Qing Huan set off from the Solar Star and has been traveling across the Central Land for nearly a whole Kalpa.
In the Primordial Wilderness and primordial world, the drama of the strong preying on the weak unfolded daily: all living beings either became food for the Witch Clan or succumbed to the tyranny of the East Prince's Immortal Court. Furthermore, Di Jun and Tai Yi on the Solar Star united all races and stirred up the winds and clouds.
Qing Huan remained indifferent to all of this, always staying out of the situation and not getting involved in the slightest.
They plundered the Central Land along the way, obtaining only one low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure; the rest they returned empty-handed.
Qing Huan sighed inwardly:
"Alright, let's go to the South Sea to bring Gui Ling back to Yingzhou Island."
Qing Huan vaguely sensed the lingering power of the "butterfly's" flapping wings—the trajectory of the Primordial Wilderness had already shifted.
The Innate Eight Trigrams, which should have been contained within the shell of Gui Ling, is now a thing of the past. The future creation of characters by Cangjie will likely bring countless changes.
If this continues, the Gui Ling will likely find it difficult to accumulate Merit.
"Now that you have joined my ranks, I will naturally strive to secure a bright future for you."
With this in mind, Qing Huan sat cross-legged on the Purple Cloud, and with his mind made up, he turned and headed towards the South Sea.
Halfway there, Qing Huan suddenly felt a slight stirring in his heart, and his gaze fell on a seemingly ordinary mountain peak in front of him.
"Huh? There's a formation here?"
A glint of light flashed in Qing Huan's eyes. He had only managed to acquire a low-grade spiritual treasure after countless years of wandering the Primordial Wilderness; perhaps this Innate Grand Formation before him held a hidden opportunity?
Is it High-grade Innate Spiritual Root, or an even more powerful spiritual treasure?
Qing Huan flicked his finger, and a profound force of law struck the array wall like a streak of light.
The moment the power of the laws touched the array wall, an ancient voice emanated from within the array:
"Now that Fellow Qing Huan has arrived at my Qilin Ancestral Cliff, why not come inside for a chat?"
Before the words were finished, a portal quietly opened in the seemingly impregnable Innate Grand Formation.
"Qilin Cliff?"
Qing Huan was slightly surprised.
"Legend has it that this cliff was originally located on the summit of Kunlun Mountain, so why did it fall to this place?"
In a flash, he no longer hesitated, took a step forward, the space rippled slightly, and his figure entered the Qilin Ancestral Land.
Upon entering, an intense, almost overwhelming, Innate Spiritual Qi rushed towards you, its purity and grandeur no less than that of the Solar Star's origin.
This place is a vast world unto itself, with beautiful mountains and rivers, and the laws of heaven and earth revealing the charm of the Great Dao. However, in this vast world, not a single Qilin can be seen. Only a sense of sorrow that has been silent for hundreds of millions of years permeates the place.
"Qing Huan Qinghuan, I have long admired your name. It is truly an honor for our Qilin Clan to meet you today."
The aged voice rang out again, and an old man with the appearance of Innate Dao Body appeared out of thin air in front of Qing Huan.
The old man had a kind face, but a lingering worry lurked deep in his eyes.
"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me."
Qing Huan returned the greeting with a cupped hand, his gaze sweeping over the other party, clearly sensing the oppressive aura of the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal level.
"May I ask which member of the Qilin Clan belong to? Primeval Qilin transformed into Qilin Cliff, and this Great Thousand World must be the manifestation of his Dao body. With such cultivation, could it be that...?"
Qing Huan already had a guess in his heart, but he didn't say it out loud.
"I am the Fire Qilin, and the Primeval Qilin is my elder brother."
"Now, I am temporarily in charge of the remaining bloodline of the Qilin Clan."
The Fire Qilin spoke in a low, melancholic tone, tinged with endless vicissitudes.
"Fellow Daoist Fire Qilin"
Qing Huan's gaze remained calm.
"Why have you summoned me? There seems to be no past friendship between us."
The Fire Qilin sighed deeply, its sorrow filling the air.
"Qing Huan Daoist Qinghuan, please understand... After the Dragon-Han Calamity, our Qilin Clan was burdened with boundless karma. The cultivation of the entire clan stagnated, and the shackles of the Heavenly Dao were difficult to break."
However, there is still Thread of Life... My Primeval Qilin, Four Unlike... He is the only exception in our clan, and our last hope!
I implore you, fellow Daoist, to have mercy and accept this poor child!
The Fire Qilin bowed deeply, its posture extremely humble.
Qing Huan frowned slightly.
Does this involve the Qilin Clan?
The Karma of the Phoenix Tribe has not yet been clarified. If they were to become tainted by the karma of the Qilin, even Sage would likely have to toil and struggle for the sake of these two clans, repaying their karmic Karma.
"Fellow Fire Qilin"
Qing Huan's voice was calm.
"The Four Unlike is not meant for me. Heavenly Dao has its own destiny. When the time is ripe, its destined form will descend. Fellow Daoist, just wait patiently."
Qing Huan had made up his mind. The Phoenix Tribe was already a burden, and he absolutely could not add the Qilin Clan to the mix.
Seeing Qing Huan's polite refusal, a flash of despair crossed the Fire Qilin's eyes, which then turned into resolute determination:
"Fellow Daoist, wait! Our clan is willing to offer two Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure! Moreover... the 'Zhongshu Earth,' one of the Ten Great Divine Soils of the Innate Realm! We only beg for your mercy!"
The Fire Qilin's voice was urgent, containing a desperate plea.
"Our Qilin Clan Heavenly Dao Oath! This transaction will ensure that you, fellow Daoist, are not tainted by even the slightest bit of our clan's Karma! Fellow Daoist... what do you say?"
Fire Qilin knew that, apart from the supreme Dao Ancestor Hongjun, the only Merit Luck who could protect Four Unlike future Qing Huan of the Qilin and carry the hopes of the Qilin Clan's legacy was Qinghuan, who had opened a path on the Solar Star, gained the recognition of heaven and earth, and whose merits and fortune were as deep as the ocean!
Even the Pangu Three Pure Ones) lack such depth and spirit at this moment.
"A top-grade spiritual treasure... Zhongshu Earth?!"
Even with Qing Huan's resolute will, he couldn't help but be slightly moved at this moment. Top-grade spiritual treasures are indeed precious, but for someone of his level, they are merely icing on the cake.
But the "Zhongshu Earth"... this item is truly crucial to his grand plan to repair the Primordial Wilderness earth veins!
As his thoughts raced, a grand blueprint for Merit emerged in his mind: the Qilin Clan still possesses the bloodline of the Earth Qilin. If they were to willingly sacrifice themselves, their primordial laws and Dao bodies could be used to fill the broken earth veins in the West, which would be enough to repair nearly one-fifth of the land!
This "Zhongshu Earth" can be used to stabilize and repair the crumbling core of the Antarctic earth veins, further reinforced by the Innate Eight Trigrams Grand Formation to lock in the earth's energy...
In this way, not only can the immense karma borne by the Qilin and Phoenix Tribe clans be greatly reduced, but it is also an opportunity for tremendous Merit!
This deal has great potential!
Qing Huan's face revealed a perfectly timed expression of "reluctance":
"Hmm... Very well, since Fellow Fire Qilin has already given me everything he has, showing such sincerity, I will make an exception and accept the Four Unlike."
The Fire Qilin, as if hearing celestial music, was overjoyed. "Excellent! Excellent! We are deeply grateful! Qing Huan Qinghuan, our Qilin Clan will forever remember your kindness!"
With a wave of his hand, two dazzling orbs of light and a jade box exuding a heavy Xuan Huang aura floated in mid-air in front of Qing Huan.
"Fellow Daoist Qing Huan, please take a look."
The Fire Qilin pointed to the treasure staff on the right, which was surrounded by the aura of the vast earth and whose head resembled the roar of a qilin.
"This is Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the [Qilin Staff], the companion treasure of my elder brother, the Primeval Qilin, whose power shakes heaven and earth."
He then pointed to the ancient longsword in the middle, its blade seemingly imbued with the swirling energy of Primordial Wilderness stars, its sharp edge capable of cleaving through the void.
"This sword is named [Kunwu]. During the Tribulation of the Ferocious Beasts, the Kunwu Ancestor perished, and this sword eventually fell into the hands of our clan."
"Kunwu Sword!"
Qing Huan was slightly surprised that such a fearsome and deadly treasure had remained dormant in the Qilin Treasure Vault until now.
If things had followed the original trajectory, the Four Unlike would have been taken as a mount by Yuanshi Tianzun, only to be abandoned and later used as Jiang Ziya's mount during the Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods. Its fate would have been uncertain. However, it seems that Yuanshi did not possess these magical treasures...