C1109 The Call of the Gods

Within Yu Yuan's Mindscape, his Lunar Spirit was diligently working with Wraithbinding, sifting through memory sparkles and experiencing the wondrous transformations of his soul. He scrutinized the peculiarities of the Otherworld with great interest. A bizarre luminescence began to seep out from the Lunar Spirit, making its way toward his dominant soul, which had yet to undergo true purification and tempering.

His Lunar Spirit, having evolved from the earthly soul and having long practiced Wraithbinding, possessed boundless applications and concealed a formidable reservoir of Soul Power. His heaven soul, not yet metamorphosed into a Solar Spirit, was nonetheless bright and pure, thanks to the refinement of Soul Forging through Enlightenment. Yet, his main soul had not been touched by the delicate art of Spirit Magic, lacking the necessary cultivation to delve into its mysteries and strive for the primordial spirit.

But now, something was shifting! The radiant light emanating from the Lunar Spirit, he knew, originated from the Dragon Slaying Stage—harvested by his Lunar Spirit through the use of Wraithbinding, a legacy of psionic power left by the dragon slayer. As he grappled with astonishment, he observed the most ethereal of his dominant soul beginning to undergo a peculiar transformation, expanding into an immense spiritual projection that seemed to stretch into infinity.

This projection elongated into a phantom, resplendent and divine, as if seated amidst the Star River's depths. He profoundly sensed a turbid consciousness, sealed for eons, now fettered by heavy chains, thoughts imprisoned layer upon layer like a celestial sea, on the verge of a gradual awakening.

A nameless trepidation and restlessness flooded his heart, sending shivers through his three souls. Abruptly, he perceived the memories and experiences of his past life as Hong Qi slowly diminishing, as if invisible divine hands were stealthily wiping them away. In this life, Yu Yuan's inconsequential life events, his once aimless existence, and the time before his earthly and heaven souls had returned, were also fading into obscurity.

He began to sense that as the colossal phantom of the dominant soul grew stronger, the significant memories and experiences from both his lives as Hong Qi and Yu Yuan would dissolve into nothingness. These lifetimes and pasts stood no chance against the might of the phantom.

And yet, there was still another life! In that moment, he clearly recognized another aspect of himself and understood why the Root of the Lunar Meridian in the Land of Terror had spoken those words.

He suddenly realized that, given his current state and level of power, he could not endure the awakening of his original self!

The awakening would erase and replace his subsequent two lives, whether as Hong Qi before or as Yu Yuan now. All would become insignificant and devoid of meaning.

In his past life, his painstaking journey to comprehend medicine and become the God of Medicine seemed like a mere ripple, hardly worth a mention.

In this life, the years of confusion, the myriad of novel adventures, and the hardships faced were nothing more than ephemeral illusions.

His previous life's best friend, Zu Ann, and the emotional betrayal by Ji Ningshuang, who suffered persecution and treachery in her reincarnation.

In this life, his identity as a member of the Yu family, along with Yuan Lianyao, Ann Ziqing, and the many battles in the forbidden areas, meant that everyone around him was nothing but a fleeting dream to his original self, easily dismissed with a wave of the hand.

If that were the case, would the subsequent two lives be rendered pointless if that original self were to awaken?

No!

A rebellious cry surged from the depths of his soul, spurring him to actively resist the awakening of that self!

I am Yu Yuan, only Yu Yuan! The me in the present is the one and only true me!

I, Yu Yuan, can acknowledge that I was once Hong Qi, but I am still Yu Yuan, not Hong Qi!

The current me lacks the capacity and the level to embrace the self of my first life.

I can wait!

When I am strong enough to carry that self, I will awaken it and come to terms with my past!

He brainwashed himself while forcefully suppressing the activation of Wraithbinding.

His Lunar Spirit and heaven soul endeavored to remain composed, his eyes still sparkling with vitality, but his ever-strengthening self, yearning to break free from countless shackles, was thus halted.

It was akin to the cessation of ice energy's outward expansion in the Dark Realm.

"Dragon Slaying Stage."

After an indeterminate amount of time, he murmured as if in a trance.

Boom!

With all his might, Sinton finally managed to submerge the Hex Stone back into the icy depths, only to be catapulted into the air by the force of the time magic.

"Two more, and Fernand, come aid me!"

The bellow of the Blood King's eldest son echoed through the darkness.

In the depths of darkness, hidden from all prying eyes, Fernand, now a rogue, was likely joining forces with other platinum Shura to restrain the Dragon Slaying Stage. The space within the darkness creaked and groaned as if on the brink of shattering under the immense strain.

The Shura warriors, teetering on the edge of the Absolute Darkness, heard the ominous sounds and their faces grew somber, their hearts filled with dread. They knew that if the space at the core of the darkness were to collapse, they might never find their way back.

"It's Yu Yuan!"

"It has to be Yu Yuan!"

"Could this be part of Boulderdawn's strategy?"

Astonished and bewildered stares converged on Yu Yuan. Observers from various races, like Green Willow and Jun Chen, understood that it was his murmurs that had provoked the Dragon Slaying Stage into its frenzied behavior, compelling the renowned Divine Artifact of the Star River to seek reunion with him.

"He has truly received the dragon slayer's legacy!"

Xi Quan, wielder of the Withered Sword, watched Yu Yuan with a mix of emotions. As he continued to mutter with his head bowed, she felt a sense of unfamiliarity with him.

Peach Madam and the curvaceous Taruer stood shoulder to shoulder. With a playful nudge to Taruer, she giggled, "Look, wasn't I lucky to have placed my bet on the right one?"

"I knew he was no ordinary man back in the Land of Terror!" Taruer, formerly the Queen Bee of Shadow's Keep, returned a knowing glance as if to say she had anticipated this all along.

Razses, the Ghost King, clutching the Soul Locking Diagram and employing a mystique, shook his head and whispered, "No, something's off. The aura doesn't match."

"President?"

Jun Chen, the chamber of commerce's premier counselor, stood alongside President Lyi, suspended in midair, their minds awash with a sea of questions.

Death Crane and Green Willow also turned their attention to President Lyi. They were convinced that he, having engaged in direct conversations with the bronze coffin's master on numerous occasions, would surely understand the current situation and what had transpired.

President Lyi offered a nonchalant smile, choosing not to elucidate. Instead, he gazed into the roiling darkness and remarked, "Sinton, I fear your strength alone may not suffice to tame the Dragon Slaying Stage."

As if in response to his call, the Dragon Slaying Stage, once submerged in darkness, began to shimmer with a blinding divine light. The energies of space and time roiled, and a frigid power alien to the Dark Realm burst forth from the shadows, carrying the grey Hex Stone with it!

The Hex Stone slowly turned clear and lustrous, as if it held a divine radiance akin to flowing iridescence within.

At that moment, anyone who dared to gaze directly at the Dragon Slaying Stage felt their soul churn with tumultuous thoughts, their minds adrift. They experienced the sensation of being both young and old simultaneously, as if they were on the brink of death.

This was the time magic emanating from the Dragon Slaying Stage, growing increasingly chaotic and threatening to spiral beyond anyone's control.

With a whoosh that left the crowd in awe, the Dragon Slaying Stage shook off the clutches of the Absolute Darkness and soared toward Yu Yuan.

Every Shura within the Dark Realm watched the departure of the Dragon Slaying Stage with a mounting sense of dread and restlessness.

Noeyr, the Chief Elder of the Voidweavers, coughed up blood as she covertly mustered all her remaining strength, yet she could not influence the Dragon Slaying Stage's escape.

In a moment of despair, she realized that against the Dragon Slaying Stage, forged from the World-Sundering Stone, she was utterly powerless.

"The Boulderdawn really has something special!"

"We truly underestimated the Boulderdawn and President Lyi! Ha, impressive, truly impressive!"

"Once the gateway between the Dark Realm and Ionodios bursts open, these stranded Shura might not stand a chance against us! Without the Dark Realm's power to bolster them, their combat strength isn't insurmountable!"

"I can't wait to see how they'll meet their end!"

The surviving members of various clans fixed their eyes on the Dragon Slaying Stage as it drew ever nearer to Yu Yuan.

In the instant that the Dragon Slaying Stage was on the verge of completely escaping the Absolute Darkness, a hand with thick calluses materialized from thin air and seized the lightning-fast Dragon Slaying Stage.

The Dragon Slaying Stage came to an abrupt halt.

Tracing the hand's origin, the onlookers beheld an unassuming Shura elder. His stature was modest, even shorter than most of his kin.

The natural spikes on his shoulders, knees, and elbows had all snapped off, now scabbed over into tough armor.

The common traits of a Shura were indistinct on him. His garments were loose-fitting, devoid of any ornate patterns, and he appeared utterly unremarkable.

The skin and flesh exposed outside his clothing were all crusted with scars, scattered everywhere.

It seemed as though his entire body beneath the clothes bore the marks of battle, with not a single area left smooth and unscathed.

"Sabonis!"

"Blood King!"

Tian Zang, Beru of the Starborn, President Lyi, and Jun Chen broke the stunned silence with sharp intakes of breath, daring to utter the name that was almost taboo.

Sabonis, the Blood King, was the mightiest in the Star River, seen by numerous primordial spirits and Dark Deities as the most formidable challenge.

"King!"

"Our king is invincible!"

Cheers like a Shura tsunami echoed throughout Ionodios, emanating from the darkness, the mountains, the marshes, the conquered stone buildings, and the hearts of every Shura clansman.

Sabonis was not tall, yet in the eyes of every Shura, he stood as an invincible war god, the loftiest peak of the Holy Mountain, unshakeable by any.

"Noeyr..."

The Blood King's voice, laden with authority, boomed as he reached out with a swift grab.

The Chief Elder of the Voidweaver Clan felt space itself solidify under an immense force. By the time she realized what was happening, she was already being held by the neck and thrust toward the Dragon Slaying Stage by Sabonis.

With a flick of his finger, the Blood King reduced Noeyr to chunks of flesh that tumbled onto the Dragon Slaying Stage.

A grey-white barrier attempted to isolate Noeyr's severed limbs, but it shattered with a snap of the Blood King's fingers. The pale green blood of the Voidweaver seeped into the Dragon Slaying Stage.

Narrowing his eyes, the Blood King invoked the intrinsic power of the World-Sundering Stone with Noeyr's blood.

Moments later, the Absolute Darkness that had ceased its outward spread surged once more, with even greater velocity than before!

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