40: With the aid of the Dragon Source, the remaining enemies are cleared, and preparations are made for the final battle in the Fallen God Abyss.

The mountain path in the Azure Dragon Realm was paved with bluestone slabs, morning dew sliding off the Dragon Pattern Grass along the roadside. Lin Chen walked ahead carrying Nian Xue, with two epic-grade Dragon Guards sent by the Dragon Race Chief leading the way on either side.

"Daddy, is that black mist ahead where the bad guys are staying?" Nian Xue pointed towards the valley ahead, poking Lin Chen's chin with her little finger, her eyes having lost their previous timidity.

Lin Chen followed the direction of her finger. Faint black Heavenly Dao mist coiled around the valley entrance. A scan with his Divine Thought revealed ten Early Stage eternal-grade auras hidden inside—they were indeed the remnants left by the Heavenly Dao.

"Yes, but with Daddy here, they can't hurt Nian Xue." Lin Chen looked down, pressed a light kiss onto the top of her head, and gathered a faint Space Law in his palm, ready to act at any moment.

Clear Snow walked on the other side, her Nine Tails gently swaying behind her. A diamond-level Ice and Snow Domain had formed a thin shield around her: "Husband, these remnants have set up Origin traps; we must be careful not to trigger them."

The Scarlet Scale Dragon Guard on the left side of the Dragon Guards stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Those traps are the 'Heavenly Dao Bone Corrosion Array.' Stepping on them will drain one's Origin. I know the locations of the array eyes."

As he spoke, he pointed to three black stones on the left side of the valley: "Those are the array eyes. Destroying them will cause the traps to fail."

Lin Chen nodded and flashed to the side of the black stones. The Heavenly Dao Remnants in the black mist immediately noticed. Ten black figures rushed out of the mist. The one in the lead held a Heavenly Dao bone staff but did not attack directly; instead, he waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to activate the traps.

Fissures suddenly cracked open on the ground, and black Origin tentacles drilled out from the gaps, coiling towards Lin Chen's ankles—they wanted to trap Lin Chen first before surrounding and killing the others.

"You dare show off such petty tricks?" Lin Chen snorted coldly. The Space Law instantly activated, tearing the tentacles apart with invisible force, causing them to turn into ashes immediately afterward.

Simultaneously, he condensed Void Power between his fingertips and tapped the three black stones. The stones instantly shattered, and the light of the Heavenly Dao Bone Corrosion Array completely dissipated.

Seeing the traps fail, a fierce glint flashed in the eyes of the leading Heavenly Dao remnant. He raised his bone staff towards Nian Xue's direction, and a black Origin ball condensed: "If I can't catch you, I'll catch your daughter!"

Clear Snow was already prepared. Her Ice and Snow Domain instantly expanded, and the pale purple cold air collided with the Origin ball, instantly freezing it until it shattered into ice shards that fell to the ground. At the same time, she shot out dozens of Void Ice Blades, stabbing directly towards the core of the leading Heavenly Dao remnant.

"How dare you touch my wife and child? You're courting death!" Lin Chen teleported behind the leader, and the Ancient Gods Pressure erupted overwhelmingly. The Heavenly Dao energy inside the opponent instantly became chaotic, and the bone staff snapped with a 'crack'.

Before the opponent could react, Lin Chen's Anti-Heavenly Dao Rule slapped onto his chest. Black Origin dissipated from his body, and his physical form turned into ashes, leaving behind only one eternal-grade origin crystal.

Seeing their leader killed, the remaining nine Heavenly Dao Remnants turned to flee but were blocked by the Dragon Guards' Dragon Breath—the Scarlet Scale Dragon Guard spat out pale red flame Dragon Breath, and the Azure Scale Dragon Guard shot out azure Origin light arrows, coordinating with Clear Snow's Ice and Snow Blades to surround and kill all the remnants.

The battle ended. Lin Chen picked up the ten eternal-grade origin crystals and activated his Sublimation Talent—upon the first touch, the crystal cores changed from pale black to deep purple, advancing to Legendary Rank; upon the second touch, the deep purple turned golden, reaching mythical-grade, and the Origin aura tripled in density.

"Everyone absorb these and quickly enhance your strength. The guardian beasts in the Abyss of Fallen Gods are not weak." Lin Chen broke the crystal cores into smaller pieces, first handing them to Clear Snow and Nian Xue, then distributing them to the members of various clans and the Dragon Guards.

Clear Snow held a crystal core, and Origin energy flowed from her fingertips into her body. Her Early Stage diamond-level aura solidified further, and her Origin concentration increased from 30% to 34%. When the Ice and Snow Law circulated, even the air formed a thin layer of ice.

Nian Xue held a small piece of the crystal core and 'gnawed' on it delicately. The demon god mark on her forehead flashed with a purplish-gold light, and her Origin concentration rose from 43% to 47%. Her little face was full of satisfaction, and she didn't forget to pass a tiny crumb to the Dragon Clan Cubs beside her: "A Qing, this is for you, it's sweet."

The Dragon Clan Cubs, A Qing, who was sent by the Clan Chief to accompany Nian Xue, took the crumb, his eyes lighting up: "Thank you, Little Sister Nian Xue, this tastes better than Dragon Source Fruit!"

After absorbing the crystal core, Lin Chen's Origin concentration increased from 46% to 50%. His Divine Thought range expanded to 280 kilometers, allowing him to clearly perceive the Origin fluctuations coming from the direction of the Abyss of Fallen Gods—the energy there was both rich and chaotic, clearly hiding considerable danger.

"Lord Lin Chen, after clearing the remnants, the Clan Chief has gifts to present to you." The Azure Scale Dragon Guard stepped forward, handing over a bronze box engraved with complex dragon patterns.

Lin Chen opened the box. Inside lay three pale-green 'dragon source pills,' emitting a mythical-grade Origin aura. Beside them was a map of the Abyss of Fallen Gods, marking the locations of the guardian beasts and the possible areas where crystal cores might be found.

"These dragon source pills can increase the speed of Origin circulation in a short time, which is very helpful for breaking into the Abyss of Fallen Gods," the Scarlet Scale Dragon Guard explained, his tone full of reverence.

Lin Chen picked up a dragon source pill and activated his Sublimation Talent—upon the first touch, the dragon source pill turned deep azure, reaching eternal-grade; upon the second touch, the deep azure flashed gold, advancing to Dao-Grade, its Origin aura three times denser than its initial state.

He handed one to Clear Snow, gave one to Nian Xue, and kept one for himself: "Use these when we break into the Abyss of Fallen Gods. For now, keep them safe."

Clear Snow accepted the dragon source pill and carefully stored it in her Storage Space: "Husband, the guardian beast of the Abyss of Fallen Gods is a mythical-grade Early Stage 'Origin Mystic Tortoise.' The map says its shell can reflect attacks, so we must find its weakness."

Lin Chen looked at the Mystic Tortoise's weakness marked on the map—the pale gold pattern on its Abdominal Shell—and nodded: "I will use the Space Law to restrict its movements then, and you take the opportunity to attack the Abdominal Shell."

The members of various clans also seized the time to rest. The Metal Clan checked their laser weapons, the Repair Clan reinforced their Origin Shields, and the Star Spirit Clan Leader held a Star Spirit Crystal, sensing the Origin flow of the Abyss of Fallen Gods in advance to ensure a safe route.

Nian Xue and A Qing squatted to one side, building small piles of stones using Origin energy. A Qing suddenly remembered something and pulled out a dragon scale from his pocket: "Little Sister Nian Xue, this is for you. It can block bad guys' attacks."

Nian Xue took the dragon scale and happily put it on her wrist: "Thank you, A Qing! I'll give you a fragment of my small jade pendant too!" Saying that, she took a small piece of Void Jade Pendant from around her neck and handed it to A Qing—it was a piece of the jade pendant she carried when she was born, which she kept after it broke.

Lin Chen watched the interaction between the two children, warmth rising in his eyes. Clear Snow walked to his side and said softly, "With A Qing accompanying Nian Xue, we can be more at ease when we enter the Abyss of Fallen Gods."

"Yes, the Clan Chief's consideration is very thorough." Lin Chen held her hand, "Once we obtain the mythical-grade crystal cores, we can advance to Diamond Middle Stage, giving us a better chance of contending with the heavenly dao main body."

After resting for half an hour, the group set off again. The sunlight of the Azure Dragon Realm shone through the clouds and sprinkled upon everyone. Nian Xue sat on A Qing's dragon back, her small hands gripping the dragon horn, smiling particularly happily.

The Dragon Guards led the way in front, with Lin Chen and Clear Snow closely following, and the members of various clans followed in an orderly manner. In his Divine Thought, the direction of the Abyss of Fallen Gods grew nearer, and the Origin fluctuations there became clearer—there was the enticing aura of mythical-grade crystal cores, as well as the dangerous pressure of the guardian beast.

There were four days left until the Heavenly Dao's 'Origin Aggregation' ceremony; they had to obtain the crystal cores as quickly as possible to prepare for the decisive battle.