Him and their stars.

Chapter 2207 The Pursuit of Time and Space

"Was that really a competition we were having?" Yu Lian asked doubtfully.

"Isn't it a competition to see who can last the longest within the corona?" Ancalagan's voice remained matter-of-fact:

“In the long years of my life, I have had several partners, and I have had such contests with them. I am a Star Dragon, born in the Milky Way, and naturally belong to this void, possessing the strength of physique. However, you human psionicists can cultivate the essence of heaven and earth within yourselves, thus excelling in spirit. This is a very fair contest.”

"Yes, a fair competition."

"But in essence, it is nothing more than seeking the echoes and resonances left behind by the stars themselves. This is the law of nature. What psychics cultivate is the law of nature. Young human, what do you think?"

"Your words are profound and insightful! We admire you!"

Considering that he still needs to rely on this Dragon Lord to traverse the universe, he naturally obeys whatever the Dragon Lord says.

"Therefore, you shouldn't have asked the Enlightened Ones for their artifacts. Anyway, I've already won."

"Yes, you won. Actually, I should thank you for showing mercy back in the Heavenly Realm." Yu Lian was very modest. He always showed due humility when facing all the magnificent and mysterious creatures that were different from human civilization.

"No, not at all. I sensed your presence and resolve. Of all the human psionicists I've encountered in my life, you must be the most unique. I can already see the twilight of my life, and in a fight to the death, I am no match for you young, vibrant people. Even without Brunhilde's prior instructions, I would still be defeated by you. In a battle of honor among psionicists, the loser serves the winner, which is in accordance with morality and justice. I simply chose to let the predetermined fact happen sooner."

Well, His Highness Ankaragang does have a rather ancient and dignified air about him.

“Yes, it also avoids meaningless fighting and damage. This is the wisdom of the elders.” Yu Lian expressed his sincere gratitude.

“Very good, young Earthling. Your skill and your will are indeed, as she said, unparalleled in the world. My journey has not been in vain.”

Yu Lian watched the magical old dragon with great interest.

Star Dragons are powerful mythical beasts with intelligence, but they are animals that can be captured, raised, and used as war beasts by powerful galactic empires. No matter how intelligent they are, they are not much smarter than warhorses.

However, this old dragon, who had lived for over a thousand years and whose strength was comparable to that of a demigod, no longer had any communication problems with him. Talking to him was like having a leisurely conversation with a wise and experienced elder.

Are all star dragons capable of evolving and awakening higher levels of intelligence? Or is this ancient dragon the only exception?
Yu Lian thought of a powerful being from the past and seemed to be deep in thought.

Then, to his great surprise, he discovered that he no longer trembled when he recalled the final moments of his past life, nor did he have nightmares anymore.

"Although you can't be called my partner yet, you've certainly been the one who's stuck with it the longest. Not bad," Old Dragon said.

"You're overly flattering."

"But I still win. Because you cheated."

"Yes. I am completely convinced. By the way, where are we doing here?"

“Once we cross this starry sky, we will leave the Central Star Region.” Little Gray’s voice rang in my ears: “This is the third day since we left the Celestial Realm.”

Yu Lian paused, his gaze involuntarily drawn to the cosmic landscape before him, a tapestry of colors tinged with the blazing light of stars. It was magnificent, breathtaking, but undeniably also extremely dangerous.

He could sense that Rainbow Dragon was not using a conventional gravity well for jumps, but was instead searching for spatial folds caused by the distortion of spacetime due to its enormous mass within the star's gravitational field.

They are tiny and fleeting, yet they can form a peculiar spatial passage. It's like capturing the most important ripple amidst a colossal wave of gravitational entanglement.

Ancalagan is like a top surfer, precisely riding the dimensional waves formed by the gravitational pull of stars.

With each graceful tail swing or agile turn, He can precisely enter a smooth phase of intersecting gravity, thereby achieving a leap across billions of kilometers.

Each of His leaps exceeded the limits of the Sky Jade's capabilities, yet His physical strength and spiritual energy remained unaffected.

This is probably because Rainbow Dragon can always capture the most minute gaps between the spacetime structures and cross space by means of the dimensional vibrations themselves.

This is an extremely efficient, high-frequency, continuous jump, completely exceeding Yu Lian's understanding of spatial jumps. However, judging from Ankara's leisurely stroll, for Him, it was perhaps just an efficient and energy-saving "gliding."

More importantly, during its constant leaps, Ancaragan's body maintained a relatively steady and gentle rhythm, with its scales, muscles, bones, and even internal organs maintaining a perfect balance and stability.

Even Yu Lian, who was sitting upright on the dragon's back, was sitting very steadily.

If he couldn't feel the intense heat and radiation burning his body, he would have thought he was sitting in a special seat on the Titan.

...On another note, Old Rainbow Dragon can neutralize space, but not high temperatures. Could it be that he has a specialty? Or is he just putting on an act?
"For Honglong, a temperature of 6000 degrees is just like a 40-degree hot spring. Why bother to go to great lengths to neutralize it?"

Okay, so you were just acting against me!

As a mature member of society, Yu Lian certainly wouldn't be so lacking in emotional intelligence. Instead, he exclaimed with remarkable emotional intelligence, "Absolutely amazing! Incredible skill! Little Grey, could this be...?"

"This is efficient spatial movement generated by the gravitational waves of massive celestial bodies; it is the power of nature. In the era of the Creators, whether on the technological or mystical side, we could apply such laws." The robot's voice rang in my ears: "This is the application of natural textures, not forcibly tearing space apart, nor rigidly seeking the gravitational points between stars—what you call 'gravity wells.' Remember, going with the flow is never such an inconvenient principle. It is a more energy-efficient, more concealed, more efficient, and of course, more environmentally friendly pioneering technique of civilization."

Yu Lian was deeply moved, never imagining that a mere robot could understand the principles of Taoism and nature better than he did!

At that moment, he also heard Ankaragang's voice.

"This is an ancient method. To you humans, it may appear as a law of space travel. However, its essence is fundamentally different." Ankara's stream of consciousness conveyed complex images and concepts, all of which were poured into Yu Lian's mind at once. It was an understanding of the structure of spacetime, the nature of gravity, and dimensional resonance—information that was complex and vast.

Fortunately, he is now at the Great Perfection of the Eighth Ring, and his spiritual power is already vast and boundless; otherwise, he might have been completely overwhelmed by this torrent of information.

This ancient dragon was indeed a magnanimous elder who had no intention of keeping anything secret.

Of course, perhaps because this is knowledge of the dragon race, it's still too abstract for humans. Even Yu Lian, who wanted to convert it into a usable psionic model, felt overwhelmed and didn't know where to begin. To construct a mathematical model, it would require even more time for research.

However, his intuition told him that this information, compared to existing human theories of hyperspace, might better reveal the essence of the matter.

"The way of Heaven and the way of Man, in the end, return to balance. Follow the grain, move with the wind, this is the power of nature. Be like water, moving along the Milky Way. Be like the wind, drifting to distant places." Little Gray sighed, "Foolish child, have you understood now?"

"Well, I still prefer the old Little Gray. You should revert to the original version."

"Tsk, you scoundrel..." the robot muttered in a barely audible but still audible voice, before continuing, "Anyway, the model works. However, for the ancient dragon race, this is an instinct. Little Yu Lian, how should this instinct be replicated?" Yu Lian fell into deep thought.

"Sister, of course I know, but this is forbidden."

Yu Lian snorted, but he had to admit that he liked hearing her talk about "prohibited matters".

The dragon gave a similar answer: "This is my natural sense of space and time, this is the grinding that my divine body can withstand at the intersection of textures. When I travel through the galaxy, the galaxy becomes one with me."

Although the old Dragon King looked so arrogant, Yu Lian thought he was incredibly handsome.

The knowledge he gained from the old Dragon King today may take a considerable amount of time to be transformed into technology that humans can use. It is even possible that he will only be able to organize it into a complete physical model in his lifetime. But as long as the theory is valid, it will open a completely new door.

Even if we can't make it into science, we can still make it into psychic energy, which can still greatly enhance our abilities.

In any case, Yu Lian was certain that once he digested these theories, his skills and abilities in all types of spatial realms would be greatly enhanced. Even the energy required to enter and exit the virtual realm could be reduced.

I never imagined that performing a charade with the Dragon King would bring me such a gift. Heaven, how kind you are to me!

Of course, this must also be because His Highness Ankaragang is a good dragon! Indeed, when communicating with such an ancient and mysterious being, every word may contain treasures.

“You are the most handsome dragon I have ever seen,” Yu Lian said.

"Although I don't quite understand your human praise, I can feel your admiration and longing, so I will accept it."

It didn't quite reach the point of worship or longing!

Yu Lian then asked curiously, "Speaking of which, have you shared these ideas with your former partners before?"

“Absolutely,” Ankaragando said calmly. “Unfortunately, my last partner was over five hundred years ago. He was a steadfast and valiant warrior.”
I know that guy well. He was the Sand King, a contemporary of Iwenya, and the strongest member of the royal family in his generation. He was then killed by the combined fire of her Titan ships during the Flower Wine Battle.

Before charging at me, he went on a killing spree in the capital, clearing out a lot of trash. In a way, I should actually thank him.

"I'm sorry," Yu Lian said sadly, "but this is a tragedy of history. I had no other choice."

"Huh? Why apologize?" Ankara looked confused.

Uh... Oh no, my real memories have been corrupted by experiences on the virtual timeline. Isn't that a disease?
“Your symptoms are actually similar to cyberbullying psychosis. I can offer you a mental massage therapy session. It’s a new skill that my sister awakened after digesting that giant monster. Want to try it?” Little Gray let out a wild laugh.

If she hadn't been smiling so smugly, Yu Lian would have really thought that this person was concerned about him.

Of course, considering that everyone is thinking about the future now, I should also think about the story of the future.

Yu Lian thought about it carefully and realized that he should start planning his future actions.

Fortunately, the old rainbow dragon didn't mind and continued, "Back then, I hadn't completed my final evolution, and I didn't have the level and understanding I have today, so naturally I was far from being able to talk about sharing."

Yu Lian thought this was quite reasonable.

"But this era is quite good. Besides you, Brunhilde is another person I can communicate with. I have signed an eternal pact with the Dawn Bloodline, witnessed the rise and fall of countless geniuses, and perhaps I can witness the arrival of a golden age?"

"You've already discussed these matters with Brin?"

"definitely."

Yu Lian suddenly recalled the divine soldiers who had suddenly stormed into Dragon Palace during the boss battle. The array of the Heavenly Domain and the barrier opened by the late emperor seemed to be invalid to her.

Looking back now, it must have been more than just the power of a Noble Phantasm.

Well, as expected of an orange cat, it's getting all the star treatment it deserves!

"Then, Emperor Elisher..."

“He has never been one of my kind. I am the eldest member of the Dawn Royal Family, and I only communicate with younger generations whom I find agreeable.”

That makes a lot of sense. You see, even in official documents, the old Rainbow Dragon still uses the title "Your Highness" followed by a space. Although he doesn't possess any worldly power, he certainly enjoys the treatment due to an ancestor.

"Emperor Elithel did indeed have some pleasant conversations with me after his ascension to the throne. I must admit, he was the most powerful dragon chieftain I had ever seen. However, such power was meaningless. His soul had been tainted by the chaotic will-binding. He was no longer pure and could never reach the truth."

Yu Lian wasn't sure how much Old Ancaragan knew about the Void Crown's inner workings, but since it was an ancient mythical beast that had lived for an entire era, it must have had the intuition and insight to confront the essence of things.

Is this what is called "wild instinct"?
"Is there any scientific basis for this?" Yu Lian couldn't help but ask Xiao Hui.

“All the behaviors you can’t understand can be accomplished using mathematical models. The only thing in this world that will never betray you is mathematics. However, many space Leviathans, including the Star Dragons, have interesting insights into the truths of the universe that align with their logical understanding. They do indeed possess the ability to help my creators supplement the mathematical models,” the robot lady said.

“However, we cannot guarantee that Brunhilde’s future will be pure. After all, I have lived too long, so I can only focus on the present,” the old rainbow dragon said.

Yu Lian was slightly taken aback, and roughly understood what the other party meant.

He slightly raised his head, gazing at the distant stars. His gaze pierced through the rainbow halo flowing around the rainbow dragon and the turbulent stellar energy, and once again "saw" that high-dimensional world that ordinary people could not reach.

It's still there.

That ruby, like the eye of a god, still hangs between the gaps in the dimensional veil, like a silent, eternal, and omnipresent observer.

"It's like a persistent ghost!" Yu Lian sighed. "But I'm not surprised at all."

Little Gray's phantom spread its hands beside Yu Lian: "What else? The only advantage of the Forbidden Matters School's artificial intelligence is its persistence. After all, it came here to realize a vision."

“I am an Earthling, and have nothing to do with the grand vision of the Tirelo people.”

"What's the point of telling me?" the robot lady continued, shrugging. "Have you forgotten the origins of your cyberpsychotic disorder?"

(End of this chapter)