First Victory

Lin Yan lightly tapped the air with his fingertip, and a miniature sand table condensed from Spirit Qi appeared in midair. Displayed within it was a three-dimensional map of the ten-thousand-mile region in the Outer Area of the Canyon, as deduced by the Mini Ecology Simulator.

"This is the canyon where we are currently located." He pointed at a small yellow circle of light in the center of the sand table.

"And this surrounding region is the place we need to transform." He pointed at the vast mottled area beyond the yellow circle—the Gray-Black areas were places suffused with Malevolent Qi, the Blood Red points of light represented Fierce Beasts nestled there, and the green regions indicated places where Spirit Qi was relatively abundant.

"My plan is to start with the nearby points, proceed step by step, and secure each stage before moving on. More specifically, we will first clear out the Fierce Beast Strongholds closest to the canyon, then purify the Malevolent Qi there and restore the Earth Veins. Once the environment has noticeably improved, we will move on to the next Fierce Beast Stronghold."

"Once the environment at every stronghold has been restored, we will clear out the Fierce Beasts scattered throughout the region."

"There are several relatively large Fierce Beast Strongholds nearby." Lin Yan pointed at several of the largest Gray-Black regions on the sand table.

"Three Thousand li to the Northeast Direction lies Corpse Rot Swamp, where at least three Late Earth Immortal Corpse Rot Demon Crocodiles are nestled. They constantly release Malevolent Qi and pollute the Water Vein, causing more than half of Emerald Forestland three hundred li downstream to wither away."

"Four Thousand li directly east is Black Wind Rift Valley. Yin Sha Gang Wind erupts year-round from the fractured Earth Veins, leaving no Living Beings alive. Moreover, the rift valley is slowly expanding. In the past hundred years alone, it has extended over a hundred li southward."

"Six Thousand li southeast lies Lava Lake. The bottom of the lake connects to underground fire veins, and Fire Sha Qi erupts frequently. Flowing lava is everywhere, making the environment extremely harsh."

Lin Yan listed seven or eight severely affected regions that needed priority treatment. Not only were these places closest to the Earth Dragon Community, they were also continuously eroding the surrounding areas with healthier environments.

After Lin Yan thoroughly explained his clearing plan, everyone gained a rough understanding of the distribution of nearby Fierce Beasts. None of them raised any objections to his plan.

Lin Yan had not expected these people, whose intelligence had only recently awakened, to offer any better suggestions. With a wave of his hand, he announced the official commencement of the Earth Dragon Community's first large-scale external operation.

At the canyon entrance, ripples spread across the light barrier of the Nine Palaces Earth Vein Great Array. Figures marched through the barrier in neat formation and emerged outside the canyon.

Lin Yan and Mo Xuan came out first. With a thought from Lin Yan, the Earth Spirit Seal materialized above his head and slowly rotated, releasing a yellow curtain of light that tightly enveloped him.

Mo Xuan, meanwhile, rose into the air on all four hooves. His Seven-Colored Scales shimmered with flowing light, and Auspicious Qi spread around him, further accentuating the sacred extraordinariness of his Kirin form.

Behind them, the nine Earth Dragon brothers revealed their Hundred Zhang true forms. Like nine moving Earthy Yellow Mountain Ranges, they left deep marks in the soil behind them.

Next came the Jade Spirit Deer, the Colorful Cloud Sparrow, the Hundred Flower Bee, and even the Crimson Water Black Tortoise, who had been cultivating in the Spirit Spring all this time.

The expedition force was not particularly large, but every member was high-spirited and brimming with confidence.

Their first target was Corpse Rot Swamp, northeast of the canyon. It was the closest location to the canyon, and its Fierce Beasts were not especially powerful, making it the perfect first target.

Corpse Rot Swamp was roughly Three Thousand li from the canyon. If not for accommodating the speed of the Earth Dragon subordinates and Xuangui, the group could have arrived in less than half a day.

Although the Earth Dragon subordinates had learned some Earth Escape Technique, they were still far slower than the other races. Even so, after only two days, the entire group reached the edge of Corpse Rot Swamp.

The moment they arrived at the swamp's edge, a pungent stench drifted over on the wind, making them nauseous. In the distance, Gray-Black Malevolent Qi drifted through the air above the swamp. On the ground, pitch-black Mud Pools occasionally bubbled as Malevolent Qi from the mire erupted upward.

Just as everyone was examining this swamp filled with rot and Destructive Aura, mud waves suddenly churned at its center. Three enormous creatures burst from the muck, each the size of a small mountain. Their dark brown hides were covered in wart-like protrusions, their massive jaws bristled with sharp teeth, and eerie green Soul Fire burned in their eye sockets.

They were the Fierce Beasts guarding this place: Corpse Rot Demon Crocodiles.

"Earth Spirit Seal, rise!" Lin Yan, who had long been prepared, shouted. The Earth Spirit Seal above his head expanded with the wind, transforming into the size of a mountain as it smashed down on the demon crocodile at the far right with overwhelming force.

"Leave these two to me." Mo Xuan refused to be outdone. With a long howl, he transformed into a streak of seven-colored flowing light and charged straight at the other two Fierce Beasts.

"Qilin Steps on Heaven." Mo Xuan stepped through the air. As his first step descended, the void trembled, sending the demon crocodile on the left tumbling away. When his second step fell, Golden Flames poured from beneath his hoof like a waterfall, burning the demon crocodile in the middle Charred. It was clearly not going to survive.

At the same time, Lin Yan's Earth Spirit Seal viciously crashed down upon the head of the demon crocodile on the far right.

"Crack!" The sound of a skull shattering rang out. The demon crocodile did not even have time to scream before plunging into the Mud Pool, splashing countless waves of foul-smelling sludge.

In a single exchange, two of the three Late Earth Immortal Corpse Rot Demon Crocodiles were dead, while one was injured. The onlookers were so stunned that their mouths hung open for a long while.

Seeing that the situation had turned against it, the injured Corpse Rot Demon Crocodile turned to flee. But Lin Er and Lin Qi, who had been watching intently from the side, latched onto it and held it fast.

However, the two Earth Dragons had yet to take human form. How could they be a match for a Late Earth Immortal demon crocodile? Ignoring their bites and claws, the trapped demon crocodile forcibly fled toward the depths of the swamp.

Although the two Earth Dragons could not stop the demon crocodile, their Physical Bodies were powerful. Their special constitutions and scales effectively shielded them from the Malevolent Qi, so the demon crocodile could not shake them off.

With the immensely strong Lin Er and the fearless Lin Qi harassing and delaying it, the demon crocodile had not fled far before Mo Xuan caught up. He shattered its skull with a single hoof strike, and it sank beneath the mire with deep unwillingness and despair.

Thus, the battle ended. From beginning to end, it had taken no more than the time it took to drink a cup of tea. All three Late Earth Immortal Corpse Rot Demon Crocodiles had been wiped out.

Lin Yan and Mo Xuan exchanged smiles. The tacit understanding they had developed years ago had not faded in the slightest.

Although Lin Er and Lin Qi had acted somewhat rashly in this battle, Lin Yan did not criticize them. At the very least, the two Younger Brothers possessed excellent combat instincts. If they had not acted at the crucial moment, Mo Xuan would have needed to spend more effort killing that demon crocodile.

Though the battle was over, the cleansing operation had only just begun.

Lin Yan summoned the Primal Chaos Plate and suspended it above the swamp, where it began absorbing the Malevolent Qi.

Lin Yan had previously taken a great deal of Spirit Qi from the Primal Chaos Plate, leaving it quite dissatisfied. Today, sensing that Lin Yan wanted it to absorb the Malevolent Qi here, it finally became cheerful.

The Disc Body of the Primal Chaos Plate spun rapidly, and a terrifying suction force emerged from it. The dense Malevolent Qi in the swamp flowed into the plate like rivers returning to the sea, where it was converted into pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. Part of it remained within the plate, while the rest was returned to the swamp.

As the Malevolent Qi in the swamp was continuously drawn away, the entire marshland visibly began to clear. The pitch-black Mud Pools gradually turned dark brown, the pungent stench in the air slowly faded, and sunlight finally shone upon this once Deathly Stillness land.

While the Primal Chaos Plate continually absorbed the Malevolent Qi in the air, the others did not remain idle.

At Lin Yan's command, the nine Earth Dragon subordinates wriggled their Hundred Zhang-long bodies and dived into the bottom of the swamp. They continuously rolled their massive bodies, shaking the Malevolent Qi contained within the underground soil loose. Occasionally, they could not resist swallowing a few mouthfuls before expelling soil that contained Spirit Qi from their bodies.

However, relying solely on eating dirt to purify the soil was far too inefficient. Even after a hundred years of eating, they would not be able to purify one-tenth of this swamp.

Lin Yan released the Earth Spirit Seal and activated the divine ability of Earth Vein Resonance, reconnecting the shattered underground Earth Veins. This allowed the originally chaotic Spirit Qi to flow smoothly, then slowly drift upward through the soil loosened by the Earth Dragon subordinates.

As a result, the concentration of Spirit Qi in the swamp gradually rose. It slowly replaced the Malevolent Qi and became the ruler of this region.