In the Myriad Dragon Nest, the dragon caverns were numerous, the qi of ten thousand dragons surged violently, divine light flickered, and ancient coffins drifted up and down as primordial creatures began to stir.

Ye Fan went cold from head to toe. He had sensed an immense and overwhelming crisis — as though a true dragon had locked onto him, as though his bones and flesh were about to shatter.

In that first instant, he summoned the Dark Jade Platform while simultaneously lunging forward. He manifested a great hand and was on the verge of uprooting the primordial divine medicine to make his escape.

But contrary to his expectations, the sacred object’s roots and stem were incredibly tenacious — it simply could not be pulled out.

Ye Fan’s expression changed. The divine medicine was supremely precious, but life was more precious still — he had no desire to lose it over this. That truly would leave him with nothing at all.

A piercing shriek rang out from within the Myriad Dragon Nest — shrill and extreme, chilling the very soul. Far away, Tu Fei’s and Pang Bo’s hair stood on end, to say nothing of how it felt for Ye Fan.

At this moment, even his scalp had gone numb. A killing intent like a flooding tide swept over him, as though capable of crushing this entire region of the world.

Without the Cauldron of All Things’ Maternal Qi, that killing intent alone would have been enough to pierce him through. One could not begin to imagine what manner of creature could possess such terrifying power.

In his hurried glance, he saw the ancient coffin still drifting within the divine source heap, and the block of peerless divine source nearly two meters long with the humanoid creature sealed inside — its seal still unbroken.

He knew that what he could see was merely one corner of the Myriad Dragon Nest. There were certainly other primordial creatures within, and the terrifying cry came from elsewhere.

Ye Fan gritted his teeth and threw himself toward the divine medicine, reaching out to pull at it.

Because he had discovered that the materialized great hand was powerless against this sacred object — it naturally absorbed divine power, drawing it all in.

Suddenly, the entire divine medicine began to tremble, golden light flickering. The fruit it had produced began to struggle vigorously, as though trying to break free.

Ye Fan’s eyes went wide. This primordial divine medicine was too extraordinary — the golden fruit in the form of a small dragon seemed to have gained life, struggling and writhing back and forth.

Like molten gold poured and cast, it was exquisitely lifelike and radiantly brilliant. The dragon pearl clenched within its mouth gleamed with pure light — and then, in one instant, it shot out.

The intoxicating fragrance was irresistible, carrying an unparalleled allure. Even someone of resolute will like Ye Fan nearly lost himself in it.

He quickly dodged to the side, reaching out with his hand to redirect the force, deflecting the dragon pearl’s momentum. It carried tremendous force — enough to pierce through an ordinary person’s flesh and blood.

Ye Fan’s palm traced a light arc imbued with Dao power, locking the pearl in midair. He quickly retrieved a small white jade cauldron, lifted the lid, and collected the dragon pearl inside.

Snap.

The lid closed. He let out a long breath. Divine medicines had to be sealed within flawless jade vessels — otherwise they would dissolve on their own, leaving nothing behind.

He had delayed for only a single instant, yet the shrill sound had already closed in by several li, on the verge of breaking out of the Myriad Dragon Nest and bearing down on him.

Ye Fan moved swiftly, reaching toward the primordial divine medicine to pluck it — only for something jaw-dropping to happen.

Stream after stream of the qi of ten thousand dragons coiled before the primordial divine medicine, which then transformed into a beam of golden light and plunged into the earth.

Hiss.

At Ye Fan’s fingertip, he just barely grazed the golden fruit shaped like a small dragon. It coughed out nine drops of golden liquid, flashed with light, and then vanished entirely.

Just short of success — Ye Fan had the urge to curse. The divine medicine could actually flee — completely beyond his expectations.

To be precise: once it had released the dragon pearl, it broke free of its constraints and became capable of flying away.

In a flash of light, a small jade vial appeared in his hand. He collected those nine drops of golden liquid coughed out by the small dragon before they could hit the ground.

At the same time, he slammed his palm down, splitting the earth’s surface. The qi of ten thousand dragons surged, but of the divine medicine there was no trace — it had fled to who knew where.

Slam.

Ye Fan struck again. Stones and earth flew in all directions, divine light shot skyward — blindingly intense, impossible to look at directly, as though a sun were buried beneath the ground.

Sure enough, divine source lay underground — a piece as large as a dinner plate, more blazing than divine sunstones without question. This was why the divine medicine could move: it drew upon the essence here.

“Little Ye, run!” Pang Bo shouted.

“Something big is about to break out!” the Black Emperor roared.

“It’s less than five hundred meters from you!” Tu Fei also cried out in alarm.

Without them shouting, Ye Fan had already sensed it himself. Within the Myriad Dragon Nest, it was as though a vast ocean was surging outward. He had never experienced killing intent so terrifying in his life.

So powerful that his body trembled involuntarily, and even the Maternal Qi descending from the cauldron above his head was quivering.

Ye Fan swept his sleeve wide, taking in the block of divine source, then summoned the Dark Jade Platform — and vanished from the spot, beginning to traverse the void.

Crack.

The Dark Jade Platform left behind at the original spot shattered in an instant, smashed by an invisible killing intent into powder and dust.

Boom.

Several li away, Ye Fan crashed out of the void. Had he not sensed the danger in time and hidden himself within the cauldron, the moment the void traversal was interrupted he would have been reduced to powder and bone. Only the Maternal Qi of all things could protect him completely, unafraid of the void suddenly collapsing.

“Move quickly!”

Ahead, Pang Bo, Tu Fei, and the Great Black Dog shouted as they saw him, not far now, with a Dark Jade Platform already prepared — ready to traverse the void.

Ye Fan used the old madman’s footwork technique and in one bound landed on the black jade platform. Simultaneously, the Black Emperor activated its source power, stirring the Dao patterns.

In the instant the void gate opened, Ye Fan quickly glanced back, catching sight of the creature shooting toward them from several li away like a bolt of electricity.

It was surrounded by a divine halo, majestic and awe-inspiring like a divine being. Long violet hair covered the better part of its face — only a pair of violet eyes were visible, sharp as blades.

It had no arms — only a pair of golden divine wings, seemingly cast from divine gold. Its lower body was that of a serpent, stretching over ten meters long, covered in gleaming black scales. It soared through the air toward them, faster than lightning.

Ye Fan took everyone into the cauldron, and simultaneously the void gate sealed shut — they vanished from the spot.

Behind them, the primordial creature closed the gap of one li in an instant, let out a tremendous roar, and expelled a burst of vital energy. With a boom, the Dark Jade Platform was reduced to nothing by the invisible killing intent.

Boom.

Above the abyss, the Cauldron of All Things’ Maternal Qi tumbled out, and the group emerged in a wretched state — yet completely unharmed.

At that same moment, they caught sight of the ice palace once more. The peerlessly beautiful woman within rested in serene slumber, drifting up and down in the surging dragon qi.

“How did I see her eyelashes flutter again?” the Great Black Dog said, quickly taking several rapid steps backward.

“Seventy or eighty thousand years have passed — there’s no way she’s still alive. Hurry and summon the Dark Jade Platform!” Tu Fei scolded, urging it to act.

A tremendous roar rang out. The ten-thousand-meter-deep abyss shook — the primordial creature was about to break through.

“Is there any fairness in this world? I barely blinked and it’s nearly on top of us. Its speed is completely absurd — barely slower than our void traversal.”

A flash of light, and they vanished again. This time they arrived at the underground palace’s exit — they hadn’t fallen out from a failed void traversal, but because the array patterns of the ancient holy land had sealed the path, making it impossible to cross through directly.

They quickly found the original passage and rushed to the surface, emerging amid the great snow mountains. Without a moment’s hesitation, they began traversing the void once more.

This time, they crossed a full four thousand li before stopping.

“The primordial royal bloodlines are truly terrifying!” Pang Bo sat down in the snow, his heart still rattling.

“That one is definitely not a primordial king. A true king emerging into the world means a million corpses and rivers of blood — the power of that cannot be imagined,” the Great Black Dog said, shaking its head.

“You wretched dog — what a rotten thing to do! The primordial king is that terrifying, yet you egged Little Ye on to go pluck the divine medicine?” Tu Fei berated it.

“A true primordial king would absolutely never emerge — they are in eternal slumber. Only their guardian would be awakened,” the Great Black Dog defended itself with a heap of reasoning, sweeping Tu Fei a glance before continuing: “Besides, the Myriad Dragon Nest is so vast — the entrance was still several li away. It was worth the attempt, wasn’t it? And didn’t we succeed?”

Ye Fan’s heart still trembled. If just a guardian was that powerful — what about that drifting ancient coffin, and the creature sealed in the block of peerless divine source? How strong were they, truly?

Though he had some regret at failing to pluck that sacred object, the gains were still substantial — the journey was well worth it.

Ye Fan brought out the small white jade cauldron and the jade vial. Even sealed as tightly as they were, a heart-penetrating fragrance seeped out. Then he retrieved the block of divine source — ten thousand beams of divine light burst forth, illuminating the entire ice plain.

“What a haul!”

Pang Bo and Tu Fei were greatly astonished, and the Great Black Dog was practically drooling.

“Don’t get any ideas, you wretched dog — this is for Ye Fan to break his curse. If you dare try to steal it, the three of us will skin you alive and cook dog meat,” Tu Fei warned.

“Damn it — do you take this Emperor for that kind of creature?”

“Of course you are!” Tu Fei sneered.

They took turns examining the treasures, clicking their tongues in wonder. The dragon pearl was crystalline, gleaming with light, richly and intoxicatingly fragrant. The nine drops of golden dragon liquid were equally extraordinary — shaped like nine tiny dragons, their fragrance permeating to the very bone.

“A peerless divine medicine — its value truly defies estimation!”

“The fruit this divine medicine produced was actually a dragon and a dragon pearl — too extraordinary.”

None of them could place a value on it, but they felt it must be far more precious than the incomplete divine medicine they had cut out in the sacred city — after all, this was a complete pearl-fruit.

“What a shame we couldn’t pluck that dragon fruit. If we had, the great holy masters and emperor-masters would beat each other’s heads in over it.”

“This is absolutely the only divine medicine in the world today that could possibly be plucked.”

The Great Black Dog stared longingly, but Tu Fei wouldn’t let it near, claiming its character as a dog was thoroughly rotten and could not be trusted.

In the end, it was still Ye Fan who held the treasures and let it examine them closely. It drooled copiously, while Tu Fei beside it kept an iron grip on its neck, guarding against any mishap.

“Primordial divine medicines are the rarest things in the world — each one is worth the life of an unparalleled powerful being. In the eyes of those who need it, it is more precious than an extreme Dao sacred weapon.”

“To say nothing of the dragon pearl fruit — even these nine drops of dragon liquid have extraordinary origins. They must be the true blood of that small dragon — the very essence of its being.”

“In truth, if one could keep a divine medicine alive and cultivate it by one’s side permanently — it would genuinely be more desirable than an extreme Dao sacred weapon.”

The Great Black Dog made this pronouncement, its drool having melted a large patch of snow. Had Tu Fei not been firmly holding it back, it likely would have pounced already.

Ye Fan’s heart stirred as well. If a primordial divine medicine could be cultivated at one’s side, the benefits truly would be endless.

Alas — it was nearly impossible to accomplish. Even the great holy lands could not manage it; no one had ever found an immortal root.

“Once my sacred physique reaches full completion, I will definitely return and transplant that divine medicine to grow by my side.”

“A fully completed sacred physique can live for tens of thousands of years. If on top of that you kept a primordial divine medicine — the people of the holy lands would certainly weep, cursing you behind your back every single day.”

The Great Black Dog drooled again. “Keeping a divine medicine is like having an extra life. A fully completed sacred physique could absolutely stand toe to toe with a Great Emperor.”

“Ancient sages and worthies could open up their own small worlds. At that point, keeping a primordial divine medicine would be ideal.”

Suddenly, Pang Bo startled and looked toward the horizon. “Someone is coming.”

Over a dozen women came, pure and beautiful as immortals, soaring through the air, violet robes billowing. Against the ice and snow, they looked otherworldly.

“The holy maiden of the Violet Mansion is about to enter this ice plain — could it be her?”

“Indeed — these are people of the Violet Mansion.”

Tu Fei immediately burst into laughter. “Brothers — what are we waiting for? Today we must hunt the holy maiden of the Violet Mansion!”

“This Emperor’s wish is about to come true — getting a holy son or holy maiden as a servant!” the Black Emperor howled.

Anyone who happened to hear their words would have been struck speechless. These four — brought together — were absolutely a disaster waiting to happen.