The ancient Star Dou Great Forest heaved with unrest again. Countless soul beasts raised their heads, staring warily at the sky as the heavens trembled with an overwhelming vision. Their instincts told them the same thing: the Silver Dragon King was awakening.
But while beasts quaked in distant forests, within the grand Shenyan Palace, an entirely different upheaval was playing out.
Behind Closed Doors
Inside the palace bedroom, Subei clenched the silk sheets under his hands. His cheeks burned crimson, his breath caught between grievance and embarrassment. Bibidong sat beside him, her face similarly tinged with red, the air heavy with tension born of both discomfort and intimacy as his hands worked across her shoulders in a serious massage.
Outside, however, patience was running thin.
A crowd of women clustered anxiously in the hallway beyond the sealed chamber. They stared at the ornate doors like hungry wolves circling prey, their expressions shifting between jealousy, curiosity, and indignation.
No one was more restless than Liu Erlong. She had her ear pressed firmly against the door, crouching low, straining for even the faintest sound. Every second made her more agitated.
"Mom, don't bother listening," Xiaowu said lazily from the round bed in the adjoining hall, toying with a peeled carrot in her hands. She kicked her legs idly in the air, completely unbothered. "This room's completely soundproof. My brother and I tested it already. No one can hear what's happening inside—and no one inside can hear us either. It's useless."
"You might have tested, but I haven't!" Liu Erlong snapped back, giving Xiaowu a dark glare.
The rabbit girl remained utterly unflustered, ripping another noisy crunch from her carrot.
That only made Liu Erlong bristle harder. Her rival was behind those doors with Xiaobei in private, and meanwhile she was stuck outside like a guard dog. The more she thought about it, the more unbearable it became.
Finally, unable to contain her frustration, she slammed her fist against the wooden frame. The entire doorway rattled as though lightning had struck it, but surprisingly, the ornate frame didn't splinter. The door remained firm, unyielding.
The dragon-woman's face twisted. "Damn it! If this was ten years ago, I'd have kicked this blasted door down already!"
To her, this wasn't just waiting. This was humiliation. Bibidong—the very rival she could least tolerate—was inside with Subei alone. And all Liu Erlong could do was lurk in the corridor, reduced to eavesdropping like some pitiful gossip listening to muffled moans behind closed curtains.
The Clashing Factions
"Mom, just give it up," Xiaowu said through another crunchy bite. Her tone was airy, but her words were deliberate. "You heard me earlier. Shenyan Hall was built for stability. These walls and doors were forged with the best soul-crafted materials, then reinforced with specialized binding arrays. Unless someone is at least at the level of a Contra, breaking through is almost impossible. That's just how it is."
Her casual words made a few of the others bite their lips in frustration.
Hu Liena frowned and leaned closer with Zhu Zhuqing at her side. "Xiaowu… why do you look so calm? Aren't you even worried? His Highness is in there alone with her right now. Who knows what could happen…"
"You're not scared?" Zhu Zhuqing added softly, though her sharp eyes betrayed her unease.
Xiaowu's lips curled into an almost smug smile. "Worried? Of course. But what's the point of worrying? Who here has the guts to barge in? Not me."
She flicked her gaze toward each of them, chin lifted. "Do you dare? She's the Pope of Spirit Hall. Do you want to explain yourselves afterward? Right now it's still just part of this game. Like it or not, the rules are the rules."
The air grew tense. Hu Liena pursed her lips, feeling the weight of Xiaowu's words dig under her skin. Judging by the others' silence, they all felt that same oppressive truth. Bibidong wasn't someone they could just storm in on casually.
But Liu Erlong refused to back down. Her fists shook as suppressed fury climbed. "The hell with rules!" she barked. "What if we just stopped playing this stupid game altogether? Then there's no reason to obey it. Right now, that woman dares to shut herself in alone with Xiaobei. I won't stand here and let it happen!"
Her chest rose and fell heavily as she fixed her blazing eyes on the others. "I'll smash this door open even if I have to. Who's with me?"
For a heartbeat, silence stretched. Then—
"I agree," Qian Renxue's clear, calm voice cut through the debate. The golden-haired angel princess stood with her arms folded, her gaze sharp. To her, Bibidong's position inside was reason enough to align with Liu Erlong.
The crowd shifted uneasily. Alignments were obvious now.
On one side, Xiaowu remained unmoved, her influence spreading outward toward allies like Zhu Zhuqing, Hu Liena, and even Dugu Yan, who hesitated between her loyalties but leaned toward Xiaowu's logic.
On another, Bibidong had the tacit backing of Qian Renxue, though it came layered with personal conflict.
And from the lurking woods and forests came the invisible pull of Gu Yuena, with beastly allies like Zi Ji and Brigitte waiting for their chance to act, while Tang San's influence warred across entirely different channels in a tangled mess of grudges and loyalties.
But at this moment, those complexities meant little. What mattered was the determination that had flared in Liu Erlong.
Power Unleashed
A crisp, thunderous crack shattered the air as Liu Erlong summoned her martial spirit.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon erupted around her, blazing between arcs of fire-red flame and cobalt lightning. Its sheer presence shook the hall. Even Qian Renxue's lips parted in reluctant awe.
For Liu Erlong, who already bore the seven spirit rings of a Soul Saint, this transformation gave her momentum that rivaled Contras themselves. No wonder, in her youth, she had left even men like Flender thunderstruck. Now, her dragon thundered forth with fire in its breath, a step closer to transcending the limits of her clan's martial spirit.
"Open for me!" she roared.
Her fists blazed, wreathed in flame and lightning, then hammered against the bedroom doors.
The palace walls shuddered to their very foundation. A scorched handprint was branded deep into the enchanted surface, blackening from fire, yet still the doors did not give way.
"Tch…" Liu Erlong hissed, her shoulders trembling. The barrier was reinforced beyond what even her full Soul Saint might could do. Xiaowu hadn't been lying after all.
Inside the Room
On the other side, Bibidong's slender body stiffened. Sweat glistened along her flushed face. She lay beneath Subei's hands as he pressed firmly down her tense shoulders, guiding his soul power carefully into easing her aching meridians.
But the outside rumble was impossible to ignore.
Her long lashes fluttered. Instantly, her palms lifted. With a flick, countless translucent soul-webs burst from her fingertips, latching onto the walls and doorframe in intricate layers.
"Enough noise," she said coldly, tone sharp but her face betraying none of the cold authority of a Pope. Instead, she glowed faintly beautiful, her cheeks pink, her skin radiant like a woman in her twenties.
The web shield wove an unyielding lattice, dispersing the rest of Liu Erlong's shockwaves. Silence returned in a suffocating hush.
"Obey the rules of the game," Bibidong warned with soft menace, though her trembling breath revealed how unsettled she truly was.
Inside, Subei wiped perspiration from his brow. His own body radiated heat like a living forge. Yet he didn't notice the faint stirring deeper within his blood—the slumbering spark of the Silver Dragon King pulsing in response to Gu Yuena's distant awakening.
At the Frozen Spring
Far away, deep within the forbidden Land of Extreme Ice, the frozen cavern of the Cold Spring lay still. Frost floated endlessly across waters rimmed with ancient ice formations.
At the end of the lake upon a crystalline bed lay Gu Yuena.
Her figure radiated ethereal beauty. Silver horns crowned her pale forehead; her robes shimmered in silvery-violet glow. Her skin gleamed in perfection—yet frozen, lifeless, pallid as though kept in the stillness of death.
But with a sudden shiver, frost broke across her lashes.
Her chest rose.
A majestic power erupted outward, rattling the cavern, shedding ice shards like rain as mighty soul force surged uncontrolled through the cavern's sealed expanse.
Her eyes burst open—pure silver light blazing out—and her lips trembled:
"My consort… who dares invade my companion?!"
The sigil at her brow flamed open, glowing blood-red and molten. The blaze melted the surrounding frost, hissing into steam. Her sealed body shook as the bonds unraveled. Color returned to her cheeks, warmth rushing into her veins; her senses reinvigorated as though she had slumbered centuries.
Around the cavern, swirling fog condensed and re-formed back into the frozen bed, beautifying the cave into a dreamlike wonderland of silver and frost.
For an instant, it was as if a fairyland had erupted upon the mortal plane.
At the cavern's edge, the seven great beasts shifted in awe. Their Lord was awakening not just in vision but reality. The certainty of it shook their pride to the core.
The Fierce Beasts Divide
The one known as the Demon King coiled his monstrous vines, twisting them down until he stood in human form, lips darkened purple. His voice dripped with venom.
"Impossible. The Lord declared she would not awaken until the King has matured into adulthood. By human time, that is still four or five years away. How dare this occur now?"
Xiong Jun, the armoured bear, rubbed his small eyes, clearing his throat with a surprising tone of wisdom. "I can guess two reasons."
His bluntness drew scorn from the others, but he continued with solemn weight. "First, perhaps the King himself returned, stepped into the Ice Spring once more, and tempted the Lord awake."
"Or second," Xiong Jun added, voice heavier, "the Lord has sensed another child who resembles her heart's son. This child entered the spring unknowingly and thus awakened her through temptation."
His words drew stunned looks. Then his accusing eyes swiveled sharply toward Di Tian.
"Emperor! You guard this Ice Spring day and night! Tell us, how did someone enter without your notice? Last time we excused it as an accident… but twice? Hah!"
Xiong Jun bared his fangs in provocation. "Are you distracted, Emperor? Frolicking with the young soul beast sisters outside while neglecting your duties? If you can't guard her, then hand your mantle over to me!"
Gasps rippled among the beasts.
The Demon King sneered, enjoying the spectacle. The Red King folded his arms, smirking. Even Zi Ji's snake-eyes gleamed, watching in amusement as tensions rose. No beast here would miss the chance to peer into bloodshed when authority clashed.
Yet Brigitte's gentle voice cut through before the provocation tipped further. "Enough. The Lord's stirring is perhaps no fault of anyone. Her unsealing might have been triggered simply by resonance with someone's aura nearby. Who else besides our King could cause such a stir? None at all."
Still, Di Tian's golden eyes sharpened dangerously on Xiong Jun. His aura slammed down like a mountain. "Blasphemy. No human entered these grounds. If there were, I swear upon my life I would kill myself for failing her. Mark my words."
The cavern buzzed with silence. Even the rowdy beasts lowered their gazes.
But Xiong Jun merely grinned, licking his chops. "Oh? Then let us see what comes of your vow, Emperor."
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