The Kirin Clan had also guessed that Xuan Qing was the one who had killed the Fire Kirin. That Azure Lotus projection was the Green Lotus of Creation—who else but Xuan Qing, who possessed the Green Lotus of Creation, could comprehend the Law of Creation?
"Alright, I'm not as impressive as they make me out to be. It's not good to exaggerate all the time. I wonder who they learned that from."
Xuan Qing did not want to reveal his strength yet. The more trump cards he had, the better. The waters of the Prehistoric Era ran deep, and so many Chaos Demon Gods were still hiding. If his strength was insufficient, he had no desire to be plotted against.
"Senior is too humble. We should hurry back and inform the Clan Leader of this news. We certainly will not be careless regarding Senior's affairs."
Yun Jing and the other no longer planned to travel. They had to rush back and notify the Clan Leader. Xuan Qing also seemed to care greatly about Karma, and the White Tiger Clan could not afford to miss this opportunity.
Lei Li also felt that he ought to return and inform the Clan Leader about what had happened here.
Watching the two leave, Xuan Qing wondered whether his plan would work. Establishing the Four Pillars under the Great Dao's witness would prevent the Heavenly Dao from completely restricting them. It would certainly be better for the Prehistoric Era than it had been in his previous life.
"Brother, what opportunity are you talking about? It looks like your plan is anything but ordinary!"
This was the first time Han Xi had seen her Old Brother speak so seriously about something.
"You'll find out when the time comes. I can't tell you now. Just cultivate properly. This has nothing to do with you."
Xuan Qing did not want to drag them into positions with such severe restrictions. Otherwise, what would be the point of cultivating the Dao? Leave professional matters to professionals.
After saying that, Xuan Qing led the group into Kunlun Mountain. The Kunlun Mountain Range truly looked like a blessed immortal abode. Along the way, they discovered many Low-Grade Innate Spiritual Roots, but Xuan Qing and the others did not uproot them all. They only collected some varieties that Azure Nether Island did not have.
Each time, Xuan Qing only took a few branches. Before leaving, he would water them with some Creation Holy Water to repay the Karma he owed Primordial Heaven and Earth. He did not want to owe the Prehistoric Era any Karma. His plan was to make the Prehistoric Era owe him instead, so that when he attained the Primordial Golden Immortal realm in the future, he would not be restricted by the Heavenly Dao.
Just like Yang Mei, who would eventually be driven out of the Prehistoric Era by the Heavenly Dao and could only wander through Chaos.
With the aid of many Innate Spiritual Roots, the Qing Ya Sisters also sensed the opportunity to break through.
"Master, we're going into seclusion to make our breakthrough. Please protect us," Qing Ya said to Xuan Qing one day.
This time, the Qing Ya Sisters could no longer suppress their Magic Power. Over all these years, Xuan Qing had constantly required them to compress their Magic Power to the extreme and focus more on comprehending laws. Now, their Magic Power had reached its critical point.
As the two entered seclusion, Xuan Qing also sat quietly in a daze, staring at Kunlun Mountain. Such scenery only existed now. It would all be destroyed in the future. What a pity.
"Brother, what are you thinking about? You've been staring blankly this whole time." Seeing her Old Brother lost in thought, Qing Ya could not help interrupting him.
Xuan Qing gazed at the scenery before him and sighed. "Wouldn't it be a shame if such beautiful scenery were destroyed? It would be nice if it could be preserved."
"Then paint it. It would still be regrettable, but at least you could look at it again in the future."
The speaker had not meant anything by it, but the listener took it to heart. Xuan Qing's thoughts immediately stirred. That was right—he could paint it. Had he not obtained a Blank Scroll on Zhou Mountain? He could give it a try.
With that thought, Xuan Qing hurriedly took out the Blank Scroll. After carefully observing the scenery before him, he began painting on it.
At first, his paintings were hideous. No one could even tell what he was drawing. He had possessed no talent for painting in his previous life, and now the entire Prehistoric Era was filled with Great Dao essence and Pangu's aura.
Painting skill alone was useless. He also had to learn to paint the Dao essence within it. Fortunately, the scroll used Merit for painting, and erasing it would not waste any Merit.
Thus, he painted for an entire Kalpa. The scroll eventually displayed scenery identical to what lay before him, but it could not be preserved. It immediately scattered back into Merit. Such a painting could not endure.
Xuan Qing refused to accept this and stubbornly squared off against the scroll. The Qing Ya Sisters' auras grew increasingly powerful, yet he still could not preserve the image.
Ten Kalpas passed... then a hundred Kalpas passed, and he still failed.
That day, an enormous force of life descended upon Kunlun Mountain. Countless spiritual plants around Xuan Qing began growing wildly. The Qing Ya Sisters' True Spirits had completed their transformation, and the aura of the Law of Life spilled outward.
Within the River of Destiny, the River stirred with waves. The two sisters were pushed out of the long river together. This time, not many people paid attention. That aura was undoubtedly connected to Xuan Qing, and none of them wanted to make an enemy of him.
It was also the first time the two sisters had witnessed the wonder of the River of Destiny. Yet before they could look at it twice, they were kicked out.
An eleven-petal Earth Flower and a ten-petal Earth Flower appeared above Qing Ya and Qing Ling's Primordial Spirits respectively. Green Life Dao Patterns were inscribed upon them.
Two Grand Luo Golden Immortal pressures spread from Kunlun Mountain, though they only covered a very small area because Kunlun Mountain was simply too vast.
Not long afterward, the pressure vanished, and the two women entered seclusion again to stabilize their realms.
When Xuan Qing saw that the two women had successfully broken through, the worry hanging over his heart finally eased. Under his guidance, both of their Earth Flowers had surpassed the limits of High-Grade Innate Spiritual Roots. He was very satisfied with this outcome.
Then Xuan Qing resumed his stubborn battle with the scroll. The breakthrough just now had merely been a truce. Now, he continued. He tried countless methods, yet none could make the image remain on the scroll.
"Master, is the scroll refusing to be painted on? Or is your strength insufficient? Or is there something wrong with the ink? Otherwise, why won't the scroll hold the painting?"
Qing Yue was growing anxious as she watched her Master remain locked in this stalemate. She wanted to remind him that he was being too single-minded.
"There's something wrong with the ink? How could Great Dao Merit be wrong?" Xuan Qing asked in confusion.
"Since it is ink, could you mix something else into it? Great Dao Merit alone is incomplete."
Han Xi also offered a suggestion. After all, her Old Brother had told her that ink was black or blue and was a mixture. Great Dao Merit was far too pure.
"That's right, ink, ink. Since it's ink, it cannot be just one thing. Han Xi, you truly are your Old Brother's precious treasure."
Xuan Qing slapped his forehead, instantly wondering whether the Great Dao had affected his intelligence and made him stupid.
So Xuan Qing began trying to bring Innate Spiritual Qi, Turbid Qi from the earth, and other things into contact with the scroll. Yet the scroll showed no reaction at all, forcing Xuan Qing to consider whether he had been searching in the wrong direction.
"Brother, why don't you paint it as a Map of Mountains and Rivers? Let it bear a projection of the Primordial Land, record its mountains, rivers, and water veins, and form a world capable of containing countless living beings."
A Map of Mountains and Rivers already existed in the Prehistoric Era. He had never considered this before, but that did not mean he could not paint another one. The Great Dao had never said there could only be one Map of Mountains and Rivers.
But there was no rush. Collecting the Spiritual Vein nodes of mountains and waterways would require endless time, and he would have to traverse the entire Prehistoric Continent. He would need to arrange it gradually later.
Once he had figured out the scroll, the Qing Ya Sisters also emerged from seclusion. The moment they came out, the two women excitedly ran toward Xuan Qing.
"Master, we broke through! Our Spiritual Treasures have finally transformed into Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures as well. At last, we have the strength to help Master," Qing Ya said with a bright smile.
"Master, if we encounter enemies in the future, let me test my skills first. I want to see what is different about fighting as a Grand Luo Golden Immortal." Qing Ling was eager to make a move and test her own strength. It seemed that after breaking through, her battle-loving nature had also been awakened.
"With your potential, you can stand alongside those Heaven and Earth Demon Gods. But do not become arrogant. There are always greater people beyond you and greater heavens beyond the sky. Maintaining a certain degree of humility is necessary."
Xuan Qing knew that none of the Heaven and Earth Demon Gods possessed twelve-petal Three Flowers. The Qing Ya Sisters had already begun from the same starting line as them; they merely lacked time and foundation.
However, he could not let them become overly arrogant. Otherwise, they might one day fall into a plot without even realizing it.
"Congratulations to Qing Ya and Qing Ling for breaking through to Grand Luo Golden Immortals! Let's have a grand meal to celebrate!" Han Xi and the other two stepped forward to congratulate the sisters.
Now only Qing Yue and Bai Yu remained. Xuan Qing was not worried about Qing Yue, but he had no idea when Bai Yu would break through. If Bai Yu wanted to achieve a better future, he would have to endure an endless wait.
"Since you've broken through, we have something to do now." Xuan Qing planned to try outlining Earth Veins on the scroll within Kunlun Mountain.
"Master, if there is anything you need from us, just give the order." Qing Ling stood waiting for Xuan Qing's instructions with the air of a little adult.
"Pfft, hahaha!
Qing Ling, when did you grow up? You're being so serious."
This was the first time Xuan Qing had seen Qing Ling look so earnest. He would never believe that she was not trying to find an excuse to run off and test her combat strength.
"Don't laugh, Master! If you keep laughing, I'll bite you!" Seeing Xuan Qing tease her, she angrily grabbed his arm and prepared to bite down.
"Alright, it's nothing difficult. It's just troublesome and time-consuming." As Xuan Qing spoke, he took out the scroll and explained its origins and his idea to everyone.
Whether this would work or not, they first needed to conduct an experiment. Xuan Qing began searching for Earth Vein Nodes in Kunlun Mountain. Before long, their group arrived within the range of one such node.
However, drawing the Earth Veins onto the scroll required collecting the Spirit of the Earth Vein. That would trigger unrest in the Earth Veins and breed Karmic Sin. If Xuan Qing wanted to succeed, he could not damage the Earth Veins. Otherwise, his Great Dao Merit would have to be used to offset the Karma.
Xuan Qing was not foolish enough to lose the Great Dao Wheel for the sake of one Spiritual Treasure. He had to think of a compromise.
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