Chapter 236: Protector, Observing the Changes
Dragon Realm, deep within the Silver Dragon King Palace.
The Law storm triggered by the Fusion of the gold dragon king origin and the silver Origin, in an attempt to impact the status of the supreme Dragon God, had reached a terrifying level that was truly staggering.
The core region of the Dragon Realm, which originally flowed with eternal seven-colored radiance and was permeated with vast Dragon might, was now completely submerged in a chaotic radiance interwoven with silver and gold.
That light was not static; it was like a raging tide possessing life, frantically surging, roaring, and colliding. Every flicker and expansion of the light was accompanied by a deafening sound like the creation of the heavens and earth, and the wails of Laws that made space itself tremble incessantly.
"Rumble—!!!"
Centered on the Silver Dragon King Palace, the heavens over a territory of tens of thousands of miles within the Dragon Realm completely shattered, revealing the twisting, writhing Space-Time Turbulence behind it. The earth rose and fell like waves under the crushing pressure of invisible great power; towering mountain ranges were easily leveled, and deep ravines were filled in from nothingness. The seven basic elemental Laws—earth, fire, wind, water, light, darkness, and space—went completely berserk, evolving into an apocalyptic scene—meteors wrapped in flames fell from the Chaos, black tides surged against the sky, space rifts that tore through everything appeared and disappeared like the maws of giant beasts, and storms of extreme cold and extreme heat, light and darkness, clashed frantically...
The Silver Dragon King Palace itself, that magnificent structure built from the highest quality Dragon crystals, had long since been torn apart and mostly destroyed by the raging energy turbulence. Only the throne area at the very core remained, tightly protected by a layer of incredibly tough gold and silver light cocoon, like the only unsinkable island in a tempestuous sea.
Inside the light cocoon, the figure of Gu Yuena was already blurred; one could only vaguely see a silhouette completely swallowed by the silver-gold chaotic radiance. She hovered in the Void Realm, arms spread wide, as if enduring the most extreme pain and the most surging infusion of power in the World. Every slight tremor caused the entire Dragon Realm outside to resonate and roar in response.
Di Tian and Wang Qiu'er, who had just completed her God Position conversion and whose aura was still somewhat unstable, had long been forced to retreat to the edge of the Dragon Realm. Both of them were pale, their eyes filled with indescribable shock and worry. Looking at the apocalyptic scene at the core and feeling the terrifying pressure that made their divine soul tremble even from such a great distance, they could only pray in their hearts.
...
Douluo God Realm, Temple of the God King of Thunder.
Sitting deep within the temple, meditating year-round like a statue, his aura integrated with the entire God Realm and even the plane below, Lei Chen slowly opened his eyes the instant the first abnormal ripple of Laws spread from the core of the Dragon Realm, and the first roar containing the clashing gold and silver Origin sounded.
His movements were not hurried, even carrying a composure forged through eons. However, deep within those eyes, as profound as the starry sea of the Universe, everything happening far away in the Dragon Realm was instantly reflected.
There was no need for deliberate Divine Thought probing, nor the need to peer across space. As one who held the Dual God King status, especially with the authority of "Plane Master" which had risen with the growth of the plane, any slight violent change involving fundamental Laws occurring within the entire Douluo Plane felt as if it were acting directly upon his perception; it was incredibly clear, with nowhere to hide.
"Hmm?"
A barely perceptible murmur of surprise sounded in the vast, silent hall.
Lei Chen's gaze pierced through layers of spatial barriers, ignoring the violent and chaotic energy turbulence and the shattered landscape, falling directly onto the core of the Dragon Realm, onto the blurred figure wrapped in the silver-gold chaotic light cocoon, and onto the two forces of Origin that were frantically colliding, fusing, and attempting to break through a certain supreme limit—the elemental creation belonging to the Silver Dragon King, and the power of destruction belonging to the gold dragon king.
In just a single breath, combined with his knowledge of Gu Yuena's seclusion, his clarity regarding the whereabouts of the gold dragon king origin, and his deep understanding of the essence of those two forces, Lei Chen had already reached an accurate judgment in his heart.
"Gold and silver combined, Origin returning to one... attempting to impact the status of the Dragon God, huh." He whispered to himself, his voice calm and ripple-free, yet carrying an understanding that saw through the essence.
Sure enough, after Gu Yuena had completely stabilized her Silver Dragon King God King status and taken control of the Dragon Realm, she had finally taken this step: fusing the gold dragon king origin, re-gathering the authority of the Dragon God, and ascending to that legendary "Supreme God King" level that stood above ordinary God Kings—the Dragon God!
This move was fraught with unpredictable risks; whether it would succeed or fail was unknown. But looking at the horrifying scene of the Dragon Realm, which was almost on the verge of self-destruction, one could see just how terrifying the price and the backlash required for this "ultimate leap" were.
If there was the slightest carelessness, it would probably not just be a failure of the promotion; the entire Dragon Realm might be buried along with it, and it might even affect the Douluo Main Plane.
Lei Chen "watched" quietly, with no significant change in his expression. He did not move, still maintaining his seated posture, and even the rhythm of the chaotic radiance and purple-gold thunder light flowing slowly around his body did not change in the slightest.
There was no surprise, no dissuasion, and no attempt to interfere.
He was just quietly being a bystander, a... Protector.
With a slight movement of his mind, an invisible and intangible, yet vast as the starry sea and heavy as the earth, will quietly spread from the God Realm Origin Temple. Like the softest veil, yet also like the sturdiest barrier, it gently and firmly covered the entire periphery of the Dragon Realm, especially the borders adjacent to other territories of the Douluo Main Plane.
This will did not forcefully intervene in the frantic Law turbulence within the Dragon Realm, nor did it attempt to calm or guide the Fusion process of the gold and silver Origin. What it did was merely "isolation" and "stabilization."
Isolating the impact this upheaval within the Dragon Realm might cause to the outside World, it firmly locked all the Chaos, riots, and destructive energy aftermath within the territory of the Dragon Realm, not letting a single bit leak out, so as to avoid affecting the fragile Mortal Realm.
At the same time, this will was also subtly reinforcing the spatial structure connecting the Dragon Realm to the main plane, preventing this impact from causing the Dragon Realm to "detach" from the plane or triggering uncontrollable spatial collapse, ensuring that no matter how earth-shattering things were inside, the "Foundation" of the Dragon Realm as a part of the Douluo Plane would not be shaken.
Silently acting as a Protector, observing the changes—this was Lei Chen's choice.
He and Gu Yuena were collaborators, possessing shared interests and enemies, but also maintaining mutual independence and respect.
Attempting to impact the status of the Dragon God was Gu Yuena's own choice and Dao; he had no right, nor any need, to forcefully interfere. What he could do was merely provide her with a relatively stable external environment that would not have widespread repercussions. This was both the moral duty of a collaborator and the responsibility of the Plane Master to maintain overall stability.
However, despite being as calm as a deep pool on the surface, deep within Lei Chen's profound eyes, as he continued to "watch" the silver-gold chaotic light cocoon at the core of the Dragon Realm, which was becoming increasingly incandescent and seemed to need to burn everything to ashes before it could achieve Nirvana, a trace of an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible ripple quietly spread across his heart, which was usually as still as an ancient well.
That was... pressure.
It was very slight, yet it truly existed.
The Dragon God was a Supreme God King, a legendary status that stood above ordinary God Kings, a supreme existence that once ruled the God Realm and was revered by all living beings.
The authority it wielded was the source of creation and destruction, the cornerstone of building the World and the end that concluded all things. Its power was vast, and its Realm was so high that it could never be compared to a single God King.
Lei Chen bore the Dual God King status—God King of Thunder and Plane Master. The two complemented each other, allowing his strength to exceed that of a single God King, making him invincible within the newborn Douluo God Realm, and even giving him the confidence to fight and kill any opponent of the same level who might invade.
But... facing a "Dragon God" in its complete state that was likely about to be born, even he could not help but raise a cautious assessment in his heart.
"If Gu Yuena truly succeeds this time, completely fuses the gold and silver Origin, and re-ascends to the status of the Dragon God..." Lei Chen silently pondered, calmly deducing, "With her status and her strength, I fear... she will be stronger than I am now."
This was not self-deprecation, but a reasonable judgment based on his understanding of the concept of "Supreme God King."
The level of the Dragon God had already touched a certain ceiling of the power system of this grand Universe.
At the thought that his collaborator and ally's strength might be about to surpass his own, becoming the unquestionable "strongest" in this heaven and earth, even with Lei Chen's Heart-Nature, which had weathered many storms and had long been honed as hard as rock, it was inevitable that a trace of an extremely faint, yet impossible to completely ignore... sense of urgency and pressure would arise.
This pressure did not stem from fear or jealousy, but from an instinctive alertness of one who stood at the Peak regarding the possibility of "being surpassed," and a subconscious consideration of how his own status, influence, and even the balance of power in the future situation might subtly change.
After all, power was the most fundamental language of this World. When the comparison of strength between two collaborating parties underwent significant changes, the mode of interaction and the weight of decision-making for many things might undergo imperceptible shifts.
However, this ripple of pressure that had just emerged did not last long in Lei Chen's heart. After just a few breaths, like the surface of a lake after a stone had been thrown into it, the ripples slowly spread and subsided, finally returning to that profound and calm state that spanned from ancient times to the present.
He thought of another more urgent and grander threat—the old God Realm.
Back then, he and Gu Yuena, who had not yet fully recovered, joined forces to set up a plan, drawing in the mighty Space-Time Turbulence to sweep away the old God Realm, which had been eyeing the Douluo Plane covetously at that time, banishing it to the boundless Void Realm, thus forging an irreconcilable enmity.
The Space-Time Turbulence was not eternal. The old God Realm had a deep Foundation, with more than one God King, and even more numerous First-level Gods. They would sooner or later break free from their lost state and find their way back. When that time came, a war of revenge concerning the life and death of the Douluo Plane and the continuation of his, Lei Chen's, Dao would inevitably erupt.
That would be a God Realm war in the true sense, a life-and-death struggle between supreme existences, its tragedy and danger far beyond any petty squabbles within the plane.
"If the old God Realm returns with its entire strength, led by Tang San, with the Sea God, God of Destruction, Goddess of Life, God of Evil, and God of Good... there are already five known God Kings, and the number of First-level Gods is in the double digits." Lei Chen's thoughts raced, thunder light and radiance swirling faintly in his eyes, "Relying solely on my current Dual God King status, plus these still-immature Divinities in the newborn God Realm, even with the advantage of the home field, it will certainly be extremely difficult to cope, and the outcome will be unpredictable."
"But... if there is a true 'Dragon God' as an ally, fighting side by side..."
Thinking of this, the last trace of ripples in Lei Chen's eyes caused by the pressure completely dissipated, replaced by a calm weighing of options and a faint expectation.
If Gu Yuena could be promoted to Dragon God and her strength surpassed his, it might make him feel a certain amount of pressure in the short term, but from a long-term perspective, and in terms of dealing with the imminent life-and-death enemy of the old God Realm's return, this was undoubtedly a huge blessing!
A Dragon God at the Supreme God King level had combat power sufficient to hold back or even suppress multiple God Kings of the old God Realm, which could greatly alleviate the pressure on the Douluo side and increase the chances of victory.
"Moreover, Gu Yuena has a steady Heart-Nature and is far-sighted, not a short-sighted or reckless person. The Dragon Realm has already merged into my Douluo Plane; we prosper together and suffer together. Her promotion to Dragon God requires resources and a Foundation that are all here, and she has long had a collaborative friendship with me, with a consistent stance on dealing with the old God Realm together." Lei Chen's heart became increasingly clear, "With such a strong reinforcement, our chances of winning the future war will be much greater."
Thinking of this, the faint pressure that had arisen in Lei Chen's heart had completely transformed into a sense of groundedness and stability from "having a stronger ally."
He no longer dwelt on the subtle changes in the comparison of strength, his gaze becoming pure and focused again, wholeheartedly maintaining the protective will that enveloped the periphery of the Dragon Realm, ensuring that Gu Yuena's promotion process would not be subject to any external interference, and also ensuring that the upheaval in the Dragon Realm would not cause harm elsewhere.
Inside the Temple of the God King of Thunder, silence returned, as if it were eternal. Only the sky of the God Realm outside reflected the chaotic light and shadows from the Dragon Realm, sometimes brilliantly silver-white, sometimes violently dark gold.
Lei Chen, like the most patient guardian god, waited quietly for the final result to be revealed.