Lan An's heart froze as he entered Roxue Palace. Yan Roxue writhed on the ground, her Rainbow Treasure Robe reduced to ash. Her delicate, porcelain body swelled unnaturally, as if on the verge of self-destruction. A domineering force radiated from her, making Lan An's expression darken.
"Danger! The Water Desolation Bloodline's power is too vast for her to contain. Without intervention, she'll explode!" Jin Ni's voice screamed in his mind.
Without a word, Lan An ignited his Strange Flames, his robes disintegrating. He knew what he had to do. Activating the Dragon Fairy Sacred Scripture, his body surged with primal energy, ready for dual cultivation—the only way to siphon the bloodline's excess power into himself.
Uncaring of the risks, he rushed to Yan Roxue, enveloping her trembling form in his arms. "Roxue, it's me, your husband. Don't be afraid," he soothed, his voice steady despite the chaos.
"Little Nam… it's unbearable… like I'm about to burst…" Yan Roxue's beautiful eyes fluttered open, fear softening as she saw him. "That drop of blood… it's too strong!"
The Water Desolation Bloodline was gentle, merging without resistance, but its overwhelming power exceeded her fragile body's capacity.
"Trust me, I'll save you. Open your legs," Lan An urged, his fingers seeking the delicate valley between her thighs, trying to rouse her for dual cultivation.
"Husband… it's… too dry…" Yan Roxue whimpered, her pain drowning any desire, her body unyielding despite his efforts.
Lan An gritted his teeth. From his storage ring, he summoned the Lust Flame Incense, a forbidden concoction from the Evil Emperor's recipes, rarely used. The air filled with its potent allure, flooding the room with aphrodisiac mist.
Yan Roxue's body reacted instantly, heat and pain intertwining. Her lower body grew slick, ready for him. Wasting no time, Lan An thrust forward, piercing her core.
"Ahh!" Yan Roxue's body shuddered, the familiar intrusion anchoring her amidst the torment.
"Activate the Dragon Fairy Sacred Scripture!" Lan An commanded, feeling her inner walls grip him fiercely. There was no time for pleasure—only survival.
She nodded weakly, their bodies entwined, hearts beating as one. As the Dragon Fairy Sacred Scripture surged, a tyrannical force flooded into Lan An, shaking his organs and forcing a spray of blood from his mouth.
"Damn it, it's ferocious!" he growled, summoning the Five Supreme Cauldrons to suppress and refine the invading energy.
Yan Roxue's condition remained dire, the bloodline's power still rampant, but Lan An's absorption kept her from the brink.
"Why is this happening? Isn't the Water Desolation Bloodline supposed to be easy to refine?" Lan An demanded of Jin Ni.
"My apologies, Young Master," Jin Ni said, guilt lacing her voice. "I thought the System provided a standard Water Desolation bloodline. I didn't expect…"
"Expect what?" Lan An pressed.
"It's the bloodline of the Water Desolation Ancestor, the founder of the Water Desolation Clan!" Jin Ni revealed, her tone heavy. "A legendary figure who dominated the Immortal Realm. His pure bloodline is anything but simple."
Lan An's mind reeled. The Water Desolation Clan was unknown to him, but its ancestor's bloodline was clearly beyond anything on Việt Dragon Star. The System's gift was a double-edged sword.
"If fully refined, this bloodline could propel Yan Roxue to the Immortal Realm," Jin Ni continued. "But her body can't withstand it now."
"How much of the blood drop remains?" Lan An asked Yan Roxue, his voice gentle despite his urgency.
"I… barely refined a ten-thousandth of it. It's nearly intact, lodged in my heart," she gasped, her breathing ragged. "If it fully erupts, it could destroy Việt Dragon Star."
"Can we seal the rest for gradual refinement later?" Lan An proposed. "Just focus on the current energy."
"I don't know how," Yan Roxue admitted, her silky hair disheveled.
"Forbidden Power," Jin Ni interjected. "Only the Forbidden Power can intimidate the Water Desolation Ancestor's bloodline."
"Right, but will the Heavenly Dao Eye or that Great Hand Immortal King interfere?" Lan An asked, willing to risk everything for her.
"Young Master, channel only a trace of Forbidden Power through her, masked by the Dragon Fairy Sacred Scripture's aura. They're unlikely to detect it," Jin Ni assured, privately wondering if the Dragon Fairy Sacred Scripture's creator would sense it but keeping silent.
Without hesitation, Lan An accessed a sliver of the System's sealed Forbidden Power. Guiding it through their joined bodies, he wrapped it in the Dragon Fairy Sacred Scripture's dragon aura to conceal it from cosmic watchers like the Great Hand Immortal King.
The moment the Forbidden Power entered, the blood drop in Yan Roxue's heart trembled, cowering. It stilled, subdued by the ancient, mysterious aura.
"Seal it now!" Jin Ni urged.
Lan An focused, his soul's sacred inscriptions glowing as the Forbidden Power formed a cage, imprisoning the blood drop. His will commanded it to submit, and the bloodline, awed by the Forbidden Power, became docile, ceasing its energy output.
Under Jin Ni's vigilant watch, the Forbidden Power remained contained within their bodies, undetectable to the outside world. Yan Roxue's swelling subsided, though the residual energy still raged.
"This ten-thousandth of the bloodline has merged with her," Jin Ni said, relieved. "Once she refines the current energy, she'll be a true Water Desolation Clan member, able to wield the Water Desolation Battle Scripture."
Lan An smiled, cradling Yan Roxue tenderly. "My dear, I'll help you refine this energy faster."
She nodded, her trust absolute.
"It'll take at least ten days to fully refine," Jin Ni warned. "Use the Acceleration Array. You have only three days before the Strange Earth mission."
Lan An agreed, carrying Yan Roxue out of Roxue Palace to the Acceleration Array's core. They resumed dual cultivation, their energies intertwining.
Far beyond, in a distant corner of the cosmos, billions of light-years from Việt Dragon Star, a sea of stars floated in pure darkness. Each star was a complete world—a testament to cosmic grandeur.
On a star dwarfing Việt Dragon Star by countless magnitudes, a colossal figure rested. Its body matched the star's size, a world serving as its bed. With a tiger's head, deer antlers, rabbit eyes, ox ears, serpent neck, frog belly, eagle claws, and tiger limbs, it was clad in radiant golden scales, exuding an aura that could quell eternity.
As Lan An channeled the Forbidden Power cloaked in the Dragon Fairy Sacred Scripture's aura, the figure's eye snapped open.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Its gaze illuminated the star sea like a blazing sun, shaking countless worlds. All beings within knelt, chanting, "Long Live the Dragon Supreme!"
The figure ignored them, its eyes piercing through creation to a speck of a planet—Việt Dragon Star. The events within the Spirit Realm Pearl unfolded before it.
Rising, it stirred the cosmos. "A cultivator of my Dragon Fairy Sacred Scripture… wielding the Forbidden Power?" it mused, awe and curiosity mingling.
Calming, it lay back, retracting its gaze. "The Forbidden Power chooses its master—blessing or curse, who can say? Yet this boy bears my scripture…"
With a sigh, the star sea stilled, the cosmos returning to silence.
Unaware of the cosmic scrutiny, Lan An focused on Yan Roxue. Her cultivation soared—Late Spirit Transformation, Peak Spirit Transformation, Early Void Refinement, Mid Void Refinement—showing no signs of stopping.
Her body normalized, and on her flawless back appeared a vivid tattoo: majestic mountains, roaring rivers, vast domains, and a race of titans conquering all foes. The Water Desolation Clan's ancestral mark, vibrant and wild, enhanced her beauty.
"The Water Desolation Clan's hereditary tattoo," Jin Ni explained. "Every clansman bears it. Yan Roxue's mastery of the Water Desolation Battle Scripture is confirmed, and she can hide or reveal it at will."
Lan An nodded, gazing at Yan Roxue with love. As he opened his mouth to speak, the tattoo vanished, leaving her skin pristine. Her cultivation surged, drawing spiritual energy like a storm. Lan An piled mountains of spirit stones around her to fuel her ascent.
Before his astonished eyes, her aura roared to Peak Void Refinement.
Yan Roxue's eyes fluttered open, meeting his with adoration. Their breaths synced, hearts entwined.
"Little Nam…" she whispered, her voice soft but strong.
"Roxue, you're incredible," he replied, their gazes locked in a timeless moment.
Outside, the women waited anxiously. Hua Yu Feng's array patterns stood ready, Tuo Qing Xuan prepared pills, and Bing Ling Er gripped her Ice Heaven Axe. Wan Rong and Kun Ming Yue watched, hopeful.
A tremor shook the Spirit Realm Pearl. Jin Ni's voice cut through. "Fire Lotus Palace is stirring. Yan Hong Lian's emerging!"
Lan An's heart lifted. With Yan Roxue safe and Yan Hong Lian's Great Sun Divine Body awakening, their strength for the Scenic Land grew. But Bai Lie and Bai Tian's plot, the Soul Stabilizing Coffin's secrets, and the Dragon Supreme's distant gaze loomed, promising trials ahead.