C1634 Sunsilver
Within President Lyi's Mindscape, Yu Yuan found neither his Lunar Spirit nor his dominant soul, nor any projection of the Solar Spirit. Instead, there was a single hollow metallic ball, no larger than a fist.
This delicate metallic ball, crafted from pieces of gold, silver, black iron, brass, and other refined irons, was radiating a dazzling array of lights. The vibrant luminescence bathed President Lyi's mental world in resplendent glory.
At first glance, Yu Yuan felt as though he was gazing upon the Everlands from beyond the vast ocean. Unlike the deep blue sea, the Everlands stretched far wider than any landmass. The fist-sized metallic ball, adorned with patches of gold, silver, black iron, and brass, lacked any oceanic connection; the 'lands' between these patches were hollow.
Within the hollow sphere, there was a solitary piece of black gold adorned with numerous enigmatic glyphs. Upon closer inspection, Yu Yuan sensed that this modest piece of black gold was the heart of the metallic ball, containing not only President Lyi's soul essence but also the subtle scent of a giant beast.
Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit, having effortlessly entered, gazed at the hollow metallic ball in a trance.
Suddenly, from within the ball, the small black gold piece burst forth with blinding electrical light. Countless hair-thin strands of light reached out to the golden, silver, black iron, and brass pieces, resembling meridians connecting to internal organs from an otherworldly heart.
Each of the Sunsilver-like pieces, akin to miniature metallic lands, was infused with a newfound vitality—the unique life force of refined iron.
Yu Yuan could barely make out innumerable tiny Sunsilver figures, smaller than gnats, bustling about on the refined iron pieces, seemingly ingesting rust, gold dust, and silver dust. These Sunsilver figures, devoid of flesh and blood, appeared as if lumps of Sunsilver had been molded into human shapes, each endowed with a soul.
Every one of these Sunsilver figures carried President Lyi's essence, the essence of their souls alone.
Yu Yuan was astounded. He scrutinized them intently, silently contemplating. Within the hollow metallic ball, particularly in the black gold, he detected an aura faintly reminiscent of the Everlands' primordial essence. The presence of this aura caused Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit to quiver.
A peculiar sensation overcame him once more... He realized that President Lyi had fused his Lunar Spirit, Solar Spirit, and dominant soul into the hollow metallic ball. Magnified a billionfold, it resembled a spherical Domain, a world constructed purely from various metals.
The Domain bore a resemblance to the Everlands, both taking on a spherical shape.
Chunks of gold, silver, and black iron constituted the continents of this Sunsilver world. This peculiar world was devoid of life, with no vast seas to divide it.
At the heart of the metallic ball lay the black gold, the energy source for this unique Sunsilver realm.
President Lyi's spiritual sense was assimilating with the black gold, causing him to gradually shed the emotions typical of a living creature and become detached and unfeeling.
The core of the metallic ball was still nurturing and transforming, far from being fully realized.
President Lyi's integration with the black gold was insufficient for the complete crafting of the metallic ball.
In the Ashlands, he ambushed passing Otherkin and alien beasts, all the while absorbing the profound meaning within the black gold, merging with it to amplify his own strength.
"How peculiar..."
Yu Yuan, standing with his real body on the Dragon Slaying Stage, was in unobstructed communication with his Lunar Spirit. Everything the Lunar Spirit witnessed within President Lyi's Mindscape was relayed back to his dominant soul.
Whoosh!
The misty white surface beneath his feet transformed into a mirror, reflecting the scene observed by his Lunar Spirit onto the ground.
The extraordinary hollow metallic ball, the black gold within, the enigmatic glyphs above, the myriad sparks of light, and their connection to the Sunsilver pieces...
Aside from the absence of a distinct aura, the vision beneath his feet was an exact replica of what President Lyi envisioned in his Mindscape.
"Inside the hollow ball, the black gold seems to be the heart of energy, possessing an aura distinct from the Everlands' Origin, yet President Lyi's soul resides within it..." He shared his insights and observations with the well-versed Abyssal Leviathan.
Pointing to the hollow metallic ball at his feet, he continued, "Each figure appears to be crafted from refined iron, with President Lyi's faint spiritual essence clinging to each Sunsilver figure. The hollow ball itself resembles a special little world, albeit still nascent."
With a pop, the bubble encasing the green fish abruptly burst.
The Abyssal Leviathan materialized in human form.
He gazed intently at the unusual scene below, licking his lips and speaking in a raspy, deep voice, "Among our Giant Beast Clan, various legends are told. One such legend speaks of the almighty Titan Spinosaurus, which once vanquished a malevolent giant beast."
The malevolent giant beast had been tainted by something that stripped it of its flesh and blood, transforming it into something else...
He gestured toward the hollow metallic ball and explained, "The giant beast became akin to the metallic ball there. Its skin and flesh sloughed away, leaving its bones as sturdy as Sunsilver. The beast's heart, too, was perforated and hollowed out, then bound together by brilliant, electrifying light."
"I've never witnessed it myself; my knowledge comes from the Starborne Lizard. It mentioned that the giant beast ended up that way after straying into a Starry Sky Forbidden Zone. But it wasn't long before the Titan Spinosaurus found the beast. Before it could reach its full potential, the Titan Spinosaurus eradicated it."
"Since the giant beast perished so swiftly and effortlessly, the incident didn't garner much attention."
"The hollow metallic ball that resides in President Lyi's Mindscape brought to mind the Starborne Lizard's tale, though I can't be certain of the connection."
"..."
Crack!
As the Abyssal Leviathan recounted the tale, a multitude of golden dragons emerged, followed by the Dragon Slaying Stage colliding with President Lyi's peculiar mountain range, reducing it to rubble.
The refined iron puppet, forged from Otherkin and alien beasts, disintegrated into Sunsilver dust in an instant.
Gold Mountains, Silver Mountains, and Iron Mountains were reshaped by the assault of the golden dragons, yet they remained intact, resisting complete destruction.
Numerous metal fragments scattered across the expanse of space.
A detached silver light emanated from President Lyi's eyes, causing the hollow metallic ball in his Mindscape to emit a matching silver brilliance.
Upon its release, the light seemed to transmute everything it touched—be it void, flesh, or earth—into lifeless metal.
Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit, still within his Mindscape, perceived the impending danger.
In a swift motion, leveraging the spiritual connection with the Dragon Slaying Stage, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit instantly retreated to the safety of the Stage, close to Taixu.
Boom!
The Dragon Slaying Stage's ethereal white light shield repelled the penetrating silver beam from President Lyi's gaze, ensuring that neither Yu Yuan nor the Abyssal Leviathan was affected by the peculiar cosmic order.
*Crack! Crack!*
The scattered metal lumps, drawn to each other like magnets, quickly coalesced into an amorphous heap of metal.
President Lyi, with his eyes turned a shimmering silver, seemed to have shed any semblance of the emotions and humanity one would expect from a living creature.
Realizing that the Dragon Slaying Stage had thwarted the assault and that he lacked the power to defeat Yu Yuan, he chose not to squander any more time.
He descended upon a shapeless heap of Sunsilver, not bothering to glance back, and picked a direction to venture further into the Ashlands.
Before long, both he and the heap of Sunsilver had vanished without a trace.
"For some reason, I sense that if he continues to grow stronger, he may indeed pose a threat to Loong Jie in the future," the Abyssal Leviathan said, his brow furrowed with concern. "He must have stumbled upon some extraordinary luck, likely linked to that malevolent giant beast. It's unfortunate that the Starborne Lizard isn't here; otherwise, I could have gleaned more valuable information."
*Rip!*
Numerous silver specks continued to twinkle around the Dragon Slaying Stage, giving Yu Yuan an uneasy feeling.
The hollow metallic ball in President Lyi's mind exuded a bizarre and mysterious force. Without a clear understanding of its nature, Yu Yuan maintained his caution, refraining from delving deeper with his Lunar Spirit.
"The journey through the Ashlands is proving to be quite fascinating," Yu Yuan remarked with a smile.
"And my desire to leave grows ever stronger."
