After being jilted by the saintess at the beginning, why is she crying?

"Is this a sign of spiritual energy resurgence? Is it a blessing or a curse?"

A gaunt old man, seated cross-legged atop millennia-old ice, murmured softly, his withered fingers gently tapping the ice surface, producing a dull echo.

"Could it be that the Demon Abyss has been unsealed? Or... have people from the upper realm arrived?"

Deep within another dark underground palace, a woman resembling a withered tree slowly sat up from her stone coffin.

A glint of light finally appeared in her eyes, which had been numb for over a hundred years:

"Regardless of the reason, this opportunity is a wonderful chance for me to extend my lifespan and break through to a higher realm! After waiting for so many years, I have finally reached the opportune moment for a change in the world..."

But in the far deeper, more ancient, and wilder realms of the Land of Desolation,

Those enormous, wild and terrifying beasts and monsters also awoke from their long slumber.

They are most sensitive to changes in spiritual energy. The giant pythons that lay prostrate in the abyss slowly raised their mountain-like heads.

The Golden-Winged Roc, perched atop a towering peak, flapped its wings and roared, while the Fire Dragon, dwelling in the molten lava beneath the earth, writhed, causing a torrent of subterranean fire.

One after another, thunderous roars shook the mountains, as if announcing that this land, which had been silent for thousands of years, was about to undergo an unprecedented transformation.

All the wild beasts instinctively stirred; their blood boiled, and the power within their bones surged.

Their intuition told them that a cataclysmic change that would sweep through the entire small world was about to begin.

In every corner of this world, whether human cultivators, demons and monsters, or those remnants of scattered cultivators who have long since clung to life,

At this very moment, all living beings clearly sensed—the eternally unchanging, wispy spiritual energy in the air.

At this moment, it is being replaced by a fresh, vibrant, and powerful spiritual energy.

It felt like a riverbed that had been dry for thousands of years suddenly receiving a spring, or the land that had been parched for millennia finally welcoming spring rain.

A thought suddenly exploded in the minds of all the creatures who sensed the change: Could it be that the spiritual energy in this desolate land has been restored?

At the same time, Lin Fengmian, the instigator of all this, was standing at the very center of the nine-colored glow and the surging spiritual energy.

He was still somewhat dazed. The sky was filled with flowing, brocade-like light, and the dragon's aura surged and swirled, making his figure appear as if he were an immortal descending to earth.

But his handsome face was filled with astonishment and innocence; his mouth was slightly open, and it took him a long time to utter a single sentence:

"Holy crap...looks like we've really gone too far this time. Have we ripped the sky apart?"

Qin Lan and Xiao Ling'er stood on either side of him, gazing at the magnificent, earth-shaking scene, their eyes filled with boundless awe.

Qin Lan's beautiful eyes reflected a sky full of spiritual light, her red lips parted slightly, but she couldn't utter a single word for a long time;

Although Xiao Ling'er was usually aloof, she couldn't help but grip the hilt of the sword at her waist, her fingertips turning slightly white.

On the contrary, after his initial surprise, Lin Fengmian felt a little uneasy and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Was I too impulsive?

Although the intention was good, the cultivation world emphasizes cause and effect, and such a hasty initiation of the revival of spiritual veins is not advisable.

Whether this disruption of the age-old balance will bring good or bad fortune is truly unpredictable.

However, he quickly calmed down and pondered for a moment. With each ladle of spiritual spring water poured down, the desolate land regained its vitality.

Withered grass and trees will sprout anew, and dried-up riverbeds will flow again, giving those wandering cultivators and refugees struggling on the brink of death a chance to catch their breath.

Isn't this a great act of merit? He shook his head, suppressing the distracting thoughts in his mind:

"Well, since I've already done it, there's no need to regret it. There's always a way out. Things will work themselves out."

Just as Lin Fengmian was pondering this in the dark, a sudden change occurred!

Beneath his feet, the illusory dragon shadows swirling and frolicking amidst the rosy clouds suddenly let out a long and affectionate dragon roar.

The voice was clear and melodious, yet it carried no hint of intimidation; rather, it sounded like an infant's attachment to its mother.

Immediately afterwards, the dragon head slowly turned towards Lin Fengmian, its golden vertical pupils filled with gentleness and affection, as if it had seen its long-lost master.

Under the astonished gazes of Lin Fengmian, Qin Lan, and Xiao Ling'er, the enormous golden dragon phantom suddenly shrank.

Amidst the dazzling light, it quickly condensed into a thin, hair-like golden stream of light.

The speed was as fast as lightning, giving him no time to react. With a "whoosh," the stream of light pierced straight into his dantian!

Lin Fengmian's body jolted, his face filled with surprise, and he instinctively covered his lower abdomen.

He felt a slight warmth in his lower abdomen, followed by a gentle, warm current spreading outwards. Far from causing any pain,

Instead, he felt an indescribable sense of comfort. He quickly focused his mind on introspection, and what he saw left him momentarily dumbfounded.

Within his dantian, the once enormous golden dragon phantom had shrunk countless times, becoming a miniature golden dragon only as thick as a little finger.

It is translucent and glows with a soft golden light, as if it were formed from pure spiritual energy.

At this moment, it was lazily swimming around in its dantian a few times, seemingly extremely satisfied with Lin Fengmian's small world full of spiritual energy, its posture as leisurely as if it were inspecting its own territory.

A moment later, its gaze shifted and fixed on the Yin-Yang Core formed by the rotation of Yin and Yang energies in the center of its dantian.

The core was divided into yin and yang sides. On the yang side, the illusory image of the small dragon that had been obtained in the Great Yan Imperial Palace suddenly manifested.

It let out a soft, affectionate hum, as if welcoming its new companion.

The two dragon shadows gazed at each other from afar, then did something that left Lin Fengmian dumbfounded.

The newly arrived little golden dragon obediently spiraled down, lying dormant below the core-forming sun face, its body curled up like a ring, slowly breathing in and out spiritual energy;

Meanwhile, the original phantom of the small dragon hovered above the yang side of the Core Formation Realm, also beginning to breathe in spiritual energy.

A subtle and harmonious connection has formed between the two, as if it were meant to be, a perfect fit.

"What's going on? How did this little golden dragon end up living inside my belly?!"

Lin Fengmian muttered in bewilderment, trying to use his divine sense to contact and communicate with the uninvited little guy, and even tentatively trying to drive him away.

However, he soon discovered, to his dismay, that he was completely unable to touch the other party.

The little golden dragon seemed to exist between reality and illusion; no matter how his divine sense probed into it, it was like trying to catch the moon's reflection in water—he could not touch its physical form.

"What are you doing... This is my dantian, not your home!"

Lin Fengmian couldn't help but laugh and cry inwardly.

But he soon noticed the unusual change.

As the little golden dragon settled in his dantian, wisps of pure and vast dragon energy slowly emanated from its body, merging into his limbs and bones, nourishing his meridians, flesh, and bones.