Yama frantically attempted to salvage the situation and rescue Ryujin.
However, before he could even move, the Azure Dragon shot him another glance; this time, there was a palpable level of malice oozing from its presence.
The realm king froze in his tracks, knowing he would be really way out of his depths attempting to confront the otherworldly beast.
'Shit, I was too careless..." He lamenting mentally at his oversight.
"The Mystic Transformation Pupils is a treasure that absorbs every information within its span of perception.
While it is commonly known for removing the flaws within these information, it also fills in the gaps perfectly; even adding more wherever it senses lack.
If the Cauldron of Primal Harmony had been an ordinary mortal treasure, then this little seeker's soul might have been able to withstand the load of information.
Unfortunately, it is a Quasi Origin Grade Treasure; the amount of information that can be derived from it might even kill an immortal.
But you puny humans think yourselves smart; time and time again you have fail to learn that when you bite more than you can chew, you will choke and die!"
The Azure Dragon explained with a derisive sneer.
"I even tried to warn you, despite the fact that I wasn't obligated to, but you dare to smirk at this Primal, then I shall ensure that you languish in the pool of your own folly."
'Shit, I was too reckless...' Yama berated himself as he realized the true gravity of Ryujin's plight.
'To think I was the one who reminded him that his soul was only powerful enough to endure nine lifetimes worth of memories.
And now that he had even yet to digest a fraction of a percent of that bulk, I failed to warn him about the potential danger of adding more.
I was so overconfident and blinded by his achievements that I failed to consider his limits!'
"AARRGGHHH!!!"
Yama was ripped out of his train of thoughts by Ryujin's scream.
His eyes reddened as his gaze steeled.
If this stupid primal serpent thought he was just going to sit back and watch his progeny die, then it must have woken up on the wrong side of the forest.
"Hehe... Please dare it; Be bold...
It has truly been too long since I last found someone worthy enough to play with; my limbs are getting really stiff." The Azure Dragon dissed with a smirk.
However, whilst the duo were going back and forth in anticipation of a duel, Ryujin was busy trying his hardest to ensure that he survives his current plight.
His mind was already teetering on the verge of bursting apart, and even the fading of his soul was picking up pace.
'At this rate, I might truly die...' He thought to himself in anxiety.
'No way... Think... Think Ryujin...
What can you do to get yourself out of this mess.' He analyzed, even amidst a mental breakdown.
'Wait... What about the codex...
It's a book right?
It should be able to record all of these information...
But how do I even do that; heck, how do I even get it to respond to the situation.?'
Ryujin asked in thought as he tried his best to gather his focus and search deep into his soul for the Origin Codex.
Then after a grueling half an hour; just when his soul was about to completely fade, the Azure Dragon and Yama suddenly noticed their surroundings turn eerily quiet.
Yama's heart trembled, and the Azure Dragon smirked, both of them thinking Ryujin's consciousness had already vanished.
"Hmph... It's only a matter of time.
Once his soul fades completely, it would be time for you to leave, Realm King.
Worry not, I shall take good care of the Mystic Transformation Pupils and every other treasures he might have obtained from my fellow peers.
Haha haha ha!" The Azure Dragon jeered as Yama's expression darkened completely.
However, in the next moment, the entire cosmic canvas in the sky suddenly trembled, dimming slightly as a surge of cosmic energy began to descend.
The energy flow began to gather in wisps, descending from the skies as they surged into Ryujin's soul.
Then the moment, they entered, it picked up the pace, swiftly descending in surges that later turned into gushes, and a steady stream.
In little to no time, the sheer amount of Cosmic Qi that descended could only be defined in floods.
Winds kicked up around Ryujin's soul as he greedily absorbed all of it, solidifying its color and even beginning to take on the hue of the very sources of the Cosmic Qi themselves.
"What?! How's that possible?" The Azure Dragon exclaimed, totally shocked by the turn of events.
Yama on the other hand, gradually calmed himself, with his eyes still holding traces of anxiety.
---
Meanwhile...
Within Ryujin's soul; all the information that had threatened to burst his mind apart and shatter his soul was gradually being devoured by the Origin Codex.
They arrived in form of an energy of some sort; and upon coming in contact with them, several runic scripts began to appear on its pages.
Ryujin felt a sense of relief wash over his soul.
It was so comforting that it nearly sent his mind into a vertigo of euphoria.
All the aches and fatigue he had ben experiencing was gradually being devoured from his soul in endless gulps.
He looked at the Codex hovering before him, and watched as even his memories were being recorded, freeing his mind to an extent where he actually began to feel liberated.
In little to no time at all, every information within Ryujin's memories were accurately recorded within the Codex, and to top it off, he felt he could access them faster than if they were stored in his mind.
His entire mental capacity were freed up; left to do only a single thing; process thoughts.
Then his eyes snapped open, and immediately shockwaves of Cosmic Qi began to rippled out of his soul in blasts; spreading across the entre forest and bathing it in an otherworldly glow.
"Long..." He called out with no iota of respect nor disrespect present in his voice.
"I'm ready." He added with a smile.
Yama heaved a huge sigh of relief before proceeding to ignore the entire existence of the Azure Dragon; as it seems, the Realm King was one to hold a grudge.
"Hmph... Fine!" Long snorted in reply.
"The Cores and Crystals of the following beasts shall be your starting ingredients;
Trench Leviathan, Blood Kraken, Whispering Treant, Thunder Roc, Snow Behemoth, Berserk Ape, Enigmatic Butterfly, Shadowless Arachnid, and the Man-Faced Bat."
---
At the mention of the names of each of these beasts, Yama's heart trembled and his face darkened.
'This bastard!
These are beasts that have the little to no single thing in common. ' He thought to himself as his perception of the azure dragon was abased even further.
However, the moment Ryujin heard the names of these beasts, the Origin Codex went to work, instantaneously recording them all.
It even went as far as to send a tiny summarized detail of each of their abilities into Ryujin's mind in a feedback loop.
---
"Combine these ingredients in your cauldron of thought...
Use your intellect and intuition to balance their conflicting natures...
The perfect blend must result in a bloodline that not only possess but amplify the best traits of each beast's innate abilities...
You will have only one chance to success...
You may begin!" The Dragon Instructed.
The moment the detailed images, innate abilities, abode and behaviors of these beasts arrived within Ryujin's mind, the Nobel Scientist within him to begin to show forth his prowess.
However; just as he was about to begin, a wry smile rose the corners of his lips.
'So this is the true power of the Origin Codex... It seems this would be much easier than I thought.'
He thought to himself, looking at the various possible bloodlines that could be created from a mutation of these beasts.
Even the recipe and methods he needed to use were sent into his mind from the Origin Codex.
> Cosmic Spiritual Root: Able to absorb, endure and harmonize the energy of any heavenly body.
> Aurora Path Meridians: Channels multiple types of energies simultaneously.
> Primal Mimic Bloodline: Grants the bearer the legacy of mythical creatures.
With the ingredients gathered, Ryujin set to work, blending them together with precision and care.
For his first step; he was to extract the essences of the bloodlines of these beasts.
The extraction process took him almost five days; but every time the fatigue was catching up to him another torrential stream of Cosmic Qi would descend from the heavens and replenish his stamina.
However, mid-way through the fifth day, the cores finally dissolved into the cauldron, their essences intertwining in a mesmerizing display of light and shadow.
The cauldron of thought responded to Ryujin's actions, its runes pulsating with a wave of otherworldly Qi that encased each of the essences into a spherical blob of blood.
Upon finally extracting the bloodline essences, Ryujin shifted his attention to the next stage; Fusion.
However this was when things began to get tricky.
The only thing some of these beasts had in common were their habitats, every other thing was different, and even some clashed with one another as they were of opposing natures.
An example was the Enigmatic Butterfly and Shadowless Arachnid.
The former could be found in the sunlight meadows of the Seraphic Falls, whilst the latter dwelled in the Grotto of Veiled Chasms.
In addition; asides the fact that they were natural enemies, the Butterfly was a beast that used the refraction of light to create illusions that allows it to evade its predators.
The Arachnid however, was a vicious bloodsucker that relied on tangles it's prey with its poisonous, liquefied webs; traits that were potently dangerous to the beautiful flutterer.
As a matter of fact, the moment their essences appeared within Ryujin's mind, the essence of the Shadowless Arachnid had begun to radiate a palpable aura of bloodthirst towards the latter.
And all of this was happening amongst the other essence as well; the leviathan and kraken vied for supremacy over the trenches.
The Whispering Trent and Thunder Rock were natural enemies as well, since one had the ability to destroy, and the other had the ability to negate lightning and heal.
The Berserk Ape and Snow Behemoth challenged one another for supremacy of pure physical prowess.
Perhaps, only the Man-Faced Bat was spared from an aggressive rivalry.
However, for a beast who was very sensitive towards seismic vibrations and echoes, it was only a matter of time before even it would succumb to the hostile resonance between these essences.
However, the Origin Codex seemed to have anticipated all these problems, and thus, preemptively provided solutions for Ryujin.
Without losing an iota of focus, Ryujin requested for his five ingredients all at once, without even opening his eyes.
"I shall include, a Dragon heart, a Qilin Horn, a Phoenix Feather, a Sylph's Breath, and a Nymph's Tear." He smilingly spoke.
Hearing this, the great Azure Dragon felt fear for the first time in its life.
What was the puny human creating that would need all these additional ingredients?
Furthermore, didn't he know that the additions of these overbearing legendary beast parts would only make the already chaotic cauldron even more chaotic?
"Granted!"
Regardless, of its thoughts however, it still gave the go ahead; after all, it had said Ryujin would be allowed to use whatever five ingredients he mentioned.
'Hmph, biting more than you can chew... You puny humans would never learn!' Long; the Azure Dragon snorted in contempt.
Meanwhile, within Ryujin's mind, he was currently chanting some incantations into the cauldron of thought.
"From the deepest of depths and the highest of heights, from the forests and the streams, I call upon the true spirits of nature to fulfill me this dream.
Dragon Heart, harmonize them, and let their powers transcend.
Nymph's Tear, cleanse and heal this sacred blend.
Qilin Horn, dole Divine Judgement upon its rebellious nature.
Sylph's breath, induce it with the Breath of Life...
Phoenix Feather, grant it Rebirth..."