C1350 The Power of Assimilation
Alonso departed swiftly.
It seemed he could establish a delicate connection with the walls of the Astral Domain using his golden blood and an object of some sort.
Then, he would complete the Blood Descent.
He had done so when he first arrived at the previous star, and now, as he left in haste, the process was the same.
However, this method of descent appeared to be extremely draining.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have delayed his pursuit after entering this world via the Dragon Slaying Stage.
Could there be another limitation aside from the significant energy expenditure?
Yu Yuan felt a flicker of doubt.
Alonso hadn't mentioned that his departure was due to Du Yuan, Yue Mu, or the others, suggesting another reason altogether.
Yet, given the solemn promise he had made, Yu Yuan was significantly reassured.
With Alonso's reputation and standing, it was highly unlikely he would renege on his word.
Within this world, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit was in no rush to emerge.
Instead, he used the Dragon Slaying Stage to probe the external changes from within, curious to see if there were any anomalies in the starry sea beyond.
Out in the extraterrestrial realm, stars twinkled amidst the swirling cold fog, with no apparent irregularities.
The wall of the star he had just left shimmered with a layer of golden light, which from a distance, seemed to be stitching the fabric of space back together.
Yu Yuan realized that although Alonso had long since departed, the blood magic he left behind was still diligently working to mend the world torn asunder by the Dragon Slaying Stage.
Suddenly!
Yu Yuan was astonished to sense a tenuous connection with the fractured world.
Yet, as the golden glow continued its mending work, a sea of golden light deep within the world's core was fervently adjusting its pathways and foundational rules, causing the bond between him and the world to rapidly diminish.
Yu Yuan contemplated deeply, then recalled how, when he wielded the might of the Dragon Slaying Stage to cascade a myriad of radiant arcs upon the world, the frigid environment underwent a radical transformation.
It was gradually aligning with the core structure of the Everlands!
As the thought crossed his mind, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit released his remnant soul consciousness, navigating through two distinct realms within the Dragon Slaying Stage. He surveyed the burial ground of numerous giant dragons, his gaze shifting to the Chronowyrm and the frost wyrm. And there it was—the violet gold dragon egg, bathed in the infinite glow of the Way of Heaven.
Could it be that the Dragon Slaying Stage possessed the power to assimilate an entire world? Or was it the presence of a young Titan Spinosaurus, thriving within the Stage, that had recently consumed the ancient vital energy of the evilkind's totem-poles, bestowing upon the Stage its newfound magic?
Yu Yuan pondered deeply. The idea that the Dragon Slaying Stage could assimilate a world, transforming it gradually towards the Everlands, was unprecedented. That is to say, even when he was a dragon slayer who had forged this Divine Artifact, capable of subduing the entire Nagas, it lacked such power!
It appeared that the Dragon Slaying Stage was revealing new wonders, thanks to the Titan Spinosaurus nurtured within it during his era. The Old Titan Spinosaurus had played an essential role in the splendor of the Everlands, followed by the Root of the Lunar Meridian and other enigmatic elements.
Wasn't the emergence of the ancient evilkind and the flourishing of their bloodline talents a reenactment of the bloodline rules it had seized? The offspring, deeply marked with the essence of blood magic, grew within the Dragon Slaying Stage, its emanating aura resonating with the multitude of dragon's breaths and might, awakening an entirely new mystical phenomenon—world assimilation!
The connection between him, the star, and the Dragon Slaying Stage, once disrupted by Alonso's vital energy, was gradually being restored. Far from being disheartened, Yu Yuan was invigorated and exhilarated!
He contemplated the possibility... If this new magic truly existed and could be sustained, once the Dragon Slaying Stage reached a formidable level of strength, could it potentially transform celestial bodies akin to the Everlands into realms resembling the Everlands themselves? Could the murky energy, once suitable only for the Otherkin, be transmuted into a spiritual energy that, albeit scarce, was purer than that of the Everlands?
Could it become a world where even the common folk of the Everlands could survive?
If this path were viable, the ordinary people of the Everlands and the citizens of the great empires could be transported to an extraterrestrial realm, spreading their lineage across the vast cosmos.
Was this Boulderdawn's intention?
He suddenly remembered that, back in Ionodios, Boulderdawn had deployed several God-Kings, resulting in the Demon God Grec's demise, leaving behind an immense amount of vital energy, which severely wounded Sabonis and nearly cost him his life.
Chen Qinghuang had mentioned that Boulderdawn aimed to amass a tremendous surge of vital energy to incubate another dragon egg.
Did incubating a dragon egg mean bringing forth a young Titan Spinosaurus into the world?
What was Boulderdawn's endgame?
With a whoosh, the Dragon Slaying Stage, carrying his Lunar Spirit, left the unscathed star and materialized in the frigid silence of space, immediately homing in on the slowly drifting star concealed within Wintermaw.
The star's movement was so sluggishly slow that most people would overlook it at a glance.
Perhaps it was precisely this unassuming nature that made it so elusive.
He noticed the "snow bear" outside the Domain wall, frantically scanning its surroundings and emitting low growls, clearly agitated.
He instantly realized that this enigmatic "snow bear" was actually in pursuit of him.
"Conserve energy where possible," he thought to himself.
With a sense of warmth in his heart, he refrained from tapping into the hidden Draconic Power of the Dragon Slaying Stage.
Without tearing through space once more, he calmly made his way toward the snow bear's location.
He was aware that his Lunar Spirit was merely squandering the residual psionic power within the Dragon Slaying Stage.
Only when he was strong enough to wield the Dragon Slaying Stage with his physical form, furiously channeling his vast blood energy, spiritual energy, and Soul Power into it, could he magnify his own might.
Then, he could unleash the Dragon Slaying Stage's awe-inspiring power, formidable enough to contend with the mightiest beings of the Star River!
"It shouldn't be too long," he murmured to himself.
The existence of the Dragon Slaying Stage allowed his Lunar Spirit and real body to maintain a close connection, even though they were separated by the vast expanse of the Star River. He was aware that his real body was diligently refining itself at the peak of a snow-capped mountain near Wintermaw. Without the Dragon Slaying Stage, the Lunar Spirit and real body would be incapable of forming a spiritual connection over such a great distance.
He also knew that should his real body encounter danger, it could instantly teleport to the Dragon Slaying Stage through its miraculous powers. "Truly the work of a Divine Artifact!" he marveled, filled with awe. He made a silent vow to secure the most crucial piece of the Dragon Slaying Stage upon his return to the Everlands. He planned to visit the Nirvana Realm to see if he could use its wonders to restore the fragmented Dragon Slaying Stage to wholeness.
With the young Titan Spinosaurus nurturing within, the Dragon Slaying Stage in his possession this lifetime could potentially evolve further, becoming even more formidable than in the past.
Tens of millions of miles away, a grayish-white sword light abruptly sliced through the Star River. Even from such a distance, a wisp of the sword's will, potent enough to wither flora, diffused through the air and was distinctly captured by the Dragon Slaying Stage.
"Withered Sword, Xi Quan!" Yu Yuan exclaimed in surprise. When he attempted to use the Dragon Slaying Stage to investigate further, he discovered that the sword light had vanished as if deliberately concealed, leaving no trace behind.
Why had she come here? Was Alonso's shock because of her? Yu Yuan pondered in secrecy, but soon doubted this possibility. Given Alonso's tenth-level golden blood and the presence of five platinum Shura, Xi Quan, merely at the Unbound Stage and less powerful than the Stardust Blade, seemed an unlikely cause for Alonso's agitation.
There must be someone else.
This thought prompted Yu Yuan to consider that perhaps the news of his presence in the Glimmerdrift Nebula had spread. Moreover, the significant upheaval in the Brugeth Astral Domain, along with the return of Yan Qiling and Yu Yiyi, had likely drawn the attention of the Boulderdawn sect and the trading guilds.
Xi Quan was bound to be the first to show up, undoubtedly for Ji Ningshuang's sake!
—She was determined to rescue her junior sister.
The others were either lurking in the shadows or en route. Clearly, Alonso had gotten wind of their presence, prompting them to depart posthaste without any negotiation.
Who else could it be but Xi Quan?
His anticipation surged, and he found himself more composed than ever.
