The sheer arrogance and ancient power radiating from Ao Tian were suffocating. Before Bai Yu could even fully process the name "Primal Genesis Dragon," the colossal being unleashed its fury.
"Die!" Ao Tian roared, the command echoing like thunder within Bai Yu's mind. The dragon's massive jaws opened, not releasing fire or lightning, but a wave of pure, incandescent soul energy – a terrifying Soul Breath aimed directly at Bai Yu's kneeling spiritual form.
It hit him like a tsunami of corrosive force. Bai Yu felt his very essence being torn apart, shredded by the ancient, overwhelming power. The agony was indescribable, transcending any physical pain he had ever known. He felt his spiritual form flicker and destabilize. Simultaneously, in the physical world...
Outside, in the tranquil courtyard, Bai Feng and Wu Mao watched Bai Yu's seated form with bated breath. Suddenly, Bai Yu convulsed violently. His eyes remained closed, but his face contorted in agony.He abruptly spat out a mouthful of thick, black blood,splattering onto the silk cushion and his plain clothes. Immediately after, thin trickles of blood began to seep from his eyes, ears, nose, and even the pores of his skin, painting a horrific picture.
"Bai Yu!" Bai Feng cried out, his voice thick with worry, taking an instinctive step forward before Wu Mao put a restraining hand on his arm.
Wu Mao's face was grim, his eyes wide with shock and concern. "Hold, Patriarch! Interfering now could destroy them both! The backlash..." He stared at the bleeding Bai Yu, his voice low and tense. "Judging by this reaction... the soul within him... it is indeed an ancient and terrifyingly strong magical beast, even in its weakened state!"
Back within the chaotic white mindscape, Bai Yu was enveloped in the searing torrent of the Soul Breath. Ten whole seconds felt like an eternity of annihilation. His spiritual form bled ethereal light, mirroring the physical bleeding outside. His body screamed in agony, threatening to dissolve entirely under the onslaught.
No... Not like this... The thought clawed its way through the pain. Sixteen years of being useless, sixteen years of enduring pity and scorn... only to be obliterated by a phantom dragon the moment he found a potential path? The injustice, the sheer unfairness of it ignited a spark of defiance in the depths of his tormented soul.
"Shit... I can't... die like this!" Bai Yu screamed internally, the sound swallowed by the dragon's roar. With an agonizing surge of willpower fueled by pure desperation, he fought against the crushing pressure, trying to force his dissolving spiritual form to stand up.
His defiance seemed to infuriate the ancient dragon. "Insolent gnat! You are naught but a weakened, fragmented soul yourself! How dare you resist?!" Ao Tian roared, pouring more power into the Soul Breath. "Die, vermin!"
The pressure intensified exponentially. "Boom!" A sickening sound echoed in Bai Yu's mind as the spiritual projections of his hands, raised in a futile attempt to shield himself, simultaneously exploded into dissipating motes of light. The phantom pain was blinding. Yet, through gritted spiritual teeth, fueled by raw, primal fury, Bai Yu roared back, a soundless scream of pure defiance that shook his own crumbling consciousness:
"FUCK OFF!"
The Soul Breath raged, tearing at him, dissolving him piece by piece. An entire minute passed under the relentless assault. Bai Yu felt his consciousness fraying, his spiritual form disintegrating. He was fading...
Then, abruptly, the terrifying Soul Breath vanished.
A shocked, weakened roar echoed from the dragon. "Impossible! How... How can this be?! A mere mortal fragment... enduring that?"
Bai Yu, or what was left of him, struggled to perceive his tormentor. Ao Tian's colossal form was drastically diminished. The obsidian scales had lost their luster, the golden eyes were dimmed, and the entire dragon shape seemed translucent, nearly invisible. The prolonged, powerful attack had clearly exhausted the last vestiges of Ao Tian's weakened soul strength.
And Bai Yu? He was barely there. His spiritual body was gone. All that remained was a flickering, desperate point of consciousness – akin to only a head left, desperately clinging to life against the overwhelming tide of dissolution. He had survived, but only by the barest thread, outlasting the dragon's final assault through sheer, stubborn refusal to cease existing.
Ao Tian had used the last bit of his soul strength. The stalemate, bought at an unimaginable price, was reached.
With the dragon's power depleted and Bai Yu's own spirit nearly extinguished, the delicate balance maintaining the mindscape shattered. The white world began to crack like glass, fissures spreading rapidly. Darkness encroached from the edges. The mental realm started to collapse. Bai Yu's vision, already dim, plunged back into absolute blackness.
Outside, the horrifying bleeding from Bai Yu suddenly stopped. His strained breathing hitched, then seemed to cease altogether for a terrifying moment. Bai Feng's heart leaped into his throat.
But then, something extraordinary happened. A soft, golden glow began to emanate from Bai Yu's bloodied body. It started faintly, around his chest, then rapidly intensified, spreading outwards, bathing the small courtyard in a warm, sacred light. The glow solidified, coalescing around him, weaving itself into intricate patterns of light and energy. Within seconds, it enveloped him completely, forming a smooth, opaque, golden cocoon that pulsed with gentle power.
Bai Feng stared, speechless, his hand outstretched, trembling slightly. "This..." he stammered, unable to comprehend the sudden transformation from near-death to this radiant phenomenon.
Wu Mao, his face etched with awe and relief, let out a long, slow breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He looked at the pulsing cocoon, then at the stunned Patriarch.
"The soul battle... it is over," Wu Mao said quickly, his voice filled with anticipation. "That cocoon... it is a sign of metamorphosis, perhaps integration or purification following the clash. We will know who truly won – if the boy claimed victory, or if the beast soul merely entered a deeper hibernation, or something else entirely – when the cocoon breaks."