Taking Humiliation upon Himself

After many battles, the three of them had grown increasingly coordinated.

Whenever a battle broke out, Ao Ye would charge head-on with his powerful physical body and Dragon Clan divine abilities. Mo Xuan would launch long-range attacks with Kirin Secret Arts, while Lin Yan handled crowd control, using the Power of the Earth to restrict the ferocious beasts' movements or the Primal Chaos Plate to absorb malevolent qi and weaken the enemy's combat power. Occasionally, he would also bring out the Earth Spirit Seal for a fatal blow.

With the three working together, their power multiplied. Even ferocious beasts with True Immortal strength were no match for them.

Once, they encountered a True Immortal Late Stage ferocious beast called the Nine Nether Howler. It resembled a giant dog, but had nine heads, and the fierce sha qi around it was so dense it had practically taken physical form.

The three fought the Nine Nether Howler bitterly for more than ten days. Lin Yan was even forced to reveal his Earth Dragon True Form, while Mo Xuan and Ao Ye each unleashed their strongest Innate Divine Ability. Only then did they barely manage to restrain the beast.

In the end, Ao Ye seized an opening and used his Dragon Pearl to shatter its central head, finally claiming a hard-won victory. After the battle, all three were seriously injured and spent several decades recuperating before they fully recovered.

Of course, risks always came with opportunities. Along the way, they had collected countless Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, including some rare spirit crystal ores.

Before collecting any of these treasures, Lin Yan would use the Mini Ecology Simulator to run a simulation and determine whether it would have a major impact on the local ecological environment. If the impact was minor, they would collect them without concern. If it would cause a disastrous impact, Lin Yan would persuade his two companions to give them up.

Mo Xuan did not care about such things at all. He had never been interested in these so-called treasures; all he enjoyed was the journey itself.

Ao Ye, who treasured wealth as dearly as his life, was different. Whenever they decided to abandon a treasure, he would ache as though someone had cut out a piece of his heart. Fortunately, he was grateful and willing to listen. Whenever Lin Yan explained the consequences of taking the treasure, he could force down his desire to possess it and reluctantly give it up. Yet whenever they left, he would keep looking back with every few steps, as if they were being separated by life and death.

Thus, as the three journeyed onward, they crossed countless barren mountains and treacherous waters, witnessed innumerable strange and bizarre landscapes, and encountered more dangerous battles than they could count.

At the same time, Lin Yan had long used the Mini Ecology Simulator to meticulously turn information such as the mountain ranges along their route, the distribution of Earth Veins, the sources of malevolent qi, and the communities of living beings into a vivid ecological map. With the Primordial Basic Knowledge Atlas's ability to identify all things, Lin Yan had also discovered countless new species and mineral deposits.

That day, the three had just joined forces to wipe out a nest of Mysterious Ice Sha Moths nestled along the edge of the Nine Nether Cold Abyss, creatures that survived by devouring underground yin veins.

After the battle ended, Ao Ye did not even bother treating his injuries before eagerly heading off to clean up the battlefield. He had long discovered that the Nine Nether Cold Abyss contained some top-grade Nine Nether Ice Crystals, crystalline and transparent, making them exceptionally rare materials for refining artifacts.

Mo Xuan, meanwhile, lazily sprawled atop a giant stone warmed by the lingering heat of Qilin True Fire, flicking his tail as he restored his mana.

As for Lin Yan, just as he had after every battle over the past thousand years, he first brought out the Primal Chaos Plate and absorbed all the fierce sha qi permeating the valley. Then he used Earth Vein Resonance, guiding the Power of the Earth to smooth over the wounds caused by battle, clear the disrupted Earth Veins, and scatter some Spirit Seeds with tenacious life force.

Just as he finished all this and straightened out the last trace of chaotic earth qi, an indescribably profound sensation suddenly surged into his heart. The Kun Yuan Life and Death Dao Seed hanging in the void trembled gently, as though it had grown another circle larger. Its connection to the Primordial Great Earth also seemed to have become a little closer.

A stream of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy far purer and denser than usual, mixed with a barely perceptible wisp of Great Earth Origin, silently flowed into his limbs and bones. It began cleansing his meridians and strengthening his physical body.

"Another breakthrough?" Lin Yan was caught off guard. He hurriedly closed his eyes and carefully sensed the changes. He discovered that his mana had become purer, his Primordial Spirit more condensed, and his perception of the earth beneath his feet clearer and more thorough than ever.

[Ding! Detected that the host has completed detailed ecological surveys and data records for ten different regions, including the 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. An evaluation report has been automatically generated.]

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

[Rewards issued: Cultivation realm raised to Heavenly Immortal Middle Stage; three Five Elements Spirit Crystals of each attribute.]

As the System Prompt Tone rang out, Lin Yan finally confirmed that he had indeed broken through again. His cultivation had now solidly reached the Heavenly Immortal Middle Stage.

"Eh?" Ao Ye, who had just returned enthusiastically carrying an enormous Nine Nether Ice Crystal, looked at Lin Yan in surprise. "Lin Yan, why does it feel like your aura has improved quite a bit after that fight?" As a direct member of the Dragon Clan, his senses were exceptionally sharp. Besides, the change in Lin Yan's aura before and after was simply too great to go unnoticed.

"I gained a little insight and had a small breakthrough." Lin Yan looked as though it were a trivial matter not worth mentioning.

Ao Ye was deeply shocked. Since when was breaking through a realm such an insignificant matter to him?

Mo Xuan, however, looked completely unsurprised, his face showing an expression of just as expected. "What's so strange about that? Breaking through realms is as easy as drinking water for him. You'll understand later."

"Poor Young Master. I've been stuck at the Heavenly Immortal Late Stage for over a thousand years without making any progress. At this rate, someone will catch up to me soon." There was a hint of gloom in his tone, but he was actually happier for his friend than anything else.

"Isn't this dragon boy the same as you? I've eaten so many Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures over the years, yet there's still no sign of a breakthrough." Mo Xuan's words also brought up Ao Ye's sore point.

Hearing the two of them speak this way, Lin Yan asked curiously, "By the way, Xiao Mo, Xiao Ye, speaking of cultivation, there's something I've always been curious about. Xiao Mo, you're the young master of the Kirin Clan, so your foundation goes without saying. Xiao Ye, you're a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, one of the finest among the Dragon Clan. Why is it that both of you have already reached the Heavenly Immortal Late Stage, yet seem to have... never undergone Transformation?"

He had held that question in for a long time. He had taken human form as soon as he entered the Earth Immortal realm. Yet Mo Xuan and Ao Ye were clearly both Heavenly Immortals, but still retained the divine beast forms of their true bodies.

Upon hearing this, Ao Ye exchanged a glance with Mo Xuan. Both of them revealed expressions that said, You don't even know that?

Seeing that Lin Yan truly did not know, Ao Ye excitedly explained, "For ordinary living beings, Transformation naturally becomes possible upon reaching the Earth Immortal realm. But for top-tier Innate Divine Beasts like True Dragons, Phoenixes, and Kirins, it's quite different." After saying that, he proudly displayed his glittering scales to Lin Yan.

Before Ao Ye could continue, Mo Xuan impatiently took over, flicking his tail as he said with considerable pride, "What our top divine beasts inherit through our bloodlines is not merely power. We also inherit primordial Great Dao Fragments originating from Great God Pangu or Chaos Demon Gods. Our true forms are themselves part of the Great Dao's manifestation, perfectly aligned with the paths we cultivate. Transforming too early may instead tear apart that bloodline connection and affect our future Dao paths."

"Therefore," Ao Ye hurriedly snatched back the right to speak, "for top divine beasts like us, it's best to wait until after reaching the True Immortal Realm, when we have gained a deeper understanding of our Bloodline Inheritance and our foundations have become incomparably stable, before considering Transformation. Besides, when we transform, we may not choose an Innate Dao Body like yours. We may instead take forms more suited to our respective clans."

After Ao Ye finished speaking, he and Mo Xuan stared fixedly at Lin Yan's expression, as though eagerly awaiting something.

Only then did Lin Yan come to a sudden realization. So it was not that they could not transform, but that they disdained doing so. Only ordinary races like himself, with lower standing, more average aptitude, and insufficient potential for growth, would transform so early.

Having finally learned the truth, Lin Yan immediately regretted asking the question. Wasn't this just taking humiliation upon himself?

Hmph. They keep calling themselves top divine beasts, but won't they still get pinned to the ground and rubbed into the dirt by Hongjun sooner or later? Hongjun has an Innate Dao Body like mine, after all. Feeling somewhat insulted, Lin Yan thought indignantly.