The Five Elements Essence that surged within Kaelen's body, though weak, was of the utmost purity. It was birthed from his very flesh and blood, coalescing into his meridians, flowing towards his core, and eventually forming a small sphere of five-colored essence, barely the size of his thumb.
This was a force forged within himself, not drawn from the external spiritual energies of the world. Amidst the ceaseless wash of the world's essence, the energy within his blood and flesh was refined into the Five Elements Essence. This could be seen as the primordial power within Kaelen's body.
Primordial power, the foundation upon which divine martial abilities are cultivated.
The Five Elements Essence swirled slowly within Kaelen's core, emanating waves of spiritual energy. The operation of the ancient technique gradually brought calm to his mind.
The filth that had clung to Kaelen's body was relentlessly scrubbed away by the stirring spiritual energy, his clothes reduced to ashes, and his exposed, formidable physique began to glow faintly with a divine radiance.
The massive Ouroboros Symbol that had shrouded Kaelen's body gradually ceased its rotation. The swirling energies withdrew, vanishing into the Ouroboros Jewel at his chest.
In that instant, Kaelen felt the heat emanating from the Ouroboros Jewel upon his chest. The sight that followed left him stunned, eyes wide in disbelief.
The Ouroboros Jewel, that sacred relic, began to slowly merge into his skin, its essence flowing seamlessly into him. In the end, a faint mark of the Ouroboros, an Elemental Spiral, was etched upon the skin of his chest.
"What... What is happening?" Kaelen was struck with confusion. The mystical jewel had entered his body. Had it gained sentience? Had it become something alive?
Kaelen reached out, touching the Elemental Spiral etched into his chest. It felt warm to the touch, and as his fingers brushed across it, there was no discernible hardness beneath his skin.
The Ouroboros Jewel, once an external relic, seemed to have disappeared, leaving in its wake the hauntingly beautiful mark of the Elemental Spiral, branded into Kaelen's chest.
Unable to fathom why such an event had unfolded, Kaelen chose not to dwell on it. His mind, no matter how hard it tried, could find no answer.
Kaelen was not one to cling to such perplexing thoughts. His cultivation had surged dramatically, and now he longed to test his newfound strength. His gaze shifted to the looming Dreadcoil Leviathan in the distance.
With the Ouroboros Jewel now fused within his body, the once-glowing relic that had served as the cave's light source disappeared, plunging the surroundings into complete darkness. Yet, the immense gathering of world's essence brought by the Ouroboros Symbol had yet to dissipate. Although the energy column had faded, the individual motes of spiritual energy remained, fluttering like fireflies in the darkened cave.
Kaelen's sharp vision allowed him to track every motion, his eyes able to pierce the lingering glow of spiritual light.
Fifty paces away, beneath the cave wall's water pool, a massive Dreadcoil Leviathan emerged, its black-scaled body half-rising from the water, its gaping maw wide open. Within the depths of its cavernous mouth, it swallowed a demonic core the size of an egg, swirling with black, malevolent energy.
The Dreadcoil Leviathan's body, its enormous form nearly three meters in length, reared from the water. Its serpent-like head, as large as a barrel, was a sight of pure terror. Inside its open mouth, rows upon rows of jagged, backward-curved teeth filled the maw. The very thought of being caught in its grasp sent a chill of dread into the heart.
As the Leviathan rhythmically inhaled and exhaled the demonic core, the spiritual energy within the cave swirled around it, spiraling toward the cursed gem, merging with its dark power.
"What monstrous demonic power..." Kaelen murmured, his words dripping with a sense of awe. The sheer magnitude of the demonic force radiating from the core was overwhelming, even to someone of his newfound strength. Even though he had reached the Sixth Layer of the Awakening Realm, facing the Dreadcoil Leviathan Spawn seemed to promise a fight far more harrowing than anticipated.