33: Exploring liquid resistance in mines for refining: a new path for originating solutions.

The wind in Black Stone Valley gradually grew warmer, and sunlight spilled through the gaps in the black stones onto the ground, stretching everyone's shadows. Lin Chen stood outside the secret passage holding Nian Xue, whose small hands were playing with a pale purple origin crystal fragment that shimmered in her palm.

The Stone Crystal Clan Leader approached, carrying several pale gray origin stones, and handed them to Lin Chen: "My Lord, these are the origin stones treasured by our Stone Crystal Clan. Though their grade is not high, they can help you consolidate your Origin. Please accept them."

Lin Chen took the origin stones. Touching them with his fingertips, he could feel the Earth-based Origin contained within. He did not decline and activated his Sublimation Talent—with the first touch, the glow of the origin stones changed from pale gray to deep gray, their grade rising from diamond-level to epic-grade; with the second touch, the glow turned ink-black, reaching the Legendary Rank, and the Origin aura became three times denser than it was initially.

"Everyone, share and absorb these." Lin Chen broke the sublimated origin stones into small pieces and distributed them to the people of the Stone Crystal Clan, Wood Spirit Clan, Emerald Clan, and Stone Skin Clan. He kept one for himself and gave one to Clear Snow.

Nian Xue watched the others absorb the origin stones, her small head leaning against Lin Chen's shoulder: "Daddy, when they absorb them, their bodies glow."

"Yes, that is their Origin becoming stronger." Lin Chen looked down and gently tapped the top of her head. "The fragment Nian Xue just absorbed has also made Nian Xue stronger."

Nian Xue's eyes lit up, and she raised her hand to look at her palm: "Really? Then Nian Xue can protect Daddy and Mommy in the future!"

Clear Snow walked over and gently ruffled her hair: "Our Nian Xue is the most amazing." She had just made a Breakthrough to the diamond-level Early Stage. After absorbing the origin stone, her Origin concentration increased from 5% to 7%, and the range of her diamond-level Ice and Snow Domain expanded slightly.

After absorbing the origin stone, the Stone Crystal Clan Leader walked to Lin Chen's side: "My Lord, there is an abandoned Origin Ore Tunnel near our Stone Crystal Cave. It contains quite a bit of origin liquid, but the mine entrance is guarded by the Heavenly Dao's Machine Race, so we have never dared to approach."

"origin liquid?" Lin Chen's eyes flickered. origin liquid was more refined than origin stones and could rapidly increase Origin concentration, which would be very helpful for him and Clear Snow to consolidate their diamond-level strength. "Lead us there."

The group packed their things and set off toward the Origin Ore Tunnel. Nian Xue grew tired after walking for a while, so Lin Chen bent down to pick her up. She naturally wrapped her arms around Lin Chen's neck, her small finger pointing at the diamond fragments floating in the air: "Daddy, look, that fragment looks like a star."

"It does look very much like one." Lin Chen followed her gaze; the pale gold fragments shimmered in the sunlight, indeed looking like scattered stars. Clear Snow walked beside him, her nine tails gently sweeping the ground to push aside the rubble on the path, preventing Nian Xue from accidentally stepping on anything.

The Wood Spirit Clan girl walked at the very front; her leaf-like hair occasionally entangled with roadside plants to sense the flow of the surrounding Origin. Meanwhile, the Stone-Skin Clan Leader walked at the back, using his stone skin to touch the ground and check for hidden traps.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, the sound of metal clashing suddenly came from ahead, mixed with the "sizzling" of machinery in operation. Lin Chen's footsteps paused, and his Divine Thought instantly spread out—in a rubble area a hundred meters away, three members of the Metal Clan were being besieged by over a dozen members of the Machine Race. The Metal Clan's armor was already cracked, and one person's arm had even been sliced open by a Machine Race laser, with pale silver blood flowing down the wound.

The Machine Race did not charge recklessly but instead dispersed around the rubble. The laser guns in their hands continuously fired pale blue beams, while they also placed mechanical traps on the ground, clearly intending to wear the Metal Clan down until their Origin was exhausted. Their movements were precise and unified, and every shot avoided the Metal Clan's vital points, as they obviously wanted to capture them alive for Origin refining.

"It's the Machine Race. They are die-hard loyalists of the Heavenly Dao, specialized in helping the Heavenly Dao collect Origin items," the Stone Crystal Clan Leader whispered, his tone filled with wariness.

"Daddy, the Metal Clan uncles are so pitiful." Nian Xue tugged at Lin Chen's collar, her small face full of worry.

Lin Chen patted her head and said to Clear Snow, "Take everyone and wait here. I will handle this."

Clear Snow nodded, her nine tails gently wrapping around Nian Xue as the Ice and Snow Law condensed into a thin shield around them: "Be careful, husband. The Machine Race's lasers can penetrate ordinary Origin shields."

Lin Chen nodded and his figure flickered, teleporting to the rubble area. The Machine Race quickly noticed him. The leader of the Machine Race raised a hand to signal his subordinates to stop, and their laser guns were aimed at Lin Chen, but they did not fire immediately—they could sense the diamond-level aura on Lin Chen and wanted to judge the strength gap first.

"Unrelated party, leave." The Machine Race's voice carried the coldness of an electronic tone, devoid of any emotion.

Lin Chen said nothing but simply raised his hand, and the Space Law instantly activated. The traps laid by the Machine Race were forcibly wrenched from the ground, suspended in mid-air, and then fired back at the Machine Race.

The Machine Race's expressions changed drastically (if they could be said to have expressions), and they hastily activated their defensive shields, but these were easily penetrated by the traps—these traps were originally prepared for the Metal Clan and could not stop diamond-level power at all.

Before the Machine Race could counterattack, Lin Chen's Ancient Gods Pressure was released with a bang, and the diamond-level Early Stage Origin power suppressed the Machine Race so they could not move. He condensed Void Power at his fingertips and gave a light tap; the dozen or so Machine Race members instantly turned to ash, leaving behind more than ten pale blue origin crystals.

The Metal Clan members stepped out from behind the rubble and bowed to Lin Chen. The Metal Clan Leader's voice was filled with gratitude: "Thank you, My Lord, for saving our lives! We escaped from the Mechanical City to the west. That place has been controlled by the Heavenly Dao, and they have captured many of our clansmen to refine origin liquid."

"Do you know the situation of the Origin Ore Tunnel?" Lin Chen asked.

The Metal Clan Leader nodded: "We do. We originally wanted to go to the mine to find origin liquid to heal our injured clansmen, but we didn't expect to be targeted by the Machine Race. There are three grandmist rank machine guards at the mine entrance, as well as a refining device. They are currently refining the origin liquid in the mine into pure origin liquid, saying it is to be offered to the heavenly dao main body."

Lin Chen's heart sank—the purity of pure origin liquid was ten times higher than ordinary origin liquid. Once the heavenly dao main body absorbed it, its strength would surely increase significantly. The "Origin Aggregation" plan had likely entered a critical stage.

"Take us to the mine." Lin Chen's tone was firm. He had to destroy the refining device and could not let the pure origin liquid fall into the hands of the Heavenly Dao.

The group continued forward. Nian Xue lay in Lin Chen's arms, her small eyelids beginning to droop, and she fell asleep before long. Lin Chen slowed his pace and gently patted her back to prevent her from being jolted awake.

Clear Snow walked beside him, occasionally brushing the dust from his shoulders. Her nine tails gently swept the ground, pushing aside any rubble that might trip them.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, a pitch-black mine entrance appeared ahead. Two tall machine guards stood on either side of the entrance, holding massive laser cannons pointed directly at the entrance, clearly on alert.

Lin Chen stopped and sent his Divine Thought into the mine—inside were three grandmist rank machine guards busy around a massive refining device. The device already contained a significant amount of pale gold pure origin liquid, and dozens of empty crystal bottles were stacked nearby, clearly intended for storing the pure origin liquid.

"I will deal with the guards outside first. Clear Snow, take Nian Xue and the others and wait here. Enter only when I give the signal." Lin Chen handed the sleeping Nian Xue to Clear Snow and whispered instructions.

Clear Snow took Nian Xue, carefully cradling her head: "Be careful, husband. The machine guards' laser cannons are very powerful."

Lin Chen nodded and his figure flickered, teleporting behind the machine guard on the left. Just as the guard was about to turn its laser cannon, it was frozen in place by the Ancient Gods Pressure. With a light tap of Void Power, the guard instantly turned to ash. The guard on the right noticed the movement and aimed its laser cannon at Lin Chen, but he used the Space Law to divert the cannon's aim, and the laser hit the distant black stones, blasting a large crater.

After dealing with the guards outside, Lin Chen signaled to Clear Snow. Clear Snow, holding Nian Xue, led the group into the mine. The mine was very dark, so Lin Chen condensed the Law of Light at his fingertips. A faint golden light illuminated the path ahead, where many origin ores were scattered on the ground, glowing with a pale blue light.

The machine guards deep in the mine heard the commotion and turned, aiming their laser cannons at the group. Clear Snow immediately unleashed her diamond-level Ice and Snow Domain. Pale purple frost instantly enveloped the guards, and the muzzles of the laser cannons were frozen shut, making them unable to fire.

Lin Chen teleported in front of the refining device, Void Power condensing in his palm as he slammed it hard against the machine. With a "rumble," a massive crack instantly split the device, and pure origin liquid gushed out. The three machine guards let out electronic screams of agony as they were caught in the surge of pure origin liquid, instantly short-circuiting and turning to ash.

Lin Chen quickly used the Space Law to condense the gushing pure origin liquid into a sphere to prevent waste. The pure origin liquid shimmered with a pale gold light, emitting a dense diamond-level Origin aura, more refined than any Origin item he had seen before.

He did not absorb it immediately but activated his Sublimation Talent—with the first touch, the glow of the pure origin liquid changed from pale gold to deep gold, its grade rising from diamond-level to epic-grade; with the second touch, the glow turned purple-gold, reaching the Legendary Rank, and the Origin aura became three times denser than it was initially.

The sublimated pure origin liquid radiated a purple-gold light, and the Origin aura in the mine instantly became incredibly dense, even the air seeming to carry a sense of warmth. Lin Chen divided the pure origin liquid into several portions and handed them to Clear Snow and the people of the Metal Clan, Stone Crystal Clan, Wood Spirit Clan, Emerald Clan, and Stone Skin Clan, keeping one portion for himself.

After Clear Snow absorbed the pure origin liquid, her Origin concentration increased from 7% to 10%, and the power of her diamond-level Ice and Snow Domain grew stronger. Nian Xue was still sleeping, so Lin Chen gently dripped a small portion of pure origin liquid onto her palm. The origin liquid automatically merged into her body, and the demon god mark on her forehead flashed with a purple-gold light as her Origin concentration rose from 20% to 23%. After Lin Chen finished absorbing his own, his Origin concentration increased from 23% to 26%, and the range of his Divine Thought expanded once more.

After the Metal Clan Leader absorbed the pure origin liquid, he bowed to Lin Chen: "My Lord, we know that at the core of the Mechanical City, there is a 'diamond origin core.' It is the key used by the Heavenly Dao to store pure origin liquid. As long as that core is destroyed, the Heavenly Dao will be unable to store pure origin liquid."

Lin Chen's eyes lit up—destroying the origin core would fundamentally prevent the Heavenly Dao from collecting pure origin liquid, which was crucial to stopping the "Origin Aggregation" plan.

"Is the Mechanical City far from here?" Lin Chen asked.

The Metal Clan Leader shook his head: "Not far, about half a day's journey. However, the defenses of the Mechanical City are very strong, and there are grandmist rank messengers sent by the Heavenly Dao stationed there."

"Fine, we are going to the Mechanical City." Lin Chen's tone was resolute. No matter how strong the guards were, he would destroy the origin core.

The group packed their things and left the mine. By now, the sun had risen to the middle of the sky, and sunlight bathed the ground of Black Stone Valley in a faint golden glow. Lin Chen held the newly awakened Nian Xue, who rubbed her eyes and leaned her small head on his shoulder: "Daddy, where are we going?"

"To a place that can make Daddy and Mommy stronger, so we can better protect Nian Xue in the future," Lin Chen said softly.

Nian Xue nodded and gripped Lin Chen's clothes tightly: "Nian Xue will also become stronger to help Daddy and Mommy."

Clear Snow walked beside Lin Chen, her nine tails swaying gently behind her, her eyes full of determination. The people of the Metal Clan, Stone Crystal Clan, Wood Spirit Clan, Emerald Clan, and Stone Skin Clan followed steadily behind, everyone's eyes filled with hope—with Lin Chen there, they seemed to see the hope of defying the Heavenly Dao.