C1488 The Senior Brother Who Woke up First

"I'm awake, but you..."

Zhong Chichen regarded Yu Yuan with an odd look, his smile brimming with mischief.

It seemed he found Yu Yuan particularly amusing at that moment.

Clad in a pale green robe, Zhong Chichen radiated an otherworldly presence. His lips curled into a carefree smirk, exuding a rebellious charm.

Yet, the man before Yu Yuan was not quite the senior brother he remembered.

The senior brother of old was a bit stodgy and stern, and he had been rather strict with Yu Yuan.

Now, the senior brother before him had an air of whimsy and a dashing flair.

"It's been far too long, so very long that... I've nearly forgotten myself."

Zhong Chichen spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the heavens and the earth. His handsome face, aglow with a spectrum of light, was a picture of bliss and elation.

He was like a wanderer who had roamed the Outland Star River for countless years, finally returning to his native soil.

Every breath of this world, whether sweet or sour, seemed to intoxicate him, simply because it was once his domain, the place of his birth.

"Senior Brother?"

Yu Yuan paused, anxious that something untoward might occur, fearful that Zhong Chichen had completed his transformation into an Earth Demon, using its sinister secret arts to bewitch him. To be certain, he had covertly activated his "wisdom eye" and tapped into the power of the Dragon Slash Platform.

Yu Yuan peered closer and saw the impurities in Zhong Chichen's blood being devoured and purified by the seven-colored little dragons, born from the Dragon Breath of the Space-time Dragon that had departed from the Dragon Slash Platform.

Contrary to his fears, his senior brother's body had not become a beacon of corruption; it felt purified.

To his astonishment, the vibrant little dragons, after cleansing the senior brother's body, did not dutifully return to the Dragon Slash Platform.

Instead, they integrated into his senior brother's bones and vanished into his heart.

Only because of his "wisdom eye" did Yu Yuan discover the dazzling, colorful young dragons slowly merging with the heart's muscle, crystallizing into something extraordinary—new and vivid Bloodline Crystal Chains.

At some point, the ribs closest to Zhong Chichen's heart had transformed into a spectrum of colors, emitting a resplendent divine light.

"I'm fine," he assured with a smile.

His gaze, playful and matching the curve of his lips, swept over the spectral white bones, then moved to Yuen Qingxi and Huangyin, one of the Earth Demon Ancestors. Finally, his eyes settled on Loong Jie, who stood majestic like a golden fortress, and he let out a soft sigh.

The look he gave Loong Jie was distinct from the others; it was akin to a venerable elder of the clan regarding the promising new generation with pride.

"These folks actually believe they can manipulate our destinies, thinking that glimpsing something extraordinary gives them the power to alter fate's course," Zhong Chichen said with a tone dripping with mockery, effortlessly dismissing all present, including the ghosts and demons.

This included not only Huangyin and Xuanying but also Rovi from the Void Spirit Succubus Clan.

In that moment, Yu Yuan trembled with realization. Harnessing the power within the Dragon Slash Platform, he opened his Eye of Wisdom through the Soul Forging Technique, shifting his focus from his senior brother's physical form to his soul.

He dreaded the possibility of encountering a deep purple Devil Soul, a sign that his senior brother had succumbed to demonization, leaving no hope for redemption.

What he saw, or rather, what his senior brother intended for him to see, was the Yin God and a projection of the Yang God, alongside his senior brother's primary soul. Deep within, there lay a mysterious soul mark, dragon-shaped and dazzling in its array of colors—the Space-time Dragon!

Yu Yuan froze, his expression blank as a torrent of questions flooded his mind, yet he found himself speechless.

"Heh!" Zhong Chichen stepped forward, casually placing a hand on Yu Yuan's shoulder and giving him a knowing wink.

"With all the years we've fought together, you made me a promise," he said with significance. "You agreed to let me reclaim what's rightfully mine, but in a new way."

Yu Yuan's mind was clouded, his instincts screaming caution, but as Zhong Chichen's hand firmly rested on his shoulder, a sense of inevitability took hold.

Time seemed to have flipped on its head.

In a fleeting moment, he found himself at the juncture of space and time, as if glimpsing a spectral shadow.

This colossal soul shadow called out to the Space-time Dragon across the vast Boundless Land, hastily striking a deal.

It freed the last strand of the dragon soul, long imprisoned within the skull of the Space-time Dragon on the Dragon Slash Platform.

In return, it secured the opportunity to retain its soul imprint and be reborn by twisting space and time.

The deal was sealed in the blink of an eye.

The immense ethereal soul lifted the seal, granting the last wisp of the dragon soul its great liberation.

From across the infinite starry sea, the Dragon Slash Platform surged with power, instantly traversing numerous realms to reclaim the soul imprint left behind in this world after the dragon's demise.

To prevent any mishaps, the dragon soul and the soul imprint lay concealed in an uncharted space once explored by the Space-time Dragon.

Tens of thousands of years later, a dragon soul and a supremely exalted Primordial Spirit emerged from the void, returning to the Boundless Great World.

One became Hong Qi, while the other, Zhong Chichen.

The Space-time Dragon had been slain by the Dragon Slayer, its last breath sealed within the Dragon Slash Platform for ages.

In the ensuing eons, the Dragon Slayer wielded this Artifact, carving a path of destruction through the Eon Realm.

This demonstrated that humans, as the new leaders of the Boundless Land, were mightier than the Nagas!

Most of the resplendent divine battles and the Colorful Divine Dragon bore witness and partook in these events.

Regrettably, in that final confrontation, the Dragon Slash Platform, for various reasons, ended up in the Boundless Great World...

"A bunch of jesters."

Zhong Chichen chuckled as he withdrew his hand, giving Yu Yuan another playful wink. "Don't forget, you must keep your promise."

Yu Yuan remained stunned.

"I had hoped, expected even, that you would be the one to send me inside."

With a look of disappointment, Zhong Chichen gazed at the luminous platform beneath his feet, as if he could see his former seven-colored dragon form, now severed and scattered in the world below.

"It's such a shame I couldn't descend. That's a real letdown," he sighed, shaking his head and squinting at the chief of the Void Spirit Succubus Clan, his thoughts a mystery.

Within the Dragon Slash Platform, countless iridescent lights struggled to break free from the Space-time Dragon's body, seeking to merge with his own.

Yu Yuan, the master of the Dragon Slash Platform, watched as the lights persistently collided against the platform's celestial canopy, reminiscent of Zhong Chichen's earlier attempts to shatter the lid of a furnace.

He faced a choice: to allow their passage or to block it.

"You owe me this much..."

Zhong Chichen appeared before him, his face tinged with a trace of resentment.

After a brief hesitation, Yu Yuan made up his mind and lifted the restriction.

In an instant, myriad seven-colored lights burst forth from the Dragon Slash Platform, flocking to Zhong Chichen like swallows returning to their nests. They settled into his Yang God and strengthened his bones, taking root around his heart.

Huangyin, Yuen Qingxi, and the refined demonic shadow within the wooden grave marker all showed subtle shifts in their expressions.

"Huangyin, did you foresee this?" Yuen Qingxi inhaled deeply, his mood turning somber. "You picked him, believing in his potential to become a demon, that he met all the criteria. But why has it come to this? His transformation into a demon has ceased? He seems more lucid than ever!"

"We were convinced of his success based on the transformations of his body and soul. Moreover, his body readily assimilates corrupt powers. Indeed, he was the prime candidate to become the wellspring of corruption."

"But now..."

Huangyin was equally perplexed.

With a slash, the Earth Demon that had amassed within the gray fox was cleaved into segments by a rogue Space Edge, vanishing into an obscure spatial fissure.

The Earth Demon's death was utterly inexplicable.

"Xuanying!" Huangyin looked up at Rovi, who was single-handedly driving back the combined forces of the lecherous old dragon, Tan Junshan, and Chen Liangquan. "I must ask you to rein in his power!"

"It was merely a minor mishap," Xuanying's demonic tone emanated from Rovi's purple pupils. Even the Earth Demon Ancestor was somewhat baffled, unable to fathom why a Space Edge and a concealed portal had materialized near the Earth Demon linked to the gray fox, causing it to perish so abruptly.

"Stay clear of the sky, and don't attempt to approach or assist. You're incapable of aiding Rovi," Xuanying continued.

Yu Yuan, taken aback, glanced at his senior brother, who stood shoulder to shoulder with him. He surmised that his senior brother had stealthily acted, wielding his spatial influence to perform some arcane feats.

"This Rovi fellow is intent on reclaiming the Dragon Slash Platform. It is, after all, rightfully his," Zhong Chichen mused, stroking his chin, unfazed. "Xuanying, to think you managed to locate Rovi within the Chaos Abyss and even assisted him in reaching the Boundless Land..."

His voice trailed off as his gaze grew icy. "I absolutely detest the sound of butterfly wings; it's grating to the ears."

With a swish, a series of slender, luminous blades plummeted from the heavens, targeting Yuan Qingxi, Huangyin, and the tombstone.

The Space Edge, a hundred zhang in length and imbued with the laws of space, altered the complexions of the three Demon Masters. They scattered in disarray, each one berating Xuanying.

Splash! Splash!

The gleaming blades cleaved through the Colorful Lake, segmenting the water.

The vibrant, splendid waters of the lake were sliced as easily as tofu, and the blades reached the lakebed, etching deep grooves into it.

"It wasn't us!" Xuanying's voice, tinged with urgency, emanated once more from Rovi's purple eyes.

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