38: Breaking through the stone spirit to seize the epic crystal, he evaded pursuers and headed towards the dragon realm.

The warm golden glow of the light gate washed over Lin Chen's fingertips. Nian Xue, nestled in his arms, rubbed her little head against him uneasily: "Daddy, will the stones inside bite me?"

Lin Chen lowered his head, his nose brushing against the top of her hair as he softly reassured her: "No, Daddy will chase the bad stones away." As he spoke, he pushed the light gate open and slowly stepped into the core area.

The core area was a circular stone chamber about fifty meters in diameter. The floor was paved with purplish, epic-grade rune stones. In the center, suspended in the air, was a fist-sized origin crystal core. Pale purple light mist enveloped the thick, pure Origin energy, like a flowing nebula.

The moment Clear Snow stepped into the stone chamber, her nine tails instantly tensed. The Ice and Snow Law condensed into a thin shield around her: "Husband, the Origin fluctuations here feel wrong. It's as if something is watching us."

As soon as her words fell, the stone platforms around the chamber suddenly trembled. Pale purple origin liquid seeped from the cracks in the stone. The instant the droplets hit the ground, the floor cracked open with a roar—a three-zhang-tall purple crystal behemoth emerged from beneath, its eyes two blazing orbs of crimson Origin Fire.

This was an epic-grade, Perfection stage "Origin Stone Spirit." It didn't charge immediately. Instead, it raised a forepaw and slammed it heavily onto the ground. As the ground shook, dozens of arm-thick purple crystal spikes erupted from the earth, forming a ring aimed at Nian Xue. Clearly, it intended to capture the weakest target first as leverage.

"Dare to touch my daughter?" Lin Chen's eyes turned icy cold in an instant as he activated the Space Law. The stone spikes about to pierce the hem of Nian Xue's clothes froze mid-air as if gripped by an invisible hand, then shattered into dust with a 'crack.'

The stone spirit let out a low roar, unleashing a wave of pale purple Origin shockwaves from its body. The wave crest swept towards the Metal Clan and Stone Skin Clan members—their defenses were strong, and the stone spirit wanted to weaken the peripheral combatants first. Clear Snow reacted with lightning speed; her Ice and Snow Domain abruptly expanded. Pale purple cold air collided with the shockwave, instantly freezing the wave crest, which shattered into icy fragments upon hitting the ground.

"My Lord, I will use the crystal to disrupt its Origin!" The Star Spirit Clan Leader raised a mythical-grade Star Spirit Crystal Stone. A beam of light shot from the crystal directly into the stone spirit's eyes. The stone spirit's crimson eyes contracted sharply, its movements noticeably slowing. Clearly, its Origin perception was being interfered with.

Seizing the Opportunity, Lin Chen flashed and teleported above the stone spirit's head. He gathered Void Power in his palm, his fist wrapped in the golden light of the Ancient Gods Body, and smashed it down fiercely onto the stone spirit's skull—the location of its core.

"Boom!"

An ear-piercing sound of shattering purple crystal rang out. The stone spirit's skull cracked with a spiderweb of fissures, its crimson eyes instantly dimming. It thrashed about wildly, trying to shake Lin Chen off. Clear Snow took advantage of the moment to shoot dozens of Void Ice Blades, precisely striking the joints of the stone spirit's limbs.

The ice blades pierced the joints, cold air spreading along the cracks. The stone spirit's movements grew slower and slower. Lin Chen punched again, landing a heavy blow on the cracked area. The stone spirit's head completely shattered, its massive body collapsing to the ground with a crash, turning into a scattering of purple crystal fragments, leaving behind only a pigeon-egg-sized epic-grade origin crystal core.

Lin Chen picked up the crystal core. A faint glow from his Sublimation Talent flickered at his fingertips—upon the first touch, the core transformed from pale purple to deep purple, its grade rising to Legendary Rank; upon the second touch, the deep purple took on a layer of purple-gold, finally settling at mythical-grade. Its Origin aura was now three times denser than before.

"Everyone, absorb it and recover your strength as soon as possible." Lin Chen broke the crystal core into smaller pieces. He first handed one to Clear Snow, then gave a smaller piece to Nian Xue. The rest were distributed among the various clan members.

Clear Snow held the crystal shard. Origin energy flowed along her fingertips and into her body. Her Early Stage Diamond Rank aura solidified further, her Origin concentration rising from 21% to 25%. When the Ice and Snow Law circulated in her palm, even the air formed a thin layer of ice.

Nian Xue cradled her small crystal piece, taking small 'bites'—actually allowing the Origin energy to automatically integrate. The demon god mark on her forehead flashed with a faint purple light. Her Origin concentration slowly increased from 34% to 38%, her little face full of contentment.

After absorbing his share of the crystal, Lin Chen's Origin concentration rose from 38% to 42%. His Divine Thought range quietly expanded to 270 kilometers, allowing him to clearly perceive movements within a hundred miles outside the stone chamber.

"My Lord, the target crystal core in the center has residual Heavenly Dao energy!" The Repair Clan Leader walked to the center of the stone chamber, pointing at the suspended epic-grade origin crystal core. "If not purified, absorbing it will alert the Heavenly Dao."

Lin Chen nodded, walking beneath the crystal core. He gathered the golden light of the Anti-Heavenly Dao Rule in his palm. The light enveloped the core, instantly dispersing the faint black Heavenly Dao energy on its surface, turning it to dust. The core regained its pure, pale purple glow.

He stored the crystal core in his palm. Just as he was about to speak, the Star Spirit Clan Leader suddenly turned pale: "My Lord! Trouble! Three eternal-grade Heavenly Dao auras are rapidly approaching from a hundred miles away. It's the pursuers!"

The Metal Clan Leader immediately chimed in: "I know of a hidden passage! Taking it can bypass the pursuers. I discovered it while scouting earlier!"

Without hesitation, Lin Chen picked up Nian Xue: "Clear Snow, stay close to me. All clans, retreat in the original formation, don't panic! Repair Clan, take the rear and clean up any traces in the stone chamber."

Leaning against Lin Chen's chest, Nian Xue pointed a little finger in the direction where the suspended crystal core had disappeared: "Daddy, did we take that shiny stone?"

"We took it." Lin Chen looked down at her. "With it, Daddy and Mommy can become stronger. No one will be able to bully Nian Xue in the future."

Clear Snow walked beside them, her nine tails lightly sweeping the ground as she collected all the scattered purple crystal fragments: "These fragments can be refined into origin liquid. Don't waste them; they might be useful on the road."

The group quickly passed through the Origin illusion. The Star Spirit Clan Leader raised his crystal, its light dispersing the lingering illusion mist. Everyone moved swiftly, not daring to delay—eternal-grade pursuers were no joke.

Just as they exited the relic's stone gate, a faint black glow suddenly appeared in the distant sky—a sign of Heavenly Dao energy. The pursuers were getting closer.

"Quick! There's a hidden cave ahead that can block Heavenly Dao detection!" The Stone-Skin Clan Leader pointed to a crevice in a stone forest not far away, hiding a cave entrance only wide enough for two people side-by-side. "I discovered it while sheltering from the rain earlier. It's very dry inside."

Lin Chen, holding Nian Xue, charged into the cave first, with Clear Snow close behind. The various clan members entered one after another. The rocks at the cave entrance could automatically mask Origin fluctuations, making it difficult for the pursuers to discover even if they passed by.

Once inside the cave, Lin Chen extended his Divine Thought outward—three eternal-grade auras were searching within the stone forest. They had split into three groups, conducting a systematic search. Clearly, they were professionally trained and more troublesome than the previous pursuers.

"Safe for now, but we can't stay long." Lin Chen withdrew his Divine Thought. "Rest for a quarter of an hour, then we head for the Dragon Clan Habitat."

The Star Spirit Clan Leader was taken aback: "The Dragon Clan? That's a mythical-grade race. Will they be willing to help us?"

"I saved a Dragon Clan Guardian back in the Diamond World, and the Dragon Clan has a grudge against the Heavenly Dao." Lin Chen explained, his tone firm. "They will at least offer us temporary shelter."

Clear Snow handed the collected purple crystal fragments to the Repair Clan: "While we rest, refine these fragments into origin liquid. Even a slight increase in Origin concentration is good."

The Repair Clan Leader nodded, taking out a portable refining tool—a small furnace made of grandmist rank metal. He placed the fragments inside, gathering Origin energy at his fingertips to heat it. Soon, a pale purple Origin aura filled the cave.

Nian Xue slipped down from Lin Chen's arms and walked over to a Star Spirit Clan child. She pulled a small Origin fragment from her pocket—one she had secretly hidden when the crystal was being divided—and handed it over: "Big brother, this is for you. Eating it makes you stronger."

The Star Spirit Clan child took the fragment, his eyes lighting up: "Thank you, Little Sister Nian Xue! When I get stronger, I'll help you fight the bad guys!" The two children huddled together in a corner, watching the fragment glow—an exceptionally heartwarming scene.

Watching this, warmth filled Lin Chen's eyes. Clear Snow walked to his side and said softly, "Husband, there might also be Heavenly Dao people near the Dragon Clan Habitat. We must be careful."

"Mm." Lin Chen grasped her hand. "But we have no other choice now. Only the Dragon Clan can help us find mythical-grade Breakthrough items, and only they can hold off eternal-grade pursuers."

A quarter of an hour passed quickly. The Repair Clan refined three bottles of pale purple origin liquid, each shimmering with pure Origin radiance. Lin Chen took one bottle, used his Sublimation Talent to elevate it to mythical-grade, handed one bottle to Clear Snow, gave a half-bottle to Nian Xue, and kept the remainder for himself.

After absorbing the origin liquid, Lin Chen's Origin concentration rose from 42% to 43%, Clear Snow's from 25% to 27%, and Nian Xue's from 38% to 40%. Each person's aura grew slightly stronger.

"Let's go." Lin Chen picked up Nian Xue and was the first to step out of the cave. "To the Dragon Clan Habitat."

The various clan members followed closely behind, their figures soon disappearing deep into the stone forest. In the distance, the Heavenly Dao pursuers were still conducting their carpet search, but they would never know that Lin Chen's group had already set out on the path to the territory of a mythical-grade race. A new Opportunity and challenge awaited them ahead.