Heaven, Earth, Me Chapter 1523. [Epoch Star Embercore].
Previously on Heaven, Earth, Me...
Yasenia felt deeply impressed by the upgraded [Epoch Star Embercore]. This item had evolved from a standard Dantian Core into a blazing star! Additionally, its treasure grade had skyrocketed, achieving Immortal Ranked status.
All her cores were now outstanding, though the Epoch Core trailed slightly behind the other two. Yet, it was far from a mere “common” Epoch Core anymore.
“Such a thorough boost in power.” Yasenia exclaimed in awe. Then, with curiosity, she prodded the new [Epoch Star Embercore]. “So, what do you do?”
Curiously, she activated it, performed light cultivation, ran various tests, and contrasted its fresh abilities with the old ones. “So… for the moment, at least, this new star emits body energy, steadily enhancing my physical might, and it now powers all my body-related skills.”
This signified that any skill Yasenia once unleashed through her Body Path would now pack several times more punch.
Gazing upon her cultivation realm, Yasenia felt a wave of emotion. ‘My realm hasn’t advanced at all. But my strength has already surged threefold…’
Even so, she sensed her body barely resisting a breakthrough. Without her [Celestial Yin and Yang Constitution] and the supreme entity anchoring her lower Dantian, Yasenia couldn’t have restrained her realm.
Turning to Venerable Long, Yasenia grinned. “Thank you for looking after me, Venerable Long!”
Venerable Long replied. “No need. I only ensured your corpse didn’t float away on the currents.”
“...” Yasenia felt oddly unsettled. “You know, putting it that way makes it sound really strange, doesn’t it?”
Venerable Long’s eyebrow twitched. ‘Are you only now realizing how unusual you are, junior?’
Fortunately, his reticent nature stopped him from swatting Yasenia aside. Instead, he declared. “To replace the treasure you claimed, I require some of your flesh.”
“...My flesh?”
“Yes.”
Venerable Long responded calmly, leaving Yasenia somewhat stunned. Still, knowing these treasures bolstered physique, she deemed the request not excessively bizarre.
“How much do you need?”
“Your heart would suffice.”
“...”
Yasenia stared silently at Venerable Long and questioned. “Do you want to turn me into an Undead Dragon that badly? I’ve already died once!”
Venerable Long stated coolly. “You survived after dying. So, giving up your heart shouldn’t pose much issue.”
“No, you’re absolutely right. I can live without my heart. But doesn’t demanding a young dragon’s heart feel overly cruel!? Especially when you mean it literally!?”
Ancestor Long considered briefly and replied. “If the heart won’t work, then your wings, arms, and 80% of the flesh on your belly.”
Yasenia nearly teared up. “Fine… the heart it is.”
Emerging as a literal snake might provoke Tatyana to erupt the entire volcano in fury!
Once Yasenia consented, Venerable Long declared. “It’s done. You may leave now.”
“Eh?”
Yasenia blinked and glanced at her chest, spotting a huge gap where her heart once beat. Gazing at Venerable Long, she whined like a spurned damsel. “You snatched my heart, and now you tell me to get lost!? Venerable Long, you’re far too blunt!”
Unable to restrain himself further, Venerable Long whipped his tail, smacking Yasenia.
BANG!
Our dragoness rocketed skyward, smashing through every barrier, soaring beyond, and ripping apart the dense clouds crowning the volcano.
Tatyana, who waited nearby, traced Yasenia’s path and blinked. “Was that line…? Team Yasenia blasts off again?” But she swiftly reacted, her face twisting. “No, hold on, my darling baby!”
Tatyana shot into the air, overtaking the “rising comet” her daughter had become. After halting her, Tatyana exhaled in relief and inquired, puzzled. “You, why did you rocket into the sky like a shooting star?”
Yasenia parted her jaws and spewed a torrent of searing magma. “I irked a senior slightly, and they courteously directed me to the exit.”
Seeing the nonstop, blistering magma pouring from her daughter’s mouth and nostrils, Tatyana’s eyebrow quivered. “Care to explain why you’re gushing magma?”
Yasenia sighed with faint sorrow. “Who could’ve guessed the real test in this area was mastering magma breathing? It was intense, you know?”
Tatyana eyed Yasenia’s chest, her crimson gaze growing more enigmatic. “...Where’s your heart?”
Yasenia blinked. “Turning into a new Heavenly Treasure.”
Tatyana studied her daughter’s face, the chest cavity, then her expression soured. “Do these elders see you as an endless buffet!? The first pilfered your scales, claws, and horns. The second exploited your deadly tribulation. Now, this third rips out your heart!? If I don’t give them a lesson, call me not Tatyana Dravory!”
Yasenia laughed lightly, shifting swiftly to humanoid form and embracing Tatyana. “Don’t get mad, Mom. The heart he claimed was purely physical. I can regrow it in…” She checked her chest. “Actually, it’s already healed.”
After all, Venerable Long extracted it sans damaging energies. Cultivators of their caliber suffered lasting harm only from combined soul and body injuries.
Thus, when Yasenia or allies stabbed a foe’s heart, they infused destructive energies and soul fragments to ensure demise. Likewise for decapitation or other fatal physical strikes. Absent harmful energy, immortal cultivators could fully recover from nearly any bodily trauma given time.
Tatyana regarded Yasenia’s reassuring smile, but with magma still dribbling, it looked hideous, fueling her urge to strike someone!
“Can you purge the magma from your body before talking? Or I might slaughter every dragon in sight.”
Yasenia blinked, spun around, and hacked out the leftover magma. Only then did she wipe her mouth and beam at Tatyana, prompting our Death Empress to sigh deeply. ‘This girl truly worries me.’
“How about testing your Celestial Dragon Breath to gauge its new might? Your physique should handle it now, right?”
Yasenia’s golden slit pupils sparkled. “Good idea! Let’s test…”
She spotted a far-off volcano, inhaled deeply, then unleashed.
“[Celestial Dragon Breath]!”
Tatyana witnessed a beam linking the remote peak to Yasenia’s maw, and instantly, the sky blazed blue.
ROAARR!!
The Celestial Dragon Breath expanded to kilometers wide, brimming with myriad stars and galaxies, bridging the gap in a blink.
Upon impact, Tatyana saw pure white engulf everything in the colossal blast from the devastating breath.
Post-shockwave, silence fell, leaving two astonished women surveying the devastation.
“...Where’d the volcano go?”
“Congrats. You’re a magician now. Just grin and say: Now you see the volcano, now you don’t.”
“...”
Even Tatyana hadn’t foreseen such a dramatic leap in her Dragon Breath. Filled with feeling, she clarified. “For context, your prior Dragon Breath peaked at [Initial Achievement] realm; now it peaks at [Big Improvement] realm.”
“Incredible. It was already one of my top trump cards, but now…” Yasenia assessed. “Anything my Celestial Dragon Breath can’t obliterate, my other moves can’t touch either, right?”
Tatyana shook her head. “Not quite. Dragon Breath is indeed your ultimate strike, always has been among the mightiest. But the gap isn’t so vast that your other techniques are mere add-ons. Remember, you can’t adjust its power. Save it for when you want foes in one direction erased.”
“Pfft.” Yasenia giggled and grinned. “Got it. Still, I must train my other skills to Big Improvement Realm soon. They’re close, just needs steady practice….”
Yasenia halted, frowning deeply. “Why are you here? Where’s my baby?”
Tatyana smiled. “Calm down. He’s with me.” Tatyana parted her robe, revealing the large egg nestled between her breasts.
“Huh… space trickery?”
“Indeed.” Tatyana cradled Yasenia’s egg protectively. “Your egg’s so sizable, I warped space between my breasts to let him feel my warmth.”
Yasenia’s eyes gleamed. “Teach me!”
“No need.”
“Huh, why?”
“Your breasts are ample enough naturally.”
Yasenia deadpanned. “...I’m not that busty.”
The Death Empress chuckled. She’d merely teased. If Yasenia could tuck the egg without space tricks, she’d resemble breasts with a woman attached, not vice versa.
As they headed to the next site, Tatyana instructed the technique. It proved simple, and Yasenia mastered the tiny spatial pocket swiftly.
Eagerly, she grabbed her baby boy and slipped him into her cleavage. Sensing him there, her golden eyes narrowed blissfully. “Mom, mind if I rest for a…”
Tatyana smacked her plump, bouncy rear. “No way! Want to reunite with Andrea before this boy hatches? Girl, you’ve spent 10 years in the volcanic zone. Keep dawdling, and you’ll miss it!”
Yasenia snapped alert, fished the boy from her cleavage, and handed him to Tatyana. “You’re right. I must hurry! Mom, carry me there.”
As Tatyana raised her leg, Yasenia protested. “I meant the normal way…”
BANG!
Tatyana waved at the shooting star, egg in arms. “Good luck, Little Treasure.”
Meanwhile, the egg quivered in Tatyana’s hold, as if lamenting his mother’s absence.
Yasenia sighed heavily. ‘Second time today kicked by a Demigod Realm Cultivator. What a existence…’
Soon, our heroine slammed headlong into the next trial’s border. Instantly, a thunderous dragon roar echoed afar, vibrating her bones briefly.
“Wow. That’s one mighty dragon roar.” Eyeing the vast white landscape ahead, she cocked her head. “I wonder if my Dragon Strength can advance here?”
Shifting to dragon form, Yasenia launched skyward and sped ahead, burning to reach the heart swiftly.
