C939 Five Dragon Gods
Inside the Dragon Slaying Stage, Tian Zang's revelation left Yu Yuan as still as a statue, confronting for the first time the stark reality of the Naga's rise and fall.
The demise of the dark dragon gave rise to the Devil Palace. The fall of the fire dragon birthed the Sunlit Order and the Ruby Hand, while the frost wyrm's end heralded the Winter's Bite. These long-buried histories rendered Yu Yuan speechless.
"The Devil Palace, the Sunlit Order, the Ruby Hand, and Winter's Bite. How did they come into being following the demise of the giant dragons?" After some time, Yu Yuan humbly sought enlightenment.
Tian Zang, once a formidable Sky Fiend and among the top three Evil Devils of the forbidden area, was also a celebrated figure among the Star-Spawned Terrors before entering the Everlands. His profound knowledge of the Everlands' history, the Boulderdawn, and the Nagas deeply impressed Yu Yuan, who eagerly anticipated uncovering the events of those bygone days.
"Do you really believe that your human race's system of cultivation just appeared out of thin air?" Tian Zang scoffed, his gaze filled with scorn. "The techniques for drawing in the divine force of heaven and earth, refining oneself, and unlocking the acupoints of the little world were not devised by your people. They were introduced by another power seeking to sow discord in the Everlands, using you as pawns in their scheme to confront the dragons."
"Who would have guessed that a mere accident would lead to the ascendancy of your human race? After toppling the giant dragons, you have become a more formidable foe than the Nagas themselves."
"If only I had known it would come to this, perhaps I would have acted differently back then," Tian Zang sighed, his spirit deflated.
Yu Yuan's brow quirked, picking up on a crucial detail from Tian Zang's lament. It seemed that entities from the Star River beyond had used humanity as guinea pigs, teaching them to harness the divine force to empower themselves and vex the Nagas, plunging the Everlands into turmoil.
With the aid of these entities, humans had stumbled upon the path of cultivation, establishing their own system of cultivators.
As anticipated, humanity grew stronger and increasingly unwilling to endure enslavement by the Nagas or the merciless slaughter at the hands of the giant dragons. Humans and evilkind, equally resolute in their refusal to be subjugated, joined forces to challenge the dragons.
Ultimately, with a united front and possibly the aid of extraterrestrial forces, the humans and evilkind succeeded in dethroning the Nagas. The Dragon Slaying Stage, which came into existence, might also owe its creation to powers from beyond our world.
One by one, the giant dragons fell, their demise sealed by the Dragon Slaying Stage erected upon the dragon vein. This act ensured that no dragon could surpass the limits of their bloodline to ascend to the status of Dragon God.
In this era, the human race gave rise to a host of prodigious warriors and established numerous formidable sects. With their numbers dwarfing those of the Nagas and a complete system of cultivators in place, the humans produced a cadre of supreme experts that outnumbered the five Dragon Gods.
Furthermore, the rise of the evilkind, coupled with their longstanding unity and harmony with humans, fortified the power of the Everlands far beyond the era of Naga supremacy.
The Boulderdawn Sect alone matched the might of the ancient Nagas, and when combined with the other human sects and Shadow's Keep, they formed an indomitable force.
By the time the malevolent forces from the Star River came to their senses, they found themselves powerless to reverse their fate. Led by the Boulderdawn Sect, human champions boldly ventured into the Star River, brandishing their swords against various extraterrestrial races.
Whenever a human champion fell, another swiftly took their place, wielding even greater battle prowess. The passing of a primordial spirit heralded the rise of another, and the fall of a Dark Deity signaled the emergence of a new one. The ranks of the Unbound and Solar Spirit cultivators, even when diminished by extraterrestrial battles, were continually replenished by fresh faces from within the Everlands, ensuring an unbroken lineage of warriors.
In contrast, the formidable races dwelling in the depths of the Star River required extensive periods to cultivate new high-bloodline warriors. Ninth and tenth level combatants, once lost, might need centuries or even millennia to be reborn.
As the battles ensued, humanity surpassed the Nagas and wrested control from the clutches of the Star-Spawned Terror.
The Everlands emerged as the most formidable force within the Star River's depths. Even the once-dreaded Sky Fiend had to join forces with the Otherkin to stand against the Everlands' might.
A myriad of thoughts, sparked by Tian Zang's words, surfaced in Yu Yuan's mind.
Tian Zang watched him, waiting patiently for him to process the information before speaking. "The bloodline of the tenth-level Dragon God holds the essence of the cosmic order. The Way of Heaven is inherently linked to the dark arts. The dark arts practiced by the Demon Lords of the Devil Palace are derived from the dark dragon."
"The Ruby Hand and the Sunlit Order both discovered spells to refine flames and fortify themselves from the human cultivators' insights gained at the site of the fire dragon's demise."
"Different individuals gleaned varied cultivation methods from the essence of the dragon's fiery aura, leading to the distinct paths of the Sunlit Order and the Ruby Hand. Yet, the origin remains the fire dragon."
"The creator of Winter's Bite only had a brief period of enlightenment in the frost wyrm's deathly realm. Winter's Bite's inability to ascend to the ranks of the upper sects is due to an incomplete understanding of the Way of Heaven. The frost wyrm met its end at the Dragon Slaying Stage, with its blood, remains, and Dragon Soul all embedded within a fragment of the Stage."
"The five tenth-level Dragon Gods, including the Chronowyrm, the golden dragon, and the frost wyrm, all met their fate at the Dragon Slaying Stage."
"Dragons that perished on the Dragon Slaying Stage left all of their essence eternally within it. The followers of Winter's Bite, unable to enter the Stage, could not grasp the ultimate secrets of ice magic. Thus, they lacked the power to ascend, even when a primordial spirit vacancy arose."
"Jihui, the God-King, was a prodigy of Boulderdawn who achieved the Unbound state through the Soul Forging through Enlightenment. He later entered the Dragon Slaying Stage, where he mastered the power of the Chronowyrm, ascending to the status of primordial spirit and becoming one of the five God-Kings of Boulderdawn."
...
Tian Zang revealed the secret truths in a detailed manner.
Yu Yuan listened intently, not missing a single word, and at last, he had a rough understanding of the events that had transpired in the past.
He learned why the Nagas had fallen, why the Sunlit Order had risen to become an upper sect, and why the Ruby Hand was closely following in their footsteps, poised to contend with Shadow's Keep and the Devil Palace. Yet, Winter's Bite had never managed to ascend to the status of an upper sect.
"The Domain Channel carved open by the Chronowyrm is being suppressed by the God-King Jihui. His insights into the mysteries of time and space were also derived from the Chronowyrm. It was only after Yan Qiling grasped the God-King's legacy of time and space that he was able to transform into his current state. Perhaps he is the only one who can repair that Domain Channel," Yu Yuan mused.
"This Dragon Slaying Stage is mine," Tian Zang asserted once more, "The section with the golden dragon must remain to suppress the earth's dragon vein—you must not disturb it. The largest piece, which contains the frost wyrm's corpse, I am willing to cede to you."
The shattered Dragon Slaying Stage was divided into three parts, each containing the immense corpses of the three Dragon Gods: the Chronowyrm, the golden dragon, and the frost wyrm. Additionally, there were dozens of ninth and eighth level dragon corpses.
"The seven-colored Chronowyrm..."
After a prolonged silence, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit murmured softly.
At that moment, he realized he was in his Lunar Spirit form, drawn uncontrollably deep into the Dragon Slaying Stage.
This place was not the Land of Terror. His Lunar Spirit's departure into this realm could be seen as an expedition.
The Lunar Spirit had ventured far from the Land of Terror and into this peculiar little world, as if meandering through the corridors of time. Wasn't this very journey a testament to the Lunar Spirit's travels?
He suddenly understood that the progression of his Spirit Walk had already commenced.
It appeared that if his Lunar Spirit could traverse the three parts of the Dragon Slaying Stage and return safely to merge with his real body, his Spirit Walk would be deemed a success.
"The Dragon Slaying Stage has drawn my Lunar Spirit within. So, what within the Dragon Slaying Stage is reaching out to me?"
As the thought crossed his mind, Yu Yuan covertly invoked the Wraithbinding technique. His Lunar Spirit transformed into a shadowy vortex of souls, which began to spin slowly, creating a pulling force from within the whirlpool.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Within the segmented remains of the Chronowyrm, slender and resplendent light dragons began to drift toward the dark soul vortex that Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit had become.
These light dragons lacked the chaotic forces of space and time; instead, they carried traces of pure Dragon Soul essence. But more than that, they bore a power entirely unfamiliar to Tian Zang, a force he had never encountered before in this realm—a force that even his Blood Altar struggled to capture or collect.
Tian Zang could only watch as this mysterious power, harbored within the bodies of the light dragons, merged one by one into the soul whirlpool that Yu Yuan had wrought through Wraithbinding.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
With ease, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit drew in this power, instantly assimilating it into his soul.
"Could this be the legacy of the dragon slayer?"