For many years, the fate energy of soul beasts had been continuously stolen.
To ensure the longevity of their fate energy, suppressing it was the first step.
Through Xia Yi and his past life's memories, Gu Yue had come to understand that in the vast universe, even the Douluo Continent and the Divine Realm of Douluo were pitifully insignificant.
If they didn't resolve the issue of the Soul Beast Fate Energy Cauldron, even if Gu Yue and Xia Yi led the soul beasts to defeat the Divine Realm and eliminated those gods who stole their fate energy, eventually, as the soul beasts' fate energy slowly increased again, even stronger beings would set their sights on it.
The Fate Energy Cauldron also had different levels.
The cauldron Gu Yue wanted to forge had to be at least strong enough to resist a God King's plundering of the soul beasts' fate energy.
Moreover, it needed to be capable of continuous upgrades to adapt to various situations.
"Right now, we are incapable of forging a single cauldron that can directly suppress the fate energy of all soul beasts. We can only settle for a more localized approach, forging separate cauldrons like the Star Dou Cauldron, the Extreme North Cauldron, and the Ocean Cauldron. But this method is too cumbersome, and many smaller soul beasts might not be protected. So, I changed my approach—we will forge just three cauldrons: the Sky Cauldron, the Earth Cauldron, and the Ocean Cauldron. Once our Soul Beast Divine Realm takes shape, we can consider merging the three into one, forming the core of our Divine Realm. Or perhaps we won't merge them at all—this way, our Divine Realm will have three core centers. Even if one is attacked, the Divine Realm won't collapse entirely," Gu Yue said solemnly.
The existing Divine Realm had only one core center, making governance relatively straightforward.
Even if a god rebelled, the Divine Realm Core could be used to swiftly suppress them.
During the Dragon God War, had the Divine Realm Committee not controlled the Divine Realm Core, the Dragon God and his divine beasts wouldn't have lost so quickly and so decisively.
That was the advantage of a single Divine Realm Core.
However, having multiple Divine Realm Cores came with its own benefits. If a rebel managed to convince one of the Core's key holders, eradicating them completely would become extremely difficult within that core's jurisdiction.
Additionally, over time, those in control of the Divine Realm Cores might begin to vie for power, leading to internal turmoil.
At first glance, having a single Divine Realm Core seemed like the better option.
But multiple cores had their own advantages. Aside from preventing the entire realm from being destroyed at once, it also prevented any single person in power from doing something insane—like destroying the Divine Realm Core and taking the entire Divine Realm down with them.
Although such an event was extremely unlikely, if it ever did happen, the consequences would be catastrophic.
This risk couldn't be ignored.
Gu Yue hadn't made a final decision yet. Once the Soul Beasts' Divine Realm was established, would it be better to have multiple cores or just one?
For now, if they did opt for multiple cores, there would be three at minimum.
Gu Yue had carefully calculated that a three-core system, arranged in a triangular balance, would be much more stable than merging them into one.
Her biggest concern was whether this would eventually lead to internal strife among the soul beasts.
The Sky, Earth, and Ocean Cauldrons—if left separate—would ultimately evolve into three Divine Realm Cores.
The Sky Cauldron was naturally under her control. The Earth Cauldron, without dispute, would go to Xia Yi.
Even if Xia Yi refused, Gu Yue would force it on him.
There would be no power struggles between them.
They wouldn't cause any turmoil within the Soul Beast Divine Realm.
And if they ever had disagreements…
Xia Yi only needed to handle her like he had just now, and she would probably yield.
The most pressing issue now was the Ocean Cauldron.
Gu Yue had two choices.
One was the Princess of the Sea, the leader of the Sea Princess Clan.
Her race was the closest to the ocean.
And she herself was a terrifying beast with over 600,000 years of cultivation.
However, the Sea Princess Clan had always been too close to both the Sea God and the God of Emotions. If she were given control of the Ocean Cauldron, there was a risk she might turn around and offer it to the Sea God.
The second option was the Demon Empress.
But the Demon Empress was too ambitious—too insane.
If she had the chance to take the Ocean Cauldron and perish together with the Sea God, she wouldn't hesitate for a second.
Moreover, she was consumed entirely by hatred. She had no real concern for other sea soul beasts.
If sacrificing the entire soul beast race would allow her to get revenge, she wouldn't even blink.
She had the strength and the reputation, but her personality made her completely unfit to wield the Ocean Cauldron.
Gu Yue wasn't afraid of ambition—she was afraid of recklessness.
But besides the Sea Princess and the Demon Empress, there were no other viable candidates.
Sea soul beasts were much stronger than land soul beasts, but there were few among them who could truly take on such responsibility.
Even a terrifying beast like the Devil Octopus King, with over 400,000 years of cultivation, had willingly allowed himself to be used as a pawn by the Demon Soul Great White Shark, Xiaobai—discarded and betrayed at a moment's notice.
No independence whatsoever.
But Gu Yue couldn't just abandon such a vast population of sea soul beasts.
As the leader of all soul beasts, she saw them all—land, sea, and sky—as her people.
As long as they didn't willingly fall into depravity like the Devil Octopus King, she wouldn't abandon a single one.
So, the Ocean Cauldron had to be forged.
"The Emperor Auspice Beast, Three-Eyed Golden Lion, had its skull soul bone taken by the God of Emotions, and its soul was stolen by the Sea God. Right now, land soul beasts are suffering the fastest loss of fate energy, so we should forge the Earth Cauldron first, then the Sky Cauldron, and finally the Ocean Cauldron," Gu Yue said, glancing at Xia Yi. "During the time we spend forging the Earth and Sky Cauldrons, I have a task for you—handle the Demon Empress. Make sure she's no longer reckless. Turn her into a worthy Queen of the Ocean."
"Handle her? How exactly?" Xia Yi asked.
"That's up to you. Even if you take it literally, I won't object," Gu Yue gave Xia Yi a meaningful look and said seriously, "This is about the future of soul beasts—you have to do it well."
Smack!
Xia Yi's face instantly darkened. He landed a firm slap on Gu Yue's perky backside and, gritting his teeth, asked, "What nonsense is running through that head of yours? First it was Xia Hong, now the Demon Empress—you really think I'm some kind of pervert?"
"I'm being serious. And don't hit me." Gu Yue glared at Xia Yi before flashing a mischievous smile. "Are you saying you're not a pervert?"
"I'm not!" Xia Yi declared righteously.
His shamelessness knew no bounds.
"Alright, fine. But for the sake of the soul beasts' future, you should make some sacrifices, don't you think?" Gu Yue's eyes twinkled playfully. "The Demon Empress is powerful, but her recklessness is a huge problem. If she's going to wield the Ocean Cauldron, it's your job to tame her."
"There are plenty of ways to do that! Why is your mind so dirty?" Xia Yi rolled his eyes.
"The fate of soul beasts is at stake. Honestly, I don't trust outsiders. If some random guy managed to seduce the Demon Empress, she might just hand over the Ocean Cauldron to him. Rather than risking that, I'd rather have you take her." Gu Yue's voice was lighthearted, but her eyes were serious.
She wasn't willing to take any chances.
She couldn't let the Demon Empress become the next Three-Eyed Golden Lion.
Gu Yue knew very well that the soul beasts nowadays could no longer withstand the damage caused by their leader defecting to the enemy.