When Draco appeared, the sky fell under his control. Being a Dragon that formed from a constellation, he was an overlord of the sky and stars who could manifest Yasenia's constellations at will.
Astarea manipulated her energy right as Draco manifested, and thousands of pillars and lances shot to the sky, trying to bring him down. Draco looked down, the spiraling galaxies within his eyes absorbing the world around him.
Energy pulsed as the countless stars that made up his body moved and reorganized into [Orion] constellations. In less than an instant, shields covered all of Astarea's attacks, leaving Draco and Yasenia unscathed.
Astarea's jaw tightened. 'This Dragon… Can it use all of the constellations at will?'
As if answering her, Draco moved his energy, and the constellations shifted all around her body. This time, countless [Pegasus] constellations formed under his control.
Astarea was confused. 'Isn't this the acceleration skill? Why is it forming so many of them?'
The answer came a second later.
Around Draco, hundreds of Pegasus made out of pure starlight manifested. Then, the white-winged horses neighed and stomped the ground at the same time. The Divine's eyes widened as countless winged beings charged at her, carrying enough momentum to make her feel a threat of death.
"Ridiculous creature!"
She utilized the mirrors and defensive skills to their maximum efficiency, placing her shield in front of her body. Then, the [Pegasus] constellations collided.
BOOM!!
Astarea's body was flung back, her body covered in blood, while her wings looked broken. 'Tsk! Too strong! I can't lower my guard now.' Astarea looked around her to avoid Yasenia's sneak attack. 'Huh? She is not around? This is quite a perfect chance to attack even if I know it is coming.'
With her perception, Astarea was quick to locate Yasenia. 'She is not moving from her standing position… No. It's not that she is not moving, but that she can't move. Draco is a skill that requires her entire body to cast.'
Even if she discovered that, the giant Primordial Dragon was surrounding Yasenia's location with his serpentine body while looking at her. 'If I want to damage Yasenia, I need to get through that Dragon. But that seems impossible.'
A wry smile appeared on her lips. 'It seems that I failed my bet.'
Floating at a distance, she looked at Yasenia and sighed. "Child, good luck. I surrender.'
Yasenia's eyes widened with bewilderment. "Huh? What do you mean?"
Astarea shook her head. "I can't deal with that thing you've summoned. It is too strong."
She noticed that Draco was not only a summon but also something similar to a lingering consciousness. When it manifested, the colossal dragon used the manifested starry sky to summon its own Intent Domain. Such a thing was unthinkable, but Astarea could feel the mysterious power of the stars enveloping the entire place.
"Good luck."
Then, she took a step back and disappeared.
Yasenia looked as Astarea disappeared and clenched her fist. "..." Her heart was beating uncomfortably, as if she had punched cotton after getting angered. There was this sensation at the back of her throat that made her want to drag Astarea down again and continue fighting.
After trembling in place for a while, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 'Relax your nerves. You are too agitated, Yasenia.' While muttering to herself, her mood quickly calmed down. 'After being attacked in your stomach, you have lost your calmness. You can't be like this.'
Looking up, she noticed Draco looking at her and lowering his head, as if trying to console her. A chuckle escaped her mouth, and she extended her hand to pat the giant dragon's snout. "Thank you, Draco. I am better now. Scatter, and I'll call you when I need you."
Grr~.
A low rumbling sound escaped Draco as it closed its eyes and dispersed like morning mist. The second she undid the summoning, Yasenia's body softened as exhaustion washed over her mind and body. Her meridians were slightly swollen, and her Dantian was working overtime to create and manage energy. "That was exhausting."
She had not really practiced summoning Draco after reaching the Sixth Realm. Not to mention, she had met with failure a few times before. This time, she knew that her understanding and strength had increased a great deal. After all, she learned the Celestial Intent Domain and received many other benefits.
So, when anger clouded her mind for a second, she found herself starting Draco's summoning steps. 'At that moment, I felt within me that I could do it.'
Looking down, Yasenia noticed that the endless ocean below her had disappeared. So, she landed back down on the pristine white ground and sat cross-legged. "Let's meditate. I must calm down and think about how to deal with Ao Jiuyao."
Astarea and her fight were the semi-finals of the eight-person tournament. Therefore, the next fight would be the final one. While she recovered from the injuries and energy consumption, she heard the voice of the bead realm.
"The finals will begin in 12 hours."
'So little time to recover.' Yasenia frowned. 'Natural recovery won't cut it if I want to reach my peak state.'
The advantage was that the final opponent was most likely the Dragon she encountered. But that didn't mean that there were no drawbacks. 'That person is the strongest cultivator I've met within the Secret Realm.'
As a dragon, his strength in the same realm was far above that of others. Not to mention, this male dragon was quite an old existence. 'His experience is dangerous. He will probably be able to fight even more proficiently than Astarea.'
If it were a battle without external items, Yasenia knew that she would need to use Soluna and Dramel. 'While I am stronger because I practice four cultivation paths, I am just too young and lack experience compared to these old monsters.'
She was barely 130 years old. The people she was fighting with were two orders of magnitude older. 'I guess, as I advance quicker and quicker, I will meet increasingly more ridiculous old monsters.'
Opening her eyes, Yasenia looked up with a lost expression. "There will be a time when talent won't help me. That's why I need this bead. Fighting my copies daily will help increase my strength at a rate inconceivable without it…" With determination, Yasenia nodded. "I've decided. I am sorry for Ao Jiuyao, since, like me, he was probably expecting a good fight. But I just can't risk it."
Twelve hours passed quickly, and after the countdown, Yasenia appeared in a new arena. The terrain didn't change at all. An infinite flat, white floor and dark surroundings. Looking at her enemy, Yasenia saw who she expected.
A tall, handsome man with wine-red-colored eyes and a faint smile. "I didn't expect you to defeat that girl, Astarea."
Yasenia looked at the dragon and sighed once. "Sorry. Surrender, please."
"Hm?" Ao Jiuyao showed an honestly confused expression. "Don't you want to fight? I could feel your fighting spirit before we entered the tournament."
Yasenia nodded. "I want to, but…" Yasenia reached between her breasts and took out one of the two talismans she hid there. "I must win."
Ao Jiuyao's expression changed, and a frown appeared between his eyebrows. "Are you really going to use that?"
"If you don't surrender, I will."
The talisman in Yasenia's hand was bending space itself. It was as if the laws of the world were twisting around it and falling under its dominion.
From the stands, the people looking at the talisman showed a confused expression. They could see the strangeness of the talisman, but the aura was not transmitted through the projection they were looking at.
"Lord Ao is showing a wary look. That thing is clearly something exceptional."
"Is it perhaps a life-saving treasure of the middle or upper Transcendence Realm?"
"I think it is something stronger. Lord Ao wouldn't be so cornered otherwise. Even if his strength is limited to the first level, he is not someone who would retreat in front of something like that."
Astarea at the side looked at the talisman with a puzzled expression. She approached Lataria and asked, curious. "What is that? You didn't tell me about it."
Lataria looked at Astarea with a complicated expression. Others might not have noticed, but Lataria could see the strangeness in their fight. Astarea, who usually aimed for weak points during fights, was clearly targeting Yasenia's stomach constantly.
'Is Yasenia…'
Her mind could connect the dots rather quickly. After all, Yasenia's beauty and the fact that she already had a mate made it quite possible. Who would not, having a partner like Yasenia, try their best to have a child with her? Moreover, she was over 5,000 years old. Even if she had not eaten pork, she had seen them run around.
'Did Grandma really target a pregnant woman's stomach just to win?'
"Lataria?"
Lataria snapped out of her thoughts and smiled slightly. "That's a defensive talisman. Granduncle Ao said that it was really powerful when she showed it before. So, if Yasenia has decided to use that, the battle is already over."
Astarea frowned deeply. "... That's a problem. If Jiuyao got the bead, at least we could've discussed it with him. Conversely, that young dragon seems quite attached to it."
Lataria smiled awkwardly. "Yeah."
Astarea muttered. "Well, it is not a treasure that she can hold with her strength. Once outside, she will have to give it up or face severe consequences."
"That… Isn't that a bit unfair? She is just…"
"Lataria." Astarea cut her off, her tone cold. "The world doesn't work on pity and understanding, but on strength. She is weak, so she should know her place and vie only for treasures of her caliber. This time, she is trying to swallow something that even made your Granduncle Ao Jiuyao step forward."
Lataria didn't speak and sighed. "I understand. Sorry for being momentarily muddled, Nainai."
Astarea smiled and patted Lataria's head. "Good."
Meanwhile, inside the arena, Jiuyao was trying to convince Yasenia. "Girl, you know that reward and danger come side-by-side. This is a treasure you've stolen from almost all factions interested in the Secret Realm." He patiently explained. "That treasure is part of a series of inheritances of this Secret Realm. So, I recommend giving it to me. I'll make sure to tell the elders about your contribution and compensate you accordingly. Nevertheless, you can't get that treasure."
Yasenia understood that. "I know, but as you said, reward and danger come hand in hand. If I overcome it this time, won't I reap bountiful rewards?"
Ao Jiuyao sighed and shook his head. "No. You won't. That treasure is something our factions would go to war with one another to obtain. Do you understand? If you get out with that treasure, you will be hunted down and given no rest. You will need to live in hiding, even if you miraculously manage to escape."
Yasenia looked at him and glanced down at the talisman in her hand. '... Do you think I don't understand that?' Yasenia thought to herself. 'But… If it isn't with this treasure, I won't be able to cross the distance fast enough. As fast as I am improving, Mom is taking similar steps. It's not like Mom will stay in place and wait for me.'
This was one of those treasures that deserved fighting for. A treasure that deserved placing her life on the line for. "Sorry, Lord Ao. Surrender."
Ao Jiuyao looked at Yasenia with a complicated expression before sighing, resigned. "As you wish. Sorry, child, I don't think I can support you as I told you before. I surrender."
The voice of the bead realm spread to the remaining people. "You've lost the right to inherit the [Star Breaker Realm Bead]. You will be thrown out of the trial."
Everyone but Yasenia disappeared, leaving her alone. Yasenia looked forward with a determined gaze. "Let's get it, then."