Chilin Venerable and Xu Venerable broke through their respective barriers one after another. Their divine senses swept across the tens of thousands of miles around Xishan, and their gazes finally fell upon Bai Chun Valley at the foot of Tai Chong Peak.
Chilin Venerable was an old man with crimson hair, possessing a mid-stage Golden Immortal cultivation. His eyes held a mixture of joy and worry. The joy stemmed from the fact that this young man, Qing Ling, had indeed not disappointed them. The worry was that such a grand celestial phenomenon would undoubtedly attract the attention of those with ulterior motives. If his innate divine spirit body were discovered, it would surely draw countless powerful cultivators.
This was because innate divine spirits often emerged with accompanying spiritual treasures, and most of them were innate spiritual treasures!
As he was pondering in his worry, the void beside him rippled, and Xu Venerable stepped out.
"Clan Elder Brother!" Xu Venerable cupped his hands in greeting. Xu Venerable was a strong and burly middle-aged man, the father of Qi.
Chilin nodded, sighing, "When the Chieftain brought this child back to the mountain all those years ago, I already anticipated this day.
Xu, what are your thoughts on this matter?"
The middle-aged man's rough voice echoed, stating frankly, "Although it will bring danger to Xishan, if he can overcome it, this child might reach the Taiyi realm!
The decision should still be left to the Chieftain."
The two nodded and strode together into the Xishan tribal cave to meet Granny Hua Geng.
Upon entering the cave, they respectfully bowed, "Greetings, Chieftain."
Hua Geng nodded and said, "You two may rise.
You are here regarding Qing'er, are you not?"
"Indeed. Qing Ling represents both a crisis and an opportunity for Xishan. The Chieftain must make the judgment," Chilin said, cupping his hands.
Granny Hua Geng chuckled, "From the moment I brought him back, I had already made up my mind. Do you two have any objections?"
Chilin and Xu both replied, "Whatever the Chieftain does is what all the snakes of Xishan will do!"
For a weak tribe, the most crucial foundation for survival was unity. This was a lesson learned from the survival and demise of countless tribes.
"Good!
Chilin, you shall go to the East Sea Dragon Palace, reveal Qing'er's true identity without concealment, report to the Dragon Clan, and request their protection." Hua Geng then continued, "Xu, you will issue an order to gather the tribesmen. Those below the Earthly rank shall hide in place, while those above the Earthly rank will gather at the four side peaks of Xishan. Those of the Heavenly rank will ascend to Tai Chong Peak to defend Xishan."
Both men nodded in agreement, without any reservations.
"Oh, right, Chilin, take this scale. If the people at the Dragon Palace make things difficult, seek out the Turtle Prime lineage. With this scale, there will be no obstruction. However, this scale must be used with caution."
Chilin blinked in surprise, took the scale from the Chieftain's hand, and his heart trembled slightly. He said, "Is this not an item belonging to a mighty Da Luo Golden Immortal?"
Granny Hua Geng couldn't help but reminisce, "This was a fortuitous encounter from my early years, a blessing from a Da Luo senior. Now, it is time to use it.
You two, go!"
Chilin and Xu both turned and left, each heading in their own direction.
At this moment, Qing Ling was unaware that Xishan was undergoing changes because of him.
He only knew that the divine spark within him was continuously drawing upon the power of heaven and earth. Even though the phenomena of spring in winter had spread for tens of thousands of miles, it had not stopped.
Above Xishan, a colossal green sun had condensed, illuminating the land for miles. The winter snow melted, withered branches sprouted new leaves, and all sorts of grasses and flowers bloomed in vibrant colors.
The spring spectacle, spanning a radius of one hundred thousand miles, had been perceived by the Golden Immortal Venerables of the surrounding tribes, even with the vastness of the Xishan tribal land of a million miles as a buffer.
Qing Ling had pushed the power of the Auxiliary Spring Divine Spark to its absolute limit. The ten thousand miles of wood element energy were sufficient for him to establish his Dao foundation and visualize Dao principles.
Even though the wider the extent of heaven and earth energy he drew, the more robust his foundation would be, he had to act within his capacity. This was his limit!
However, just as he was about to proceed to the next step, a dormant power within the core of the Auxiliary Spring Divine Spark in his primordial spirit was silently awakened. A wisp of grayish-green light drilled into Qing Ling's right eye.
He felt an unbearable piercing pain in his right eye, as if a hundred needles were stabbing his pupil. Despite his strong will, he still let out a painful roar to the heavens.
"Ah! ~~~"
Invisible sound waves vibrated outwards for a hundred miles. That tragic cry sent a shiver down the spines of all the snakes.
Qi, who had stopped his steps at the foot of the mountain, was filled with worry. He murmured, "Brother, you must hold on!"
Granny Hua Geng, hearing this sound within the tribal cave, also felt her heart tighten. However, when she performed a divination, all she saw was a blur.
And then, in the East Sea Myriad Dragon Ancestral Cave, far beyond the reach of billions of miles, deep within its depths, a divine spark suddenly appeared on the brow of a slumbering ten-thousand-zhang green dragon. On the divine spark were the words "Master of Spring" inscribed in Dao patterns.
The giant dragon's eyes suddenly opened, and it murmured in draconic language, "Interesting, the Auxiliary Spring God has fallen to the level of an Earthly rank little snake. Since he is my auxiliary god, let this venerable one assist him!"
As the words fell, the dragon suddenly opened its massive maw, and the "Master of Spring" divine pattern on its brow shone with immense heavenly light.
In the next moment, over billions of miles of Xishan, the void shattered. A colossal green dragon, a million zhang in size, soared through the nine heavens, drawing in the nine-heavenly wind and gusts of wind over a million miles. The wood element energy from a million miles converged. The dragon's might was immense, illuminating all directions and awe-inspiring all living beings. Then, the green dragon descended from the clouds, carrying the wood element energy of a million miles into Qing Ling's body.
In an instant, Qing Ling's primordial spirit trembled. The boundless wind energy and wood energy poured into the spiritual platform within his mind.
Meanwhile, on the Xishan tribal land, Granny Hua Geng looked at the sky in utter shock, her expression filled with excitement.
The Golden Immortal Venerables from the surrounding tribes who had been observing Xishan tribal land all fled in haste.
This was the era of the Dragon Clan. They soared in the highest heavens and dwelled in the four seas, coiled in mountains and ruling in lakes. The might of the Dragon Clan was not merely built on dragon roars and cries, but on the blood and bones of billions of living beings and the graves of countless overthrown resisting tribes.
Now, with the appearance of a peak expert of the Dragon Clan's Da Luo Golden Immortal realm assisting, even the most tempting innate spiritual treasures would not make them harbor any further thoughts of transgression.
In Bai Chun Valley, within Qing Ling's Niwan Palace, boundless green wind energy and verdant wood energy intertwined, with wind as the auxiliary and wood as the primary, constructing a virtual visualized heaven and earth.
Qing Ling's primordial spirit trembled. The snake-tailed primordial spirit figure endured within. The wind energy formed the light, ethereal Upper Heaven, while the wood energy formed the dense, sinking earth. A primitive yet extremely simple heaven and earth appeared. Within this heaven and earth, there was the Dao of Creation, the Dao of Life, the Dao of Wood, the Dao of Wind, and...
In the heaven and earth constructed with the power of wind and wood, there were dozens of Great Daos derived from the forces of wood and wind.
Qing Ling's primordial spirit gazed upon these Daos. The Dao of Creation held the secrets of all things in heaven and earth. Upon looking at it, his mind became immersed, clearly understanding its profound mystery and supreme power.
The Dao of Wind, formless in its coming and going, winds its way across the world, traversing the void and roaming the universe.
The Dao of Life, the cycle of birth and death, waxing and waning, teeming with vitality and yet inscrutable.
...
Each Dao possessed its own heaven and earth, its own profound mysteries. Qing Ling's gaze swept over these Daos, finally resting on the Dao of Wood.
Qing Ling knew deeply that the more profound a Dao, the more arduous its cultivation. Even powerful Daos like Creation and Life were not something he, a mere little snake, could cultivate. Without immense fortune and merit, he could not afford to cultivate them.
He considered himself to be far from having peerless talent, nor did he possess any golden fingers. He also knew he could not cultivate these profound Daos.
As the God of Auxiliary Spring, Qing Ling's essence was naturally closer to wood. Moreover, the Dao of Wood, as one of the fundamental Great Daos of the Five Elements, was not some minor or heretical path. After his deliberation, he still chose the Dao of Wood, abandoning the tempting Daos of Creation, Life, and Wind, and others.
Qing Ling's primordial spirit figure plunged itself into the boundless green of grass and trees manifested by the Dao of Wood. In an instant, the Great Dao of Wood expanded tremendously, transforming into a boundless and magnificent Tongtian Jianmu according to Qing Ling's visualization!
A giant and endlessly long green vine grew from the earth and climbed towards the sky, grafting heaven and earth, and connecting heaven and man.
This was what Qing Ling desired. His Dao Seed would eventually transform from his ethereal imagination into the real Primordial World!
Qing Ling's primordial spirit glowed with immense green light. The boundless wood element energy from a million miles converged into the principles of the Dao of Wood. All phenomena in the spiritual platform were gathered into a vibrant green seed.
This seed was the Dao Seed cultivated by Qing Ling, the Mysterious Vine Dao Seed.
The Mysterious Vine Dao Seed slowly descended, sinking into the Dantian.
The Dantian was instantly expanded by a thousand miles, and the domain of his Dao foundation had expanded by who knew how much!
After all, a Dao Seed forged with the wood element energy of a million miles was something few people could achieve, even in ancient times.
The lake of magic power within his body was condensed and shrunk by the extreme Dao power brought by the Dao Seed into the shape of a one-mu auspicious cloud.
Qing Ling's primordial spirit flew out from the Dao Seed. His primordial spirit, refined by the heavenly Dao power, was now incomparably stronger!
Qing Ling felt his body subtly resonating with the wood element energy of heaven and earth. Every move he made seemed to be in harmony with heaven and earth. Within his body, he possessed a power far exceeding that of ordinary Heavenly rank cultivators. Even with his steady disposition, he could not help but feel overjoyed.
Qing Ling stood up and bowed respectfully towards the eastern sea. If not for the intervention of the Master of Spring God, his established Dao foundation would not have been so solid.
He also sensed that the Master of Spring God was actually a Da Luo Golden Immortal of the Dragon Clan. As they both held the position of Spring God, there was a subtle, almost imperceptible connection between their divine sparks.
After breaking through to the Heavenly rank, Qing Ling did not rush to consolidate his Dao foundation. Instead, he immediately emerged from seclusion to meet Granny Hua Geng. After all, he was aware of the immense commotion he had caused, and the innate spiritual treasure he possessed posed a great crisis for Xishan.
However, as soon as he exited Bai Chun Valley, he saw three figures standing at the entrance of the valley, waiting for him.
Qing Ling hurriedly bowed, "Greetings, Chieftain, greetings, Elder."
Granny Hua Geng, with joy filling her eyes, gripped the Myriad Snake Staff symbolizing the Chieftain's position, and personally helped him up. "Good, good, good!
Old woman was truly blessed that year to have met you, a treasure with such great fortune."
Qing Ling looked at the usually calm Granny, who was now so excited, and couldn't help but chuckle, "Grandmother, why are you so agitated?"
Xu Venerable, standing beside them, also had a smile on his face. "How could she not be excited? To forge a Dao foundation with a million heavenly forces is something few could achieve, even in ancient times.
With such a Dao foundation, coupled with your extraordinary innate divine spirit body, you can even aspire to the Da Luo realm! How could the Chieftain not be pleased? How could our Xishan Snake Clan not be pleased?"
Qi, standing beside Xu Venerable, widened his eyes and said, "I feel like Brother is so amazing!
I wonder if my long saber can still beat Brother now."
Xu playfully slapped Qi on the head and chided, "Go, go, go! The Chieftain is speaking, where is it for you to interrupt?"
Qi's head tilted, and he rubbed his forehead in pain, casting a resentful glance at his father.
Qing Ling suppressed his laughter and quickly said, "Chieftain and Elder, you flatter me. I am merely a mere Heavenly rank cultivator now, and even Golden Immortal is a distant prospect. How dare I aspire to Da Luo?"
Granny Hua Geng chuckled, "Qing'er, you can fool others, but you cannot fool this old woman. If you truly had no aspirations for Da Luo, I would be the first to object!"