Gu Yuena stood at the edge of the shimmering lake deep within the Star Dou Forest, her purple eyes quietly observing the scene before her. Zhongli was crouched down, gently stroking the fur of a young Three-Eyed Golden Lion. The cub purred, nuzzling into him with affection. Despite its age—just 5,000 years—it was no ordinary beast. It was the Auspicious Emperor, a creature born once in an era, the very heart of fortune within the forest. Its golden fur gleamed under the filtered sunlight, and the third eye on its forehead shimmered with a mysterious light. It was said that while this beast lived, the forest thrived—soul beasts cultivated faster, their spirits steadier, and destiny itself bent in their favor.
To see such a divine creature frolic so trustingly in the hands of a human, who was so powerful that even Dragon God a Supreme God King, who created the Divine Dragon Domain was the divine realm that once controlled more than ten galaxies. So seeing such a scene was something none of the soul beasts—or Gu Yuena herself—could ever have imagined.
Suddenly, a presence stirred beside her.
The air shimmered, and the Dragon God materialized—not as a phantom, but in the form he once wore as a deity. Tall and elegant, with golden hair cascading like molten light down his back, his reptilian eyes glowed softly beneath the canopy, reflecting timeless wisdom—and hidden terror.
He stood in silence for a moment, watching Zhongli as well. Then he spoke, his voice low and filled with something between awe and unease."It's surprising, isn't it?" he said. "That someone capable of overwhelming even a God King like Asura, and a First-Class God like Poseidon… can look so utterly harmless."
Gu Yuena turned to face him, her gaze sharp, silver eyes searching his expression. "What is he?" she asked.
The Dragon God hesitated. A flicker of something ancient and primal crossed his eyes.
"I don't know," he admitted. "But when he first arrived… when he healed me, I caught a glimpse. Just a sliver—just a fraction of his true form."
He turned his head slightly, as if afraid to recall it fully.
"And that alone nearly drove me mad," he whispered. "My divine mind—what's left of it—would have shattered completely… if he hadn't shielded me from the rest."
Gu Yuena's breath caught in her throat. Bi Ji, Zi Ji, and Di Tian, standing nearby, heard the words and fell silent. Even Di Tian, who owed Zhongli a debt no one could repay, felt an involuntary chill crawl up his spine.
Then the Dragon God continued, voice hushed as if speaking a sacred truth.
"I asked him… what he truly was."
All eyes were on him now."He said this:He represents the end of all things, something that no one could ever hope to surpass, and the final destination of all fate of which there is nothing beyond."
For a long time, no one said a word. The Auspicious Emperor let out a soft, content growl. Zhongli chuckled softly and tossed the cub a polished stone it immediately chased.
He looked, still, so gentle.
But now, none of them could look at him the same way again.
Just then, Zhongli paused mid-motion as he tossed a stone into the air for the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. His amber eyes narrowed slightly, a faint golden ripple flashing through them.
He sensed it—divine presence descending upon the Douluo Continent. The fabric of the world quivered for an instant, almost too subtle for ordinary souls to notice.
He smiled, lips barely parting, and thought calmly, "So… they're making their move."
Far behind him, the Dragon God stirred.
His tall, regal form remained still, but his reptilian golden eyes—with narrow, vertical pupils—suddenly constricted like a beast sensing a threat. A ripple of divine aura pulsed from him, momentary and controlled, yet enough to make the air shimmer around him.
He had felt it—the faint but undeniable presence of Asura and Poseidon meddling in the mortal plane once more.
A low snort escaped him, more amused than angry.
"Are they truly asking for death?" he thought, eyes narrowing as he gazed toward the distant horizon. "After all they've lost… they still believe they can challenge him?"
He shook his head slightly, a trace of disdain curling at the edge of his lips. There was no longer fear in his heart—only certainty.
The gods above were playing with fire.
And Zhongli… was the flame.
Gu Yuena also sensed the divine pressure washing over the continent. But unlike the others, she didn't flinch, nor did her eyes narrow in worry. She simply let out a soft breath and continued watching Zhongli.
"With someone like him around," she thought to herself, "there's no need for fear. Not from gods. Not from anyone."
Elsewhere, across the skies of Douluo, two ghostly ripples silently descended—each a divine phantom.
One was crimson and sharp-edged, soaked in blood-red light and heavy with rage. The other shimmered with ocean-blue brilliance, cold and vast like the deepest abyss. They swept across the world like silent comets, unseen by mortals yet heavy enough to shake the clouds.
Their destinations were already chosen.
The first phantom found itself high in the skies above the Clear Sky Clan. There, deep within the mountains, Tang Chen—the stoic and battle-worn patriarch—stood alone in meditation. The phantom of Asura hovered before him, its eyes glowing with divine menace.
The second arrived at Sea God Island. Within the tranquil, sacred temple, Bo Saixi knelt before the Sea God's statue in silent prayer. Her soul trembled as Poseidon's phantom manifested before her, the divine echo of a once-proud god now tainted with frustration and desperation.
Neither of them knew it yet, but they were being drawn into a game far beyond their understanding. Puppets… chosen by broken gods to challenge the being even fate could not read.