31: The Wood Spirits plead for help amidst the Bone-Breaking Siege; the Furnace has been destroyed, severing the Heavenly Dao.

The morning mist of the diamond-level floating island had not yet dispersed, and the crystal shards on the ground, clinging to dew, sparkled faintly when stepped upon.

Lin Chen walked at the front, holding Nian Xue, her small head resting on his shoulder, her fingers gently tugging at his collar. She would occasionally peek out to look at the glowing plants by the roadside.

"Daddy, that flower is moving," Nian Xue pointed to a light purple flower not far away, its petals gently swaying with the wind, emitting a faint hum.

Lin Chen followed her gaze; it was a diamond-level spirit plant, capable of sensing surrounding Origin energy. He slowed his pace to let Nian Xue see more clearly.

Clear Snow walked on the other side, her nine tails gently sweeping the ground behind her. The Ice and Snow Qi at the tips of her tails occasionally touched the morning dew, condensing into tiny ice beads that fell onto the crystal shards.

The Emerald Clan and Stone Skin Clan followed steadily behind. They constantly observed their surroundings, and the Stone-Skin Clan Leader would even touch the ground with his stone skin to sense for hidden traps.

After walking for about two quarters of an hour, a faint cry for help suddenly came from the mist ahead. The voice was delicate and tinged with a sob.

Lin Chen paused. His Divine Thought instantly spread out—in a Wood Spirit Forest a hundred meters away, three Wood Spirit Clan members were hiding behind tree trunks. Their branch-like hair was wilted, and one of them had light green sap oozing from their arm, clearly injured.

Outside the Wood Spirit Forest, more than ten Bone Clan members surrounded it. They wore black Bone Armor and held Bone Staffs, the heads of which were inlaid with faint black origin crystals. They were slowly activating their Bone Staffs, releasing black mist, attempting to force the Wood Spirit Clan out.

These Bone Clan members did not rush into the forest but kept the mist at the forest's edge. They clearly knew that the Wood Spirit Clan was better at hiding in the forest and intended to wear them down until their Origin was exhausted before attacking, showing cautious thinking.

"Daddy, someone is crying," Nian Xue's voice softened, and her small hand gripped Lin Chen's clothes tightly.

Lin Chen patted her head and said to Clear Snow, "You wait here with everyone; I'll go take a look."

Clear Snow nodded, her nine tails gently wrapped around Nian Xue, and Ice and Snow Law condensed into a thin shield around her body: "Be careful, the Bone Clan's mist is corrosive."

Lin Chen walked slowly towards the Wood Spirit Forest. The Bone Clan quickly noticed him. The leading Bone Clan member raised his hand, signaling his subordinates to stop, and held his Bone Staff horizontally in front of him, vigilantly staring at Lin Chen—they could sense the diamond-level aura on Lin Chen and dared not act rashly.

"Irrelevant people, get lost," the Bone Clan Leader's voice was hoarse, with a metallic grinding texture, "This is a matter between us and the Wood Spirit Clan."

Lin Chen didn't speak; he just raised his hand, and Space Law instantly activated. The black mist around the Bone Clan was forcibly drawn away, condensed into a ball, and then shot towards the Bone Clan.

The Bone Clan's expressions changed drastically. They quickly used their Bone Staffs to block, but the mist passed through the staffs and landed on their Bone Armor, emitting a "sizzling" corrosive sound—this was their own mist, yet now it had become a weapon to attack themselves.

Before they could react, Lin Chen's Ancient Gods Pressure was unleashed, and the diamond-level Early Stage Origin Power suppressed the Bone Clan, rendering them unable to move. Void Power condensed at his fingertips. With a light tap, the Bone Armor of more than ten Bone Clan members instantly shattered, and their bones turned to dust, leaving only more than ten faint black origin crystals.

The Wood Spirit Clan ran out of the forest. The leading Wood Spirit Clan girl bowed to Lin Chen, her voice filled with gratitude: "Thank you, sir, for saving our lives! We are the guardians of the Wood Spirit Clan and have been chased by the Bone Clan all the way."

"Why were they chasing you?" Lin Chen asked, his gaze falling on her injured arm.

The Wood Spirit Clan girl bit her lip: "We found a wood spirit crystal deep in the Wood Spirit Forest, which contained very pure Origin energy. The Bone Clan saw it and wanted to steal it, saying they would offer the wood spirit crystal to Heavenly Dao Lord to build an 'Origin Furnace.'"

As she spoke, she pulled out a palm-sized, light green crystal from her bosom. The crystal glowed softly, emitting a diamond-level Origin aura, and its surface was entwined with delicate vine-like patterns.

"This is the wood spirit crystal. If you don't mind, sir, please accept it as thanks for saving us," the Wood Spirit Clan girl handed the crystal over.

Lin Chen took the wood spirit crystal and gently touched it with his fingertips, feeling the vitality and Origin it contained. He activated his Sublimation Talent. With the first touch, the crystal's light changed from light green to dark green, its grade increased from diamond-level to epic-grade, and its Origin aura doubled in intensity.

With the second touch, the light turned emerald green again, its grade elevated to Legendary Rank, and its Origin aura was three times stronger than initially—precisely matching the rule of two advancements for two Sublimations.

The Sublimated wood spirit crystal emitted a warm, emerald green light, and the surrounding Wood Spirit Forest seemed to become even greener due to its aura.

Lin Chen broke the wood spirit crystal into four pieces, handing one to Clear Snow, one to Nian Xue, one to the Wood Spirit Clan girl, and keeping the last for himself: "Let's all absorb it together. You also need to recover from your injuries."

The Wood Spirit Clan girl was startled, then quickly thanked him. After taking the crystal, she placed it on her injured arm. The light green glow merged into the wound, which healed at a visible speed.

Nian Xue held the wood spirit crystal, her small face full of joy. The crystal's energy automatically integrated into her body, and the demon god mark on her forehead flashed with an emerald green light, slowly increasing her Origin concentration.

Clear Snow closed her eyes. The Ice and Snow Law intertwined with the wood spirit crystal's vital Origin. Her platinum-level Peak aura became even more refined, just a step away from diamond-level.

Lin Chen also closed his eyes. The wood spirit crystal's Origin energy circulated within his body, increasing his diamond-level Early Stage Origin concentration from 17% to 19%, and his Divine Thought range expanded slightly.

At this time, the strength status of the three was as follows:

[Name: Lin Chen]

[Race: Perfect Ancient God (Tier 3)]

[Strength Realm: Diamond Early Stage (Origin 19%)]

[Talent: Sublimation (Unique-grade · Concept-grade)]

[Controlled Abilities: Law of Thunder (Control), Space Law (Control), Law of Light (Control), Void Power (Perfection), Anti-Heavenly Dao Rule (Perfection)]

[Name: Lin Qingxue]

[Race: Ice and Snow Nine-Tailed White Fox (Transcendence Level)]

[Strength Realm: Platinum Peak (Origin 99%)]

[Talents: Heart of Ice and Snow (mythical-grade), Grandmist Ice Soul (origin level), Dragon Scale Guardian (void-rank)]

[Controlled Abilities: Ice and Snow Law (Control), Void Ice Blade (Perfection), Ice and Snow Guardian (Perfection)]

[Name: Lin Nianxue]

[Race: Ancient Demon God]

[Strength Realm: Diamond Early Stage (Origin 18%)]

[Talents: Void Immunity (void-rank), Energy Sharing (void-rank)]

[Controlled Abilities: Void Power (Initial Accomplishment), Origin Shield (Initial Accomplishment)]

After absorbing the wood spirit crystal, the Wood Spirit Clan girl's injuries completely healed. She said to Lin Chen: "Sir, the Bone Clan's stronghold is in the Black Stone Valley ahead. They have already collected many Origin items, and the Origin Furnace is almost complete. They said that once the furnace is built, they can refine the collected Origin into pure origin liquid and offer it to the heavenly dao main body."

Lin Chen frowned, his heart sinking—origin liquid was purer than ordinary Origin energy. After the heavenly dao main body absorbed it, its strength would definitely increase significantly, and the "Origin Aggregation" plan would likely accelerate.

"Do you know the exact location of Black Stone Valley?" Lin Chen asked.

The Wood Spirit Clan girl nodded: "Yes, we secretly followed the Bone Clan there once. It's about three quarters of an hour's journey from here, and there are Bone Clan guards at the valley entrance."

"Good, lead us there." Lin Chen's tone was firm. He had to destroy the furnace before it was completed, to prevent the Heavenly Dao's plan from succeeding.

The group set off for Black Stone Valley. After walking for a while, Nian Xue yawned in Lin Chen's arms, her small eyelids beginning to droop. Lin Chen slowed his pace, gently patted her back, and hummed a simple tune to lull her to sleep.

Clear Snow walked beside him, occasionally brushing fallen leaves from his shoulder. Her nine tails gently swept the ground, preventing any traps left by the Bone Clan.

The Wood Spirit Clan girl led the way at the front. She was very familiar with the Wood Spirit Forest and always found the safest route, avoiding potential dangers.

After about three quarters of an hour, a black valley appeared ahead. Two huge black stones stood at the valley entrance, inscribed with dense Bone Patterns. Two Bone Clan guards stood by the stones, their Bone Staffs continuously releasing black mist, shrouding the valley entrance.

Lin Chen stopped and extended his Divine Thought into the valley—inside, over twenty Bone Clan members were busy around a huge black furnace. Various Origin items were piled around the furnace, including Ore, crystals, and some unknown beast cores. The top of the furnace had already begun to emit a faint red glow, indicating it was nearing completion.

"I'll go deal with the guards first. You all stay here and don't approach," Lin Chen handed the sleeping Nian Xue to Clear Snow, gently admonishing her.

Clear Snow took Nian Xue, carefully supporting her head, and nodded: "Husband, be careful. The Bone Clan's mist might be highly poisonous."

Lin Chen nodded, his figure flashed, instantly teleporting behind the valley entrance guards. Before the two guards could react, they were held in place by Ancient Gods Pressure. With a light touch of Void Power, they turned to dust, leaving only two origin crystals.

The Bone Clan members in the valley heard the commotion and looked up. Upon seeing Lin Chen, the leading Bone Clan Priest shouted sharply: "Stop him! Don't let him destroy the furnace!"

The Bone Clan members raised their Bone Staffs one after another. Black mist instantly condensed into dozens of Bone Spears, shooting towards Lin Chen. They did not charge forward but tried to delay him with ranged attacks, clearly knowing that close combat was not a match for Lin Chen.

Lin Chen's expression remained unchanged. The Anti-Heavenly Dao Rule instantly activated, and the Heavenly Dao energy on the Bone Spears immediately became chaotic, exploding in mid-air. He teleported in front of the furnace, condensed Void Power in his palm, and slammed it fiercely onto the furnace.

"Boom—"

The furnace instantly split open with a huge crack, and the Origin energy within surged out. The Bone Clan members let out shrill screams, affected by the surging energy, and turned to dust.

Lin Chen didn't stop. With another palm strike, the furnace completely shattered, and the Bone Patterns on it also dissipated, rendering it unusable.

The Origin items in the valley were scattered everywhere. Lin Chen collected them, totaling over thirty items, mostly diamond-level. He activated his Sublimation Talent, upgrading all these items to Legendary Rank, and then distributed them among everyone.

After absorbing these Origin items, Lin Chen's Origin concentration increased to 21%. Clear Snow's Origin concentration finally reached 100%, but she did not immediately Breakthrough to diamond-level—platinum-level to diamond-level requires a Breakthrough opportunity. The Wood Spirit Clan girl mentioned that the Bone Clan had a "Diamond Breakthrough Crystal" hidden in a secret room at their stronghold.

"Sir, the Breakthrough Crystal can help platinum-level cultivators Breakthrough to diamond-level. We heard the Bone Clan Priest mention it before," the Wood Spirit Clan girl said.

Lin Chen nodded, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes—Clear Snow finally had a chance to Breakthrough. The group packed up their things and headed towards the secret room of the Bone Clan's stronghold. Sunlight shone through the cracks in Black Stone Valley, falling on them. Although dangers still lay ahead, hope had grown in everyone's hearts.