Chapter 247: Return Journey Interrupted

With Tuobahong's demise, the climax of the East Sea conflict came to an end.

Seeing Tuobahong, now burnt to a crisp by Long Kun, Xu Yang and the others could only shake their heads, sighing with regret.

There was no doubt that Tuobahong's talent was on par with the most exceptional prodigies across the Three Thousand Dao Provinces' cultivation world. Unfortunately, his inability to control his desires ultimately led to his downfall.

Of course, choosing Xu Yang as an adversary was another significant reason for Tuobahong's failure. This time, he had truly hit a brick wall.

However, Xu Yang soon discovered another pressing issue. Tuobahong was indeed dead, but his demise also meant the end of his control over the Ghost Shadow Asura. The spiritual energy left within the Ghost Shadow Asura's sea of consciousness, now without a master, began to grow frantic. Soon, alternating, unpredictable colors flickered across the face of the physical body before them, drawing Xu Yang and the others' attention.

"This isn't good..." Xu Yang began. "These two bodies have been merged for over six thousand years; their fusion has become an instinct within their souls. Therefore, even if one falls dormant, the other's spiritual energy is enough to maintain the physical body and its energy system. But now, the Ghost Shadow Asura's soul power is completely depleted, and Tuobahong's residual spiritual energy is raging out of control! What's worse, Mu Qingtian's soul consciousness is also weak and on the verge of collapsing. If the situation spirals out of control and both souls are extinguished simultaneously, their merged physical body will be forcibly separated. The complete Dragon Source within them, unable to be contained by a single body, will tear their bodies apart!"

Xu Yang's words precisely articulated the critical situation facing the merged body.

"What should we do?" Bai Lianxue asked Xu Yang. "Is there anything we can do? Should we try to extract the complete Dragon Source first? Or continue to find a way to maintain their bodies' fused state?" Both teams present wanted to contribute to the battle, as Xu Yang and the Empress had endured so much hardship to save them along the way.

Xu Yang looked helpless. "Honestly, this is the first time I've encountered a situation like this," he said. "Moreover, we all understand the immense power of the complete Dragon Source. Even a slight misstep could risk shattering the entire Dragon Slaying Battlefield."

After a moment of thought, the Empress approached Xu Yang. "In my opinion," she suggested, "we should first leave this Dragon Slaying Battlefield. This would minimize the crisis caused by any instability in the Dragon Source. As for the merged body of the two powerhouses, we can temporarily use sealing techniques to suppress the Dragon Source's eruption as much as possible. That should buy us some time."

Xu Yang met the Empress's gaze and finally nodded in agreement.

"Very well," he conceded. "Perhaps this is the best solution we can think of for now. If this decaying body truly can't hold up, at least we will have tried our best."

The group followed Xu Yang to the ruins of the temple. The brilliant golden light of Dao power began to work its magic. All the broken walls and scattered debris before them floated into the air, revealing the core array eye that controlled the true dragon domain of the entire Dragon Slaying Battlefield.

"This must be the array eye where Mu Qingtian once cast the Supreme Dao Gate array to forcibly seal the Dragon Treasury," Xu Yang explained.

Everyone gazed at the dazzling array light mark. Even with the seal in place, they could feel the immense, surging power emanating from within.

"Boss, there's something I don't understand," Long Kun suddenly said. "The power fluctuations within this array could probably reach a world-destroying level; otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to maintain this entire Dragon Slaying Battlefield in the deep sea for thousands of years! But even at his peak, Mu Qingtian wasn't necessarily stronger than you. How did he set up such a terrifying seal? Is the Dao Sect's legacy truly that formidable?"

Xu Yang chuckled, shaking his head. "If I'm not mistaken, the Supreme Dao Gate seal he cast wasn't accomplished by him alone. It was the combined power of hundreds of top experts from the entire Qingtian Dao Sect lineage back then. You must remember, the Qingtian Dao Sect was the foremost Daoist lineage on the continent at that time. It's not surprising that an array maintained by the full power of the entire sect could achieve such strength."

With Xu Yang's explanation, everyone understood.

Xu Yang waved his hand, and the Dao Heart Whisk reappeared before him. Under the guidance of his Dao power, he attempted to communicate with the entire array eye.

*Boom!* In an instant, an incredibly formidable power surged from the array eye, blasting everyone except Xu Yang back more than ten meters.

At this moment, even the usually composed Xu Yang couldn't help but furrow his brow.

"It seems leaving here will be much more difficult than I anticipated!" Xu Yang stated. "Only by opening the array eye and allowing some of its energy to spill out will we gain enough momentum to break through the endless water pressure at the bottom of the sea and return to the surface. However, the crucial point is how to control this power at my own pace!"

Xu Yang's words made everyone tense up again. If the power were to completely spiral out of control, the force unleashed by the array alone could easily destroy this divine true dragon domain, let alone those inside it.

"Old man, come out quickly and support me with your Gluttonous Domain!" Without further hesitation, Xu Yang decisively called out to Taotie for help. At the same time, his two divine artifacts, Desolate Heaven Boundless and Eternity, manifested to protect him.

At this moment, Xu Yang sat cross-legged in the void, directly facing the tip of the Dao Heart Whisk, completely enveloped by an incredibly brilliant golden Dao light. He appeared sacred and solemn, bearing the heavy responsibility of leading everyone out of danger. In that moment, Xu Yang's silhouette, reflected in the eyes of the Empress and everyone present, seemed to grow immensely tall, as if this person, whether in quiet contemplation or in cheerful conversation, could alter everything in the world.

The explosive power was alleviated with the appearance of the Gluttonous Domain, but it still didn't seem to be enough. Xu Yang was already enduring immense pain. The Dao Heart Whisk, acting as the sole bridge between him and the array eye's seal, trembled violently and uncontrollably. One could only imagine the pressure Xu Yang was under, forcibly controlling this power with his body.

"Boy, you're really going through it!" Taotie exclaimed. "What you're trying to suppress right now is the power sealed by the world's foremost Dao Sect, harnessing the strength of its entire sect six thousand years ago! Fortunately, I completed the sacrifice for you, significantly boosting your physical endurance. Otherwise, this sheer pressure alone would tear your body apart!"

Taotie's words were no exaggeration. To avoid depleting Taotie's origin power before his injuries were fully healed, Xu Yang did not ask him to manifest his true form; instead, he only utilized a portion of his spiritual energy to release the Gluttonous Domain for assistance.

"Don't worry," Xu Yang replied. "No matter what, I will get all of you out of here safely!"