C998 Exploring the Unknown

Several dozen kilometers from the valley where he resided lay a small village. The houses, constructed from massive stones, featured spire-shaped roofs, markedly distinct from the architecture of the Everlands. The spire-like stone buildings were adorned with many symbols and inscriptions unfamiliar to Yu Yuan.

"There are no signs of life," the voice of Yu Yiyi's remnant soul echoed in his mind. "I've never encountered these stone buildings before; they're not part of my recovered memories."

"Continue the search," Yu Yuan directed.

The dark cauldron soared toward more distant locales. As Yu Yuan observed through the Crucible of Evil, hills, mountains, river valleys, and forests came into view, with occasional spire-shaped structures dotting the landscape. Yet, they were sparse.

This realm seemed forsaken by intelligent life; devoid of beings with advanced spiritual wisdom, it lacked even insects and dire beasts. Nonetheless, a variety of mutated plants thrived, nourished by the corruption of peculiar energies.

Yu Yuan was in no rush to depart. Within the valley, he utilized pills to absorb a blend of psionic powers, purifying them before integrating them into his vitality, the Golden Sanctum, his sea of consciousness, and each opened acupoint.

In a world without the cycle of day and night, under an eternally dim yellow sky, he had no means to measure the passage of time.

After an indeterminate period, the Crucible of Evil completed its circuit of the world and returned to the secluded valley. "I've conducted a thorough examination. There might have been a time of prosperity, but now, no trace of life remains. On the outskirts, there are remnants of cities long since destroyed," Yu Yiyi reported, her spectral form emerging slowly from the cauldron.

Her corporeal form, no longer shielded by the cauldron's magic power, was permeated by slender beams of light, creating streaks like lightning within her. She winced slightly, enduring discomfort as she adjusted.

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

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

"I'm not made of flesh and blood," she replied with a smile and a nod. "Thank you, Master, for the strength you've allowed me to amass, shaping a new spirited body. My spirited body isn't merely an illusion; it holds a certain purity of power. Moreover, the black Soul Power from the Soulforge Pool in the forbidden area has also contributed to my transformation."

"Soulforge Pool," Yu Yuan murmured to himself.

"It must have been summoned away. Master, there's no need for concern. With the Dragon Slaying Stage in your possession, you are destined to reunite with them." Yu Yiyi's gaze lingered on the two stones Yu Yuan had nonchalantly tossed aside, then shifted to the dazzling light blades sporadically splitting the air in the deep valley.

"Master, have you noticed the space rifts here seem to have become more frequent?" she inquired.

"Denser?" Yu Yuan echoed, taken aback.

Periodically, a space rift would slice through the air in the deep valley behind him. Typically, they would vanish within seconds, closing as abruptly as they appeared.

He was certain that he had traversed through one of those very rifts.

Yet, he hadn't given much thought to the space rifts at his back, nor had he made any effort to scrutinize them.

Prompted by Yu Yiyi's observation, he turned to survey the deep valley. Indeed, at certain moments, several bright space rifts would materialize from thin air.

Like streaks of lightning, the rifts would flash into existence, only to disappear abruptly after a brief duration.

"They are indeed more frequent," he conceded after a closer inspection, acknowledging that the cauldron spirit had a keener eye and greater diligence.

"To understand where we are or to find a way out, we may have to navigate through those space rifts," Yu Yiyi mused, her eyes lifting to the patchy dark yellow sky. "We can't just traverse the wall to reach the true Star River. I believe you could adapt to the real, dark, and icy expanse of stars, Master, but..." She paused, weighing her next words, then continued, "The outside world is far too perilous."

"I'm not sure how to truly wield the Dragon Slaying Stage," Yu Yuan admitted, his gaze falling to the grey-white stone entombing the Chronowyrm, his brow furrowed in concern. "There's no trace of life here, so at least for the moment, we're safe. But to blindly enter a space rift without knowing our destination would be foolhardy."

"I have a feeling these space rifts might stabilize eventually," Yu Yiyi's eyes sparkled with an enigmatic glow. "But it could require more time."

Her attention returned to the Dragon Slaying Stage, where the Chronowyrm lay buried, as if stirring long-sealed memories within her.

As she desperately tried to remember, the pain in her head was so intense she nearly lost consciousness.

Her face contorted in agony as she clutched her head, "We must have been brought here because of the Dragon Slaying Stage!"

"Which one?"

"The one with the Chronowyrm on it!"

Yu Yuan's eyes sparkled with a hint of realization.

He lifted his left hand, and a sphere of radiant spiritual energy materialized in his palm. The Dragon Slaying Stage on the ground rose and settled firmly in his grasp.

A thread of remnant soul seeped in, and he saw the deceased Chronowyrm, along with other ninth level dragon remains.

He tuned in to them silently...

After a short while, he furrowed his brow and remarked, "There's nothing unusual about it."

With a mere thought, the Dragon Slaying Stage that entombed the frost wyrm joined the one in his hand. He examined it once more.

"It's peculiar. Back in the Moonfall Sanctuary, I could harness the power of both Dragon Slaying Stages. When confronted with the menace of the Demon God Grec, I instinctively wielded the Lunar Spirit and the heaven soul to manipulate the Dragon Slaying Stage, tapping into the residual energy within the dragon corpses. Yet here, I detect no such oddity."

"Huh!"

Holding a Dragon Slaying Stage in each hand, they seemed to exert a faint pull on each other.

The two Dragon Slaying Stages were like iron and magnet, drawn together by an invisible force.

In the Everlands, Yu Yuan had not sensed anything of the sort; even when pressing the two Dragon Slaying Stages together, they would part as soon as he released them.

But now...

Shzzzt!

Nearly six space rifts burst open simultaneously in the depths of the valley.

Yu Yuan's spiritual energy became disrupted and bifurcated, streaming into both Dragon Slaying Stages.

Click.

The two Dragon Slaying Stages miraculously joined at the crack.

A luminescent, liquid-like brilliance seeped from the fissure, acting like a peculiar adhesive, aiding the two Dragon Slaying Stages in their fusion into a single entity.

Originally, the Dragon Slaying Stage that anchored the dragon vein was one solid piece. With the fall of Boulderdawn, it shattered into three. Any two pieces of the Dragon Slaying Stage could be joined to form a larger one.

However, since it shattered, the three pieces of the Dragon Slaying Stage have never been able to come together again.

"I was wrong. Both pieces of the Dragon Slaying Stage seem to influence the formation of space rifts! After all, the Dragon Slaying Stage was initially made of the same material!" Yu Yiyi cried out in astonishment.

Rip!

A space rift widened, its interior shimmering with light, revealing several distorted figures wailing in agony before being violently ejected.

Yu Yuan and Yu Yiyi, who were holding the Dragon Slaying Stage, jumped in fright.

Then, they stared blankly at the line of strange Otherkin guests who had materialized from nowhere.

"..."