Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

Two shooting stars disappeared into the distance, and Ye Xuan emerged from behind the mound.

Watching the two disappear into the edge of the wasteland, he did not rush to chase after them; having just entered the Realm of Immortality, he was not yet familiar with this world, and rashly making contact might not be a wise move.

"Earth dragon..."

Ye Xuan pondered, his gaze falling on the seemingly barren land beneath his feet. Although the two people from before were not highly skilled, their words revealed a great deal of information—

The extinction of the Blood Elixir, the changes in the Short-Lived Realm... it is clear that the immortal lineage has noticed the dramatic changes in the lower realm, but they don't know if they are wanted by the authorities.

He unleashed his senses, this time no longer confined to the surface, but probing deep into the earth.

The boost to perception from the Golden Core realm is far greater than that from the Foundation Establishment realm. As perception slowly sinks into the soil and rocks, it gradually goes deeper.

Ten zhang, twenty zhang, fifty zhang...

When his senses penetrated hundreds of feet underground, Ye Xuan's expression shifted slightly.

The underground was not desolate. In the cracks between the rock layers, he caught a faint, almost imperceptible breath. It was not from plants, but more like the life force emanating from some kind of living being.

The fluctuations were as regular as a heartbeat, rising and falling every half hour. If Ye Xuan hadn't been so perceptive, he would have hardly noticed them.

"There really is something there."

They tried to use their senses to discern the creature's appearance, but were repelled by the aura it emitted.

Ye Xuan withdrew his senses, his figure floated up, and hovered in mid-air.

He looked down at the barren land beneath his feet. This land seemed to have little spiritual energy, but in fact, deep within the earth's veins lay a kind of immense power, which was blocked by layers of rock and soil and could not be released.

"I suppose those two won't be found anytime soon."

After a moment's thought, Ye Xuan decided not to disturb the creature underground for the time being. Since the two young men in Taoist robes had been ordered to come here, they must have the means to track down or subdue the earth dragon.

Why bother doing it yourself when you can reap the benefits without lifting a finger?

He gazed in the direction where the person had just left, his senses subtly extending. After locking onto the location, his figure transformed into a streak of bluish-white light and followed after them from afar.

The world of the Long Life Realm is much larger than that of the Short Life Realm. Ye Xuan flew more than 300 miles, maintaining a safe distance of several dozen miles from the tall and thin young man in front of him, who was still wandering in the wasteland.

He would occasionally stop, take out a bronze mirror from his robes, and infuse it with spiritual energy, causing the mirror to glow and illuminate the surrounding ground.

The area reflected by the bronze mirror, along with the scene hundreds of feet underground, was all reflected in the mirror's surface.

After a full half hour of twisting and turning, the bronze mirror in the young man's hand still didn't react. His face gradually became anxious, and he kept looking up at the sky.

The sky, the same color as the loess, appeared calm, but the clouds churned constantly, as if some force was manipulating the air currents...

"It's not going to be earlier than planned..., is it...?"

The young man muttered to himself, then suddenly froze, suspended in mid-air.

He bit his fingertip and smeared a drop of blood onto the edge of the bronze mirror. The mirror immediately shone with a bright bloody light, and the beam of light shining on the ground solidified into a pillar, penetrating straight to the deepest part of the earth.

"Found it!"

The young man's spirits lifted. In the image reflected on the bronze mirror, three hundred feet below the surface, though it was pitch black, a glimmer of light shone through the cracks in the rock.

He put away the bronze mirror, took out three array flags from his storage bag, and quickly planted them at three nodes on the ground.

As the battle flags landed, they moved without wind, fluttering in the breeze. Within the enclosed area, pale golden patterns appeared on the ground, spreading outwards like a spider web. At the same time, a transparent barrier rose up, firmly locking the entire area in place.

"Why aren't you showing yourself?"

Upon seeing this, the young man formed hand seals, causing the array flags to shine brightly and the ground to tremble.

Ye Xuan used his senses to bypass the barrier and reach deep underground.

A hundred feet below, a creature with a bronze body and resembling a giant python slowly twisted its body. It was over twenty meters long, its body covered with thick scales, and it exuded the same aura as this land.

"Is this the earth dragon?"

After finally uncovering its true nature, Ye Xuan roughly deduced that although its aura was not as strong as that of a Golden Core cultivator, it was as heavy as a mountain. What was even more peculiar was that it did not have a demon core in its body, but it could continuously absorb the spiritual energy of the earth veins through its scales.

On the other hand, the young man on the ground was pale, clearly indicating that maintaining the formation had taken a great toll.

He gritted his teeth and persevered, the light of the array flags grew stronger and stronger, and the earth dragon's struggle became more and more intense.

Separated by a hundred feet of thick earth, the young man had no idea of ​​the beast's exact cultivation level. He immediately took out a talisman with lightning patterns from his pocket.

He placed the lightning talisman between his eyebrows and activated it with his own blood essence. After the talisman burned, it transformed into a purple lightning bolt that entered his body.

In an instant, lightning crackled around the young man, his aura surged, and he briefly ascended to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

As a result, the light of the array flags became even stronger. With a loud "boom," the ground exploded, and a bronze figure burst out of the earth.

The earth dragon raised its head to the sky, its scales gleaming in the sunlight. Even though it was trapped in a binding formation and its aura was suppressed, its vertical pupils remained fierce as it stared intently at the young man in the air.

"..."

The man and the beast faced each other directly. The young man showed no joy; the earth dragon's cultivation level was clearly beyond his expectations.

He realized he had underestimated the situation; perhaps he shouldn't have split up in the first place... Just as he hesitated, the earth dragon launched its attack.

Perched within the formation, it let out a deep, muffled roar, then twisted its body violently, its bronze scales glowing with an earthy yellow light. The mere aura it unleashed caused the three supporting flags to sway precariously.

The young man's expression changed slightly, and he quickly retreated several feet. At the same time, he made hand seals, and the three array flags moved in response, shooting out golden chains that wrapped around the earth dragon's body.

The chains tightened, cutting into the gaps in the scales. As long as the earth dragon struggled, the chains would tighten even more until it was exhausted.

But the earth dragon in front of us clearly possessed some intelligence. After feeling a slight pain, it stopped moving rashly and opened its huge mouth, spewing out a foul wind mixed with the turbid energy of the earth veins. Wherever it passed, the grass and trees on the ground instantly withered and turned yellow.

As soon as the turbid air came into contact with the barrier of the formation, it made a "sizzling" sound and then melted into the world.

As the restraints on his body and around him disappeared, the earth dragon immediately stretched out his body. While the young man was shocked, the earth dragon's fierce vertical pupils suddenly turned and stared at a hill in the distance.

"Um?"

Following the direction of the earth dragon, they finally noticed a presence. "Who's watching here?"

Ye Xuan sighed inwardly, no longer hiding. His figure slowly rose from behind the mound, his blue and white Taoist robe fluttering gently in the wilderness breeze.

Upon seeing that there was indeed a third person present, the young man's expression was complicated. He could sense that the other person was extraordinary, but he was also unsure whether this person had come to compete with him for the earth dragon or had other motives.

Ye Xuan's idea was much simpler—

Since this has been exposed, and this person is connected to the immortals... we should think of a way to prevent him from talking nonsense.

"Disciples of the Holy Sect, by order of the sect, are here to capture this earth dragon."

After revealing his family background, the young man looked somewhat smug. After all, the Holy Sect was the most prestigious sect in the Longevity Realm, and even if it wasn't renowned, it was an existence that no one dared to offend.

He was certain that Ye Xuan, who was opposite him, would know this.