C1501 A Plan to Get What He Wanted
Youyu took Yuan Qingxi with him and instantly returned to the Land of Terror.
Huangyin, along with the ancient Terra Fiend perched atop the tombstone, were left in disarray due to Youyu and Yuan Qingxi's departure, Rovi's death, and Xuanying's mysterious disappearance. It appeared they were at a loss for what to do next.
Loong Jie, Tan Junshan, and Chen Liangquan, seizing the moment, cast malevolent glances at the two Terra Fiends, intent on eliminating them.
With Rovi, Yuan Qingxi, and Youyu gone, their chances of defeating the two Terra Fiends before them were significantly high.
"Didn't you hear Youyu's parting words?" Yu Yuan gave them a sidelong glance.
"I haven't ascended to the highest rank, and I'm right here underground, so it's not against the rules for me to strike them down," Tan Junshan said with a grim smile.
"Do you think you can kill us?" Huangyin retorted in anger.
"Master!"
Yu Yiyi called out from the rim of the crucible, sending forth her remnant soul.
She, too, was eager to use the power of Yu Yuan and the Dragon Slaying Stage to draw Huangyin back into the Crucible of Evil, refine him, and continue to suppress the once formidable Bane.
She was convinced that with the Dragon Slaying Stage now fully intact and in Yu Yuan's possession, he certainly had the power to do so.
"Let it be," Yu Yuan said, shaking his head in refusal.
In the moment of the Chronospatial Lock, he had communicated with Youyu and learned that Xuanying, Huangyin, and Xuanli, whom he had harshly slain in his first life, had actually died quite unjustly.
Youyu had also made it clear before his departure that he would look after the Terra Fiend Clan until the birth of the Demon God.
Given these circumstances, Yu Yuan decided to extend a courtesy to his old friend.
"We're leaving."
With a mere thought, the Dragon Slaying Stage, which he had held for so long, effortlessly soared into his Shenque acupoint.
Yu Yuan's brow unfurled, confident that the Dragon Slaying Stage was fully restored; the seamless integration with the Divine Artifact was proof enough.
"Master, may I ask you something?" Yu Yiyi emerged from the crucible, disregarding the sullen Huangyin, and turned her attention to the headless knight with only a deep red soul remaining. "And you? Do you still wish to join me in battle?"
The soul of the Headless Horseman surged, and he found himself instinctively looking at Huangyin.
Huangyin gave a cold snort.
The knight paused before speaking, "Now that I've regained my freedom, I refuse to enter the crucible. No matter how much you trusted and valued me in the past, the moment I step inside, I would inevitably be branded with a slave seal."
"Huangyin, you sought me out, awakened me, and up to this point, you haven't subjected me to such treatment."
"So..."
He declined Yu Yiyi's offer.
"Let it be, I wish you good luck."
Yu Yiyi didn't insist. She felt a twinge of regret but, having spoken her piece, she mounted the Crucible of Evil and followed in Yu Yuan's wake.
Meanwhile, Huangyin and the elegant Terra Fiend within the tombstone could only watch the party depart.
With Rovi gone and Youyu, having awakened, taking a stand, and Yuan Qingxi also departing, the power they currently wielded was insufficient to pose a threat to Yu Yuan and his companions.
To engage in battle now would be nothing short of self-degradation.
"The one thing I can't fathom is how Youyu can stand that youngster, Yu Yuan? We were momentarily distracted, and in that time, too much occurred. I suspect it was the ultimate truth of the Chronowyrm that brought time and space to a halt. Yet, Youyu should have been able to disregard such a seal!"
It was only when Huangyin could no longer see Yu Yuan and the others that he expressed his bewilderment.
"This is precisely what puzzles me," the ancient Terra Fiend mused, gazing into the heavens. "We both know how proud Youyu is, how challenging he is to deal with. In his time, the people he truly respected were few and far between. Once he ascended to the status of God of Ghosts under the guise of White Bone, the only name we ever heard linked closely to him was Yu Yuan."
"From what Yuan Qingxi has said, Yu Yuan was his chosen one? Does this mean that Yu Yuan, the master of the Dragon Slaying Stage, has been part of the Bloodbrawlers all along?"
"Was Yu Yuan placed within the Boulderdawn by Youyu's design?"
The ancient Terra Fiend delved deeply into his analysis.
Huangyin's expression was icy as he listened to her go on and on. He remained silent for quite some time.
When she couldn't resist any longer and inquired about Huangyin's stance and thoughts, the progenitor of the Terra Fiends finally curled his lip and said, "Youyu, you're overthinking things. You don't need to be so cunning."
"And what might your brilliant insight be?" the female Terra Fiend huffed.
"This Yu Yuan fellow is the successor of that individual. Deep down, Youyu, you still respect that person. You believe that person was justified in killing me, Xuanying, and Xuanli. Though it may not sit well emotionally, logically, it makes sense." Huangyin's expression darkened, and a surge of purple dark fire roiled in his eye sockets. "He's cut from the same cloth as that man!"
"He believes your deaths were justified as well?" the female Terra Fiend exclaimed in horror.
"Of course! It's not just us three; he even thinks his own death would be warranted! To achieve his ultimate goal, Youyu is merciless, not only towards others but also towards himself!"
...
Shortly after Tan Junshan, Chen Liangquan, and the others broke through the firmament of the Defiled World, the light abruptly faded.
Soon after, Yu Yuan and the group found themselves in a winding underground tunnel that consistently pointed upwards.
He detected the damp scent characteristic of the Rainbow Ocean.
Even within the acupoint, he could still harness the power of the Dragon Slaying Stage. Upon expanding his vision, he discovered many similar tunnels leading from below to above.
It appeared that these passages had been deliberately carved out in ancient times.
His worries dissipated.
In his Mindscape, his Lunar Spirit suddenly merged with the Dragon Slaying Stage, entering the realm of the golden dragon's remains.
In the third Dragon Slaying Stage, a colossal golden dragon had been severed into five parts.
The dragon's head was positioned at the center of this little world, with the four gleaming sections of the dragon's body scattered at the cardinal points, a considerable distance from the fierce golden head.
Streams of resplendent golden blood flowed from the sections of the dragon's body towards the head.
The dragon's head sat like an island amidst a lake of golden blood.
The clearing was strewn with an assortment of dragon heads, carcasses, and skeletons in various colors.
He had witnessed this very scene during his initial encounter with the Dragon Slaying Stage at the Moonfall Sanctuary.
Now, as his Lunar Spirit made its return, his gaze was immediately drawn to the dragon horns atop one of the heads...
Two golden horns, radiating a sharpness that seemed capable of piercing all matter, caught his attention. One, in particular, sparked a sense of recognition—he remembered it as the one Zhong Chichen had retrieved from the Seven-Colored Lake, intending to use it against him.
Relieved to see the golden horn had made its way back, he let out a sigh of relief.
His attention then shifted to the unexpected presence of a violet-gold dragon egg in this new little world, a result of the integration of the third Dragon Slaying Stage. It should have been elsewhere, yet here it was, nestled in a stream leading to the dragon's head, its shell merging with the sticky dragon blood.
With a hissing sound, numerous golden beams of light were forcibly drawn out from the severed parts of the golden dragon's body, including the two horns on its head, and absorbed by the violet-gold dragon egg.
These beams infused the egg, allowing the young Titan Spinosaurus within to complete its missing bloodline chain.
"My dear senior brother, your assistance is now clear to me," Yu Yuan mused, his expression turning curious as his Lunar Spirit surveyed the realm.
The growth rate of the young Titan Spinosaurus he had been nurturing had significantly accelerated!
The vibrations of the dragon heart even carried a melodious, pleasing tone.
What did this signify?
The young Titan Spinosaurus was craving the lineage of the golden dragon, longing for the remnants of the Dragon God's blood and cosmic order.
The death of the Cosmic Giant Beast in the Everlands had paved the way for the golden age of the Nagas.
The golden dragon had always been the leader of the Nagas, recognized as the most powerful.
The old golden dragon likely carried one of the Titan Spinosaurus's most essential bloodlines!
In contrast, the Titan Spinosaurus may have appropriated and refined the hidden bloodline secrets of other Cosmic Giant Beasts, such as the Chronowyrm and the frost wyrm.
Now, with the third Dragon Slaying Stage restored and the corpse of the tenth-level golden dragon still present, the saga continued.
The Titan Spinosaurus, still in its youth, was growing at an astonishing rate!
My senior brother had already noticed this and understood what the young creature was missing.
So, when the Chronospatial Lock was activated, he tore through a space rift, using the golden horn to summon the third Dragon Slaying Stage.
He aided in restoring the Dragon Slaying Stage to its former glory with Rovi's lifeblood.
Though my senior brother has departed, he bequeathed the deceased Dragon God and its little world to the young beast!
His wish was for the beast to grow more rapidly, to break free from the dragon egg, and to glide majestically through the Everlands.
He even aspired for it to traverse the entire infinite cosmic ocean!
