Qilin Pulse-Guarding Elder: If This Whale Comes Down, Will My Mountain Still Be Standing?
Above Xuanhuang Ridge, the earth-yellow spiritual mist slowly parted to both sides, and an old Qilin covered in gray-gold scales rose up on the clouds. Behind it, a heavy Dao aura like continuous mountains faintly appeared. It was none other than Qi Yan Great Luo Elder in charge of guarding this place.
Qi Yan was still checking the Spirit Veins in his cave abode when he heard from the patrol that a huge Primordial Divine Beast had come to visit. He was already quite curious, but when he looked up and saw the dark golden whale body that was over 100,000 miles long, the old Qilin couldn't help but stop for a moment.
"This... Qi Yue, the friend you mentioned, is this entire expanse in the sky?" Qi Yan stared for a long time before finally turning his gaze away from the seemingly endless back of the whale, his tone filled with barely concealed surprise.
Qi Yue smiled and nodded, "Lu Yuan, the Grand Void Sky Whale, just came from the east and wanted to try out the Wu Earth Essence Qi of our Xuanhuang Ridge. I had already let him taste a small amount of ordinary earth spirit before, and he could indeed absorb it."
Qi Yan slowly took a breath. He had guarded Xuanhuang Ridge for so many years and had naturally seen innate beings of enormous size, but the body in front of him was really exaggerated. The shadow of just one giant fin had already covered several outer valleys.
He first looked down at the earth's veins, then turned back to Lu Yuan, a serious expression finally appearing on his face. "Fellow Daoist Lu Yuan, I am Qi Yan, in charge of the Spirit Veins here. Welcome to visit, but there's something I must make clear beforehand: you absolutely mustn't land directly on the mountain in this body."
Lu Yuan found it somewhat amusing, but quickly understood what the other party was worried about, so he slowly replied, "Don't worry, I'll just stay in the Sea of Clouds and wait for you to draw out the appropriate essence. I won't touch anything at the bottom of the mountain for now."
Qi Yan was originally prepared to explain in detail the importance of the Xuanhuang Ridge Spirit Vein, but he was slightly taken aback when he heard this. He saw that Lu Yuan's Qi and Blood and qi were strong and thought that this giant beast would find the rules troublesome, but he did not expect that the other party would agree so readily.
"That's good." Qi Yan's tone softened. "Several main veins intertwine here, and some of their tributaries have only recently stabilized. If they are subjected to a severe impact at once, the surrounding springs and Spirit Plants may also be damaged."
Lu Yuan nodded, and then carefully examined the terrain of Xuanhuang Ridge with his Divine Sense. Sure enough, he found several fragile tributaries located in the shallow mountain. If he were to use the giant fins to dig them out, even if he could find something good, he would likely destroy a large area of spiritual land around them.
"I'm mainly looking for edible Earth Spirit Essence Qi. I can slowly extract it while guarding the Spirit Veins; there's no need to uproot the entire mountain," Lu Yuan said seriously. "Don't you guys usually collect Xuanhuang Deposited Sand? Let's try that first."
Qi Yan's eyes flickered slightly, then he looked at Qi Yue, who briefly explained Lu Yuan's situation of absorbing Profound Water and Li Fire in the Eastern Sea and Southern Heaven, and also mentioned that there were still many weak creatures living on his back, and that he needed to actively maintain the stability of the mountains and rivers.
Qi Yan was initially quite worried about the giant beast's control over its power. After hearing about these experiences, he released his Divine Sense to observe carefully. He saw that Lu Yuan's body was stopped in the Sea of Clouds, and a large amount of airflow that had been moving with the giant fins had been actively gathered. The small spiritual grasses below did not even sway noticeably.
"Such a massive body, yet he can control it to this extent?" Qi Yan couldn't help but exclaim, his eyes showing obvious appreciation for the first time. He thought he could suppress a mountain range with the Daluo Principle, but Lu Yuan was controlling the natural fluctuations of his Qi and Blood and qi.
However, Qi Yan still had some concerns. He took the initiative to ask, "How much Wu Earth Essence Qi do you need, Fellow Daoist? I'd like to make arrangements in advance. The amount that naturally dissipates from the outer perimeter is already quite substantial for a typical Taiyi."
"We'll have to try it to know the exact amount," Lu Yuan replied frankly. "Right now that I'm large, the increase from ordinary essence is indeed limited. Higher quality essence should be more effective, but absorbing too much at once would be too much for me."
Upon hearing the last sentence, Qi Yan's expression softened slightly. A strong person who knows their own limits is naturally easier to cooperate with than a creature that is greedy for more. He then explained that the outer perimeter of Xuanhuang Ridge contains both ordinary Wu Earth Essence Qi and Xuanhuang Deposited Sand that has been condensed for a long time.
Deeper into the mountains, there are even higher-quality Earth Spirit Origin, but those things are all close to the main vein and can only be used after discussion among the clan elders. Naturally, Qi Yan would not open them all up immediately just because they had just met.
Lu Yuan had no objection to this. He had to eat the Chaos Demon God's flesh and blood bit by bit, so he should naturally understand the strength of the core of Xuanhuang Ridge first. He didn't want to cause unnecessary conflict with the Qilin Clan just to eat a little more.
Several young Qilins nearby were alarmed. One of the Blue-Horned Qilins couldn't help but whisper, "The elder always said that the sand was precious, and even a little bit would be enough for us to cultivate for a long time. Why is he asking for a higher quality right away?"
The Red-Maned Qilin quickly lowered its voice. "Did you see his body clearly? Such a huge whale, the essence we use to cultivate for a year is probably not even enough to fill a tooth gap for him."
"You two, stop whispering here." Qi Yan turned around and glared at them. "Since you know the guest has high cultivation and a large size, you should take care of your patrol duties properly. Who gave you permission to come and watch the show?"
The two young Qilins quickly bowed their heads in agreement, but their bodies still couldn't help but secretly turn towards Lu Yuan, their eyes full of curiosity. One of them even saw a flock of small birds flying up from the Whaleback Forest before leaving, and was so startled that it almost crashed into the mountain wall in front of it.
Qi Yan arranged for the patrols to retreat from the outer valley, and then led Qi Yue to check the recently collected Wu Earth Essence Qi. That essence was temporarily accumulated in the tributaries deep in the rock layers, and a portion of it could be extracted through the drainage Restraining Patterns.
When the two Qilin elders were examining the earth's energy along the mountainside, they discovered several small, yellowish-brown Ganoderma lucidum growing in the rock crevices. The roots of the Ganoderma lucidum were firmly attached to the earth's veins, and they grew by absorbing the Earth Spirit Qi that was naturally dissipating. If the earth's veins were drained too much at once, these Spirit Plants would also wither.
Qi Yan pointed it out to Qi Yue and explained why he insisted on opening the outer branch first. Qi Yue agreed after listening. He brought Lu Yuan here to establish long-term cooperation, so there was no reason to exhaust the foundation of the nearby Spirit Veins for the first exchange.
Lu Yuan's Divine Sense also swept over those Ganoderma lucidum. He looked at the few small things that were only a few feet tall, but he knew very well that if he sucked away all the earth energy that these creatures depended on for survival, the entire valley would have to be restored, and he would lose a place where he could find food for a long time.
Lu Yuan did not urge him. He took this time to continue to slowly digest the Chaos Origin in his mouth. The gray-gold patterns in his body flowed slowly, and the light screen on his back remained stable. His huge body was as quiet as a continent suspended in the sky.
When Qi Yan rose again from the valley, he saw that Lu Yuan had remained in the same position. The shallow Spirit Veins below were not subjected to any additional pressure. He finally felt relieved, and his tone was much more relaxed than when they first met.
"Fellow Daoist, I will first guide you through a small batch of peripheral essence. If you can absorb it smoothly, then we can consider increasing the amount. The Spirit Veins inside the mountain still need to circulate slowly. Taking it too hastily will affect future accumulation," Qi Yan earnestly explained.
"Okay, just try a little first." Lu Yuan agreed quickly, and even raised his head slightly so that the extracted essence could directly enter his absorption range without having to change the route of the earth veins below.
Seeing Qi Yan raised its front hooves and activated the Pulse-Guarding Method Formula. Pale yellow lines lit up along the mountainside, and several previously hidden rock crevices gradually opened. Thick yet gentle Earth Spirit Qi converged into a thin stream along the Restraining Patterns.
As the last Restraining Patterns fell, a pale golden light, even more concentrated than the essence Qi Yue had previously extracted, slowly rose from the depths of the rock strata. The light contained fine, Xuanhuang Deposited Sand, each grain exuding a calm and steady Earth Spirit Dao Rhythm.
Lu Yuan stared at the ball of essence, his golden pupils already brightening, while Qi Yan remained focused on his body, ready to control the flow rate at any time to prevent any accidents from occurring during the first absorption.