Amid the eruption of chaotic text, Dagon released its first roar since appearing, a cry laced with shock and fury.
First that strange yellow-brown light, and now falling starlight.
What kind of magic was this little wizard using?
This was not power stolen from the Old Ones.
The former was troublesome, but still bearable. Though it suppressed Dagon's projection for the moment, it was only temporary.
But the latter—
As Theodore shook the Grand Celestial Constellation Formation Flag, one star after another descended, illuminating the entire sea.
Starlight was strangling everything.
For the first time, unease stirred within Dagon.
If its true body had descended, this power would not have been enough to threaten it.
But the time for its true descent had not yet come. Even manifesting this projection had required an enormous price.
And the falling power of the stars already carried lethal danger to that projection.
Even to Dagon's true body, losing it would be a grievous loss.
For the first time, driven by the instinct to survive, Dagon's projection began to struggle with all its might.
In an instant, waves surged to the heavens. The Wu Earth Divine Light suppressing it began to crack inch by inch, and the sea erupted with the force of a world trying to break free.
Theodore said nothing.
He merely sneered as Origin Sea force poured continuously into the Grand Celestial Constellation Formation Flag.
Then he shook it again.
More great stars fell.
Starlight became blades, grinding all things to dust.
There were legends of the Kunpeng striking the sea for three thousand miles, then rising ninety thousand miles upon the wind.
But before the true Grand Celestial Constellation Formation, even a peak quasi-saint like the Kunpeng Ancestor would have no fate but obliteration.
Of course, Theodore currently held only a single formation flag. The power he could invoke was not even one part in countless trillions of the true formation.
But compared with the Kunpeng of the primordial world, Dagon's projection was even further beneath comparison.
Even after it broke the Wu Earth Divine Light through sheer force, the falling stars that followed began to shatter Dagon's projection inch by inch.
The waves turned into a sea of blood.
Theodore did not dare relax. The Grand Celestial Constellation Formation Flag in his hand kept shaking, as if he meant to drag every star from the sky.
Even with his vast Origin Sea and his body strengthened to such a degree, he began to feel hollowed out. His arms and legs ached, and his strength was being drained at a terrifying pace.
Fortunately, Dagon's struggle finally weakened.
In its place came an enraged roar from somewhere even deeper beneath the sea.
Then lines of text appeared on the System screen.
[The might of a Saint shakes the primordial world, yet a single avatar cannot withstand the power of the Grand Celestial Constellation Formation.]
[The Saint's avatar has fallen!]
[You have accomplished the impossible feat of slaying a Saint from a mortal beginning. Your name and deeds shall spread throughout the primordial world and be remembered through the ages.]
[So even the fury of grass and dust may cause a Saint to bleed!]
At the same time, the madness that filled the entire sea began to fade.
Only then did Theodore finally breathe out and land back on the beach.
Dagon's projection had fallen beneath the power of the Grand Celestial Constellation Formation Flag.
A trace of lingering relief stirred in Theodore's heart.
That had been close.
Far too close.
If he had not refined the formation flag before this journey, if his cultivation had not risen with it, if the first turn of the Eight-Nine Mystical Art had not been completed, then the best outcome today would have been a miserable escape through the Golden Crow Rainbow Technique or Earth-Traveling Divine Movement.
As for Harry and the others, they would likely have died here.
But now—
he had won.
Before the Old Ones fully awakened, before the ancient age truly returned, before they could descend in their real bodies, projections like this were likely the strongest method they could use.
Now that Dagon's projection had been destroyed, those hidden horrors would probably remain quiet for a long time.
Theodore himself, and perhaps the entire wizarding world, had just gained precious preparation time.
And besides that…
Theodore's gaze fell upon the green blood floating across the sea, and his eyes burned with heat.
This was blood shed by Dagon's projection.
Judging by the pressure of that projection, Dagon's true body might not qualify as an immortal demon by primordial standards, but it was absolutely a famous great demon.
This blood and flesh was precisely the rare main ingredient needed for the Myriad Demon Golden Pill.
Theodore had originally planned to use Marcus Flint's flesh as the pill material, but Flint's thin trace of Dagon bloodline was nothing compared to the blood of Dagon's projection itself.
With a wave of Theodore's hand, Origin Sea force poured out, causing the seawater to churn.
The scattered blood of Dagon began flowing together from across the sea.
At last, a pool of sticky, foul-smelling green blood hovered before Theodore.
He pinched his nose, but his eyes were bright with joy.
According to the identification methods recorded in the Myriad Demon Golden Pill formula, this blood was indeed an excellent pill ingredient.
He quickly cast seal after seal, locking the blood in place so its fierce, demonic aura could not leak out.
This would both preserve its medicinal value and prevent the power in that blood from attracting unnecessary trouble.
Yet the moment Theodore sealed Dagon's blood—
the whole world seemed to erupt in rage.
The System screen exploded with chaotic text like a volcano.
[You seek to strip Heavenly Dao fragments from a Saint's avatar and pry into the path of Saints. This has drawn the fury of Heavenly Dao and the wrath of every Saint above the nine heavens.]
[The path of Saints is not something mortals may covet. Those who dare hunger for Saintly Dao shall be slain no matter how far they flee.]
[Your relationship with Hongjun has become: Exterminate Bloodline and Lineage.]
[Your relationship with Goddess Nüwa has become: Exterminate Bloodline and Lineage.]
[Your relationship with Empress Houtu has become: Exterminate Bloodline and Lineage.]
[Your relationship with Jieyin Daoist has become: Exterminate Bloodline and Lineage.]
[…]
A long string of chaotic lines appeared one after another, vividly showing Theodore what it meant for the entire world to be the enemy of Saints.
The madness that had already retreated now began to spread again.
This time, it carried an unprecedented frenzy.
"Curse…"
"Stolen bloodline…"
Indescribable whispers of madness came from the entire world, pouring toward Theodore from all directions.
Even the cloud-mist of the Purple-Gold Crown of Auspicious Clouds began to sway.
A strange look entered Theodore's eyes.
When he destroyed Dagon's projection, those hidden horrors had not gone this mad.
But the moment he collected Dagon's blood, they all broke?
Had they suffered trauma from having their bloodlines stolen by wizards in the ancient past?
Still, feeling the frenzied fury of those horrors and the malice and curses coming from the world itself, Theodore gave a cold laugh.
"I destroyed a descending projection. You think I'm afraid of your little curses from the shadows?"
"Come then."
"I do not change my name, and I do not hide my sect."
"I am a true disciple of the Jade Void Palace of the Chan Sect on Kunlun Mountain."
"Primordial Heaven is my grandmaster. South Pole Immortal is my master. I have listened to Perfected Taiyi teach alchemy and discussed mystical arts with Perfected Yuding."
"Yuan Hong is my close friend. Cihang is my friend. Nezha, Leizhenzi, and Tu Xingsun are my brothers."
"Daoist Lu Ya is my confidant…"
"If you have the skill, curse me."
"Let us see how much trouble you can bring to my Jade Void Palace."
The next instant, foul and indescribable whispers rose.
"Curse…"
"Curse Primordial Heaven…"
"Curse South Pole Immortal…"
"Curse Daoist Lu Ya…"
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios