C941 The Arrival of the Archdemon

Merely a few dozen miles from the Dragon Slaying Stage lay the entrance to the forbidden area where Yu Yuan had once faced his trials. Towering nearly a thousand feet high, a golden mountain shimmered with a brilliance so intense that it was nearly impossible to gaze upon directly. Golden lightning danced across the mountain's surface in a mesmerizing display.

The essence of the rule system enveloped the golden mountain, casting a spell over the surrounding thousand-mile radius, where mountains rich in Sunsilver ore underwent wondrous transformations.

Atop the mountain peak, the Golden Elephant God, having assumed human form, gazed intently at the nearby Soulforge Matrix. Flanking him were two majestic wolves, their silver-grey fur seemingly drawing in the moon's glow.

Beside them stood a woman of otherworldly beauty, her presence marked by a chilling allure and the splendid feathers of a peacock's tail unfurled behind her.

The Golden Elephant God, the silver wolf king, and the Peacock Queen—three ninth-level archdemons from Shadow's Keep—had arrived first on the scene. Following their lead, a host of eighth and seventh-level archdemons, marshaled by Dusk Raven, made their way from Gavanas.

The tranquility was shattered by Loong Jie's dragon roar, cleaving the heavens. A bolt of golden lightning cut through the sky as Loong Jie, in his human guise, came to a halt beside the Golden Elephant God.

The wolf king, his silver eyes gleaming with malice, bared his fangs—sharp enough to crush the bodies of ninth-level Stoneborn—with a chilling gleam. "Loong Jie, the Nagas are truly pathetic now. Despite your leadership and the Nagas' full commitment, you still allowed Green Willow to slip away to the Marsh."

The Peacock Queen, resplendent in her luxurious attire, exuded a charm that could ensnare any soul. With a slight purse of her lips, she taunted, "Loong Jie, weren't there promises made by the three great upper sects? The Dragon Slaying Stage was supposed to be moved from the dragon vein. If the Nagas fail to distinguish themselves in this battle, you'll have no choice but to tuck your tails and stay meekly in the depths of the ocean, with no hope for the emergence of a new Dragon God."

Both the silver wolf king and the Peacock Queen spared no mercy with their scorn, utterly disregarding his dignity.

Loong Jie glared at the stunning Peacock Queen with a fierce intensity, silently swallowing his saliva. He thought to himself that once the Dragon Slaying Stage was removed and he ascended to Dragon God, she would be the first one he'd take down.

His lustful desire for the Peacock Queen had been scorching since their first encounter.

Regrettably, this formidable archdemon from Shadow's Keep was no saint. Despite her youth, her talent was exceptional, and her ancient demon blood was of the purest lineage, making her a ninth-level archdemon, a peer in power.

He had no chance of becoming a Dragon God, and even at his peak strength, he could only hope to best the Peacock Queen.

The idea of subduing her and rendering her powerless was nothing more than a fool's fantasy.

"Alright, enough with the mockery," the Golden Elephant God said, furrowing his brow. "This battle is critical; we cannot afford any mistakes. Loong Jie and his giant dragons have chosen to side with us, so we must welcome them. Loong Jie, how soon can your dragons get here?"

"In no more than two days, thirty dragons will arrive," Loong Jie responded.

"Thirty dragons," the Golden Elephant God acknowledged with a nod. "In another day, the four Unbound dark adepts from the Devil Palace will lead the might of the Skyblight Cult, Poison Cult, Ruby Hand, and Taintborn here in succession. Once your dragonkin have joined us, we'll unite to break through the formation."

"Taintborn?" Loong Jie was taken aback. "Weren't they involved in that trading summit?"

"Their members who participated were executed by the Taintborn as a deterrent," the Golden Elephant God replied with a detached tone. "The Taintborn's sect master personally sought forgiveness from the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, claiming his disciples acted without his knowledge while he was in the Star River beyond our world."

The Peacock Queen let out a soft laugh. "I've heard the Binders of Shadows plan to adopt the Taintborn's approach as well."

At that, Loong Jie's expression turned peculiar.

The Taintborn and Binders of Shadows sending their disciples to the summit was meant to set a precedent, a gesture of goodwill towards Boulderdawn.

Yet, as they witnessed the Otherkin experts stranded in the forbidden area and the three upper sects, along with the Devil Palace and Shadow's Keep, preparing to strike with severe warnings issued, the Taintborn and Binders of Shadows were clearly frightened. In a dramatic turn, they chose to slaughter their own disciples to sever ties with Boulderdawn.

"What's the situation with the Colddeath?" Loong Jie inquired further.

"Ann Wen refuses to see reason. Once the conflict in the forbidden area concludes, Zhu Zhenlin from the Devil Palace will personally visit the Colddeath to have a word with Ann Wen," the Golden Elephant God responded.

It was clear that Zhu Zhenlin, a being of the Primordial Spirit Realm, intended to eliminate Ann Wen upon his arrival at the Colddeath.

"And I've heard something about the Artifact Sect as well..."

Loong Jie, eager for a bit of disorder, shared the information he had gathered.

"After the trade fair concluded, a notable figure from the Artifact Sect took a treasure ship straight to the extraterrestrial realms," the Golden Elephant God huffed. "The leader of the Artifact Sect claimed ignorance, stating that they would first locate this individual, assess the situation, and then decide on a course of action."

Loong Jie nodded in understanding.

In the southern region of the Land of Quiescence, the Artifact Sect, Skyreach Consortium, and Order of Healing have always remained neutral.

The forgers of the Artifact Sect are among the most headstrong individuals in the world, never heeding commands and unafraid of stirring up trouble.

The Devil Palace, Shadow's Keep, and the upper sects all rely on the Artifact Sect in many ways. To annihilate the Artifact Sect would be to inflict a great loss upon the entire human and evilkind populations of the Everlands.

Thus, the only way to handle the Artifact Sect is to divide them from within, rather than to slaughter them outright.

Aaah!

Lost in his thoughts, Loong Jie suddenly emitted a soul-wrenching dragon's roar.

He transformed back into his Five-clawed Golden Dragon form in a flash, his massive body thrashing in the void, wracked with agony.

"The Dragon Slaying Stage—something must have happened to my ancestor's dragon corpse!" Loong Jie bellowed.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The earth quivered subtly.

"The vibrations originate from the dragon vein within the forbidden area! Something extraordinary must be occurring at the Dragon Slaying Stage, where the golden dragon's corpse lies!" exclaimed the Silver Wolf King.

"We can't access the Dragon Vein or the Dragon Slaying Stage for now," lamented the Peacock Queen. "I'm extremely curious about what's transpiring at the Dragon Slaying Stage."

In a distant realm, a massive golden dragon was severed into five pieces.

The dragon's head lay at the center of the world, while the four gleaming sections of its corpse were positioned at the four cardinal points, each a great distance from the ferocious golden head.

Rivers of golden blood flowed from the quartered dragon, converging towards the head.

The dragon's head sat like an island amidst a lake of golden blood.

The ground was littered with dragon heads and corpses, including green dragons and thunder dragons of the ninth and eighth levels, far surpassing the remains on the other Dragon Slaying Stages.

At that very moment, Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit had traversed from the burial site of the frost wyrm's corpse to this location.

Upon invoking the Wraithbinding, it morphed into a somber vortex of souls, swirling slowly.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Golden dragon whelps, like bolts of golden lightning, burst forth from the blood of the golden dragon, each being drawn into the swirling vortex, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Yu Yiyi watched his Lunar Spirit with an astonished gaze.

The Dragon Slaying Stage trembled and roared, on the brink of fracturing once more, as Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit consumed the golden dragon whelps.

Yu Yiyi was deeply alarmed and wished to intervene, silently pleading for Yu Yuan to cease.

Yet, she recognized her own helplessness in the face of his actions.

"This Dragon Slaying Stage, unlike the others, must not suffer any mishaps; it cannot break apart."

As a past sentinel, she understood the critical significance of this Dragon Slaying Stage, which entombed the golden dragon.

As long as this stage remained intact, suppressing the dragon vein beneath, the Nagas could stir no trouble.

For it was this very golden dragon who had achieved enlightenment in this world and ascended to the status of Dragon God.

The golden dragon's power stemmed from the mightiest dragon vein below.

Thus, he could subtly wield control over the vast empires of Aetherius through the dragon's aura, allowing his half-blood descendants to govern the mortal realm as Human Emperors.

The Dragon Slaying Stage, the final resting place of both the Frost Wyrm and the Chronowyrm, could be relocated, but this particular one was immovable.

Should it break apart, there was a risk that the integrity of its power would be compromised, potentially allowing a ninth level giant dragon like Loong Jie to seize the moment and evolve their lineage, ascending to the status of a tenth level Dragon God in this new age.

Thankfully, the concerns she harbored never materialized.

The earth trembled briefly as Yu Yuan's Lunar Spirit consumed the golden dragon whelps, after which the Dragon Slaying Stage slowly regained its tranquility.

Meanwhile, Yu Yuan himself was left in a befuddled state, caught between slumber and wakefulness.

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