Qing Ling did not hesitate this time. After communicating with the remaining snakes using snake sounds, he transformed into a green rainbow and shot into the sky, flying towards Tai Chong Peak of Xi Mountain.
Along the way, he saw many low-level transformed tribesmen and, in the distance, Heavenly rank tribesmen flying from all directions towards Xi Mountain.
Qing Ling did not rush. He flew leisurely, at a speed comparable to a Earth rank beast. If he arrived too early, his status as a primordial spirit would undoubtedly draw the constant gaze of the tribesmen.
Therefore, it was better for him to arrive later.
Even so, the distance of hundreds of thousands of li was only a day's journey for an Earth rank.
Qing Ling entered the tribal burrow. Over a hundred tribesmen were already present, some standing, some sitting, and some lying down. As they were snakes, they liked to coil and twist. The Golden Immortal Venerable seats above had not yet appeared, so the burrow felt rather casual.
Many tribesmen spontaneously rose and greeted Qing Ling, "Spring God!"
"Spring God!"
"Spring God!"
Qing Ling smiled and cupped his hands, nodding and raising his hands in return. Most of these tribesmen were low-level, with five or six Heavenly rank tribesmen among them, all newly born.
Among the dozen or so Heavenly rank tribesmen in front, there were also cold, indifferent, and even mocking gazes. Qing Ling naturally ignored them all.
Qi, who had been meditating cross-legged, stood up immediately upon hearing of his arrival. "Brother! Why are you only just arriving?"
Qing Ling chuckled, "What? Is there any benefit to arriving early?"
Unexpectedly, as soon as he made this joke, dozens of tribesmen's eyes turned to him. Qing Ling's heart skipped a beat. Who had he offended?
Beside him, Du saw this and quickly transmitted a message, "Xiao Qing, you must remain calm later. Don't act rashly, or you'll lose the support of the tribesmen. Don't worry, with us here, you definitely won't fall behind!"
Qing Ling looked at Du with a confused expression. Du, however, turned away, avoiding eye contact as if to avoid suspicion, and sat in silence.
Qi also transmitted, "Brother, you must also put some thought into it later. Although I don't quite understand the oddity of it all, you are so smart, you'll definitely be able to do it with some thought. I'm just reminding you, hehe."
Qing Ling looked around in a daze, his eyes darting left and right. The tribesmen were all scrutinizing him to varying degrees.
It seemed he had arrived too early. If he had known this would happen, he should have come even later. It would have been better to be the last to arrive than to be constantly stared at by the tribesmen.
He transmitted to Qi, "Qi, what is going on? Why do I feel like the tribesmen are looking at me strangely?"
Qi scratched his head and said vaguely, "Brother Du told me that your status is special, and someone is bound to blame you for this crisis. Anyway, it's just those nagging words."
Qing Ling's heart settled, and he began to ponder.
After half a day, all the tribesmen above the Earth rank and who had transformed had returned to the burrow. Qing Ling glanced around; there were only a little over two hundred of them, with two hundred being Earth rank tribesmen and less than twenty Heavenly rank tribesmen.
It seemed that the Ten Thousand Beasts War had caused casualties of at least a dozen Heavenly rank individuals! This was undoubtedly a significant reduction in Xi Mountain's core fighting strength.
Another quarter of an hour passed, and three rays of light flashed outside the burrow, arriving at the highest tribal elder position within the cave before anyone could react.
It was the three Golden Immortal Venerables of Xi Mountain!
The more than two hundred snake-people stood up, some with human bodies and snake tails, or snake bodies and human feet. The various snake-people respectfully saluted the three Golden Immortal Venerables.
"Greetings, Chief, greetings, Tribal Elders."
"Greetings, Chief, greetings, Tribal Elders."
...
The voices were grand and full of respect, embodying the unity of the tribe.
Granny Hua Geng, holding the Myriad Snake Staff that symbolized the chief's authority, laughed heartily and said, "Rise, warriors of my tribe."
The more than two hundred people then rose and stood respectfully below.
Granny Hua Geng continued with a smile, "I believe there is no one in the tribe who does not know of my breakthrough to Taiyi.
I have summoned you all here today for three matters. You are the enlightened and transformed beings among Xi Mountain's ten million spirit snakes, and you can represent the will of Xi Mountain's ten million spirit snakes. Therefore, I have summoned you to discuss important tribal matters.
The first matter is good news. Previously, Elder Chi Li went out and encountered an opportunity. He cultivated for tens of thousands of years and has achieved great success, reaching the late stage of Golden Immortal!"
Upon hearing this, the tribesmen's faces lit up with joy, and they sincerely offered their blessings, "Congratulations to Elder Chi Li on his great progress on the Dao!"
Chi Li also wore a faint smile and said loudly, "Although my cultivation has advanced, the future of Xi Mountain will ultimately depend on you, the new generation of tribesmen. You cannot rely solely on the glory of your predecessors and become complacent and neglect your cultivation.
Do not let the glory of your predecessors become your own fading glory!"
All the snakes replied respectfully, "We will strictly adhere to the Elder's teachings."
Granny Hua Geng spoke again, "Next, is the sorrow. In this Ten Thousand Beasts War, our tribe suffered nearly a million casualties, with two hundred and thirty-one Earth rank individuals perishing tragically, and twenty-one Heavenly rank individuals sacrificing their lives. They are all heroes of Xi Mountain, and their valiant souls should be revered and remembered by the younger generations of Xi Mountain!
Therefore, the two of us and the other Elder have decided to perform the Ancient Myriad Snake Sacrifice, to summon the valiant souls of our ancestors and guide them into Xi Mountain's Soul Tomb, so that their souls may rest in Xi Mountain!"
Upon hearing this, the tribesmen below became extremely excited, even more so than when Chi Li broke through to the late stage.
Qing Ling was somewhat puzzled. He had never heard of the Ancient Myriad Snake Sacrifice. After all, he was only tens of thousands of years old, and Xi Mountain had a heritage of thousands of Yuanhui. There were too many secrets he did not know.
Granny Hua Geng glanced at Qing Ling, as if sensing his confusion, and continued, "You all know that to perform the Ancient Myriad Snake Sacrifice, it must be initiated by our tribe's Holy Son or Holy Daughter. And only those who have reached the Golden Immortal realm can establish a Holy Son or Holy Daughter.
As for my Taiyi realm, it has just reached the required level. In fact, the second and third matters today are one matter.
That is to choose a Holy Son or Holy Daughter! Through the Holy Son or Holy Daughter, the Ancient Myriad Snake Sacrifice will be performed, ancestral spirits will be summoned, and the Spiritual Tomb will be reopened. Henceforth, the souls of all our tribal members will no longer have nowhere to return to the heavens and earth!"
Qing Ling finally understood. It turned out they were going to select a Holy Son or Holy Daughter. Only Taiyi-level tribes and Great Luo-level clans had the ability to select a Holy Son or Holy Daughter; ordinary Golden Immortal small tribes had no such possibility.
The Xi Mountain Soul Tomb was like a cemetery for nurturing the souls of ancestors. At this time, there was no cycle of reincarnation in the world. All souls either dispersed into heaven and earth or were drawn to the underworld to endure the torment of the terrifying sea of blood. Neither of these fates was a good outcome for a soul.
Therefore, some powerful and ancient clans established tribal tombs to nurture the souls of their ancestors, preventing them from dissipating into heaven and earth or being defiled by the sea of blood!
Qing Ling mused, it seemed that quite a few tribesmen in the tribe considered him a competitor. No wonder the tribesmen had looked at him strangely just now.
Granny Hua Geng glanced at Venerable Shu, signaling him to speak.
Shu immediately stepped forward, raised his hand to press down, and the snakes calmed down, listening to Elder Shu's words.
"Becoming the Holy Son or Holy Daughter of the tribe is of great importance. It is not only a symbol of our tribe's dignity but also carries the protection of our tribe's destiny. With the protection of the twelve celestial stems of the Dragon race, you will also enjoy the benefits of various secret techniques, ancient methods, and ancestral treasures of the tribe.
However, not everyone can hold this position.
Next, all Heavenly rank tribesmen of the tribe step forward."
As the words fell, a total of twenty-three Heavenly rank tribesmen stepped forward.
The more than two hundred Earth rank tribesmen looked at their Heavenly rank seniors in front of them with envy.
Shu spoke again, "Those whose age exceeds one hundred thousand years will step back."
As soon as these words were uttered, more than half of the Heavenly rank individuals withdrew.
Only seven Heavenly rank tribesmen remained.
Qing Ling, Qi, Du, Ke, a girl named Chi, a muscular man named Yu, and a suave man named Rong.
Venerable Shu nodded and said, "Only the seven of you can compete for the position of Holy Son or Holy Daughter!
There is only one position, and there are seven of you. Those who do not wish to participate can withdraw."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qi jumped to the back with a chuckle, not saying a word.
Then Du and the muscular man Yu also directly stepped back, abandoning the competition.
Qing Ling looked at the remaining few, thinking that he had already received too much favor from the tribe and did not want to get involved in this matter.
However, as he was about to move, Granny Hua Geng's voice came to his ear, "If you dare to take a step back, I will throw you out of Xi Mountain!"
Qing Ling's heart trembled. It seemed that Granny Hua Geng wanted him to participate in this competition. And with the elder speaking so gravely, he dared not simply withdraw.
As for Ke, after glancing at Qing Ling, she also voluntarily retreated. Her withdrawal surprised many in the tribe who had high hopes for her.
The tribesmen below began to whisper and communicate telepathically.
"Alas, why did Ke withdraw? With her aptitude, she had a high chance of becoming the Holy Daughter."
"Yes, Ke is not only stunningly beautiful but also at the middle stage of Heavenly rank, and her strength is undeniable. It's a pity she withdrew."
"However, Qing Ling is still here. It seems that the position of Holy Son is more than likely his!"
"Indeed. His primordial spirit origin alone is enough to crush the other two."
"Hmph, him? How much disaster has this guy brought to our Xi Mountain? Back then, when he broke through to Heavenly rank, Xi Mountain was targeted by various great clans, nearly leading to the destruction of the tribe. And this time, in the Ten Thousand Beasts War, why is the Scarlet Toad clan fighting so hard if not for him, a primordial spirit?"
"Exactly! He stays in the tribe all day cultivating, ignoring all matters, and enjoys all the benefits of the tribe. He's a jinx!"
"A jinx? Isn't that a bit excessive? After all..."
"After all what? How old are you? Since he came to the tribe, Xi Mountain has never had a moment of peace. Aren't the hundreds of thousands of fellow tribesmen who died in this Ten Thousand Beasts War all because of him? It is precisely because of him, this primordial being, that Xi Mountain is feared and plotted against by the four tribes in this war."
...
Although the snake race had achieved cultivation, the fickle nature of snakes was inherent. As various voices rose from the tribe, more and more tribesmen became uncertain. Many elders in the tribe began to waver in their views of Qing Ling.
Venerable Shu, hearing the increasingly loud murmurs below, snorted coldly and said, "All of you, be silent."
The power of a Golden Immortal Venerable's voice suppressed the tribal members, and no one dared to whisper anymore.
"Good, since only the three of you are participating, we will first invite the Wood Great Beast to divine your fortunes!
He who has the most prosperous destiny, the greatest fortune, and the greatest wisdom shall be the Holy Son or Holy Daughter of our Xi Mountain Snake Tribe!"