The pocket dimension, still shimmering with the lingering echoes of immense power, now pulsed with an even greater, suffocating pressure. Dozens of Nascent Soul True Monarchs, a veritable throng of the realm's most powerful cultivators, poured through the spatial rifts. Their divine senses swept across the battered forms of Patriarch Tianlong, the Soaring Crane True Monarch, and the Earth Splitting True Monarch, then fixed on Lin Fei. Curiosity, greed, apprehension, and a potent sense of danger flashed in their eyes.
Among them were figures from ancient sects, reclusive hermits, and even several demonic True Monarchs, all drawn by the unprecedented disturbance and the tantalizing scent of unimaginable power. They had come for the opportunity, for the secrets, and perhaps, to put down a monster before it could fully awaken.
THE WHITE-EYED RAKSHASA SOVEREIGN
Lin Fei stood amidst the ruins, his Abyssal Dragon Sovereign Body radiating power, now gleaming with perfect white scales that seemed to absorb and reflect the dim twilight of the pocket dimension. His white eyes, devoid of any trace of fear or hesitation, met the collective gaze of the True Monarchs, a silent challenge emanating from his very being.
A powerful Demonic True Monarch, his face obscured by a shadowy veil, stepped forward, his voice a low growl. "So, this is the 'White Rakshasa,' the one who dares to defy heaven and earth. To defeat three True Monarchs in such a manner... your physical body is indeed extraordinary. But against so many, what hope do you have?"
Lin Fei merely chuckled, a deep, resonant sound that carried the primal power of a dragon. "Hope? I don't need hope. I have strength. And you, honored True Monarchs, have come to witness the birth of a new era. An era where the old order crumbles, and the true power of the Dragon reigns supreme."
He swept his gaze across the gathering. "You came seeking opportunity, did you not? The opportunity to understand my Abyssal Dragon Sovereign Body, to unravel its secrets. Well, you shall have your opportunity. An opportunity to witness true dominance."
His white eyes blazed with an almost tangible light. "I am Lin Fei. You know me as the White Rakshasa. But from this day forward, know me as the White-Eyed Rakshasa Sovereign! And I will show you what a Sovereign can do!"
BATTLE OF WITS AND POWER
The True Monarchs, their expressions hardening, moved to encircle him. Lin Fei knew he could not take on dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators in a direct slugfest, not with his spiritual Golden Core still ascending. This was where his battle IQ, honed through countless lifetimes and fueled by the immense Feedback from his lineage, would truly shine.
He didn't wait for them to attack. He moved first, not towards the strongest, but towards the most vulnerable-looking – a pair of Mid Nascent Soul cultivators from minor sects, their auras slightly less stable than the others. With a blur of white scales, he materialized before one, unleashing a precise punch imbued with the destructive power of his physical body. Simultaneously, he activated the Azure Sky Cleaver ability he had just assimilated, manifesting a phantom blade that slashed at the second True Monarch's spiritual shield.
His actions were swift, brutal, and utterly unexpected. The first True Monarch's protective artifacts shattered, his body sent hurtling back, severely wounded. The second's shield flickered, barely holding against the ethereal blade.
"He uses their own techniques!" a horrified True Monarch exclaimed. "He absorbed their divine abilities!"
Lin Fei didn't pause. He wasn't aiming for kills initially, but to disrupt, to create chaos, to isolate. He moved like a white phantom, a blur of impossible speed and crushing force. He utilized the Heavenly Cage of Fractured Reality to briefly disorient groups of cultivators, making them stumble into each other's attacks. He unleashed phantom Mountain God's Stomps to create massive tremors, forcing them to break formation. He was a master of misdirection, feigning attacks on one, then striking another.
The True Monarchs, used to fighting individually or in small, structured teams, found themselves thrown into disarray by Lin Fei's unpredictable and savage tactics. Their powerful spiritual attacks often hit empty air, or worse, each other, as Lin Fei expertly used his Nascent Soul Peak physical body to tank hits, only to instantly retaliate with devastating force.
THE DAWN OF THE WHITE DRAGON EMPEROR
As the battle raged, Lin Fei's perfect white scales began to glow with an even more intense, internal light. The sheer pressure, the continuous absorption and refinement of spiritual energy from dozens of Nascent Soul attacks, and the continuous, potent Feedback from his lineage pushed his spiritual cultivation past its breaking point.
His Early Golden Core began to spin violently, then expanded, consolidating, purifying. A brilliant golden light erupted from him, washing over the entire pocket dimension, momentarily eclipsing the chaotic battle.
He wasn't just advancing. He was making a breakthrough.
The Mid Golden Core Stage.
And as he did, his white eyes flared, and from his mouth, a sound unlike any heard before in the cultivation world echoed. It was not merely a roar, nor a bellow, but a commanding resonance that spoke of true, unyielding imperial authority. It was the sound of a Dragon Emperor, awakening.
The Abyssal Dragon Sovereign Body, now fully infused with the nascent power of a Mid Golden Core, responded instantly. His white scales pulsed, and from his back, faint, shimmering outlines of draconic wings began to form, swirling with power that hinted at flight and ancient majesty.
"This... this is impossible!" a Demonic True Monarch gasped, witnessing a cultivator break through to Mid Golden Core while simultaneously fighting dozens of True Monarchs. "He's getting stronger mid-battle!"
Lin Fei straightened, his aura expanding, pushing back against the combined might of the True Monarchs. His white eyes held a new, chilling depth, reflecting not just battle prowess, but the calculating mind of a true monarch.
"Is this enough opportunity for you, True Monarchs?" Lin Fei's voice, now imbued with the newly ascended power of his Mid Golden Core, resonated with an undeniable, imperial might. "Or shall I show you the true meaning of a White Dragon Emperor's reign?"
The True Monarchs, for the first time, felt a collective shiver of fear. They had come to kill a monster, but they had merely hastened the evolution of a predator. The White-Eyed Rakshasa Sovereign had ascended, and the cultivation world would soon learn to kneel before the White Dragon Emperor.