I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

This trip not only successfully replicated the unique golden environment of the Qingxuan Secret Realm.

They also unexpectedly acquired a rare spirit beast that could stably produce resources, as well as a special spirit plant with unique effects and great economic value.

Lin Che was quite satisfied with his trip to the secret realm.

Currently, there are two main objectives: first, to find out the hidden treasure trove that the Demon Palace of Rebellion is searching for.

With Liu Fang acting as an inside agent within the enemy ranks, Lin Che didn't need to follow her personally; he only needed to keep an eye on things and wait for her intelligence.

Although Yin Jiuyou did not tell Liu Fang the exact location in advance, Liu Fang could always detect clues whenever they took any action in the secret realm.

Secondly, it was to accomplish another important objective of his trip.

For the sake of his third son, Lin Xuanfeng, and for the future lineage of metal-type spirit beasts in the family, they were searching for a combat-type spirit beast with sufficient potential.

Thinking of this, Lin Che turned his gaze to the mountain peak in front of him, which was covered with countless swords.

As far as the eye could see, the hillside was densely covered with all kinds of longswords.

Some were rusted and incomplete, with only half of the sword remaining;

Some may appear intact, but their brilliance is understated;

A few others subtly exude a chillingly sharp aura.

These longswords were of various colors: gray-black, bluish-white, dark red, bronze...

Under the special rules of Sword Tomb Mountain, their spiritual essence and nature are completely concealed, and it is impossible to distinguish their quality or grade with the naked eye and perception alone.

"The burial of ten thousand swords, with the mountain as their tomb—this must be the origin of the name 'Sword Tomb Mountain'?"

Lin Che looked up at the scene that stretched from the mountainside to the summit, resembling a forest of swords, and murmured to himself.

According to intelligence, cultivators who wish to climb the mountain must endure gradually increasing gravitational pressure.

The spirit swords on the mountain, whose grades are unknown, are the rewards for passing the gravity test.

Each climber can choose any one to take home.

However, each person only has one chance to choose. Once a sword is drawn, they will be immediately marked by the restrictions of this place and will never be able to touch any other sword again.

For ordinary cultivators, it all depends on luck.

But Lin Che was different.

He possesses the almost cheat-like treasure-hunting talent of the Illusion Crystal Seeker Beast, and even has a system that allows him to directly see through the essence of items.

The rules of concealment here are meaningless to him!

A flash of inspiration, and the fluffy Crystal Seeker reappeared in his arms.

The little guy seemed to know he was going to have to work again, and he puffed out his little chest, but his amethyst-like eyes were already staring straight at Lin Che's hands.

"I'm sorry to trouble you again, Xiao Huan." Lin Che smiled and took out a new seven-colored source crystal.

The effect of the previous one has long since been exhausted.

"Leave it to me!" the Crystal Seeker said confidently, but its little paws couldn't help but reach for the source crystal, and there seemed to be a suspicious glint of light at the corner of its mouth.

Here, eat slowly.

Lin Che handed over the Yuanjing and couldn't help but chuckle as he watched her eagerly pick it up and happily nibble on it.

She had eaten it many times, but every time she saw this mineral, she was as obsessed as if it were the first time. Her craving made Lin Che wonder if the mineral was really that delicious.

After the little guy swallowed the source crystal, purple light began to flow in his eyes.

Lin Che then took out the second-grade high-quality metallic broken tooth.

"Xiao Huan, our main objective this time is to track down the owner of this broken tooth." Lin Che brought the broken tooth closer to her so she could familiarize herself with its scent.

"Recall the life fluctuation characteristics of those second-tier high-grade spirit beasts in the Azure Profound Secret Realm, and combine them with the aura of this tooth. Focus on finding 'golden' and 'living' targets."

On this Sword Tomb Mountain, a target that meets the criteria of being of metal element, second-tier high-grade, and having active life force is very likely to be the owner of the Broken Tooth, which is the spirit beast he is looking for.

"At the same time," Lin Che added, "while searching, we'll also take the opportunity to sense the swords stuck in the ground around us and find the one with the strongest 'spirituality' or 'special fluctuations.' We'll take it with us when we leave."

The Crystal Seeker swallowed the last bit of Source Crystal fragments, let out a satisfied burp, then clenched its little fist, its purple eyes shining brightly: "Understood! Mission accomplished!"

Innate Divine Power - Spiritual Guidance, activated once again!

Lin Che temporarily served as her mount, his true essence surging around him, transforming into a blurry golden stream of light, and began to fly around the massive mountain at an astonishing speed.

He wanted to expand the detection range of the Crystal Seeker Beast as much as possible, covering the entire Sword Tomb Mountain.

To Lin Che's surprise, the investigation yielded results quickly.

"Master! Over there! There's a 'golden' light moving!" The Illusionary Crystal Seeker excitedly tugged at his clothes, its little paws pointing to a cliff on the north side of the mountainside.

"It feels...it feels very similar to the aura of the giant snakes and birds in the secret realm!"

"Well done!" Lin Che's spirits lifted, and without hesitation, he abruptly changed direction and sped off towards the location Xiao Huan had indicated.

With the precise guidance of the Crystal Seeker, Lin Che quickly arrived at a hidden cave located under rugged rocks.

The cave entrance was partially hidden by several clumps of withered, sword-shaped weeds, making it easy to miss unless you were specifically looking for it.

Lin Che bent down to carefully observe the ground near the cave entrance, his pupils slightly contracting.

A few drops of viscous blood, not yet completely dried and tinged with a pale golden hue, were seeping into the brown soil, emitting a faint spiritual aura and a delicate fishy smell.

"Injured?" Lin Che knew the answer in his heart.

It seems that the spirit beast is not in good condition.

"Xiao Huan, go back to the secret realm to rest first." Lin Che gently patted the little one in his arms and sent her back to the safe Qingxuan Secret Realm.

Immediately, he concealed his aura, his right hand making a grasping motion, and a long sword quietly appeared in his hand.

Composing himself, Lin Che stepped cautiously into the dimly lit cave.

Shortly after Lin Che's figure disappeared at the cave entrance, another figure, as light as a feather, landed silently outside the cave like a ghost.

The newcomer had sharp eyes and instantly spotted the few drops of pale gold blood on the ground.

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips, and a determined glint flashed in his eyes. After a brief observation, he also vanished into the cave.

……

The cave is not deep; it winds downwards for no more than ten feet.

The light was dim, but it did not pose a significant problem for the eyesight and spiritual sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

They hadn't gone far when a heavy, oppressive, yet somewhat solemn and majestic breathing sound faintly came from the depths of the cave.

The sound was like a wounded beast struggling to regulate its breathing and suppress its pain.

Lin Che extended his divine sense forward, and the scene deep within the cave clearly appeared in his mind:

A powerful beast covered in magnificent golden fur was curled up on the driest rock at the bottom of the cave.

It resembles a lion, but is even more majestic, with a thick, imposing mane around its neck that gleams with a faint metallic sheen even in the dim light.

At this moment, however, it had many wounds on its body, its golden fur was matted with blood, and its body trembled slightly with each breath, making it look quite disheveled.

However, when Lin Che's divine sense swept over it, the golden-haired behemoth suddenly raised its head at almost the same time!

A pair of bright golden eyes instantly locked onto Lin Che's direction, the weariness vanished, replaced by a chilling vigilance and an indomitable fighting spirit!

A powerful metallic spiritual energy began to gather and surge around him, emitting a deep hum, and the air in the cave seemed to become sharp.

But it did not pounce immediately; instead, it stared intently at Lin Che, the uninvited guest, maintaining a posture of poised readiness.

It was as if they were weighing their options, or perhaps trying to buy time to recover.

Lin Che could tell at a glance that the giant beast was already at its last gasp and was seriously injured; its fierce aura was mostly just a facade.

At the same time, a system panel, visible only to him, quietly appeared above the behemoth:

【Golden Lion Beast】

Level: Late Foundation Establishment (Severely injured, strength greatly reduced)

Bloodline Rank: Second-Tier High Grade

Bloodline Supernatural Powers:

Golden Lion's Roar Breaks [Mid-Grade Divine Power]

Effect: Take a deep breath, gather pure metal-elemental spiritual power in your throat, and unleash a condensed, indestructible golden sonic wave. The shockwave possesses both powerful physical tearing force and the effect of shaking the soul.

Geng Metal Protective Divine Light [Mid-grade]

Effect: Instantly activates the Geng Metal primordial energy within the body, forming a solid, golden, glass-like protective shield on the skin. Its defensive capabilities are extremely formidable, especially adept at deflecting and shattering physical attacks such as flying swords and arrows. It also possesses excellent resistance to metal and earth attribute spells of the same rank.

Claw Tear [Low Grade]

Effect: It compresses the sharpest and most powerful metal-type spiritual energy to the extreme and attaches it to the claw blade, making it able to shatter metal and jade and tear through armor as if it were nothing.

Inherited Techniques: None

Brief Introduction: It contains a very rare bloodline of the ancient divine beast "Suanni", one of the nine sons of the dragon. It is fierce, loyal and brave, and is a natural fighting spirit beast and guardian.

"Golden Lion Beast! It actually has the bloodline of the ancient divine beast Suanni within its body?!" Lin Che looked at the information on the panel, his eyes instantly shining brightly.

A bold and exciting conjecture flashed through his mind like lightning:

Since this beast possesses the bloodline of the nine sons of the dragon, does that mean it also has the potential to "transform into a dragon"?

If one can successfully transform into a dragon and advance to become a true dragon blood spirit beast, wouldn't the bloodline grade be able to break through to the highest level?

If this conjecture is true... Lin Che felt his heart beat faster.

If the Golden Lion Beast truly succeeds in transforming into a dragon with the help of the system, verifying Lin Che's guess, it would be tantamount to opening a brand new door for him and the entire Lin family!

In the future, the Lin family will no longer need to expend a great deal of energy and luck to search the world for high-level spirit beast cubs with different attributes, noble bloodlines, and great potential, which are rare and hard to come by.

He only needs to focus on finding spirit beasts that possess dragon bloodlines, even if the bloodline is weak.

Through system upgrades, the dragon blood factors in their bloodlines are activated and purified, ultimately allowing for the mass cultivation of dragon blood spirit beasts with top-grade bloodlines!

This will completely solve the problem of the source of high-level combat power spirit beasts for the family, and also provide the family members with a clear and powerful path to choose their own natal spirit beast!

Just as Lin Che was filled with excitement and his thoughts were racing, his divine sense, which far surpassed that of his peers, suddenly sensed something amiss.

A very slight, yet unnatural, ripple came from the cave passage behind them.

Someone has followed us! Moreover, the newcomer is incredibly skilled at concealment, only noticing us at such close range!

Lin Che's eyes turned cold instantly, his grip on the knife tightened slightly, his muscles tensed subtly, and his senses locked onto the uninvited figure in the darkness behind him.

The atmosphere inside the cave suddenly became subtle and tense.