The Qilin Stepped Through the Clouds and Surprisingly Fixed Its Gaze on My Back
Southern Heaven borders the eastern inland region.
A stretch of verdant mountains and rivers stretched across the sky and earth, with the innate Earth Spirit Qi slowly rising from the ground. The scorching heat that had been persistent in the Fire Domain had weakened considerably, and large tracts of forest and clear springs had reappeared in the mountains, while the air had become more humid and cool.
Qi Yue is slowly surveying the mountains.
He was a powerful Great Luo of the Qilin Clan, responsible for observing the changes in the earth veins in this area. Recently, the Southern Heaven Fire Tide broke out ahead of schedule, and several earth Spirit Veins connected to the Fire Domain nearby experienced slight tremors. Therefore, he came here specifically to check whether any rock strata were affected.
Qi Yue was inspecting a crack in a mountain ridge when he suddenly sensed an extremely powerful life force coming from high above. Immediately afterward, the earth's energy nearby also showed subtle fluctuations, as if a slowly moving mountain range was passing overhead.
A slight thought crossed his mind, and he looked up.
The next moment, Qi Yue froze completely.
High in the Sea of Clouds, a dark golden whale was slowly swimming. Its massive body stretched for over 100,000 miles, and its thick scales were covered with silver-white and gray-gold patterns. With a gentle sway of its giant fins, it pushed the nearby clouds to the sides.
What surprised Qi Yue even more was that the mountain and earth energy he had just sensed actually came from the back of that giant whale. Between those dark golden scales, there were piles of rocks and soil, which had even formed large forests and streams.
"What... what's going on?" Qi Yue couldn't help but whisper, then released his Divine Sense again to carefully explore the moving mountain range, and discovered that there was a real and stable flow of earth spirit within it.
The young Qilin following behind Qi Yue had also raised their heads.
The first Blue-Horned Qilin at the front saw a large expanse of dark gold scales, and then discovered that trees were growing on those scales. Its limbs, which were running, instinctively stopped, and its face showed an expression of disbelief.
"Elder, why is that mountain range in the sky moving?" The Blue-Horned Qilin couldn't help but ask. Its companion also quickly looked up, but when it actually saw the head of the enormous whale, the words it was about to say got stuck in its throat.
"Holy crap... such a huge divine beast!" A young Qilin couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. Then, noticing that the elder was beside him, he quickly lowered his voice, but his eyes were still wide open.
Qi Yue did not answer immediately.
He had already confirmed through his Divine Sense that the seemingly independent mountains and rivers in front of him did indeed belong to the body of the same giant beast. What surprised him even more was that a large number of weak spirit beasts lived inside, and a relatively stable cycle of water vapor and earth energy had even been formed.
For the Qilin Clan, who have long cultivated the Way of the Earth, this scene is indeed rare.
It's normal for ordinary Primordial Divine Beasts to be large in size and have strong bodies, but for them to actually allow rocks and soil to adhere to their bodies for a long time and naturally form mountainous landscapes that can nourish living beings is beyond most of the cases Qi Yue has seen before.
He slowly raised his head and looked at the enormous head that emerged from the depths of the Sea of Clouds. He gradually recalled the news that had been circulating widely in the Primordial World recently: a Grand Void Sky Whale had once appeared in the Northern Land and even fought against the Beast Emperor Shen Ni. Its size had reached an extremely exaggerated level.
"Grand Void Sky Whale Lu Yuan?" Qi Yue's heart stirred, and he immediately noticed the familiar crimson-gold phoenix figure ahead. The Feng Ling were flying along the edge of the Fire Domain, obviously accompanying this giant beast.
Feng Ling had already spotted Qi Yue.
She slowly folded her wings and arrived above the mountain ridge, a smile appearing on her face, "Qi Yue, long time no see. What brings you to the Southern Heaven today?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Yue finally withdrew part of his Divine Sense. He first nodded to Feng Ling in greeting, and then explained that he was checking the impact of the Fire Tide on the nearby mountains and rivers. He had just sensed an unusual earth energy and took the opportunity to look up.
As he said this, his gaze fell on Lu Yuan's back again, and the surprise in his eyes was still very obvious.
"Feng Ling, this must be the Grand Void Sky Whale from the Northern Land, right?" Qi Yue asked earnestly. Upon hearing this name, the other young Qilin beside him also showed even more shocked expressions.
Feng Ling nodded in confirmation and then briefly explained how Lu Yuan had just tasted the Li Fire in Southern Heaven and helped control part of the Fire Tide. Qi Yue was increasingly surprised as he listened, especially after learning that Lu Yuan was able to withstand the high-temperature fire waves with his own body. His expression gradually became solemn.
Lu Yuan had also stopped moving. He could feel the heavy aura of the Great Luo on Qi Yue's body, which was significantly different from Ao Xuan and Feng Ling, whom he had met before. In particular, the Earth Spirit Dao Rhythm on the other party made his bones respond with a gentle warmth.
"Are you Qi Yue of the Qilin Clan?" Lu Yuan asked slowly, his massive head lowering from the clouds, causing the young Qilins behind him to look up again, their eyes filled with growing shock.
Qi Yue nodded slightly, then said earnestly, "It is indeed me. I merely sensed a peculiar aura emanating from your back, and thus observed you for a moment longer. Please forgive me if I have disturbed you."
Lu Yuan didn't think anything of it after hearing it.
Indeed, a mountain range grew on his back. The Qilin Clan was skilled in earth veins, so it was normal for them to sense the changes in the earth spirit within. Moreover, Qi Yue had always maintained an appropriate distance and had not directly probed the depths of the little beast's nest with his Divine Sense.
"It's alright. Those rocks and trees on my back grew out gradually. If you're interested in the earth's energy, you can take a look from the side." After saying that, Lu Yuan added, "Just don't disturb the little creatures inside; they're not very brave."
Upon hearing this, a clear look of joy finally appeared in Qi Yue's eyes.
He had been worried that Lu Yuan wouldn't allow outsiders to examine it closely, but now that the other party had agreed, it was a rare opportunity, especially since this Primordial Divine Beast capable of supporting mountains and rivers was indeed worth his serious study.
"Rest assured, fellow Daoist, I am only observing the flow of the earth's energy and will not disturb the trees or rock formations above," Qi Yue replied solemnly, then slowly released a wisp of gentle Divine Sense, which gently swept along the outer edge of Lu Yuan's back scales.
Feng Ling did not disturb them.
She knew that the Qilin Clan was extremely sensitive to the earth and mountains. Now that Qi Yue had seen the ecology on Lu Yuan's back with his own eyes, he would naturally be very interested. Moreover, if this observation could help Lu Yuan further stabilize the mountains and rivers, it would be a good thing for both sides.
Qi Yue's Divine Sense gradually penetrated into those scale-like ravines. At first, he only sensed the rocks and soil that had accumulated over many years. After further observation, he discovered that some soil layers were actually able to gather a small amount of earth energy on their own, and even some rock layers were slowly extending along Lu Yuan's flesh and blood.
The shock in his eyes intensified rapidly. Even the young Qilin around him noticed the change in the elder's aura and couldn't help but whisper what he had discovered, but Qi Yue did not answer for the time being.
Because he had noticed that a very special kind of earth energy circulation was slowly forming beneath that forest and stream, and the source of all of this was actually related to Lu Yuan's enormous innate physical body.