Chapter 528: Silver Dragon Secret (8k)

This dinner lasted over an hour before finally ending; almost all the food went into Na'er's stomach, the big eater, and only after she could eat no more did Tang Wulin step in and finish the remaining dishes.

Whether it was Master Zhao or Huo Yutong, both were top‑notch chefs, and everyone ate with great satisfaction, especially Na'er; at the end of dinner, her gaze toward Huo Yutong became noticeably gentler, shifting from hostility to friendliness.

When Master Zhao said to guess, Ya Li still thought they would judge by the dishes' flavor, choosing the one that was slightly worse.

Only after actually eating did they realize the guessing criterion was not "taste" but "feeling".

That dish gave a heartfelt sense of warmth, and that dish was made by Huo Yutong.

This made her can't help but marvel.

After dinner ended, Ya Li led everyone to the inner court, somewhat embarrassed, and said:

"I'm really sorry, but there aren't that many vacant rooms in the Sea God Pavilion, so I can't let you all stay there."

Tang Ziran smiled and said: "It's fine; the accommodations in the inner court are already sufficient."

He wasn't just being polite; compared to their family of four's tiny house in Aolai City before, even a random inner court dormitory was far more luxurious.

The dormitories where inner court disciples live have quite complete facilities; even if placed in the outside world, a moderately well‑off family would have to work ten years without eating or drinking to possibly earn half the cost.

Being able to enjoy such material conditions alongside Tang Wulin, he already felt quite satisfied and couldn't ask for more.

Thus Tang Wulin and the others found two dormitories to settle in, with Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong sharing one, and Tang Ziran and Lang Yue sharing the other.

After everyone had settled in, Ya Li then took Na'er back to the Sea God Pavilion.

At this point the night was already deep; Tang Ziran and Lang Yue chatted briefly with the two, then each returned to their rooms to rest.

After about another half hour, a silver light suddenly flashed in Tang Wulin's room, and a ripple of spatial disturbance flickered and vanished.

At the same time, two people appeared inside the Sea God Pavilion, but with the aid of simulating soul skills, they went unnoticed by anyone.

They came to Na'er's room door and gently knocked.

Soon, the door was opened by Na'er.

Although she couldn't see their figures, she also knew it was the two of them, so she hastily stepped aside and said:

Although she couldn't see their figures, she still knew it was the two of them, so she quickly turned sideways and said:

After confirming the two had entered the room, she then closed the door and asked:

"You can't directly teleport to my room via space movement? Why go through all this trouble?"

Tang Wulin laughed heartily and said: "Isn't this to give you time to prepare? After all, Na'er, you may be young, but you're still a girl."

"…Don't always be so gentle at times like this."

Na'er, feeling somewhat helpless, crossed her legs and sat on the bed, asking:

"Alright, big brother, ask whatever you want to know; I'll tell you everything I know."

During the day, Tang Ziran, Lang Yue, and Ya Li were present around them, which really meant there were too many outsiders.

Only at night, when no one else was around, could she conveniently tell Tang Wulin everything she knew.

Tang Wulin immediately asked somewhat urgently: "Then Na'er, what is your true identity? Who exactly is the Silver Dragon King?"

What he most wanted to know, without a doubt, was the answer to that question.

Compared to other things, he cared more about his sister's identity.

Na'er tapped her lips, thought for a moment, then said: "Regarding this question, I first need to explain the origin of the so‑called Silver Dragon King."

Her eyes were very deep, as she entered into recollection.

"In ages past, the Divine Realm high above the heavens once erupted in a war between human gods and divine beasts."

"That war caused heavy losses to the Divine Realm, but ultimately the human gods' side prevailed."

"As the leader of the divine beasts, the Strongest Beast God Dragon God was split in half by a single sword strike from the human side's Strongest God King Asura God."

"One half became the Golden Dragon King, governing the Dragon God's flesh and blood strength; the other half became the Silver Dragon King, governing the Dragon God's control over the elements."

"After splitting into these two Dragon Kings, the gods of the Divine Realm quickly devised countermeasures, but ultimately they could not fully retain both Dragon Gods resulting from the split; they kept only the Golden Dragon King, who governs flesh and blood, sealing him within the Divine Realm, while the Silver Dragon King fell to the Douluo Continent."

"Do you know if you've heard of the title 'Soul Beast Overlord'? On the surface it's used to address the Beast God Ditian, but in truth, the real Soul Beast Overlord is the Silver Dragon King hidden in the Star Dou Great Forest; only the object she acknowledges is the true Soul Beast Overlord."

"As for her purpose, I'm only guessing, but if I'm not mistaken, her ultimate goal should be to assault the Divine Realm, re‑merge with the Golden Dragon King, re‑form the Dragon God, and defeat the human gods."

"Therefore, for her current self, your existence as my brother must be incredibly puzzling."

Having said this, Na'er looked at Tang Wulin and gave a helpless smile.

"She probably never dreamed that a human could possess the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, and then, by sheer accident, without even contacting her, upgrade that bloodline to a Dragon God bloodline. Brother, could you explain where your Golden Dragon King bloodline comes from?"

She probably never imagined in her dreams that a human could possess the bloodline of the Golden Dragon King, and by sheer accident, without even coming into contact with her, upgraded that bloodline to that of a Dragon God, right? Brother, can you explain to me where your Golden Dragon King bloodline comes from?

Tang Wulin sighed, released his Blue Silver Emperor martial soul, and said:

"Na'er, do you still remember the story related to the Blue Silver Emperor martial soul?"

"Hmm, of course I remember; the Blue Silver Emperor is the martial soul possessed by Tang San, the founder of the Tang Sect, right?"

Hmm, of course I remember, the Blue Silver Emperor is the martial soul possessed by Tang San, the founder of the Tang Sect, right?

Tang Wulin said with a somewhat reluctant tone:

"Although I don't really want to admit it, I am most likely his biological son."

Although I don't really want to admit it, I am most likely his biological son.

Na'er's expression instantly turned solemn.

"Does that mean you, like me, were adopted by our parents?"

So you mean, like me, you were adopted by dad and mom?

Tang Wulin lightly nodded.

"The rest is my speculation; if I'm not mistaken, perhaps over these ten thousand years, the Golden Dragon King within the Divine Realm managed to break the seal using some unknown means, causing a great turmoil in the Divine Realm, and then Tang San led the gods of the Divine Realm to slay the Golden Dragon King again, merging his bloodline into the seal and into my body. Moreover, the Divine Realm's current disappearance is very likely due to the Golden Dragon King's doing."

"Originally he couldn't have made such a deduction, but Yun Ming's earlier information about the Divine Realm's disappearance gave him inspiration."

"The disappearance of the Divine Realm, however you look at it, doesn't resemble a normal phenomenon; it's very likely they encountered a powerful external enemy."

The disappearance of the Divine Realm doesn't look like a normal phenomenon no matter how you look at it; it's very likely they encountered a powerful external enemy.

Combining what Na'er said about the gold and silver dragon king story, it's highly likely this powerful external enemy is the Gold Dragon King; he broke the seal, relying on his terrifying physical strength, rampaged in the Divine Realm, bringing huge disaster to the Divine Realm.

Furthermore, considering the Gold Dragon King's ability to use spacetime turbulence to send him back ten thousand years, the Divine Realm's disappearance was likely also his doing via a similar spacetime turbulence method.

In that case, although there are still many questions in between, the overall logic can basically be considered self-consistent.

«Is that so…»

Na'er murmured and nodded.

Indeed, for now, Tang Wulin's hypothesis isn't problematic; if that's the case, many things can be explained.

Tang Wulin urged:

«Na'er, you still haven't explained what your relationship with Gu Yue is; why is your martial soul the White Silver Dragon Spear; why did Gu Yue approach me? Between the two of you, who is the true Silver Dragon King? »

Na'er smiled helplessly: «Brother, don't be so anxious; I'll tell you now. »

She took a deep breath and fell into memory.

«Actually, regarding the Silver Dragon King's memories, I only possess a small part that can be called common sense. »

Since the Divine Realm fell to the Douluo Continent all those years ago, the Silver Dragon King has been striving to heal her wounds; her injuries were so severe that, even relying on the energy of the Lake of Life, she only fully recovered a few years ago.

«Upon awakening, she discovered that soul beasts had declined, while humanity's advantage had become immensely huge. »

«She realized that relying solely on brute force makes it hard to revive soul beasts, so she chose to incarnate as a human and start learning everything about humanity from scratch. »

«What you picked up in Aolai City back then was actually the Silver Dragon King who had just transformed into human form; she sealed her memories, so you needn't worry that she was false when interacting with you—at that time she truly was your sister Na'er. »

Tang Wulin interrupted:

«Wait, why did she seal her memories? »

If I recall correctly, when he first met Na'er, she was being bullied by other children.

As a dignified Silver Dragon King, why would she rather endure such humiliation and still seal her memories?

Na'er shrugged.

«Because she wanted to learn human emotions from scratch; thus she couldn't let her overly vast memories influence herself, so she chose self-sealing. »

«…»

Tang Wulin felt something was off.

According to his knowledge, the emotions of high-ranking soul beasts shouldn't differ much from humans.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be legends of soul beasts falling in love with humans; besides, he has beside him Di Yun'er, a human incarnation of a three-eyed golden rhinoceros—although her personality is a bit eccentric, she clearly possesses normal emotions.

«Is the Silver Dragon King sealing her memories to experience human emotions perhaps… a bit redundant? » However, now isn't the time to discuss this; Tang Wulin suppressed his doubts, lightly nodded at Na'er, signaling her to continue.

Na'er sighed and said: «As for what happened afterward, it was when she successfully recovered her memories and left you. »

«For some reasons, she awakened her memories, recalled her identity, realized she could no longer stay in that small city of Aolai, so she left a letter and departed from you. »

«Only then did she discover what a grave mistake she had made. »

«Although the years she spent with you let her fully understand human emotions, they also plunged her too deep, making it hard for her to make calm decisions as before. »

«Such her would find it hard to lead soul beasts in revenge against the Divine Realm, so she chose to split herself, completely separating the human Na'er from the Silver Dragon King, successfully cutting off interference from human emotions. »

Saying this, Na'er pointed at herself and gave a bitter smile.

«The Na'er split off who possesses human memories is me; thus my martial soul is the White Silver Dragon Spear, because frankly I am merely a part of her. »

«Is that so…»

What she said is truly fantastical, but seeing her earnest expression, Tang Wulin could only accept it.

Na'er said somewhat bleakly: «Actually, to be frank, I'm not entirely the Na'er you knew; the Silver Dragon King's memories are too vast, and even though I only accepted a small part as common knowledge, my personality has changed from before; regarding this, even your girlfriend noticed this morning. »

Upon hearing this, Tang Wulin instinctively glanced at Huo Yutong, who somewhat embarrassedly nodded at him.

Tang Wulin helplessly sighed, then suddenly reached out and pulled Na'er into his embrace.

«Eh? Brother… brother? »

Na'er was startled; her sad expression vanished instantly, quickly turning crimson.

Then she heard Tang Wulin say firmly in a gentle voice:

«Silly girl, don't think so much; in my view, no matter how many memories you awaken, you're still my sister Na'er—that will never change. »

After all, compared to when Na'er parted from Tang Wulin, she merely gained some memories and her personality changed a little—nothing major.

He can't stay with Na'er forever; thus, Na'er's memories unrelated to him will keep increasing, and the difference between her personality and now will keep growing—this is quite normal.

Constant learning, constant growth, bidding farewell to the past self and welcoming a new future—this is simply the normal human growth process; in his view, Na'er is overthinking things, he never cared about her awakened memories; in his heart, she will forever be the little girl who spent several happy years with him in the small cottage in Aolai City.

Quietly listening to Tang Wulin's words, a glimmer of moisture appeared in Na'er's eyes.

But she tightly pressed her lips, forcing back tears, and gave a somewhat muffled bitter smile:

«This, this really is… I really am becoming more and more envious of Sister Yutong…»

Tang Wulin chuckled.

«What do you have to envy? She is my most beloved lover, you are my most beloved sister; the two of you hold equal standing in my heart. »

«…Also. »

Na'er smiled without a trace.

«No difference? The difference is actually huge. »

But she doesn't intend to let Tang Wulin know this difference; if possible, she wants to keep this secret rotting in her stomach for a lifetime.

She quietly wiped her eyes, lifted her head, and smiled: «Alright, brother, get up; I've recovered. Hugging another girl in front of your sister-in-law isn't appropriate, is it? »

Upon hearing this, Tang Wulin released his hold on her, helplessly saying: «You little brat, you understand quite a bit, but you needn't worry; Yutong isn't unreasonable—she knows what our relationship is and won't be jealous because of it. »

«Is that so…»

Na'er looked at Huo Yutong, seeing Huo Yutong smile and nod at her; a sense of defeat instantly welled up in her heart.

Tang Wulin's words aren't wrong, but in a sense they are utterly mistaken.

As he said, Huo Yutong knows her relationship with Tang Wulin and won't be jealous because of it, but whether it's her feelings for Tang Wulin or the reason Huo Yutong doesn't get jealous, they are completely different from what Tang Wulin thinks.

Na'er always felt she had completely lost, utterly and thoroughly defeated.

She shook her head, drove this feeling of defeat out of her mind, then said:

"Alright, I've finished talking about my affairs; next comes the most crucial part."

Hearing her say that, Tang Wulin instantly sat up straight.

The information just mentioned was already explosive; yet it turns out we haven't even reached the most crucial part?

"Of course not."

Seeing what Tang Wulin was thinking, Na'er smiled faintly and gazed toward the window in the direction of the Star Dou Great Forest.

"I still haven't told you why Gu Yue sought you out."

Hearing the name Gu Yue, Tang Wulin's gaze instantly turned solemn.

That's true; this time he came to find Na'er, most wanting to clarify Na'er's identity, and secondly, what exactly is the situation with Gu Yue.

Now Na'er's identity has been fully revealed; next it's time to disclose the relevant information about Gu Yue.

According to what Na'er just said, she should be the true body of the Silver Dragon King; then why did that Silver Dragon King come to seek contact with me?

Is it because of my Golden Dragon King bloodline?

His guess was denied by Na'er the very next second.

Na'er crossed her arms over her chest and said: "First, I want to tell you, brother, something that might shock you a little: when Gu Yue went to find you, she actually didn't know you had the Golden Dragon King bloodline."

Tang Wulin widened his eyes in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Na'er gave a light shrug.

"After all, at that time you weren't showing any related aura; most likely your bloodline hadn't awakened yet."

"That's true."

When Tang Wulin just encountered Gu Yue, he hadn't even broken the first seal, and didn't even know his body was sealed with the Golden Dragon King's power.

When he learned about the Golden Dragon King seal and successfully broke through, he had already traveled back to an era ten thousand years prior, and Gu Yue didn't have time to sense the Golden Dragon King aura from him.

But if that's the case, why did she come to find me? Na'er smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

"It's because of me."

She played with her hair as she said: "Although Gu Yue separated me to reduce interference from human emotions, we are ultimately one; without me, she is no longer a complete Silver Dragon King, and it's destined that she cannot fully restore her power in the future."

"So she will inevitably devour me later."

"Her original plan was to completely sever my lingering attachments—that is, to kill you all first, then forcibly fuse with me; although that would leave some flaws, it's still better than after fusion still being affected by emotions toward you."

"After realizing this, to protect you, I made a bet with her."

As she said this, Na'er's expression became serious.

"She transforms into a girl and comes to your side to seduce you; if you fall for her, that proves human emotions are false, so I will give up everything and let her devour me; but if you don't fall for her, then she will set me free."

"?"

Tang Wulin and Huo Yutong both listened with utter bewilderment.

Huo Yutong couldn't help but ask:

"Wait, this logic doesn't make sense; why would Wulin liking her prove human emotions are false?"

Na'er shrugged, curling the corner of her mouth in a disdainful smile.

"It's simple: because she split me off, her understanding of human emotions reverted to a half-knowing state; she can't distinguish familial love from romantic love, and she thinks your feelings for me are romantic love between a man and a woman."

"... This is truly a huge misunderstanding."

Tang Wulin couldn't help but retort.

He suddenly felt he somewhat understood why Gu Yue first came to human society to learn about human emotions.

"What kind of "astonishing wisdom" would lead someone to think a nine-year-old boy would have improper feelings toward his eight-year-old sister?"

Na'er gave a light smile.

"Right?"

This truly is a huge misunderstanding, but honestly, she actually hopes it isn't a misunderstanding.

She let out a light sigh and said:

"No matter what, this bet, due to her misjudging our feelings, had Gu Yue from the start been outmaneuvered by me."

"According to my original expectation of normal development, you would indeed very likely fall for her; after all, she's an ancient monster who's lived who-knows-how-many tens of thousands of years, while you, brother, are just a pure child; with her intellect, she could easily toy with you in the palm of her hand."

"But at the same time, I'm also betting, I'm betting that while she lures you in, she'll also come to like you. After all, brother, you're so outstanding—excellent looks and very gentle—I don't believe she could truly not take you to heart."

"If I win the bet, and she really does come to like you, then you'll basically be safe, because she who likes you couldn't possibly attack you; by then, even if she devours me again, I'd die without regret, since her devouring me means merging with my memories and emotions; her feelings for you will only deepen, and you'll become correspondingly safe."

"Na'er..."

Tang Wulin looked at Na'er laughing with utter carefree abandon, his heart feeling stifled.

"You're being way too reckless; the success rate is also far too low."

The success rate of this plan is actually so low it's hair-raising.

Will Gu Yue really develop affection for him? Tang Wulin thinks not necessarily.

After all, he was ultimately just a weak soul master with the useless martial soul Blue Silver Grass, while Gu Yue is the exalted Beast King, the Silver Dragon King; the gap between them is enormous, so normally the probability of Gu Yue truly liking him is virtually zero.

Moreover, even if she really did like him, once his bloodline awakens, if she has any shred of responsibility toward the soul beast tribe, she will surely seek an opportunity to devour him—this is practically an unsolvable dead end.

All Na'er can hope for is that this mighty Silver Dragon King, who has lived countless years, has a screw loose, making the success rate drop to a hair-raising level.

But he can't say anything, after all Na'er came up with this plan purely to save him; she even factored herself into the calculation, leaving her with nothing to say.

Na'er is, after all, just an eight-year-old child; it's normal for her thoughts to be not thorough.

He let out a heavy sigh and asked: "So if you win, Na'er, what are you preparing to do?"

Not really.

Na'er gave a hehe laugh.

Brother, do you really think she'll let me go just because of the bet?

……Indeed, she won't.

It's obvious the Silver Dragon King won't let Na'er go.

According to Na'er's recent statement, as long as Gu Yue doesn't devour her, she cannot fully recover her strength; thus, even if the bet with Na'er ends in failure, Gu Yue would likely choose to forcibly devour Na'er.

For Na'er, this bet is an absolute dead end no matter what; Tang Wulin really can't imagine what mood she was in when she set this bet.

But for her, there really is no other way; after all, Gu Yue holds far too many cards, while Na'er herself possesses far too little strength. Given such a huge disparity in power, Na'er's idea of using this bet to buy time is already quite commendable.

Sigh, you've really suffered.

Tang Wulin couldn't help but show a bitter smile.

However, Na'er shook her head.

No, I don't feel bitter at all.

For her, being able to let the one she likes most survive in this way brings her supreme happiness.

To ease the somewhat heavy atmosphere, Na'er laughed lightly: 'Hehe, but in the end, whether it's me or Gu Yue, we're just wasting our efforts; Brother, you don't like me, nor do you like her—you've fallen for someone from ten thousand years ago, which was truly unimaginable at the start.'

Huo Yutong's appearance completely disrupted her and Gu Yue's plans; Gu Yue's frantic decision to send Emperor Tian to assassinate Tang Wulin and company stemmed not only from the Dragon God's power overheating her brain, but also from realizing she could never defeat Na'er no matter what, which was likely a major factor.

After all, in her original plan, she intended to kill Tang Wulin and then forcibly fuse Na'er; now she's merely moving that process forward. Although forced fusion would cause a slight flaw, the bet is unwinnable anyway, so rather than waste time, it's more practical to try absorbing Tang Wulin's Dragon God bloodline.

However, she never imagined that after just ten years apart, Tang Wulin's combat power would have swollen to such an extent—not only did he not lose to Emperor Tian and company, he actually single-handedly crushed all the fierce beasts.

In this regard, it's really not Gu Yue's fault; after all, throughout human history, no one has achieved such a feat at nineteen, not even Huo Yuhao, who only became an Ultimate Douluo in his twenties.

Seeing Na'er forcing a smile, Tang Wulin felt a pang of heartache, he took a deep breath and asked:

So, do you know what Gu Yue is up to now?

Since it's now confirmed that Gu Yue is the Silver Dragon King, many things that were previously puzzling now make sense.

Recalling what Na'er said during the day about the close relationship between the Star Dou Great Forest and the Spirit Pagoda, Tang Wulin thought these beasts couldn't possibly have done nothing.

Based on his understanding of history, although the Spirit Pagoda initially served as a certain buffer in human–soul beast relations when it was first founded, after developing for so many years it has become the organization most ruthlessly persecuting soul beasts.

The relationship between the two sides may not be a blood-deep grudge, but it's not far off; soul beasts could never sincerely befriend the Spirit Pagoda.

Na'er shook her head, her expression somewhat guilty.

Sorry, Brother, I actually can't figure out what Gu Yue is thinking either; after all, I only inherited a small part of her memories, so I don't really understand her thought process.

Oh, I see...

Tang Wulin's eyes flashed with a faint light.

He suddenly rose to his feet and said:

Yutong, can you stay here and guard? Protect Na'er, I'll go out for a bit.

Huo Yutong immediately understood his meaning, smiling lightly as she nodded.

Alright, go quickly and return quickly, stay safe; if you really encounter danger, remember to call on me for help.

Mm, don't worry.

Tang Wulin also returned her a relaxed, easy smile.

Upon hearing their exchange, Na'er initially didn't react, but seeing Tang Wulin turn to leave, she suddenly had a flash of insight, realized what he intended to do, and hurriedly called out to him.

Wait, Brother, you're not thinking of going to the Star Dou Great Forest to find Gu Yue, are you?

Yeah, that's right.

Tang Wulin lightly nodded.

Just us few guessing here won't reveal what the soul beasts really want; rather than idly speculating, it's easier to just go ask them directly, right?

Although there's still about a month until the time he agreed with Gu Yue, the fact remains that back then he simply let the Star Dou Great Forest's fierce beasts go, he never truly promised her, and thus has no obligation to keep that promise.

Well…

Na'er couldn't help but be speechless; she instinctively wanted to stop Tang Wulin, but found no reason to do so.

At that moment, she felt her hand being grasped; turning her head, she saw Huo Yutong's warm smile.

Don't worry, with Wulin's strength, he won't encounter any danger.

……

Na'er couldn't speak.

Yeah, Tang Wulin is no longer the brother who needed her to painstakingly protect him.

Now he has become so powerful as to stand heaven and earth; this time it's his turn to protect her.

With a flash of silver light, Tang Wulin's figure vanished from Na'er's room.

Almost as he left, the tears Na'er had been holding back streamed out.

Huo Yutong gently held her in her arms, lightly patting her back.

At this moment, Na'er finally understood completely that Tang Wulin could no longer belong to her.

She had been dumped.

(End of chapter)