Chapter 903 - 439: Dragon Dragon Dragon
The standards mentioned by Diao... Li Ang felt a bit guilty, is this about me?
The gate wasn’t opened by himself.
"The gate was clawed open by the Platinum Dragon God incarnation Bahamut, not by me..."
"Please don’t say that."
Diao hurriedly said: "In the Transcendent Realm, everything you encounter is actually determined by yourself. The Great Witch said that anything encountered before entering the gate is part of the normal process of opening the gate.
"I—I think that the previous experience itself was part of your ’opening the door’, achieved after you received recognition from Ten Thousand Spirits."
"Is that so?"
Diao doesn’t seem to be the kind to flatter people. According to her interpretation of the Great Witch’s words, she means that everything before was actually manifested because of Li Ang himself, and the Great Dragon that broke the gate was also born from him.
"That’s correct." Diao seemed to be worried that Li Ang might doubt himself and reaffirmed: "During my previous training entries into the Transcendent Realm, I never saw so many people or changes in scenery."
"Moreover, the Otherworld Objects usually spy on the Spiritual Dimension, but such active vibration is something I’ve only seen in my life, which speaks to your extraordinary nature."
"I understand, thank you."
Li Ang was rather grateful for the young girl’s affirmation.
Though his understanding deepened as he mastered the witch’s abilities, it still had incomplete areas.
Like when he first came to Zultin Marsh, although he gained much ancient witchcraft, and initially grasped the Spiritual Activation and Tumult of Ten Thousand Spirits prototypes during the first few trials, making significant progress, he still could not glimpse the true essence hidden within the mysteries.
At that time, he regarded the Great Witch-led ancient witches as a primitive tribe preserving barbaric traditions, with things like psychedelic mushrooms, incense, and the melding of spirit and flesh... Facing the very young Diao, he felt he must run away, regardless of what else happens, because this group of primitives seemed to grow increasingly extreme.
Of course, now, he knew many truths but still didn’t think those were good methods. If he knew the meaning of the Transcendent Realm back then, he would have attempted other means to enter that state.
"But even if the Spiritual Dimension manifested phantoms based on myself, those situations were dangerous enough. Why did you have to come along?"
Li Ang looked at the young girl.
"That’s because," Diao lowered her head, "I have already been designated to you by the Great Witch."
"You don’t need to bind yourself to me because of tradition or tribe rituals," Li Ang said.
The brown-skinned young girl lowered her head, her slender fingers gripping the hem of her clothes.
"You can enter the Transcendent Realm on your own, which shows you don’t necessarily need me."
Diao shook her head: "The heightened sensory elevation during spirit and flesh melding is a Secret Technique designed to help you enter the gate. The Transcendent Realm is just a bonus. You could enter on your own through study."
Li Ang smiled: "Well, it’s good this way. You conveniently came to the true Sanctuary of All Spirits and don’t need to find me to enhance any senses."
Diao turned her head away: "You still need me to provide the knowledge that doesn’t exist outside, right?"
"Uh, yes, if there is anything else needed, please help."
The young girl was momentarily silent, seemingly emotional.
Li Ang scratched his head, honestly, he could somewhat understand the Great Witch, but not Diao.
The old man himself seemed aged beyond normal mortal lifespan; just from his tree-like appearance, Li Ang believed he used some Secret Technique to live over two hundred years, especially after seeing someone like Othella in such special states, he believed even more.
At that age, how one perceives things long discarded common moral views. He would arrange for Diao to be with Li Ang, something Li Ang found hard to accept morally and emotionally, but it wasn’t particularly surprising.
But Diao herself, shouldn’t she have a heart of resistance against him? Isn’t that more fitting narrative convention?
Or perhaps she’s already bound by tradition with no heart for resistance, but hearing his words, she should feel relieved, even indifferent would be normal, yet instead, she seems opposed to her own wishes?
Li Ang was puzzled, but he didn’t plan to spend too much thought on this matter.
Coming to the Sanctuary of All Spirits was to complete the witch’s legacy, which was a system-assured quest line. On another front, he hoped that after becoming a true witch, or Spiritual Forger, he could find a way to lift the curse, a task to be done post-quest completion.
Looking at the panel, the text updated again, becoming [Proceed to the Sanctuary of All Spirits center].
"What will you see in the center of the Sanctuary of All Spirits?" Li Ang asked while walking.
"What you see is also related to yourself." Diao said.
"Let’s keep going."
As they walked, the grassland environment suddenly ended, the scene abruptly transitioned to a moist land where a lake connected to a great river, the river rushing forward until it met the sea.
The school of fish swam upstream with the river, water beasts frolicked in groups, all enveloped in light, resembling a phantom scenery.
Such sudden changes in the scene suggest that the journey of the three in the Sanctuary of All Spirits triggered some sort of connection, causing the environment shift.
"Ugh, water, I don’t like it."
Upon reaching a river’s shallow bank, to proceed further required crossing shallow parts of the river. Inanna looked at the surging waters, feeling uneasy.
She was born with the power owed to Earth’s Favor, unafraid of ordinary water flows, but the surging river before her, she couldn’t resist.
"It’s alright, I won’t let you fall into the water," Li Ang said.
Having looked at him, the Little Dragon felt slightly assured.
Li Ang maintained his Dragon Transformation state, possessing Leviathan’s portion of power, as he tread on the river waters, they dared not crash into him, clearing aside to make way.
Inanna seized the chance to follow, hiding behind Li Ang, avoiding the river’s currents.
Just then, a splash not far away, a serpentine-like demon emerged from the water and swam towards the trio.
Its head emerged from the water, with alternating blue and pinkish fins and a dorsal sail.
This guy...
Just by looking at it, Li Ang instantly recognized it.
This was clearly the juvenile phase of the Leviathan.
Livi was on the Eternal Summer, and without abilities similar to those of the Earth Dragon Realm, this was clearly a phantom presented by the Ten Thousand Spirits.
"Why are there phantoms here too?" Li Ang whispered to Diao.
"The Great Witch Priest mentioned that here, everything the visitors experience will be integrated to form a corresponding journey."
This is indeed amusing.
Li Ang and Inanna are both related to the Dragon Ancestor, so seeing Leviathan before them is not surprising.
"Hey, you’re also a dragon, why are you afraid of water?" Leviathan stared at Inanna and asked.
"What do you mean? Is it not okay to fear water?"
"But you’re a dragon. Haha!"
While laughing, Leviathan sprayed a stream of water.
"Is it not okay to fear water?"
Inanna gritted her teeth, seemingly filled with a surge of anger.
"If the phantoms here are realized based on Spirit Mark, then should I assume I’m witnessing the initial encounter between the Sea Serpent Ancestor and the Earth Dragon God?"
Li Ang smirked; isn’t this just a childish argument?
"Maybe so."
Diao’s expression was serious, yet she felt the scene somewhat exceeded expectations, her demeanor neither tightly controlled nor completely relaxed.
What does this scene mean? What is the Sanctuary of All Spirits trying to show us with this scene, Li Ang pondered.
Over there, due to Leviathan’s provocation, the two little dragons started fighting.
Despite being in a state of birth, each wielded the foundational powers of the world. On one side, river waters surged turbulently, while on the other, the riverbed rose with the Power of Earth, defending against the rush of opposite waters.
However, in the water, Inanna was at a significant disadvantage, quickly trapped by Leviathan’s whirlwind and yelping anxiously.
Li Ang flew over and saved her from the vortex.
"Hey! How can you have another dragon help you?!" Leviathan shouted urgently in the water.
She glanced at Li Ang and scolded, "Where did you come from, Great Dragon?! Apart from the absent Dragon Father, there’s actually a Dragon Race stronger than us? Huh? Wait..."
Talking and talking, the Sea Serpent Ancestor noticed the peculiar aura emanating from Li Ang.
She scrutinized Li Ang, transformed into the Silver Dragon, contemplated, and shouted to Inanna in Li Ang’s embrace, "Hey! Just having the Great Dragon protect you doesn’t qualify you as a dragon. Come down and fight again. If you can’t defeat me, he will raise and guard my nest!"
"Why?!" Inanna clung tightly to Li Ang, "That’s unreasonable! Ahhh!"
The brown-black little dragon desperately wagged her tail, but being in the water, she was unwilling to jump back down.
"Leviathan, stop bullying her."
A gentle female voice sounded, familiar to the core, Li Ang looked over in surprise.
Amidst the river, a pink-haired young girl rose, adorably charming like an Elf between heaven and earth, bearing the gentleness and elegance of water.
"Akuya?"
"You know me?"
The Water Dragon who emerged from the river looked at Li Ang with some surprise.
"Yes, I’ve heard about you, I’m bringing Inanna to find you."
"Thank you, after we got separated, I was searching for her."
Akuya walked over the waves, surrounded in the water by fish and Water Beasts escorting her side as if treating her as a noble princess, loyally following, even with beast faces showing enchantment and enthusiasm.
The pink-haired Dragon Maiden smiled, her demeanor serene, completely different than the Akuya Li Ang knew—the two dragons were like different beings.
Is this the Ancient Era’s Water Dragon, unaltered by the world’s trauma? Li Ang commented inwardly.
Yet, the phantom of Akuya approached the non-phantom Inanna, how would this past scene unfold now? Li Ang settled his mind, ready to see what happens next.
"Akuya, where did you go? And Brigitte?"
Inanna hopped off Li Ang, splashing and wading towards the pink-haired Dragon Maiden.
"You’ve learned to transform into the form of Eldest Offspring?" The little dragon asked.
"I’ve known that for a while? What puzzles me is, don’t you know it too?"
Inanna was stunned, and Li Ang realized that the memory of Earth Dragon seemed out of sync with the phantom’s timeline.