Chapter 336 Cultivating Both Core and Territory Rowan would prefer if that did not occur, as he was not fond of that darkness and he marveled at the fact that he took the shape of such an abstract entity like his reflection. This state of being was similar to a legend he knew of in his previous life—The Monkey King. It was said that this deity could imbue each strand of his hair with life, and when he was caught and imprisoned by his enemies, one strand of his hair that he forgot in the mortal world, gathered the forces of the land and battled the heavens to free him from his imprisonment. This reflection of Rowan had none of those ideals, as the only thing he was after to understand the state of the current universe and the actions of his enemies while his body still rested. The first thing he needed to do was to contact Eva. He had been adjusting himself inside Vraegar's body all this while, and this naturally led him to becoming curious about the Dragon's physique, and if his Empyrean nature changed anything beyond the norm. The result surprised him greatly. Vraegar was now at the Peak of the Second Great Circle, but his foundations were not stable, he must have collected quite a bit of Essence from Rowans body but that did not mean it could be easily devoured, even if the Essence collected was empty of his Ouroboros Signature bloodline and just plain energy. That Essence still actively fought against the Dragon due to its tyrannical nature, and if Vraegar did not find a way to settle it soon enough, it might lead to severe backlash. Rowan felt this was enough punishment for the Dragon and if he was wise, it could also be a valuable learning opportunity, for if Vraegar could dominate the Essence of a Six Headed Ouroboros Serpent, his bloodline would be further enriched and his tier would shift closer to the pinnacle of dragons. Vraegar resembled a western dragon from his previous life with a large head, long neck, broad shoulders, thick legs, strong tail and considerable wings that were similar to a bat. His external scales were still white and they were harder than Davross, a thin film of energy covered the scales, similar to the energy barrier shielding Rowan's body, but this one was far weaker, this was most likely a benefit of consuming his Essence and also his connection to Rowan bloodline. The Spikes running from his head down to his spine were razor sharp and now they were a deep red color, almost like blood, instantly giving Vraegar an Aura of menace and bloodlust. His serpent-like pupils were also red. He resembled a bloodthirsty wraith, with his white scales that seemed to merge with the surrounding. His sharp fangs were white, the tips, however, were red. His size was malleable and he could take whatever form he wanted, but now he kept himself to the size of a horse, his long neck nearly doubling his height. Going deeper into the body of the Dragon, Rowan noticed the lack of a Territory but something else, a large white core in the shape of a sphere that was in the center of the dragon's brain. As Rowan got closer to the core in order to fully understand its structure, he noticed that Vraegar was becoming uncomfortable. He was muttering to himself about ghosts and looking around with frightened eyes. Rowan paused and waited to see Vraegar actions, and soon enough he settled down and began to slowly doze off. Rowan reduced his investigative efforts and began taking it slow and was satisfied when it seemed to have worked, the dragon dozed away while groaning in his sleep, as his body fought against the influence of Rowan's Essence. Rowan considered his child with a tiny bit of pity. It was a good thing Eva found him when she did, because this greedy dragon would be like a tick who became enraptured while sucking blood until it exploded. Vraegar would have most likely tried to feed again and again on his Essence if he was not caught, and death would be the only possibility. Rowan sighed internally, he is still very young and lacking discernment. I will have to properly teach him how to live, let this be his first lesson. Deliberately moving slowly, Rowan could finally observe Vraegar's Core. Following the Paths of Dominion and many other power systems would lead to this course where men and beast diverged. Men would own Territories, while beasts would own their Core, this could also occur in the opposite manner, but such cases were rare; Rowan knew of no Dominator who had a Core. In fact, this was the case for most power systems, one of which was focused on building Territories, the other was to build Cores. The two directions focused on two separate areas, Territories focused on cultivating energy, land or tools, while the core focused on cultivating the body. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and Rowan bloodlines were similar, His Avatar of Eve bloodline strictly focused on his Territory and his Ouroboros bloodline focused on developing his body. There was a reason why powerful beasts like dragons or phoenixes could grow to gargantuan sizes and become miles long, there were even legends of beasts large enough to carry planets on their bodies. Although both of his bloodlines seemed to have other methods of cultivating the other aspects as well. Rowan Ouroboros bloodline could seed worlds and if he understood the descriptions inside his Primordial Record correctly, he would be able to merge them together, creating a supermassive world. With his Angels, his Avatar of Eve bloodline could technically cultivate a body also because in a manner of speaking, every single Angel was also part of his body, even Eva! There was a faint pulse of Essence traveling to the Core into Vraegars body, and it was slowly enriching it and making his body increasingly stronger with every passing breath. Rowan also felt something similar from the Ouroboros Serpents, but they were all sent towards the voids in his hearts. Knowing that his Ouroboros Serpents were always regenerated inside his void hearts, he could understand the reason, as all the Essence they produced were funneled into it.