Volume 1, Chapter 4: The Solar Star, Primordial Poison Dragon

Lin Yang soared toward the primordial starry sky, ascending continuously through countless sweeping fierce winds. Above him, the stars grew larger and more magnificent. As he climbed higher, even the rumbling sounds of stars grinding and rotating through the void became vividly clear.

From the vast prehistoric land below, each star appeared merely as a pinpoint of light, seemingly eternal and unmoving. Yet, only by approaching them in the high heavens could one discern their ceaseless motion. Each star was immeasurably vast, differing only in that they rarely harbored living beings—and if any existed, they were of limited intelligence. Unlike the prehistoric world, they had not given rise to diverse races or civilizations.

This was due to the harshness of the primordial starry environment. The spiritual energy was thin, and the gravitational shifts between stars were constant, leaving no room for life to evolve. Lin Yang paid no mind to these conditions and headed straight for the solar star.

From afar, the solar star resembled a great fireball; approaching it, the heat intensified, and the vision transformed into an endless world of flames. Lin Yang’s cultivation was profound—mid-stage Golden Immortal—allowing him to traverse the prehistoric world unhindered, no matter the dangers.

Though the solar star’s environment was extremely harsh, its true fire on the surface capable of incinerating even Golden Immortals, to Lin Yang it was merely a warming embrace. Perhaps because his true form was a gourd vine, the flames still caused some discomfort, and he furrowed his brow slightly as he landed to survey the fiery surroundings.

Everywhere he looked was boundless, scorching fire. While the surface flames were negligible to him, the sun’s inner true fire demanded caution. “With this natural protection, Di Jun and Tai Yi can safely nurture themselves within this star,” Lin Yang mused.

He then summoned his mystic artifact—the Chaos Gourd.

The Chaos Gourd was wondrous, integrating the mysteries of seven primordial gourds. Among them was the Water-Fire Gourd, originally belonging to the Overlord of All Heavens. The Overlord had refined it into a treasure containing the essence of water and fire. When summoned, it could manifest as two qilins, one of water and one of fire, used to dueling prowess.

Now, this power had been enhanced within the Chaos Gourd, and the two qilins were far mightier than before.

Lin Yang’s purpose in coming here was to absorb the solar star’s true fire, bolstering the gourd’s fiery core. Upon activating the Chaos Gourd, powerful devouring forces emanated from it, drawing the true fire into its depths. The gourd was like a bottomless pit, endlessly consuming the solar flames without ever filling.

Yet, Lin Yang felt dissatisfied—the surface true fire was too weak. Absorbing small amounts barely strengthened the gourd’s fire source; gathering more would consume untold time.

Suddenly, a tremendous explosion shattered the silence, followed by a series of roaring dragon cries. Startled, Lin Yang thought dragons had appeared and quickly looked toward the source.

A massive bubble had burst, releasing a vast cloud of poisonous gas—the toxic fumes of the solar true fire. Though the solar star was a sacred realm for fire cultivation, its flames were laced with poison. Absorbing this toxic fire during training could be perilous.

But such concerns were irrelevant to Lin Yang. He did not practice fire magic but simply sought to strengthen his artifact by absorbing true fire. Fire poison was no matter to him.

What did catch his attention was that from the bursting bubble surged hundreds of tiny living beings. They were dragons, but not the dragon tribe of the prehistoric four seas. These were Primordial Toxic Dragons, native to the solar star itself—a species of fire essence born of the sun’s flames. Naturally, they wielded formidable fire magic, able to spew true solar fire and incinerate all.

However, these Primordial Toxic Dragons lived brief lives, lacking intelligence. When the bubble exploded, many perished, but the survivors, oblivious to fear, roared and spewed flames as they sought new bubbles to play in.

They flitted from bubble to bubble, lacking wisdom but embodying a different kind of vibrant existence.

Noticing these dragons, Lin Yang’s thoughts stirred. Though most lacked intelligence, any species with large numbers would eventually produce exceptions. It was possible that on this solar star, some Primordial Toxic Dragons had awakened intellect and grown powerful.

If he could tame a few, they might not only provide aid but serve as impressive guardians.

Moreover, these dragons had another use: Lin Yang could hunt them to harvest their essence, which would amplify the Chaos Gourd’s fire source. These dragons, as embodiments of fire essence, had refined the solar true fire through constant consumption. Slaying them to reclaim their essence would accelerate the gourd’s enhancement.

Yet, having recently been reborn into this world, Lin Yang was not ruthless, so he refrained from indiscriminate slaughter and watched the dragons disperse.

He held the Chaos Gourd above his head, both shielding himself and continuing to absorb the solar true fire along his path. Just as he expected, deeper in the star the flames grew fiercer, and the Primordial Toxic Dragons became stronger—but their numbers gradually dwindled.

Eventually, the true fire was so intense that, without the gourd’s protection, even Lin Yang’s body would be scorched to a frazzled crisp. At this point, no dragons were in sight—only a vast sea of red flames, resembling a subterranean magma realm.

It was astonishing that any life could spawn in such a place.

Yet, in a high-tier world like the prehistoric realm, this was normal. After all, it was in such crucibles that Di Jun and Tai Yi had been nurtured—two primordial deities born with cultivation on par with Golden Immortals at birth.

Lin Yang, an anomaly aided by a system, had merely emerged one era ahead of them.

He searched for these two, not for fate or destiny, but because they were born treasures themselves. Di Jun wielded the River Diagram and Luo Book, and Tai Yi possessed the Chaos Bell—three legendary artifacts Lin Yang deeply coveted.

His journey continued, driven by the hope of meeting these mighty beings.