C1704 The Nature of the Young Beast

Yu Yuan watched as the Abyssal Leviathan drew near, and he could see the disappointment etched on Taixu's face. A twinge of regret stirred within him.

He had failed to prevent the fierce battle between the Secular Bird Queen and the Chaos Serpent. Asa, as the Chaos Serpent called herself, harbored deep-seated resentment towards the Secular Bird Queen. This animosity, after fermenting for over a hundred thousand years, seemed irreconcilable.

They were natural enemies, and their conflict appeared destined to end only with the death of one. Asa's demise was hard for Taixu to swallow, but if it came down to a choice...

Driven by his own interests, Yu Yuan couldn't help but think that, despite Taixu's displeasure, it would be better for the Chaos Serpent to perish.

Boom! Boom!

The Dragon Slaying Stage beneath him suddenly quaked, as if the cosmic order of the Ashlands had seized control, rendering it wild and unpredictable.

Yu Yuan's face was a mask of shock as he sensed an unseen divine force meddling with the ultimate truth within the Dragon Slaying Stage.

It had to be the juvenile creature!

He was almost immediately certain of the truth. The only one capable of such a feat was the Titan Spinosaurus hatchling from the Dragon Slaying Stage, now merged with the Ashlands.

It had to be the one!

A summoning dragon's roar echoed, signaling the rule of the Dragon Slaying Stage had shifted. The remains of the three Dragon Gods were variously shrouded in rainbow light, bound by golden lightning, or entwined in chilling cold fog.

The dragon remains slipped from Yu Yuan's grasp, each seeking the rifts in space.

"It's time for me to reclaim my true form," Zhong Chichen's sneer filtered through the spatial rift, as he seemed to merge his Seven-Colored Dragon skeleton with his iridescent Solar Spirit.

"Welcome back, Ancestor. I, Loong Jie, am a scion of your lineage; it would be disrespectful to decline." Loong Jie's laughter boomed, echoing Zhong Chichen's sentiment as he too reached through the spatial rift to consume the golden remains of his forebear.

Even the remains of the frost wyrm were spirited away from the Dragon Slaying Stage by the young beast's subtle interference.

It seemed intent on presenting the frost wyrm's remains to the descendant of the ninth-level Dragon God for their benefit.

The Dragon Slaying Stage was exceptional, not only because of its unique material but also because it housed the remains of three tenth-level Dragon Gods, imbuing it with numerous mysteries.

Could the Dragon Slaying Stage retain its formidable power without these tenth-level Dragon Gods?

Would this Divine Artifact, renowned beyond the stars, be demoted and lose its former mystique?

The elder of the Shadowkin and the three Silverscale Tribe warriors were also taken aback by this development. They hadn't anticipated that Yu Yuan, the new master of the Dragon Slaying Stage, would lose control over this Divine Artifact.

"It's the offspring of the Titan Spinosaurus!"

Jessica also sensed that something was amiss. She quickly gestured to Awkwafina and the two elders, cautioning them against any hasty actions.

"Your name is Yu Yuan, correct? That young beast, in its quest for power and the revival of the Nagas, will collect resources from all over. It will strip you of anything it deems beneficial to the Nagas."

"By that logic, you might not be our enemy, and our fight seems pointless."

She shared a profound bloodline connection with the Abyssal Greater Basilisk and could sense her ancestor's power. Even though it was partially constrained by the spatial rift, there was still a surplus of strength ready to break free.

At this moment, the young beast, in alliance with Zhong Chichen and Loong Jie, reclaimed the dragon's corpse from the Dragon Slaying Stage, as if they were the true executioners.

Concerned for the Abyssal Greater Basilisk, she immediately sought to exploit the tension between Yu Yuan, the young beast, and the Nagas, hoping it might prove effective.

"I knew it was him!"

Yu Yuan spoke with an edge to his voice, acutely aware that Zhong Chichen and Loong Jie had been empowered by the arrival of the Chronowyrm and golden dragon's remains.

Once the relics of the three Dragon Gods departed from the Dragon Slaying Stage, the three little worlds within were left desolate.

—A reflection of Taixu's current state of mind.

In that moment, Yu Yuan was overwhelmed by a profound sense of loss, leaving him visibly disoriented.

Whoosh!

The colossal Abyssal Greater Basilisk, whether sensing danger or something else, exuded an aura of the deep Abyss that it had recently awakened. It burst forth from the space rift.

In the blink of an eye, it assumed the form of an elder from the Silverscale Tribe.

With a grim expression, he observed the space rift closing rapidly in his wake. "Odd," he mused, "my power surged, yet it seems the fight has left me."

The old lizard was baffled.

At the height of the battle, the remnants of the three Dragon Gods soared into the spatial rift from the Dragon Slaying Stage.

The fragments of the Chronowyrm and the golden dragon were seamlessly integrated by Zhong Chichen's iridescent Solar Spirit and assimilated by Loong Jie's dragon scales.

Zhong Chichen's iridescent form swiftly metamorphosed into a draconic physique.

The old lizard, sensing imminent danger, hastily mustered the nascent Abyssal power he had just begun to grasp and struggled to escape the spatial rift.

Yet, to his surprise, he faced no resistance and was free in an instant.

It seemed to him that Loong Jie and Zhong Chichen, despite their newfound might, had no intention of battling him to the death. He was not their primary quarry.

"They're here to intercept you, to ensure the Secular Bird Queen and the Phoenix Ashes can depart the Ashlands."

Yu Yuan, his spirits sinking, gazed at the now-dimmed Dragon Slaying Stage and disclosed the bargain struck between Zhong Chichen and the queen.

He informed the old lizard that the Chaos Serpent had been slain, devoured by the Secular Bird Queen and her offspring.

As part of the deal, the Secular Bird Queen was permitted to take the Phoenix Ashes and the Uxthar Tree out of the Ashlands.

Zhong Chichen and the offspring would also distract him, preventing any swift pursuit of the Secular Bird Queen.

"Did you witness this yourself?"

The Abyssal Greater Basilisk, in the guise of a Silverscale Tribe elder, had his brown eyes flicker with countless dim specks of light, as if he were deeply contemplating the hidden implications of this revelation.

"I saw it clearly through the Dragon Slaying Stage," Yu Yuan confirmed with a nod.

The young creature, having matured within the inner world of the Dragon Slaying Stage and absorbed the intricate bloodline mysteries of the Three Headed Dragon God, was quite familiar with this Divine Artifact. Its dominion over the Ashlands was formidable, giving it the capability to remove the Three Headed Dragon Corpse, which it did without hesitation.

Without so much as a greeting, it took the Three Headed Dragon Corpse, leaving Yu Yuan seething with anger.

"You're unaware of our tribe's secrets. My appeal to that young creature pales in comparison to the Secular Bird Queen. Moreover, the Secular Bird has just finished her battle with the Chaos Serpent, consuming the toxic aspect of the bloodline rules. It will take her a considerable time to assimilate them."

"The integration of the toxic rules will temporarily halt her swift recovery, leaving her in a state of profound weakness."

"In her current state, she is actually..." The Lizard's demeanor shifted.

"What are you trying to say?" Yu Yuan asked, his brow furrowed.

"Since you were able to witness the Secular Bird's battle with the Chaos Serpent through the Dragon Slaying Stage, why not try again? Can you still see her?" inquired the Abyssal Greater Basilisk.

Yu Yuan focused his thoughts, attempting to invoke the scrying power of the Dragon Slaying Stage, with the image of the Secular Bird in his mind.

Nothing!

"You can't see her?"

The Abyssal Greater Basilisk's expression darkened further. He inhaled deeply, as though drawing in a whirlwind of energy, "I'll tell you this! Your inability to see her now isn't because the Chronowyrm's remains have been taken. The deceased tenth level Dragon God isn't as significant as you believe, and the wonder of the Dragon Slaying Stage goes beyond just the remains of the three Dragon Gods!"

"The true marvel lies in the Dragon Slaying Stage itself, in Taiyin's exquisite refinement, and in the profound cosmic order he has mastered."

"So, if you can't see her, it's not for any other reason but because the young creature doesn't want you to!"

"The young beast, the Seven-Colored Dragon, and Loong Jie have been after a different quarry all along—not me, but the Secular Bird Queen!"

"They're stalling me because they fear I'll get too close and meddle with their assault on the Secular Bird Queen!"

"The Secular Bird is extremely weak right now and might soon depart the Ashlands. As for me, I'm too far away to be of any help, despite my willingness," the Lizard shared his speculation.

"Yu Yuan, I'm convinced that's the real truth. That juvenile creature is inherently savage, and the Chronowyrm is both sly and malicious. With the Chronowyrm's scheming, and the dragon corpse from the Dragon Slaying Stage conveniently leaving at this very moment, it must be premeditated!"

Whoosh!

The Abyssal Leviathan arrived, riding upon the diminished stars.

His hands fidgeted nervously as he blurted out, "Lizard, we must find a way to stop it! If it consumes the gravely wounded Secular Bird, neither of us will stand a chance of survival in the Ashlands!"

"I'm well aware!" bellowed the Abyssal Greater Basilisk.

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