The Tree God united with the Cave Heaven, completing its form. The Purple Nether Lotus coiled around it; this supreme-grade innate spiritual root had clearly developed a nascent sentience, though it was markedly less intelligent than the Red Leaf Cedar.
Thirty-six lotus leaves unfurled from the purple lotus, emitting a Purple Soul Profound Light that showered onto one hundred and eight small flowers. One by one, the flower spirits felt tendrils of soul power surge within them, their spiritual bodies solidifying once more.
The spirits, in a rather unceremonious fashion, bowed in gratitude to the Purple Nether Lotus.
"Ah, thank you, Divine Lotus Lord!"
"Thank you, Divine Lotus Lord!"
"Wuwuwu~ Divine Lotus Lord is so kind!"
"Indeed! Even more so than Lord Cedar!"
The spirits, lacking knowledge of proper etiquette, paid no heed to formality. They simply knew that those who treated them well deserved their affection.
Such simple, innocent purity was a rare sight in the Primordial World.
Qing Ling sank into a deep slumber, a prolonged state of unconsciousness. Never had she relaxed her spirit so completely, never had she shed her pretense so thoroughly. There was no need to compromise, no fear of life or death, no more pretense, no more scheming. All restraints dissolved.
She slept naked, her body merging with heaven and earth. Born without a single possession, she returned to the primal simplicity of the Great Dao. All techniques, all paths, were naturally unbound, formless, shapeless, unrestrained, neither good nor evil.
For tens of millions of miles within the Chimei Forest, an abundance of spiritual energy surged forth. From beneath the earth and above the sky, the depleted spiritual energy of the Chimei Forest was filled by the spiritual energy from the surrounding regions. This energy was then absorbed by the Red Leaf Cedar, only for the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to replenish it once more...
...
Time flowed endlessly, heaven and earth remained ageless, and all things were eternally renewed.
Eastern Wasteland, atop Taichong Peak of Xi Mountain.
A hundred or so Xi Mountain clansmen stood in orderly rows on the plaza. Each one was a Golden Immortal Venerable!
Amidst the crowd, Venerable Chi transmitted a message to Qí beside her, "Hey, Little Qí. Has the clan leader truly decided not to fight anymore?"
Qí shook her head and rolled her eyes. "How would I know? That's a decision made by the clan elders. If you want to know, you should cultivate more and step into the late stage as soon as possible to become a clan elder. Instead of always flirting with those male snakes!"
"Ah, what kind of talk is that from you! Who taught you these words? They sound so unpleasant. My flirting is also a form of cultivation! In another ten thousand years, I'll go into seclusion to break through to the late stage, then we'll see how you surpass me! Wait a moment~ Don't tell me you're angry that elder sister hasn't flirted with you? Good boy~ You're still young, don't rush."
Upon hearing this, Qí became enraged. "Who are you calling young? I'm over a million years old! The Golden Immortals behind me all have to call me Uncle Clan Leader! Hmph~ Who needs you. Just wait until my elder brother returns, then we'll see how cocky you are."
At the mention of this, Qí's expression grew somber, and she fell silent, ignoring Chi.
Seeing Qí like this, Venerable Chi couldn't help but sigh and say, "Don't worry. Isn't your elder brother's soul lamp still alright? And it's burning brighter and brighter. He must be hiding somewhere, secretly hoarding heavenly treasures!"
Qí still remained silent. Ever since her elder brother left the clan without a word six epochs ago, he had never returned. For a full seventy-seven thousand four hundred years, Qing Ling had not returned, nor had he sent any news. Even Granny Hua Geng's request for the Divination Beast to perform a divination yielded only auspicious signs, with no further response.
Just as Qí was lost in thought, several streaks of light flashed on the high platform of the plaza. Granny Hua Geng stood at the highest position, followed by Venerable Shù, Venerable Chì Lí, Venerable Dú, and also Venerable Yì and Venerable Róng. These five were all clan elders, residing on the fourth-highest platform. They were all in the late stage of Golden Immortal cultivation, and currently, only those in the late stage of Golden Immortal were qualified to be clan elders in the Xi Mountain clan.
On the third-highest tier, only one person stood. She was as cold as a shard of ice, pure and untainted, her peerless beauty mesmerizing countless male snakes. She was the second Taiyi cultivator in the clan, Kē! As an exotic species of the Primordial World, her cultivation speed had always far surpassed others, and her strength was immense. Now, she could finally stop concealing her bloodline and remove the most authoritative existence in the clan, the clan leader.
As for the second-highest platform, there was only empty space, representing the position of the Xi Mountain Holy Son. However, six epochs had passed, and the Holy Son had still not returned.
On the first-highest platform, naturally, stood Granny Hua Geng, the leader of the clan. Even as a Taiyi cultivator, Granny Hua Geng's aura was far stronger than Kē, who had just entered the Taiyi realm. The Daoic might radiating from her grew stronger and stronger. The Golden Immortal Venerables of the clan were discussing how their clan leader was highly likely to attempt to break through to Da Luo!
As soon as these individuals arrived, the more than a hundred Golden Immortals below bent their waists and bowed, "Greetings, Clan Leader, Clan Elders."
Granny Hua Geng waved her sleeve and smiled, "You may all rise." She looked at the sea of Golden Immortals below, recalling how Xi Mountain was once a small clan with only three Golden Immortals. Now, it was on the verge of becoming a great clan. Even the Golden Immortals of great clans did not possess the numbers that the Xi Mountain Golden Immortals did. Xi Mountain's foundation was terrifyingly deep. Over a hundred Golden Immortal Venerables, and an immeasurable number of Heavenly and Earthly ranks. The clan territory spanned nearly a hundred million li. The only gap between them and the great clans was the absence of a Da Luo Golden Immortal!
Granny Hua Geng's heart was filled with emotion and pride. Although they were far from the primordial era, they had already become a greatly prosperous clan!
"Everyone, today is the clan assembly held every epoch. This time, the most important matter is to decide whether to continue the war of conquest! Elder Chi Lí, you will explain the situation to everyone."
Below, Chi Lí stepped forward and said loudly, "Fellow clansmen, since the war of conquest was initiated seven epochs ago, seven epochs have passed. The war of conquest has not only expanded the Xi Mountain clan territory a hundredfold but has also led to the discovery of countless heavenly treasures within the conquered territories. Many clansmen have been tempered and broken through their realms during the battles, and the fearsome reputation of our Xi Mountain clan has been established. Today, our Xi Mountain snake clan is renowned throughout the Eastern Wasteland, second only to the three great clans, dominating seventy-three tribes in the Western Region, and striking awe into the Lingchan Great Clan in the South. Wherever the banners of Xi Mountain are planted, that land belongs to our clan's domain.
However, we must also acknowledge the dangers brought by the war of conquest. Firstly, countless clansmen have sacrificed their lives in the war. Secondly, it consumes vast amounts of heavenly treasures and the resources within the clan territory, and it also delays the cultivation time of all you Golden Immortal Venerables. And most importantly, our Xi Mountain bloodline has evolved. Due to the increasing number of Golden Immortal Venerables, the bloodline of all your kin is the Golden Immortal bloodline, thus possessing extraordinary abilities beyond ordinary snakes. However, this has also made procreation increasingly difficult. The growth in clan numbers has not only stagnated but has begun to decline. Apart from the deaths in the war of conquest, only a small portion are natural deaths. Furthermore, our Holy Son has been on his travels and has not yet returned, and the flourishing spring has faded. According to the investigations by the four peak rulers, the number of our clan members has decreased from over twenty billion ten thousand years ago to just over ten billion today. A large portion of these deaths are due to the war of conquest. Moreover, the tribes of the Western Region have now completely united. Expanding further west would mean a head-on confrontation and a prolonged war of attrition! At that time, who knows how many more clansmen will be sacrificed! Therefore, the four peak lords propose to end the war of conquest and establish a treaty of peaceful coexistence with the Western Region tribes."