“Is this the manifestation of the moon's Authority in this world?”
“Stupid and weak. He feels completely unqualified.”
“Could we have found the wrong one?”
The Old Turtle suddenly spoke up.
The dragon nodded. “There is no mistake.”
“Many years ago, before this world even had a moon, I had already predicted several possible locations for its descent and made preparations in advance.”
“I originally thought it would possess a human or an object, moving through the world in the form of a supernatural power or a supernatural creature.”
“I didn't expect it to simply devour the host, use the body to manifest, and directly steal a legal identity to move freely in this world.”
The crab-claw girl listened with a face full of confusion, but the Old Turtle understood everything.
There was some unlucky fellow who had awakened a supernatural power related to the moon.
In reality, he had been parasitized by an Authority. The moment his power awakened, his 'account' was hijacked.
He hadn't gained a single benefit.
“Wait!”
“What do you mean this world didn't have a moon?”
“Hasn't the moon always been hanging in the sky?”
The dragon replied, “Originally, this world had no moon, nor any celestial bodies, words, or concepts related to it.”
“When it descended upon this world, its divinity began to erode this reality, gradually embedding itself into the world's history and origins, causing world-wide cognitive contamination.”
“Those affected will firmly believe that the moon has existed since the beginning of time, while simultaneously generating a large number of false memories about it.”
Hearing this, the crab-claw girl’s eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief.
She had many memories of the moon in her mind.
When she was a child at night, playing with sand on the beach, the bright moon would hang high, its light reflecting off the sea surface. it was beautiful.
Could all of that be fake?
The Sea God surely wouldn't lie to her.
But she still found it somewhat hard to accept.
“According to your description, the moon should be incredibly powerful. How could it be captured so easily?”
The dragon explained, “Because this world is special; it is difficult for outsiders to invade smoothly.”
“The moon only managed to seep a small portion of its power and Authority into reality.”
“Currently, there are still many people in this world who remember that the conceptual entity known as the 'moon' did not originally exist.”
“The fact that the moon in the night sky is dim and lightless is a symbol that its invasion was not fully successful.”
“But you have developed a false perception, thinking the moon only turned dim in recent years.”
“In truth, the bright and clear moon in your memories is the lie.”
The crab-claw girl’s thoughts began to spiral into slight chaos.
As she realized the truth that “the moon originally did not exist,” a subtle sense of dissonance continued to interfere with her.
The dragon sighed. “You are still too weak. Knowing too many secrets will bring you no good.”
“Don't underestimate me!”
The crab-claw girl looked indignant.
She looked at the long-haired man held in the dragon's claw and asked, “What exactly do you plan to do with him?”
“Destroy him? Drive out the intruder?”
The dragon glanced at her as if looking at a fool.
“Do I look merciful? Do I look like I love this world?”
The crab-claw girl: “Uh...”
The dragon continued, “The moon and this world have fallen into a sort of stalemate. Its state is not very good.”
“I can take this opportunity to perform a reverse erosion.”
The crab-claw girl: “Huh?!”
The dragon squeezed the man in its claw, its eyes shimmering with an eerie light.
“The sun and the moon hold supreme status in the field of mysticism, each controlling countless Authorities.”
“This person is merely the manifestation of one of those Authorities.”
“I wouldn't dare dream of the great sun. But as for the moon... I still have a chance to get a taste of it.”
“But you're already a god.”
The crab-claw girl murmured under her breath.
The dragon sneered.
“Heh, so what if I'm a god? Who doesn't want to go a step further?”
“In a moment, I will attempt to merge with the Authority. You two are my trusted confidants, which is why I specifically informed you of this.”
“When the Authority is merged, it may create anomalies that attract enemies.”
“You must guard the Dragon Palace well.”
The crab-claw girl immediately guaranteed, “Don't worry, leave it to me.”
“Unless I die, no one is getting in.”
The Old Turtle, however, was hesitant. “Dragon King, shouldn't you first figure out exactly what this Authority is?”
“This Authority doesn't seem quite... right.”
The dragon said, “It likely involves something like time and space, right?”
“The aura on him is very mixed. Before formal fusion, even I can't see his true essence. It's as if he dabbles a little in everything.”
The Old Turtle shook its head. “When an Authority manifests, its personality should be inextricably linked to the power of the Authority itself.”
“This man is cruel and malicious; I doubt it is a positive Authority.”
“Furthermore, the process of capturing the Authority this time was a bit too smooth.”
“The Tree of Truth has been searching the whole world for him, yet he managed to slip away every time. We caught him with just a single move.”
“I fear there is a trick here, some hidden danger behind it.”
Hearing this, the dragon fell into contemplation.
The man's long hair swayed silently in the seawater.
After a moment, the dragon said, “There is no need to be so cautious. My mind is made up.”
“That old tree demon is also an outsider, always insatiably greedy. Not only does it want to erode the moon, but it also wants to devour the gods in all the forbidden zones.”
“I have no time to hesitate. Delay breeds trouble.”
The dragon waved its claw, dismissing the Old Turtle and the crab-claw girl.
The Old Turtle knew the dragon's temperament; once a decision was made, it would not be easily changed, so it did not press further.
It and the crab-claw girl retreated, their figures merging into the water and vanishing.
This ultimate deep sea returned to silence, leaving only the dragon and the long-haired man.
The dragon did not hesitate for a second, nor did it need any ritual or preamble.
It brought the man held in its claw directly to its mouth.
The sound of flesh and bone being forcefully ground echoed through the water.
Shredded fabric, torn skin, and snapped bones mixed with the surrounding seawater, blooming into a murky cloud of red.
The body was like something being slowly pulled into a meat grinder, long hair dancing wildly in the undercurrents.
Occasionally, a larger piece of unchewed bone let out a crisp crack between the dragon's teeth before finally being reduced to powder.
Finally, that head—which had once stunned or terrified countless people—was crushed with a single snap of the dragon's teeth.
After completely losing its human form, the long-haired man's shattered flesh and bone, and even the overflowing blood, suddenly changed.
They turned into a mass of indescribable darkness.
It seemed that all the flesh and biological tissue from before were merely a mimicry created by this darkness.
With a roll of its throat, the dragon swallowed this unique sacrifice into its belly.
After swallowing this one-of-a-kind sacrifice, the dragon immediately closed its eyes, its body slowly coiling until head met tail. It fell into a deep slumber of refinement and fusion.
Strange changes appeared almost instantly.
The sapphire-like scales on the dragon's body suddenly lost their luster, turning murky.
Wisps of pitch-black aura seeped out from the gaps between the scales, continuously contaminating the original blue.
Next, the dragon's body began to collapse and dissolve, gradually turning into a pool of amorphous blue-black water.
This pool of water churned and reorganized violently, shifting into other forms.
At times, it would condense into an octopus head covered in slimy suckers, with countless writhing tentacles extending from its face.
At other times, the mass of water would shrink and solidify, turning into a dragon-headed human wearing an imperial crown and robes, radiating overwhelming majesty.
The next second, the image changed again: the upper body of a beautiful woman, while the lower body was a massive, iridescent fish tail.
In an instant, the water mass expanded, transforming into a muscular man with hair like seaweed, clutching the phantom of a trident in his hand.
Many different forms flashed and switched at high speed.
Like out-of-control phantoms, they rotated madly within that unstable water.
Finally, an explosion seemed to occur within the water mass.
After a period of violent surging, the water shrank and stabilized, returning to its original form as the dragon.
The moment its form solidified, the dragon snapped its eyes open, filled with shock and rage.
“It's poisonous!”
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