C1289 The Generous Dowry!
In a distant Star River, a thriving Domain bustled with a myriad of intelligent lifeforms. The Dawnbringers and Shadowkin were commonplace, as were enchantresses. The warriors of the Silverscale Tribe and the Stoneborn Tribe, many of whom possessed noble bloodlines, were a frequent sight.
At the heart of this realm lay a passageway that connected to various corners of the starry sky, as dark and mysterious as the Abyss.
Crack! Zap!
Dense psionic lightning streaked through the passageway, a spectacle of grandeur.
Occasionally, a warrior from another Astral Domain would arrive with valuable resources, seeking equitable trade.
This place was a renowned trading mecca in the Extraterrestrial Star River, reminiscent of the once-celebrated Ionodios.
Whoosh!
A gaunt old man in a gray robe suddenly materialized at the entrance of the passageway.
He gazed into the abyss-like passage, unleashing secret ripples with his blood magic, delving into its enigmatic depths.
The passageway erupted with chaotic, dazzling psionic light.
Many warriors from distant lands felt a sudden vertigo, whisked away to unknown destinations.
After the commotion, the area around the Domain Channel descended into pandemonium.
The old man squinted and grimaced, his face contorted with a cruel urgency.
He had long since received the message from the Ghoul King and Lin Zhuyun. His bond with the rare stone, a mimic of the Embers Sea, was unbreakable.
No matter his location, a mere thought and the use of Blood Call allowed him to sense the stone's activity.
He could instantly return to the rare stone through any Domain Channel like this one.
This confidence had emboldened him to linger, in no rush to use the present Domain Channel to return to the stone and reveal himself in Brugeth.
He had planned to make his entrance at a more opportune moment.
But now...
His connection to the painstakingly refined rare stone was utterly severed. He could no longer sense its internal happenings.
"Something strange has definitely occurred!" he bellowed inwardly.
"Who is responsible? Who has twisted space and severed my blood bond? The Death Bird? Impossible! She has yet to regain her full power, and her grasp of space magic is not nearly advanced enough!"
"To be able to sever my blood bond and shroud the vast Brugeth in space magic..."
"Voidweaver! It must be the Voidweaver!"
The elder quickly arrived at an accurate deduction.
He then recalled the enigmatic rare stone from the central region of Brugeth that the Ghoul King and Lin Zhuyun had mentioned.
"Could it be that the enigmatic Origin Deity has a connection with that butterfly?"
The thought made the already brutal old man grow increasingly restless.
...
The totem-poles within the rare stone had slipped from Lin Zhuyun's grasp.
Under Yu Yuan's command, the unpredictable Dragon Slaying Stage began to plunder the demon energy within the totem-poles.
He collected the psionic powers that the Abyssal Leviathan had accumulated and refined over the years.
Lin Zhuyun was distraught, bereft of tears.
She finally realized how terribly mistaken she was to have drawn the Dragon Slaying Stage into this and allowed Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit to invade.
She had indeed invited the wolf into her home!
The rapacious wolf continued to consume her master's years of efforts, and all she could do was watch helplessly, unable to intervene.
Both she and the Ghoul King, overwhelmed by despair, sent out messages.
They desperately called for the return of the Abyssal Leviathan.
Yet, the fierce elder, who could traverse the mysterious extraterrestrial Domain Channel to arrive here directly, seemed to have not received their messages, offering no response.
"What force could warp space itself and sever the link between our master and this place?"
The Ghoul King was the first to venture a guess. Observing the totem-poles of the evilkind, some standing motionless in the air, others sinking into the depths as their demon energy was siphoned away, he lamented, "The remaining totem-poles are beyond your control, and even the master has not managed to refine them. We..." The Ghoul King sighed deeply, "We will be incinerated by our master's wrath!"
Whoosh!
The Dragon Slaying Stage abruptly halted in midair.
The perfectly sized Dragon Slaying Stage glowed as Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit appeared clearly within, a contented smile playing on his lips as he admired the violet gold dragon egg.
The Titan Spinosaurus, having gorged itself, now lay in deep slumber, mirroring the queen herself.
Its voracious feeding, coupled with the abundant demon energy from the totem-poles, which matched its own lineage, allowed for effortless absorption without a hint of adverse effects.
In fact, it didn't even require a second refinement to remove any impurities.
As a result, the violet-gold dragon egg became as hard as divine iron. To Yu Yuan, the dragon egg seemed to share some similarities with the original material of the Dragon Slaying Stage—the World-Sundering Stone.
The dragon egg served as a protective shield for the slumbering young beast.
"When you awaken, you'll likely be able to break free from the dragon egg and emerge fully into the world."
Yu Yuan let out a light chuckle, then turned his gaze to Lin Zhuyun on the Dragon Slaying Stage. "I truly thank you, for all that you've done for me. Cough, cough. Since you are my betrothed, I'll consider the treasures from the Abyssal Leviathan as a lavish dowry for me."
"Though I have no intention of marrying you, I cannot in good conscience refuse such a generous dowry."
His words dripped with irony.
Dowry, generous, not refusing...
These words, as they reached Lin Zhuyun's ears, were a profound insult!
After years of leveraging the power of the Abyssal Leviathan and her own arduous efforts to forge a Solar Spirit—a realm even beyond Yu Yuan's—she had finally gained control over the Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons. She had believed herself capable of vanquishing Yu Yuan!
She was brimming with confidence!
Upon learning that Yu Yuan was present on the renowned extraterritorial battlefield, she was ecstatic.
She was convinced she could exact her revenge, confident that she could capture Yu Yuan and subject him to the most severe torment at her whim!
Yet, here she was again, facing the same outcome...
Just like in the Ionodios and at the depths of the Embers Sea, she was ruthlessly suppressed and discarded by Yu Yuan. It was no different from the previous humiliations she had endured at his hands.
Lin Zhuyun felt her three souls on the verge of shattering!
"How can this be? Why is it the same again?"
She couldn't fathom it, couldn't make sense of it. The Starborne Ritual of Primeval Demons, so highly praised by the Abyssal Leviathan, which she wielded with such unstoppable force, injuring luminaries like Faang Yao and Ogeus, now seemed utterly powerless against Yu Yuan and the Dragon Slaying Stage, even with the Lunar Spirit in its defense.
"There's a dragon egg inside," the Ghoul King suddenly reminded her.
"An egg? What impact could an egg possibly have?"
She had already noticed it. She murmured to herself, desperately trying to figure out how to confront Yu Yuan's mockery.
"For some reason, I don't want to kill you. I want you to live. I want you to live and witness my ascent."
"Watch as my name, Yu Yuan, echoes through the eight desolations and six harmonies, spreading across the vast Star River. All intelligent life and the mighty ones of every race will revere my name."
"Lin Zhuyun, my dear betrothed, I hope you will continue to watch me in the future."
Yu Yuan laughed heartily, his tone laced with malice as he made his intentions clear.
He wanted Lin Zhuyun, this so-called fiancée, to be the laughingstock of everyone!
The stronger Yu Yuan became, the higher his status and identity would rise, highlighting just how blind the Lin family and his nominal fiancée had been. Their decisions would seem all the more absurd and laughable!
"Ghoul King, I could kill you as well. But your legacy is intertwined with the Yu family, so I'll spare you."
His gaze shifted to the Ghoul King, who was shrinking back on the island, "Your escape from the Sword Prison was aided by me. You should be thankful."
The Ghoul King remained silent, not daring to respond.
In this magical world carefully crafted by their master, Yu Yuan, wielding the Dragon Slaying Stage with the Lunar Spirit, had the freedom to do as he pleased, instilling genuine fear in the Ghoul King.
He couldn't fathom the extent of Yu Yuan's power or understand why the Dragon Slaying Stage was so formidable.
Without the return of the Abyssal Leviathan, he wouldn't dare provoke Yu Yuan at this juncture.
"You'd best stay far away."
With those final words, the Dragon Slaying Stage suddenly thrust towards the azure heavens. The residual power of the Chronowyrm was unleashed, and the elongated Dragon Slaying Stage pierced the dome like a sword.
With a swift tear, the Dragon Slaying Stage soared out right before their eyes.
