A Gaze from the Divine Realm
The Sacrifice began once more!
A blood-red pillar of light erupted from deep within the earth like a towering column of bloody flame, instantly engulfing Bao Liang's figure.
At the center of the blood-red pillar that soared into the sky, a dark, profound Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring slowly condensed from the Star-Bearing Dragon Beast's remaining body and rose into the air. The Soul Ring was a deep, inky black throughout, seemingly containing an endless true meaning of destruction and bearing a heart-stopping pressure. At last, it settled heavily above Bao Liang's head.
The instant the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring descended, Bao Liang's Explosion Martial Soul activated of its own accord.
Orange-red Ultimate Flame burst uncontrollably from within him, but instead of exploding outward, it wrapped tightly around his entire body like a flowing membrane of energy.
The membrane of energy rippled and undulated like a giant dragon egg breathing slowly. Each "breath" came with a fluctuation of Ultimate Flame and a faint flicker from the Soul Ring, as though Bao Liang were undergoing some strange rebirth within the blood-red pillar.
And as Bao Liang began to withstand the impact of this terrifying Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring's Sacrifice, Dragon Fang, circling above his head, was not idle either.
The Dread Blueflame Dragon Fire Spirit opened his enormous dragon maw and began to devour and absorb the terrifying energy contained in the Star-Bearing Dragon Beast's remains: dragon soul, dragon blood, and dragon Qi.
To Dragon Fang, the Star-Bearing Dragon Beast's legacy was no ordinary tonic, but truly a "tonic among tonics."
Dragon Fang could clearly feel the power of the blue flames within him rising at an astonishing rate, while the Kuku Blue Fire on his scales grew hotter and deeper.
He silently concluded, As long as I can eat my fill this time and absorb it thoroughly enough, I'll be able to break straight through the fifty-thousand-year bottleneck right now and advance to a higher realm!
Time passed unusually slowly within the blood-red pillar.
After one shichen, the towering blood-red pillar finally began to dim, until it vanished completely. Only Bao Liang and Dragon Fang remained on the scorched clearing, quietly receiving the Star-Bearing Dragon Beast's final legacy: the scent of destruction lingering in the air, the charred marks on the ground, and the profound changes taking place within their bodies.
Yet at that moment, Bao Liang's and Dragon Fang's expressions changed in unison, their formerly calm faces instantly twisting into fierce grimaces.
Bao Liang's mouth flew open, and with a "wah," he spat out a large mouthful of blood that bore a faint purplish-black sheen.
Immediately afterward, a muffled yet immensely powerful drumming sounded from his chest. It was not his heartbeat, but as though a huge war drum were being struck heavily deep inside his chest, every beat accompanied by intense pain and violent tremors in his Soul Power.
The blue flames covering him turned into purple flames that soared into the sky. The purple flames also began to surge violently at that moment, no longer burning under control as before, but darting and jetting madly across his body as though freed from their restraints, as if they meant to blast him apart from within.
Dragon Fang was in no better condition.
His enormous body, already wreathed in blue flames, began to tremble violently, and blood likewise spilled from his mouth. More horrifying still, purple lightning began to flicker over his body!
It was no ordinary electric light, but purple lightning imbued with the scent of destruction. It darted and intertwined madly between his scales, around his claws, and even in his eyes, as though his body were being torn apart and reshaped at once by two completely different but equally terrifying energies: blue flames and purple lightning.
"What happened?!"
Jing Hongchen noticed the terrifying change at once. His eyes widened, and his voice carried unprecedented terror. "Damn it! I knew something else would happen to this kid!"
Ye Yulin hurriedly stepped forward, his voice full of worry and anxiety. "Old Toad, what do we do now? The boy will be all right, won't he?"
But Jing Hongchen could not make up his mind at that moment either.
He muttered to himself, his voice full of confusion and helplessness. "He should be fine... but Bao Liang's reaction to the pain is far too extreme this time... it's nothing like the previous times..."
"Why... why is this happening...?" Jing Hongchen's voice gradually grew quieter, his brows tightly knitted, as though he were struggling to recall some important clue.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up-he had abruptly remembered something! It was something Xiao Hongchen had once mentioned in passing, words Bao Liang had said in front of him!
"Destruction is one magnificent, tragic instant..." Jing Hongchen murmured, the serious expression Bao Liang had worn then flashing through his mind.
"Wait... and that line... 'only three steps away'..."
Harsh requirements... pure destruction attribute... only three steps away...
Jing Hongchen's pupils abruptly contracted, and his face was instantly filled with horror. "!!!"
"This is bad! The kid is gambling with his life!" Jing Hongchen's heart tightened, and a powerful sense of crisis made him want to rush forward almost instinctively and forcibly interrupt Bao Liang's absorption.
Seeing that Jing Hongchen really was about to rush over, Ye Yulin hurriedly spread his arms to block him, his voice full of anger, anxiety, and despair. "Old Toad, what are you doing? He's our grandson-in-law! Are you trying to kill him?!!"
"Get out of the way, Old Ye!" Ye Yulin's attempt to stop him made Jing Hongchen's face turn ashen. He forcefully flung Ye Yulin's arms aside, almost roaring, "Can't you see? The kid is gambling with his life! He's courting death! If I don't stop him, he's going to die!"
"Bullshit!" An astonishing strength suddenly burst out of Ye Yulin from who knew where. She shoved Jing Hongchen away with all her might, her eyes wide and round, her voice exploding beside his ear like thunder. "He's only one last step away from absorbing the Soul Ring! If you interrupt him now, he'll only die faster!"
The shove sent Jing Hongchen staggering backward. He panted heavily, but his gaze remained fixed on Bao Liang as he suffered.
Ye Yulin's voice softened, carrying a helpless insistence. "Old Toad, I know you're frantic with worry... but can't you wait until the boy finishes absorbing the Soul Ring and let him explain himself? Do you have to stop him now and risk killing him...?"
"But..." Jing Hongchen wanted to argue, but when he saw the determination in Ye Yulin's eyes and Bao Liang's pained face, now so twisted that his original features were almost unrecognizable, he finally let his hands fall helplessly.
"...I know what's the right thing to do... but when I think that the kid is deliberately courting death... I really... can't bear it..."
At that moment, Ye Yulin's words were truly like the last straw that broke the camel's back in his heart.
That feeling of helplessness and struggle drained him of the last of his strength to argue.
He could only stand there helplessly, staring fixedly at Bao Liang, unable to utter another word to dissuade him.
Seeing this, Ye Yulin stepped forward and patted Jing Hongchen firmly on the shoulder, his voice low but full of comfort. "Whatever you want to ask, wait until he wakes up and ask him then.
"At worst, when the time comes, I won't stop you from beating him up."
Jing Hongchen simply stared fixedly at Bao Liang without a word. His eyes were full of worry, anxiety, and an indescribable sense of helplessness. He truly wanted to rush forward and save his grandson-in-law, but reason told him that going over now would only make things worse.
Meanwhile, at the center of the scorched clearing, Bao Liang felt his body undergoing an unprecedented change.
He felt as though his body were growing lighter and lighter, so light that he might float up from the ground and break free of gravity.
It was not the lightness of weakness, but a strange sensation that could almost be called "weightlessness," as though some invisible force were pulling his body upward.
And just then, in the distant, sacred, and mysterious Divine Realm, a gaze full of the true meaning of destruction suddenly fell upon Bao Liang as he underwent this perilous Sacrifice.
That gaze was distant and profound, carrying scrutiny, observation, and even a trace of indescribable interest as it quietly watched this young life struggling on the Douluo Continent.
"Interesting."