C940 The Second Dragon Slaying Stage
Tian Zang's complexion drained of color as shock gripped him.
Legend spoke of the God-King, who, on his return to the Star River, was ambushed by the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, meeting his end amidst the cosmos. He was the most formidable and enigmatic figure within Boulderdawn!
This God-King was none other than Yu Yiyi's original master. It was he who discovered the Hex Stone in the far reaches of the extraterrestrial Star River and forged the Dragon Slaying Stage.
He was also the one who, after the golden dragon and the frost wyrm suffered grievous injuries, first confined them within the Dragon Slaying Stage and then personally executed them.
Moreover, he effortlessly slew dozens of ninth and eighth level bloodline giant dragons using the Dragon Slaying Stage.
The once revered Dragon Clan of the Everlands was brought low by the Dragon Slaying Stage!
As its creator and possessor, the God-King was rightfully credited with this monumental feat!
The Nagas' downfall and inability to recover were directly linked to his use of the Dragon Slaying Stage to oppress the dragon vein!
The Dragon Slaying Stage had always been his most prized possession and a Divine Artifact!
Had the Human Race and evilkind not required him to use the Dragon Slaying Stage to subdue the Nagas' destiny, he might not have fallen in the ambush by the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep upon his return.
When Tian Zang was still the third demon of the forbidden area, he had heard speculative claims.
Had the God-King not used the Dragon Slaying Stage to suppress the dragon vein, but instead kept it with him or reclaimed it upon returning to the Everlands, the war that elevated the three great upper sects, the Devil Palace, and Shadow's Keep to supremacy, causing Boulderdawn to vanish, might have ended differently.
With the Dragon Slaying Stage in his grasp, he would have been nearly invincible!
The Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep desperately sought to eliminate him on his return journey, paying a steep price to ensure his demise in the extraterrestrial realm, fearing his potential resurgence with the Dragon Slaying Stage.
As Tian Zang reeled from the enormity of his realization, the Chronowyrm's seven-colored form ceased to emit its once-magnificent radiant light.
Yu Yuan, utilizing his Lunar Spirit, morphed into a shadowy soul vortex. After engulfing several slender light dragons, he reverted to his original form.
Involuntarily, he massaged his forehead, sensing that a mental imprint had fused with the soul of his Lunar Spirit.
Yet, when he attempted to locate it, it proved elusive, as if concealed in the depths.
Nonetheless, the memory of consuming the vibrant, multicolored light dragons using Wraithbinding remained vivid in his mind.
He was certain that his Lunar Spirit had indeed absorbed some foreign power, possibly unrelated to the Chronowyrm.
But this power vanished into obscurity upon entering the Lunar Spirit, leaving no trace to follow.
"That..."
Yu Yuan, slightly dazed, furrowed his brow and turned to Tian Zang, seeking to inquire further.
He noticed Tian Zang observing him warily, his face etched with a look of restrained urgency.
"I suggest you visit the other two Dragon Slaying Stages. Perhaps you'll discover something if you replicate what you've just done," Tian Zang proposed abruptly.
"The other two?" Yu Yuan glanced around the expansive landscape, taking in the dragon remains.
Somehow, he felt an inexplicable familiarity with the realm within the Dragon Slaying Stage.
This familiarity emerged only after he had employed Wraithbinding to become a dark soul vortex and consumed the miniature, rainbow-hued light dragons.
Initially, upon his arrival, he had felt no such connection.
"Yes, the other two Dragon Slaying Stages," Tian Zang confirmed, his expression laden with complexity as he nodded emphatically. "The cauldron spirit of your Crucible of Evil once watched over the Dragon Slaying Stage. Currently, it stands guard over the frost wyrm's remains. I can point you in the right direction. Of course, I'm confident you could find it without my help."
His soul fragment drifted outward, seemingly eager to guide Yu Yuan.
After a brief hesitation, Yu Yuan, unclear of the deeper implications, decided to follow.
He was curious to explore the differences within the other two Dragon Slaying Stages.
Shortly thereafter, on a silver-frosted landscape, a colossal frost wyrm lay shattered into nine segments, instantly filling Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit's vision.
The nine frost wyrms were not reassembled; instead, their remains were erected to form nine towering ice rock mountains. At the center stood an ice peak, sculpted from the colossal head of a giant dragon, with the other eight peaks arrayed in a circle around it. The corpses of the frost wyrms, now mountainous in stature, were enveloped in a thick blanket of snow, with dragon remains visible within the icy expanse. Some were so deeply shrouded in snow that only the vague outlines of their draconic forms could be discerned. Others were so vast and imposing that even the heaviest snowfall could not conceal them. With just a cursory glance, Yu Yuan could tell that this bone-chilling, snowflake-strewn landscape was the final resting place for over a dozen giant dragon corpses.
"Master! What's happening to you?" Yu Yiyi stood atop the ice peak formed by the frost wyrm's head, her snow-white feet bare against the ice rock, seemingly in harmony with the surrounding environment, as if she were an intrinsic part of it. Observing her, Yu Yuan was immediately struck by the uncanny sensation that she was indeed an element of this world.
"I..." Yu Yuan surveyed the area, about to explain that Tian Zang had led him here, when he realized that Tian Zang's soul had vanished. It seemed that Tian Zang had withdrawn the moment he had guided him into the Dragon Slaying Stage. Perhaps Tian Zang had never entered in the first place.
"The other Dragon Slaying Stage." Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit soared towards Yu Yiyi, feeling a sense of déjà vu in this pristine, ice-spired realm. It was reminiscent of the Dragon Slaying Stage where the Chronowyrm had met its end, evoking a similar feeling of familiarity. He suspected that the recent fusion of his soul with a strange power at another Dragon Slaying Stage was the source of this sensation.
Tian Zang had instructed me to summon the strange power of Wraithbinding in the same manner once more. After a moment's contemplation, Yu Yuan decided to attempt it.
Yu Yiyi gazed at his Lunar Spirit phantom, her bright eyes filled with bewilderment. "Is it because of me?" Her memories were resurfacing, and she vividly recalled her routine inspections within the Dragon Slaying Stage. She had been the custodian of the deceased dragons, their Dragon Souls, and the crystallized dragon blood that saturated the earth, ever vigilant for any signs of anomalies or changes.
Outsiders were forbidden from entering the Dragon Slaying Stage without her permission. It wasn't until her death and the subsequent shattering of the Dragon Slaying Stage that this changed. She speculated that Tian Zang managed to enter for three reasons: the destruction of the stage, her death, and the method revealed by the bronze coffin. But how could Yu Yuan gain entry?
Yu Yiyi was at a loss for an answer. She suspected it was because Yu Yuan had formed a connection with her soul, as she had once been the guardian of the Dragon Slaying Stage and Yu Yuan was her master in this life. This bond allowed Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit to penetrate the depths of the stage.
"Crack! Crack!" Abruptly, the ice and snow atop the ice peaks began to emit peculiar sounds. In an instant, delicate, snow-white dragons, their bodies glistening, burst forth from the remains of the nine frost wyrms, converging on Yu Yuan.
Yu Yiyi gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in astonishment. Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit, perched atop the ice peak, morphed into a dark vortex of souls, engulfing the miniature snow-white dragons one after another.
"No, this isn't just the frost wyrms' power; it's the legacy of the Dragon Slaying Stage's first master! This is illogical, utterly illogical! Could it be due to the Wraithbinding? The Wraithbinding technique practiced by the current master, does it originate from him?"
Clutching her head, Yu Yiyi felt a throbbing pain. The events unfolding before her defied her comprehension and knowledge. Her transformation into a cauldron spirit had brought about a change in her soul, leaving her feeling profoundly uneasy.
