First Victory

Lin Yan tapped his fingertip lightly against the void, and a miniature sand table condensed from spiritual energy manifested in mid-air. The sand table displayed a three-dimensional map of the ten-thousand-mile territory surrounding the canyon, projected by the Mini Ecology Simulator.

"This is the canyon where we are currently located," he said, pointing to a small yellow circle of light at the center of the sand table.

"And this area on the periphery is where we need to carry out our transformation." He gestured toward the vast, mottled region outside the yellow circle—the gray-black areas were places permeated by baleful qi, blood-red light spots represented where fierce beasts were nestled, and the green ranges indicated where the spiritual energy was relatively dense.

"My plan is to start from the back, progress gradually, and advance step by step. Specifically, we will first clear the fierce beast strongholds closest to the canyon, then purify the baleful qi there and repair the earth veins. Once the environment shows obvious improvement, we will move on to clear the next stronghold."

"After the environment of all the strongholds has been restored, we will then eliminate those fierce beasts scattered throughout the various regions."

"As for the larger fierce beast strongholds in the surrounding area, there are a few." Lin Yan pointed to the largest gray-black areas on the sand table and said:

"Three thousand miles to the northeast is the Corpse Rot Swamp, where at least three late-stage Earth Immortal Corpse Rot Demon Crocodiles are nestled. They constantly release baleful qi, polluting the water veins and causing the Emerald Forestland three hundred miles downstream to wither by more than half."

"Four thousand miles due east is the Black Wind Rift Valley, where Yin Sha Gang Wind erupts year-round from a fracture in the earth veins. All life has already vanished there, and the rift is still slowly expanding, having extended more than a hundred miles southward within the last century."

"Six thousand miles to the southeast is the Lava Lake. The bottom of the lake connects to subterranean fire veins, causing frequent eruptions of fire-based baleful qi. Magma flows are everywhere, and the environment is extremely harsh."

Lin Yan pointed out seven or eight disaster zones that needed priority treatment. These places were not only closest to the Earth Dragon community but were also constantly eroding the surrounding areas that still maintained a healthy environment.

After Lin Yan explained his clearing plan in detail, everyone had a general understanding of the distribution of the surrounding fierce beasts. Furthermore, they raised no objections to the plan Lin Yan had formulated.

Lin Yan did not expect those whose intelligence had only recently awakened to offer any better suggestions, so he waved his hand, officially announcing the commencement of the Earth Dragon community's first large-scale external operation.

At the entrance of the canyon, the light barrier of the Nine Palaces Earth Vein Great Array rippled, and one figure after another stepped with rhythmic precision, passing through the barrier to the outside of the canyon.

Lin Yan and Mo Xuan were the first to emerge. With a thought from Lin Yan, the Earth Spirit Seal manifested out of thin air, hovering above his head and rotating slowly. A yellow curtain of light emitted from it, wrapping him tightly within.

Mo Xuan's four hooves trod on the air, his seven-colored scales shimmering with brilliant light. An aura of auspiciousness permeated the surroundings, further highlighting the sacred and extraordinary nature of his Qilin form.

Behind them, the nine Earth Dragon brothers revealed their hundred-zhang true forms, resembling nine moving, earth-yellow mountain ranges, leaving deep impressions in the soil behind them.

Following closely behind were the Jade Spirit Deer, the Colorful Cloud Sparrow, the Hundred Flower Bee, and even the Crimson Water Black Tortoise, which had been cultivating within the spiritual spring, all came out together.

The expeditionary force was not particularly large, but every member was high-spirited and full of vigor.

Their first target was the Corpse Rot Swamp located to the northeast of the canyon. It was the closest to the canyon, and the strength of the fierce beasts there was not particularly formidable, making it the perfect choice to serve as their first strike.

The Corpse Rot Swamp was about three thousand miles away from the canyon. If not for the need to accommodate the speed of the Earth Dragon subordinates and the tortoise, the group could have arrived in just half a day.

Although the Earth Dragon subordinates had learned some Earth Escape Techniques, their speed was still significantly lacking compared to other groups. Even so, after only two days, the entire group arrived at the edge of the Corpse Rot Swamp.

As soon as they reached the edge of the swamp, a pungent, putrid odor drifted over with the wind, making one feel nauseated. Looking into the distance, gray-black baleful qi drifted everywhere above the swamp. On the ground, pitch-black mud pools bubbled from time to time; that was caused by the baleful qi within the mire erupting upward.

Just as the group was observing this swamp filled with the stench of rot and the aura of destruction, the mud in the center of the swamp suddenly surged. Three behemoths broke through the mud; each was the size of a small hill, their dark brown skin covered in tumor-like protrusions. Their giant maws were filled with terrifying, jagged teeth, and ghostly green soul fire burned within their eye sockets.

They were the very fierce beasts guarding this place: the Corpse Rot Demon Crocodiles.

"Earth Spirit Seal, rise!" Lin Yan, having been prepared for this, let out a loud shout. The Earth Spirit Seal above his head grew instantly in the wind, transforming into the size of a mountain. Carrying the force of ten thousand jun, it smashed down toward the Demon Crocodile on the far right.

"Leave these two to me." Mo Xuan was not to be outdone. With a Long Howl, he transformed into a streak of seven-colored light and charged straight toward the other two fierce beasts.

"Qilin Steps on Heaven." Mo Xuan stepped through the air. As his first step landed, the void trembled, and the Demon Crocodile on the left was sent flipping away. With the second step, golden flames like a waterfall erupted beneath his hooves, scorching the middle Demon Crocodile until it was charred black; it was clearly dead.

At the same time, Lin Yan's Earth Spirit Seal slammed heavily onto the head of the Demon Crocodile on the far right.

"Crack!" A sound of shattering bone echoed out. The Demon Crocodile didn't even have time to let out a miserable wail before it fell into the Mud Pool, splashing up thousands of waves of foul-smelling mud.

In just one exchange, three Late Earth Immortal Corpse Rot Demon Crocodiles were dealt with—two dead and one injured. The onlookers were so shocked that their mouths hung wide open, unable to close for a long time.

The injured Corpse Rot Demon Crocodile saw that the situation was dire and turned to flee, but it was tightly entangled by Lin Er and Lin Qi, who had been watching like tigers eyeing their prey.

However, the two Earth Dragons had not yet transformed, so how could they be a match for a Late Earth Immortal Demon Crocodile? The entangled Demon Crocodile ignored the biting of the two Earth Dragons and forced its way toward the depths of the swamp.

Although the two Earth Dragons could not stop the Demon Crocodile, their Physical Bodies were formidable. Their unique constitution and the scales on their bodies could effectively insulate them from the damage of the baleful aura, so they were not shaken off by the Demon Crocodile.

With the harassment and stalling from the immensely strong Lin Er and the fearless Lin Qi, the Demon Crocodile hadn't escaped very far before Mo Xuan caught up. With one hoof, he crushed its skull, and the beast sank to the bottom of the Mud Pool, filled with deep unwillingness and despair.

With this, the battle ended. From start to finish, it had taken no more than the time it takes to brew a pot of tea. The three Late Earth Immortal Corpse Rot Demon Crocodiles were completely wiped out.

Lin Yan and Mo Xuan smiled at each other; the tacit understanding they had cultivated many years ago had not faded in the slightest.

In this battle, although Lin Er and Lin Qi were a bit reckless, Lin Yan did not criticize them. At the very least, the combat awareness of his two younger brothers was quite good. If they hadn't acted at the critical moment, Mo Xuan would have had to expend much more effort to kill that Demon Crocodile.

Although the battle was over, the cleanup operation had only just begun.

Lin Yan summoned the Primal Chaos Plate, which hovered above the swamp and began to Absorb the baleful aura of the area.

The Primal Chaos Plate had been quite dissatisfied after being exploited for so much spiritual energy by Lin Yan previously. Today, sensing that Lin Yan wanted it to Absorb the baleful aura here, it finally became cheerful.

The body of the Primal Chaos Plate spun rapidly, and a terrifying suction force emanated from it. The dense baleful aura in the swamp surged into the plate like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, where it was then Transformed into pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. A portion remained within the plate, while the rest was fed back into this swampy land.

As the baleful aura in the swamp was continuously extracted, the entire swamp area began to clear up at a speed visible to the naked eye. The pitch-black Mud Pool gradually turned a deep brown, the pungent, foul odor in the Air slowly faded, and sunlight finally spilled into this once deathly still land.

While the Primal Chaos Plate was continuously Absorbing baleful aura in the Air, the others were not idle either.

Following Lin Yan's order, the nine Earth Dragon subordinates wiggled their hundred-zhang-long bodies and dove into the bottom of the swamp. They rolled their massive bodies continuously, shaking the baleful aura contained in the underground soil out. Occasionally, they couldn't help but swallow a few mouthfuls, only to later discharge soil containing spiritual energy from their bodies.

However, the efficiency of purifying the Soil by simply eating it was too low; even if they ate for a hundred years, they wouldn't be able to purify one-tenth of this swamp area.

Lin Yan released the Earth Spirit Seal and launched the Earth Vein Resonance ability, reconnecting the broken underground earth veins. This allowed the originally chaotic spiritual energy to flow smoothly, and then, through the Soil loosened by the Earth Dragon subordinates, it slowly drifted up to the surface.

In this way, the concentration of spiritual energy within the swamp area began to rise gradually, eventually replacing the baleful aura and becoming the master of this region.