Abyss Dragon Suppression Art

Asura sighed and thought about another thing he heard from Xia. The ten brightest colorful stars were called Divine Stars - the places where ten True Gods left their inheritances before disappearing. Although nobody was ever able to approach those places because of the fierceness of energy radiating from them, that tale was passed down since the origins of the three civilizations. These stars also served a role that passionate researchers found to be confusing - they suppressed the Celestial Realms from expanding. Nobody knew why this was the case, and they didn't have the way to find out either. They couldn't approach those ten stars and because of that, the stars became objects of worship as residents of the worlds turned them into gods and goddesses, based on myths and legends.

The three civilizations scattered on these hundred worlds are Humans, Spirits and Demons.

The most numerous civilization were humans, but because of high reproductive abilities, they were the least blessed by talent for cultivation. However, that didn't mean there were no talents among humans, only that they were far less likely than in other two races. Humans had an unique way of cultivating, as their awakening was different than what Asura and Xia experienced. Humans had to connect with the stars and try their luck, perseverance and disposition in finding their own Soul Spirit. Although this gave them various possibilities for Soul Spirits, whether they succeeded in cultivating them or not was a huge challenge and mystery.

The second race was called the Spirit Race. This race was considered the purest, because Spirits had a direct relation to the nature. When a flower reaches a certain cultivation level and evolves, it becomes a Flower Spirit, and it's not limited to flowers and plants only. If a wild beast cultivates enough, it can also evolve into a Spirit Beast, although beasts could become either one of the three races. Xia didn't explain exactly how this happened, as that was left for Asura to find out on his own.

Demons are the third race, and they are the rarest and also the most gifted race. Their cultivation is based on a bloodline and is passed down as such. Demons reproduce like humans and have a humanoid body, but their babies always come from an egg, unlike how human babies are born. Other than that, some Demons have skin and some don't. Some have fur instead of skin, while others may have scales or something entirely else, depending on their ancestors and bloodline. However, even though they resemble humans by appearance, their internal body structure is mostly different.

What annoyed him is that neither of these three races completely matched the situation that Xia and he experienced. They weren't born from an egg, but were condensed from two fallen stars. That part made them seem like Spirits, and most likely they were Star Spirits. But they also had two Primordial Bloodlines - Dragon and Phoenix bloodlines, which matched with description of Demons, yet their body structure was human. No matter how Asura wracked his brain, their existence was abnormal. He even had a fleeting thought that they were the fusion of the three, hence why they had three Soul Spirits, or at least he did before fusing them.

Asura thought about it a lot and anything he thought of would always birth new problems and challenges, which made him even more curious as to what they were. If he had to pick only one, he wouldn't know which one to chose. He thought of himself as most fitting of a Demon, because of the Dragon Soul, but it wouldn't be wrong if he wanted to call himself a Human or a Spirit either.

As he was deep in thought, Xia tapped him on a shoulder, causing him to turn around.

Asura: "What's wrong?"

Xia: "It's about time..."

Asura's brows furrowed as he didn't quite understand the meaning in her words. His furrowed brows reflected the same emotion as his questioning gaze.

Xia: "It's time for you to wake up. The other me will worry herself to death if you don't."

Asura's brows straightened as he understood what she meant, but once again furrowed.

Xia naturally noticed that and couldn't refrain from asking: "What's troubling you?"

Asura's head slowly drifted upwards while his eyes remained anchored to a single point, as if reluctant to extract himself from his thoughts. As he straightened his head, his eyes jumped from that imaginary point straight to Xia's and he took a short while to completely descend back from his thoughts.

Asura: "I'm troubled with our Soul Spirits. According to that little fox, our auras are scaring the beasts away, and that aura would surely have an effect on Humans, Demons and Spirits as well. If we don't find a way to suppress it, we will never be able to step into any of those three civilizations."

Xia: "Oh, that? Don't worry about that, I've found a way for both of you to restrain your auras."

Asura: "Eh? Really?"

Xia: "What's the surprise, I'm the one who possesses all the memories the other Xia is lacking. Of course I'd know a thing or two, you know?"

Asura: "Damn. That's amazing! How do we do it?"

Xia extended her finger as divine light condensed into a purple crystal on the tip of her finger. "Give this to Xia, she'll figure out how to use it. As for you..."

Asura narrowed his eyes as if preparing himself for something he didn't want to hear. "What about me?"

Xia: "..." *sigh*

Xia: "This one is for you. When you see what it is, you will realize how difficult it is to improve with such restraints. I think only that one will be able to suppress your Dragon Soul since it's on a whole another level than Soul Spirits."

As she spoke, Xia extended her hand and gave a crystal with many dragon-shaped markings on it. The surface of the crystal was black but it was slightly transparent. There were various threads leading toward the center of the crystal, each of different color. The central point had a golden point with black cracks spreading throughout it.

Asura carefully observed this crystal and marveled at the detail and wonders of nature. He was amazed at the way the crystal formed. "Why does this one look so different?"

Xia: "Because, that one's a..."

Asura raised his head and their eyes met. Xia felt a tiny tinge of fear creep into her soul from his eyes. Those eyes had the exact same aura as the Dragon Soul hovering nearby. However, Asura wasn't aware of how impactful his unrestrained gaze is. The only thing he felt at this moment is intense curiosity.

Xia took a slightly deeper breath to re-adjust her feelings and resolutely said: "That's a highest grade suppression technique. There are many techniques used to forcefully suppress the breakthrough so as to make one's foundation more stable and condensed. But all of those pale in comparison to that one. The reason for that is none other than the reason for why that technique was developed in the first place."

Asura remained silent and listened with immense focus.

Xia's eyes became distant and unfocused as she narrated, "According to the myths, there was a time when an extremely powerful creature came to the Spirit Star. None of the beings living on it were able to match that creature's power and all of them feared it. Because of that, the major powerhouses of all three races and the most intelligent creatures came together to develop a technique to suppress that creature.

It took them many tries until they uncovered the exact ratio, angle, power and different laws and regulations to form this single art by combining a hundred drops of Immortal Essence Blood. The price three races paid to suppress that single creature was the future of a hundred individuals. Giving away one's Immortal Essence Blood is the same as giving away your life and right to cultivate. The hundred individuals were honored and their names still exist somewhere on the Spirit Star."

Asura's eyes showed disbelief at this point in time, but he still continued listening to Xia's narration.

Xia put her entire being into narrating, so much that even a respectful emotion found its way into her eyes. It was as if she was there, witnessing that event as it happened and now she was narrating the story from her memories. The solemn aura around her made Asura even more serious and grabbed his all attention. Even the little fox sat down and looked at Xia. Its posture straightened as its small eyes became filled with respect and solemnity.

Xia looked at Asura with troubled gaze and continued, "The creature that came was a certain dragon that was wandering through vast universe. It didn't mean any harm, but those of this world wanted to keep it suppressed, hoping that one day there would be someone who could extract its power. According to myths, the ten gods guard the passage to the space where that dragon is sealed. The technique was named after the dragon in symbol of respect for it - Abyss Dragon Suppression Art. The dragon that wandered into this space was an unique Abyss Dragon."

Asura felt the fluctuation of the emotions in Xia's voice and couldn't believe a tale like that was real. But considering how solemn Xia was, he felt as if it wasn't only a myth, but a reality.

Asura murmured, "Abyss Dragon Suppression Art... Doesn't it require a hundred different Immortal Blood Essences to form? Where will I find them?"

Xia paid attention to changes in Asura's voice, expression and tone. What made her surprised is that he didn't fear what she gave him, but was instead worrying about how to use it. "You... are you serious you want to use this technique on yourself? While it is a suppression art, it also can serve as cultivation art, but if you decide to use it, you will never be able to go back. You will only have two possible outcomes if you use it. You will either become stronger than Abyssal Dragon and let yourself free from the technique, or you will die. If you choose not to use it, you will still be able to enjoy life without restraints, or with minimal restraints."

Asura: "I believe there is no other technique that can suppress the Dragon Soul, right?"

Xia paused for a second and then nodded.

Asura: "Then there's nothing else to consider. Let me ask, can I still use my Spirit Energy if I use this suppression art?"

Xia: "You can, but you will have to break through the hundred layers, unlocking one by one as you go. This technique forces you to cultivate for two people at once - one for your real self and other for this technique."

Asura: "Then that's good. Where do I find hundred drops of blood?"

Xia looked straight into Asura's eyes and then asked, "You've decided?"

*nod*

Xia: *sigh*

She came in front of Asura and took the crystal she gave him. She brought that crystal to Asura's forehead and slightly pressed the crystal against it. Asura only felt as if his soul was squeezed forcibly from all directions and the endless space from before rapidly shrank until it enveloped only him, Xia, little fox, Dragon Soul and small planet.

Xia: "Those drops of blood were in the crystal. When the Abyssal Dragon died, this technique was retrieved from its will as it showed immense respect for it. Rather than destroying the foundation of those hundred creatures, it preserved them and itself, as all hundred and one Soul Fragments are sealed inside those drops of blood, including its own. Good luck in fighting back against them when time comes. You will have a hundred and one trials to undergo in order to break free from its control."

Asura felt lightheaded and fell back, as his Spiritual Will dissipated and his consciousness started descending into his body very rapidly.