C1705 The Draconic Soul Shackle
The Three Headed Dragon Corpse had departed from the Dragon Slaying Stage, leaving behind a distinct boundary that created an independent little world. Suddenly, a peculiar sound pierced the silence.
The surface of the stark white, frigid ground was illuminated by a dense network of light, a manifestation of the cosmic order.
Boom!
A thunderous roar echoed, resonating like the sound of the Way of Heaven, akin to an arcane divine language softly uttered by the gods.
In an instant, the Soul Curse that had lain dormant beneath the Dragon Slaying Stage for eons transformed into Dragon Amulets, shackling the tormented Nagas. The Yellow Giant Dragon, the Chronowyrm, the Frost Wyrm, the Green Dragon, the Jade Wyrm, and the Snow Dragon – each one of them was now bound by the Dragon Amulets, wailing like the ancestors of the Nagas under the merciless lash of the Divine Whip.
Whoosh!
Yu Yuan's real body appeared abruptly, surveying the now desolate world left in the wake of the Three Headed Dragon Corpse. Despite the departure of the corpse, the profound meaning of the golden dragon's bloodline, the Chronowyrm's intricate rules, and the frost wyrm's chilling power remained, etched clearly upon the silvery-white ground.
The barriers between the three little worlds crumbled under the force of the Dao sound, and countless Dragon Amulets danced around Yu Yuan's form.
Each amulet bore the visage of an imprisoned dragon ancestor, growing in strength and drawing power from Yu Yuan's remnant soul and essence.
With a resounding crash, the Dragon Amulets within the Dragon Slaying Stage's inner world expanded exponentially. A panoramic view revealed ancient dragon ancestors, each one firmly bound by the Dragon Amulets' Chain of Order, creating a tableau of majestic dragons unable to move, all emitting heart-wrenching cries of anguish.
"Draconic Soul Shackle!"
Wisps of memory sparkles, long concealed at the foundation of the Dragon Slaying Stage and never activated until now, separated from Yu Yuan's dominant soul. They transformed into brilliant streaks of snow-white lightning, swiftly entering his Mindscape and reuniting with his dominant soul.
"Forge the New Everlands!"
Another fragment of long-sealed memories sprang to life with the activation of the Draconic Soul Shackle.
"Ugh!"
The agitated Abyssal Greater Basilisk felt an overwhelming force of suppression. He gazed in astonishment at the Dragon Slaying Stage, only to find that Yu Yuan, who had previously been shrouded in gloom, had vanished without a trace.
The once dull Dragon Slaying Stage now glowed with a radiant white luminescence.
And it was translucent!
Inside the translucent Dragon Slaying Stage, within its little world, it seemed as though millions of giant dragons were writhing, continuously lashed by the Divine Thunder of Order, their howls of agony echoing.
Crack!
Bolt after bolt of ghostly lightning surged from the Dragon Slaying Stage, piercing through the space rift and into a hidden place unreachable within the Ashlands.
It was as if there was another realm, expertly concealed, always firmly in the grasp of the young beasts!
The Sovereign Star of the Ashlands!
"The primal Cosmic Orders of the Everlands began to seep into the Ashlands, altering and merging with the Ashlands' original Cosmic Orders to refine and perfect them!"
The Abyssal Leviathan, long oppressed by the Dark Phoenix in the Embers Sea of the Everlands, trembled violently and let out a startled cry.
He keenly sensed that among the thirty-six totem-poles, there lay the ancient blood magic of the evilkind.
There were also the Voodoo Shade rituals of the Bloodbrawlers and the meticulously understood laws of the Boulderdawn and their contemporaries from the Divine Soul Sect.
The profound mysteries of the Way of Heaven, which had once illuminated the ancient Everlands with dazzling brilliance, had transformed into streams of dark lightning, infiltrating a particular realm within the Ashlands.
"This Dragon Slaying Stage..."
Awkwafina of the Shadowkin was struck by a profound fear. She had to distance herself from the mutating Dragon Slaying Stage to fend off the disquiet in her heart, exclaiming, "Why hasn't it weakened after the departure of the Three Headed Dragon Corpse? Instead, it has become even more enigmatic?"
"Leviathan!" The Lizard bellowed.
The words of the Origin Deity, hinted at during the time in Eiwrone, suddenly resurfaced in the mind of the Abyssal Greater Basilisk.
As the Dragon Slaying Stage underwent its transformation, the Cosmic Orders that were being released, the ancestors of the Nagas bound by the Dragon Amulet, and the curse within the Moonfall Sanctuary that prevented the Everlands Dragon Clan from advancing beyond the tenth level—all these elements coalesced in the Lizard's mind, conjuring the image of a towering figure.
Dragon Slayer!
"Is it him?"
After the figure emerged, the voice of the Abyssal Greater Basilisk quivered with a mix of fear and awe. He locked eyes with the Abyssal Leviathan and burst out, "We've come this far, and we might both meet our end in the Ashlands. Are you still keeping secrets from me?!"
"A mere youngster with a stroke of luck couldn't possibly cause you such hesitation!"
"Our bond was forged in the fires of countless battles among our kin! You wouldn't disregard my feelings over such a whelp!"
"Leviathan, tell me the truth! Is it him?"
The old lizard bellowed.
"Him? Him..."
Awkwafina of the Shadowkin mumbled incoherently.
Jessica and the two warriors of the Silverscale Tribe, after their initial bewilderment, turned ashen-faced.
"It's him."
Facing the old lizard's piercing gaze and his near-mad roars, the Abyssal Leviathan steeled himself and confessed.
"I knew it! Only he could master the Dragon Slaying Stage! Only he could maintain its full might after the dragon's corpse had departed, revealing its true form!" The Abyssal Greater Basilisk bared his teeth in a sinister smile, suddenly taking delight in the misfortune, "I want to witness him slaying the dragon once more!"
"Maybe he's already begun," whispered the Abyssal Leviathan.
Whoosh!
At the far end of the Ashlands, the Eiwrone, drawn by the Dragon Slaying Stage, defied the usual constraints of the Ashlands' laws and abruptly materialized.
It appeared right beneath the Dragon Slaying Stage!
Youyu, Xuanli, and Taixu were all disoriented, staring at the Dragon Slaying Stage's transformation without understanding.
Aoao! Aoao!
Bursting from the Everlands, led by Zhong Chichen and called forth by the younglings, the giant dragons scattered throughout the Ashlands shuddered.
Their blood magic and the forces they had mastered seemed to be shackled by unseen chains.
This included Zhong Chichen and Loong Jie!
On the fringes of the Ashlands, the Secular Bird Queen, adorned with an imperial crown, had a visage of exquisite beauty beneath the pearl curtain. At this moment, her face was tinged with pallor as she quietly assimilated the Divine Thunder within her, laden with potent toxins. She sought to integrate it into her heart, making it an integral part of her cosmic rule.
The Chaos Serpent's venomous cosmic order possessed a potent corrosive power against flesh and blood, making the fusion process exceedingly difficult.
Hovering above the Phoenix Ashes, on the cusp of breaking free from the Ashlands, the Empress gazed toward the nearby light, catching glimpses of scattered starlight. She recognized that she was nearing the gateway of the Ashlands, and those sparse twinkles were the rare stars.
Once the Phoenix Ashes departed from the Ashlands, her bloodline's connection to the Shadowkin and Wingkind would guide her, allowing her to transport both the Phoenix Ashes and the Uxthar Tree to their two nests. This meant she could bypass the arduous journey and swiftly return to the comfort of her own domain to recuperate.
With victory within reach, the Phoenix Ashes' progress ground to a halt, signaling to her that something was amiss.
Recently, Zhong Chichen, who had always presented himself with humility and respect, shed his iridescent form. In its place, his true Seven-Colored Dragon form emerged from a tear in space. His eyes, a kaleidoscope of colors, were icy and fierce.
A golden barrier, miles upon miles long, undulated gently, transforming into the formidable body of Loong Jie, the golden dragon. Within the tear, two massive violet-gold orbs shone like brilliant suns— the eyes of the young beast.
"It was me all along," Chen Qinghuang realized as she rose to her feet, her anticipation of what was to come evident in the solemnity of her exposed chin beneath the beaded curtain.
The Uxthar Tree's branches thrashed wildly, but with the appearance of the Seven-Colored Dragon and the golden dragon, coupled with the sight of those enormous violet-gold eyes, it knew disaster was imminent. In the Ashlands, under the rule of the young beast, neither it nor the weakened Empress stood a chance of escape.
"I am here," a deep, resonant voice echoed once more within the Empress's mind.
Previously unresponsive, the Secular Bird Queen now acknowledged the voice with a simple, affirming "Hmm."
In an instant, intricate Chains of Order materialized on the vast bodies of both the golden and the Seven-Colored Dragons. The Seven-Colored Dragon's hide ruptured, its blood spraying forth in a prismatic shower. Meanwhile, the golden dragon remained steadfast, unscathed, yet within his mind, a colossal Draconic Soul Shackle rune filled his consciousness, relentlessly compressing and grinding at his Dragon Soul.
Consequently, he too was howling in agony.