Journey to the Ancient Realm

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

Within the forbidden grounds of the back mountain, the terrifying energy fluctuations that had resembled a volcanic eruption finally subsided, replaced by four unfathomable, vast auras as deep as the abyss.

Four figures stepped out from the center of the energy vortex.

Leading them was a burly man clad in black-and-red scale armor, his face rugged and his eyes fierce; he was the Heaven-Burning Crocodile in human form, his aura already reaching the mid-stage of a Seven-Star Dou Sheng!

Beside him stood a lean man covered in crystalline flame-chip armor with sharp, piercing eyes; he was the Blazing Earth Lizard, a Seven-Star Dou Sheng at the early stage.

On the other side was a man draped in flowing fire-feather robes with a cold expression, faint phantom wings of flame flickering behind his back; he was the Flowing Fire Sky Owl, also a Seven-Star Dou Sheng at the early stage.

The last one was the most massive, nearly ten feet tall with knotted muscles, wearing simple leather armor and exhaling scorching white steam; he was the Lava Giant Ape, the strongest of them all, having reached the late stage of a Seven-Star Dou Sheng!

Four Seven-Star Dou Sheng! If such a lineup were revealed, it would be enough to instantly overturn the entire status quo of the Central Plains and make the Soul Hall tremble in fear!

They arrived before Lin Hai, knelt on one knee in unison, and lowered their heads deeply, their voices filled with indescribable excitement and loyalty: "We thank Master for the grace of our rebirth! We have stabilized our realms and are willing to die for you!"

Lin Hai swept his gaze over them and nodded slightly.

Twenty drops of Nine-Star Dou Sheng essence blood combined with four Grade Nine Profound Pills had created four Seven-Star Dou Sheng; this result was well within his expectations.

"Rise. Restrain your auras and follow me."

"Yes!" The four beasts stood up. The suffocating pressure instantly retracted, becoming plain and unadorned, though the occasional trace of energy still caused the surrounding space to ripple slightly.

At the same time, Yao Chen happened to walk out of the alchemy room, his face showing a hint of fatigue but even more excitement.

He held two warm jade bottles in his hands; the pills inside were the size of dragon eyes, round and flawless, with pill clouds forming above them—these were the final two Grade Eight pills he had refined.

"My Lord, I have fulfilled my mission." Yao Chen offered the jade bottles.

Lin Hai took the pills, stored them in his storage ring, and said indifferently, "Well done. How is Xiao Yan doing?"

"That lad is holding his breath and working hard day and night; his progress is rapid," Yao Chen replied, his tone filled with gratification.

"Hmm." Lin Hai did not ask further. "I am heading to the Ancient Realm immediately. The safety of the Xiao Clan is left to you. If you encounter an enemy you cannot handle, crush this jade talisman." He tossed a seemingly ordinary white jade talisman to Yao Chen, which contained a trace of his spatial mark and power.

"This old man understands!" Yao Chen accepted it solemnly.

With everything arranged, Lin Hai flicked his sleeve, and a surge of spatial power enveloped the four transformed beast Dou Sheng behind him.

The next moment, the five figures vanished from the Xiao Clan's backyard without a trace.

Central Plains, Sky Medicine City.

This massive city, famous for its alchemists and medicinal trade, remained bustling and noisy.

Lin Hai, accompanied by his four silent followers, walked into the Myriad Medicine Pavilion once again.

The manager recognized Lin Hai, this mysterious big spender, at a glance, and his attitude was even more respectful and fawning than before.

Lin Hai did not say much, simply taking out three jade bottles containing three Grade Eight pills with rich medicinal fragrance and profound pill patterns.

"The usual rules: exchange for materials. Nine sets of ingredients for Grade Eight pills." Lin Hai's voice was flat and calm.

The manager's hand trembled slightly, and he struggled to keep his grip steady as he took the bottles.

Three Grade Eight pills! The scale of this transaction was still as shocking as ever!

He dared not show the slightest negligence and, at top speed, mobilized the highest-grade reserves from the warehouse, gathering nine sets of perfect-quality Grade Eight pill ingredients and presenting them respectfully in multiple high-level storage rings.

Lin Hai scanned them with his divine sense, confirmed they were correct, put away the rings, and turned to leave without a moment's hesitation.

After leaving the Myriad Medicine Pavilion, he did not stop, heading straight for the massive "Myriad Fire Hall" in the west of the city.

When the manager of the Myriad Fire Hall saw Lin Hai—especially when he felt the heart-palpitating aura faintly radiating from the four unfathomable followers behind him—his legs went weak, and he practically ran out to greet them.

Lin Hai directly took out the remaining seven jade bottles, which contained seven glowing Grade Eight pills.

"Exchange for Rank Six beast fires. Seven hundred types, no duplicates."

The manager gasped. Seven Grade Eight pills! Just to exchange for seven hundred types of Rank Six beast fires?

This was practically trading gold bricks for gravel!

But he dared not ask questions and quickly agreed: "Yes, yes! My Lord, please wait a moment. Our shop has sufficient stock and will definitely meet your requirements!"

On the Dou Qi Continent, there were hundreds of thousands of magical beast species, and fire-attribute beasts accounted for a significant portion. Although Rank Six beast fires were considered precious, they were much easier to collect than Grade Eight pills.

The Myriad Fire Hall had a deep foundation and soon gathered seven hundred Rank Six beast fires of various shapes and colors, each sealed in special flame containers and packed into three large storage rings.

Lin Hai took the rings, scanned them with his divine sense, and confirmed that they were diverse and full of energy, nodding in satisfaction.

Having achieved his goal, Lin Hai did not waste any more time in Sky Medicine City.

He took the four beast Dou Sheng, stepped forward, and tore open the space above Sky Medicine City, constructing a deep spatial tunnel.

"Let's go."

The five figures plunged into the tunnel and disappeared.

They left behind countless experts in Sky Medicine City who had sensed the brief but terrifying spatial fluctuations, staring at each other in shock and fear.

At the end of the spatial tunnel, an ancient, vast aura carrying endless pressure faintly drifted over.

That was the location of one of the eight ancient clans, the Ancient Clan—the Ancient Realm!