473 - Rebirth of a Star: Another Day, Another Drama
Chapter 473: Return of the Dragon Soul The violent spatial turbulence left streaks of blood across Ye Ling Long's body, but she couldn't spare a thought for it. At that moment, she had embedded Qian Jun deep into the ground, using every ounce of her strength to resist the powerful suction from the collapsing space. Even so, she still felt herself edging closer to the rift created by the spatial collapse. "Hahaha, give up! The space around you continues to collapse, and the spatial turbulence will only grow more intense. You won't be able to withstand it and will ultimately be torn to pieces," the black-clothed man shouted loudly, seemingly full of vigor. But only he knew that he was just a spent arrow now. Using this move had severely taxed him. Since advancing to Celestial Emperor, this was the first time he had been pushed so far by an opponent, and she was just a little girl at the Celestial Sovereign stage. Ye Ling Long ignored what the black-clothed man said, her full attention on the chaotic space around her. Qian Jun, hovering at her shoulder, frowned, "This won’t do. You should just enter the space." The spatial turbulence had left two bloody streaks on Ye Ling Long's porcelain-like cheeks, yet even these did not mar her beauty; the crimson accentuated her stunning allure. "No, if I enter the space now, the entire area might get swept into the spatial turbulence too, and who knows where we might end up? Even if we find a new world, it could be completely unfamiliar. Don't you want to avenge our master?" she argued. Qian Jun fell silent. It thought, of course, it wanted vengeance. This had long become its obsession. "I do want revenge, but more than that, I want you to live," Qian Jun stated earnestly. Ye Ling Long felt a warmth in her heart, then she resolutely declared, "Don't worry, I haven't even killed Fu Chang Ming to avenge my master yet; I absolutely refuse to die." Besides, this was not the only task she needed to complete. The ice phoenix was still reconstructing a physical body, her mother was still lost in space, waiting for rescue. If anyone had to die, it would be that man. Ye Ling Long, contemplating this, continued, "Don't worry, that guy probably can’t hold on much longer either. I’m curious to see who will last till the end!" The exchange between her and the sword spirit was inaudible to the black-clothed man, but he could clearly see that she was still resisting. "Damn it!" he cursed, his determination hardening. He accelerated the pace of the space collapse, and the originally slow collapse quickened noticeably. Simultaneously, the black-clothed man paled, spewing a mouthful of blood, within which gleamed traces of gold. That was his essence blood. Rich in celestial energy. The expanding rift’s suction surged, instantly flipping the struggling Ye Ling Long to the ground. As her world spun, Ye Ling Long found herself being drawn toward the growing fissure. Feng Li, his heart clenched with impotent fury, was helpless to save her. I guess spatial drifting is inevitable, Ye Ling Long thought, staring at the encroaching rift. She was just about to surrender herself to the space when— A sudden dragon's roar echoed, and a barrier materialized before her, halting her descent. Simultaneously, the collapsing space around her began to repair itself. The ground shook violently, the surrounding earth cracked, and the entire valley trembled. "What... what is happening now?" Ye Ling Long was bewildered. At the same time, Feng Li approached, "That creature must have returned to its true form. I can smell that detestable stench; it must belong to that loathsome long worm." The earth continued to convulse, and as the valley crumbled, falling stones revealed a dazzling golden sheen beneath. Upon closer inspection, Ye Ling Long discovered that the golden scales belonged to a dragon. Once all the rocks had tumbled away, a massive golden five-clawed dragon lay revealed before everyone. "A dragon... a dragon corpse!" Fu Yuan Yi exclaimed. As his voice faded, the dragon's previously closed eyes snapped open. Startled, Fu Yuan Yi pointed tremblingly at the awakening dragon, "Re-... resurrected!" "Hmph! You’re the one who’s resurrected," the Dragon Soul’s voice boomed like thunder. In a flash of golden light, the dragon vanished, replaced by an incredibly handsome man. Had Fu Yuan Yi failed to understand the situation by now, he would be a fool. He turned to flee immediately. This was the perfect time to run! But after running for what seemed like ages, he found that the surroundings remained unchanged, as if he had been running in place the entire time. The black-clothed man dropped to the ground, his face as pale as paper. Staring at the Dragon Soul, his eyes flickered with indecipherable emotions. The Dragon Soul gazed at him, suddenly speaking, "It's been a while, Qi Wei." "Heh~ indeed. I didn’t expect you hadn’t dispersed into nothingness and that you’d have such a move left," the black-clothed man, Qi Wei, replied. Their exchange puzzled Ye Ling Long and Feng Li: "You two know each other?" The Dragon Soul glared at Qi Wei on the ground, "Hmph! More than know, if not for him, I wouldn’t have ended up like that!" "When I left the dragon race for training, I met him. We became friends, and he even learned the secret of my dragon lineage. Little did I realize he’d strike while I was weakened, extracting my dragon soul." Here, the Dragon Soul’s face brimmed with anger, a testament that it had genuinely considered Qi Wei a friend. "Hahahaha! Best friends, you say? Weren't you also guarding against me? Even after your dragon soul left your body, you sealed your flesh body!" Qi Wei cackled. "Long Shuo, weren’t you just as cautious with me? Honestly, from the beginning, I knew you were of the dragon race. I approached you to acquire your inner core! With your inner core, I might have perfected my spatial laws!" Witnessing Qi Wei’s frenzied outburst, so far removed from his former elegance, the Dragon Soul—no, Long Shuo—remained expressionless, devoid of anger or fury. He simply raised his hand and closed it gently. The space around the black-clothed man suddenly compressed, reducing him to pulp in an instant. Only a round inner core remained, which Long Shuo casually tossed to Ye Ling Long. After completing this, Long Shuo looked at the mess on the ground and coldly declared, "Still trying your tricks? Do you think I'm still who I used to be?" Ye Ling Long received the inner core and observed that its surface carried veins of blue-purple, akin to wisps of mist. Within, she could sense the potent spatial laws. "It still contains his spatial laws. Keep it with you to comprehend the laws; it’ll benefit your mastery of spatial laws,” Long Shuo advised. Ye Ling Long nodded in agreement, accepting it without fuss. Just then, Long Shuo's voice rang out once more, "So, what about this guy? If he's the last one left, should we just kill him too?"