When Yasenia looked at them, Tai Yang and Change'er felt pressured. After transforming her soul into a Sixth Realm soul, her Soul Path broke through into the Sixth Realm as well. The Sixth Realm of the Soul Path was named the Soul King Palace Realm.
Yasenia waved her hand, intending to summon her [Palace], something gained right after entering this realm. However, once she tried to do so, her soul flinched, as if she couldn't do so. A faint frown appeared between her brows. 'What's wrong? Why can't I summon my [Soul Palace]?'
Tai Yang and Change'er, noticing the strangeness, relaxed their bodies. If Yasenia had been able to summon the [Soul Palace], they would've fled right on the spot. Nevertheless, as long as she wasn't able to summon it, they didn't have to fear her as much. Her soul's strength had made a qualitative and quantitative leap, though. So, if they wanted to face her like before, they were in for a world of pain.
"[Imperial Sun Dragon Presence]."
"[Imperial Moon Dragon Presence]."
Two powerful auras crashed on top of Yasenia, suppressing her strength. The weight of their aura was truly terrifying. 'Heh. These two still had this trick up their sleeves?' She sneered in her mind. 'Well, it matters not.'
Yasenia's lips arched faintly. "After my soul evolved, my [Dragon Strength] also evolved past [Cosmos Dragon Imperial Suppression]. Let me try to resist yours with it."
[Dragon Strength] was the aura that only some dragons could develop. Those who awakened it were exceptional creatures meant to rule others of their own kind. For Yasenia, [Dragon Strength] had awakened and, beyond that, gone through many awakenings: It first upgraded to [Dragon Authority], then [Empyrean Regal Dragon Aura], and finally [Cosmos Dragon Imperial Suppression]. These boosts happened due to a change in either attitude, strength, or simply understanding of her own role as a dragon. Still, lately, that skill had met a bottleneck. She couldn't develop it no matter how much she tried.
Yasenia understood the reason right after gaining the Sixth Realm's soul strength. Before, she was trying to use her bloodline and push out her aura to suppress everyone.
'That's wrong.'
Yasenia's eyes flashed as, instead of her body, the surroundings began trembling. Her presence was materializing around her.
'A dragon doesn't bring people to their knees. It makes the world bow down under their regal aura and, consequently, its inhabitants.'
Her mouth opened, echoing with regal might.
"[Empyrean Cosmos Dragon Sovereignty]."
Yasenia's aura manifested in her surroundings, pushing out both presences that were pressing onto her and creating a domain of peace for herself. Nevertheless, she could only push past a certain point. "Hm~. Well, you two are supposed to be Gods. Expecting my aura to overcome both of yours could be considered delusional. Still, I feel much less restrained."
Tai Yang humphed. "You are too relaxed."
Yasenia chuckled. "I am. You two are overexerting yourselves. That knowledge makes me quite happy. It means that you both are reaching the end of your mischief."
Change'er grabbed the hilt of her sword tightly, squinting. "Saying something aloud doesn't make it the truth."
"True." Yasenia smiled coldly. "But if the two auras weren't something beyond what you two can handle, then why have you not used them during the last year of fighting? I don't believe you two were arrogant and decided not to, so the only explanation is that, even right now, you both are suffering quite a bit to maintain your [Dragon Strength]."
Tai Yang clicked his tongue and charged at Draheart. "Enough speaking."
Draheart, though, didn't go and clash with him. Instead, she transformed into a ray of light, changing her form to a sword shape, and landed on Yasenia's hand. The dragoness tightly grasped the flying sword's hilt, allowing her arm to swing slightly as she regained balance. Tai Yang asked, confused. "What's the meaning of this?"
Yasenia blinked. "Although I don't know why you feel entitled to ask that question, I'll humor you since it changes nothing." Yasenia chuckled. "Draheart understands that fighting as my weapon now is better than fighting by herself. Do you understand?" Yasenia positioned herself, her cold smile stretching into a bloodthirsty one. "It means that I am strong enough to bring out her potential more than she herself could, unlike my mortal soul self."
Tai Yang wanted to speak, saying that it was nonsense. However, Yasenia disappeared and reappeared behind him, moving at such speed that the Sun God almost failed to react. Hastily twisting his body, his golden spear swung to the side, clashing with Yasenia's Draheart.
BANG!
Unlike before, Tai Yang's face changed when the sheer strength behind the blow blasted his spear backward, while Yasenia barely showed any reaction. The dragoness stepped closer with a follow-up upward strike.
With his guard completely crumbled, Tai Yang could only place his tail in Draheart's path.
SLASH!
A silver flash appeared right before Yasenia struck!
CLANG~!
Yasenia looked at the new arrival. The Moon Goddess had swooped down from the sky and managed to deflect her sword before she could deal a harsh blow to Tai Yang's tail.
Wasting no time, our dragoness grabbed Draheart tightly with her two arms and made a thrusting motion. Change'er easily wielded her sword sideways, hitting Draheart's wide side and repelling it to the side. Then, the Moon Goddess thrust back, trying to sneak the sword through the small gap she created.
Having anticipated that move, Yasenia's tail moved like a whip, hitting the Moon Goddess in a very similar manner, managing to deviate the path away from her body. Then, her soul energy went rampant as she slashed horizontally from her blown-back position.
Change'er's eyes flashed with worry. 'This attack is too fast! I can't defend!'
Tai Yang had recovered by now, though, so he used his spear to create a threat. His spear thrust at a very high speed toward Yasenia's head, telling her that if she dared to go through with her sword slash, she had to pay a hefty price.
Seeing that, the dragoness was forced to change from offense to defense.
CLANG!
Yasenia jumped backward, creating a short distance between them. Meanwhile, the Sun God and Moon Goddess stood side by side, looking at the dragoness with a solemn expression. 'If we were alone…'
Her strength had made a ridiculous leap, and now they were being pushed back!
Yasenia smiled at this point. "Dramel, dear. Are you going to continue gawking, or will you sing for me?"
Dramel blinked a few times and coughed, embarrassed. "Ahem, sorry. Master's form when fighting is so awe-inspiring that this little instrument became soundless~." Yasenia chuckled, and Dramel appeared behind Yasenia. She took a deep breath, and she started singing. "Ah~."
With her voice, a powerful buff spread through Yasenia's body, increasing her strength by another notch. The dragoness looked at the two gods and spoke indifferently. "Time for you two to die."
The three of them disappeared and started clashing with each other. The bodies of Tai Yang and Change'er could be seen being thrown around like ragdolls. However, using their perfect coordination, they were able to resist the endless onslaught of the powerful dragon.
Meanwhile, outside, Yasenia opened her eyes. 'Now that I can keep those two at bay and my soul has recovered, it is time for my second transformation.'
She could've started her advancement from any of her paths, be it body, soul, spirit, or beast. After pondering for a while, she concluded that recovering her Soul and making it advance in realm would be the best option. Once the soul was recovered, Yasenia would be able to use it as a "mold" to heal and craft her body.
During the Soul Crafting, so that her current situation would never happen again, Yasenia left a special spot. She created a "womb" in her soul as well. 'If my thoughts are correct, the baby will be safe when I transform my body because the Soul knows that it needs to protect that location. I must change everything and break through and, simultaneously, make sure that little one will keep being safe and warm in my stomach.'
Even with a large part of her physical body missing, Yasenia still moved her remaining arm toward her navel and caressed it gently. "Don't worry, Mommy will make sure you come to this world alive and healthy."
Those observing her and knowing the situation couldn't help but choke as their feelings got the better of them.
Yasenia waved her hand, summoning the [Primordial Energy Core] once more. It still had a rather large chunk of the energy from the [World Destroying Tribulation Soldier]. However, since that was almost completely digested, she needed to recharge it. Looking up, Yasenia could see Soluna fighting off the terrifying tribulation. 'Without her, how different would things have been?'
While she didn't want to admit it, she knew that without Soluna, she would've been forced into a corner much more easily. 'I need to pamper her lots later and give lots of love.'
As she thought so, the [Primordial Energy Core] began sucking in all the Heavenly Energy in the surroundings. Each lightning bolt carried, even if the Heaven didn't want to, a piece of the "Reward" from overcoming the Heavenly Tribulation. Hence, the surroundings were full of specks of different elements and energies.
The [Primordial Energy Core] transformed into a black hole and sucked everything into it. The pure black core with reddish hues was like a ravenous beast with endless capacity, swallowing everything in just a few seconds. "Done. You can return and start digesting the rest."
Then, Yasenia used the Tribulation Energy to start her body's rebirth. "Soluna, stop defending me."
Soluna didn't doubt Yasenia and quickly flashed below her. They were still in the middle of space, so going below her was easy. Yasenia glanced at the Heavenly Elemental Tribulation Lightning Blots, allowing them to strike her body. 'I'll use them as a hammer to forge my body.'
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The powerful Heavenly Lightning carried a myriad of elements and hit her body like pouring rain. Yasenia checked on her baby for a second, and seeing the energies working together to protect that area and the placenta, some of her worries disappeared. Still, having been ambushed once already, she didn't dare put her guard down.
Soluna's eyes flashed with worry, ready to interfere the second she deemed it necessary or Yasenia told her to.
As the violent energies coated her body, her skin and flesh got burnt and slowly disappeared. Her fingers, hair, face, and even her eyes were slowly melted under the constant barrage of elemental lightning.
The pain was utterly nightmarish. The horrifying sensation of her body being scorched and destroyed bit by bit while maintaining consciousness was pure torture. However, Yasenia clenched her teeth and resisted.
She lost her sight.
She lost her hearing.
She lost her sense of smell.
She lost her sense of taste.
She lost her sense of touch.
The world became black, and on the outside, her body was reduced to almost nothing. The only part that was pristine and completely unharmed was the womb. The protective barrier and placenta around it remain unscathed.
Soluna looked with a horrified expression as the person she was bound to protect was annihilated under the barrage of lightning bolts.
Down on the Heaven Converging City, the girls clenched their teeth and fists to the point that they started to bleed. They had gone through something similar, but not as extreme. Therefore, they were incredibly worried.
As Yasenia's existence was brought to the limit, the Heavenly Energy in her Dantian burst out.
BOOM!
A sphere of sheer aura surrounded Yasenia's remaining bits of her fleshy body, blocking the lightning bolts from going inside. The sphere looked terrifying since countless bolts roamed its surface.
Then, in the middle, the image of her dragon self appeared. The size was not gargantuan. It was actually the size of a mortal horse. Big enough for one person to mount comfortably on her back. This image was created by her powerful soul, with four shining dots in different parts of her body. The first dot was in the middle of her head, the second was behind her reverse scale, the third was where her heart was supposed to be, and the last was in her waist area.
GONG~!
The bell of heaven sounded one time…
GONG~!
And a second time, announcing Yasenia's completion in two extra paths. Then, flesh began multiplying outward and creating her Dragon body from the faint chunks of her remaining self.
The sphere of aura disappeared and allowed all the bolts to rain down with incredible ferocity. It appeared as if Heaven was feeling rushed and anxious, trying to stop whatever was happening.
However, they could do nothing.
While the battle inside the soul raged on and her fleshy body formed, three more months passed. By the end of those months, Yasenia had broken through into the Mythical Core Beast Realm and the Undying Monarch Body Realm.
Inside her soul, Yasenia's strength surged once more, and both gods realized that they needed to either aim for mutual destruction or flee. Yasenia had grown far beyond their expectations.
Once the Celestial Dragon opened her golden eyes, all beasts felt like their heads were forced against the ground.