Earth-Core Fire Dragon

Deep within an underground leyline, Shi Mo's form solidified. Looking at the golden light appearing on his hand, he couldn't help feeling uncertain. "Golden merit light?"

"How could there be the power of merit? Could it be because I started repairing the Western Continent's leylines, benefiting the Primordial World, and that's why I received merit? If I repaired all the broken leylines across the Western Continent, how much merit would I earn?"

At the thought, Shi Mo's eyes burned with excitement, but then the corner of his mouth twitched.

"Repairing all the leylines across the Western Continent would take who knows how long. If I did it all by myself, I'd probably work myself to death! It's a massive undertaking!"

"Forget it. I'll take my time and start by connecting the leyline network around Nine Tripod Iron Fork Mountain."

Shaking his head, Shi Mo continued his repairs, extending outward in fan-shaped arcs, one circle at a time.

Roar! A sudden, violent bellow rang out, making Shi Mo's spirits stir. His invisible senses spread outward.

"An energy fire dragon born in volcanic magma? An Earth-Core Fire Dragon nurtured by the power of the leylines combined with earthfire?"

Shi Mo clearly sensed the Earth-Core Fire Dragon's violent aura.

"With the leylines cut off, this Earth-Core Fire Dragon has become a trapped dragon. No wonder it's so furious, rampaging and wrecking everything around it."

"Wait. If I could get this Earth-Core Fire Dragon to clear the leylines for me..."

Shi Mo's eyes lit up. He hurried toward the underground magma lake where the Earth-Core Fire Dragon was.

Aoo! Roar! The closer he got, the more frenzied the dragon's cries became. Shi Mo immediately spotted the crimson fire dragon bursting out of the magma lake ahead, its body coated in molten rock and flames surging from its hide.

The savage Earth-Core Fire Dragon saw Shi Mo and charged straight at him, reaching him in the blink of an eye.

"Go!" Shi Mo barked. With a thought, the Wind-Fixing Pearl shot from within him, turning into a streak of light that pierced straight through the Earth-Core Fire Dragon's body.

Aoo! Roar! Amid its pained, mournful cry, the Earth-Core Fire Dragon was flung away, magma and flames scattering from its body. Its aura grew weak and dispirited.

In the next moment, the Wind-Fixing Pearl blazed with light and settled directly above the Earth-Core Fire Dragon's head. Mysterious, illusory patterns traced themselves from its head down its entire body, seeping into it like a net of runes and drawing in its violent aura.

"Good thing I have the Wind-Fixing Pearl. Otherwise, subduing this Earth-Core Fire Dragon would've been a bit of a hassle. Getting it to work for me would probably be even harder."

Watching the Earth-Core Fire Dragon struggle under the Wind-Fixing Pearl's restraint, Shi Mo considered the matter briefly. Then his invisible soul power flowed through the pearl and into the dragon, ready to have a proper talk with it.

Though the Earth-Core Fire Dragon wasn't a true dragon, with enough good fortune it could still become one. It naturally had a fierce temper and wouldn't submit easily.

But with the Wind-Fixing Pearl suppressing it, Shi Mo threatened it while reasoning with it and laying out the pros and cons. In the end, he forced the Earth-Core Fire Dragon to bow its head. It agreed to follow his orders for the time being and help clear the leylines.

After all, the Earth-Core Fire Dragon had already gained sentience and didn't want to be trapped there forever. Only by clearing the leylines could it absorb more leyline energy and earthfire, and gain a true chance of becoming a dragon one day.

With the Earth-Core Fire Dragon's help, Shi Mo's speed and efficiency in clearing the leylines improved considerably.

As he worked, Shi Mo gradually discovered more Earth-Core Fire Dragons trapped by the blocked leylines.

These Earth-Core Fire Dragons were born in underground magma and weren't living beings in the true sense. Away from the magma, they were like water without a source. They could maintain their energy forms and leave their birthplace only by passing through leylines.

Before long, more and more Earth-Core Fire Dragons were helping him clear the leylines, and Shi Mo's efficiency at opening and connecting them increased almost geometrically.

As a result, it didn't take long. With the help of the eight Earth-Core Fire Dragons he had found and taken under his wing, Shi Mo connected the vast leyline network across the expansive region surrounding Nine Tripod Iron Fork Mountain.

When Shi Mo returned to Nine Tripod Iron Fork Mountain and felt the leyline energy here, now more than ten times as rich, he was deeply satisfied. But when he reached the summit of Eight Treasures Peak, the mountain's main peak, and saw the Flat Peach Mother Tree still looking half-dead, his brow furrowed.

"Even such rich leyline energy can't make up for the Flat Peach Mother Tree's depleted source?"

"The connected leyline network already covers a huge area. Expanding it farther would take a great deal of time and effort."

Shi Mo knitted his brows, feeling helpless. Then, as if he'd thought of something, he stirred his power, and golden light flickered across his body.

Shi Mo's body turned as if it were made of gold. He poured some of his merit power into the Flat Peach Mother Tree. At once, golden light flowed through the tree, and leyline energy surged into it as if boiling.

"As expected, one who possesses merit is favored by the Primordial World. Even the energy of heaven and earth pours into them, letting them absorb it freely."

Shi Mo's eyes lit up. Seeing the Flat Peach Mother Tree visibly come back to life, he was delighted.

"With the protection of this merit power, it'll be hard for this Flat Peach Mother Tree to wither and die."

Seeing what merit power could do, Shi Mo poured more of it into the tree. He stopped only when he felt that any additional merit would do little to help it.

Although he had just used up most of the merit he'd earned by repairing the Western Continent's leylines, Shi Mo didn't feel the slightest regret.

After all, the leylines he'd repaired so far were only a tiny stretch along the outer edge of the Western Continent's shattered leyline network. As long as he didn't mind the hard work, he could keep repairing them and earn merit with ease.

If he truly repaired all the leylines across the Western Continent, Shi Mo's merit would probably be on par with Nuwa's when she became a sage through merit. By then, even the sages would likely be eager to win him over.

Those who possessed great merit didn't just have heaven-defying luck; they could also walk unhindered across the Primordial World. Almost no one would dare plot against them or make an enemy of them.

"The Flat Peach Mother Tree is safe for now. I should get back to repairing the Western Continent's leylines and earning merit! Where else could I find such a great opportunity? Besides, the more leyline networks I repair and connect, the richer the leyline energy around Nine Tripod Iron Fork Mountain will become."

At the thought, Shi Mo plunged into the underground leylines. Seeing the eight Earth-Core Fire Dragons there, their violent auras subdued and a faint golden sheen on their bodies, they had clearly gained plenty of merit and grown much more sentient. He called out to them and set off with them.

"Let's go! The Western Continent's leyline repair project is waiting for us! Come with me and earn some merit!"