43: Encountering the vanguard breaking the puppet, they condensed their battle momentum near the core.

The allied forces sped across the wilderness. The hoofbeats of the Dragon Guards shook the withered grass, and Nian Xue, sitting on A Qing’s back, clutched the Void Jade Pendant in her small hand, though her eyes were bright.

"Daddy, is that Black Cloud ahead the bad guys' home?" She pointed to the dense darkness on the distant horizon, which was the direction of the Core of the Myriad Heavens.

Lin Chen slowed his pace, swept his Divine Thought over the Black Cloud, and his tone sank: "Yes, but we will scatter it."

Clear Snow walked beside him, her Nine Tails lightly brushing the ground, freezing a shallow mark to indicate the route: "There are Heavenly Dao Vanguards ten miles ahead, their aura is Late Stage Eternal Rank."

As soon as the words fell, dust suddenly rose ahead. Ten Bronze Puppets drilled out of the sand. The Puppets were inscribed with Heavenly Dao Runess and held Long Halberds in their hands.

These Puppets did not charge forward but instead formed a circle, and the Runes lit up—it was the "Dragon Trapping Formation," intending to trap the Dragon Guards before attacking. Their tactic was quite cautious.

"Elf Clan, break the formation eye!" Lin Chen commanded. The Elf Clan Archers simultaneously released their arrows, striking precisely at the Runes on the Puppets' joints.

With several "cracking" sounds, the Puppets' movements became sluggish. Clear Snow seized the opportunity to expand her Ice and Snow Domain, and the Faint Purple Cold Energy froze the Puppets' Gears, causing them to completely stiffen.

Lin Chen instantly moved into the group of Puppets, sweeping them with Void Power. All the Puppets shattered, leaving behind only ten Late Stage Eternal Rank crystal cores—purer than the previous ones.

He picked up the crystal cores and activated Sublimation: the first turn reached Legendary Rank, the second reached mythical-grade. His Origin Qi concentration tripled, and he distributed it to the Assault Team members.

After absorbing, Lin Chen's Origin Concentration rose from 60% to 65%, and his Divine Thought expanded to 295 kilometers; Clear Snow went from 43% to 48%, making her Ice and Snow Blade sharper; Nian Xue went from 56% to 61%, and the light emitted by her Jade Pendant grew warmer.

A Qing wiped the crushed remnants of the origin crystal from Nian Xue's mouth: "Sister, you can't eat too much of this, you'll get too full."

Nian Xue stuck out her tongue and stuffed the remaining crumbs into A Qing's mouth: "You eat it, so A Qing can get stronger too."

The team continued forward. The closer they got to the Core of the Myriad Heavens, the denser the Heavenly Dao energy in the air became, making even breathing feel piercingly cold.

The Elf Clan Chief suddenly stopped, raised his bow, and pointed to the left: "There are Heavenly Dao spies there, hidden in the Rock Crevices!"

Lin Chen probed with his Divine Thought and indeed found five spies transmitting messages using Black Crystal Cores—they intended to send the allied forces' movements to the heavenly dao main body at the core.

"Don't let them send the message!" Lin Chen instantly moved over, his Ancient Gods Pressure locking onto the spies, and the Anti-Heavenly Dao Rule struck their chests.

The spies turned into ashes before they could even let out a scream. The crystal cores were also crushed by Void Power, preventing any message from getting out.

The Dragon Guard Leader stepped forward: "The Puppet Array outside the core is just ahead. According to the plan, we go first!"

Lin Chen nodded: "Be careful. Elf Clan, prepare the water-breaking crystals, act on our signal."

The Dragon Guards responded in unison. The Scarlet Scale Dragon Guard took the lead, charging toward the Puppet Array, followed closely by the Azure Scale Dragon Guard. With bursts of Dragon Breath, the outer defense of the Puppet Array was torn open.

"Now is the time!" The Elf Clan Chief commanded. Fifty archers simultaneously shot Arrows Embedded with Water-Breaking Crystals. The arrows struck the middle Protective Shield.

"Boom—"

The Protective Shield rippled, and the Faint Black Energy was weakened by the crystals, creating a gap a zhang wide—exactly the path the Assault Team needed to enter.

Lin Chen picked up Nian Xue and nodded to Clear Snow: "Let's go!"

The twenty members of the Assault Team sneaked through the gap. Inside, Heavenly Dao Cultivators were busy surrounding an Altar. A black Origin Sphere was suspended above the center of the Altar, absorbing energy from the surroundings.

"These Cultivators are reinforcing the Altar; don't let them finish!" Clear Snow's Ice and Snow Blade shot out, instantly piercing the cores of three Cultivators.

Lin Chen instantly moved to the Altar, using Space Law to lock the Origin Sphere, preventing it from absorbing more energy, while the Anti-Heavenly Dao Rule struck the surrounding Cultivators.

The Cultivators tried to resist but were suppressed by Lin Chen's pressure, unable to even mobilize their Origin Qi. In a moment, they were all killed, yielding twenty Eternal Rank crystal cores.

Nian Xue peeked out from Lin Chen's embrace and tapped the Runes on the Altar with her small hand. A Void Light Orb flew out, and the Runes instantly dimmed: "Daddy, I broke the bad Runes!"

Lin Chen rubbed her head, his eyes full of warmth: "Nian Xue is amazing. We'll rely on you to break the core's rules later."

Clear Snow inspected the Altar and frowned: "Husband, this Altar is the formation eye for the Origin Aggregation. We must destroy it, but it will take time."

"I will protect you while you work!" Lin Chen spread his Ancient God Wings, enveloping the Altar in golden light, his Divine Thought locking onto the surroundings—the aura of the heavenly dao main body was getting closer.

The Elf Clan and the Dragon Guards fought fiercely on the periphery. The remains of Puppets piled up like small mountains, and Origin energy permeated the air, making even the atmosphere feel viscous.

Nian Xue leaned against Lin Chen's leg, clutching the corner of his robe with her small hand. Watching the battle outside, she whispered, "Daddy, everyone is so brave."

"Because we must protect those we wish to protect." Lin Chen squatted down to meet her gaze, "Nian Xue must also protect herself well, understand?"

Nian Xue nodded vigorously, pressing the jade pendant against her chest: "Nian Xue has the little jade pendant, it can protect myself, and it can also protect Daddy and Mommy."

Clear Snow acted swiftly. The Ice and Snow Law spread along the cracks of the Altar, freezing the Heavenly Dao energy inside, and then using the Void Blade to cut the energy lines bit by bit.

Just as the Altar's energy lines were about to be severed, the sky suddenly darkened, and a cold voice echoed through heaven and earth: "An ant dares to destroy my ritual?"

Lin Chen looked up and saw a gigantic phantom appearing in the thick Black Clouds—it was a projection of the heavenly dao main body, its aura having reached Mythical Rank Perfection, a hundred times stronger than the previous Messenger.

"Finally, you've arrived." Lin Chen stood up, the Ancient Gods Body erupting with golden light, the Anti-Heavenly Dao Rule condensing in his palm, "Today, I will settle this with you completely!"

Clear Snow also stopped her movements and walked to Lin Chen's side. Her Nine Tails spread out behind her, the Ice and Snow Domain intertwining with Lin Chen's golden light to form a solid defensive line.

Nian Xue clenched the jade pendant, the demon god mark on her forehead lighting up with purple-gold radiance. Void Power condensed into a small light orb in her palm—though she was frightened, she did not retreat.

The projection of the heavenly dao main body waved its hand, sending countless black Origin Arrows shooting toward the Altar. Lin Chen activated the Space Law, diverting all the arrows, while the Anti-Heavenly Dao Rule shot towards the projection.

"Useless!" The projection sneered, blocking the Rule with black energy, "Your strength is still not enough to fight me!"

Lin Chen did not speak, merely gripping Clear Snow's hand, his eyes resolute—even if their power was inferior, he had to protect his wife and child, protect the allied forces, and protect the Myriad Races.

The Elf Clan and the Dragon Guards also charged forward, merging with the Assault Team. The auras of the various races intertwined, forming a powerful combined force to resist the Ancient Gods Pressure from the heavenly dao main body.

Only the last energy line on the Altar remained. Clear Snow took a deep breath, condensing all her Origin into the Ice and Snow Blade, and slashed down fiercely—as long as this line was severed, the "Origin Aggregation" ritual would completely fail.

Black Origin Arrows shot over again. Nian Xue suddenly raised her small hand, and the Void Light Orb flew out, colliding with the arrows. The orb exploded, and the arrows were actually repelled back towards the projection.

The projection's expression shifted slightly. It hadn't expected this little child's Void Power to reflect attacks, so it quickly used energy to block the rebounding arrows.

In that instant, Clear Snow's Ice and Snow Blade severed the last energy line. The Altar let out a loud 'boom,' the Origin Sphere in the center shattered completely, and Faint Black Energy scattered everywhere.

"No--!" The projection let out a mournful roar, its aura becoming violent, "I will make all of you pay with your lives!"

Lin Chen's eyes turned cold. The Ancient Gods Pressure and the Anti-Heavenly Dao Rule erupted simultaneously, golden light shooting directly at the projection: "Want to be buried with us? Ask me first!"

Clear Snow's Ice and Snow Domain surged, freezing the violent energy. The Elf Clan Archers' arrows, the Dragon Guards' Dragon Breath, and the Origin attacks from all races shot towards the projection simultaneously, forming a brilliant net of attack.

The projection struggled within the attack net. The black energy grew weaker and weaker, finally letting out a scream before completely dissipating into the air—the projection of the heavenly dao main body was defeated!

Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at Nian Xue. She was looking up at him, her small face full of pride: "Daddy, we won!"

"We all won." Lin Chen picked her up and kissed her forehead, "Everyone won."

Clear Snow leaned against him, her eyes full of exhaustion but curved into a smile: "Husband, the ritual failed. The heavenly dao main body should be severely weakened and won't be able to return for a short time."

The Dragon Guard Leader and the Elf Clan Chief stepped forward and bowed: "Lord Lin Chen, thanks to you and young friend Nian Xue, we were able to win!"

Lin Chen shook his head: "It's the result of everyone working hard together. Without the help of all the races, we couldn't have done it either."

The team began cleaning up the battlefield, collecting the scattered crystal cores. The Repair Clan checked the remains of the Altar to see if any useful Origin energy could be extracted.

Nian Xue nestled in Lin Chen's arms, watching the busy crowd. Her small eyes gradually closed—she was tired, but she slept soundly, because she knew her Daddy and Mommy would protect her, and everyone would protect her.