Several days later, the five gathered again in a valley where Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun had finished restoring the Earth Qi, and it was once more flowing steadily.
When Jieyin and Zhunti saw that Xuande was safe and sound and that the Abyss of Demonic Energy had truly been completely purified, they were overjoyed and praised him again and again.
Hong Yun even clapped Xuande on the shoulder, exclaiming that he was extraordinary.
After Zhenyuanzi told everyone about the dire state of the Earth Vein beneath the abyssal basin and the final plan to repair it, they all voiced their agreement.
And so the grand undertaking to restore the West Earth Vein entered a new phase: a full-scale rollout and coordinated effort.
Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun continued to take charge of the most complex and severely damaged core areas.
They were like the finest physicians of the earth and masters of energy.
One focused on mending broken bones and sinews and clearing the main channels. Guided by the Earth Scroll, he used supreme magical power to reshape the broken Earth Vein nodes and guide the rampant Earth Qi back onto its proper course.
The other excelled at harmonizing the flow of energy and calming the surrounding regions. He set in order the water, wind, and fire energies thrown into disarray by changes in the terrain and Earth Vein, bringing them back into harmony to nourish the newly restored Earth Vein.
After completing his own purification task, Xuande did not take a break.
He volunteered to join Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun in their restoration work.
His Merit Golden Light displayed unexpected wonders as they repaired the Earth Vein.
When Zhenyuanzi reshaped a fragile or newly restored Earth Vein,
Xuande's Merit Golden Light could gently merge into it,
like the finest of nutrients and stabilizers.
It not only accelerated the Earth Vein's healing and strengthened it,
but also imbued the newly restored Earth Vein with a touch of Purity and serenity,
bolstering its resilience against any chaos or contamination that might arise in the future.
When Hong Yun encountered stubborn blockages or clashing energies while harmonizing the Four Elements,
Xuande's Merit Golden Light could once again lubricate and purify them,
helping to calm their turbulence, dispel malice, and bring the various energies together more smoothly and naturally.
With Xuande's Merit Golden Light aiding them, Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun's efficiency in repairing the Earth Vein improved markedly.
Moreover, the restored Earth Vein seemed to be of even higher quality, and the Spiritual Energy flowing through it carried a touch of Purity that lifted the spirits.
This made Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun regard Xuande with even greater respect, and their teamwork grew ever more seamless.
Meanwhile, Jieyin and Zhunti steadily advanced the relatively simple work of clearing and organizing the Earth Vein.
They grew more practiced by the day, covering a wider area and working with greater efficiency.
Whenever they encountered a region they could not handle or sensed something unusual, they marked it promptly, leaving it for all five to address together when they next met.
All five devoted themselves wholeheartedly to this meritorious undertaking.
They traversed the vast, barren lands of the West, crossing wastelands, passing over desolate mountains, and venturing into gorges.
Wherever they went, disordered Earth Qi was brought into order, broken Spiritual Veins were reconnected, and blocked nodes were cleared.
The desolation on the surface could not change overnight, but profound changes were quietly taking place beneath the ground.
The Spiritual Energy began to slowly bud, gather, and flow anew, like clear springs seeping beneath the bed of a dried-up river.
Years held no meaning in the Primordial Wilderness.
For Grand Unity Golden Immortals with long lifespans, focused on a great undertaking, a thousand or ten thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.
No one knew how many years had gone by. It might have been a Kalpa, or even longer.
At last, aside from the basin that had once been the Abyss of Demonic Energy,
the five had repaired every damaged Earth Vein in the West that had been marked for restoration, no matter how difficult!
Countless Earth Veins had been reactivated, cleared, and reinforced.
Together, they formed an underground Spiritual Energy network that, though far less dense and flourishing than the East's, had taken shape and was running steadily.
The concentration of Spiritual Energy across the West was slowly rising at a pace perceptible to spiritual senses.
It was still sparse, but much of the heavy gloom and desolation had already dissipated.
Some of the most sensitive living beings and plants were the first to feel the changes in their surroundings and come alive with renewed vitality.
On this day, the five gathered once more. After their long years of restoration work, each of them had become steadier and more capable.
Their trust and understanding of one another had also reached its peak.
All their gazes turned toward the shattered basin before them, the former Abyss of Demonic Energy, now revealed in its true form.
"Fellow Daoists,"
Zhenyuanzi began, his expression more solemn than ever.
"The last hard nut to crack lies before us. The damage to the Earth Vein here is more concentrated and severe than anywhere else, so we must proceed with the utmost caution.
"I will use the Earth Scroll to determine the best order of repairs and the optimal nodes.
"Fellow Daoist Hong Yun, you will immediately harmonize any violent changes in the Four Elements that arise.
"Fellow Daoists Jieyin and Zhunti, you will provide a steady supply of magical power and respond to any backlash from the Earth Vein.
"Fellow Daoist Xuande, your Merit Golden Light is crucial. It must sustain us throughout the entire process.
"Use it to stabilize the newly restored channels and purify the lingering foreign energies.
"And... at critical moments, protect our minds and spirits, shielding us from the Karmic Sin or negative emotional shocks that may arise from disturbing the Earth Vein."
Everyone nodded solemnly and adjusted themselves to their best condition.
"Begin."
At Zhenyuanzi's command, the Earth Scroll blazed with light, enveloping the entire basin as countless fine threads of light sank underground.
The five took up positions around the basin and gave everything they had.
Zhenyuanzi's hands continuously formed profound seals, guiding the vast magical power the others poured forth together.
Following the threads of light from the Earth Scroll, they cautiously untangled the intertwined Earth Veins, reshaped shattered nodes, and gradually corrected their distorted courses.
Every one of his movements stirred the raging Earth Qi below. The slightest misstep could trigger a chain collapse.
Hong Yun's hair and beard billowed as four-colored light flowed incessantly around him.
He watched the energies of earth, water, fire, and wind, which surged and clashed within the basin as Zhenyuanzi repaired the Earth Vein, threatening to run wild. He promptly intervened to guide, soothe, and harmonize them, maintaining a fragile balance.
Jieyin and Zhunti wore grave expressions.
They continuously poured their own pure magical power into the force Zhenyuanzi was directing to repair the Earth Vein.
At the same time, drawing on their familiarity with the West Earth Vein, they helped stabilize the surrounding areas and kept the fluctuations from spreading and causing destruction.
Xuande sat at the center, like a pillar holding back the sea.
The phantom of the Twelve-Petal Merit Golden Lotus appeared and disappeared behind him.
Warm, tranquil golden light spread across the entire repair site like water cascading over the land.
The light not only seeped underground, reinforcing the newly restored and fragile Earth Vein and purifying the lingering baleful energy and deathly aura churned up from deep underground during the repairs;
it also formed a powerful field of purification and protection.
It held back the negative emotions and subtle Karmic Sin inevitably produced by the earth's suffering as its veins were repaired,
protecting the four others as they cast their spells and keeping their Dao hearts clear and undisturbed.
The process was nerve-racking.
When they reshaped a shattered core node, a small-scale surge of Earth Qi erupted.
It nearly undid all their previous efforts, but Hong Yun managed to harmonize it with all his strength, while Xuande's golden light held it steady, and together they barely calmed the turmoil.
On another occasion, while they were guiding a deeply corrupted Earth Vein back into order, it unleashed a fierce mental shock that rushed straight at everyone's Primordial Spirit.
Fortunately, Xuande had already surrounded their minds and spirits with Merit Golden Light, sparing them from its effects.
With all five giving their utmost, they overcame the most dangerous core nodes one by one.
The intertwined Earth Veins were gradually untangled, and their distorted courses slowly corrected...
When Zhenyuanzi used tremendous magical power and the might of the Earth Scroll to carefully guide the last and most stubborn "Earth Qi vortex" into stillness,
and Xuande had completely stabilized it with his Merit Golden Light,
"Rumble..."
The entire Western land seemed to let out a deep, relieved hum!
It was not an earthquake, but a joyous tremor rising from the depths of the earth, as its Spiritual Energy once more flowed freely through the whole network!
With the basin that had once been the Abyss of Demonic Energy at its core, the restored Earth Vein seemed to receive its final burst of vitality. It connected fully with the Earth Vein network that had already been repaired throughout the West!
Though far simpler than it had been in ancient times, the West Earth Vein system was now truly whole again, able to circulate and grow slowly on its own. Its rebirth was complete!
Vast quantities of pure, innate Spiritual Energy began to surge more freely and vigorously from the repaired Earth Vein nodes deep beneath the Western lands, spreading in every direction.
The sky seemed clearer and wider, and the unseen haze that had long hung over the West was completely dispelled.
All five stopped what they were doing and hovered in midair, feeling the changes in the land below with weariness and immense joy.
Just then, a sudden change occurred!
Above the nine heavens, the clear sky abruptly filled with boundless auspicious clouds!
A thousand streaks of auspicious energy, ten thousand rays of rosy light! A vast will of supreme authority and majesty descended, bearing a sense of approval and reward!
Xuande had sensed this will before, when he underwent Form Transformation. It was none other than the Heavenly Dao!
Amid the auspicious clouds and radiant light, boundless Profound Yellow Qi descended!
It was the purest and most precious of all—the Heavenly Dao's merit!