Zi Yan Arrives, Plundering the Pill Realm

"Lin Ming!"

As soon as Zi Yan appeared, her pure purple eyes instantly locked onto the familiar figure in the arena. Her delicate, porcelain-doll-like face blossomed into an incomparably radiant smile, filled with indescribable joy, as if all the light had gathered on her face.

She completely ignored the Ancient Dragon Bear beside her, which was trembling like a small mountain because of her presence, and only had eyes for Lin Ming.

Her petite figure, like a fledgling returning to its nest, carried a fragrant breeze as she swiftly flew towards Lin Ming.

The Ancient Dragon Bear, which dominated the Pill Realm and was known for its ferocity, almost had its steel-needle-like fur stand on end the moment Zi Yan stepped out of the Spatial Rift!

Its simple intelligence was completely overwhelmed by an irresistible and terrifying pressure originating from the deepest part of its bloodline! It was an absolute awe that surpassed all other beasts, like facing the emperor of one's own race!

It's... the Ancestral Dragon! It's the aura of a king from the Ancient Void Dragon Clan!

"Roar... woo..."

It dared not maintain its enormous and oppressive beast form any longer; its body flashed with dark golden light and rapidly contracted.

In the blink of an eye, the mountain-like beast vanished, replaced by a burly man over two meters tall, with muscles bulging like rocks and a rugged, wild, and fierce Big Man.

But at this moment, there was not a trace of ferocity on the face of this Big Man; only an almost fawning flattery and a deep-seated awe.

He stared longingly at Zi Yan, a low whimper uncontrollably escaping his throat like a clumsy young animal. Where was the domineering aura he had shown earlier when he was ready to fight Lin Ming to the death? Before the true Dragon Emperor Bloodline, the pride brought by his meager dragon blood was crushed to pieces.

Lin Ming opened his arms and caught Zi Yan, who was rushing towards him. Feeling the strength of the little girl's tight embrace, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

He gently stroked her long, silky purple hair, and could clearly sense the increasingly vast and solidified Dragon Emperor Aura within her. Clearly, she had gained a great deal during her time on East Dragon Island.

But then, Lin Ming deliberately put on a stern face and said in a serious tone, "You little brat, instead of staying peacefully on East Dragon Island and properly receiving the Dragon Emperor's inheritance, why did you sneak off to this Pill Realm? Did you sneak out on your own without telling the Third Elder and the others?"

Lin Ming's words exposed her, but Zi Yan wasn't guilty at all. Instead, she stuck out her pink tongue, raised her face triumphantly, and said with a grin, "Hehe! How about that? I'm smart, right? Those old men are watching me so closely, all they do is cultivate or nag all day long, it's so annoying! But if I, Zi Yan, want to leave, they can't stop me!"

Looking at her lively expression, which seemed to say "Praise me, praise me!", Lin Ming felt nothing but a mixture of amusement and doting affection.

Seeing Zi Yan's smug expression, as if she had done something earth-shattering and was waiting to be praised, Lin Ming couldn't help but rub her head hard again and laughed, "Yes, yes, Zi Yan is the best. Even the elders of the Pill Tower and the Ancient Dragon Clan can't keep an eye on you."

"Of course!" Zi Yan proudly puffed out her still-developing chest, like a victorious little peacock.

Then, as if only then noticing the "outsider" standing beside her, her purple eyes darted to the Ancient Dragon Bear had transformed into Big Man and was looking at her with a mixture of nervousness and ingratiation. She wrinkled her delicate little nose and said with a hint of displeasure, "Hey, big guy, were you trying to hit Lin Ming just now?"

When Zi Yan swept her gaze, which contained an invisible dragon's might, the burly dragon-bear man named Xiong Zhan shuddered violently, feeling as if he had been targeted by an ancient ferocious beast. He hurriedly shook his huge head like a rattle in a storm, his voice becoming stuttering due to extreme tension.

"No... I wouldn't dare! Absolutely not! I was blind! I didn't know it was your friend who had arrived, and I offended you. I deserve to die! Please forgive me, Your Excellency!"

He bowed repeatedly to Zi Yan and Lin Ming, his extremely humble and respectful demeanor a stark contrast to his previous image as a fierce and domineering ruler who roared and wanted to crush Lin Ming into mincemeat.

The overwhelming pressure of the Ancient Void Dragon Emperor's bloodline was an absolute destiny for this Magical Beasts beast, which possessed only a trace of Dragon Clan Bloodline. It could not muster the slightest thought of resistance and could only submit.

Lin Ming looked at Xiong Zhan, who had been exuding domineering aura one second and then cowering like a quail the next, and sighed inwardly. The Law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak, is manifested even more nakedly and directly in the world of Magical Beasts.

"At least you have some sense." Seeing his sincere attitude, Zi Yan gave a light snort and let him off the hook.

She turned to look at Lin Ming, the sternness in her purple eyes instantly turning into pure concern. "Lin Ming, are you alright? When I was traversing through space just now, I felt a very strong energy collision fluctuation here."

"I'm fine." Lin Ming smiled, indicating that he was alright, and explained, "I just sparred with this big guy a few times to test the results of my recent physical training."

Upon hearing Lin Ming's words, Xiong Zhan immediately gave Lin Ming a grateful look. Fortunately, this gentleman hadn't complained about it to this little rascal.

"By the way, big guy, do you have a name?" Lin Ming asked Xiong Zhan. He couldn't keep calling it "Hey" or "Big Guy."

"Yes, yes, yes! Lord Lin Ming, my name is Xiong Zhan! You can call me Xiong Zhan, or Old Xiong, either is fine!" Xiong Zhan hurriedly replied, his tone filled with flattery.

Upon hearing this, Lin Ming nodded, his gaze shifting to the rugged Stone Hall overflowing with all sorts of rare medicinal herbs, radiating a precious glow. He said to Xiong Zhan, "Xiong Zhan, I need a few of these medicinal herbs you've collected."

"Whatever you need, please take it! It is my greatest honor to serve my ancestor and you!" Xiong Zhan nodded hurriedly, a hint of pride even showing on his face.

Then, Lin Ming described the characteristics and appearance of the other two medicinal materials required on the mission's medicine list—"Ascension Grass" and "Crimson Flame Spirit Marrow".

Upon hearing this, Xiong Zhan immediately rushed into the depths of the Stone Hall. Before long, he came out carrying several wooden boxes of the highest quality and oldest age, containing the medicinal herbs that Lin Ming needed. He respectfully presented them with both hands.

Seeing how cooperative and efficient Xiong Zhan was, and recalling that in the original story this guy later followed Zi Yan, and that his strength and loyalty were quite reliable, Lin Ming had an idea. He immediately said to Zi Yan, "Zi Yan, since you were able to break through the Pill Tower's blockade to enter this Pill Realm, you must have a way to get out, right?"

"Hmph, the spatial barriers of such a small place are no match for the Dragon Emperor of the Ancient Void Dragon! I can leave whenever I want!" Upon hearing this, Zi Yan immediately raised her small face and said with a natural arrogance.

For the Ancient Void Dragon, spatial travel was as natural as breathing.

That's perfect.

Lin Ming smiled slightly and pointed to Xiong Zhan beside him, saying, "When the time comes, take this guy with you. It's a waste of its strength and talent to leave it in this increasingly dilapidated Pill Realm. It's better for it to come with you; it can help you run errands and get things done in the future."

"What? I... I can go out too?"

Upon hearing this, Xiong Zhan was first stunned, then an overwhelming joy instantly overwhelmed its reason. Its eyes widened like copper bells as it looked at Lin Ming in disbelief, then turned to Zi Yan with eyes full of longing and anticipation. It had been trapped in this Pill Realm for far too long and had longed for the vast world outside!

Zi Yan sized up Xiong Zhan, then curled her lip and said, "Big guy, you're lucky. Since Lin Ming has spoken, you'll come out with me! But you'd better behave once we're out, or I'll throw you back here!"

"Listen to me! I will definitely listen to you! If my little ancestor tells me to go east, I will never go west! Thank you, little ancestor! Lin Ming, Lord Lin Ming!" Xiong Zhan was so excited that he almost danced with joy. Like a 400-pound child, he was overwhelmed with joy and could only keep expressing his gratitude to Lin Ming and Zi Yan.

After a while, seeing that Xiong Zhan's emotions had finally calmed down a bit, Lin Ming's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he immediately gave him his first order:

"Xiong Zhan, since we're about to leave this Pill Realm, we can't let the medicinal resources accumulated here over countless years go to waste. I see you have quite a collection, but compared to the entire Pill Realm, it's probably just a drop in the ocean, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Xiong Zhan was taken aback at first, then suddenly slapped his enormous head, a look of regret on his face. "Oh dear! You're right! Look at my stupid brain, how come I didn't think of that sooner! I was just guarding my own little corner of the world!"

It has reigned supreme in the Pill Realm for many years, commanding countless Magical Beasts, and its territories are filled with rare and ancient medicinal herbs.

Previously, it felt that everything in this Pill Realm belonged to it anyway, so there was no need to bother concentrating on it. But now that it was leaving, how could it leave these treasures to those who came after it, or let them wither away?

"It's not too late for you to give the order now," Lin Ming said calmly.

"Given your prestige in this Pill Realm, command all Magical Beasts to collect all rare medicinal herbs that have reached a certain age within their territories and bring them to you. We will take them with us when we leave."

"Yes! Your Excellency is wise!" Xiong Zhan's eyes shone with excitement, as if he could already see mountains of various spiritual herbs and precious materials.

Without hesitation, it took a deep breath, its chest bulging high, and then suddenly roared to the sky with tremendous force, a roar that carried its domineering majesty and specific information!

"Awooo--!!!"

This roar, like a king's command, instantly spread throughout the entire Myriad Medicine Mountain Range and then spread at an astonishing speed to even more distant places in the Pill Realm!

Under the roar that contained the terrifying pressure and clear command of Eighth Order Magical Beast, the entire vast Pill Realm seemed to be paused at this moment, and then fell into an unprecedented upheaval!

From dense primeval forests to desolate Gobi Shi Lin, from deep underground caves to mist-shrouded mountain peaks... countless Magical Beasts of varying strengths, no matter what they were doing, all trembled upon hearing this command from the overlord, and then acted without hesitation!

In an instant, countless beasts galloped across the entire Pill Realm! Dust and smoke rose everywhere!

All the Magical Beasts began frantically searching, digging, and harvesting the various rare and precious materials within their own territories that they might normally guard or overlook!

They knew this was the king's command, and there was no room for doubt! Countless medicinal herbs were flowing from every corner of the Pill Realm, like Hundred Rivers Return to Sea, converging on the core of the Myriad Medicine Mountain Range — Xiong Zhan's Stone Hall!

A massive plundering of medicinal resources accumulated over countless years by the entire Pill Realm, triggered by a single sentence from Lin Ming, has officially begun!