Dao Sect, Desolate Hall.
Little Marten brought Little Flame to the small courtyard where Lin Dong lived, his eyes filled with surprise. Little Marten even joked with a smile.
"I didn't realize, your days in the Desolate Hall are so comfortable, huh?!"
Lin Dong rolled his eyes upon hearing this, ignoring the unreliable fellow. Instead, he turned his gaze to Little Flame, who was standing behind Little Marten, carefully examined him, and then smiled, reaching out to pat Little Flame's sturdy arm, and said softly.
"Not bad, your strength has improved quite quickly, and you haven't lost weight. It seems Little Marten hasn't mistreated you!"
"Get lost, would Marten Lord be that kind of person?"
Little Marten rolled his eyes upon hearing this, laughing and scolding. The banter between brothers instantly lightened the atmosphere. Little Flame also grinned foolishly, reaching out his large palm to scratch the back of his head, looking simple and honest.
Of course, Little Flame's honest appearance was only seen in front of a few familiar people like Lin Dong. In the eyes of outsiders, this dark-skinned youth, who resembled an iron tower, was an absolute fiend, extremely ferocious.
After joking around for a bit, Lin Dong curiously looked at Little Marten and Little Flame, asking with some puzzlement.
"Why did you two suddenly return to Dao Sect?"
Back then, Little Marten and Little Flame didn't really leave Dao Sect because of Yuan Gate. Although that was one of the reasons, it was the most insignificant one.
At that time, Dao Sect had already completely torn apart all pretenses with Yuan Gate. Even if Little Marten and Little Flame stayed in Dao Sect, it wouldn't matter. Dao Sect wasn't afraid of Yuan Gate, and besides, it wouldn't be considered sheltering them. After all, Dao Sect had no reason to expel Little Marten and the others for no reason.
However, if Little Marten continued to stay in Yuan Gate, it wouldn't look good on the surface. It would give the impression that he was relying on Dao Sect to dare stay in the Eastern Xuan Region.
The proud Little Marten was unwilling to accept this. He was a Sky Demon Marten royal bloodline. If he was frightened by a mere Yuan Gate to the point where he could only hide within the Dao Sect's territory, then what kind of Marten would he be?
Besides this most insignificant reason, there were several other reasons. One of them was that Dao Sect was suitable for human geniuses like Lin Dong who had no foundation to cultivate, but it wasn't suitable for Little Marten and Little Flame, who possessed bloodline inheritance.
The Demon Beast race needed to fight to grow. Warlike was one of the major characteristics inherited by the Demon Beast race from the ancient Divine Beast bloodlines.
Demon Beasts were naturally good at fighting, but humans were different. Humans were naturally weak, but their learning talent surpassed all races. The fighting skills they learned acquired were extremely powerful.
Therefore, humans were more suitable for closed-door cultivation, while the Demon Beast race needed to fight frequently to improve their strength.
Thus, for Little Marten and Little Flame, Dao Sect, a place suitable for Lin Dong to cultivate and grow, was a shackle for them. Not only did they lack freedom, but it was also difficult for them to grow.
In addition, Little Marten and Little Flame also needed to take Zhou Tong away to do many things. At the same time, they also needed to find some treasures to help Zhou Tong restore his strength and body.
"Actually, we didn't want to come back this time. It was Senior Zhou Tong who had something to report and discuss with your Sect Leader Ying Xuanzi, so he brought us back with him."
Little Marten said casually. Although Little Marten gave Ying Xuanzi face, he wouldn't respect him too much. In the end, he didn't have much connection with Ying Xuanzi. Moreover, his status wasn't lower than Ying Xuanzi's. As the Young Clan Leader of the Sky Demon Marten clan, he naturally had pride in his heart. How could he willingly submit to others?
Little Marten called Zhou Tong 'Senior' because, to some extent, Zhou Tong could even be considered Little Marten's half-teacher. Recently, Little Marten had received a lot of guidance from Zhou Tong, especially since the Sky Demon Marten clan was inherently good at Space power, and Zhou Tong, as the Space Ancestor Symbol controller, was even more proficient.
Even if Little Marten was very proud in his heart, he wouldn't show no respect to someone who had shown him kindness.
The only exception was Lin Xuan. From the moment he first saw Lin Xuan, Little Marten had been extremely respectful to Lin Xuan. There was no way, from the beginning, that monster was not someone he could deal with. To put it bluntly, his little life completely depended on the other person's mood. How could Little Marten dare to be proud?
Later on, the peerless monstrous talent that Lin Xuan displayed shocked Little Marten even more. That kind of address was even more of a heartfelt respect.
"Something to do with Ying Sect Leader?"
Lin Dong's eyes narrowed slightly. Although he hadn't left Dao Sect much recently, he knew a lot of things. For example, some time ago, the Young Clan Leader and Senior Sister Ying Huanhuan, as well as Senior Sister Ling Qingzhu of Taiqing Palace, were attacked by the Demon Prison and Yuan Gate when they went out to train, which led to a shocking battle.
It could be seen that the Otherworldly Demons had already begun to take action. And now, Little Marten said that Senior Zhou Tong had something to look for, and he was visiting at this time. Could it be...
"Could it be that the Demon Prison is making another move?"
Lin Dong carefully guessed, his eyes flashing with light. Little Marten heard this but gently shook his head, indicating that he wasn't really sure either.
"I don't know about that. Senior Zhou Tong didn't say. However, I don't think it's very likely to be the Demon Prison. After all, we've had almost no contact with the Demon Prison during this time. We've only learned a lot about Yuan Gate. I guess it's more likely that Yuan Gate is secretly preparing some secret plan."
"But these things have nothing to do with small fries like us. If the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up. What are you afraid of?"
Little Marten shrugged indifferently, seemingly not caring much. Of course, Little Marten's idea wasn't wrong. With his current strength, thinking about those things was completely unnecessary worrying. Instead, he should think about how to grow quickly.
"By the way, we actually have another good thing to give you this time!"
"What good thing?"
Lin Dong's heart stirred slightly, looking at Little Marten with some anticipation. Little Marten had extremely high standards. Anything that Little Marten called a good thing was definitely an excellent treasure.
"Hehe, you kid is really lucky this time. This time, on our way back to Dao Sect with Senior Zhou Tong, we passed by a place called Demon Sound Mountain."
Little Marten chuckled, his eyes filled with excitement, even a bit of delight. Even Little Flame's body rose with a touch of violent aura. Obviously, that place should no longer exist.
"Demon Sound Mountain?"
Lin Dong murmured. The name was a bit similar to the Demon Seal Crowd he encountered when he went to Blood Rock Land, and it felt like it was related to Yuan Gate again.
"Yes, hehe, they're Yuan Gate's lackeys."
Little Marten cackled strangely. Back during the Hundred Dynasty War, Little Marten had been holding a grudge in his heart. Now, it was great, he directly vented a lot of it.
"Yuan Gate was blocked outside their mountain gate and beaten by Sword Saint alone. After that, they directly closed their doors. The Yuan Gate disciples outside were also recalled. However, those lackeys who relied on Yuan Gate when Yuan Gate was powerful are still outside the Yuan Region. This time, Marten Lord happened to run into them."
Speaking of which, the destruction of Demon Sound Mountain really had nothing to do with the treasures inside. Little Marten didn't operate in the Demon Sound Mountain area. With Zhou Tong secretly guiding him, Little Marten had been wandering around various places in the Eastern Xuan Region during this time.
This time, it was a coincidence. With Yuan Gate's defeat and contraction, Little Marten and the others naturally acted even more unscrupulously. After all, Little Marten himself had the Space Ancestor Symbol to protect him, and Zhou Tong was secretly helping him. When Yuan Gate was still powerful, Little Marten dared to wander the Eastern Xuan Region, let alone now.
Little Marten happened to hear about a force called Demon Sound Mountain on the way back. It was also a Demon Beast force. Little Marten, in a fit of anger, directly killed his way to their door. Then, there was no then. The group of Golden Ghost Monkeys from Demon Sound Mountain were directly wiped out by Little Marten, who wielded the Space Ancestor Symbol.
As for that Demon Sound Grand Array, for a powerhouse proficient in the power of space, ordinary formations were useless and didn't work at all, because they could directly enter the formation through the power of space.
After destroying the group of lackeys from Demon Sound Mountain, Little Flame discovered some treasures while cleaning up the battlefield, and then Little Marten plundered them.
And having good things, Little Marten naturally didn't forget Lin Dong. He even gave Lin Dong the lion's share.
After all, for Little Marten, that kind of thing didn't have much use for him. Even for Little Flame, the effect wasn't great. The current Little Flame was about to break through to the Life Profound Realm. One serving of Earth Core Spirit Embryo Milk was enough. Any more would be a waste.
And this time, Little Marten obtained a full four servings of Earth Core Spirit Embryo Milk from Demon Sound Mountain. Little Marten and Little Flame each took one serving, and Little Marten brought back the remaining two servings, specially leaving them for Lin Dong.
"So, on the way here, you just happened to pick up treasures like Earth Core Spirit Embryo Milk?"
After listening to Little Marten's story, a hint of excitement flashed in Lin Dong's eyes. For Lin Dong, there was a saying that was particularly appropriate to describe him: the past is the past, and the present is the present. Don't always treat the past as the present.
The former Lin Dong, in Little Marten's words, was a country bumpkin, a hick, who didn't recognize good things, purely ignorant.
But now it was different. Times had changed. With Yan, such a knowledgeable Ancestral Stone spirit, constantly increasing his knowledge by his side, Lin Dong had a great understanding of various treasures. He naturally knew about famous treasures like Earth Core Spirit Embryo Milk.
"Hehe, luck, luck. Speaking of which, it's thanks to Sword Saint's good fortune. Hehe, the old man blew up Yuan Gate, so we had the opportunity to encounter such a good opportunity on the road."
Little Marten chuckled strangely, not trying to take credit for himself. This matter was really Lin Xuan's great contribution.
As Yuan Gate was blown up and sealed off, those lackeys outside the Yuan Region who had long relied on Yuan Gate all began to panic and prepared to transfer secretly. This caused some commotion and was caught by Little Marten, who directly cleaned house.
"Here, you kid must use it well, don't waste it. There are only two servings left. One of them was specially left for you, this junior, by Senior Zhou Tong."
As one of the participants, Zhou Tong originally had a share, but Zhou Tong's injuries were almost healed, and there had been no battles recently, so he thought about saving some resources and not wasting them, which could also help the Dao Sect cultivate its younger generation.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Lin Dong excitedly took the Earth Core Spirit Embryo Milk. With these two portions, he could try to nurture his Nascent Soul and break through to the Seven Yuan Nirvana Realm. Speaking of which, his strength had been progressing somewhat slowly.
However, Lin Dong was not in a hurry. Although his progress was slower now, his foundation was being honed more firmly with Yan's help.
Speaking of which, this was a legacy issue. Back in Qingyang Town, although Little Marten had given him guidance and Lin Dong had avoided some detours, he had been too aggressive in his cultivation process in order to break through quickly, which had led to some problems.
During this period of cultivation, under Yan's guidance, Lin Dong was filling in the pits he had left behind, making his foundation more solid, so as to prepare for refining and controlling multiple Ancestor Symbols in the future. This was Yan's careful cultivation.
After all, in Yan's plan, it was cultivating Lin Dong as the successor of its old master, the Symbol Ancestor. Yan knew many secrets, many of which outsiders could not know.
For example, Ice Master Ying Huanhuan, I'm afraid it will be difficult to truly inherit the Symbol Ancestor's mantle. In the end, Ying Huanhuan was not a creature nurtured by the Tianxuan Continent. To be able to gain the recognition of an Ice Ancestor Symbol was already a result of the Ice Master's outstanding talent, plus the Symbol Ancestor's efforts.
Back then, the Symbol Ancestor was unable to gain the recognition of the Eight Great Ancestor Symbols at the same time because he came from outside the Tianxuan Continent. Therefore, the Symbol Ancestor created Yan and accepted seven other disciples, passing on the seven Ancestor Symbols to them.
And Lin Dong was the successor that Yan was preparing to cultivate, the one who could control the Ancestor Symbols at the same time. Everything must be planned for the best, especially when it comes to the survival of a world.
Lin Xuan's talent was high, but he might not be able to completely eliminate the crisis in this world. Even with the Ice Master and Ling Qingzhu, it was not safe enough. The Otherworldly Demons were too cunning, and their vitality was extremely tenacious. Therefore, it was necessary to have a backup plan.
Naturally, Yan had been planning for Lin Dong from the beginning. In the past, Lin Dong's foundation was not solid enough in order to pursue rapid breakthroughs. In fact, this was somewhat similar to the Flame Emperor of the Douqi Continent next door. The Flame Emperor absorbed strange flames to improve his strength too quickly, and Lin Dong took the initiative to pursue breakthroughs. Therefore, after the two went to the Great Thousand World, they would be stuck in that realm for so long.
However, during this period of cultivation in the Dao Sect, Yan had gradually helped Lin Dong to polish his foundation, and now he only needed to advance steadily.
The Earth Core Spirit Embryo Milk sent by Little Marten happened to solve Lin Dong's urgent need, allowing Lin Dong's strength to keep up with Yan's plan.