C936 Dragon Slaying Stage

Yu Yuan, separated from his Lunar Spirit, was multitasking with a divided focus. His Lunar Spirit had been irresistibly drawn to an underground chasm and was forcefully extracted, slipping into a fissure below. In that fleeting moment, his real body lost all connection with the Lunar Spirit! Despite the proximity within the Moonfall Sanctuary, his real body, which stood alongside Tian Zang and the Crucible of Evil, was oblivious to the Lunar Spirit's perceptions. This anomaly was highly unusual.

Few places on earth could sever the link between a Lunar Spirit and its real body. The Land of Terror was renowned for such peculiar phenomena. Any Lunar Spirit that ventured into the Land of Terror, apart from its body, would become disconnected, unable to share thoughts with its real body. Yet here he was, in the Moonfall Sanctuary, his own domain!

The earth trembled relentlessly. Tian Zang, utterly astonished, at last recognized that Yu Yuan's real body remained present. "You?" he demanded, staring at Yu Yuan.

Yu Yuan snapped to attention, "What on earth is down there?"

As Yu Yiyi and Yu Yuan delved deeper in their soul forms, and with the subterranean commotion growing more pronounced, Tian Zang realized he could no longer conceal the truth. After a brief pause, he divulged, "It's the Dragon Slaying Stage."

"The Dragon Slaying Stage?" Yu Yuan echoed, taken aback.

"Thirty thousand years ago, when the human race was at its zenith and allied with evilkind, they drove the Nagas from their sacred pedestal. To deter and dominate the Nagas, a Boulderdawn sage forged the Dragon Slaying Stage from a Hex Stone in the Star River. This stage was used to execute numerous giant dragons."

"The essence of the slain dragons—their Dragon Souls, blood, and remains—were all integrated into the Dragon Slaying Stage, endowing it with boundless mystical properties."

"The Dragon Slaying Stage, like the Soulforge Pool, is one of the Boulderdawn's Divine Artifacts."

"The once towering peak that crumbled three decades millennia ago stood as a testament to grandeur. This forbidden area, once replete with soaring mountains, was the Nagas' realm before humanity's ascent. Beneath us lies the largest dragon vein in the world, a conduit of the Nagas' fortune."

Perched atop the Dragon Slaying Stage, it has thwarted the resurgence of the Nagas, ensuring that no tenth-level Dragon God could ever emerge again.

When the Boulderdawn Sect fell, the Dragon Slaying Stage was employed in battle but ultimately shattered. Even as fragments, resting upon the dragon vein below, it continued to stifle the prosperity of the Nagas.

Tian Zang divulged these hidden intricacies.

"Few are privy to this knowledge. I once endeavored to refine the Dragon Soul, dragon remains, and dragon blood concealed within the Dragon Slaying Stage, to no avail. It wasn't until I reclaimed the Azurefiend's prized artifact from Cao Jiaze that I could finally draw upon a fraction of the stage's power using the Blood Altar."

As Tian Zang spoke, he cast another glance at the trembling earth beneath them.

With a whoosh, Yu Yiyi, previously swept into the chasm, emerged gracefully, her eyes alight with excitement. She addressed Yu Yuan, "Master, I was once tasked with overseeing this place! It seems I was a servant to a God-King, who waged war across the Star River year-round, leaving me to watch over the Dragon Slaying Stage in his stead."

"Servant to a God-King!" Tian Zang's face took on a look of shock.

The God-King Yu Yiyi referred to was one of the luminaries during Boulderdawn's heyday. The individual in the bronze coffin had also been a God-King. The sect boasted several God-Kings, each a cultivator at the zenith of the primordial spirit realm. The Dragon Slaying Stage itself was forged from a Hex Stone discovered in the extraterrestrial Star River by that very God-King.

During the Boulderdawn's overthrow by the combined forces of the upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep, the Dragon Slaying Stage was destroyed, and the servants guarding it perished alongside it.

Her master, the God-King who crafted the Dragon Slaying Stage, was rumored to have been ambushed and killed by the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep on his return from the extraterrestrial Star River.

"So, like Yan Qiling, you too were once part of the Boulderdawn," Yu Yuan murmured.

"The Wraithbinding technique within the Crucible of Evil, along with some Spirit Magic from Boulderdawn Sect, weren't originally from Terror Claws. They were imprinted because of me," Yu Yiyi said, her voice distant and dreamy. "The one who found me at the shattered Dragon Slaying Stage and transformed me into the artifact soul of the Crucible of Evil did so to protect me."

"At the height of the Crucible of Evil's power, I regained most of my memories and was branded with Wraithbinding and numerous Spirit Magic secrets."

"And he, as a result, reached the pinnacle of the Unbound Realm, just a step away from condensing his primordial spirit. He took me beyond the Star River, attempting to locate Boulderdawn Sect, and that's when the three upper sects became aware."

"The downfall of Terror Claws was due to the sect master's unauthorized attempts to connect with Boulderdawn Sect, secretly practicing their Spirit Magic."

Yu Yiyi spoke, her gaze lost as she divulged many secrets.

Then, looking puzzled at the pit below, she added, "Oddly enough, your Lunar Spirit was also drawn to the Dragon Slaying Stage. I'm not sure what happened, but I'll go back and check..."

With a swift whoosh, Yu Yiyi vanished underground once again.

Tian Zang's face darkened, "Yu Yuan, this Dragon Slaying Stage is crucial to my path! If I can harness the power within the Blood Altar, I might rise to stand alongside White Bone!"

"How many dragons has this Dragon Slaying Stage slain?" Yu Yuan demanded.

"Dozens of giant dragons! Including three tenth-level Dragon Gods!" Tian Zang replied, his face a mix of emotions. "It's precisely because of this that the Dragon Slaying Stage can deter all dragons of the Everlands! Even shattered, as long as its fragments rest upon the dragon vein, the Nagas cannot rise again."

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Beru, Canli, Mia, Xi Quan, and others converged on the site, drawn by the disturbance.

"What's going on?"

Canli of the Dawnbringers peered into the depths below, her expression one of bewilderment.

Yu Yuan should have chosen a secluded place to attempt advancing to the Spirit Walk realm, shouldn't he? Why is he here, engaging in conversation with a Sky Fiend? Tian Zang, in his current guise as a sapphire-skinned, razor-toothed Sky Fiend, was inscrutable in terms of power and depth. It wasn't immediately apparent that he had transformed his soul into that of a Ghost King.

"His Lunar Spirit has left his body; he's on the verge of breaking through to the Spirit Walk realm," observed Mia of the Shadowkin, noticing at a glance that Yu Yuan's soul was incomplete, with the Lunar Spirit missing.

"The Lunar Spirit has left his body?" Canli exclaimed in surprise.

"What lies buried beneath us?" Xi Quan demanded.

All eyes were fixed on the ground below, clearly indicating their ignorance of the situation.

Tian Zang, who had been confined in the forbidden area for millennia, nearly choked with frustration upon their arrival. At the Dragon Slaying Stage, he was methodically refining the Blood Altar, hoping to further his cultivation and challenge White Bone. This was precisely why he had made a clean getaway after his defeat in the Land of Terror—he still had the Dragon Slaying Stage to fall back on.

Unexpectedly, Yu Yuan and Yu Yiyi had stumbled upon this place. The cauldron spirit of the Crucible of Evil, once a servant watching over the Dragon Slaying Stage, had been stirred into action by the intrusion of a soul. Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit was inexplicably drawn in, and it was unclear what he was enduring inside.

With numerous Otherkin powerhouses arriving, and ancient beings like Beru who might know the secrets and legends of the Dragon Slaying Stage, Tian Zang grew increasingly anxious.

"It's nothing serious. I was just catching up with Tian Zang, the Ghost King. His Blood Altar is buried here, and I'm using it to make a breakthrough to the Spirit Walk realm," Yu Yuan clarified.

"Tian Zang, is he the Ghost King from the Land of Terror?" Beru inquired with curiosity.

"Old friend, you and I have known each other for a long time," Tian Zang responded, his body shifting form. The sapphire skin and razor teeth vanished, revealing a striking man with long, pale blue hair and a small, curved horn on his forehead.

"Sky Fiend Youqian!" Beru exclaimed, his face draining of color as he let out an involuntary scream.

"Youqian!"

Canli, Mia, and the other Otherkin guests also shouted in alarm.

Yu Yuan was taken aback. "Tian Zang, your reputation in the Extraterrestrial Star River was quite impressive."

"The entire Azurefiend Clan expended infinite resources to construct the Blood Altar, which he controls. Doesn't that say it all?" Mia gave Yu Yuan a pointed look. "If he hadn't been confined in the Moonfall Sanctuary, he'd probably already be a Demon God by now, potentially ranking among the top three powerhouses of the entire Star River Sky Fiend Clan!"

"Truly remarkable," Yu Yuan said, gesturing respectfully with his hands.

"Was that disturbance caused by your Blood Altar?" Mia inquired.

Tian Zang murmured an affirmative.

"Ah, then there's no issue. I'm looking forward to seeing you join the battle once the formation is broken," Mia said, her suspicions allayed. She glanced once more at the pit below, then turned and departed.

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