C1632 President Lyi Who Had Fallen into Depravity
"Eh!"
Yu Yuan gazed down at his waist, pierced through and spewing rust, while gold and silver dust fused ceaselessly into his flesh.
Before tapping into the life force of the Yang God, his body's natural healing was nearly obliterated by the residual power of gold metal left by President Lyi.
The wound in his waist didn't close; it only continued to tear further apart.
The ghastly wound emitted tiny particles of gold, silver, and iron, threatening to infiltrate his flesh and organs, transforming him into a puppet akin to those made of gold and metal.
The intent was clear: to morph a living, breathing entity into a monstrous construct of gold and metal.
"This power is quite sinister."
After a thorough examination, Yu Yuan's eyes showed a hint of bewilderment. He turned to President Lyi, who had reverted to human form. "Have you forged an entirely new path? If you persist down this route, you'll cease to be human or even a spiritual being of flesh and blood. You'll become a divine weapon, an object. Is this truly your desire?"
"What it is doesn't matter to me anymore. What's important is my freedom from all constraints and my determination to shatter anyone who dares block my path," President Lyi declared, his humanity increasingly elusive. "That includes Loong Jie and any future Asura Kings!"
"Poor soul..."
Surrounded by a host of iron puppets, the Chaos Roc was not only shedding rust but also golden and silver dust.
Its scales glinted brilliantly, warding off the iron puppets' assaults, but it was far from composed.
"The soul of the Vastmist Artifact yearns for a flesh and blood existence, to live fully within the cosmos. Yet you choose the opposite, forcing your flesh to transmute into a mass of gold and iron. Do you really believe this will enable you to confront Loong Jie in the future?" The Chaos Roc sneered.
Whoosh!
A swath of azure water swept over the iron puppets, its potent currents dragging them away to distant places.
The Chaos Roc appeared to have finally found some relief.
Yet, Yu Yuan could still distinctly observe that wherever iron powder and gold and silver dust had settled in the crevices of its scales, the creature's flesh seemed paralyzed, as if poisoned.
Despite being a Starry Behemoth and cleansing its wounds with water, President Lyi's sinister power continued to erode its flesh and blood.
Much like the stubborn iron powder in Yu Yuan's own pierced abdomen, the Chaos Roc was equally troubled.
"To infuse your body with the essence of gold, silver, and iron, leaving only a sliver of life to sustain your heart's vitality, is a path I've never seen before. You differ from Loong Jie, who had no desire to forsake his flesh and blood or extinguish his spirit entirely."
"President, you have indeed chosen an extreme and dark path."
After a moment of reflection, Yu Yuan's Dragon Slash Platform released a burst of frigid mist, engulfing the pierced region of his chest.
As soon as the icy fog emerged, it froze all the rust and metallic dust in place, preventing them from scattering with the Frost Energy.
Yu Yuan's soul stirred, sending strands of pure soul power into the depths of the mist, rapidly eroding President Lyi's lingering soul power.
"I know you wanted to see if your understanding of the Metal Spiritual Path could transform me into an iron puppet. Unfortunately for you, you're not there yet."
With a whoosh, the ice mist, now devoid of President Lyi's soul power, carried away the rust from the wound in his waist.
"Purification."
At his command, the vital blood energy within him, teeming with the power of creation, began to expel the remaining rust that was still afflicting his flesh and blood.
Once his flesh was free of the minute particles of rust and gold, his life force surged into action.
Consequently, the gaping wound in his chest closed rapidly, as if stitched by unseen hands.
"Have you ever considered what your demonic turn will do to the Babel Chamber of Commerce's future?"
Yu Yuan, clutching the Dragon Slash Platform, his expression darkening, continued, "Because of you, the Chamber has significant influence in both Hao Ran and the Human Realm Upon Heavens! President Shi Jing'er has dedicated her life to your cause, as have others like Jun Chen and Fong Zhong. Do you intend to lead the Chamber to its demise?"
"Ever since I chose this path, I've been prepared to part ways with the Babel Chamber of Commerce and step down as its President."
A flicker of humanity shone in President Lyi's eyes, revealing a long-absent pain. "When I ventured into the Gray Domain alone, without informing the Chamber, I no longer considered myself a part of it. A vast enterprise without the backing of formidable martial strength is nothing but rootless driftwood."
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Numerous refined iron puppets intertwined and assembled within the Water Foreign Domain of the Chaos Roc, forming a vibrant mountain range of gold metal.
Upon its creation, a sinister ripple unlike any before, laden with particles of gold, silver, copper, and iron, began to undulate slowly.
Beneath the mountain, the ripples gently stirred, as if intent on transforming all living beings of the Eon Realm into soulless iron entities, devoid of intelligence.
This appeared to be President Lyi's malevolent grand vision, the ultimate truth of the Great Dao he sought, and the root of his descent into darkness.
Beams of gold, silver, black, and pale green, embodying the distorted principles of metal, cascaded from the sinister mountain peaks, showering the Chaos Roc.
The Chaos Roc sensed the strange power within the beams, and a clear fear emerged in its eyes. It realized that under the mountain's luminance, its vital flesh and blood energy was swiftly draining away.
It harbored a dreadful sensation of transforming from a living, breathing Starry Behemoth into a lifeless object of iron and stone.
Moreover, its inherent beastly vigor and mastery of the Water Law seemed to falter against the mountain's radiant assault.
The Chaos Roc, never one for reckless action, quietly shrank its massive form into a small blue fish.
This nimble blue fish deftly avoided the beams and swam up beside Yu Yuan. "Yu Yuan, I'm somewhat weary, and you could use an adversary like him to hone your strength and integrate it with your combat techniques."
Without a trace of shame, he entrusted President Lyi to Yu Yuan's care.
"The metamorphosis of the Golden Dragon is not as you portray it," Yu Yuan declared with a grave tone.
President Lyi's path of gold metal was eerily evil, casting a shadow of the Golden Dragon's mightiest form, yet it was entirely distinct.
The Golden Dragon, no matter how it tempered its body, would never let its mind be swayed. It remained impervious to the corrupting powers of gold, silver, copper, and iron, never degrading into a monstrous aberration like President Lyi.
"I know," President Lyi admitted without denial, his voice icy, "But I am not a Golden Dragon. I lack the bloodline of the Nagas. Even if I were privy to the secrets of refining Loong Jie's ultimate form, I couldn't achieve that transformation."
"I can't, and neither can Asura King Sabonis. Having chosen this path, I'm well aware of what I stand to lose. I can't foresee what I'll become. With no other options, I've ended up like this, and you're to blame!"
He dismissed the Chaos Roc from his concerns. Upon realizing that his power to transform Yu Yuan into a refined iron puppet, as he had with other alien beasts, was ineffective, he resolved to rethink his strategy.
Any trace of humanity vanished from his eyes.
Yu Yuan and the Chaos Roc could barely sense any vitality in him; his life force was nearly imperceptible.
With a thunderous crash, a bizarre, sinister mountain, composed of the corpses of various races, plummeted beneath him.
Subsequently, chunks of gold, silver, copper, and iron tumbled from his sleeves, each piece fusing with the mountain.
This gold, silver, copper, and iron originated from the first mountain of such metals in the Vast Expanse, as well as the renowned mountains in the Outland Star River, home to the Asura Clan and the Silver Scale Clan.
President Lyi had mined and refined them all, transforming them into weapons that augmented his power.
"Even without attaining a seat among the highest gods, he's now on par with Zhu Zhen and Lee Tianxin in terms of his Primordial Spirit. His descent into devilry has imbued him with an oddity that even I can't discern. You'd do well to be cautious. Moreover, if President Lyi continues his descent into madness unchecked, no one can predict what he'll ultimately become."
As the Chaos Roc's warning ended, President Lyi's form gradually shifted into that of a Golden Asura.
The faintest trace of Grand Commander Alonso's aura emanated from his nearly still heart. It was weak, barely perceptible due to the sporadic flow of his Qi and blood.
"There are so many madmen in Hao Yue. He's totally renounced his humanity, first attempting to transform into a Golden Asura. It looks like his failure led to his current state."
"He's turned into a monster the likes of which we've never seen before."
The Chaos Roc let out a piercing scream.
