Qilin Pill

Seeing Red Cloud snuff out his attack with a single blow, Earth Qilin's expression changed slightly, but his eyes soon turned red.

Earth Qilin grabbed at the frozen ice soul, shattering the Qilin within it into chunks of earth and stone wrapped in frost, which shot toward Red Cloud in the sky.

The earth and stone rubbed violently through the void, the frost instantly sublimating as crimson energy filled them. Like meteors, they hurtled toward Red Cloud.

Red Cloud drew his bow and loosed arrows. Streams of ice arrows shot forth, and booming explosions rang out as the meteors burst apart, sending a fiery rain of shooting stars falling from the sky.

"Hiss! Four Symbols Seal!"

Red Cloud formed hand seals, and yellow, green, blue, and crimson light gathered in his hands, transforming into a massive divine seal that suppressed everything below.

Earth Qilin immediately felt boundless pressure. Looking up at the divine seal, he saw mysterious visions of Qilin, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and more within it.

"Don't underestimate me! Earthshaking Heaven and Earth!"

Earth Qilin roared as immense mana erupted from his body, yellow light flooding heaven and earth.

Earth Qilin transformed into his true form and rammed upward into the Four Symbols Seal. With a thunderous boom, heaven and earth shook.

The space beneath the Four Symbols Seal exploded with a crash, rocks flying everywhere as phantom forms of Qilin, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise appeared, directly sealing Earth Qilin within.

Qilin, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise revolved around Earth Qilin as the power of the Four Symbols began refining him.

Earth Qilin let out agonized howls. At last, he felt the threat of death and pleaded, "Don't, don't kill me! If you kill me, the Qilin Clan won't let you go. You'll be hunted by the Qilin Clan!"

Red Cloud's expression remained unchanged as he listened to Earth Qilin's pleas. The moment Earth Qilin had attacked him, Red Cloud had already decided to make an enemy of the Qilin Clan.

Amid shrieks and wails, Earth Qilin was refined by the power of the Four Symbols into a Golden Core engraved with Qilin patterns.

With a casual gesture from Red Cloud, the Qilin Pill, radiating clear yellow light, flew into his hand. A heavy power emerged from it, automatically absorbing the power of earth between heaven and earth.

Red Cloud looked at the Qilin Pill before him. It emitted a clear yellow radiance, and within it, the phantom image of an Earth Qilin could faintly be seen. This was the core of an Earth Qilin.

Qilin Pills, Dragon Pearls, and Phoenix Pellets were the power cores of the Three Clans, possessing the miraculous effect of transforming one's bloodline.

Sensing the power within the Qilin Pill, Red Cloud could clearly perceive the terrifying earth power it contained.

If the Qilin Pill continued absorbing the power of earth between heaven and earth, it might eventually turn into mountains and rivers over time.

If the Qilin Pill were cast into an Earth Vein, then after several hundred thousand years, perhaps a new Earth Qilin would be reborn. Only by destroying the Qilin Pill could it truly be killed.

Naturally, Red Cloud would not waste it like that. A Qilin Pill was a top-grade material for alchemy and artifact forging. Only a small number of great powers possessed Golden Immortal-level Qilin Pills; not just anyone dared offend the Qilin Clan.

"Ha ha ha, today's gains weren't bad. One Ice Soul Essence and one Qilin Pill."

A trace of delight appeared on Red Cloud's face. After taking one final look at the place, he soared into the sky and vanished ten thousand li away.

Years held no meaning in the Primordial World; in the blink of an eye, seas turned into mulberry fields.

With Buzhou Mountain as the center, a streak of red light crossed the sky to its northwest.

The streak of light continued toward Buzhou Mountain, occasionally stopping to descend to the ground or slip into the void. Each time, it collected some rare divine materials.

One day, Red Cloud heard a series of clanging sounds and followed them to a valley.

Clang, clang, clang—

Within the valley, crisp ringing sounds spread in all directions, like a profound and mysterious melody.

Red Cloud looked toward the source of the sound. At the center of the valley stood a massive piece of Black Iron, and a mantis-like creature was frantically attacking it.

That mantis creature only possessed Heavenly Immortal cultivation.

The mantis's scythes struck the Black Iron, sending sparks flying from time to time amid the constant clanging.

Red Cloud observed for a while and discovered that the mantis was not trying to destroy the Black Iron. It was using it to sharpen its scythes. Every strike against the Black Iron was like using it as a hammer to forge its blades.

The mantis's actions resembled those of a blacksmith in a forge, tempering its scythes into the strongest weapons possible.

Forging was a branch of the Artifact Dao. Even the most ordinary iron and stone could become Refined Gold Divine Iron after being forged.

Clang, clang, clang...

As he watched the mantis temper its scythes again and again, Red Cloud unknowingly entered a state of enlightenment.

Red Cloud's insights into forging and the Artifact Dao fell upon him like a torrential downpour.

Traces of the mysteries of the Artifact Dao spread from Red Cloud's body, silently merging into the valley.

As the mantis repeatedly struck its scythes, traces of the Artifact Dao's mysteries also fused into its blades.

With Red Cloud's unconscious assistance, the scythes of this mantis creature underwent a transformation.

Red Cloud's enlightenment seemed blessed by heaven. The insights he had accumulated over the years transformed into fruition at this moment. The Illustrated Record of Literary Fortune recorded Red Cloud's current insights and assisted his enlightenment.

For cultivators, every moment of sudden enlightenment was an opportunity that could only be encountered by chance. The stronger one's cultivation, the harder it was to attain enlightenment.

This also made Red Cloud long greatly for the legendary Enlightenment Tea Tree. Enlightenment Tea was a supreme treasure for cultivation.

This enlightenment lasted for a thousand years. When Red Cloud finally awoke, his cultivation had already broken through to the Late-Stage Golden Immortal, and he had comprehended a trace of the Artifact Dao Law.

Red Cloud looked again toward the center of the valley. The Black Iron had already shattered, and the mantis creature was nowhere to be seen.

Red Cloud shook his head without dwelling on it, then transformed into a streak of light that flashed across the sky as he continued toward Buzhou Mountain.

Years held no meaning in the Primordial World; in the blink of an eye, seas turned into mulberry fields.

After several thousand years of chasing stars and moons, Red Cloud arrived at a dangerous region one day. Turbid qi rose there all year round, while baleful qi churned endlessly like ocean waves.

Compared to the clear mountains and steep peaks all around, this dangerous region resembled a festering sore growing on a human body.

Seeing this, Red Cloud frowned tightly.

There was only one possibility for such a situation: the Earth Vein here had been damaged.

With the Earth Vein destroyed, the turbid qi and baleful qi here could no longer be transformed. After accumulating for a long time, they eventually rose to the surface, turning this place into what it was now.

Red Cloud's primordial spirit sensed the Heavenly Dao and learned that this place was a lingering remnant of the Beast Calamity, one that had yet to dissipate.

After learning why this place had formed, Red Cloud had an idea. If he could purify this dangerous region, wouldn't the Heavenly Dao have to pay him a cleaning fee—merit?

With that thought, Red Cloud flew into the dangerous region.

The first thing Red Cloud saw was a scene of foul smoke and miasma. Turbid qi and baleful qi rose everywhere throughout the dangerous region.

To cultivators who cultivated pure spiritual qi, a place suffused with such turbid qi and baleful qi was instinctively repulsive. Yet for Fierce Beasts, it was a fertile ground for growth.

Red Cloud also cultivated pure spiritual qi.

Naturally, Red Cloud loathed this turbid qi and baleful qi, since they were harmful to his cultivation.

But that did not mean turbid qi and baleful qi were useless to heaven and earth. Once transformed through Earth Veins, they could form all kinds of spirit mines and divine materials, enriching the origin of the land.

Looking at the turbid qi and baleful qi here, vast as an ocean, Red Cloud felt some regret. It was a pity there was no Innate Spiritual Root here. Innate Spiritual Roots could also purify turbid qi and baleful qi.

This was a common ability possessed by Innate Spiritual Roots: they could regulate purity and turbidity, separating spiritual qi from baleful qi.