C2236 Each Had Their Own Destiny

Within the All Spirits Ban, the attention of all surrounding entities was captivated by Loong Jie's performance. Yu Yuan, having severed his connection to the rules with the eighth level "Soul Altar," took a fresh look at Loong Jie, closely monitoring his actions while noting the transformations in Loong Jie's physique.

"This old lecherous dragon has had a smooth path since escaping the Sword Prison," Yu Yuan mused internally.

"I knew this would happen," Zhong Chichen, positioned above the Book of Time, unclenched his fists and smiled, remarking, "Loong Jie's talent was exceptional even tens of thousands of years ago. He is not far behind his ancestors, and he has achieved immortality with the formation of the Life Keychain within him!"

Zhong Chichen was convinced that Loong Jie had definitely surpassed the golden dragon god from the Nagas' golden era. Loong Jie's lack of self-confidence stemmed from the harsh and prolonged suppression he endured in the Everlands. His mastery of metal force, his rigorously refined dragon form, and his bloodline and dragon heritage far exceeded that of Green Willow. If Green Willow could manipulate the essence of water and advance using the rules of the All Spirits Ban, then Loong Jie was surely not inferior.

"The Everlands' bloodline constraints have locked Loong Jie's lineage at the ninth level, preventing any breakthrough. The long-term oppression has only made his bloodline foundation exceptionally rare. This old dragon was always meant to soar to great heights, and now, with Yu Yuan's guidance, he is indeed beginning to reveal his brilliance."

The Astral Tiger, gazing at the resplendent giant dragon within the All Spirits Ban from the front of the Beast God Temple, assessed, "Once he succeeds in his ascension, there will likely be few in the Three Realms who can counter him." He then cast a meaningful glance at Yu Zhu and added, "Thankfully, we still have you."

The Moonfang Tiger even believed that even if the Hall Master were to survive, she might not be able to handle this golden dragon in the times to come.

Loong Jie, having ascended to the Supreme Being through the Golden Way of Heaven, was nearly immune to most of Dark Phoenix's blood magic. However, it was Yu Zhu, after mastering the two ultimate Ways of Heaven, who might have a chance to put Loong Jie at a disadvantage.

Yu Zhu would be the key to confronting Loong Jie in the future.

"I'm worried about my mother."

Yu Zhu was deeply concerned. She paid no mind to Loong Jie and Green Willow's advancements, nor to Ballo and Brie's arrival. Her attention never strayed from the Phoenix sealed in the deepest part of the All Spirits Ban.

The purple phoenix, besieged by numerous Abyssal powerhouses, had its Celestial Plume riddled with holes that should have healed instantly.

However, due to the relentless erosion of the toxic acid, the holes were not healing as swiftly as they should.

Yu Zhu's unease grew. She attempted to reach out to Yu Yuan within the All Spirits Ban with her gaze and thoughts, but Yu Yuan, preoccupied with his battle against the Primal Soul, did not respond.

"It's alright, Hall Master..."

The imposing Astral Tiger, gazing at the now tranquil sea of demon energy, reassured her gently, "Even if the Hall Master vanishes within the seal, she can reemerge from the purple sea below. Rest assured, knowing the Hall Master as I do, there's often rationality behind her apparent madness. You needn't worry too much."

Comforted by the Astral Tiger's words, Yu Zhu's eyes brightened, and she quickly regained her composure.

With a mighty howl, Loong Jie's path to ascension seemed exceptionally smooth as he bellowed within the All Spirits Ban, his dragon eyes shining like twin golden suns.

Crack!

Most of the dragon scales encasing his body shattered, rapidly replaced by new, more resilient and sharper scales. The brilliance of the golden light they emitted was so intense that it was nearly blinding, as if it could pierce the onlooker's eyes.

This golden light was imbued with the sharpness of the universal rules.

Loong Jie had not only tapped into the metal force of the All Spirits Ban but also caused the golden halo connected to another All Spirits Ban behind the Primal Soul to fracture under the strain of his surging vitality.

The golden aura shattered, sending chunks of gold bricks tumbling from the heavens. Within the vast Everlands, where the Dragon Slaying Stage suppressed the dragon vein, the golden dragon's bloodline level remained at the ninth level, revealing its terrifying talent within the All Spirits Ban. The numerous cosmic order symbols integrated into his dragon form transformed the overwhelming golden energy into shimmering dragon scales.

Within the dragon's body, the only part not converted into Sunsilver was the dragon heart, which, having absorbed copious amounts of golden energy and the influx of metal magic, could now be altered at will. His newfound insight into metal magic had granted him the power to shift his dragon form on a whim! With a mighty roar, his dragon form morphed into a corporeal body, with boiling dragon blood, and the dragon bones and tendons reverting to their primal state. Another roar, and the golden dragon's flesh, blood, and bones underwent a dramatic transformation, all becoming the most durable and sharpest fine gold in existence!

His default state was one of flesh and blood, but in battle, he assumed the Sunsilver Body. Loong Jie's "Ultimate Golden Body" had surpassed its previous limits, ascending to heights that neither his Golden Dragon Ancestor nor the Old Titan Spinosaurus had ever reached. "Hehe! Rainbow Sage, I've never felt such power before!" Loong Jie bellowed within the All Spirits Ban, his serpentine body coiling like a mountain range, with golden scales flickering open and shut, casting brilliant ripples through the void.

In that moment, Loong Jie seemed to lose all reverence for the entity within the void. Following in Green Willow's footsteps, he had sought to assimilate the metal magic of the All Spirits Ban. Yet his mastery of metal force and the cosmic order of metal far exceeded that of Green Willow. The fallen Golden Spirit, whose cosmic order and energy lingered within the All Spirits Ban, seemed to have found its ideal successor in him. Loong Jie appeared to be the long-awaited heir to the golden cosmic order and energy!

"This golden dragon is bound to be extraordinary in the future!" Bertain's face grew solemn as he mused, "Once he ascends to the level of Supreme Being using the golden rule of this place, he will surely become one of the most formidable weapons in the Three Realms! There will be few who can restrain him or who will dare to fear him." Bertain cast a glance at Lin Daoke as he spoke.

Lin Daoke's expression remained stoic.

"Star Movement!"

Ballo, summoned from the Abyss of Truth by Yu Yuan, watched as Green Willow and Loong Jie embarked on their respective journeys of ascension. Impatient to begin, he too ignited the celestial bloodline within him.

Suspended in the air, he extracted droplets of lifeblood from his body.

These droplets formed a dazzling Star River before his chest, emitting a mystical and enchanting glow.

"Starfall!"

With his hands, he manipulated the Star River, chanting incantations and harnessing the arcane knowledge he had acquired to awaken the power of stars within him.

Ballo guided the Star River, immersing himself in the power of stars, his face etched with solemnity.

The stars, once scattered around the Primal Soul in the Abyss, sensed his devout prayers.

Thus, with the emergence of Yu Yuan's Soul Altar, which lifted the Primal Soul's restrictions, the stars were drawn to the Star River at Ballo's chest and began to drift toward him.

The descent of the stars was noticeably less intense than the phenomena Loong Jie had recently triggered.

As Ballo reverently implored the stars to fall, they seemed to possess sentience, gauging his innate talent and sincerity before leisurely making their descent.

Loong Jie's experience was markedly different.

Upon revealing the Golden Body of the golden dragon, the manifold Dao images and energies of the Golden Spirit vied to converge upon him, eager and unhesitant.

It was as if the rules and energies themselves were pleading for integration, yearning for Loong Jie to ascend to the pinnacle of existence.

"What about me?"

Brie, of the Shadowkin, quietly channeled his ancestral bloodline. His desiccated form began to exude a life-giving aura.

As he tapped into the power of vegetation, the wrinkles on his face seemed to smooth out.

He adopted a gesture of embracing the cosmos, ready to receive the influx of the plant rule and the copious plant essence, to carve out his own supreme path.

Next to him, the plant essence and the laws of vegetation from the All Spirits Ban coalesced into a verdant, dense forest.

Countless towering ancient trees, their trunks as broad as mountains, bore the intricate patterns of plant laws within their leaves.

These numerous ancient trees, standing tall as embodiments of the Dao, first encircled Brie before drawing near to the chieftain of the Shadowkin.

The ancient wood reached out with its branches, seeking to touch Brie's body and to gauge the robustness and potential within.

Boom!

The primal anima of the Abyss had only recently entered Brie's body when the Shadowkin patriarch's gaunt frame was impaled by blade-like tree branches.

Brie let out a terrified scream.

"No, this can't be happening! Yu Yuan, save me! I don't want to die!"

As he screamed, the branches that had pierced his body swiftly drained all of his flesh and the plant essence contained within it.

In a mere moment, Brie of the Shadowkin vanished silently into the thicket.

The dense forest, composed of ancient wood, also quickly dissipated.

Yu Yuan's face showed a flicker of concern. He had intended to reach out and help when Brie screamed, but it was futile.

Brie's death came too swiftly; his flesh and soul vanished without a trace, becoming part of the All Spirits Ban plant essence.

"Just like that, he's gone?"

Lin Daoke of the Sword Sect murmured in disbelief as he witnessed Brie's rapid demise.

Elsewhere, Zhong Chichen, Yuan Lianyao, Youyu, and other formidable figures were stunned by Brie's death. They had not anticipated that the Shadowkin patriarch would fall so easily.

In their own quests for ascension to Supreme Being status, the Dark Deity Green Willow and Ballo devoutly implored the cosmic order to descend upon them.

The cosmic order that lingered within the All Spirits Ban, resonating with them, gradually heeded their call. It descended in waves, facilitating their elevation.

Loong Jie, an anomaly, sought to assimilate with the golden rule and power abandoned within the All Spirits Ban.

As for Brie of the Shadowkin, he was spurned by the Tree of Life in the Abyss of Truth, which was reluctant to expend its energy or share its profound understanding of plant mysteries to forge Brie into a Supreme Being.

To the Tree of Life, Brie simply didn't measure up.

Similarly, the plant essence remaining within the All Spirits Ban's seal found Brie lacking, unworthy of ascending through the plant essence rule.

The laws of flora and the inherent power instinctively stripped Brie of his own strength.

This ill-fated leader of the Shadowkin, saved by Yu Yuan from the clutches of the Evil God in the Everlands, met his end in his quest for ascension.

"The essence of plant life within his veins originates from the Uxthar Tree. Yet, that tree is merely a seed of the Tree of Life, and Brie's own talents are quite limited," Bertain said, shaking his head. He was intimately familiar with Brie, understanding that the Shadowkin patriarch's rise to a tenth-level warrior was solely because there were no stronger contenders within the Shadowkin.

"He lacks a sober self-assessment, believing that if Loong Jie, Green Willow, and Ballo could succeed, so could he."

The Demon God let out a soft sigh before speaking, "Merely mastering the art of flora doesn't guarantee ascension to supremacy upon entering the All Spirits Ban."

"I, too, have been negligent," Yu Yuan interjected from above, "Ballo and Green Willow just barely make the cut. The corresponding powers within the All Spirits Ban are gradually infusing into them, allowing them to adapt. Their advancement may be slow, but success remains within reach."

"Loong Jie, on the other hand, is an anomaly. He represents the prime choice of the cosmos, coveted by the metal force."

"I failed to fully consider Brie's situation."

After these words, Yu Yuan swiftly steadied his inner turmoil, peering through the barrier toward the Beast God Temple. After a moment's contemplation, he declared, "The essences of the sun, moon, wood, and earth—the truths of the four Primal Animas—still persist. Any Beast God from the Wasteland, whose bloodline resonates with these elements and who possesses self-belief, may enter and vie for their chance."

"Nevertheless, the recent demise of the Shadowkin leader was witnessed by all."

"Life and death are predestined. Reflect deeply before you decide to return."

With a thunderous roar, the Beast Gods who had once pledged allegiance to Yuan Le fervently surged out of the Beast God Temple, inspired by his proclamation.

More than a dozen Beast Gods fixed their fervent gazes upon the All Spirits Ban, each one attuning their beastly intuition to its mysteries.

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