Chapter 314: Dragon God's Marrow, Dragon God's Soul
One of the reasons Yun Che had insisted on crossing the Death Wasteland to return to this place was this very matter. He lifted his head and said, "When I left last time, you said that if I could step into the Earth Xuan Realm within three years, you would grant me the Dragon God's Marrow and the Dragon God's Soul."
"That is correct. Of course I have not forgotten." The ancient voice slowly drifted down from above. "You carry a shred of my hope upon your shoulders. More than anyone, I wish for you to grow stronger as quickly as possible. You have not disappointed me. In this low-level plane, to have made such astonishing progress in such a short time is truly commendable."
"Your current body and your sea of consciousness are now sufficient to withstand my marrow and my final soul. I shall now bestow them upon you... Close your eyes, and release all defenses—both mental and physical."
As the words of the Primordial Azure Dragon fell, a crystal the size of a fist, radiating a starlike light, suddenly appeared above Yun Che. It descended slowly, floating before his forehead.
"The Dragon God's Marrow will make your bones as strong as refined steel, your marrow like molten gold. The blood and power you lose will regenerate at a far greater speed, inexhaustible and unending. The Great Dao Pagoda Art grants you immense strength, physique, and recovery ability. Although the recovery ability granted by the Dragon God's Marrow is far inferior to the Great Dao Pagoda Art, your power recovery speed will far surpass that of ordinary mortals! An opponent of equal strength will be doomed to never be your match."
"The Dragon God's Soul will temper your spiritual realm and soul, granting you spiritual power far beyond that of ordinary men. From now on, your soul will also possess the attributes of the Dragon God!"
The star-like crystal suddenly split open before Yun Che. A powerful, ethereal, and vast aura of force radiated outward. In that instant, Yun Che felt as though he were floating in a boundless starry sky. A faint, almost intangible shadow drifted before him... that was the Dragon God's Marrow and Dragon God's Soul from the Primordial Azure Dragon. The power they exuded was right before him, yet it felt as distant as an entire universe away—a feeling of ethereality Yun Che had never experienced before. The level of this power was simply beyond his comprehension.
This power, containing the Dragon God's Marrow and Dragon God's Soul, slowly moved toward Yun Che. Wherever it passed, the space itself rippled in layers upon layers! Just the naturally released aura could distort space—the power contained within was so dense, so high-level, it was unimaginable.
"I originally intended to grant you the Dragon God's Marrow first, then the Dragon God's Soul, and help you complete the fusion. But seeing you today, I have changed my mind. I will bestow both the Dragon God's Marrow and the Dragon God's Soul upon you at the same time, and I will not assist you in the fusion... Everything depends on you! Let me see whether you can rely on your own power and will to simultaneously complete the fusion of the Dragon God's Marrow and the Dragon God's Soul!"
"If you truly succeed, the benefits you reap will be far greater than if I had helped you! In particular, after you conquer and fuse the Dragon God's Soul with your own strength, you may even be able to unlock the 'Dragon Soul Domain'—the power that once terrified all souls of my Dragon God Clan!"
With the heavy, ocean-like voice, the colorless power suddenly burst into azure-blue light. Before Yun Che could react, it transformed into a streak of light and shot into the center of his brow... A pain like a knife and awl struck his forehead, and all the azure-blue light vanished into his body in an instant.
In that moment, an indescribably massive force spread through Yun Che's body. He felt as though an infinite sky had been stuffed into his frame... The next instant, his sea of consciousness shook violently, as if a surging ocean had suddenly flooded into his soul.
An indescribable feeling of ethereality, heaviness, and searing heat assaulted him. His heart pounded wildly, every pore on his body dilated, and all his meridians twisted frantically as if they were about to burst. Deep within his soul, an overwhelming will—vast and boundless like the will of the heavens themselves—crashed in from all sides. His soul, which had been tempered countless times and was incredibly resilient, trembled, cowered, and felt fear.
This was the power of the Primordial Azure Dragon's marrow and soul—far stronger than ordinary Azure Dragon blood! Compared to Yun Che's mortal body, it was on a level countless times higher.
Yun Che gasped heavily. Veins bulged on his forehead, and sweat poured down like rain. But he did not utter a sound. Though his pupils kept contracting, he maintained a gleam of cold clarity.
Yun Che's body was normally impervious to any flame, but as the Dragon God's Marrow entered him, he distinctly felt as if a blazing fire—hot to the extreme—was rapidly surging through his bones, almost scorching and piercing them all. The Dragon God's Blood and Phoenix Blood within him awakened, simultaneously suppressing the Dragon God's Marrow, and with difficulty, they sealed it within his sternum, beginning a slow fusion...
Although the fusion of the Dragon God's Marrow was not easy, with the aid and suppression of the powerful Evil God's Profound Force, as well as the Dragon God and Phoenix bloodlines, it was not overly difficult. In comparison, the fusion of the Dragon God's Soul was a hundred times more arduous.
If Yun Che's sea of soul was like a clear, calm lake, then the influx of the Dragon God's Soul was like dropping a massive ice block into that lake—and not just any ice block, but eternal, unmelting ancient ice!
For a lake to melt such eternal ice was as difficult as ascending to heaven! But for the eternal ice to freeze the lake was a trivial matter!
In Yun Che's mind, a vast, boundless starry sky appeared—yes, a starry sky! A place that existed only in legends, unreachable by mortal bodies and spirits. Countless stars dotted the expanse. Behind them, a huge azure-blue planet hung close, its immense bulk filling his entire field of vision. At that moment, a dragon's roar that shook the universe rang out. Amid the ethereal stars, a azure-blue dragon shadow appeared. Even among the myriad stars, it seemed so enormous... Its length might have been a thousand li, ten thousand li, a million li—or perhaps it was a size beyond ordinary comprehension.
The aura it emitted was ancient and vast, carrying a pressure that pierced directly into the soul and marrow.
That was...
That was the Dragon God... the Primordial Azure Dragon!?
ROOOAR~~~
The azure dragon shadow coiled and wound through the starry sky. Suddenly, it let out a long roar. In that instant, the myriad stars around it shattered like fragile soap bubbles, crumbling into the most minute dust in the universe.
With just a single roar, it had easily destroyed countless stars!!
Yun Che's soul trembled violently. How terrifying was this power!? Was this the might of a god? In the myths and legends passed down among mortals, true gods could trample the earth, look down upon the heavens, create worlds and destroy them with a wave of a hand. Destroying stars was but a flick of a finger. But those were just myths, idle fabrications to entertain children. Yet what Yun Che saw now—the true god among beasts—its power was countless times greater than the gods in those tales! It didn't need to lift a finger to destroy a star; a single roar sufficed!
The starry sky began to tremble... It was the trembling of his soul. Under the pressure of the Primordial Azure Dragon, even heaven and earth seemed to bow their heads. It looked down upon all things, all living beings, upon the Dao and the rules of the world. Everything in existence was under its dominion.
Before it, Yun Che felt like a speck of dust before a star... Not to mention resistance, he could not even muster the courage to look directly at it.
Yun Che had never been a coward. Even when facing enemies twice, ten times, or even dozens of times stronger, he did not truly fear. But now, what had invaded his soul was the soul of a divine beast! Though it was but a tiny wisp, it was still from the Dragon God!
The enormous azure dragon seemed to notice him. Its eyes, larger than planets, locked onto him. Then, with an indescribably vast pressure, it charged at him. In an instant, a pressure as heavy as the collapse of heaven and earth enveloped him.
In truth, although the Dragon God's Soul was powerful, if the Primordial Azure Dragon had used its final will to guide and control it, it could have fused with Yun Che's soul quickly and easily. But facing Yun Che now, the will of the Primordial Azure Dragon gave him a tremendous trial—to use his own spiritual power to fuse this wisp of the Dragon God's Soul. It knew very well how difficult this was for a mortal of a low-level plane. However, if the fusion were done by its own will, Yun Che's mastery over the Dragon God's Soul would be at most forty percent.
But if he fused the Dragon God's Soul with his own soul and will, not only would his soul become stronger in the process, his mastery over the Dragon God's Soul would reach a perfect one hundred percent!
That is, to make this wisp of the Dragon God's Soul completely his own!
An ordinary mortal could never do this, but with several divine arts in his possession, Yun Che had a chance!
The vast universe was Yun Che's own sea of soul.
And that enormous azure dragon was the Dragon God's Soul that had entered his sea of soul!
He had to completely conquer and fuse this Dragon God's Soul within his own sea of soul! And during this process, he also had to divert part of his spiritual power to fuse the Dragon God's Marrow entering his bones!
If the fusion of the Dragon God's Marrow failed, he would at most be severely injured. But if the fusion of the Dragon God's Soul failed... his sea of soul would be directly destroyed, turning him into a living corpse without consciousness!
ROOOAR!!!
With the dragon's roar, the entire starry sky trembled. The azure dragon shadow flew straight at Yun Che. Its enormous body in an instant covered his entire field of vision. The starry sky disappeared, leaving only a sky-devouring mouth that seemed about to swallow the heavens themselves.
Yun Che's whole body stiffened, his soul churning... To fuse the Dragon God's Soul, he first had to overcome the soul-trembling fear caused by the Dragon God's Soul's absolute suppression.
The frantic beating of his heart echoed clearly in his soul. The dragon shadow drew closer and closer, reflecting in Yun Che's pupils as a deep, extreme azure... Yun Che trembled, then stiffened. At that moment, his sea of soul, which had been suppressed into silence, suddenly churned like boiling water. A roar burst from Yun Che's mouth: "This is my domain! Even if you are the master of heaven and earth, once you enter my domain, you will submit obediently!!"
With that roar, Yun Che's eyes widened, and he actively charged toward the azure dragon shadow—like a speck of dust, fearlessly rushing toward a star.