By the Lake of Life, Jin Li sat on the ground out of sheer boredom, her legs bent, her arms hugging her knees, and her chin resting on them. Her large golden eyes stared unblinkingly at the mirror-like, calm surface of the lake.
She seemed to be talking to herself, yet also trying to strike up a conversation with Huo Yuhao behind her.
"I don't even know what Di Tian went to do this time. He just jumped into the lake without even saying a word."
Huo Yuhao stood not far behind her, his gaze also fixed on that deep, emerald-green lake, his expression thoughtful.
He had clearly seen Di Tian's expression earlier when he extracted the black dragon reverse scale from his body.
He had been to the bottom of the Lake of Life once, and he knew what kind of existence resided there.
Di Tian's hasty dive to the bottom of the lake this time was most likely to see that mysterious Lord.
And the reason Di Tian lost his composure so much was highly likely due to that black dragon reverse scale he had taken away.
Just what did Di Tian sense from the Reverse Scale?
Huo Yuhao had a vague guess in his heart, but he still couldn't grasp the most crucial clue.
Just as he was fully focused on pondering this matter, a person suddenly appeared out of thin air before his eyes.
Huo Yuhao's muscles tensed instantly, and he instinctively took on a defensive stance.
His mental force had now stepped into the Spirit Domain Realm, and his perception was far sharper than that of an ordinary Titled Douluo.
Let alone getting close, ordinary people couldn't even escape his perception from a hundred yards away.
Yet this person before him seemed to have walked straight out of the Void Realm, without any warning or energy fluctuation, as if she had been standing there all along and Huo Yuhao had simply failed to notice her.
Huo Yuhao froze for a moment. His gaze fell upon her exquisite, almost unreal, and breathtakingly beautiful face, and he suddenly came to his senses.
Wasn't she the true master of the Star Dou Great Forest, the mysterious Lord Di Tian spoke of?
Huo Yuhao's expression turned solemn, and he bowed slightly, calling out, "Senior."
Hearing this, Jin Li also snapped her head around, immediately spotting the tall, slender, and beautiful figure standing in front of Huo Yuhao.
Her large golden eyes suddenly widened. After a brief daze, she scrambled up from the ground and quickly stepped closer.
She knew every Vicious Beast in the Core Circle of the Star Dou Great Forest, yet she had never seen this woman before.
She tilted her head up, looking at Gu Yuena's otherworldly beautiful face. A flash of realization crossed her golden eyes, and she blurted out, "Are you the Lord?"
Gu Yuena turned her gaze to Jin Li, and her cold, indifferent purple eyes softened visibly.
She reached out with her slender, long fingers to gently caress Jin Li's lava-like golden-red hair, her voice softening slightly, carrying an almost doting intimacy. "Indeed, I am your Lord. I have been sleeping at the bottom of the lake all these years and couldn't watch you grow up with my own eyes. It is my regret."
Hearing this, Jin Li's large golden eyes suddenly lit up.
She looked up, staring unblinkingly at Gu Yuena's breathtakingly beautiful face, her eyes filled with undisguised curiosity and closeness. This was the first time she had ever met the legendary Lord.
Di Tian's figure appeared silently on the shore. He stood quietly not far behind Gu Yuena, but his deep, abyss-like golden dragon eyes inadvertently swept back and forth between Gu Yuena and Huo Yuhao.
Gu Yuena gently patted Jin Li's head, then shifted her gaze back onto Huo Yuhao.
The warmth in those purple eyes slowly faded, returning to a look of scrutiny and deep inquiry.
She quietly watched Huo Yuhao like this, and after a moment, she suddenly spoke, "We meet again."
Huo Yuhao nodded with a calm expression, but inwardly grew highly vigilant.
Gu Yuena then got straight to the point, "I won't beat around the bush with you. You met the person who gave you the Silver Dragon King's Reverse Scale again, didn't you?"
Huo Yuhao's heart jolted at her words, thinking to himself that she indeed did not come with good intentions.
He did not know how Gu Yuena had deduced this, but he guessed it definitely had to do with Di Tian's Reverse Scale.
Seeing Huo Yuhao remain silent, Gu Yuena was in no hurry, merely watching him quietly.
Instead, it was Di Tian on the side who spoke first, "Kid, the Lord personally came out to see you today because she is already certain of this. There is no need for you to deny it."
Huo Yuhao frowned, and finally nodded slowly, "Senior is right. I indeed met them."
Hearing this, Di Tian thought to himself that it was indeed true. To be able to shield his perception meant that the place they met was absolutely extraordinary, and the "person" he met was even more extraordinary!
Suppressing the shock in his heart, he asked again, "Where is the person who gave you the Silver Dragon King's Reverse Scale? You don't have to worry. We are both of the Dragon Clan, and we bear no ill will toward you. We only wish to meet."
Huo Yuhao pursed his lips upon hearing this, his face remaining impassive, but his mind was racing, desperately trying to figure out how to answer this thorny question.
Taking them to see the person who gave him the Reverse Scale was, of course, impossible.
Gu Yue was currently far away in the World Ten Thousand Years later, not even on the same timeline as the few in front of him.
As for directly confessing that he could transmigrate through time and space?
That was absolutely out of the question; it was the biggest secret he held.
Just as Huo Yuhao was rapidly weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Gu Yuena lost her patience.
A thin layer of frost appeared on her exquisitely beautiful face, a dangerous light flickering deep within her purple pupils. Her voice also suddenly turned cold, carrying an absolute authority and resolve that brooked no disobedience.
"Since you don't want to speak, then don't. This King will see for herself."
Before the words even fully faded, and before Huo Yuhao could make any response, he felt an unimaginably vast mental force surge toward him like a tsunami.
The Spirit Domain Realm mental force he was so proud of was as fragile as a paper barrier in front of Gu Yuena's mental force, torn apart with crushing force without even holding out for a single breath.
That cold and powerful mental force drove straight in, breaking through his layers of mental defenses like splitting bamboo, plunging directly into the deepest depths of his Spiritual Sea.
In that instant, Huo Yuhao's originally lively and clear eyes suddenly lost all their luster, his pupils dilating and his gaze turning hollow. He stood frozen in place like a marionette with its Soul pulled out, completely losing control over his own body.
In the final moment before his consciousness blurred, only one thought flashed through Huo Yuhao's mind... It's over!
His teacher Electrolux had long warned him that the mysterious Lord beneath the Lake of Life possessed Divine Rank strength, and even he, a former demigod, was by no means her match.
Now, it seemed his teacher was entirely correct. In front of Gu Yuena's mental force, which was as vast as a sea of stars, his meager cultivation was simply like an ant.
He truly had not expected this Lord to act so decisively and ruthlessly, directly striking him over a mere disagreement. This was clearly an attempt to forcibly search his memories.
Now, all his secrets would probably be impossible to keep.
-------------------------------------------------
A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.