I am seeking cooperation with Sister Gu Yuena."
Gu Yuena did not correct her mode of address and simply listened quietly.
Furina drew a deep breath and spoke with solemn gravity: "Because I must oppose a god, who is also a God King. As I imagine you are aware, ten thousand years ago, there was a God King who ascended to the Divine Realm—likewise a holder of twin divine positions."
Gu Yuena furrowed her brow slightly and glanced thoughtfully toward Di Tian: "Oh? Was there such a matter? My condition at that time was even worse than it is now. I was in deep slumber, recuperating, and paid no particular attention to the outside world."
Di Tian stepped forward and answered respectfully: "Yes, Sovereign. This subordinate paid heed to it back then."
He organized his thoughts briefly and began to recount slowly: "Ten thousand years ago, there were three earliest individuals on the Douluo Continent to achieve godhood—the Angel God, the Sea God, and the Rakshasa God. All three were First-Class Deities. Among them, the Sea God later received the Asura God's inheritance and became the first deity in history to hold twin divine positions. He is what humans often call the leader of the Shrek Seven Devils, the Thousand-Hands Douluo, Tang San."
"Afterward, the remaining members of the Shrek Seven Devils also successively obtained divine positions, each achieving Second-Class Deity status and ascending to the Divine Realm."
Di Tian's voice carried a thread of complex emotion. "Even the Sky Blue Bull Python, Da Ming, and the Titan Giant Ape, Er Ming—who had always guarded the core region of the Great Star Dou Forest—ascended to the Divine Realm as well. They sacrificed themselves to Tang San, and their soul rings and soul bones ascended alongside Tang San and his wife—that Soft-Boned Rabbit who had re-cultivated from a hundred thousand years, Xiao Wu."
"If that man is a person of sentiment and loyalty, if he still cares for old bonds and his beloved's feelings, perhaps he might resurrect Da Ming and Er Ming as gods."
After listening, a wintry gleam flickered through Gu Yuena's violet eyes.
"The Asura God, is it..." she murmured to herself, a bone-chilling coldness seeping into her voice. "No wonder that aura was so detestable to me, and so familiar."
She raised her eyes to Furina, her gaze sharp as a blade: "You actually intend to oppose a God King? And what's more, the inheritor of the Asura God, one of the five great God Kings?"
She slowly rose, the aura around her abruptly surging: "You must understand, that is the very existence that once cleaved the Dragon God in two. Although the Dragon God was in a state of madness at the time, that level of strength is not to be underestimated. Even if that Tang San, as the successor, with the dual empowerment of the Sea God's First-Class divine position and the Asura God's God King position, may not necessarily match the former Asura God, he is still..."
She paused, enunciating each word: "Not to be underestimated."
Gu Yuena's analysis was calm and penetrating: "Setting aside whatever personal grudges you have with him—simply speaking of opposing a twin-position God King, who also has a cohort of deities as his faction supporting him, even with the help of the God of Destruction and the Goddess of Life, it would likely not be easy."
She tilted her head slightly, a cold smirk curving at the corner of her lips: "Moreover, how could the Divine Realm simply sit back and watch internal strife? If there truly were internal conflict, the God of Kindness and the God of Evil would surely step in to stop it, wouldn't they? Those two are also a married couple and also God Kings; their strength is in no way inferior to the God of Destruction. If they stand on the opposing side, that would be three God Kings against two. What odds of victory do you calculate in that scenario?"
After listening, Furina smiled.
There was not the slightest hint of tension in that smile. Instead, it carried the certainty of one who already had the outcome securely within her grasp.
"Sister Gu Yuena's analysis is indeed sound." She nodded, her tone easy. "But—"
She raised her eyes and looked directly at Gu Yuena, a sly, cunning light flickering in her gaze: "Have you ever considered that the God of Kindness and the God of Evil have also, one after another, been replaced by their inheritors?"
Gu Yuena paused for a moment.
"Oh?"