Qing Ling's face grew slightly solemn. After a moment of thought, he bid farewell to the giant beast Zhan Mu.
The giant python coiled back around the tree, sighing in its heart. "How powerful was the Xi Shan Snake Tribe in those days? The first generation patriarch of Xi Shan, Old Ancestor Tai Geng, was renowned throughout the Eastern Wilderness. Dozens of Golden Immortal Venerables, thousands of Heaven-tier experts. The Xi Shan Snake Tribe's territory spanned fifty-two billion li, making it the largest tribe among countless terrestrial snake races. It was a hundred times more prosperous than the current Teng Snake tribe of Feng Qi Mountain.
Alas... all its glory ended with the calamity of the Primordial Ferocious Beasts and the fall of Old Ancestor Tai Geng."
Qing Ling's mind was elsewhere as he ascended, step by step, to the peak of Mount Tai Chong. After thousands of years in Xi Shan, this had long since become his home in the Primordial World.
A home unbroken, a people can endure.
The flowers of Xi Shan, the clouds of Xi Shan, the wind and rain of Xi Shan, the morning dew and evening glow, the stars in the night sky—all had entered his heart.
When Xi Shan faced danger, he did not know if it was the instinct for self-preservation or the desire to live and die with his tribe that weighed more heavily. But he knew that every snake in Xi Shan would live and die with Xi Shan.
Qing Ling shook his head. The future was merely a prediction; all was yet to come. He focused on the present, which was everything.
Standing atop the peak of Mount Tai Chong in Xi Shan, one could overlook myriad things under heaven. This was the place with the most abundant spiritual energy for tens of billions of li, far surpassing other smaller tribes. Xi Shan was the ancestral home of the snake tribe, a legacy from their ancient ancestors.
Qing Ling slowly floated upwards, rising higher and higher, above the peak of Mount Tai Chong. The mountain winds were strong here, and the golden sun and clouds were vast.
He slowly closed his eyes, calming his mind, and extended his arms. The great wind blew, rustling his green robes and sleeves, making his robes flutter. His hair, unbound, danced freely in the wind. The two green ribbons of his Tian Mi Suo also swayed, exuding an enchanting celestial aura.
A verdant light gradually emanated from Qing Ling's brow. The Fu Chun divine core manifested, illuminating his incredibly handsome face with an unprecedented, boundless spring vitality.
"Heaven and Earth are united as gods! Fu Chun's decree, Spring's order, return!"
A profound and distant divine voice resonated throughout the eighty-million-li territory of the Xi Shan tribe. Whether it were ordinary snakes, other birds and insects, or members of the Earth-tier and Heaven-tier tribes, even the three Golden Immortal Venerables, all looked up towards the figure on Xi Shan.
As the divine voice spread, the laws of spring descended upon Qing Ling's divine body. In an instant, a colossal divine form, ten thousand zhang tall, manifested. A human upper body with a snake's lower body, it stood in the sky, high above the peak of Xi Shan. Its peerless divine face broke into a smile, captivating all beings.
At this moment, countless creatures were mesmerized, filled with the essence of spring.
Qing Ling's divine body waved gently, and a vast green light swept out from him in all directions, covering the land.
Wherever the green light passed, ice and snow melted into spring water, withered grass sprouted anew, old trees bloomed again. Snakes and pythons that had not yet awakened stirred from their winter slumber. Birds spread their wings and sang to the sky. Streams trickled melodiously. Green grass was as lustrous as oil. A hundred flowers bloomed competitively. Thousands of butterflies danced, wild bees buzzed, the sun shone warmer, the blue sky and white clouds were leisurely and deep. Within the eighty-million-li radius of the Xi Shan tribe's territory, spring returned to the land in an instant!
All beasts bowed in worship, thanking the divine being for bestowing the return of spring and the beginning of life's continuation.
At this moment, the Xi Shan tribesmen were utterly stunned. It was the first time they had witnessed the might of a divine being—sacred and inviolable, magnificent and noble. The stories of spring, all came from the whispers of a god.
Qing Ling retracted his divine core, and the power of heaven and earth he had channeled slowly receded. The ten-thousand-zhang divine form dissipated, and he descended back to Xi Shan.
Since stepping into the Heaven-tier, he could invoke the authority of the Spring God of Heaven and Earth, acting as the Spring God to sow the seeds of life, ushering in the transition from winter to spring, and renewing all things.
This was the first time he had exercised the authority of the Spring God.
At this moment, wisps and strands of ethereal white fortune ascended from the heads of all beasts in the Xi Shan territory. Some were as fine as hair, some were imperceptible, and some were as large as a finger. These fortunes rose and converged at the peak of Xi Shan, gathering above Qing Ling's head.
A python of fortune, about a zhang in length, coiled above his head, emanating a vibrant green divine light, shining brilliantly.
Qing Ling sensed it vaguely in his mind but could not perceive the changes in fortune in detail.
This was his first time acting as the Spring God, benefiting all beasts, bestowing life upon all spirits, and receiving the fortune of protecting all beings under spring's grace.
Below Xi Shan, Qi stared at the sky in shock for a long time. Then he asked a tribesman beside him, "Brother, is... is Brother Qing Ling truly a god?"
The other shocked snakes around him shook their heads with difficulty. One snake said, "We've never seen a god before, how would we know!"
Many fierce female pythons in the tribe, their hearts overflowing with spring, looked at Qi with affectionate eyes and said, "Little Qi, you are the closest to Qing Ling in the tribe. Help your sisters ask..."
"Ask what?" Qi asked, not fully comprehending.
"Just that!" a female python, whose human upper body and snake tail had not yet fully transformed, said with a blush. "You know, the one for creating snakes."
"What?" Qi was startled. Realizing what she meant, he quickly shook his head like a rattle. "That won't do, that won't do at all! Brother is such a handsome snake, not just any snake can be worthy of him. Don't you all think about it too much. Even if Brother agrees, I won't!"
As soon as he said this, the male snakes around him quickly agreed. "Exactly, exactly. You snakes should stop dreaming of the impossible."
"That's right, there are so many male snakes among our kin. If you don't seize the opportunity now, it will be time for reproduction again with the spring season."
The noisy voices of the male snakes instantly drowned out the words Qi had yet to finish.
The female snakes around had initially found the male snakes beside them quite good. However, after seeing the Spring God, they found their kin to be somewhat unbearable to look at.
A few female snakes glared at Qi with dissatisfaction. As they left, they mocked him, "What do you know, little snake? Being handsome is only for looking. How can you compare to giving birth to ten snakes in a litter!"
Qi imagined his brother holding ten little snake babies and was so frightened that he shook his head and quickly fled from the group of snakes.
In the tribal cave, Granny Hua Geng withdrew her gaze from Qing Ling with admiration and relief, her mind recalling an ancient secret technique.
Outside the Xi Shan tribal territory, the tribes from all four directions had witnessed the manifestation of a divine being and were equally shocked beyond words. Those who knew some secrets were astounded. Such a divine core in a mere Heaven-tier expert! If he were to become a Golden Immortal, he would surely be a great god in the Eastern Wilderness!
For a time, the surrounding tribes had their own thoughts.
After spreading the spring vitality, Qing Ling returned to his cave dwelling to continue his secluded cultivation. In the past, the alternation of spring and winter seasons was always handled by the primary Spring God. Of course, with the vastness of the Primordial World, there were many places the Spring God could not reach.
This land of the Eastern Wilderness occasionally had omissions. But now, with Qing Ling, the Xi Shan tribal territory would certainly not be overlooked.
For beasts, spring was a crucial season—a time for reproduction, hatching, the growth of young offspring, and the best time for hunting.
Most of the cultivators nowadays had awakened their intelligence and grown from ordinary beast herds. With Qing Ling's sowing of spring vitality, the Xi Shan snake tribe would welcome new life in the coming period!