C998 Exploring the Unknown

Dozens of miles from the valley where he resided lay a small village. The dwellings, constructed from massive stones, featured spire-shaped rooftops—a stark contrast to the architecture of the Boundless Land.

The stone spires were etched with symbols and script unknown to Yu Yuan, none of which he recognized.

"No signs of life," Yu Yiyi's soulful voice echoed in his mind. "These stone buildings are unfamiliar to me; they're not part of my awakened memories."

"Keep searching," Yu Yuan commanded.

The dark cauldron soared onward, revealing hills, mountains, valleys, and forests to Yu Yuan through its magic. Occasionally, similar spire-shaped structures would emerge, though they were scarce.

The region seemed forsaken by some wise entity. Devoid of higher beings of intelligence, it was also bereft of insects and vicious beasts. Yet, mutated plants thrived, nourished by the corruption of bizarre energies.

Yu Yuan was in no rush to depart. Within the valley, he harnessed the power of the pellets, integrating the myriad energies into his blood, Qi, consciousness, and the acupoints he had unlocked.

With no celestial cycle, no darkness, just an everlasting amber sky, he could not discern the passage of time.

After an indeterminate span, the Evil Cauldron completed its circuit of the realm and returned to the secluded valley. "I've conducted a thorough examination. There may have been a time of prosperity, but now, life is absent. On the world's fringes lie the ruins of cities, long since destroyed," it reported.

Yu Yiyi's spectral form gradually materialized from within the cauldron. Bereft of the cauldron's demonic protection, her body was permeated by delicate luminescence, as if lightning coursed within her.

She winced slightly, enduring the discomfort as she acclimated.

She quickly reassured Yu Yuan with a gentle smile, "It's manageable."

"You're adjusting?" Yu Yuan asked, a hint of astonishment in his voice.

"I am not of flesh and blood," she replied with a nod and a smile. "Thank you, Master, for the strength you've helped me gather to forge this new spiritual form. My spirit is not merely an apparition; it holds a measure of pure power. Moreover, the dark soul energy from the Soul Transformation Pool in the forbidden land has also aided in shaping my form."

"Soul Transformation Pool," Yu Yuan murmured under his breath.

"It must have been summoned away. There's no need for concern, Master. With the Dragon Slash Platform in your possession, you're destined to be reunited with them." Her gaze lingered on the two stones Yu Yuan had carelessly tossed aside, then shifted to the dazzling blades of light intermittently cracking through the deep valley.

"Master, have you noticed the spatial rifts here seem more frequent than before?"

"Denser?" Yu Yuan was taken aback.

Behind him, the valley would periodically be rent by a spatial rift, which typically vanished within seconds.

He was convinced he had arrived through one such rift, yet he hadn't given much thought to these rifts, nor had he scrutinized them closely.

Prompted by Yu Yiyi's comment, he turned to survey the valley and indeed spotted several bright spatial rifts flickering into existence.

Like lightning, these rifts would flash and then abruptly fade away.

"They have become somewhat more concentrated," he conceded after a closer look, acknowledging that the cauldron soul had a keener and more careful eye than his own.

"To understand where we are or to find a way out, we might need to navigate those spatial rifts," Yu Yiyi mused, her eyes raised to the patchy dark yellow sky. "We can't just traverse the boundary rifts and enter the true galaxy. I'm confident that even the genuine dark, icy expanse of space would be no match for you, Master, but..."

She paused, weighing her words, before continuing, "The outside is still far too perilous."

"I'm not sure how to truly wield the Dragon Slash Platform," Yu Yuan admitted, gazing down at the gray-white stone that entombed the Space-time Dragon, his brow furrowed. "This place may be devoid of life, granting us a measure of safety for now. But to blindly leap into a spatial rift without knowing our destination would be foolhardy."

"I believe the rifts could eventually stabilize," Yu Yiyi's eyes sparkled with an unusual gleam. "Though it may require more time."

Her attention returned to the Dragon Slash Platform, cradling the Space-time Dragon within it, as if stirring long-sealed memories to the surface.

As she desperately tried to remember, the piercing pain in her brain nearly knocked her unconscious.

Clutching her head in agony, she exclaimed, "Our arrival here must be connected to the Dragon Slash Platform!"

"Which one?"

"The one that held the Space-time Dragon!"

A glimmer sparked in Yu Yuan's eyes.

With a slight lift of his left hand, a radiant sphere of spiritual energy materialized in his palm. The Dragon Slash Platform on the ground soared up and settled firmly into his grasp.

Immersing a strand of his soul consciousness into it, he beheld the deceased Space-time Dragon and several other Ninth Level Dragon corpses.

He tuned in silently...

After a brief pause, he furrowed his brow and declared, "There's nothing unusual about it."

With a mere thought, the Dragon Slash Platform containing the Frost Dragon also fell into his hand, and he proceeded with another examination.

"It's peculiar. Back in the Fallen Moon Forbidden Area, I could harness the power of both Dragon Slash Platforms. Facing the menace of the Great Demon God Greco, I instinctively wielded the Yin God and Heavenly Soul to command the Dragon Slash Platforms, tapping into the residual energy within the dragon remains. Yet here, all strangeness is absent."

"Huh!"

Holding a Dragon Slash Platform in each hand, a faint attraction seemed to form between them.

They were like iron and magnet, drawn to each other with a mutual pull.

In the Boundless Land, Yu Yuan had felt nothing of the sort; even pressing the two Dragon Slash Platforms tightly together, they would part as soon as he released them.

But now...

Shrrrip!

Almost simultaneously, nearly six spatial fissures violently split open in the valley's depths.

Yu Yuan's spiritual energy within became tumultuous, splitting into two currents that surged into the Dragon Slash Platforms.

Snap!

The two Dragon Slash Platforms miraculously came together at the seam.

From the fissure, a luminescent, liquid-like divine glow spilled out, acting as a peculiar adhesive, aiding the two Dragon Slash Platforms in their true unification.

The Dragon Slash Platform, designed to suppress the Dragon Vein, was once a single entity. Following the demise of the Divine Soul Sect, it shattered into three fragments.

Any two pieces of the Dragon Slash Platforms could merge, forming a larger whole.

Yet, since their fragmentation, the three Dragon Slash Platforms had never managed to rejoin—until now.

"I was mistaken; both Dragon Slash Platforms appear to have the ability to influence the creation of spatial rifts! It's because they were made from the same material originally!" Yu Yiyi cried out in astonishment.

Rip!

A spatial rift, widening by the moment, shimmered with flowing light. Within it, several contorted figures wailed in agony before being violently ejected.

Yu Yuan and Yu Yiyi, clutching the Dragon Slash Platforms, jumped in shock.

Then, they stood dumbfounded, gazing at the line of strange, otherworldly visitors that had materialized from thin air.

…