Sorting Out the Western Earth Veins, the Two Westerners Block the Way

Deep within the chaos.

Lu Chen sat cross-legged in the void, while gale winds formed from chaotic qi whipped his robes until they snapped loudly.

Lu Chen had no time to care about that. All his attention was focused on the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase above his head.

The patterns on the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase had become several degrees more intricate and exquisite than before. More precisely, it had become more complete, recovering some of its former appearance.

This was the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase after refining the Primordial Chaos Purple Qi and the Purple-Black Gourd.

Rather than growing upset at the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase becoming harder to refine, Lu Chen was delighted, because another restriction had formed within it.

The number of forty-eight had become forty-nine. Though only one restriction had been added, the difference between the two was as vast as heaven and earth.

For forty-eight stood at the pinnacle grade, while forty-nine could be called a supreme treasure.

The Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase had become a Primordial Supreme Treasure as well.

That was only the first delight. The second was that, perhaps because it had advanced within chaos, the Innate Treasure Aura inside the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase had been tainted by a trace of chaos.

That trace of chaos had opened a new path of advancement for the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase. One day, when all the Innate Treasure Aura within the vase transformed into chaos, it would be the day the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase turned from innate into chaos and regained the might of a Chaos Treasure.

There was not a single Chaos Treasure in the Primordial World.

Whether in the past or the future, Lu Chen felt that not even Hongjun possessed a Chaos Spiritual Treasure.

If anyone might possibly have one, it would be Yang Mei deep within chaos.

His true form was a Hollow Willow, and he was also a spatial fiendgod. Because he was proficient in the Great Dao of space, his origin had been preserved most completely and was the strongest. There were even rumors that he had become a saint before Hongjun.

No one knew whether he had left any backup measures for himself.

After all, Pangu had only cleaved open a small patch of chaos.

It was time to return.

Lu Chen set the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase above his head and headed toward the Primordial World.

"You carry the load, I ride the horse..."

An utterly ordinary Daoist sat astride the back of a strange beast with the head of an ox and the body of a tiger, humming a tune.

The surrounding mountains were shattered and fractured. Faint black qi seeped from beneath the earth.

"Suck, suck, suck!!!"

The Daoist played with the vase in his hand. Wherever he passed, all the black qi was drawn into it.

Then, with a casual wave, the fractured and shattered mountains were restored, and the restless spiritual qi in the air was sorted out and soothed.

As the mountain ranges were straightened out and the black qi dispersed, threads of golden light descended from the heavens and entered the Daoist's spiritual platform.

"The barrenness of the West and its broken mountains and rivers are merely surface appearances. What truly made the West barren was the immense demonic qi left behind when Luohou self-destructed. That is the root cause of the West's desolation."

The Daoist murmured softly.

"Even if Hongjun wanted to shake off this blame, he could not. He could only allot two saintly seats and later use the Journey-to-the-West Calamity to revive the West as compensation."

"If I were to extract all the demonic qi from the entire West and then restore its mountains and rivers, just how much golden merit light would I gain? It should probably be enough to become a saint through merit."

To Primordial World cultivators other than demonic cultivators, demonic qi was something they avoided like the plague.

Once contaminated by demonic qi, one could easily lose clarity of mind and suffer qi deviation.

Though this was now an era where the Dao flourished and demons declined, Inner Demon Tribulations still existed.

Yet none of that was a problem for the Daoist. Demonic qi could even be called nourishment to him.

"Roar~!!"

A savage roar tore through space from afar, vast and thunderous enough to deafen the ears.

In the distant sky, a pitch-black cloud swept rapidly toward him.

Through the black cloud, Lu Chen clearly saw a tiger beast carried atop it. Its entire body was jet-black, tall and mighty, like a ferocious beast. It radiated imposing force, its eyes were blood-red, and demonic qi coiled around its body.

"This is the strongest demonic cultivator I've encountered since entering the West. But are stronger demonic cultivators supposed to have less brain? Has demonic qi addled its mind?"

A trace of puzzlement appeared on the Daoist's face.

The reason for his confusion was simple. Though the black tiger beast in the distance possessed the densest demonic qi, all those he had encountered before had merely been little demons at the Golden Immortal or Mysterious Immortal realm. This black tiger was at the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm—but he was a Great Luo!!

A Primordial Unity Golden Immortal was not weak, but that depended on whom it faced.

Facing a Great Luo, was that not like stirring up trouble on the head of the Grand Duke of Jupiter?

Others would flee for their lives, yet this black tiger had actually charged at him.

Lu Chen was so angry that he laughed. He felt that this Great Luo had been insulted.

Facing that black cloud, Lu Chen slapped down with one palm.

In an instant, wind and clouds trembled. A palm formed from spiritual qi descended, directly scattering the black cloud carrying the black tiger and pinning the tiger firmly to the ground.

"Boom!"

As the black tiger crashed down, earth and stones flew everywhere, only to be ground into mud beneath the great palm of spiritual qi.

"Roar!"

The black tiger howled desperately and struggled madly, but the power of a Great Luo was not something a mere Taiyi Realm cultivator could shake.

Moreover, the Daoist was no ordinary Great Luo. It was not merely his cultivation that had reached the Great Luo level; his physical body was nearly there as well, though he lacked an appropriate cultivation technique.

"Hm?"

The Daoist gave a soft cry and took one step, appearing tens of thousands of miles away.

He appeared beside the black tiger and saw that amid the demonic qi radiating from its body was a glimmer of golden light.

That was Geng Metal Aura!!

"A tiger that has even mastered Geng Metal Aura. If this tiger had not fallen too deeply into demonhood, its future would have been bright indeed."

A gleam flashed through the Daoist's eyes. He rubbed his hands as he looked at the black tiger, another plan forming in his heart.

"If I devour and extract all the demonic qi within this black tiger, would that not help it cleanse its origin and return to its original form?"

The Daoist was a man of action, and he immediately began.

A plain, unadorned little vase flew from his spiritual platform. The moment it emerged, it pressed itself onto the dark, demonic-qi-filled character for king on the black tiger's forehead.

Soon, the black tiger's body began to convulse. It opened its bloody maw and tried to bite the Daoist, but the Daoist had long been prepared. With one pointed finger, he increased the pressure severalfold.

Under that pressure, the black tiger could not even roar.

"This demonic qi has seeped into its dantian and marrow. I wonder whether it can be done."

The Daoist muttered softly, but soon a delighted smile appeared on his face.

For through his senses, he discovered that the demonic qi inside the black tiger was diminishing, while a trace of clarity appeared on the spiritual platform that demonic qi had obscured.

As the demonic qi was continuously extracted from its body, not only did the demonic qi radiating from the black tiger vanish completely, even the color of its fur and skin changed.

Its jet-black body turned snow-white. Its blood-red eyes became pale gold.

Though its body still convulsed, it no longer tried to bite as it had before.

Clearly, the little tiger's own will had now regained control of its body.

As the final trace of demonic qi within the little tiger was extracted.

The character for king on its forehead became gentle, clear, and translucent.

It was no longer like before.

"So it is a White Tiger. No wonder it can command Geng Metal Aura."

The Daoist had thought the black tiger was merely a lucky tiger that had accidentally comprehended Geng Metal Aura. He had not expected it to be a White Tiger.

White Tigers were born with Geng Metal Aura. Though their numbers were small, they were undeniably the royal bloodline of the tiger race.

During the war of the three races, they had been second only to the qilin among the second tier of powerful beings.

Their strength was incomparably formidable.

A faint smile appeared on the Daoist's face.

"Thank you, Senior, for the grace of purifying the demonic qi within me."

A childish voice appeared in the Daoist's mind.

"My name is Lu Chen."

The Daoist introduced himself.

He was Lu Chen, who had returned from chaos. Coming to the West had long been part of his plan. If not for the Primordial Chaos Purple Qi gifted by Hong Yun disrupting that plan—

He would have arrived in this barren western land long ago.

Zhen Yuanzi's dojo, the Five Villages Monastery, was close to the West.

And while he had said that demonic qi was troublesome for others, before him it was truly nothing more than a tiny fry.

The Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase would help him absorb the demonic qi and transform it into the cultivation energy he needed.

"Senior Lu Chen, may I remain by your side? I can save you the trouble of walking."

This time, before Lu Chen even needed to resort to trickery and deception, the little White Tiger had already spoken the thoughts in his heart.

"Of course. The fact that I encountered you in this barren West means that you and I are fated."

"From now on, follow by my side."

"Thank you, Senior, for taking me in."

The little White Tiger looked at Lu Chen's face, its eyes filled with excitement.

It had now found a lofty branch to cling to. This was far more comfortable than remaining alone and enduring the torment of demonic qi every day.

It also wanted to leave the barren West and go to the East, where spiritual qi was rich and immortal mountains stood in endless ranks.

After taking in the little White Tiger, Lu Chen directly sat atop its back.

"Keep moving. We'll go wherever we end up."

Lu Chen handed the journey over to the White Tiger from then on.

They would go wherever they ended up.

In any case, the West's barrenness covered the entire region. Every place was the same; all required him to refine the demonic qi and then sort out the mountains and rivers.

"Are there any others from your clan?"

"I do not know. After our ancestor transformed into one of the Four Primordial Spirits and eternally guarded the Primordial World, our clan's strength greatly declined.

"We had no choice but to enter this barren West.

"Then the Dao-Demon War erupted, and the West was eroded by demonic qi.

"Our already few clansmen were infected by demonic qi one after another. After that, we scattered in every direction.

"Now, I do not know whether they are still alive."

"Mm..."

Lu Chen listened to the little White Tiger's answer and secretly found it somewhat regrettable.

The White Tiger Clan had few members, but their racial talents were extraordinarily high. Even among the dragon and phoenix clans, they would have been comparable to core descendants.

Leaving Quasi-Saints aside, they had hope of producing Great Luos.

"Senior Brother, look. The mountains and rivers of the West have been deliberately sorted out."

Zhunti and Jieyin had just returned to the West after scavenging gains in the East. Seeing the restored mountains and rivers before them, astonishment appeared on their faces.

"Not only that, the demonic qi within the earth has been completely extracted. The spiritual qi is no longer violent and difficult to absorb and refine."

Jieyin added another sentence, secretly pondering.

"I wonder which fellow Daoist came here and did this..."

Zhunti said, "Senior Brother, regardless of who did this, they are the benefactor of our West. If we encounter the one who sorted out these mountain ranges, we must properly thank them."

"Precisely so."

Zhunti nodded, then pinched his fingers and made a calculation.

His brows lifted slightly.

He had actually been unable to calculate any information whatsoever about the person who had sorted out the mountains.

Could the one who restored the mountains and rivers be one of the Three Pure Ones?

The thought had only just arisen in Jieyin's mind when he rejected it.

The Three Pure Ones had always been aloof and proud. They fundamentally looked down on the West, so how could they be kind enough to help restore its land?

Yet among the remaining fellow Daoists capable of blocking his divination, most held the same attitude as the Three Pure Ones.

Jieyin shook his head and stopped dwelling on it. Rather than returning to his dojo on Spirit Mountain, he pulled Zhunti along the restored mountains and rivers in pursuit. "Come, Junior Brother. If we follow this repaired land, perhaps we can find the one who aided our West."

Lu Chen did not know that Jieyin and Zhunti were coming to find him. Seated on the little White Tiger's back, he absorbed the demonic qi into the Heaven-Devouring Treasure Vase wherever he went, casually sorted out the mountains, rivers, and land, and earned golden merit light.

Every demonic cultivator he encountered was extinguished with a single palm strike. That could also be considered enforcing justice on behalf of heaven.

"The reason the West is barren is the rampant demonic qi. Does my disciple have a way to eliminate it?"

"This is bad. If those two shameless ones in the West learn of it, they will surely resort to coercion."

Tongtian, who had just returned to Kunlun Mountain and intended to share his gains with his eldest and second brothers, had his expression change slightly. He immediately transformed into a streak of azure sword light and headed for the West.

"What is going on with Third Brother? He just returned, yet he has already hurried off again?"

Yuanshi sensed Tongtian's aura and slightly opened his eyes. Seeing Tongtian hurriedly depart once more, a trace of confusion appeared on his face.

"Calm your mind. Once Third Brother returns, we can ask him."

"Yes, Eldest Brother."

"Martial Nephew Lu Chen, thank you for sorting out the mountains, rivers, and land of our West and eliminating its demonic qi."

"Your nephew greets Martial Uncles Zhunti and Jieyin."

Lu Chen looked at the two figures appearing in the sky, stepped down from the White Tiger's back, and cupped his hands in a complete show of courtesy.

"Would you be willing to tell us your method for eliminating demonic qi? For such a matter that benefits the West, we brothers will certainly spare no effort."

They truly are shameless. The moment they finished their polite words, they came straight to demand it.

Lu Chen cursed inwardly, but his expression did not change. He revealed a trace of hesitation and difficulty. "Martial Uncles, it is not that your nephew is unwilling to contribute this method of eliminating demonic qi. Rather, even if you learned it, you would be unable to replicate it."

"Why?"

A trace of puzzlement appeared on Jieyin's face. He seemed confused, but his eyes were filled with disbelief.

Feeling Jieyin's aura press down upon him, Lu Chen's heart sank.

"I cultivate the Devouring Path, which emphasizes merging all things into oneself and refining them. Thus, my method of eliminating demonic qi is simply to absorb it into my body and then refine it."

"Oh~ So that is how it is."

Jieyin spoke, but the disbelief in his eyes did not lessen in the slightest.

The little White Tiger beside them looked at Lu Chen. Though it did not know why its master was lying, it let out a sound and pretended to be frightened, lying curled up on the ground.

"He really is hard to fool."

Seeing that Jieyin still did not believe him, Lu Chen sighed inwardly and was about to absorb the demonic qi himself to prove his innocence.

Sensing a familiar aura approaching, a faint smile appeared on Lu Chen's face.

Jieyin and Zhunti, however, both changed expression.

"You two shameless bastards, take a sword from this poor Daoist!"

A streak of azure Sword Qi slashed through the air, sweeping straight toward Jieyin and Zhunti.

Feeling themselves locked onto by the aura, with no way to evade, Jieyin and Zhunti had no choice but to take out their spirit treasures and block the Sword Qi.

"Why did Teacher seem even more blunt-tempered after attaining the Primordial Golden Immortal Dao? One wrong word, and he directly attacked?"