Core Flame Devours Dragon Valley! A New Divine Artifact??

Bai Yuan stood in the center of the deep pit, with the cracking earth beneath his feet and the constantly peeling sky above him.

Dragon Valley's breathing grew more and more rapid, like a dying beast making its last struggle.

"While the Dragon Valley plane hasn't spiraled out of control beyond repair."

He closed his eyes, sank into the Sea of Consciousness, and a voice resounded from the depths of his soul:

"Thank you for your help, Xiao Bai."

"OK."

A dark golden light surged from Bai Yuan's chest, and Xiao Bai's figure transformed into a pure stream of light.

It crashed into the core of the Core Flame, carrying with it a long-accumulated will.

In that instant, Twelve Law Patterns within Bai Yuan's body lit up simultaneously.

It was even more intense than when the Dragon God bestowed it, as if it had been completely ignited by some power.

The Core Flame flew out from his body.

The dark golden light broke free from the constraints of its body and soared into the sky.

The moment it leaves the physical body, the Core Flame no longer conceals itself, nor does it disguise itself.

- It revealed its true colors.

A twisted and violent pillar of fire shot into the sky, piercing through the shattered and trembling Dragon Valley.

At the top of the pillar of light, the illusory images of twelve laws reappeared with overwhelming force.

Each one is more solid and more complete than the last.

It was as if the tremors of this plane itself had activated a deeper form.

The illusory images overlapped and spun, emitting a low hum.

The sound pierced through space, through the dragon bones, and through the consciousness of the dragon souls that had been dormant for tens of thousands of years.

Like the tolling of an ancient bell, echoing deep within the soul of every being.

The Core Flame raises its head to the sky.

That's not a flame burning.

It was a will that transcended the definition of "fire" itself, declaring its control over this space.

The aura expanded infinitely, Core Flame transformed into a dark golden tide, coiling along the inner side of the Dragon Valley plane's space, which was on the verge of collapse.

Black flames scorched the spatial barrier.

It is reshaping everything in space.

The moment each flame touched the edge of the crack, it fused the broken edges together, forcibly sealing this space that was about to collapse.

The Dragon Valley dome trembled in the dark golden light, slowly, inch by inch, ceasing its peeling.

"Receive."

Bai Yuan raised his hand, his five fingers loosely clenched.

When he became one with the will of the Core Flame, he uttered that single syllable.

The entire deep pit, the entire Dragon Bone Wasteland, the entire drifting plane.

Everything paused for a moment.

It's like the universe has been put on pause.

The power of the Core Flame instantly spread to every corner of the Dragon Valley plane.

It was no longer a pillar of fire or an arc of light.

Rather, it is an omnipresent will that fills every inch of space.

It froze the shifting plane.

Then, something deeper was awakened.

The dragon vein's earth energy, accumulated over countless years, and the profound energy that had been dormant underground for countless years since the fall of the dragon race, were forcibly awakened by the laws of the Core Flame.

Those forces opened their eyes deep within the earth, like giant dragons pulled from a long dream, surging into the sky along the veins laid by the Core Flame.

The grayish-white keel began to glow.

Thousands upon thousands of skeletons simultaneously emanated dark golden patterns, transforming the former Dragon Clan Graveyard into a massive, living magic circle.

The earth's energy, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, converges into the Core Flame deeply planted in the center of the sky.

The Core Flame burst forth with a golden light as bright as the sun.

At that moment, the light emanating from the entire Dragon Valley overshadowed everything outside.

The Core Flame replaced the Dragon God Core.

It is higher, stronger, and more inviolable.

It does not belong to this plane, so the rules of this plane have no priority over it.

The Dragon God Core sustains Dragon Valley through "nurturing," while the Core Flame sustains Dragon Valley through "rule."

Within Dragon Valley, countless dragons who had once perished, leaving only their remnants of will, reside.

I finally understand.

This dark golden will was not plundering.

It is protecting.

Pairs of dragon eyes lit up deep within the dragon bones, and pale specks of light floated into the air from every corner.

Long Yun and Long Hun soared into the sky, no longer drifting aimlessly.

Instead, they actively joined the dark golden torrent, contributing their last bit of strength.

In an instant, countless chains of laws appeared in the sky above the Dragon Valley Plane.

Dark golden chains extended from the twelve illusory laws, piercing the earth, Entanglement the dragon bones, and welding together Space Rift, firmly locking the entire plane in place.

Each of those chains was imbued with the patterns of Core Flame, like the fingers of the universe itself reaching out to hold back a fragment about to slide into the abyss.

Dragon Valley, stopped.

It left its original location, escaped the control of the Tang Sect, and settled on another Space Rift.

But it did not drift away from Douluo Planet, nor did it fall into the depths of the universe, nor did it disappear without a trace like a rootless duckweed.

It just stayed there.

It was chained by dark gold chains.

They were held up by the power of the Core Flame.

They were protected by the last will of the dragon souls.

"Gather the power of the Core Flame and stabilize the Dragon Valley space."

When Bai Yuan uttered the last few words, his voice came from the pillar of light of the Core Flame, like an echo descending from the very distant sky.

He stood in the center of the deep pit, palms facing the sky, with twelve laws slowly rotating behind him.

Dark golden light seeped into the earth from between the dragon bones, and the "heart" that replaced the Dragon God Core began to beat at a new rhythm.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

It was a fraction slower than before, but a hundred times more stable.

Xiao Bai's figure slowly emerged from the Core Flame, its aura dimmer than before, but the light burning in its pupils was more than twice as bright.

It landed on Bai Yuan's shoulder, its voice carrying a hint of exhaustion and lightness:

"... He held on."

Bai Yuan withdrew his hand, his golden eyes gazing at the sky stitched together by dark golden chains, a slight smile curving his lips.

"Yeah, I held on."

We did it.

He looked down at his palm, where a trace of lingering warmth from the black flame remained.

From then on, Dragon Valley no longer belonged to the Tang Sect, and no longer drifted in the void.

It belongs to the Core Flame.

And the Core Flame belonged to him.

Gu Yue stepped into the lobby of the Star Luo Hotel.

The lobby was noisy. A group of Shrek students were gathered in the lounge talking when someone saw her push the door open and their eyes lit up.

"Gu Yue!"

Tang Wulin's voice was the most enthusiastic.

He stood up from the sofa and waved at her.

"You're back! I haven't seen you for days, where have you been?"

Gu Yue paused for a moment, her silver eyes subtly sweeping across the hall.

There was no trace of that person.

She withdrew her gaze, nodded to Tang Wulin, and said in a calm tone:

"Yes, I'm back."

Xie Xie closer, holding a cup of Soul Guidance Drink in his hand.

"Where did you go? Big Brother Bai isn't here either. Did you two plan to disappear?"

When Gu Yue heard the words "Big Brother Bai," her eyelids twitched almost imperceptibly.

But her face didn't betray any clue.

"Oh, it's nothing. I had some family business to take care of, so I went over there."

"I see..."

Xie Xie didn't ask any further questions, and sat back down with a grin to continue drinking his beverage.

Tang Wulin stood there, looking at her profile as she held the water glass.

He suddenly felt his heart skip a beat.

It was a deeper, more instinctive throbbing, like a voice surging up from the deepest part of the body, desperately wanting to.

I want to get closer to her.

I want to be closer to her.

Tang Wulin was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously pressed his chest.

"... What's wrong?"

Gu Yue turned her head to look at him, a hint of doubt in her silver eyes.

"N-nothing!"

Tang Wulin snapped back to reality, the tips of his ears turning suspiciously red.

"Well, I feel like Miss Gu Yue, you seem a little different today than usual..."

Gu Yue narrowed her eyes slightly:

"What's different?"

"It's... it's..."

Tang Wulin opened his mouth, his mind racing to find the right words.

Finally, he managed to utter a sentence that made him want to disappear into the ground on the spot.

"Even... even better looking?"

He froze as soon as he finished speaking.

What is he saying?!

Xie Xie spat out his drink next to him, Xu Lizhi silently turned his face to the window and pretended to look at the scenery, and even Wu Changkong paused for two seconds while holding his teacup.

Tang Wulin's face instantly turned bright red:

"That's not what I meant! I meant! It's! The aura! Yes! The aura is different!"

Gu Yue watched his flustered explanation, a slight smile playing on her lips, but she didn't expose him.

She simply turned her head away, tossed out a curt "Alright, I'm going upstairs to rest," and walked towards the elevator without looking back.

Behind him, Tang Wulin stood still, his hand still pressed against his chest.

It's still jumping there.

It slowed down a bit compared to before, but didn't stop completely.

He looked down at his palm, where golden Soul Power pulsated very slightly beneath his skin.

It was as if some being, dormant deep within, was becoming restless due to the impulse within him to "get closer to Gu Yue".

"What am I doing...?"

Tang Wulin muttered something under his breath, burying his burning face in his palms.

"Tang Wulin!"

How could you lose your composure like this?!

Meanwhile, Tang Wulin was still in the hall, clutching his inexplicably racing heart.

They had absolutely no idea where the sound actually came from.

It was the faint aura of the Nine-Colored Core on Gu Yue's chest.

It awakened the golden energy within him, which had been dormant and instinctively sought out its kind.

He thought it was love at first sight.

Actually, it's hunger.