Xuande carefully placed the shrunken Twelve-Petal Destruction Black Lotus and God-Slaying Spear into his Primordial Spirit space to nurture them.
He didn't immediately try to refine them. This was no safe place.
Besides, Zhenyuanzi and the others were still waiting outside.
He took one last look around the vast underground cavern, which seemed especially empty and silent now that the two supreme treasures were gone.
Xuande didn't linger.
He turned and followed the way he had come, transforming into a streak of golden light as he flew upward.
The return journey was much faster.
With the source of the demonic energy gone, the energy remaining underground was naturally dissipating, and there was far less resistance.
He passed through the searing magma, crossed the dark river of baleful energy, and swept past the dense layers of rock... At last, a glimmer of light appeared ahead.
Whoosh!
The golden light shot out of the seemingly bottomless pit, returning to the sunlight.
Xuande hovered above the center of the basin and surveyed the surroundings.
The basin had once been steeped in demonic energy and utterly lifeless. Now, though it remained desolate and ruined, the sky was clear, the air was clean, and sunlight fell unobstructed upon every inch of ground.
Not a trace of demonic energy could be sensed on the surface anymore.
Only some lingering baleful energy and the fading remnants of subterranean fire remained, but those no longer belonged to the Devil Dao.
It had been purified completely!
From the source to the surface!
Xuande let out a long breath, filled with a sense of accomplishment.
This had not only cleared the greatest obstacle to repairing the West's Earth Vein.
It was also an important practical application of his Way of Merit, and a tremendous gain for him.
He lifted the isolation restriction he had set up earlier.
Next, he needed to notify Zhenyuanzi so he could investigate the Earth Vein's condition in detail.
As for obtaining the Destruction Black Lotus and God-Slaying Spear, Xuande considered it briefly and decided to keep it secret for now.
Those two treasures were tied to far too much. Revealing them too soon might not be wise. Perhaps it would be better to speak of them when the time was right.
The priority now was to work with Zhenyuanzi and the others to fully repair the West's Earth Vein.
He immediately used the method of communication the five of them had agreed upon.
He sent a brief message to Zhenyuanzi, who was busy in another area:
"The demonic energy has been completely dispelled. Come investigate the Earth Vein's condition."
After sending the message, Xuande sat cross-legged at the edge of the abyssal basin.
He adjusted his breathing to recover from the slight strain of purifying and exploring, while waiting for Zhenyuanzi to arrive.
He looked at the land before him. Though it was still desolate, it had emerged into daylight once more, no longer shrouded in gloom. His heart filled with relief.
Several days later, a thick, earthy-yellow Escape Light streaked across the horizon. It was Zhenyuanzi.
After receiving Xuande's message, he had immediately stabilized a crucial Earth Vein node he was reshaping.
He had left Hong Yun in charge of maintaining it, then hurried here without pausing.
"Daoist Xuande, thank you for your hard work!"
Zhenyuanzi descended from the clouds. Seeing Xuande, he then looked around at the basin's now-clear sky, admiration in his eyes.
"Your abilities are truly extraordinary, Daoist. Such stubborn demonic energy was completely purified in just a few tens of thousands of years, and..."
He carefully sensed the area.
"It seems you solved the problem at its source, rather than merely clearing away the surface. How did you manage it?"
Xuande had already prepared his explanation. He rose to greet Zhenyuanzi.
"You flatter me, Daoist Zhenyuanzi.
"It was only that the power of merit naturally countered demonic energy, supplemented by a few clever methods to wear it down bit by bit. I was fortunate, too. Though the demonic energy here was pure, it seemed to be water without a source, a tree without roots.
"By the end of the purification, I encountered no fierce counterattack or hidden contingencies."
He deliberately glossed over the details of the purification and his discovery of the two supreme treasures, focusing instead on the outcome.
Zhenyuanzi nodded. A measure of relief showed through his compassionate expression.
"Whatever the case, this is wonderful news. With the demonic energy gone, the greatest obstacle to repairing this Earth Vein has been removed.
"Once I determine the extent of the damage below, I can draw up a plan for its repair."
"Indeed. I'll leave it to you, Daoist." Xuande stepped aside, indicating that Zhenyuanzi could begin.
Zhenyuanzi said no more. He walked straight to the edge of the enormous pit.
This time, he no longer sensed the unpleasant interference of demonic energy. His expression solemn, he summoned the Earth Scroll once more.
The ancient book floated above his head and slowly opened.
An earthy-yellow radiance, denser than when he had examined the area before, flowed out.
Like the most precise of scanning waves, it silently seeped into the depths of the pit and the Earth Vein network beneath the basin.
With no demonic energy to obscure or disrupt it, the Earth Scroll's power could penetrate underground without obstruction.
It clearly sensed every layer of rock and the condition of every Spiritual Vein.
Xuande stood quietly guard nearby.
He could see Zhenyuanzi's brow furrow and relax by turns. Clearly, the conditions underground were even more complicated than he had expected.
This examination lasted nearly a month.
Zhenyuanzi scanned the Earth Vein network beneath the entire basin and its connected surroundings, inch by inch.
When the last rays of light withdrew into the Earth Scroll and Zhenyuanzi slowly opened his eyes, he looked visibly tired, though his gaze was clear.
"The situation... is even worse than I expected."
Zhenyuanzi spoke to Xuande in a grave voice.
"After years of erosion by demonic energy, and with most of the force from Rahula's self-detonation concentrated here, the Earth Vein's damage goes far beyond mere fractures and distortions."
With a wave of his hand, he traced a local Earth Vein Light Shadow Map in the air once more, pointing to the lines representing the area.
"Look here. This was once the confluence of an important tributary of the West's Earth Vein.
"Now it has completely collapsed, drained of spiritual vitality, as though an important acupoint in a Daoist body had been destroyed.
"Here, the Earth Vein was forcibly twisted by a violent force, entangling it with several neighboring channels.
"This has created several extremely unstable Earth Qi vortices.
"If left untreated, they could trigger local earthquakes or Spiritual Energy storms at any moment.
"And here, the deep layers of the Earth Vein have crystallized and turned to demonic stone. Parts of the structure have been corrupted, leaving them extremely fragile and difficult to channel..."
Zhenyuanzi pointed out each of the more than ten major areas of damage he had found, describing them in detail.
Every one was a thorny problem, requiring exceptional skill, profound magical power, and a deep understanding of the Earth Dao to resolve.
Xuande listened carefully, his expression growing grave as well.
He had known the situation was serious, but hadn't expected it to be this bad.
This was no longer a simple repair. It was almost a complete reconstruction.
"More importantly," Zhenyuanzi concluded, "this area is where several Earth Vein systems converge. A single change can affect the whole.
"Every step of the repair must be handled with exceptional care. The order, technique, and force must all be precisely calculated.
"If even one section is mishandled, it could trigger a chain reaction, damaging the areas around us that we've worked so hard to repair—or even causing much wider upheaval in the Earth Vein."
He looked at Xuande, his gaze inviting discussion.
"Daoist Xuande, in my view, this is the most difficult and dangerous area to repair, so it should be our final challenge.
"Let's first finish repairing all the other areas that are relatively easy to handle.
"That will give us more experience and stabilize the surrounding Earth Vein, creating a safer, more stable environment for the work here.
"When the time comes, the five of us can join forces. We may even need to rely on certain spiritual treasures or formations to help us overcome this final challenge. What do you think?"
Xuande wholeheartedly agreed.
Zhenyuanzi's plan was prudent and well-considered: start with the easy tasks, then proceed step by step to the difficult ones. It was exactly the right approach.
"Your plan is thorough, Daoist. I agree.
"We'll follow your advice, finish repairing the other areas first, and return to handle this most difficult one last."
With their plan settled, the two didn't delay.
Zhenyuanzi sent word to Hong Yun, who was maintaining the Earth Vein in another complicated area, and arranged a place to meet.
Xuande also notified Jieyin and Zhunti that the demonic energy had been removed and informed them of the next step.