46: Meteor Valley collects the Origin Pearl, and returns to the Azure Dragon Realm to celebrate their success.

The clearing in Meteorite Valley was filled with the lingering aura of the Heavenly Dao. Lin Chen held an origin pearl between his fingertips, its origin level glow as warm as a small sun.

Clear Snow leaned in, her fingertips touching the pearl: "The energy in this pearl is so pure; it can help everyone improve a lot."

Nian Xue poked her head out from Lin Chen's arms and poked the pearl with her little finger: "Daddy, can we eat this shiny thing? Like the crystal cores before."

Lin Chen smiled and held the pearl up to her: "You can't eat it directly. It needs to be refined into origin liquid first."

The Star Spirit Clan Leader inspected the altar ruins: "My Lord, all the energy of the heavenly dao main body is within this pearl; no other hidden dangers remain."

The team began to clear the battlefield. The Repair Clan brought out a refining furnace and placed the scattered mineral crystal fragments along with the origin pearl into the furnace—the origin pearl was too pure and needed to be neutralized with the mineral crystals to be refined.

A Qing played with Nian Xue at the edge of the clearing. He spat out a Little Dragon Breath, igniting the withered grass on the ground. Nian Xue clapped and laughed: "A Qing, your fire is warmer than Mother's ice!"

Lin Chen leaned against the rock wall, his Divine Thought sweeping through Meteorite Valley—the Heavenly Dao aura in the valley was dissipating, and the origin liquid in the mineral veins had regained its purity, no longer corrosive.

"Refining will take half an hour; everyone rest for a bit," Lin Chen said to the group. He picked up a piece of black mineral crystal, performed Sublimation, and handed it to a nearby Stone Skin Clan member.

Half an hour later, the Repair Clan opened the refining furnace. Inside lay twenty bottles of pale gold origin level origin liquid, each bottle rippling with dense energy fluctuations.

"My Lord, these liquids can be absorbed directly. Their purity is ten times higher than the previous heavenly dao grade!" the Repair Clan Leader said excitedly.

Lin Chen took a bottle and drank it down—the origin liquid turned into a warm current as it entered his throat, spreading through his Meridians to his whole body. His Origin concentration soared from 85% to 90%, his Divine Thought range expanded directly to 320 kilometers, and his Diamond Early Stage aura was nearly breaking through to the Middle Stage.

Clear Snow also drank a bottle, her Origin concentration increasing from 58% to 63%. When the Ice and Snow Law flowed in her palm, even the air condensed into ice crystals, and her Diamond Domain's range expanded by another zhang.

Nian Xue drank half a bottle, her small face turning bright red. The demon god mark on her forehead flashed with a purple-gold light, and her Origin concentration rose from 76% to 81%. Her little body swayed, but she was caught in time by A Qing.

"Drink slowly, little sister, don't choke!" A Qing patted her back while he also took a sip of origin liquid. The temperature of his Little Dragon Breath rose a bit higher.

The team members drank the origin liquid one after another, and their strength improved to varying degrees: the Star Spirit Clan Leader broke through from the mythical-grade Early Stage to the Middle Stage, and most Stone Skin Clan members advanced from the eternal-grade Late Stage to the mythical-grade Early Stage.

"Alright, let's return to the Azure Dragon Realm and let everyone share the joy," Lin Chen said to the group as he picked up Nian Xue.

The team set out on the return journey. The morning mist in Meteorite Valley gradually dissipated, and the sunlight spilled onto the ground, making the black mineral crystals shimmer with golden light. Nian Xue lay in Lin Chen's arms, her small eyes gradually closing, a smile on her lips—she was dreaming of watching the stars with A Qing in the Legendary Level World.

After walking for about an hour, the familiar sound of Dragon Breath came from ahead. Lin Chen's Divine Thought probed forward—it was the team Clear Snow had led before, meeting up with the Dragon Clan patrol. They were clearly there to pick them up.

"Lord Lin Chen! You succeeded!" the Metal Clan Leader in Clear Snow's team shouted, waving his hand excitedly.

Lin Chen nodded and quickened his pace. After the two teams merged, they headed toward the Azure Dragon Realm together. On the way, Clear Snow's team members chattered about cleaning up the remnants—they had not only cleared the Heavenly Dao Remnants in the east but also rescued many captured Survivors.

"We even found an origin crystal mine with many legendary-grade crystal cores inside!" an Elf Clan Archer said excitedly.

Nian Xue was woken up by the noise. Hearing the words "crystal core," her small eyes immediately lit up: "Mother, can we eat the crystal cores? Like the small fragments from before."

Clear Snow smiled and rubbed her head: "Yes, but we have to wait until they're refined. I'll save the biggest piece for Nian Xue."

At dusk, the team finally returned to the Azure Dragon Realm. The square in the Azure Dragon Realm was crowded with people—the Dragon Clan, Elf Clan, and Survivors from various clans were all waiting. Seeing them return, they immediately burst into cheers.

"Lord Lin Chen is back!"

"We won! The heavenly dao main body has been dealt with!"

Cheers rose one after another. Lin Chen carried Nian Xue onto the square and held up a bottle of Origin: "The heavenly dao main body has been destroyed. No one will be able to harm us anymore!"

The cheers on the square grew louder. The Dragon Race Chief and the Elf Clan Chief stepped forward and handed over two cups of celebration wine: "Lord Lin Chen, thank you for your hard work! This cup is to you!"

Lin Chen took the cup, clinked it with theirs, and drank it in one go—the wine was mixed with origin liquid and felt warm as he drank it.

Nian Xue was being held by A Qing, playing with the Dragon Clan Cubs. An Elder of the Wood Spirit Clan handed her a glowing spirit flower, which she happily wore on her head, looking like a little Fairy.

That night, a victory banquet was held in the Azure Dragon Realm. A bonfire was lit in the square, and members of all clans sat together, eating spirit fruits, drinking origin liquid, and singing the songs of their respective clans.

The Metal Clan and Stone Skin Clan performed weapon sparring, the Elf Clan Archers shot down meteors in the night sky (which were actually points of Origin light), and the Dragon Guards spat out multi-colored Dragon Breath, painting the night sky beautifully.

Nian Xue pulled A Qing and danced around the bonfire with the Dragon Clan Cubs, her little skirt fluttering and her laughter crisp. Clear Snow leaned against Lin Chen, watching her daughter's figure with eyes full of tenderness.

"Husband, we can go to the Legendary Level World now," Clear Snow said softly, her fingertips brushing across Lin Chen's palm.

Lin Chen nodded and held her hand: "Yes, once everyone has rested and reorganized, we will set off to see the wider world."

The celebration banquet lasted until late at night. The bonfire in the square gradually grew smaller, and members of the various clans slowly dispersed, leaving only Lin Chen's family and the clan leaders.

The Dragon Race Chief took out a new map with the entrance to the Legendary Level World marked on it: "This entrance is deep within Meteorite Valley. We have already explored it; it is very safe."

The Elf Clan Chief added: "The entrance requires origin level energy to open. The origin liquid we refined is just enough."

Lin Chen looked at the map, his eyes full of anticipation: "Good. In three days, we set off for the Legendary Level World!"

Nian Xue daily yawned and fell fast asleep in Lin Chen's arms, her small hand still clutching that spirit flower. A Qing was also sleepy, leaning against the Dragon Race Chief, his eyelids drooping.

"Alright, everyone go back and rest. Tomorrow we start preparing supplies for the journey," Lin Chen said to the group as he picked up Nian Xue.

The clan leaders nodded and dispersed. Lin Chen and Clear Snow carried Nian Xue toward the stone room where they lived. The night sky of the Azure Dragon Realm was full of stars, like countless pairs of blessing eyes.

Back in the stone room, Lin Chen placed Nian Xue on the bed. Clear Snow helped cover her with a quilt. The two sat by the bed, looking at their daughter's sleeping face, their hearts full of peace.

"Husband, what do you think is in the Legendary Level World?" Clear Snow asked softly.

Lin Chen held her hand, his gaze fixed on the stars outside the window: "I don't know, but there will surely be many beautiful sights, many interesting companions, and opportunities that can make us stronger."

Clear Snow nodded and leaned on his shoulder: "As long as I'm with you and Nian Xue, anywhere is fine."

As the night deepened, the Azure Dragon Realm grew quiet, with only the residual warmth of the bonfire and the scent of origin liquid lingering in the air. In three days, they would embark on a new journey to explore the Legendary Level World and seek a broader future.