"Fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi, you're the one who's worked hard."
Xuande returned the salute, his gaze calm as it rested on the other man's somewhat weary yet still upright figure.
He knew that Zhenyuanzi must have spent a great deal of effort surveying the entire West.
"How is the situation?"
At this, Zhenyuanzi's expression grew even more grave.
He said nothing, only slowly raised his right hand, held his fingers together like a blade, and made a sweeping gesture through the air.
In an instant, a warm, rich, ocher-yellow Spiritual Light flowed from his fingertips.
It did not scatter freely. Instead, it gathered, interwove, and spread through the air in a profound rhythm.
The light and shadows flickered uncertainly, at first forming only a hazy blur.
Then, in a flash, they became clear and complex, layer upon layer.
At last, they formed a vast and intricate three-dimensional map of the Veins, encompassing the entire Western land.
The image was not static. Streams of light slowly circulated within it, carrying the faint but unmistakable pulse of the earth.
Yet that pulse seemed so sluggish and disordered that it made one's heart tighten.
In the map, the gentle yellow streams represented healthy Earth Veins.
Like the docile blood flowing through a healthy body, they were sparse and disconnected, unable to form a coherent network.
Far more numerous were the lines and patches representing fractures, blockages, distortions, and desiccation—dark red, gray-black, and even tinged with an eerie glow.
They crisscrossed densely. In some places, the Veins knotted together into a tangled mess.
In others, they simply stopped short, leaving behind horrifying dark chasms.
Vast areas were shrouded in ashen patches, as though they had lost all vitality.
The entire scene resembled a giant covered in wounds, its meridians utterly destroyed.
It silently told of the terrible calamity it had once endured.
"The situation... is even worse than we expected."
Zhenyuanzi's low voice broke the silence.
He extended a finger toward several especially chaotic areas in the image. The Spiritual Light at his fingertip drew them closer, slightly enlarging the details.
Countless tiny fragments of Veins hovered around the ruptures, like blood vessels sliced apart by an invisible blade, drifting slowly through the air.
"Rahula's self-detonation unleashed a demonic might that shook the heavens.
"Its destructive force not only dealt a devastating blow to the Western Ancestral Vein and several main Veins that sustain the spiritual workings of Heaven and Earth.
"Its shockwaves were like countless billions of the sharpest, most vicious demonic blades.
"From the blast's epicenter, they radiated wildly in every direction, cutting through every corner of the Western land.
"Deep beneath the earth, the naturally formed network of Earth Veins, so intricate and yet so fragile,
"was shattered into pieces in an instant by that savage, violent force."
His finger moved across a vast region of dark red blockages on the map.
"By rough estimate, there are already over a hundred thousand clearly identifiable major and minor ruptures in the Earth Veins.
"As for the blockages caused by Earth Qi flowing backward, spiritual energy clashing, and filth accumulating, they are too numerous to count.
"More importantly..."
Zhenyuanzi paused, his voice growing heavier.
"The mountains and rivers of the earth each have their own acupoints, natural hubs where Earth Qi circulates and yin and yang converge, much like the vital pressure points of the human body.
"In this calamity, most of these important nodes within the Western lands were directly damaged, contaminated, or distorted.
"With the nodes gone, even the surviving Veins can no longer circulate Earth Qi naturally, and vitality cannot be restored."
Then, with steady solemnity, he pointed toward the northern part of the image.
There lay a vast, pitch-black region. It roiled and writhed like a living thing, constantly exuding an aura of ill omen and deathly stillness.
Its size and depth of color far surpassed those of the other damaged areas.
"And this is the most troublesome area. It lies near the ruins of Rahula Demon Palace.
"The core demonic energy from the self-detonation, together with the filth accumulated in the palace over ten thousand years,
"has sunk deep into the Earth Veins, leaving behind an exceptionally concentrated and stubborn residue of demonic energy.
"This demonic energy no longer floats on the surface.
"Instead, like the most viscous poison, it has entangled and merged with the ruptured Earth Veins themselves, making the two impossible to separate."
Hong Yun, too, set aside his usual casual manner and added gravely:
"Fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi is quite right.
"I investigated the outskirts of that place.
"Not only have the Earth Veins been tainted by demonic energy,
"but the four energies of the heavens—the pure and spiritual energy, Geng Metal Qi, Li Fire Qi, Xuan Water Qi, and even Hou Earth Qi itself—
"have all been thrown into chaos by the demonic source embedded deep underground. They're also being constantly corrupted, creating an extremely bizarre demonic domain.
"Ordinary plants wither as soon as they enter, and birds and beasts flee from it.
"Any living being with a shallow cultivation base who approaches risks having their mind corroded by demonic thoughts. If they linger, they may even be transformed into something monstrous."
Jieyin and Zhunti silently gazed at the light-woven image of the land, scarred beyond recognition.
The sorrow on their faces deepened. Their brows furrowed, and worry nearly overflowed from their eyes.
They had been born and raised here. They had long known how impoverished the West was, and understood that the demonic calamity must have caused grave damage.
But only now, with every detail laid bare before them in this stark and vivid image,
did they truly realize just how brutal the wounds inflicted on the Western land were.
It was far worse than merely damaging its muscles and bones. It was as though someone had torn out its spine, crushed its organs, and poisoned the blood flowing through its entire body.
A heavy sense of helplessness and an even more intense sense of responsibility churned together in their hearts.
Xuande's gaze was as deep and still as an ancient well. He slowly took in every damaged part of the map.
He committed each rupture, blockage, distortion, and the central area tainted by demonic energy to memory.
After a moment, he lifted his eyes to Zhenyuanzi and spoke in a steady, clear voice:
"Fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi, now that we've investigated the situation and identified the root of the problem, how should we begin repairing it? Have you drawn up a plan?"
At this, Zhenyuanzi nodded, his expression turning focused and solemn. Clearly, he had already given the matter careful thought.
He pointed to the map again. This time, Spiritual Light flowed from his fingertip,
marking out the areas where the Veins were only slightly disordered or mildly blocked, with no obvious ruptures.
They glowed with a faint, relatively gentle yellow-white light.
"Repairs must proceed in stages, from easy to difficult, from the surface inward."
Zhenyuanzi explained, "These areas present relatively simple problems.
"They're mostly minor Veins displaced by the tremors of major Veins and the temporary imbalance of Earth Qi, or slight blockages caused by dust, rocks, and other natural coverings disrupting the surface-level spiritual energy.
"To deal with these problems, there's no need to rebuild the structure of the Earth Veins.
"We need only use pure, gentle magical power to guide them carefully, like a spring rain, and smooth out the disorder.
"Then we can guide the Earth Qi within them back onto its original, steady course."
He paused and turned toward Jieyin and Zhunti, his tone sincere.
"This work may seem basic, but it is of vital importance; it is the foundation of the entire restoration.
"Since it covers the widest area, it requires great patience and extremely precise control of magical power. We cannot afford the slightest haste.
"However, it does not demand the highest level of insight into the profound principles of the Earth Dao."
He gave a slight salute.
"Fellow Daoist Jieyin, Fellow Daoist Zhunti, you have lived in the West for a long time.
"You know the nature of every mountain, stream, blade of grass, and tree here like the backs of your hands. Your magical power is also pure, deep, and enduring.
"Would you be willing to take charge of this most tedious work, which requires patient, locally tailored attention?
"Later, I'll record in detail on a Jade Slip the areas that should be addressed first, the proper direction of the Earth Qi's flow,
"and the various key points to keep in mind while guiding it, so that you may study them."