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

"Did you kill Zhao Wu?"

The fat man turned his head and caught a glimpse of the token hanging from Ye Xuan's waist, and roughly understood the truth of the matter.

Staring at the young man in front of him, whose Taoist robe was only slightly dirty at the hem and whose demeanor was extraordinary, he did not look like an ordinary person.

He was of similar cultivation level to Zhao Wu, and although he had some magical artifacts protecting him, he dared not test him recklessly.

"I am Qian San, a disciple of the Holy Sect. May I ask if you are passing by or have lost your way?"

Qian San quietly took half a step back and smiled.

His gaze remained fixed on Ye Xuan. He had already captured the earth dragon, and no matter what happened next, he would run if things went wrong...

However, Ye Xuan's reply to him was concise and to the point—

"He wouldn't say he got lost, but besides him, there should have been this earth dragon here just now, right?"

Upon hearing this, Qian San's heart skipped a beat. "You!"

He hadn't expected that the person before him would so readily acknowledge the name of the Holy Sect. He couldn't quite figure out whether the Holy Sect was no longer enough to intimidate the Immortal Realm, or whether this young man was simply out of his mind.

After a brief moment of thought, Qian San's attitude changed slightly, and he said seriously:

"This is the sect's order. I will not pursue Zhao Wu's death, but if you want to take the Earth Dragon, you should think twice about your actions!"

Before he finished speaking, Qian San was ready to take the initiative. He drew a short blade from his waist and strode towards Ye Xuan.

Ye Xuan stood still, his Taoist robe fluttering slightly in the wind, and a powerful aura of purity emanated from him.

"Um?!"

Qian San froze in mid-air when he could clearly sense the aura of the person in front of him.

"Golden Core..."

His voice tightened, and after slowly uttering two words, he suddenly realized what he meant:

"Zhao Wu and I were merely following orders. If you wish, you may take this earth dragon."

"The Holy Ancestor's family is vast and powerful; they wouldn't risk making an enemy of a fellow Daoist over a mere earth dragon."

As he spoke, he took out the storage bag from his pocket, put on a stiff smile, and handed it to Ye Xuan.

Taking the slightly swollen storage bag, Ye Xuan tossed it up and down, and Zhao Wusheng's memories of Qian San from before his death surfaced in his mind.

Qian San, with a Foundation Establishment level 4 cultivation, belongs to the outer sect of the Holy Sect, just like Zhao Wu, and is also just a nominal disciple.

These registered disciples, to put it bluntly, are those with poor "natural talent" who are eliminated through rounds of tedious assessments by the Holy Sect.

Only disciples who pass the monthly assessment can advance to an official status, specifically one whose signed token will have a single star...

Putting away the storage bag, Ye Xuan looked at the fat man in front of him with great interest.

"I've heard that some things have happened in the Short-Lived Realm these past few days. Do any disciples of the Holy Sect know more about it?"

"Yes, it is said that there are long-lived beings in the short-lived realm who somehow crossed over to the lower realm and are causing chaos everywhere."

Qian San, however, calmly told Ye Xuan what he knew. After all, the sect had a death sentence; if the two of them couldn't bring back an earth dragon on this trip, they would only face certain death.

This vast wilderness is certainly not limited to the path in front of us, and without Zhao Wu, he alone would probably find it difficult to fight back.

If this fellow Daoist with Golden Core cultivation could accompany me on this journey, that would be wonderful...

Thinking this way, his attitude became even more friendly: "I don't know much."

"But if you are interested, you can inquire about it after you take me back to the sect."

Qian San moved closer to Ye Xuan, looking somewhat embarrassed, and suddenly started stammering.

"However, this earth dragon is a matter of life and death for the sect... If I can't bring it back, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain myself."

Ye Xuan immediately understood, "Could it be that there's more than one earth dragon in this wasteland?"

Qian San was stunned for a moment, then nodded frantically and said:

"Of course, although the surface of this wasteland is barren, the spiritual energy of the earth's veins beneath is very rich."

It is said that many earth dragons have been nurtured here since ancient times, but they usually remain deep underground and only appear when the spiritual energy of heaven and earth fluctuates violently.

As he said this, a bright smile spread across his face. He figured that the Golden Core cultivator in front of him shared the same ideals, and the job at the sect was almost certainly secured!

"I have a sect artifact. As long as I find the earth dragon, I can summon it, but the process will take some time."

Before Qian San could finish speaking, Ye Xuan had already turned around and looked into the depths of the wasteland. The blue and white energies flowed around his body, and his perception spread into the depths of the earth.

When the earth dragon broke through the soil, he vaguely sensed several similar life fluctuations deep within the earth's veins, only they were hidden deeper and more concealed.

"No need for that trouble, there's one over there."

Ye Xuan raised his hand and pointed to a seemingly ordinary mound dozens of miles away. Qian San looked in that direction with some skepticism. He dared not say anything and could only get up and head towards the mound.

Once the two reached the top of the mound, Qian San, just like Zhao Wu had done before, used three array flags to try to find out if there was an earth dragon hidden underground.

Following the sect's method, Qian San inserted the three array flags into three nodes on the mound and then activated the array.

Half an hour later, the ground began to shake violently, and a bright light suddenly rose from the magic circle.

The next moment, amidst the swirling dust, a gigantic figure burst forth from the earth, its bronze-brown scales gleaming heavily in the sunlight.

A pair of vertical pupils slowly opened. The earth dragon's eyes showed none of the ferocity and rage of the previous one, but instead revealed calmness and indifference after being disturbed.

It perched atop the collapsed mound ruins, looking down upon Qian San. Its vertical pupils merely swept over him, yet they sent chills down his spine.

"This is something neither you nor I can fight against."

He glanced at Ye Xuan beside him and saw that he was silent and just staring at the ground. Qian San felt more and more uneasy.

He was both afraid of failing the mission and being punished upon returning, and also somewhat looking forward to seeing what great supernatural powers this fellow Daoist with the Golden Core cultivation could possess.

Just as he was hesitating, he heard Ye Xuan's voice in his ear.

"Go and find out what's really going on."

"I?!"

"Hmm, I just reaped the benefits without lifting a finger. I need to see what tricks this earth dragon has up its sleeve before I can decide what to do."

Ye Xuan spoke as if it were perfectly reasonable, truly treating Qian San as a subordinate he could order around. Faced with this decision, he was even more troubled.

If he disobeyed orders and stayed in the back, he would surely become enemies with Ye Xuan; but if he really went up against him, he would probably get beaten black and blue by this earth dragon.

However, just as he hesitated, the earth dragon below swung its body and moved its tail sideways towards the two of them.

Startled by the sudden change, Qian San retreated repeatedly, but Ye Xuan beside him dodged even faster, and the earth dragon's solid attack ultimately landed on him.

"boom!"

The earth dragon scales collided with the protective shield, causing the entire mound to shake violently, and Qian San was thrown more than a mile away.

Qian San's mind went blank for a moment, but after a while, he finally understood the current situation.

Ye Xuan remained aloof, observing the battle from the sidelines, showing no intention of making a move whatsoever!

Realizing he had been tricked, Qian San dragged his swaying body and struggled to his feet, cursing Ye Xuan's ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart.

But this did not change the situation; the earth dragon was still rushing towards him, and Qian San panicked.

The fat man felt a wetness in his crotch, and suddenly felt a warm sensation coming from below. He stared in horror at the earth dragon that could shake the ground, and he really didn't even have the thought of taking out a thunder talisman or self-destructing.

Just as the earth dragon was getting closer and closer, about to rush in front of him, Qian San saw the enormous creature collapse with a thud right in front of him...

After the earth dragon collapsed and the dust settled, Qian San saw Ye Xuan standing in the sky with his palms closed, drifting towards him.

Qian San immediately sat up, trying his best to hide his embarrassment, "Thank you, fellow Daoist!"

"Fellow Daoist's abilities are extraordinary; even this earth dragon couldn't withstand it..."

Qian San's praise was cut short as he finally saw a phantom-like figure flickering behind Ye Xuan, the shape of which resembled a willow tree.