Outside the Canyon

After the intense and busy "Canyon Home Upgrade and Renovation Project" was completed, Lin Yan enjoyed a period of leisurely and relaxed time.

Since the Nine Palaces Earth Vein Array provided protection, Lin Yan no longer had worries about safety. He had personally tested it; when the great array was activated, even with his early Earth Immortal cultivation, he couldn't shake the array even with the full power of the Earth Spirit Seal.

Lin Yan estimated that even if a beast with Heavenly Immortal cultivation attacked, it wouldn't be able to break through the great array's defenses in a short time. The sense of security the great array brought him directly transformed into a feeling of complete relaxation.

Cultivation was still a daily necessity. The Kun Yuan Thick Earth Art was indeed a high-grade cultivation technique. Every time Lin Yan cultivated, he could feel pure Earth Element Spiritual Qi continuously strengthening his Earth Element Origin, reinforcing his body while also nourishing the Earth Spirit Seal in his Dantian.

After finishing his cultivation, he would wander around the canyon with his hands behind his back, like an old farmer.

First, he went to the spirit spring to check the growth of the seeds Old Daoist Hongjun had given him. The seeds for "Star Fruit," "Moonlight Grass," and "Vajra Bamboo" had already broken through the soil, but it would take a very, very long time for them to grow.

As for the three unknown spiritual seeds, they still showed no signs of activity. To help them sprout as soon as possible, Lin Yan not only buried them in Spirit Soil mixed with Xi Soil and Innate Earth Essence but also personally nurtured them with Wu Earth Spiritual Qi daily. However, these three spiritual seeds were not cooperative and showed no signs of sprouting yet.

"Can't rush it, can't rush it," Lin Yan had to comfort himself. "Famous spiritual roots in the Primordial World take a thousand years to sprout and ten thousand years to mature. How long have I planted them?"

Besides taking care of these spiritual roots and seeds, Lin Yan would also guide his younger brothers in their cultivation when he had nothing else to do.

These fellows were gradually developing intelligence and were becoming more mischievous and difficult to manage.

Lin San was directing Lin Er to loosen the soil for the spirit plants, but as Lin Er's more than twenty-zhang long body burrowed through the soil, the flying dirt even exposed the roots of the spirit plants.

Lin Si grabbed several giant Water Turtles and let them carry his massive body around, as if he had found himself some mounts. But the Water Turtles' crawling speed was slower than his own wriggling, wasn't it?

Lin Qi, with excess energy, was chasing Lin Wu and Lin Liu, who were sparring. But the few Earth Dragons were tangled together, occasionally biting each other with their not-so-sharp mouthparts. Besides getting covered in saliva, they couldn't even break each other's skin.

Lin Ba was holding a pile of poisonous grass and tasting them one by one, trying to find the one with the strongest toxicity.

Lin Jiu and Lin Shi were the most clingy to Lin Yan, often pestering him for "stories." Lin Yan could only rack his brain and adapt the fairy tales and fables he had read in his previous life into a "Primordial Version" to fool them. However, the two little ones still listened with great interest.

Such days were peaceful, fulfilling, and even a little... mundane. Sometimes, Lin Yan would sit on his lounge chair carved from a whole piece of Yellow Amber Stone and vaguely feel that if things could continue like this, it wouldn't be bad.

[Ding! Reminder to Host, System Tasks have been activated. Please complete them in a timely manner.]

[Current Task List:]

Task One: Explore the area within a million li around the canyon and clear unfavorable factors affecting the ecological environment within the range.

Task Two: Expand the "Earth Dragon Community," absorb at least three different races, and form a preliminary civilization symbiotic system.

Task Three: Spread the concept of ecological civilization, guide tribal beings to establish ecological protection awareness, and formulate preliminary ecological rules.

Perhaps it couldn't stand seeing Lin Yan living so leisurely, the system would remind him from time to time that there was unfinished work waiting for him.

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! You only know how to rush me to work all day. If you have the ability, give me some benefits first!" Lin Yan said contemptuously to the system.

However, Lin Yan himself knew that continuing to be so languid wasn't a solution. His cultivation advancement was being strangled by the system. Without completing tasks, no matter how much he cultivated, his cultivation wouldn't increase.

Moreover, he was still somewhat yearning for the Primordial World that Old Daoist Hongjun had once described to him. The world was so vast; he should indeed go and see it.

With a decision made, Lin Yan checked each array base of the Nine Palaces Earth Vein Array, ensuring they were all functioning properly. He then held a "Family Meeting" with his younger brothers, repeatedly instructing them to guard their home and not to confront strong enemies head-on. After activating the great array for full defense, he took a step out of the array light curtain, arriving at the outer area of the canyon he had never ventured into before.

Less than a hundred miles from the canyon, Lin Yan was shocked by the scene before him.

He knew the environment outside the canyon was definitely not as good as his home, but he never expected the gap to be so huge!

With just a thin line separating them, it was like two completely different worlds.

In the world before him, the air was filled with a strange smell of decay and fetidness. Amidst the thin spiritual qi, strands of gray-black malevolent qi were mixed in, like maggots clinging to bone, attempting to erode all life force.

Looking around, the land was scarred. On the exposed rocky ground, cracks crisscrossed, and in some places, black malevolent qi was gurgling out. On the barren soil, only scattered clusters of thorn-like plants with weird colors and ferocious appearances could be seen.

In the distance, mountains rose and fell, but most were desolate gray rocks where not a blade of grass grew. The sky was misty gray, as if covered by a layer of turbid halo. Occasionally, huge, strangely shaped birds of prey would soar past, casting heart-stopping shadows on the ground.

"Is this still the Primordial World? Isn't this a doomsday wasteland?"

In Lin Yan's impression, the Primordial World should be full of immortal mountains and treasure lands, with heavenly materials and earthly treasures everywhere. Even a blade of grass by the roadside would be considered a rare treasure in later generations.

But the scene before him completely overturned his impression of the Primordial World.

"No wonder Old Daoist Hongjun praised my little canyon so highly. Compared to this place, my canyon is simply like heaven on earth."

Lin Yan looked back in the direction of his own canyon but saw nothing. Concealed by the array, the canyon seemed to have hidden itself in this world. From the outside, it was just a desolate mountain wall no different from its surroundings, with even spiritual qi fluctuations being imperceptible.

[Ding! Detected host stepping out of the safe zone for the first time, entering the Primordial Wilderness. System Prompt: The ecological index of the current area is extremely harsh, with a large aggregation of Unstable Energy Nodes. Advise host to act cautiously.]

The system panel automatically popped up, with various data about the surrounding environment thoughtfully labeled.

Lin Yan gave a bitter smile, "Do you even need to say that? Even a blind person can see that the environment here is harsh."

He calmed his mind and called out the Primordial Basic Knowledge Atlas and the Mini Ecology Simulator from the system. He strode towards the distance.

[Ding! Bone-Corroding Thorn. Low-Tier Fierce Plant, likes Malevolent Qi Environment, branches are tough and poisonous, can secrete Corrosive Liquid. Ecological Value: Extremely Low. Treatment Suggestion: Purify or Clear.]

[Ding! Crimson Flame Stone. Common Fire Attribute Spirit Ore, contains weak Innate Fire Essence, can be used to refine Low-Tier Fire Attribute Magic Treasure or arrange Fire Attribute Arrays. Ecological Impact: Large aggregation can cause Regional Ground Temperature Rise and Soil Erosion.]

[Ding! Target detected: Rotten Swamp Poison Toad. Low-Tier Fierce Beast, Intelligence Not Yet Opened, inhabits Poisonous Swamp, Thick Skin and Flesh, saliva and Dorsal Poison Sac are highly toxic. Ecological Impact: Pollute Water Sources, Prey On Small Benign Creatures.]

The System Prompt Tone sounded from time to time, reporting what Lin Yan saw in real-time.

As he walked, Lin Yan saw mostly fierce plants and fierce beasts that were harmful to the ecological environment, and very few spiritual roots and plants that could have a Positive Impact on the environment.

It wasn't until Lin Yan had traveled tens of thousands of miles away from the canyon area that he found a few small grasses in a sheltered mountain hollow. They were All Green, with leaves as Translucent as jade. The atlas indicated: [Condensed Jade Grass, Low-Tier Spirit Plant, Gentle Nature, can absorb a Small Amount of Malevolent Qi and Transform and Release Pure Wood Spirit Qi. Leaves can be used for Medicinal Use, with Slight Healing and Detoxify effects. Ecological Value: Medium.]

"Finally, I found something good." Lin Yan was overjoyed. Although this Condensed Jade Grass was not of high grade, its function was Practical, practically a natural Air Purifier. He carefully dug up a few plants with their roots and soil, preparing to bring them back to the canyon for large-scale cultivation.