Si He was drenched in cold sweat, barely daring to breathe. Her chest felt constricted and heavily suppressed, yet her heart pounded like a drum, thumping hard against her ribs. The sound resonated through her bones, growing louder and louder. Her body was taut and rigid to the extreme, but she trembled violently, uncontrollably.
An alarm blared in her mind, and her blood ran cold. The thunder rolled incessantly, right beside her ears, and her heart slammed and hammered uncontrollably. No matter how she tried to convince herself to calm down, it wouldn't stop. Just as the violent thumping of her heart, almost overshadowing the thunder in her ears, was about to reach its peak, threatening to explode, Si He saw the slowly moving, colossal shadow come to a halt.
For an instant, she felt saved. Her wildly beating heart finally calmed down, and her breathing gradually became hurried and faint in her ears, audible again. She swallowed hard, slowly lifted her head, and looked at the colossal, majestic presence before her.
The massive Dragon Head had not fully emerged from the fracture, but its Dragon Eyes and Dragon Face were already visible. Imposing and solemn, yet serene and indifferent, its eyes remained firmly closed, showing no signs of awakening.
Si He let out a long breath, her breathing coming in ragged gasps. Her heart began to pound rapidly, and she finally regained a sense of safety and self. Sweat poured down her body like rain, leaving her soaked, cold, and sticky. She felt as though she had come back to life.
She gasped for air, trying to exhale all the pent-up tension and suppressed emotions from her chest.
Just as she relaxed, the majestic, serene giant eyes before her suddenly opened. A beam of light pierced through space-time, through her body, through the air, through her physical form and soul, shooting straight out of the cave and beyond the heavens.
Yes, this was Si He’s firsthand experience. That gaze, once unleashed, was extraordinarily bright, piercing through the river of time, through the air, and through her own body. Then, as if perceived by her soul, it continued without losing speed, passing through the mountain, through the cave, through everything, and in the blink of an eye, shot straight beyond the heavens.
The moment that gaze swept past her, she felt her heart clutched tightly. Her entire body instantly froze, her blood turned cold and congealed. Her soul felt exposed to the scrutiny of that supreme being, like a tiny ant, with nowhere to run. She felt herself shrinking, while the entity grew larger, its gaze becoming ever more majestic and indifferent, filling her with torment and panic, as if it would continue until her very existence vanished entirely.
An indescribable terror swept through her soul, making her weep, despair, and be utterly horrified, yet she couldn't make a sound. She could only watch helplessly as she gradually faded into oblivion.
And just as this colossal, majestic being opened its eyes, a vast spiritual energy tide, like a tsunami, surged forward. It impacted her body as if it were a tangible force, gushing out of the cave with immense power. The sound of surging waves crashing against the shore was incessant, shaking her mind and soul.
Then, Si He's standing body collapsed to its knees. Her eyes, devoid of light and spirit, slowly fell to the ground like a lifeless doll.
Behind her, when Yan Shou and the others came into contact with that invisible and intangible gaze piercing through, their pupils quickly lost their luster, becoming numb and unfocused. Then, like lifeless dolls, they also collapsed to the ground.
The Red Dragon, peering into the volcano from its perch, also had its pupils rapidly unfocus when it suddenly met that gaze. Like it had gone suddenly stupid, its body, having lost control, slid limply down the side of the mountain. Its head hit the ground, and its long body stretched out flaccidly as it rolled onto its back, kicking up a large cloud of dust.
Outside the mountain, the tribespeople hadn't seen the gaze, but they distinctly felt it pass through the mountain and sweep over their bodies. Without exception, they all collapsed as if drained of life.
The mountain of flesh, formed by the masses of snakes crowding and peering inside, also collectively lost the light in their eyes when that gaze swept over them. Like soft noodles, their raised forebodies drooped limply, and they all tumbled down.
The entire green field, volcano, and forest fell silent. Not even the birds flying in the distance or the animals in the forest were spared; they all plummeted limply. Those that flew too high simply fell and died for no apparent reason.
Some, too close to the volcano and too small, died of sudden cardiac arrest before even hitting the ground.
A vast spiritual energy tide, like a tsunami, surged powerfully from the volcano's crater and the cave entrance, washing over the fallen bodies as if it were a tangible force. The sound of surging waves crashing against the shore was incessant.
Wherever that extraordinarily bright gaze reached, all obstacles were pierced, and all dark places noticeably brightened.
It was as if a giant hand had drawn back the curtain of the sky with the sweep of its gaze, and the world suddenly grew much brighter, dispelling all shadows.
This range was immense, extending tens of thousands of li from the volcano's crater.
The world was instantly illuminated.
Within this range, countless creatures looked up at the sky, noticing this distinct bright light.
Inside the volcano, overflowing with red light.
At the fracture.
The fallen Si He's cheeks were flushed, her entire body far redder than before. She was drunk—drunk on spiritual energy, which was too dense.
Haoyuan, opening his eyes cautiously from his slumber, saw first a tall girl of about fourteen, panting heavily as she looked at him.
His first reaction was confusion, his second was to seek the source of the attack. Even in slumber, he had sensed something trying to attack him, so he opened his eyes. What he saw was this girl and a whole commotion outside the cave.
Then, in less than a second, the girl plopped down to her knees and then collapsed to the ground.
Outside, too, they fell one after another in perfect unison, thudding to the ground.
Like lifeless dolls.
He paid them no mind. His dragon whiskers swiftly extended, searching for the source of the attack, but he found nothing, nor did he sense any threat. He quickly retracted his wary gaze.
Only then did he remember that, when on guard, he would subconsciously activate Dragon Might Gaze. Although not as terrifying and powerful as when actively used, it was still not something ordinary creatures could withstand.
Thus, he understood the cause of everyone falling like dumplings into a pot.
And the moment he opened his eyes, the light piercing through to beyond the heavens also made him realize that his Eyes of the Torch Dragon seemed to have reached an astonishing level. Like Dragon Might Gaze, it could be activated slightly subconsciously. Therefore, even though he hadn't truly released light as bright and fiery as the great sun, the world and the cave had still brightened significantly.
This suddenly made him realize that his Life Tier must have undergone a tremendous change.
So, after confirming there was no real threat around the volcano, he opened his panel.
Name: Haoyuan
Race: Dragon (Custom)
Lifespan: 120,000,000 years
Size: 360 meters
Divine Abilities: White Flame, Water-Wind-Thunder-Ice-Mist, flaming eyes of molten gold (Dragon Might Gaze, Eyes of the Torch Dragon), Whale Gulp Dragon Inhale, Mimicry
Evolutionary Paths: 1. Self-Healing (...+), 2. Digestion (...+), 3. Dragon Body (...+)
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