Based on Ethan’s experience, no matter how strong a defense was, there was always a limit to what it could endure. This massive pufferfish-like monster was no exception. Right now, it hovered above him, spewing venom in thick, cascading streams, trying to drown him in its toxic flood. Ironically, that gave Ethan the perfect opportunity to gather his strength.
As he began channeling power again, sothing unexpected happened. He noticed that the usual lag between skill activations—the so-called public cooldowns of the Ethereal world—was gone. Before, he could barely use one skill per second. Now, he could unleash two with ease. His body also felt different: stronger, steadier. The sharp ache that once accompanied energy flow had completely vanished.
Ethan couldn’t help but laugh, exhilarated. "Ha! So I really am getting stronger." His eyes glead. "Co on... Energy Fusion Technique! Spirit Embodint!"
Feeling the surge of resilience within his body, he no longer held back. He activated the Energy Fusion Technique, and then, without hesitation, unleashed the Twilight War Spear’s ultimate ability—Spirit Embodint. Power erupted through him like a storm. Every fragnt of energy inside him roared to life, drawn together in violent harmony. His inner energy now pulsed with a strange mixture: the Imperial Aura of the Ancestral Dragon, the life force of the Tree of Life, and the shimring, five-colored brilliance of his fused elents.
A low hum vibrated through the air. Then Ethan suddenly coughed up blood, his entire body trembling. "Damn it... I pushed too far!" The energy within him surged uncontrollably toward the Twilight War Spear. It didn’t cause the usual pain or swelling—just an endless, terrifying pull, as though the spear itself was devouring him.
"Serpent’s Coil Strike!" he shouted. His grip tightened as the Twilight War Spear spun wildly, its shaft twisting like a living serpent. "You think your defense is unbeatable? Let’s see how you handle this!"
Ethan’s eyes sharpened. He could feel the imnse power compressing at the spear’s tip, ready to burst. "Go!"
A thunderous roar split the air. The Twilight War Spear shot forward, trailed by a blazing swirl of erald and gold light. A dragon’s echoing cry followed its path as it struck straight toward the pufferfish.
"Haha... This strike will crush—" Ethan stopped mid-sentence. A voice rang out in his mind—familiar, cold, and mocking. "Reverse the Cosmos."
It was the voice of the Dragon of Consumption.
In an instant, the space around him twisted. The altar beneath his feet dissolved, replaced by a shallow pool of clear water—the sa narrow opening of the bottle he had entered through. Ethan’s expression hardened as realization struck him. He’d been deceived.
A faint hiss ca from above. The Twilight War Spear made contact with the pufferfish’s swollen belly. The next mont, the monster exploded like a balloon popped by a needle. A torrent of green fluid erupted downward. Ethan dodged, glancing up in shock. The spear hadn’t stopped—it had pierced through and struck the altar.
A burst of golden light erupted from the altar’s engraved patterns, dazzling him. He shielded his eyes as the spear drilled downward with a high-pitched whine. Sparks flew.
Then ca a deafening crack. The Twilight War Spear vanished, swallowed by the altar. Spiderweb fractures spread rapidly across its surface, pebbles breaking loose and falling at Ethan’s feet.
His pulse pounded. There was no doubt now—he had been played.
"Hahaha! This venerable one has waited countless years... and now, at last, I am free!"
Boom!
With a deafening roar, the altar above exploded. Massive slabs of stone shattered and rained down in a chaotic storm. Ethan dodged swiftly, reactivating his ch suit midair before shooting upward.
Just monts ago, he had seen it—the enormous egg that had vanished earlier now erging from beneath the shattered altar, rising rapidly through the air. And then ca that voice. The Dragon of Consumption. It called itself an Ancestral Dragon, one of those ancient beings said to devour worlds. Judging from the na alone, Ethan knew it couldn’t be anything good. If it regained its full strength, disaster was inevitable.
His ch thrusters flared. Ethan burst through the collapsing chamber and ascended toward the surface. The cold night air hit him as he erged into the open. He imdiately recognized the place—the sa altar where the white-robed figures had once stood. The sky above was faintly lit; dawn was creeping in. He had been underground for half the night.
Clank, clank, clank...
The tallic echo of chains drew his attention. Looking up, Ethan saw the massive spherical cage still suspended in midair. The sound ca from the eighteen gigantic chains that bound it. Whatever was inside hadn’t broken free—at least, not completely.
"So you can control that place," Ethan muttered, flying to level with the cage, anger flaring in his chest. "You used ."
"Hahaha! This venerable one has lingered there for countless ages," the creature bood from within the cage. "Even in imprisonnt, a genius of the Dragon Clan does not stagnate. What’s so strange about gaining a little control?"
Its tone was utterly different from before—no trace of the cowering weakness it had once shown. Its massive, catfish-like mouth curled into a smirk, arrogance dripping from every word. It spoke as though it had already forgotten it was still trapped inside a cage forged from an unknown, seemingly indestructible material.
Awooooo!
A sudden roar tore through the air, deep and resonant. Then another answered it, and another.
All across the colossal waterspout surrounding Cosmos Isle, countless wyrms erged, their presence radiating the sa twisted aura as the Dragon of Consumption. Their bodies coiled and soared upward, blotting out the faint light of dawn. Within monts, the sky darkened once more, smothered beneath a storm of scaled wings.
Ethan’s eyes widened as he counted their numbers—there had to be over three hundred of them.
Since he was already exposed, he no longer held back. His Soul Sense expanded outward in a sweeping surge, covering the entire island in an instant.
He detected thousands of life signatures. Nearly four thousand human presences flickered across his perception—captives. His scan continued. No sign of Fatso, but two familiar auras lit up his senses like sparks in the dark: atball, his old companion, and Kiara Quinn, the little girl he thought he’d lost. Relief hit him hard and fast.
So the Pilgrimage participants and those chosen for the Sacred Blood Ritual had been transported elsewhere. But this place—this island—was sothing far worse. It was a concentration site for the Dissenters’ prisoners.
"Shatterstar," Ethan said sharply, his voice echoing inside his helt. "Pinpoint my current coordinates and send them to Victor and the others. Tell them to bring the ship and prepare for extraction."
[Beep... Location confird. ssage sent.]
"Good."
Before he could plan his next move, a furious roar shook the air.
"Who dares destroy our Pilgrimage Altar?"
From the mass of wyrms above, one enormous figure pushed through, scales glinting like molten steel. Its voice thundered with rage as it lood over the others, eyes blazing with fury.
Ethan looked up, the reflection of its massive silhouette flashing in his visor. He tightened his grip on the Twilight War Spear.
The real battle was about to begin.
User Comments
0 comments from readers