When the tide of desire recedes, what remains is the true shape of life. I cannot help but wonder: is it survival we chase, or a life defined by the act of surviving?
I am forced to ponder the ultimate meaning of the universe's existence. In this life of constant wandering and hunting, risking my neck day after day for ten years, what have I gained? In the end, what will be left?
The deepest wisdom of life is often born in the quietest moments. Asterion was deep in thought. At this moment, he resembled a solitary sage, his eyes reflecting the fundamental laws of all things as he explored their most profound significance.
Do not ask if you can, nor if it is possible; ask instead if it will last.
The answer was: for a long time.
Asterion didn't know how much time had passed. He only felt that the Caverns of El Dorado, once shimmering under the glow of molten rock, had grown somewhat dim. The scenery, which had initially seemed novel, was now mundane.
Will there be children?
A sudden, jarring question flashed through Asterion's mind. He didn't know if there was such a thing as reproductive isolation between dragons—or rather, between Elder Dragons. After all, the Elder Dragon classification existed specifically for creatures so unique they defied standard categorization; they were fundamentally different from ordinary monsters, both physiologically and psychologically.
Most importantly, Asterion himself didn't even know what kind of dragon or monster he counted as now. If a new life were to be born, would it look more like him, or more like Kulve Taroth?
"Roar." (I'm leaving.)
Shedding his previous state of lethargy where he hadn't even wanted to move, Asterion rolled over and stood up. A determined light flickered in his eyes; he looked as if he held the stars and the sea within his gaze!
"Roar?" (To the Elder's Recess?)
After so much time, Kulve Taroth had come to understand where Asterion wanted to go and what he intended to do there.
"Roar, roar?" (Can't you stay?)
"Roar, roar. Roar." (Absolutely not. The environment in the Everstream is too monotonous, and there's too little meat to eat.)
Eating wasn't just for bioenergy; the process of eating was an enjoyment in itself. Asterion dearly loved eating meat.
Although one could slowly accumulate bioenergy just by breathing within the Everstream, Asterion had no interest in living like an ascetic monk. As long as conditions allowed, he would never mistreat himself.
"Roar." (Alright. Since we had a deal, I will take you there.)
She didn't show much reluctance; Kulve Taroth was surprisingly easy to talk to. After dragging herself up, she unleashed a blast of heat that melted a hole through the rock wall large enough for both dragons to crawl through. She didn't even bother looking for a path; she simply moved in a straight line. There was nothing a blast of Kulve Taroth's heat couldn't solve.
Initially, Asterion had been worried that Kulve Taroth might refuse to let him go, but as the two dragons chatted along the way, he realized he had overthought things. She wasn't obsessed with him.
It wasn't surprising. Given the immense lifespan of an Elder Dragon, what Asterion was doing probably looked like nothing more than stepping out for a stroll to find some food. Not to mention, Kulve Taroth had already asked where Asterion had started his journey, looking very much like she intended to follow him back when he eventually returned.
"Roar?" (Do you know of the Confluence of Fates?)
"Roar?" (The... Confluence?)
As they made their long trek, Asterion chatted with Kulve Taroth.
"Roar, roar. Roar." (It's the intersection of all the veins in the entire continent. For example, the Everstream we are walking through now—it's the point where it meets all the other veins. It's the final destination you reach no matter where you start.)
Asterion tried to get Kulve Taroth to understand the concept of a focal point for the veins of the earth. To help, he even used his sword-tail to draw a diagram on the ground: various lines spreading out in all directions from a single point.
"Roar, roar." (I understand what you mean, but the end of the veins... I don't recall ever going to such a place.)
After thinking seriously for a moment, Kulve Taroth shook her head.
It wasn't strange. The Safi'jiiva that had sired that Xeno'jiiva had hidden the reproductive cocoon very well. After all, any Elder Dragon who discovered a cocoon that summoned its kind to die in heaps just to feed on their internal bioenergy would not show the slightest mercy.
It was almost like a Deviljho hatchling, except that a Deviljho hatchling fights the world during its growth phase, whereas a Safi'jiiva hatchling must fight the world from the cocoon stage, hiding itself with extreme caution.
This was especially true for the cocoon located at the Confluence of Fates. The energy from the veins of the entire New World would eventually gather at that location, giving the Safi'jiiva inside the potential to become the King of Elder Dragons. Once it passed the juvenile Xeno'jiiva stage, it would undoubtedly become a new Black Dragon.
After all, a regular Safi'jiiva was enough to make an Alatreon travel ten thousand miles just to eliminate it. This meant a normal Safi'jiiva possessed combat power comparable to a Black Dragon, and this one, with its unique birthplace, would naturally be even stronger—perhaps even ranking among the top of the Black Dragon group.
"Roar?" (Are you not going to the Elder's Recess anymore?)
Stopping in her tracks, Kulve Taroth asked in confusion.
"Roar, roar." (If I can find the Confluence of Fates directly, that would be even better. I wouldn't need to go to the Elder's Recess.)
Asterion spoke frankly. One could only say that a dragon's ambition swells with time and changing circumstances. Just as Sima Yi didn't start out with the intent to usurp the throne, but only birthed the ambition to change the dynasty after reaching a high position of power and discovering that the Cao descendants were all useless.
When he had first set out from the Ancient Tree Forest, Asterion's plan had been very simple: just find a way to the Elder's Recess and gorge himself on the bioenergy crystals there. He intended to use that shortcut to accumulate enough energy to evolve his life essence in the shortest time possible.
But since he was already taking a shortcut, why not take it to the extreme?
Wouldn't it be better to just eat the Safi'jiiva cocoon directly?
Only a Xeno'jiiva that successfully hatched, developed fully, and survived to adulthood deserved to be called a Safi'jiiva. So, for now, he would just call it the Xeno'jiiva cocoon. Knowing that the special Xeno'jiiva was hidden at the Confluence of Fates, inhaling heaven knows how many years' worth of bioenergy, wouldn't eating that cocoon mean he would directly inherit all the savings Xeno'jiiva had accumulated over countless years?
It went back to the same saying: why work hard yourself when you can just plunder the fruits of another dragon's labor?
This was the fundamental law of the natural world. Asterion's current success was built entirely on forcibly plundering the bioenergy stored within other monsters; hatchlings and elderly dragons were his favorites.
The best part was that at this point in time, it was far from the time for Xeno'jiiva to be born, leaving it completely defenseless. In fact, even in the game, the Xeno'jiiva hailed as the King of Elder Dragons was merely a premature infant.
Despite the fact that a single energy burst could critically wound a Wyverian Insect Glaive master, it was pathetic compared to its adult form, Safi'jiiva. It was as if all those years of absorbing vein energy had been for nothing; it failed to show its true strength, which was quite embarrassing for a dragon.
But "embarrassing" was good—the more embarrassing, the better. Asterion didn't know how long he had been tunneling through the Everstream, but he was certain it hadn't been twenty years. This meant the Fifth Fleet had not yet arrived in the New World. Xeno'jiiva would only be weaker than it was in the story, having had over a decade less to develop.
The reason he hadn't planned to go straight to the Confluence of Fates before departing wasn't that he didn't want to, but because he knew he couldn't do it. This wasn't something that could be solved by sheer willpower; if he tried to bite his way through the earth, he probably wouldn't find it until the New World was destroyed.
But now, he had Kulve Taroth.
Asterion's gaze toward Kulve Taroth was full of heat and expectation. She was a veteran who lived in the Everstream year-round; her familiarity with these tunnels was unmatched by any other dragon.
Even though Kulve Taroth said she hadn't been there, if she went looking for it, her chances of finding it were bound to be higher than Asterion's—she only needed to sense the flow of the earth's energy and move forward. This was an innate ability of hers.
"Roar, roar?" (I'll try?)
After being sweet-talked and flattered by Asterion—being told she was the greatest and most beautiful dragon in the world and that such a small task would be a breeze—Kulve Taroth contentedly began her work.
Wait and hope!
Following behind Kulve Taroth, Asterion even began to fantasize about how he would deal with Xeno'jiiva. Under the creature's long-term influence, the Confluence of Fates had become a unique geographical wonder. As long as Xeno'jiiva didn't destroy the structure of the veins upon birth, then even if it left, the energy of the entire New World would still pass through that intersection.
Asterion remembered from the game's cinematics that a massive amount of bioenergy crystals had condensed around Xeno'jiiva's cocoon. They were all nutrient-rich treasures. After he killed Xeno'jiiva, he could perhaps use that place as his new nest. Just by living there, he could enjoy the flowing bioenergy of the entire continent.
Well, the only downside might be that he wouldn't see the sun.
The direction of their travel hadn't changed much, which confused Asterion briefly, but after carefully sensing the flow of energy, Kulve Taroth stuck to her judgment. The place Asterion wanted to go was in the same direction as the Elder's Recess.
Asterion... thought about it and realized there wasn't a problem. After all, the defining characteristic of the Elder's Recess was the solid crystals formed from concentrated bioenergy, and the Confluence of Fates would inevitably have even more.
They pressed onward.
At first, the two dragons walked through the Everstream, the gold and red lava illuminating them with a brilliant glow. But at some point, the scorching heat and boiling magma vanished unnoticed.
The only things lighting their surroundings and the path ahead were occasional patches of luminous fungi or moss, or the light emitted when Kulve Taroth spat out heat to clear the way.
Once they left the volcanic zone, it was difficult to find the wide, tunnel-like hollows of the Everstream. There were only rocky crevices or underground fissures, with the occasional underground river passing through, making a gurgling sound in the darkness.
But in front of Kulve Taroth, there was always a wide road to walk. This dragon was truly an invincible existence in the subterranean world. She didn't even need to consciously mobilize her Elder Dragon power; all she had to do was breathe.
Just normal breathing.
The heat released with her scorching breath would melt a path forward. Newly formed lava, glowing gold and red, would flow down from the ceiling and sides, becoming new light sources in this dark underground world until the heat dissipated after the dragons left, slowly turning back into grey rock.
"Roar, roar?" (Strange. What you said was actually true. I can already sense other energy veins flowing toward this area.)
"Roar, roar." (That means we've found the right direction. Keep going!)
Asterion urged her on with excitement. He could hardly wait to taste Xeno'jiiva... hmm, he wondered if it would taste better than a half-hatched egg.
The underground rivers had tributaries and main streams. The dark rivers that flowed through the cracks in the rocks had unknowingly turned into open rivers. When the melted lava flowed into the water, the cold underground water was evaporated by the scalding magma. White steam rose rapidly, only to be cleared away by the hot air Kulve Taroth casually exhaled.
Although the game didn't depict much of the hunters' journey to the Confluence of Fates, Asterion remembered that his character had to take a boat to fight Xeno'jiiva.
The underground river they were currently crossing already had the "flavor" of Asterion's memories. Hanging from the roof of the cavern were no longer ordinary stalactites or rocks, but layers of irregular, blue-white energy crystals.
Without a doubt, they had found the right place. The space for movement was getting smaller and smaller; even if this underground river was deep enough for a small boat, it was far too cramped for the size of Asterion and Kulve Taroth. So, as before, they simply melted their way along the riverbed. It wasn't an effort for Kulve Taroth anyway; it was just a matter of exhaling.
At first, Asterion was a bit worried that the heat released by Kulve Taroth would cause these energy crystals to explode violently. But after observing for a bit, he saw that the crystals actually showed signs of melting when heated, and those directly hit by the heat blast even vaporized into pure, formless bioenergy. He breathed a sigh of relief... as long as it was safe.
The further they went, the more tense he became. The steam evaporated by Kulve Taroth passed through Asterion's limbs, coating the blade-scales on his back in a layer of mist. The entire space above the underground river was now floating with a layer of white cloud, which was quite beautiful, but Asterion was in no mood to admire the scenery.
He didn't even need Kulve Taroth to lead the way anymore. Even a guy like Asterion, who didn't possess her unique talent, could now feel that thick aura of bioenergy. It was just ahead, drifting down the river path.
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