Qi was the second living being Qing Ling had truly trusted in the Primordial World.
He had witnessed the greater part of Qi's life, and Qi had accompanied him for his entire existence. Though not bound by blood, their brotherhood surpassed that of siblings.
This was Qing Ling's open heart upon his nascent awakening, first extended to Granny Hua Geng, the elder who had saved him from the brink of death and cared for him all his life.
In this vast Primordial World, amidst countless beings, Qing Ling would never again completely trust a third person. For Qing Ling had cultivated a cruel heart befitting a denizen of the Primordial World; his true heart was gone.
Qi remained vigilant, scanning the surroundings within a hundred-mile radius, guarding against any malicious intent from unexpected individuals and, incidentally, burying the thousands of corpses in the ground.
Qing Ling settled into contemplation amidst the wilderness out of necessity. If he didn't act immediately, the life force of the five Heavenly rank great beasts entering his body would be difficult to control, even risking overrunning his meridians. It still required his personal refinement.
In his Dantian world, a torrential downpour lasted for thirty full days and nights before gradually subsiding into a light drizzle, which continued to nourish the Dantian with fine mists.
The spiritual energy in his Dantian had transformed from a small lake a thousand zhang deep to a large lake two thousand zhang deep, and the surface area of the lake continued to expand.
Qing Ling opened his eyes. As expected of Heavenly rank great beasts, the life force and magical powers of the five Qing Lizard tribesmen were incredibly potent. Even now, he had only managed to refine half of it.
Qi, who had been patiently guarding him for thirty days and nights, let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Qing Ling awake. "Brother, you're finally awake. Have you advanced again? I feel your aura has grown stronger."
Qing Ling nodded and smiled, "Indeed. After all, it's the life's work of five Heavenly rank great beasts."
"Then what shall we do next?" Qi asked, with a hint of uncertainty.
"Naturally, we stay. We remain here. Although Uncle Wu didn't say it, I can surmise that the clan doesn't have much combat strength left to offer as support. With you and me here, as long as no Golden Immortal Venerables intervene, we can hold our ground.
Besides, I haven't fully refined the life force within me yet, and I'll need some more time before I can move freely."
Qi nodded. "In that case, Brother, you continue your cultivation. Golden Immortal Venerables are forbidden from acting in the War of Ten Thousand Beasts, and even the Black Lizard Upper Clan wouldn't dispatch troops for such a minor matter."
Qing Ling then chuckled, "It seems that thick head of yours isn't entirely useless."
Qi took it in stride, grinning and rubbing his head. No matter what his brother said, it was always for his own good.
Qing Ling slowly closed his eyes again, his consciousness delving deep within himself to continue refining. Tendrils of fine mist continuously permeated the vast and expansive Dantian.
In the lake of spiritual energy, the verdant Dao seed at its heart was extremely active, suspended on the surface. Its lower half was submerged in the lake, while its upper half was alternately submerged and exposed by the water.
The entire Dao seed pulsed with a verdant light, clearly reveling in the rainy weather and, more importantly, in the ever-increasing magical energy of the lake!
Nourished by the wisps of magical energy, a minuscule crack, barely discernible even up close, began to appear on the Dao seed where it had faintly protruded.
However, as the master of his Dantian, Qing Ling naturally noticed this change. His heart filled with joy. These five Heavenly rank great beasts would provide him with at least two hundred thousand years' worth of magical power!
Qing Ling had cultivated diligently for over thirty thousand years and consumed Heavenly and Earthly spiritual fruits, yet he had only gained forty-two thousand years of magical power. Once he fully refined the life force within him, he would possess two hundred and forty thousand years of magical power!
Among these five Heavenly rank beasts, the Green-faced Elder was the most powerful, being in the late Heavenly rank and having cultivated for three hundred thousand years, possessing immense magical power. The other four were early Heavenly rank, each having cultivated for at least a hundred thousand years. Combined, their magical power, even after repeated purification and refinement, would amount to two hundred thousand years.
Moreover, Qing Ling faintly sensed a subtle difference in his aura.
Indeed, as Qing Ling sensed, the destiny of the five Heavenly rank great beasts was slowly being infused into the colossal python coiled above Qing Ling's head as he refined their life force!
Time slowly passed. After another ten-plus days, the desolate land was no longer silent and dead.
To the east of the grasslands, a large flock of birds could be faintly seen taking to the sky, and the ground vibrated with the sounds of a massive animal migration.
Qi abruptly stood up, his eyes fixed on the east. His pupils, slit vertically, widened in shock. Ten thousand miles in the direction of his gaze, a vast expanse of dust and smoke billowed. That was the edge of the Qing Lizard clan's territory. Within the swirling sand, thousands upon thousands of colossal green lizards moved slowly, their scale immense, and even a considerable number of blue lizards were present!
The blue lizards were a clan directly under the Black Lizard Upper Clan. They had come as well!
This incredibly powerful lizard horde seemed endless, and Qi was filled with dread. Such a scale indicated at least a hundred thousand individuals.
It seemed the Qing Lizard clan had considerable ambitions for Xi Mountain.
He turned to look back at Qing Ling, who had, at some point, already risen.
"Brother, have you finished your cultivation?"
"No, but time is running out." Qing Ling gazed towards the eastern horizon. Above, the sky was swept by vast swathes of blue and green, surging like an unstoppable tidal wave. This was an observation technique for sensing the energy of beings with lower cultivation.
Qi's expression grew solemn. "Should we advance or retreat?" Whether to advance or retreat, he would follow his brother's lead. After all, Grandmother had said his brother possessed the greatest wisdom in Xi Mountain, and following his advice was always the right course!
Qing Ling stood on a high slope and said calmly, "I do not wish to see the suffering of our clansmen repeated. Once these hundreds of thousands of lizard troops enter Xi Mountain, countless lives will be lost.
Since they are the invading enemy, we must defend our territory!
How long until the clan's reinforcements arrive?"
Qi lowered his head, counted on his fingers, and then looked up. "Three more days. But at most, only ten thousand will arrive, with fifteen Earth rank and two Heavenly rank experts."
"That's enough." Qing Ling smiled faintly. "Let's go. Lead me to the border between our two clans."
Qi, though puzzled, followed Qing Ling for fifty thousand miles eastward before stopping.
It was Qing Ling who wanted to stop. This was because to the north lay a river of lava, and to the south was a deep abyss valley a hundred thousand zhang deep. The intervening wilderness was only eight hundred li wide. Another thirty thousand miles east lay the border between the two clans.
Qi stopped, confused. "Brother, there are still thirty thousand miles to our clan's border."
Qing Ling nodded. "I know. But the enemy is strong and we are weak; we cannot fight them head-on. What harm is there in yielding thirty thousand li?
To sacrifice thirty thousand li to protect a million li of territory, what is there to hesitate about?"
There was no fiery passion, no youthful ambition for grand feats. His expression was serene, his heart calm as water. His voice was soft, yet standing in the air with his robes fluttering and hands clasped behind his back, Qing Ling exuded an aura of commanding grandeur that made Qi feel as if he were witnessing someone dictating the course of empires!
At this moment, a light chuckle echoed from ahead. "Well said, 'to sacrifice thirty thousand li to protect a million li of territory.' Your ambition is commendable!"