After deciding to return to the Canyon Home, Lin Yan did not set off immediately. Instead, he took Mo Xuan with him and began selectively revisiting some of the areas they had cleared and restored over the past century.
He had long wanted to bring back some of the Spirit Beasts and Spirit Roots they had discovered over the years.
First, to complete the remaining tasks issued by the system. Second, he wanted to raise the ecological level of his canyon home once more.
His first target was the herd of Jade Spirit Deer he had once saved. Jade Spirit Deer were gentle by nature, beautiful in appearance, and possessed an innate ability to stimulate the life force of vegetation. More importantly, one deer in the herd had already developed intelligence—the Deer King—making communication much easier.
When Lin Yan and Mo Xuan's auras appeared before the herd, the deer immediately stirred uneasily. The faint Qilin Pressure emanating from Mo Xuan made them nervous.
However, once they saw Lin Yan, they quickly calmed down. They even lowered their heads and let out soft cries in unison, expressing their gratitude for his life-saving kindness.
After the Deer King at the front understood Lin Yan's intentions, he soon let out a gentle cry, expressing his willingness to submit. A Spirit Beast's instincts told him that following Lin Yan would surely lead to a better life than the one they had now. As for whether Lin Yan might deceive them, his level of intelligence had not yet reached the point where he could consider such things.
"What use are Spirit Beasts this timid and weak?" Mo Xuan could not help curling his lip after seeing Lin Yan place more than a dozen Jade Spirit Deer into the Clear Spirit Space within the Primal Chaos Plate.
As an innate Top Divine Beast, he naturally had no regard for Spirit Beasts at the Jade Spirit Deer's level.
Lin Yan's standards were not as high as a Qilin's. Jade Spirit Deer were already among the most advanced Spirit Beasts within a radius of ten thousand li. Successfully bringing them under his command filled him with delight.
Next, they went to the Emerald Bamboo Forest. They moved a Bamboo King that had already developed a faint Spiritual Sense, along with the entire bamboo forest and the Spirit Soil beneath it, into the Primal Chaos Plate. There was a Vajra Bamboo that had just sprouted in his canyon home, so they could grow together nicely.
After that, the two found several other living beings in the wilderness.
The "Colorful Cloud Sparrows" were small, with gorgeous feathers and crisp, pleasant calls. They could also gather clouds and bring sweet rain. Their original habitat had been destroyed by ferocious beasts, and they were now wandering everywhere in search of a new home. Thus, the moment Lin Yan invited them, they happily flew into the Primal Chaos Plate.
There was also a nest of "Hundred Flower Bees," which had originally survived by feeding on the nectar of a hundred flowers. However, the surrounding Spirit Flowers had been eroded by Malevolent Qi and were becoming fewer and fewer. Just as the Bee Queen, who had already developed intelligence, was worrying over her colony's survival, she encountered Lin Yan. Grateful for the help he had once given them, she immediately led her colony in volunteering to follow him.
All told, Lin Yan and Mo Xuan gathered more than a dozen Spirit Beast groups and several Spirit Roots of good quality. Compared to the number of living beings within a radius of a million li, it was not much. He could not cause another Ecological Disaster because of a momentary fit of greed.
Seeing that Lin Yan had chosen only weak living beings, Mo Xuan could not help saying, "Lin Yan, why go through all this trouble? Other than looking pretty and having a few strange abilities, these little things have almost zero combat power. They are not even qualified to guard a home."
Lin Yan explained, "I did not bring them back to guard the house, nor to fight and kill. I brought them back to help me build a home. Besides, with my cultivation, if I really brought back a few Spirit Beasts in the Heavenly Immortal Realm, would I be managing them, or would they be managing me?"
Mo Xuan thought it over and scratched his head. "That seems right. Your Mid Earth Immortal cultivation really is a little too... low-key."
Lin Yan: "..."
The Spirit Beasts and Spirit Roots selected by Lin Yan were all placed within the Clear Spirit Space of the Primal Chaos Plate.
Over the past century, the Primal Chaos Plate had continuously absorbed Malevolent Qi and converted it into a considerable amount of Spirit Qi. Aside from what it used to nourish itself, much of that Spirit Qi had been stored in the Clear Spirit Space on its fourth layer. In the layer closest to the Hundun Dao Seed, the Spirit Qi had already been compressed into a viscous liquid. Some had even become solid. Ordinary living beings did not dare remain there for long, fearing that absorbing too much Spirit Qi would make them explode and die.
Yet even in the uppermost layer, where the Spirit Qi was thinnest, its concentration was more than a hundred times greater than outside. Every Spirit Beast and Spirit Root that entered the Clear Spirit Space rejoiced, believing they had arrived in some extraordinary Grotto Heaven. They all found places they liked and began cultivating in earnest.
"That should be enough." Lin Yan gazed contentedly at the various Spirit Beasts and Spirit Roots within the space of the plate, then nodded in satisfaction. "Xiao Mo, let's go home!"
By then, Lin Yan had been away from the Canyon Home for nearly three hundred years. He dearly missed the little home he had built with his own hands, as well as the nine Younger Brothers back home. He wondered what changes had taken place over the years and whether his younger brothers had been doing well.
Eager to return, Lin Yan did not slowly walk back on foot as he had when he came. Instead, he used the divine ability rewarded by the system, Earth Vein Resonance, which he had only recently comprehended, to travel.
With the support of this divine ability, he could use the intertwined network of Earth Veins beneath the ground to move rapidly over short distances. Traveling this way was much faster than his Earth Escape Technique, not to mention his clumsy flying technique.
Mo Xuan traveled much more leisurely. Clouds formed beneath his four hooves as he walked upon Auspicious Light. He appeared unhurried, yet he always kept pace beside Lin Yan. It made Lin Yan sigh once more at the deep foundation of a Top Divine Beast. Any ability Mo Xuan casually displayed was stronger than Lin Yan's greatest technique.
A distance of several hundred thousand li took one man and one beast only several dozen days to cross before they reached the outskirts of the canyon.
When an ordinary-looking stretch of continuous mountain ranges appeared before them, Lin Yan pointed at it and said to Mo Xuan beside him, "This is it. My home is inside."
Mo Xuan widened his eyes and found that this was merely an utterly ordinary stretch of mountains. A faint, indistinct mist covered the surface of the mountain body. Looking more closely, he noticed an inexplicable rhythm drifting through the swirling mist, though it would be easily overlooked without careful examination.
Compared to the magnificent famous mountains and great rivers Mo Xuan had seen, with countless rays of rosy clouds and streams of Auspicious Qi, this little mountain was truly rather... shabby.
Lin Yan merely smiled without speaking. Forming a hand seal, he pointed at the empty air ahead, and an Earthy Yellow Radiance flew from his fingertips.
Bzz!
A faint tremor sounded quietly. The scene before them rippled like water, and the mist at one point on the mountain body suddenly parted to either side, revealing an entrance covered by a pale yellow barrier. Within the entrance, lush greenery could faintly be seen, with Spirit Qi hanging like mist. It was completely different from the barren mountain outside.
"Hm? A formation?" Mo Xuan came from the Qilin Clan and possessed extraordinary knowledge, so he immediately saw through it. "This formation... its aura is connected to the Earth Veins here, making it extremely well concealed. Without careful investigation, it truly would not be easy to discover. Lin Yan, the formation around your home is quite profound. Even I nearly failed to notice it." Mo Xuan praised him sincerely.
"It is only a small means of self-preservation, nothing particularly impressive." Lin Yan replied modestly, then made a welcoming gesture. "Xiao Mo, please enter. Welcome to my Canyon Home."
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