Self-Inflicted Humiliation

After multiple battles, the cooperation between the three had become increasingly tacit.

Every time a battle broke out, Ao Ye would charge forward with his powerful physical body and Dragon Clan divine abilities, while Mo Xuan would attack from a distance using secret Qilin techniques. Lin Yan, on the other hand, was responsible for crowd control, using the Power of the Earth to restrict the movement of fierce beasts, or absorbing the fierce sha qi with the Primal Chaos Plate to weaken the enemy's combat power. Occasionally, he would summon the Earth Spirit Seal for a Fatal Blow.

With the three working together, their power multiplied, and even fierce beasts at the True Immortal level were no match for them.

Once, they encountered a fierce beast at the True Immortal Late Stage, a "Nine Nether Howler." It resembled a giant dog but had nine heads, and its fierce sha qi was condensed to the point of being tangible.

The three fought this Nine Nether Howler for over ten days. Lin Yan was even forced to reveal his Earth Dragon True Form at one point. Mo Xuan and Ao Ye also unleashed their strongest Innate Divine Abilities, and only then were they able to temporarily control the beast.

Finally, Ao Ye seized an opportunity and used his Dragon Pearl to shatter its most central head, achieving a hard-won victory. After the battle, all three were seriously injured and spent decades in recuperation before fully recovering.

Of course, risk always came with opportunity. Along the way, they had also collected countless Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, and even some rare spirit crystal ores.

Before collecting these treasures each time, Lin Yan would use the Mini Ecology Simulator to deduce whether it would have a significant impact on the local Ecological Environment. If the impact was minor, he would collect them with peace of mind. If it would cause catastrophic consequences, Lin Yan would persuade his companions to abandon the collection.

Mo Xuan stated that he didn't care at all. He wasn't interested in these so-called treasures; he only enjoyed the process of exploration.

But Ao Ye, who was as greedy as ever, was different. Every time they decided to give up these treasures, it was as if a piece of his heart was being cut out. Fortunately, he was a grateful and persuadable person. Whenever Lin Yan explained the consequences of collecting the treasures, he could suppress his possessiveness and reluctantly give them up. However, he would always look back three times when leaving, as if parting from a loved one.

In this manner, Lin Yan and his two companions traversed countless desolate mountains and treacherous waters, witnessed innumerable strange terrains, and encountered countless perilous battles.

At the same time, Lin Yan had long used the Mini Ecology Simulator to meticulously draw a vivid ecological map of the mountain ranges, Earth Vein distributions, sources of fierce sha qi, and creature populations they encountered along the way. With the help of the Primordial Basic Knowledge Atlas's ability to identify all things, Lin Yan also learned about countless new species and mineral deposits.

One day, the three had just joined forces to exterminate a nest of "Mysterious Ice Sha Moths" that were lurking at the edge of the "Nine Nether Cold Abyss" and subsisting by devouring the Yin veins underground.

After the battle, Ao Ye, ignoring his injuries, excitedly went to clear the battlefield. He had long discovered that there were some top-grade Nine Nether Ice Crystals in the Nine Nether Cold Abyss, which were crystal clear and rare materials for artifact refining.

Mo Xuan lazily lay on a giant stone, warmed by the residual heat of the Qilin True Fire, flicking his tail to recover his mana.

As for Lin Yan, just like every time after a battle in the past thousand years, he first summoned the Primal Chaos Plate to absorb all the fierce sha qi pervading the valley. Then, he used the Earth Vein Resonance divine ability to guide the Power of the Earth to heal the wounds caused by the battle, clear the disturbed Earth Veins, and sow some resilient Spirit Seeds.

Just as he completed all this and smoothed out the last trace of chaotic earth energy, a profound and mysterious feeling suddenly surged into his heart. The "Kun Yuan Life and Death Dao Seed" in the void trembled slightly, as if it had grown a bit larger, and its connection with the Primordial Great Earth seemed to have become even closer.

A stream of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, purer and denser than usual, mixed with a trace of the Great Earth Origin, silently flowed into his limbs and bones, beginning to cleanse his meridians and strengthen his physical body.

"Broken through again?" Lin Yan was caught off guard and quickly closed his eyes to sense carefully. He found that his magic power had become purer, his Primordial Spirit more condensed, and his perception of the earth beneath his feet had become clearer and more thorough.

[Ding! Detected that the Host has completed detailed investigation and data recording of the ecological environment in ten different regions, including 'Nine Nether Cold Abyss', 'Molten Fire Scorched Earth', 'Corrupt Sea Jungle', 'Gale Cliff', 'Chaotic Magnetic Wasteland', 'Poisonous Fog Ghost Ridge', 'Red Rock Rift Valley', 'Dark Star Lake', 'White Bone Plains', and 'Yin Yang Convergence Land'. Assessment report has been automatically generated.]

[Mission 'Explore the Primordial Heaven and Earth and assess the current ecological environment of at least ten different regions' has been completed!]

[Reward issued: Cultivation realm advanced to Heavenly Immortal Middle Stage; Three of each Five Elements Spirit Crystals;]

As the System Prompt Tone sounded, Lin Yan finally confirmed that he had indeed broken through again. His current cultivation was solidly at the Heavenly Immortal Middle Stage.

"Huh?" Ao Ye, who had excitedly returned from outside carrying a huge Nine Nether Ice Crystal, looked at Lin Yan with surprise. "Lin Yan, why does it feel like your aura has improved significantly after the fight?" As a direct descendant of the Dragon Clan, his perception was extremely keen. Moreover, the change in Lin Yan's aura was too significant to go unnoticed.

"Just a small breakthrough from a minor discovery," Lin Yan said casually, as if it were nothing worth mentioning.

Ao Ye felt extremely shocked. How could something as major as breaking through a cultivation realm be so casually dismissed by you?

Mo Xuan appeared unfazed, a look of "as expected" on his face. "What's so strange about that? His breakthroughs are as easy as drinking water. You'll understand when you're older."

"Pity this Young Master has been stuck at the Heavenly Immortal Late Stage for over a thousand years, making no progress. I'm about to be caught up by someone." His tone held a hint of melancholy, but more than that, he was happy for his friend.

"I'm no different from you, am I? I've consumed so many Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures over the years, yet there's still no sign of a breakthrough." Mo Xuan's words stirred up Ao Ye's own sorrow.

Hearing them speak, Lin Yan asked curiously, "By the way, Xiao Mo, Xiao Ye, speaking of cultivation, there's something I've always been very curious about. Xiao Mo, you're the young master of the Kirin Clan, your origins are undeniable. Xiao Ye is a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, a top talent among the Dragon Clan. Why is it that both of you, with your cultivation already at the Heavenly Immortal Late Stage, still seem to... not have taken human form?"

He had held this question for a long time. He had taken human form as soon as he entered the Earth Immortal realm. But Mo Xuan and Ao Ye, despite being Heavenly Immortals, still maintained their original divine beast forms.

Upon hearing this, Ao Ye exchanged a glance with Mo Xuan, both showing a look of "You don't even know this?" in their eyes.

Seeing that Lin Yan genuinely didn't know, Ao Ye explained with some excitement, "For Ordinary Creatures, taking human form naturally happens when they achieve Earth Immortal. But for us top-tier Innate Divine Beasts, like True Dragons, Phoenixes, and Kirins, it's quite different." After speaking, he proudly displayed his shimmering scales to Lin Yan.

Before Ao Ye could continue, Mo Xuan eagerly interjected, flicking his tail. His tone was filled with pride. "For us top-tier divine beasts, our bloodline inheritance contains not just power, but also original Great Dao Fragments from Great God Pangu or Chaos Demon Gods. Our original forms are themselves a manifestation of the Great Dao, perfectly integrated with the Dao we cultivate. If we were to take human form too early, it might instead sever this bloodline connection and affect our future Dao path."

"Therefore," Ao Ye quickly reclaimed the floor, "for us top-tier divine beasts, it's best to wait until we reach the True Immortal Realm, gain a deeper understanding of our bloodline inheritance, and our Foundation is incredibly Stable. Only then should we consider taking human form. Moreover, when we take human form, we might not choose an Innate Dao Body like yours, but rather a Dao Body form that better suits our clan."

After Ao Ye finished speaking, he and Mo Xuan stared intently at Lin Yan's expression, as if anticipating something.

Lin Yan finally understood. So it wasn't that they couldn't take human form, but that they disdained to do so. Only those of lower standing, with ordinary talent and insufficient potential, like himself, would take human form early.

Finally learning the truth, Lin Yan immediately regretted asking the question. Wasn't this just asking for humiliation?

"Hmph, calling themselves top-tier divine beasts, aren't they still going to be crushed by Hongjun sooner or later? Hongjun is an Innate Dao Body like me." Feeling somewhat insulted, Lin Yan thought to himself with a hint of defiance.