Chapter 286 - 285: Selecting Golden Immortal Beast

"Truly... Heaven and Earth’s chosen."

"Your descendant fought well in the Grand Court," Lin Yuan said, gesturing slightly to Jin Rou, who was currently receiving awe-struck looks from his peers. "He honors his debts, and he understands the flow of the era. The Golden Diting Province has raised a worthy heir."

Jin Wang beamed with pride, bowing his head again. "Your praise is heavier than a mountain, Senior Lin. Jin Rou told us of your mercy in the Void Ascension Battlefield. You saved his life, and you protected our kins from the eyes of the Upper Division. For that, the Jin family owes you a debt that ten thousand years of servitude could not repay."

Before Lin Yuan could acknowledge the gratitude, Jin Wang’s expression darkened. The ancient patriarch looked up at the sky, his withered nose wrinkling in disgust.

"But I fear the time for celebration is short," Jin Wang muttered, his voice dropping into a grave whisper. "Senior Lin... do you smell it?"

Lin Yuan’s eyes narrowed. He did not need to smell it; his True Elemental Body was already subtly cycling to repel it.

Even here, thousands of miles away from the epicenter of the Grand Court, the ambient spiritual Qi of the Golden Diting Province was tainted. A faint, almost imperceptible undertone of rotting blood and ancient malice hung in the air. The leaves of the massive amber trees were subtly curling at the edges, reacting to the corrosion.

"The demonic aura," Lin Yuan confirmed, his voice turning frigid. "It has reached this far south."

"The crack in the Nine Heavens Ward is opening fast," Jin Wang nodded, profound dread etching deeper lines into his ancient face. "The Five Emperors might be bleeding their foundations dry to hold the rift, but the miasma is spilling over the continent like a tidal wave. If the Sacred Grounds do not produce a miracle soon, the Nine Provinces will become a slaughterhouse."

Lin Yuan felt a gentle, reassuring squeeze on his hand. He looked down at Bai Qingyue. She did not look terrified; she looked at him with absolute, unyielding faith. The reminder of the child growing within her steeled his Dao Heart, transforming his apprehension into cold resolve.

I will not let the rot touch my family, Lin Yuan thought, his aura flaring slightly, causing the ambient demonic taint in the plaza to instantly incinerate into harmless white steam.

"The Sacred Grounds will serve their purpose, Jin Wang," Lin Yuan stated, his voice resonating with an authority that left no room for doubt. "I will first consolidate my foundation, and then I will do everything within my power to deal with the Hollow Beyond. But having the mount Jin Rou promised me will be of great use. A beast capable of traversing various spatial zones without slowing down could prove invaluable on the journey ahead."

"It is our highest honor!" Jin Wang declared immediately, snapping his fingers. "Elders! Open the Inner Sanctuary! Show Senior Lin the absolute pride of our lineage!"

The massive, golden doors of the main temple groaned open.

Lin Yuan and Bai Qingyue were escorted into the sprawling, cavernous interior of the Golden Immortal Temple. The air inside was dense with pure Immortal Qi. Massive enclosures forged of transparent spatial glass housed the most majestic, terrifying beasts the province possessed.

"We have prepared our finest," Jin Wang boasted, gesturing to the various enclosures as they walked. "Here is a Rank 6 Golden Immortal Beast, possessing a horn of pure star-iron. It can shatter a mountain with a single charge. And there, a Rank 6 variant with a horn of crimson jade, capable of breathing localized solar flares."

Lin Yuan walked past the enclosures, his deep purple eyes scanning the magnificent creatures. They were powerful, undeniably majestic, and reeked of ancient, destructive power. But as he looked at them, his mind remained anchored to the subtle, second heartbeat pulsing within his wife’s body.

These beasts are good, but since I have the ability to choose, I might as well aim for the very best. The elusive Rank 8 Golden Immortal Beast...

Lin Yuan’s eyes gleamed as he recalled what Jin Rou had told him back at the Void Ascension Battlefield.

Their Celestial Jade Horn is said to possess the ability to traverse even the most chaotic spatial zones. If I can obtain one of those beasts as my mount, it would be far more useful than anything else.

Lin Yuan walked in silence, bypassing dozens of roaring, majestic beasts that the elders proudly displayed. Jin Wang began to sweat, fearing that the Jin family’s finest offerings were insufficient for a Soul Transformation expert.

But then, at the very back of the sanctuary, in an isolated, dimly lit enclosure, Lin Yuan stopped.

He did not look at a massive, roaring behemoth. He looked at a beast that was lying peacefully upon a bed of spiritual lotus petals.

It was slightly smaller than the others, its golden scales possessing a softer, almost pearlescent sheen. But it was the horn that captivated Lin Yuan’s absolute attention.

Protruding from the beast’s regal forehead was a long, elegantly spiraled horn. It was not forged of aggressive silver or violent crimson. It was carved from flawless, translucent Celestial Jade. It did not spark with lightning or emit harsh spatial cuts; it pulsed with a soft, incredibly soothing, rhythmic glow that seemed to harmonize perfectly with the ambient heartbeat of heaven and earth.

"That one," Lin Yuan decreed, pointing a single, steady finger at the enclosure.

Jin Wang gasped, his eyes widening in profound shock. "Senior Lin... you have keen eyes."

"What is its primary affinity?" Lin Yuan asked, though his mind had already deduced the answer.

"It possesses absolutely no offensive capabilities, Senior Lin," Jin Rou stepped forward, his voice filled with reverence. "But its horn does not cut space... it commands it. It enforces absolute spatial tranquility. No matter the turbulence, no matter the corruption or the collapse of the dimension around it, the space upon its back remains flawlessly still. It is said that even if the sky were to fall, a cup of tea placed upon its back would not spill a single drop."

Lin Yuan turned his head, looking down at Bai Qingyue. A soft, profoundly warm smile touched his lips as he imagined her riding safely through the apocalypse, entirely untouched by the chaos of the world breaking apart around them.

"It is perfect," Lin Yuan said, his voice echoing with absolute finality in the quiet area. "Open the enclosure. We leave for the Sacred Grounds immediately."