"Close... the Abyss Gate..." A trace of brightness flashed through Isis's eyes, but quickly dimmed, "No, it can't be closed. Even using myself as a seal, I can only temporarily seal it. The Abyss's power 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 Dragon God power can recast the seal. Tell me, what must I do?"
"Dragon God power..." Isis looked at Tang Wulin, astonishing brilliance blooming in her eyes, "It's you... the child of prophecy... you've finally come..."
She struggled to sit up straight. Though weak, her tone became firm.
"Listen, there's little time left. The Abyss's power will recover soon—Ares's sacrifice only bought us this much time. The method to recast the seal is simple, but also cruel—you need to inject Dragon God power into my divine position, which is this Tree of Life. Use your power to disperse the Abyss contamination in the root system, let the Tree of Life regain its vitality. Then, using the Tree of Life as the core, construct a permanent seal to completely seal the Abyss Gate."
"But doing that, you will..." Qian Renxue thought of something, her expression changing.
"I will die." Isis said calmly, "My consciousness is already bound to the Tree of Life—when the tree lives, I live; when the tree dies, I die. But conversely, if the tree is completely purified and becomes a pure Tree of Life once more, my consciousness will also be purified, becoming a tree spirit. That will no longer be Isis, just a newborn, pure consciousness."
She looked at Tang Wulin.
"But the problem is, to disperse the Abyss contamination in the root system requires immense Dragon God power. Your power is insufficient, far from enough. Unless..."
"Unless I unlock the eighteenth seal." Tang Wulin finished.
Isis was silent, then nodded.
"The eighteenth seal is the Golden Dragon King's final power, and also its most dangerous power. Once unlocked, you might completely dragonize, lose your sanity, become a monster that knows only slaughter. Moreover, that power is too vast—your body might not be able to withstand it and will... collapse."
"But that's the only method, right?" Tang Wulin asked.
Isis looked at him, her eyes filled with sadness, compassion, and a trace of admiration.
"Yes, the only method."
"Then do it." Tang Wulin didn't hesitate.
"Wulin, no!" Qian Renxue grabbed his arm, "There must be other methods, we can think of something together—"
"There's no time." Tang Wulin looked around.
Darkness was gathering anew.
The law-shattering from Ares's self-destruction was being repaired by the Abyss, those dispersed monsters were recondensing. At most another ten breaths, and they would be completely surrounded.
Moreover, he could feel the eighteenth seal stirring restlessly. Even if he didn't actively unlock it, that power would break through on its own during the backlash. Rather than passively endure, better to actively control.
"Believe in me." Tang Wulin smiled at Qian Renxue—that smile was warm, firm, as always, "I will control it, I promise. Moreover, didn't we make a promise? To return together, no one is allowed to die."
Qian Renxue's tears finally flowed.
She knew she couldn't stop him. Just as he couldn't stop her—when they decided to do something, no one could change it.
"If you become a monster, I will kill you." She said, voice trembling, "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, "Buy me time, ten breaths is enough."
Bibi Dong looked deeply at him, then nodded.
"If you die, I will make the entire Divine Realm accompany you in burial."
"Let's not." Tang Wulin smiled bitterly, then sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
Consciousness sank into his body.
The eighteenth seal was right there.
It was a seal completely covered in blood-red, its shape a coiled, violent dragon. Merely approaching, one could feel the terrifying power contained within—that was the Golden Dragon King's core destruction power, the madness sufficient to destroy everything, devour everything.
Tang Wulin's spirit touched the seal.
The seal trembled.
"Last chance." he said to himself in his heart, "Control it, or be controlled by it."
Then, he unlocked the seal.
Crack.
The seal shattered.
There was no explosive outburst of violent power as imagined—only a deathly silence.
Then, before Tang Wulin's "eyes" appeared a dragon.
It was a golden dragon, but its gold was not brilliant, sacred, but dark, violent. Its eyes were pure blood-red, containing no rationality, only endless desire for slaughter. It was the Golden Dragon King's source will, the most pure destruction instinct sealed for countless years.
"Finally... free..." The Golden Dragon King's source will emitted a low laugh, "This body is mine."
It pounced toward Tang Wulin's consciousness.
But Tang Wulin didn't dodge.
"No." he said, "It's you who belongs to me."
In the sea of consciousness, two wills began the most primitive, most brutal struggle.
Outside, ten breaths had passed.
Darkness completely recovered, monsters surged forth anew—more numerous, stronger, more frenzied than before.
"Hold the line!" Bibi Dong shouted, death aura transforming into countless undead, forming a defensive line.
"Wind as wall!" Dai Chengfeng inserted his long sword into the ground, a cyan wind wall rising from the earth, temporarily blocking the frontal assault.
Qian Renxue spread her six wings, her sacred domain shrinking to a ten-meter range, but its intensity raised to the extreme. Any monster entering the domain would turn to ash in sacred flames.
But there were too many monsters.
The undead were decreasing, the wind wall was trembling, the sacred domain's light was dimming.
"Hold on!" Blood trickled from the corner of Bibi Dong's mouth—her divine power was already depleted, now she was burning her source.
"Just a little more..." Dai Chengfeng knelt on one knee, cracks appearing in the wind wall.
One of Qian Renxue's six wings had already dimmed—a sign of divine power exhaustion.
Just as the defensive line was about to collapse, Tang Wulin opened his eyes.
No, those weren't Tang Wulin's eyes.
Those were dragon eyes.
Pure golden vertical pupils, devoid of any human emotion, only condescending indifference and the most primitive violence.
He slowly stood up, his body completely dragonized—his entire body covered in thick dragon scales, complete Dragon God wings on his back, dragon horns growing from his forehead, hands turned into claws, a dragon tail swaying behind him.
"Wulin?" Qian Renxue asked tentatively.
"Tang Wulin" looked at her, a trace of struggle flashing in his eyes, but quickly replaced by indifference.
"Humans... annoying insects..." he said hoarsely, his voice mixed with dragon roars.
"He's been controlled by the Golden Dragon King's instinct." Isis said weakly, "But there's still hope... his consciousness is still resisting... you must awaken him..."
------------------------------------------------------
30+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)