When Zixiao Palace's gaze fell, space and time within the stone cavern abruptly froze. Shattered rock dust hung suspended in midair, the vapor rising from the Dragon Source Pool condensed into ice crystals, and even the Ancestor Dragon's Return to Stillness Origin circulating around Ying Zheng slowed into a viscous crawl. Only the star-vortex halo across the Chaos Young Dragon's body boiled violently beneath the terrifying pressure, like a candle in the wind.
The blood-red warning, "Entropy increase out of control," flashed madly within his consciousness core, while the icy countdown tolled like a death knell:
[Shell collapse countdown: eleven hours fifty-nine minutes...]
The Left Eye Star Vortex spun faster than ever, attempting to analyze this torrent of will that transcended space and time. A flood of data surged through:
[Will source: Zixiao Palace (Heavenly Dao Core Hub)] [Energy level: beyond current analysis dimension...] [Attribute: Order, Observation, Judgment...] [Threat coefficient: ∞ (force majeure)]
The vast will did not attack. It merely looked. That gaze pierced through the Chaos Star Vortex on the young dragon's body and delved into the nebula of evolving stars at his core. Its cold scrutiny dissected him like a scalpel cutting open a specimen. The glimmer representing Cheng Xi's True Spirit within the nebula was seized by an invisible force, analyzed, branded... The agony did not strike his body, but scorched his Soul Origin directly!
"Urgh..." A brief electronic crackle escaped the young dragon's throat as his floating body curled slightly. The Right Eye Kindling Fire erupted on instinct, orange-gold flames rising to shield that spiritual light, only to dim rapidly beneath the Heavenly Dao's scrutiny.
"Hongjun!" Above the heavens, Lord Tongtian's furious shout rang out like a sword. Sensing the descent of Zi Xiao's Will, the Green Duckweed Sword released an