The Aquaphyll submersible plunged to the bottom of the pool, successfully collecting only about one-tenth of the slightly darker, thicker liquid before ceasing its extraction. Zong Shou nodded inwardly; Ye Feishuang, at least, knew when to stop.

But then, looking at the deep pool, he frowned slightly. His Thunder Winged Flood Dragon was indeed at the peak of the Seventh Tier, yet still fell short of true Dragon transformation.

Should he wait until they exited this place?

Over there, Ye Feishuang seemed to sense Zong Shou’s predicament. She let out a cold laugh: "If you wish to transform into a dragon, this pool is the best place. The Primordial Essence Spring water is not impossible to take out, though its spiritual efficacy will be significantly reduced. I happen to have a few drops of Thunder Dragon Blood; I’ll lend them to you for now. But remember to repay me later—"

Suddenly, another small vial flew over. Ye Feishuang then seemed to have a sudden realization: "I have some too!"

She rummaged through her Qiankun Pouch and pulled out another small vial, which caused Ye Feishuang to glare furiously.

Zong Shou accepted it without hesitation, opened it, and a flicker of joy instantly crossed his eyes.

This was the essence blood of an Immortal Realm True Dragon. While perhaps not as potent as Ao Kun’s, it belonged to the same bloodline as the Thunder lineage, and its effects were even stronger.

He tucked away a few drops and flicked the remaining dragon blood into the mouth of the Thunder Winged Flood Dragon, which had reappeared.

The creature let out a roar, gave a flick of its tail, and dove back into the pool. Spiritual light surged, and the entire pool began to boil, sending up countless bubbles.

Then, complete silence descended—

Zong Shou, who had been filled with anticipation, froze for a moment, then looked questioningly at the Feishuang and Feihan sisters.

Ye Feishuang immediately rubbed her forehead with a headache. "Do you think shedding your mortal form to become a dragon is that easy? Normally, it would take at least forty-nine days. Even with the aid of the Primordial Essence Spring to instantly restore injuries, it still requires a full twelve hours!"

Hearing this, Zong Shou’s face reddened, and he forced a few awkward laughs. He had almost forgotten that he had read about this in books before.

He looked closely at the pool again and saw movement from the Thunder Winged Flood Dragon; its skin was already splitting, and its body was writhing as if trying to burst free from its own sheath.

Within moments, it was covered in wounds. Yet, the effect of the Primordial Essence Spring was truly extraordinary. No matter how severe the injury, it recovered rapidly, maintaining full vital energy.

"Is this Primordial Essence Spring what they call the Dragon Transformation Pool?"

Looking at Ye Feishuang’s teasing expression across from him, Zong Shou mused thoughtfully, then in the next instant, summoned Hanxi along with the six Silver Ants.

He stared at the Saint Fire Ant Queen for a moment. Only when Hanxi slightly averted her gaze did Zong Shou let out a cold snort.

He tossed all seven Saint Fire Silver Ants into the pool.

Ye Feishuang was slightly startled: "Are you insane? In this Dragon Transformation Pool, everything is either dragon-affiliated or highly venomous—"

But just as she spoke, Zong Shou lifted the divine soul suppression lock on Hanxi. Joy instantly flooded her eyes. In a flash, countless silver threads shot out from within her body, enveloping her form to create a cocoon.

The other six Silver Ants did the same, though slightly smaller, and they sank together to the deepest part of the pool. Not only were they unharmed, but they were actively swallowing portions of the Primordial Essence Spring water.

Ye Feishuang was dumbfounded, taking a moment to grasp the situation. "Are these Silver Ants naturally born anomalies?"

Zong Shou gave a ‘gruff’ chuckle and said nothing, secretly remarking that Ye Feishuang’s transformation was too great; she truly was knowledgeable and experienced now. She was cuter when she pretended not to know things.

※ ※ ※ ※

The Thunder Winged Flood Dragon's transformation required at least twelve hours. Since no one else could find this place, it was considered safe. The group dispersed to search for other spiritual items within this small Ethereal Realm.

The spiritual energy here was no less abundant than in the Azure Heaven Ethereal Realm. Zong Shou, taking Zong Yuan and Ruoshui, swept through the area. They couldn't acquire anything truly supreme, but they gathered a large pile of aged spiritual herbs and medicines.

This barely made up for the losses incurred while breaking through the formations earlier.

Half an hour later, they regrouped at the pool. Zong Shou was now gazing towards the southern side of the Ethereal Realm, where an alabaster platform stood, complete with exactly eighty-one steps.

"Miss Feishuang, why didn't you two investigate that platform?"

Zong Shou and Ye Feishuang had agreed that in this Ethereal Realm, they would each search half the area. Spiritual items below the Seventh Tier would not be counted. Items above the Seventh Tier would be split based on a nine-to-one ratio.

It was strange that Ye Feishuang, along with the Ice Flood Dragon puppet, had not entered the platform, which clearly looked like a place where rare treasures and spiritual items might be hidden; they were only circling outside.

But what struck Zong Shou as even stranger was that when asked, Ye Feishuang frowned in confusion and channeled spiritual power into her eyes: "What platform?"

Zong Shou froze, wondering if he had misjudged the situation, or if it was an illusion. He glanced at Zong Yuan and Ruoshui beside him; both wore looks of confusion.

He looked ahead again, infusing his eyes with True Qi and Soul Power. But no matter how he looked, the white jade structure still stood firmly in the southern direction.

Zong Shou’s eyes narrowed sharply. Then, without hesitation, he sprang up.

Within a few breaths, he stood beneath the platform. Zong Shou tentatively placed one foot forward.

They were indeed steps, feeling utterly real. Zong Shou’s eyes lit up, and he continued to ascend.

Upon reaching the forty-ninth step, he was suddenly struck by a magnificent pressure that nearly crushed his body completely.

Before Zong Shou could react, the center of his primordial soul flashed white and dark, and two vortices spontaneously detached from his body.

The moment the Black and White Two Caves manifested, the entire stone platform was split: one half plunged into deep darkness, the other shone with blinding white light.

The pressure that had nearly ground him to dust vanished instantly.

Zong Shou raised an eyebrow slightly, not dwelling on it. He stepped onto the platform and retracted the Black and White Two Caves manifestation.

On the jade platform stood a three-story pavilion. He hadn't been able to see it clearly from a distance, but now, standing atop the platform, he could read the plaque above the entrance: ‘Star Gazing Tower.’

He hadn't paid attention earlier, but now he found it odd. With his vision, how could he have failed to see clearly something less than a thousand zhang away?

—And yet, what stars was the Star Gazing Tower observing in this small Ethereal Realm, where the sky only showed the projection of the Great Sun, lacking even the moon?

Puzzled, Zong Shou pushed open the door and stepped closer.

He immediately sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. Inside the pavilion, what he saw was completely different from the ancient, quaint architecture he had imagined.

What lay before him was a vast expanse of night sky, filled with countless stars in all directions.

Stepping inside felt like being suspended in the cosmic expanse. Except for the stone platform beneath his feet, the east, south, west, north, above, and below were all endless void. His spiritual sense probed outwards, reaching nowhere near the boundary. Everything around was gone, completely vacuum save for a few minuscule particles.

A realization dawned on Zong Shou: that door was likely another gateway to a different space, and the pavilion he saw was merely an illusion.

The steps extended far into the distance, reaching a thousand zhang away, where another, much larger platform rested.

Upon it sat a massive metallic instrument composed of countless interlocking rings. As Zong Shou approached, he saw a stone tablet beneath the platform inscribed with the words: ‘World Viewing Apparatus.’

"World Viewing Apparatus? Viewing the World? Such grand ambition. Can this thing truly observe a world?"

Zong Shou was unconvinced, thinking it was likely an exaggeration by the former master of this place. Still, his curiosity grew. He walked beneath the huge instrument.

At the very center was a circular altar, surrounded by a spiritual array so complex he couldn't understand it—it must be for operating the World Viewing Apparatus.

Zong Shou looked around the altar, his expression betraying unconcealed disappointment. There were no useful spiritual artifacts or magical treasures here, not even a trace of Immortal Treasures. The spiritual array on the altar was far too profound, reaching a level entirely beyond his comprehension.

He also had no idea how to use the massive World Viewing Apparatus.

Just as he was about to turn back, Zong Shou heard a faint click. Alarmed, he instinctively looked up. The numerous rings above, which had been motionless, suddenly began to turn.

Their speed increased rapidly. Then, streaks of starlight shone down from all directions, illuminating esoteric symbols of purple-gold on every rotating wheel.

Zong Shou's expression changed slightly, and he prepared to retreat quickly. But at this moment, the altar below began to shine with spiritual light, and countless layers of transparent light barriers firmly enclosed the small platform, continually extending outwards. They stopped only after reaching eighty-one layers!

Zong Shou was trapped within, unable to move. His expression shifted between gloom and brightness, but his mind remained calm, cooled to the absolute extreme.

Though he didn't know what unforeseen event had occurred, being unable to escape, he could only watch quietly. Anxiety would be useless.

After a few more moments, as all the rings reached their maximum rotational speed, the spiritual light intensified.

And in that instant, the entire void was utterly torn open.

Moments later, the stars before Zong Shou, along with the World Viewing Apparatus, completely vanished.

Beneath him remained only the small altar and the complete eighty-one layers of protective barriers.

"Where is this? Can I return?"

The moment this thought arose in Zong Shou's mind, a tiny point of light exploded in the distance.

Blinding radiance illuminated the surroundings. The intensity of this light surpassed even the midday sun he had observed. It pierced through all eighty-one layers of the spiritual light barriers, still stinging his eyes painfully.

However, perhaps due to the influence of this array, the distant light spot was rapidly expanding, inflating wildly in all directions, spewing out countless materials.

At this point, Zong Shou’s spirit faltered.

—The scene before him was unmistakably the vision of the Primordial Beginning!