C1487 The Halfawake Rovi!
In front of the thatched cottage, Canli and Liu Ying stood atop the Fallen Star Eyes, their gaze fixed intently on the jade platform that mirrored the Seven-Colored Lake. As Tan Junshan's crescent moon soared from the lake's embrace, the image within the jade platform began to distort and blur.
Boom!
Interwoven streams of light erupted from within the platform, causing Canli and Liu Ying, both channeling their bloodlines, to grow pale. Feng Zhong and the counselors from the Order of Healing, encircling the Fallen Star Eyes, felt a weight upon their hearts.
"Mr. Feng, our observation is being obstructed," Liu Ying said, her hands open in a gesture of resignation as she addressed Feng Zhong from the Merchant Guild. "Nevertheless, I don't foresee any issues. With the elder of the Nagas, our sect's venerable Tan, and the Human Emperor involved, I'm confident they'll emerge before long." A flicker of anticipation shone in her eyes.
She had been reassured upon seeing Yu Yuan emerge unscathed from the Seven-Colored Lake, convinced that a reunion with him was imminent. "I share your sentiment," Canli responded with a smile.
Their absolute faith in Yu Yuan left Feng Zhong at a loss for words. "Let's hope all is well," he muttered under his breath, his brow furrowed in concern. The presence of the God of Ghosts and White Bone remained elusive within the Fallen Star Eyes.
Yuan Qingxi, the Terra Fiend within the tombstone, and Huangyin occasionally cast peculiar glances toward a specific direction. That spot was the blind spot of the Fallen Star Eyes, an area shrouded in mystery. It was precisely there that White Bone had once briefly materialized. Feng Zhong was lost in contemplation.
...
Crack!
A slender, luminous blade of light materialized behind Tan Junshan, right where the crescent moons hovered. Above the heads of the onlookers, within the vibrant clouds, numerous blades of light, each over a hundred yards long, seemed to be yanked from another realm, flashing into existence en masse.
Rovi, his eye a kaleidoscope of colors, watched as Loong Jie faltered into silence. Choosing to take matters into his own hands, Rovi extended his withered arm toward the surface of the Seven-Colored Lake in a swift pulling motion.
Whoosh!
A thick, dark green bone, sharpened at both ends, plummeted into his hand, which was now rapidly swelling in size.
Rovi gently grasped the center of the bone and cast a sidelong glance at Tan Junshan. "You seem to know me quite well, and you've even managed to pull that boy out of the Seven-Colored Lake. But do you really think you can escape so easily after descending here?"
A burst of colorful radiance suddenly erupted from the section of the bone he held!
In an instant, the bone, which resembled a massive spear, vanished from the palm of his hand.
With a resounding boom, the crescent moon behind Tan Junshan was shattered by the two sharp ends of the bone.
Tan Junshan's face turned ashen, and without further hesitation, he summoned his Divine Visage.
His Divine Visage, which should have been towering and immense, was condensed into a moonstone due to his extreme focus and refinement.
The surviving crescent began to whirl around the Moon Soul stone formed by his Divine Visage.
The immaculate moonlight that spilled forth carried a soothing essence that purified the spirit, pacifying the souls of all beings and dampening their will to fight.
Hiss! Pop!
Moonblades soared into the sky, clashing with the spatial blades that emerged amidst the clouds, igniting a dazzling shower of light.
"Stop wasting time and get out of here quickly!" Tan Junshan's voice, filled with urgency, emanated from the diminutive Moon Soul stone.
"It won't work on me."
A tiny crescent also appeared in Rovi's iridescent eyes. Tan Junshan's Mind Magic lasted merely a second before it vanished with Rovi's blink.
"Mr. Loong, Mr. Chen, beware of the Mystic Gates that are everywhere!"
Tan Junshan's voice rose again from the authentic Moon Soul stone. Rounds of crescent moons transformed into Moon Soul Crystals the size of fingernails and fused into the Moon Blade.
The Moon Blade abruptly shrank to the size of a grain of rice and continued its ascent, nimbly avoiding the Mystic Gates within the colorful clouds.
Amidst the celestial downpour of light, this tiny point of silver brilliance weaved and dodged with an elegant path.
Tan Junshan, whose Divine Visage was as vast as the full moon and as minute as a tiny seed, recognized he was no match for Rovi and was solely focused on making his escape.
"Quite the clever one," Rovi acknowledged with a nod. Then, palm-sized colorful clouds moved to intercept the minuscule moonlight at an even greater speed.
Each cloud was aligned with a Warp Gate that Rovi had previously investigated, marking it with precise coordinates.
Tan Junshan's Divine Visage was as tiny as a grain of rice, and if he carelessly entered any Mystic Gate, he would find himself in a cold, desolate, and void unknown space.
There was even a chance that he would materialize within a spatial rift, only to be instantly disintegrated by the Rift Cutter.
It wasn't just Tan Junshan who was at risk; even the Dark Deity of Shadow's Keep and the supreme beings of the Everlands would suffer severe injuries if dragged into a spatial rift.
Or they might meet their end there.
"Go!"
A bone joint, having pierced a crescent moon, radiated a spectrum of colors in midair. Its sharp spearhead was directed at Loong Jie.
With a roar, Loong Jie descended slightly, transforming from his human shape into a resplendent dragon form tens of thousands of meters long in the blink of an eye.
He resembled a golden fortress extending across the sky above the Seven-Colored Lake.
The golden dragon scales, amplified by the light from Chen Liangquan's shattered crystal ball, bathed the entire Seven-Colored Lake and every corner of the Defiled World within Yu Yuan's sight in a dazzling golden glow.
Yu Yuan felt the rules and the Way of Heaven of this world subtly shift wherever the golden light touched.
The bone spear wielded by Rovi, when compared to the massive body of the lecherous dragon, seemed no more than a tiny toothpick.
It struck the old dragon's scales, shattering just a single piece.
"This golden dragon is quite extraordinary..."
Rovi expressed mild surprise.
As Loong Jie revealed his dragon form, the hidden rules of the Defiled World below began to shift silently.
The environment became more conducive to Loong Jie's combat style, influencing the Warp Gates he had opened.
Some Warp Gates, upon contact with Loong Jie, were obliterated by the primordial rules of the Everlands, bursting into showers of colorful light.
"He is the golden dragon with the purest lineage in the Everlands today. Had he been born a hundred thousand years earlier, Loong Jie would have become the Dragon God, leading the entire race of Nagas."
"Never underestimate Loong Jie. Without the Dragon Slaying Stage, even the five greatest forces would struggle to keep him in check."
"Additionally, there has been a recent shift in the cosmic order."
"The Naga have grown exceedingly indulgent towards the Everlands..."
Xuanying's voice emanated from her deep purple eyes.
In her spectral form, she fought alongside Rovi, explaining to him in detail both Loong Jie's origins and the extent of his troublesome nature.
"Hmm, because we Voidweavers are only familiar with the Chronowyrm, we overlooked the golden dragon. I nearly forgot that the legendary golden dragon god was once the chief of the Naga. That being of the tenth level could breach any barrier or wall."
"Shattering through all celestial bodies and lands, including the very fabric of space."
Rovi murmured softly.
"Fortunately, Loong Jie has not ascended to Dragon God status; his bloodline peaks at the ninth level. Regardless of how refined his dragon blood is, ninth level remains ninth level! Without reaching the tenth level, he cannot unleash the most fearsome power of the bloodline rules, and thus, he cannot pose a threat to me."
Speaking calmly, Rovi approached Chen Liangquan with an unruffled demeanor.
Chen Liangquan's face was etched with gravity.
Yu Yuan, perched atop the Dragon Slaying Stage, was taken aback.
Rovi had indeed reclaimed some control over the furnace from Xuanying by harnessing the Chronowyrm's psionic power. Yet, Rovi's initial targets were Tan Junshan, Loong Jie, and Chen Liangquan.
It was as if Yu Yuan had been momentarily overlooked and forgotten by Rovi.
On the lake, Yuan Qingxi and Huangyin maintained their silence, not even murmuring amongst themselves.
Their focus remained steadfastly on Rovi, seemingly convinced that Rovi's intent to engage would surely lead to his ultimate victory.
"Xiao, Xiao Qi..."
A faint ripple of a soul emerged from the furnace beneath him, carrying the gentle call of his senior brother.
Yu Yuan glanced down to see that his senior brother had ceased his frenzied assault on the furnace lid and had regained his composure.
Du Yazi had mentioned that his senior brother often regained a moment of spiritual wisdom after prolonged bouts of madness.
"Senior Brother!" Yu Yuan's heart swelled with emotion. "Are you awake? Have you finally come around? There's so much I want to ask you. I..." His excitement caused his words to tumble out in a rush.
"Let me out first; I have something to say to you," Zhong Chichen said, his face twisted in pain.
"Alright! Alright!" Yu Yuan quickly removed the furnace cover and crouched in front of it, asking with concern, "How are you feeling? You..."
"I feel very good, better than I ever have before."
Zhong Chichen's smile caused the pain on his face to slowly vanish.
As Yu Yuan took flight, Zhong Chichen overturned the furnace cover and hovered in midair. "Three hundred years, and to think we would meet like this in a world overrun by Terra Fiends and ghosts."
