Qing Ling walked out of the stone chamber, stepped into the air, parted the waterfall, and landed before the pool in Hundred Springs Valley.
The Heaven-Enveloping Silk was still tied behind his hair, and his long green robes, under his serene and watery demeanor, exuded an air of leisurely contentment.
With a beckoning gesture, You, who had been submerged in the deep pool for thirty thousand years, soared up. Now possessing late Earth-tier strength, it could serve as a subordinate in battle, aside from acting as a substitute for tribulations.
You gradually shrank into a speck of green light and entered Qing Ling's spiritual nascent soul space, ready to activate secret techniques at any moment.
Qing Ling took down the yellow-skinned gourd hanging from his waist. With a flick of his finger towards the vines by the cliff face where the waterfall hung, countless spiritual seeds flew out and fell into the gourd.
He shook the gourd, feeling there was still some space within, and with a beckoning gesture towards the pool's water, a stream of water filled with faint spiritual energy from the Three Lines Pond was drawn into the gourd.
Then, Qing Ling surveyed his surroundings one last time. Seeing that his cave dwelling was undisturbed, he left Hundred Springs Valley, sealed the valley entrance, and headed towards the tribal settlement.
The tribal settlement where Granny Hua Geng once resided was the sole settlement of the Xi Mountain Serpent Clan, and the cave within was the place for the deliberation and decision-making of all tribal matters.
With Granny Hua Geng having descended into the Xi Mountain earth veins to cultivate, Fu temporarily resided here to handle tribal affairs.
Along the way, Qing Ling had not encountered many Heaven-tier clansmen, nor even many Earth-tier clansmen.
The three Heaven-tier clansmen he met were mostly unfamiliar, and after a brief greeting, they hurriedly left. A sense of unease stirred within Qing Ling; it seemed something had happened within the tribe.
Yet, no one had informed him. It wasn't that he was considered an outsider, but rather to prevent him from being disturbed by these external matters.
Qing Ling sighed inwardly. The Xi Mountain Serpent Clan and he were already inextricably linked, their destinies intertwined. How could they be separated?
He reached the entrance of the tribal settlement and saw Fu Venerable conversing with five Earth-tier clansmen inside. He waited outside the cave, not wishing to disturb them.
After about fifteen minutes, the five Earth-tier clansmen emerged. Their faces were etched with sorrow, but upon seeing Qing Ling, they were visibly pleased. They all bowed with reverence and said, "Greetings, Spring God."
Qing Ling nodded, smiled kindly at them, and his presence, like a spring breeze, instantly dispelled the dust of his journey, replaced by the boundless spring vitality and peerless beauty before them.
"You may all go. I have matters to discuss with Elder Fu."
The serpents bowed and took their leave, their faces still alight with excitement.
After all, the title of Spring God had been renowned for thirty thousand years. Many newly ascended Earth-tier members of the tribe had begun as ordinary mortal snakes, looking up to the Spring God who stood atop Xi Mountain, summoning spring and banishing winter, spreading boundless life. The new generation naturally held a special reverence for the Spring God.
Entering the cave, Fu Venerable smiled and said, "Little Qing, why have you emerged from seclusion today?"
Qing Ling bowed and replied with a smile, "Uncle, you jest. With such a major event occurring in the tribe, how could I remain in my cave and ignore the hard work of my clansmen?"
Fu Venerable listened, stroking his increasingly sparse hair. The forehead of the middle-aged strong man had become quite shiny from handling tribal affairs.
"I had already ordered that no one in the tribe mention this matter to you. You know your most important task is cultivation, to achieve Golden Immortal status as soon as possible. While these matters are troublesome, they have not yet reached the point of tribal survival. You should focus on your cultivation with peace of mind."
Qing Ling shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Uncle, I understand the tribe's good intentions.
However, my sea of qi and dantian, forged by a million heavenly powers, is too vast. It would take tens of Yuan Hui of cultivation to reach the peak of Heaven-tier through meditation. I sense an opportunity is approaching, so naturally, I must come out and explore."
Fu Venerable was taken aback. After a moment of thought, he said with a hint of seriousness, "Little Qing, do you know that the realms of cultivation have never had a fixed definition since ancient times?"
Qing Ling, puzzled, asked, "What do you mean, Uncle?"
Fu Venerable said with emotion, "When heaven and earth opened, all things gradually came into being. The path of cultivation is without absolute definition. The so-called Earth-tier, Heaven-tier, Golden Immortal, Grand Unity, are merely cultivation realms gradually recognized by countless cultivators.
After the tribulation of the ancient fierce beasts, the Dragon Clan gradually rose. During their conquest and unification of the Eastern Sea, they encountered many challenges. Among them, the battle that most shocked the powerful beings of the world – can you guess the realm of the enemy that the Dragon Clan faced with five Great Luo Golden Immortals?"
Qing Ling pondered for a moment and hesitantly asked, "Could it be a Heavenly Dao mighty being among the Great Luo Golden Immortals?"
"No, the Dragon Clan, leading five Great Luo Golden Immortals and countless sea creatures, faced an enemy who was merely a Heaven-tier!"
"What! How is that possible?" Qing Ling's face showed astonishment. Even with heaven-defying abilities to fight across realms, a Heaven-tier against Great Luo, especially five of them, was absolutely impossible.
Fu Venerable chuckled, "How is it impossible?
The realms of cultivators are merely markers for a certain level of power and Dao. There are billions of cultivation methods in heaven and earth; no one can unify them.
That Heaven-tier mighty being was born from the first black cloud after the creation of heaven and earth. Upon transformation, he only possessed Heaven-tier cultivation. Although he was only Heaven-tier, he had been cultivating in seclusion since the creation of heaven and earth for thousands of Yuan Hui, and he was still Heaven-tier!
However, during that battle with the Dragon Clan, this Black Cloud Ancestor released a sea of qi that obscured the sun and moon, silencing all living beings. His dantian's power rivaled that of heaven and earth. He was an enemy of five Great Luo Golden Immortals, a mighty being whose dantian and sea of qi could contend with a hundred billion forces of heaven and earth! He was the first Heaven-tier mighty being in heaven and earth!
Although Black Cloud Ancestor lost that battle, being ambushed by ten thousand sea creatures, dozens of Golden Immortal Venerables of the sea tribes perished, and countless Heaven-tier and Earth-tier sea creatures were killed or injured. In the end, Black Cloud Ancestor broke through the desperate situation and fled to the territory ruled by the peerless mighty being Luo Hou in the west. Although his realm is still Heaven-tier, his strength has long since advanced."
Qing Ling was inwardly shocked. Fu Venerable's words overturned his understanding. In his view, cultivation was a step-by-step ascent through layers. But now, he realized that strength and realm were not the same, nor was the combination of Dao cultivation and magical power the only path.
While he was still in shock, Fu Venerable continued, "Unfortunately, only one Black Cloud Ancestor can possibly exist in heaven and earth; there will never be a second!"
"Why is that?"
"Because of their origins! In the primordial era, every peerless ancestor had extraordinary origins and incredibly high backgrounds. How many mighty ancestors' seas of qi and dantian were limited to a hundred million li? Even ordinary primordial Heaven-tier beings had dantian and seas of qi exceeding ten thousand li.
But in the current era of the Three Clans, all living beings have become much weaker. Even ordinary Golden Immortal Venerables only have seas of qi and dantian that can barely accommodate ten thousand li.
Generations of beings, generation after generation, weaken. Their foundations regress. I suspect that after our generation, beings thousands of Yuan Hui later will be even more pathetic.
The era of our ancestors has become the Primordial Era, and when our era becomes known as the Ancient Era by future generations, powerful ancient beings in heaven and earth will become rare or even extinct!
I have only just entered the Golden Immortal realm for a few Yuan Hui and do not have the ancient Dao teachings of the Primordial Era. I only hope that you, Little Qing, will weigh your realm against your foundation and choose a path you will not regret."
Qing Ling's mind gradually calmed. He organized his thoughts and then said, "Thank you for your guidance, Uncle. Qing Ling will remember it by heart."
Seeing his humble and receptive demeanor, Fu Venerable felt satisfied. He then asked, "You mentioned an opportunity earlier. What is it?"
Qing Ling then remembered the reason for his visit and said, "I sense a vast water essence faintly emanating from the east of Xi Mountain, but it is obscured by a hazy white mist, making it difficult to perceive clearly. Therefore, I wish to go to the eastern part of the tribal territory to guard for a period, and make plans when the opportunity becomes more apparent."
"The East?" Fu Venerable fell silent for a moment. "It seems to be a genuine opportunity. I was just about to send that brat Qi on a trip, and perhaps you two can go together."
Qing Ling nodded and said, "Thank you, Uncle. What is it about?"
"Alas, let Qi explain to you on the way," Fu Venerable said, his palm glowing with formation patterns. A phantom image appeared in his palm, which was the image of Qi.
"Qi, aren't you coming? I told you to leave yesterday, and you're still delaying today, planning to slack off again?"
The phantom image of Qi was startled by his father's roar, but then he shook his head and said, "I want to go north, not east. It's too..."
"Oh, if that's the case, then I'll have your elder brother go alone," Fu Venerable said, closing his palm and withdrawing the message without waiting for Qi's reaction, leaving him furious for a long time.
Qing Ling comforted him, "Uncle, Qi is quite resilient. After all, he lost his mother. It's natural for him to be a bit withdrawn."
Fu Venerable nodded and made a calming gesture with his hand, both to soothe his emotions and to understand Qing Ling's meaning. This youngest Golden Immortal Venerable of the Xi Mountain Serpent Clan should have been in his prime, full of vigor and ambition, but he was bogged down by various mundane matters and had lost his wife early in life, which had deeply affected his spirit.
In mere dozens of breaths, a red light flashed from outside the cave and rapidly approached, transforming into the appearance of Qi.
Qi grinned and said, "It's truly my elder brother! Then I'll go east. Father, I'm leaving."
Saying this, he took Qing Ling's hand and walked out, saying as they walked, "Elder brother, when did you come out of seclusion? I went to the outside of Hundred Springs Valley several times, but the door was always closed. How did you..."
Fu Venerable shook his head helplessly, and at the same time felt a sense of comfort in his heart. He murmured to himself, "Perhaps, by following Little Qing, he will be able to go further in the future!"