Chapter 734
Ren Xue
“Close…the Gate of the Abyss…” A glimmer of light flashed in Isis’s eyes, but it quickly dimmed. “No, it can’t be closed. Even if I use myself as a seal, I can only seal it temporarily. The power of the Abyss is too strong; it’s corroding me, it’s devouring me…I can’t hold on much longer…”
“We can help you.” Tang Wulin severed the last tentacle and came before her. “Ares said that the power of the Dragon God can rebuild the seal. Tell me, how do we do it?”
“The power of the Dragon God…” Isis looked at Tang Wulin, her eyes shining with astonishing light, “It’s you… the Child of Prophecy… you’ve finally come…”
She struggled to sit up, and though weak, her tone became firm.
“Listen, time is running out. The power of the Abyss will soon recover, and Ares’ sacrifice can only buy us this much time. The method to rebuild the seal is simple, but also cruel—you need to infuse the power of the Dragon God into my divinity, which is this Tree of Life. Use your power to dispel the Abyss’s corruption in its roots, allowing the Tree of Life to regain its vitality. Then, with the Tree of Life at its core, construct a permanent seal to completely seal the Gate to the Abyss.”
“But if you do that, you will…” Qian Renxue’s expression changed as she thought of something.
“I will die,” Isis said calmly. “My consciousness is already bound to the Tree of Life. As long as the tree exists, I exist; if the tree dies, I die. But conversely, if the tree is completely purified and becomes the pure Tree of Life again, my consciousness will also be purified and become a tree spirit. That will no longer be Isis, but simply a newborn, pure consciousness.”
She looked at Tang Wulin.
"But the problem is, to dispel the abyssal pollution within the roots, immense dragon god power is required. Your power is insufficient, far from sufficient. Unless..."
“Unless I break the eighteenth seal,” Tang Wulin replied.
Isis was silent, then nodded.
"The eighteenth seal is the Golden Dragon King's last and most dangerous power. Once it is broken, you may completely transform into a dragon, lose your mind, and become a monster that only knows how to kill. Moreover, that power is too immense, and your body may not be able to withstand it, and you will... collapse."
"But that's the only way, isn't it?" Tang Wulin asked.
Isis looked at him, her eyes filled with sadness, pity, and a hint of admiration.
"Yes, the only way."
“Then let’s do it.” Tang Wulin said without hesitation.
"Wu Lin, no!" Qian Renxue grabbed his arm. "There must be other ways. We can think of a solution together—"
"There's no time left." Tang Wulin looked around.
Darkness is gathering again.
The shattered laws created by Ares' self-destruction are being repaired by the abyss, and the banished monsters are reforming. In ten breaths at most, they will be completely surrounded.
Moreover, he could sense that the eighteenth seal was stirring. Even if he didn't actively break it, that power would break through on its own due to the backlash. Rather than passively enduring it, he might as well take control.
"Trust me." Tang Wulin smiled at Qian Renxue, a warm and firm smile as always. "I will control myself, I promise. Besides, didn't we agree? We'll go back together, and neither of us is allowed to die."
Qian Renxue's tears finally fell.
She knew she couldn't stop him. Just as he couldn't stop her, once they decided to do something, no one could change their minds.
“If you turn into a monster, I will kill you,” she said, her voice trembling, “and then die with you.”
"I won't give you that chance." Tang Wulin wiped away her tears, then looked at Bibi Dong and Dai Chengfeng, "Help me buy some time, just ten breaths."
Bibi Dong gave him a deep look, then nodded.
"If you die, I will make the entire divine realm pay with your life."
"Then let's not." Tang Wulin smiled wryly, then sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.
Consciousness sank into the body.
The eighteenth seal is right there.
It was a seal completely covered in blood red, shaped like a coiled, ferocious dragon. Just by getting close, one could feel the terrifying power contained within it—the Golden Dragon King's core destructive power, a madness capable of destroying and devouring everything.
Tang Wulin's spirit touched the seal.
The seal trembled. "Last chance," he told himself. "Control it, or be controlled by it."
Then, he broke the seal.
"Click".
The seal has been broken.
There was no burst of violent power as expected, only a deathly silence.
Then, a dragon appeared "before" Tang Wulin's eyes.
It was a golden dragon, but its gold was not dazzling and sacred; rather, it was dark and violent. Its eyes were pure blood red, devoid of any reason, containing only an endless lust for slaughter. It was the primal will of the Golden Dragon King, the purest destructive instinct sealed away for countless years.
"Finally... I'm free..." The Golden Dragon King's primordial will let out a low laugh. "This body is mine now."
It lunged at Tang Wulin's consciousness.
But Tang Wulin did not dodge.
“No,” he said. “It is you, and it belongs to me.”
In the sea of consciousness, two wills began their most primal and brutal struggle.
Outside, ten breaths have passed.
Darkness returned completely, and the monsters surged back, more numerous, stronger, and more frenzied than before.
"Hold on!" Bibi Dong shouted, and the aura of death transformed into countless undead, forming a defensive line.
"Use the wind as a wall!" Dai Chengfeng plunged his longsword into the ground, and a blue wind wall rose up, temporarily blocking the frontal attack.
Qian Renxue spread her six wings, shrinking her sacred domain to a mere ten meters in size, but its intensity was amplified to the extreme. Any monster that entered the domain would be reduced to ashes in the sacred fire.
But there were too many monsters.
The undead are dwindling, the wind wall is trembling, and the light of the sacred realm is dimming.
"Hold on!" Blood trickled from the corner of Bibi Dong's mouth. Her divine power was almost depleted, and she was now burning her very essence.
“Almost there…” Dai Chengfeng knelt on one knee, and cracks appeared in the wind wall.
One of Qian Renxue's six wings had dimmed, a sign of her divine power being depleted.
Just as the defense line was about to collapse, Tang Wulin opened his eyes.
No, those aren't Tang Wulin's eyes.
Those are the dragon's eyes.
Pure golden vertical pupils, devoid of any human emotion, only displaying a condescending indifference and primal brutality.
He slowly stood up, his body now completely transformed into a dragon—his entire body was covered in thick dragon scales, his back was adorned with complete dragon god wings, dragon horns grew from his forehead, his hands became sharp claws, and a dragon tail swayed behind him.
"Wu Lin?" Qian Renxue asked tentatively.
Tang Wulin looked at her, a hint of struggle flashing in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by indifference.
“Humans…annoying insects…” he said hoarsely, his voice mixed with the roar of a dragon.
“He’s been controlled by the Golden Dragon King’s instincts,” Isis said weakly. “But there’s still hope… his consciousness is still fighting… you must awaken him…” (End of Chapter)