Instinctively patting her rather ample chest, Gu Yuena was overcome with a wave of "scaring herself for no reason."
The True Dragon clan has always found reproduction extremely difficult. Moreover, both she and Di Tian are Divine Dragons—Di Tian even more so, being at the Divine King level. Reproduction under such circumstances would be even harder.
For years, Di Tian had been "sowing seeds" at an insanely high frequency. Yet, among Bi Ji, Zi Ji, and the others, none had shown any signs of pregnancy. Even Yuanen Yehui, a human with pure divine beast bloodline, hadn't conceived. By all logic, Gu Yuena shouldn't be the one being targeted for this narrative.
So the question was—Why?
Di Tian wasn't the type to go insane from longing for biological children. So if he wasn't suffering from some kind of mental break, why go through all this nauseating play-acting?
What exactly was he plotting?
Very soon, Gu Yuena got her answer.
The location she had sensed earlier was, indeed, their destination—Ao Lai City.
A coastal city in the eastern part of the Sun-Moon Federation, also known as the birthplace of an era.
This was the city where Tang Wulin's adoptive parents—Tang Ziran and Lang Yue—once lived.
The place where the dream began... had just received two unexpected visitors.
As for the third person, Yuanen Yehui—The moment she arrived in Ao Lai City, she had already parted ways with Di Tian and Gu Yuena.
She had her own mission to complete.
Di Tian had invested quite a bit in cultivating her, and he had high expectations.
Yuanen Yehui had agreed to infiltrate the Holy Spirit Church and rise to the position of Pope, leading the evil soul masters to attack the Body Sect and seize its secret inheritance trove.
All of this, without Di Tian's subtle maneuvering and manipulation, she likely wouldn't have agreed to.
Her bloodline—pure and rich with the divine beast essence of the Titan Giant Ape—made it a real pity if she didn't train in the Body Sect's strongest secret technique: Impeccable Golden Body.
In the original timeline, even though Tang Wulin was no longer a virgin by the time he trained, his Golden Dragon King bloodline still allowed him to achieve the Impeccable Golden Body.
Though the Titan Giant Ape's bloodline couldn't match the Golden Dragon King's in power, Yuanen Yehui's divine beast bloodline was passed directly through her lineage and carried none of the volatility or destructiveness that plagued the Golden Dragon King. It was stable and could be fully utilized.
Now, whether it was in terms of soul power advancement through the Holy Spirit Church or her training in the Impeccable Golden Body, Yuanen Yehui had hit the final bottleneck.
Further seclusion wouldn't yield much, so Di Tian had pulled her out to handle a mission better suited to her.
While Yuanen Yehui proceeded toward her target, Di Tian entered a certain house.
This was the original residence of Tang Wulin's adoptive family.
As she observed these familiar scenes, Gu Yuena's mind drifted back to her earliest days in the human world.
There had been regret, hesitation, and utter confusion…
Everything felt like it had happened in another lifetime—and yet, also like it was just yesterday.
If she had never made the decision to deeply study and integrate into human society…Would things have turned out differently?
If…
While these emotions tangled within her, Gu Yuena aimlessly wandered around the room, eventually asking Di Tian:
"I don't understand. You've already gained an overwhelming advantage. It would be easy for you to control everything in the Douluo Plane. With your Divine King-level power, you could even create a God Realm for soul beasts. Why do you keep targeting Tang Wulin?"
"He poses no real threat to you. As a Divine King, you could forcibly take the Golden Dragon King's bloodline from him."
"After that, whether he lives or dies would be entirely at your discretion."
Di Tian was fiddling with something in the corner. As he worked, he casually replied:
"So, can I take that as you asking me to spare Tang Wulin's life?"
"There's something I've been curious about."
"This entanglement you share with Tang Wulin… how much of it still remains?"
His question left Gu Yuena stunned.
Her violet eyes flickered with a dim, uncertain light.
Her lips parted and closed several times before she finally responded:
"I don't know."
Her connection with Tang Wulin was too tangled, too complex—feelings, deceit, calculations, racial conflict, sworn enemies...
After a moment's pause, she continued:
"You still haven't answered my question."
"What kind of grudge, what kind of hate, what reason could possibly drive a Divine King to lower himself to such theatrics, just to target Tang Wulin?"
"Is it because of Tang San and the Douluo God Realm he represents? Or… is it because of me?"
"Don't flatter yourself. Take the 'you' out of the equation." Di Tian replied with a slight twitch in his lip.
That only left Gu Yuena more confused.
Perhaps because of Di Tian's uncharacteristic gentleness, Gu Yuena found herself continuing to speak.
"Even if it is about the Douluo God Realm, why go to such lengths?"
"When the God Realm was swept away by the chaotic time-space flow, the Golden Dragon King died at the same time."
"With the strength of his body as the inheritor of the Dragon God's flesh, the time-space turbulence shouldn't have harmed him. The only force capable of destroying his body would be the Three Realms Judgement Sword, jointly wielded by the five Divine Kings of the Douluo God Realm."
"During the collision between the God Realm and the time-space turbulence, the divine powers of the God of Destruction and God of Life surged through the God Realm. That creation-level power—both opposing and fusing—was so immense it cost them their lives."
"After that, although the remaining three Divine Kings could use the legacies left behind by the deceased two to summon the Judgement Sword again, its power would be significantly reduced. It might still threaten the Golden Dragon King—but not the Dragon God."
"Now, you've absorbed my Silver Dragon King bloodline and hold the Dragon God Core. If you also take in the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, you could fully restore the Dragon God."
"What you should be doing right now is accelerating that process, reestablishing a God Realm for soul beasts, and preparing for the inevitable return of the Douluo God Realm."
At that moment, Di Tian finally finished his fiddling and responded quietly:
"First of all, you talk too much."
"Secondly, as for me and Tang Wulin… neither of us has a choice."
"He's human. The son of a Divine King. I'm a soul beast. The king of soul beasts."
"I will end Tang Wulin's future in whatever way benefits me most."
"Even if the benefit is marginal, I will pursue it relentlessly."
"As for what becomes of Tang Wulin—pain, regret, unknowingly becoming a father… that's none of my concern. I won't care."
At that moment, Gu Yuena finally saw what Di Tian had been fiddling with. Her violet eyes widened in shock.
Two humans.
They were not artificial puppets Di Tian had created, but two living, breathing humans.
Humans whom Gu Yuena—no, Na'er—knew very well:
Tang Ziran and Lang Yue, Tang Wulin's adoptive parents.
"So they really are in your hands."
"Was their disappearance when Tang Wulin was nine your doing?"
Di Tian gently shook his head.
(End of Chapter)