C1484 You Are Really Bold!!
As Loong Jie descended, he took a deep breath of the polluted air emanating from beneath the ground. He could feel the destructive and corrosive power of the impurities coursing through his dragon form, prompting a slight furrow of his brow. It became clear to him that even his formidable dragon body would be weakened in the Defiled World below. Without doing anything, the omnipresent tainted aura would gradually infiltrate his being.
Naturally, he could harness the might of his bloodline to purge the toxic corruption, but this would steadily deplete his vital energy. In this tainted realm, he had to constantly use his vital energy to fend off the toxins and filth, with no means of replenishment or benefit.
Meanwhile, the Terra Fiend and the dark disciples of the Bloodbrawlers were not only unaffected but could also draw strength from the pollution to grow stronger. The Bloodbrawlers, having originated from the Rainbow Ocean, had adapted to this environment over tens of thousands of years, discovering methods to refine the impurities and extract power from them. The Terra Fiend, born of this place, was even less worth mentioning.
Under these circumstances, adversaries like Yuan Qingxi and Huangyin, who were formidable on the surface, would not typically pose a threat to him. However, within their own lair, they might just become a danger to him.
With these thoughts in mind, Loong Jie's gaze settled on the Seven-Colored Lake he had noticed before his descent, contemplating its significance with a growing sense of gravity. The lake's corrosive force was a hundredfold more concentrated than the air, and even he would suffer if he were to fall into its waters.
At that moment, Yu Yuan remained submerged in the vibrant waters of the Seven-Colored Lake, having not surfaced for quite some time.
"What a spectacle," remarked Tan Junshan, radiant as the full moon, as he observed the gathering of malevolent beings. Stretching languidly, he suddenly cast a cold glance toward the Crucible of Evil and commanded, "Enough with the quiet act!"
He was addressing Huangyin. At his command, thousands of Moonblades, shimmering like silver birds, swooped toward the cauldron. Inside, Yu Yiyi's demon form was riddled with fractures, and Huangyin's soul was fading. Forced into action, Huangyin let out a monstrous wail, countering the onslaught with his refined Seven-Colored Light to meet the barrage of Moonblades descending from the heavens.
The cauldron's mouth erupted in a spectacular display of fireworks, showering the air with dazzling shards of light and Moonblades.
Tan Junshan, at the pinnacle of the Unbound Realm, was poised to ascend to even greater heights. Yu Yiyi stood no chance against him.
As soon as he took action, Huangyin, the ancestral Terra Fiend, would have to exert his full strength.
"I am Chen Liangquan, the reigning emperor of the Songbird Empire."
The half-blood, who had been exuding a calm demeanor, suddenly paused beside the White Bone at the lake's edge. This enigmatic ruler of Aetherius's mightiest empire, typically shrouded in mystery and dressed in plain clothes, unexpectedly paid his respects to the White Bone, the God of Ghosts.
A curious look crossed Chen Liangquan's face as he smiled and remarked, "This skeleton of yours..."
After a long silence, White Bone responded, "Indeed, the skeleton came from one of your ancestors. Once I acquired it, I meticulously refined it into my own vessel."
"Just as I thought," Chen Liangquan acknowledged with a nod.
A descendant of both Humans and Dawnbringers, he had been aware that an ancestor from the Chen family had been united with a formidable Dawnbringer, resulting in offspring.
When the Dawnbringer's identity was revealed, they were ultimately slain by the five supreme powers.
Within the Chen family, Heirs of Blood with Dawnbringer lineage would emerge every few years.
Should the Dawnbringer bloodline surface, the Chen family would conduct immediate tests. If the potential proved insufficient, they would use drugs to suppress it, ensuring that the mixed-blood members of the Chen family refrained from practicing advanced spiritual spells.
They preferred their lives to be unremarkable rather than risk drawing the attention of the five supreme powers.
This secret of the Chen family was known to very few over the generations.
Most members of the Chen family, due to their status, were not privy to this information.
That was until...
Chen Liangquan was born. After the family elders conducted secret tests, they discovered that his Dawnbringer lineage held boundless potential and exhibited numerous extraordinary and esoteric qualities.
It was then that Chen Qinghuang, adopted by the Chen family, elevated them to the zenith of Aetherius's noble houses.
The Songbird Empire had become the stronghold of the Chen family, held tightly in their grasp.
Yet, the elders of the Chen family were well aware that if Chen Liangquan's mixed heritage were to be revealed, everything they possessed, including Liangquan himself, would be obliterated by the five great powers in an instant.
Thus, under Chen Liangquan's leadership, they covertly reached out to the Dawnbringers...
The Dawnbringers recognized an exceedingly rare bloodline in Chen Liangquan and threw their full support behind him.
Subsequently, the Chen family made contact with Boulderdawn and the extraterrestrial merchants, realizing they had an alternative path.
This led to Chen Liangquan's successful coup, compelling the dormant Secular Bird Queen to relinquish her powers in the Unbound state.
The source of the sporadic emergence of mixed-blood individuals within the Chen family every few years traced back to the vanquished Dawnbringers' experts, who had been eradicated by the five supreme forces and whose remains had been transformed by the White Bone.
This was the very reason Chen Liangquan paid his respects to the White Bone.
His homage was not directed to the God of Ghosts, White Bone, but rather to his deceased Dawnbringer ancestors.
"Loong Jie!"
Yuan Qingxi of the Bloodbrawlers, incensed as he awaited the lecherous dragon's descent among them, bellowed, "Like the Terra Fiend, your Nagas have been oppressed by the Dragon Slaying Stage for tens of thousands of years! Yet you choose to align yourself with Yu Yuan!"
Huangyin, emerging from the wooden tombstone, and Loong Jie, recently freed from the gray fox, glared at Loong Jie with indignation, spurred by Yuan Qingxi's accusation.
In their view, Loong Jie was meant to lead the Nagas in a united front with them.
But Loong Jie had shockingly sided with their foe!
"Look at yourselves, confined to the Defiled World. The air here reeks of filth; I can hardly stand to breathe it in," Loong Jie said, shaking his head and gesturing dismissively at the dark disciple before him.
"What makes you think you can compare with our Nagas? Even though we've been quiet since that battle, we still dwell above ground! Our Nagas still glide through the skies and traverse the deep seas. We have the privilege of selecting individuals from the great empires to continue in our service."
Loong Jie regarded them with utter contempt.
He considered himself above the rest, too indifferent to engage in debates with the Bloodbrawlers or the Terra Fiends.
"I'll check on that kid, Yu Yuan."
From his sleeve, Tan Junshan shook loose a crescent moon that quickly plunged into the Seven-Colored Lake.
This crescent, his refined Moon Soul, served as an extension of his sight.
He had shattered a moon to obtain the Moon Soul, and now, under his command, the crescent moon descended into the Seven-Colored Lake with a luminous glow.
The crescent moon shone radiantly within the Seven-Colored Lake, illuminating the otherwise hidden depths where only White Bone and Huangyin were visible. With the moon's descent, it was as if Tan Junshan had placed an eye beneath the waters.
He became the third person able to discern the lake's interior movements and witness its transformations.
He observed a massive blood cocoon enveloping a gaunt and peculiar figure. Yu Yuan, with a rapidly healing chest wound, was drifting toward the cocoon.
Inside the cocoon, the distinct vitality of the Demon God Grec pulsed, revealing the workings of the Blood Fiend's mystical arts. Subtle spatial undulations emanated from within.
"Yu Yuan, this is Tan Junshan. Are you okay?"
His voice emanated from the crescent moon, which continued its leisurely approach toward Yu Yuan.
Startled by the sound, Xuanying responded, "How did you get down here?"
"I'm above with Loong Jie and Chen Liangquan. This is merely my eye. I wanted to check if you were still alive."
"I can't die. An Earth Fiend Ancestor named Xuanying has fused with Rovi from the Voidweaver Clan. They share a symbiotic relationship, inhabiting the same body."
Yu Yuan clarified.
"Rovi!" Tan Junshan's voice from within the crescent moon took on a new tone, "The one you're wrapped around in that blood cocoon, is he the long-lost patriarch of the Voidweavers? The sixth-ranked peak warrior of the Star River, Rovi?!"
"Yes, it's him," Yu Yuan confirmed.
"Kid, you've got some nerve!"
