Mountain-Devouring Zheng: This Spirit Vein Is Mine. Who Dares Stand in My Way?
Rumble!
The northwest mountain of Xuanhuang Ridge finally cracked open, and a ferocious beast covered in thick, dark red rock armor slowly rose from the ground. It had two horns on its head, its limbs were as thick as mountain pillars, and rock spikes protruded high on its back. Every time it raised its claws, it would stir up a large amount of Earth Sha, and the surrounding rock layers would tremble with its movements.
The moment the Mountain-Devouring Zheng revealed half of its body, it made several nearby mountains appear much smaller. A dense aura of Great Luo was constantly emanating from its body, and the pale yellow earth energy that originally flowed along the mountain range was impacted and instantly surged to both sides.
The young Qilin responsible for guarding the perimeter immediately changed his expression. The Blue-Horned Qilin couldn't help but take a few steps back, its eyes fixed on the ferocious beast's rock armor, its eyes full of vigilance. It had heard about the Mountain-Devouring Zheng stealing the earth veins before, and now that it had finally seen the real thing, it naturally dared not underestimate it.
Mountain-Devouring Zheng first looked at Qi Yue, then at Qi Yan, his deep voice causing nearby rocks to tumble down. "I can smell the aura of Xuanhuang Deposited Sand. You clearly opened the earth veins just now, so why did you close the passage as soon as you saw me coming?"
Qi Yan's expression darkened slightly. "Xuanhuang Ridge is a sacred land protected by the Qilin Clan. When the diversion channel opens is naturally up to us. What does it have to do with you?"
The Mountain-Devouring Zheng let out a low laugh, its four thick front paws slowly stepping onto the hillside. "Since we already have the sediment, just take out a batch. I don't want to waste time. Give me enough essence, and I'll leave here today."
Upon hearing this, Qi Yue immediately frowned. "Last time you forcibly dug up the earth spirit from the nearby valley and even broke several shallow branch veins. Today you've come to ask for sedimentary sand again. Why do you think we'll continue to let you take whatever you want?"
"There wasn't much in those valleys last time. I just dug around a bit. It wasn't as serious as you all make it out to be," Mountain-Devouring Zheng said impatiently, flicking his rocky tail, sending up a cloud of Earth Sha. "This time, I only need the outer area's essence, to save everyone from fighting each other."
Qi Yan was even more displeased. He knew best the extent of the damage to the earth's veins last time. Several springs had not fully recovered to this day. Now, Mountain-Devouring Zheng actually thought that he had just dug a few times casually, which naturally showed that the other party did not care about the creatures in the vicinity at all.
"This batch of sediment has already been arranged," Qi Yan said in a deep voice. "If you want to exchange it for suitable resources, we can discuss it separately. I will never agree to forcibly excavate the Xuanhuang Ridge Spirit Vein."
The gaze of the Mountain-Devouring Zheng gradually turned cold. It had obviously smelled the strong Wu Earth aura remaining near the Restraining Patterns. It had originally wanted to talk first, but now that it saw that Qi Yan was unwilling to give in easily, it became more and more impatient.
Just as it was about to speak again, a huge shadow suddenly descended slowly from the sky. Mountain-Devouring Zheng subconsciously looked up and finally saw the dark golden whale that had been hanging in the Sea of Clouds.
Its body, stretching over 100,000 miles, extended into the sky. Silver-white and gray-gold patterns flowed across the surface of its giant fins. Its enormous golden eyes, as large as two great suns, quietly gazed down. The sheer size difference alone caused the Mountain-Devouring Zheng to tremble slightly.
"Where did this thing come from?" it couldn't help but mutter to itself. It had sensed the size of the other party when it was underground, but now that it could see the whole thing, it realized that it had underestimated the size difference.
Qi Yue did not hide anything and directly introduced that Grand Void Sky Whale Lu Yuan had already discussed with the Qilin Clan the method of using some of the Wu Earth resources. This batch of outer sedimentary sand was also within the agreed scope. If Mountain-Devouring Zheng really wanted to use it, he would naturally have to find another suitable place or offer exchange conditions.
Mountain-Devouring Zheng heard Lu Yuan's name, its eyes visibly flickered. Although it had been hiding underground for a long time, it had heard that there was a huge beast in the Northern Land that had once fought against Shen Ni. Now that it had actually encountered it, it felt somewhat apprehensive.
But when it looked down at the massive Xuanhuang Ridge beneath its feet, it quickly regained some confidence. Its greatest strength lay in traversing the earth's veins, and no matter how large this giant whale was, it wouldn't be easy for it to actually burrow deep into the rock layers to catch it.
"The Qilin Clan's own ley lines are something I can discuss with you." Mountain-Devouring Zheng slowly raised his head, his gaze falling on Lu Yuan. "But you, a giant beast from the Northern Land, want to interfere in the affairs of the Central Plains 'Wu Earth resources?"
Lu Yuan wasn't angry after hearing this. He had indeed only come to Xuanhuang Ridge to find resources. The Qilin Clan was willing to exchange the outer sand for it, so he naturally followed the agreed-upon method. What he really needed to guard was only the area that both sides had already confirmed.
"I've already reached an agreement with Qi Yue and Qi Yan. We'll exchange this batch of sediment for it. If you want it, go find a place that hasn't been used yet," Lu Yuan said calmly. "If you really have something suitable, you can talk to them first. There's no need to come here and try to drill into the ley lines right away."
As it listened, Mountain-Devouring Zheng's expression grew increasingly grim. It could already smell the fragrance of Xuanhuang Deposited Sand, and the surrounding earth veins were extremely rich. It was unwilling to leave now, especially since the two Qilin elders in front of it had already activated their Vein-Guarding Restraining Patterns, which it clearly believed meant there were even more treasures hidden there.
"I'm only taking one batch of sediment today; no one needs to stop me." Mountain-Devouring Zheng's voice deepened, and dark red patterns lit up on the rock spikes on his back. "If you insist on blocking my way, I'll dig it up myself. Xuanhuang Ridge is so vast; there's bound to be a way in."
Upon hearing this, the nearby young Qilin's expression immediately changed, and the Blue-Horned Qilin couldn't help but shout, "You dug like this last time, cracking the spring we've been guarding for hundreds of years! And now you still want to come in!"
Mountain-Devouring Zheng glanced down at the young Qilin. Its huge rocky horn slowly rotated, and the sheer pressure of the Great Luo made the Blue-Horned Qilin gasp for breath, almost causing it to kneel down. Qi Yue immediately stepped forward and used its own Earth Spirit Dao Rhythm to block the pressure.
"Don't take it out on the younger members of the clan." Qi Yue's face had darkened. "We've already made arrangements for the resources on the outskirts of Xuanhuang Ridge. If you insist on forcibly excavating the veins, the Qilin Clan will naturally not stand idly by."
Mountain-Devouring Zheng did not continue to answer, but slowly gathered the Earth Sha on its body. The rock layer beneath its body began to flow to both sides, clearly intending to use Earth Escape to rush into the ground and bypass the location of Qi Yue.
Qi Yan immediately ordered the young Qilin to retreat to a safe area. Several small Qilin that had been watching nearby quickly retreated. Qi Yue also mobilized the earth's energy to prepare to block the shallow passages that the enemy could most easily pass through.
Lu Yuan observed quietly from high above, and had already made a judgment in his mind. Although this Mountain Mountain-Devouring Zheng was not weak, it obviously relied on underground travel as its greatest advantage. If he directly smashed the entire mountain range now, it would play right into the other party's hands.
He glanced again at the closed drainage Restraining Patterns on the ground. The original sediment of the Xuanhuang Deposited Sand remained deep inside. If the Qilin Clan could protect the earth veins, even if they had to skip a meal today, they would still have enough resources to slowly draw upon in the future. There was really no need to rush into a fight with the other side.
Mountain-Devouring Zheng was also observing Lu Yuan's reaction. Seeing that the giant whale remained suspended high up and did not directly press down with its massive body, he felt that his judgment was indeed somewhat reasonable. He even began to plan which branch to dig first after burrowing into the ground.
Qi Yan had already reconnected the outer layers of the Restraining Patterns, clearly preparing to protect the core. Seeing that the two sides were really about to fight, the young Qilins nearby gradually turned from curiosity to tension and retreated to the more distant valleys.
"Let me see where you're planning to go first," Lu Yuan said slowly in a low voice, his Divine Sense spreading down the mountainside, while his golden eyes remained fixed on the movements of the Mountain-Devouring Zheng.
The next moment, Mountain-Devouring Zheng let out a low roar, and the huge rock armor quickly rippled with earthy yellow hues. Its entire body seemed to sink into the water, gradually disappearing into the rocks beneath its feet and vanishing into the depths of the earth in the blink of an eye.
Beneath Xuanhuang Ridge, the previously stable branches of the Wu Earth veins began to tremble violently. A dark red Earth Sha was rushing rapidly towards one of the Earth Spirit Veins along the outer drainage opening that was not yet completely closed.