41: By slaying the Xuan Turtle in the Abyss of Fallen Gods, he obtained the crystal core and sublimated to enhance his origin.

The path to the Abyss of Fallen Gods became increasingly difficult. The sky changed from light blue to gray, and the Origin fluctuations in the air were as chaotic as tangled threads.

Lin Chen held Nian Xue, his palm Cohesion a stable Space Law to shield her from the chaotic energy, preventing her discomfort.

"Daddy, the wind here is so cold," Nian Xue buried her small face in Lin Chen's embrace, her tiny hands clutching his collar tightly.

Clear Snow walked on the other side, her nine tails gently sweeping the ground behind her. With each sweep, a thin layer of ice formed, helping the team maintain their footing. "The entrance to the Abyss of Fallen Gods is ahead. Everyone, be careful."

Just as they turned a mountain bend, Lin Chen's Divine Thought suddenly caught three faint auras—Heavenly Dao scouts, hidden behind rocks by the roadside, recording the team's movements with black crystals.

These scouts were cautious, only observing from a distance and not daring to approach. Clearly, they intended to relay the information back so that subsequent forces could set an ambush.

"Heavenly Dao's dogs dare to scout me?" Lin Chen's eyes turned cold, his figure flickered, and he instantly teleported behind the rocks.

Before the three scouts could react, Ancient Gods Pressure had already locked them down, leaving them no chance to send a signal.

Lin Chen condensed Void Power at his fingertips and lightly tapped. The three scouts instantly turned to dust, leaving behind only three Legendary Rank origin crystals—their strength hadn't reached eternal-grade, and their crystal core grade was also lower.

He picked up the crystal cores and casually handed them to the Metal Clan Leader beside him. "Absorb them. They can replenish some Origin."

The team continued forward and soon saw the entrance to the Abyss of Fallen Gods—a colossal, bottomless pit. The rocks around the pit were covered in cracks, and black Origin storms occasionally swirled up from within.

"The Origin storms in the Abyss of Fallen Gods will tear apart Origin. We need to find a safe path down." The Star Spirit Clan Leader raised a Star Spirit Crystal Stone. The crystal's light pointed to a narrow stone staircase on the pit wall. "Go that way. The crystal can shield us from the storms."

Lin Chen nodded, holding Nian Xue as he stepped onto the stone staircase first. Clear Snow and the Dragon Guards followed closely, with members of various clans following in order.

The stone steps were steep, requiring them to cling to the rock face with every step. Nian Xue lay in Lin Chen's arms, her small eyes curiously watching the darkness below. Occasionally, an Origin storm would sweep past, but it was blocked by the Star Spirit Crystal Stone's light.

After about a quarter of an hour, they finally reached the bottom of the Abyss of Fallen Gods. The bottom was a spacious cave with a circular pool in the center, glowing with a faint golden light—an "Origin Pool" formed by condensed Origin energy.

And on the stone platform in the center of the Origin Pool lay a giant Mysterious Turtle. Its shell was covered with black Heavenly Dao runes, its eyes were tightly closed, and its aura had reached mythical-grade Early Stage—it was the Origin Mysterious Turtle guarding the mythical-grade origin crystal core.

"It's asleep. Should we quietly take the crystal core and leave?" The Stone-Skin Clan Leader asked in a hushed voice, afraid of waking the Mysterious Turtle.

Lin Chen shook his head. "Its shell can reflect attacks. Even if we take it quietly, it will sense us. It's better to act directly."

No sooner had he spoken than the Mysterious Turtle suddenly opened its eyes, its faint golden pupils locking onto Lin Chen. A deep voice echoed through the cave: "Outsiders, daring to trespass into the Abyss of Fallen Gods, you seek death!"

The Mysterious Turtle didn't charge immediately; instead, it retracted into its shell. The Heavenly Dao runes on its shell lit up, and black Origin fluctuations spread out, forming a protective shield—it wanted to defend first and gauge Lin Chen's strength.

"Is it safe to hide in your shell?" Lin Chen sneered, and the Space Law instantly activated. The Mysterious Turtle's shell was firmly locked by an invisible force, unable to move.

Clear Snow seized the opportunity, unleashing her diamond-level Ice and Snow Domain. Pale purple cold Qi seeped through the cracks in the shell, attempting to freeze the Mysterious Turtle's Origin.

The Mysterious Turtle sensed something was wrong and abruptly poked its head out of its shell, firing a black Origin beam towards Nian Xue's direction—it wanted to target the weakest to distract Lin Chen.

"Dare to touch my daughter!" Lin Chen instantly teleported in front of Nian Xue, condensing a shield of Space Law to block the beam.

At the same time, he condensed Anti-Heavenly Dao Rule at his fingertips and fiercely struck the Mysterious Turtle's underbelly—the weak point marked on the map.

"Bang!"

The golden light of the Anti-Heavenly Dao Rule struck the Mysterious Turtle's underbelly. The faint golden patterns on the underbelly instantly cracked, and the Mysterious Turtle let out a painful roar, falling from the stone platform into the Origin Pool.

It tried to retract into its shell again, but Clear Snow had already shot out dozens of Void Ice Blades, accurately piercing into the cracks in its underbelly. The cold Qi spread along the cracks, freezing its Origin circulation.

Lin Chen teleported to the top of the Mysterious Turtle's head, condensing Void Power in his palm. The golden light of his Ancient Gods Body enveloped his fist, and he smashed it fiercely onto the Mysterious Turtle's skull.

"Crack!"

The Mysterious Turtle's skull shattered, and its massive body ceased to move, transforming into countless specks of Origin light, leaving only a fist-sized mythical-grade origin crystal core on the stone platform.

Lin Chen stepped forward and picked up the crystal core. A faint glow of his Sublimation Talent emanated from his fingertips—with the first touch, the crystal core changed from faint gold to deep gold, advancing to eternal-grade; with the second touch, the deep gold became tinged with purple, reaching heavenly dao grade, and its Origin aura was three times stronger than before.

"Everyone, share and absorb this, especially the Dragon Guards. You all worked hard just now." Lin Chen broke the crystal core into small 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 the crystal core, and Origin energy flowed into her body through her fingertips. Her diamond-level Early Stage aura solidified further, her Origin concentration increased from 34% to 38%, and when the Ice and Snow Law circulated, even the water in the Origin Pool formed a thin layer of ice.

Nian Xue held a small piece of the crystal core, nibbling on it. The demon god mark on her forehead flashed with purple-gold light, and her Origin concentration rose from 47% to 51%. Her small face was full of satisfaction, and she didn't forget to blow the "crumbs" from her mouth—

—which were fragments of Origin energy—to A Qing beside her: "A Qing, this is for you, it's warm."

A Qing smiled and opened her mouth to catch them. The Origin energy integrated into her body, and her small face was full of joy: "Thank you, Sister Nian Xue!"

After Lin Chen absorbed the crystal core himself, his Origin concentration increased from 50% to 55%. His Divine Thought range expanded to 285 kilometers, allowing him to clearly perceive movements within a hundred li outside the Abyss of Fallen Gods—there were no Heavenly Dao Remnants, so it was temporarily safe.

"We have the crystal core. Let's rest here for a bit before returning to the Azure Dragon Realm," Lin Chen said to everyone. "The Origin Pool in the Abyss of Fallen Gods has very pure energy. Everyone can absorb some to replenish their Origin."

Members of various clans walked to the edge of the Origin Pool, absorbing the Origin energy from the pool. The Repair Clan even took out tools and collected some Origin water, preparing to refine it into origin liquid when they returned.

Nian Xue held A Qing's hand, playing in the water by the Origin Pool. Occasionally, specks of Origin light fell on them, and both smiled exceptionally happily.

Clear Snow walked up to Lin Chen and softly said, "Husband, there are three days left until the Heavenly Dao's ritual. After we return, we must quickly rendezvous with the Dragon Clan and Elf Clan to form a united army."

Lin Chen nodded, holding her hand. "Yes, with this heavenly dao grade crystal core, our chances of breaking through to diamond-level Middle Stage are even greater, and we'll have more confidence in confronting the Heavenly Dao then."

Sunlight streamed through the cracks at the top of the Abyss of Fallen Gods, falling onto the Origin Pool, casting a faint golden glow.

The team rested by the pool, hope evident on everyone's faces—with a little more effort, they could stop the Heavenly Dao's conspiracy and protect what they wanted to protect.