C1470 A Pleasant Surprise!
The first to break free were naturally the formidable high-level Banes such as Armor Crusher, Chebus, Grimlantern, and Silver Chain. As the dragon's breath from the Seven-Colored Dragon God entered the Crucible of Evil, it flowed through their bodies. The tainted essence from the Seven-Colored Lake was absorbed as effortlessly as a sponge soaks up water, leaving them cleansed in a short time. Astonishingly, the petite, vibrant seven-colored dragons grew even more robust as a result!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The tiny seven-colored dragons darted around the Crucible of Evil, feasting on the solidified waters of the Seven-Colored Lake. Solid chunks of amber dissolved into liquid, and the essence within, including the tainted powers, was eagerly consumed by the seven-colored dragons. As they grew in strength, they would suddenly split, multiplying into more seven-colored dragons!
Each one was a remnant of the dragon's breath from the Seven-Colored Dragon God—a divine breath that Yu Yuan had always considered precious and irreplaceable. He had never imagined that the dragon's breath from the Chronowyrm could grow stronger by absorbing tainted essence. What a delightful surprise!
"Huangyin, you vile creatures actually thought you could corrupt the Bane I've refined!" Yu Yiyi's eyes shone with triumph, her exquisite face radiating with haughty pride. She regarded the Terra Fiend and Huangyin with scorn, as if they were nothing more than defeated underlings or jesters. Her mockery was relentless.
"Impossible!" they both exclaimed in disbelief.
Huangyin and Yuan Qingxi's reactions mirrored each other, both seemingly unable to accept their subjugation by the Dragon Slaying Stage. They found it inconceivable that a young human, emerging after tens of thousands of years, could wield the Dragon Slaying Stage's might at the mere level of a Solar Spirit. They were in denial.
White Bone, the God of Ghosts, hovered nearby, his gaze as still as ancient waters. His hand, once tightly gripping the scroll, now relaxed. He observed the unfolding drama like a bystander, silent and non-interfering, as if content to simply watch and witness the eventual outcome.
An entity like him had transcended this world. In this enigmatic realm, he could perceive every subtlety.
"Are you all surprised? Heh, I'm a bit surprised myself!"
Yu Yuan couldn't help but laugh as he spoke, his mood exceedingly joyful.
He had surmised that the Chronowyrm, entombed within the Dragon Slaying Stage, should be capable of constraining the Terra Fiend.
Given that the Chronowyrm was also known as the Seven-Colored Dragon, he sensed a certain connection between it and the Seven-Colored Lake before him.
Thus, he was confident that the lingering dragon's breath from the Chronowyrm could restore the Bane to their original state.
What was unexpected and delightful to him was that the dragon's breath from the Chronowyrm could be augmented by the tainted essence within the Seven-Colored Lake!
He watched as dozens of small dragons, formed from the dragon's breath, multiplied within the Crucible of Evil, turning into hundreds of colorful little dragons. As the Bane, frozen by the lake's waters, began to move freely, he felt the energy he had expended at the Dragon Slaying Stage slowly replenishing.
Suddenly, his thoughts turned to his senior brother, Zhong Chichen, who was currently grappling with a predicament in a thatched cottage above the Rainbow Ocean.
If the power derived from the Chronowyrm could liberate the Bane and cleanse the impurities of the Seven-Colored Lake, then surely his senior brother's troubles could also be resolved?
If necessary, he would move his senior brother from the furnace and into the little world where the Chronowyrm lay buried!
With the Chains of Order in that realm exerting their pressure on the Terra Fiend, coupled with the purifying dragon's breath of the Seven-Colored Dragon, the tainted essence coursing through his senior brother's veins, and the looming threat of his transformation into a demon, could surely be halted!
At this realization, his eyes shone brightly.
Zhong Chichen, his senior brother, had done so much for him in secret. That he hadn't been taken by the Bloodbrawlers three hundred years later, but instead embarked on his own journey of revival, was all thanks to his senior brother's assistance.
"You helped me to be reborn successfully; now, I will help you navigate through this tribulation unscathed!"
He looked up at the sky, his gaze piercing through the barriers, settling on the agonized figure of Zhong Chichen within the fiery red furnace, "Just wait for me a little longer."
After uttering those words, he inhaled deeply, his expression one of rapture as he gazed at the Seven-Colored Lake, where the bloated devil was submerged. His smile grew even more radiant. "Huangyin, why do I get the feeling that the lake that birthed you could also be smelted by the Chronowyrm?"
Huangyin's features were stern and unyielding, and a burst of purple dark fire flared in his eyes.
In an instant, he positioned himself atop the head of the agonized, bloated devil, distancing himself from Yu Yuan. He then bowed his head, resting his chin on his hand in contemplation, murmuring in a mysterious demonic tongue.
The colorful miasma, the waters of the Seven-Colored Lake, and the numerous devils nearby seemed to heed his summons.
Even the devil souls aimlessly drifting above in the Rainbow Ocean, devoid of spiritual wisdom, suddenly heard his call and descended along hidden pathways.
With his real body present, Yu Yuan held sway over the myriad secrets of the Dragon Slaying Stage.
Through the perspective of the Dragon Slaying Stage, he could see legions of devils, souls, and other tainted entities converging around the Seven-Colored Lake in a mighty throng.
Devils were emerging from the sky, within the lake, and from deep within the earth. Yet, those summoned by his call did not pose a threat to Yu Yuan.
Unless...
Yu Yuan recalled the 'devil tide' Loong Jie had mentioned. A sufficient number of devils, if organized into a formation or consumed by a controller, could become formidable.
"Watch out for the devil tide!"
As the Seven-Colored Dragons split and the lake's waters dwindled within the Crucible of Evil, Yu Yiyi's youthful face took on a look of grave concern. "Master, he was once the mightiest Bane. He understands every Circle of Damnation within the Crucible of Evil. If he summons enough devils to form a Circle of Damnation, the power unleashed will be fearsome!"
Yu Yuan's brow creased slightly.
He sensed that in this brief span, nearly twenty thousand devils, soul spirits, and other entities had emerged, with their numbers rapidly accumulating.
As one of the original Terra Fiends, Huangyin had access to a far greater number of devils in the Seven-Colored Lake, the stronghold of all manner of demonic spirits, than those within the Crucible of Evil.
Should they truly be arranged into a formation, creating a Soul Prison, Death Sea, Soul Shatter, and dark fog, it would indeed pose a significant challenge.
"Mr. Yuan!"
The gray fox, clad in human garb resembling that of a wandering martial artist, bowed to Yuan Qingxi as Huangyin summoned the Sky Fiend. With a stern look, he said, "You should know what needs to be done now, right?"
"I don't need your instruction."
Yuan Qingxi let out a cold, mocking laugh.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Voodoo Shades, meticulously crafted by him and once scattered to unknown places, reappeared abruptly as if tearing through the fabric of space.
Among them was Du Jing, now inexplicably restored to his spiritual wisdom.
Upon glimpsing Yu Yuan, Du Jing was petrified with fear. The terror ingrained in his very bones made him reluctant to draw near or to follow Yuan Qingxi's command to strike at Yu Yuan.
"Master..."
Du Jing, in his Voodoo Shade form, shivered as he barely uttered a word. Suddenly, numerous mysterious runes and soul threads emerged within his ghostly spirited body.
These runes and soul threads wove together into an enigmatic sigil capable of influencing Yu Yuan.
Whoosh!
Du Jing's spirited body was abruptly consumed by the sigil.
He had no time to scream or utter another word before he solidified into the sigil itself.
As the sigil materialized, it glowed brightly. Yuan Qingxi, in sync with the sigil, softly invoked an ancient spell to unleash the power of the mysterious sigil.
Yu Yuan's mind was suddenly wracked with excruciating pain.
To his astonishment, he discovered that the memories of Du Jing in his mind had transformed into sharp blades and spikes, piercing his soul and throwing his recollections into disarray.
"Du Jing doesn't deserve to be transformed into a Voodoo Shade by me. It's only because he shares a karmic memory thread with you."
Yuan Qingxi spoke leisurely while continuing his incantations, "As long as he exists in your memory, I can manipulate that connection, using the sigil formed from him to cast continuous spells on you."
As one of the elders of the Bloodbrawlers, he turned to Huangyin after ensnaring Yu Yuan, "I can buy you plenty of time. Make sure you don't let me down."
