Bringing Qing Yi Along to Harvest Merit

"Alright."

Qing Xuan merely answered. That vast world did not directly crush down upon the Black Lotus. Instead, it slowly spread around the sea eye, gradually peeling these Water Veins, already contaminated by demonic qi, away from the Eastern Sea.

Qing Yi raised her hand and lightly pointed.

The twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Pearls shifted accordingly, and the two previously isolated layers of water realms briefly connected.

Her azure robes swept through the murky seawater. Wherever she passed, the wildly spreading Blood Fiend Aura retreated to either side of its own accord.

A wisp of azure light fell from her fingertip.

That light held neither the vibrant warmth of life nor the gentleness that nourished all things.

It was so clear it was nearly sharp. The instant it landed upon the Black Lotus, all the crazily flashing demonic runes froze at once.

It was as though they had suddenly lost the possibility of changing any further.

The petals that had not yet fully opened could no longer spread outward by even an inch.

Creation could allow formless things to gestate into being and let silent things give rise to new transformations.

Yet one who wielded Creation could likewise withdraw those transformations.

Qing Yi slowly curled her hand.

The twenty-four layers of water realms pressed inward at once, and every demonic rune on the Black Lotus shattered in response.

The black roots embedded in the corpses and Water Veins also seemed to lose the basis for their existence, turning to ash in great swathes.

In the blink of an eye, only a thumb-sized black lotus heart remained, floating where it was.

The moment the lotus heart appeared, it immediately began collapsing inward.

Qing Xuan had long been prepared.

The phantom world behind him abruptly closed, and the power of heaven and earth transformed into layered barriers, sealing the lotus heart within an independent void before it could completely vanish.

He neither refined it nor allowed it to touch his own origin. He merely preserved this still-intact demonic seal.

At the instant the outer Black Lotus completely dissipated, a black line that had been hidden deep within the Water Veins suddenly emerged.

The black line passed beneath the sea eye and extended all the way toward the distant west.

The next moment, the first sword cry traveled along the black line.

The sound was exceedingly faint, yet it carried a sharpness that chilled one's primordial spirit.

Then came the second, the third...

Until the fourth sword cry rang out, the waters within the twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Pearls simultaneously surged. Even the black lotus heart sealed by the power of the world trembled madly.

Qing Yi looked toward the west.

Qing Xuan's expression darkened slightly.

The Four Swords of Execution.

The foundation of the Primordial World's foremost killing formation in the future.

Any one of them alone was an unparalleled top-grade spirit treasure of slaughter.

When all four swords emerged together and were joined by the formation diagram, none but four experts of the same level could break it.

Luohou had yet to name them, and the four sword embryos had not truly come into being. Yet this net cast across the battlefields of the three clans had already begun endlessly feeding them nourishment.

Qing Yi asked, "Should we pursue them?"

Qing Xuan nodded slightly. "But we'll only investigate the outskirts."

"First, we need to determine just how many places these demonic seals cover.

"One end of these demonic seals is connected to the battlefields of the three clans, while the other reaches deep into the western Earth Veins."

"Luohou uses them to transport Blood Fiend Aura. In the future, he can also use these demonic seals to trigger countless western spirit veins. Once the Earth Veins truly collapse, the entire west will be implicated."

Qing Yi caught the deeper meaning in his words.

"You want to preserve the western Earth Veins?"

"Preserving all of them is naturally impossible." Qing Xuan shook his head. "But we may be able to make preparations in advance for some of the outer Earth Veins."

The west had been Luohou's territory for countless years. The closer they drew to Mount Sumeru, the heavier the traces belonging to Luohou became within its Earth Veins.

If they became too greedy and tried to preserve the entire west beneath Luohou's nose, they would likely encounter the Godslayer Spear before the Dao-Devil War even began.

He merely wanted to bring Qing Yi along, lie low around the outskirts, and seize some merit while he could. He had no intention of getting involved in the true Dao-Devil War.

That was a matter between Luohou and the Chaos Demon Gods.

Qing Xuan looked at Qing Yi.

"Your Creation Great Dao can allow severed Earth Veins to grow anew. My World Dao, meanwhile, can temporarily bear the origin of heaven and earth within them before it dissipates when the Earth Veins are destroyed."

"As long as we make proper arrangements beforehand, once Luohou detonates the western Earth Veins, we'll have a chance to preserve part of them."

Qing Yi's gaze shifted slightly.

"So you intend to follow these demonic seals and find the places that will be affected first in the future?"

"That is only one reason."

Qing Xuan pointed at the black line within the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls, an undisguised anticipation appearing in his smile.

"Repairing Earth Veins and preserving the heavens and earth of the Primordial World—Heavenly Dao cannot possibly pretend not to see such merit."

Qing Yi looked at him for a moment before finally understanding his true aim.

"You want Heavenly Dao Merit."

"Wouldn't it be a waste not to take merit delivered right to our doorstep?"

Qing Xuan answered as though it were only natural.

Luohou's destruction of the western Earth Veins was a great trend destined to occur in the future.

Since they lacked the power to stop it, they could preserve a portion of the mountains and rivers within their own capabilities.

It would both reduce the west's losses and earn them Heavenly Dao Merit. There was no reason to let such an opportunity pass by.

Moreover, this merit would certainly not be insignificant.

The western land was so vast that even if they could only preserve some of the outer Earth Veins in the end, it would still be enough for both of their merits to increase considerably.

Yet to carry out this plan, they still lacked the most crucial item.

Qing Xuan's World Dao could bear the Earth Veins, and Qing Yi's Creation Great Dao could cause shattered Earth Veins to grow anew, but neither could accurately locate the paths of the countless western Earth Veins without alerting Luohou.

Within the Primordial World, there was only one spirit treasure that could truly communicate with the earth, delve deep into the Earth Veins, and conceal the arrangements they made.

The Earth Book.

And the master of the Earth Book was none other than Zhen Yuanzi of Longevity Mountain.

"Let's go to Longevity Mountain first."

Qing Xuan swiftly made his decision.

Qing Yi asked, "Do you know where Longevity Mountain is?"

"I only know it is in the west. I don't know its exact location."

Qing Xuan frankly shook his head, then looked toward the black line within the pearl that continued extending westward.

"However, with a path personally left behind by Luohou to guide us, finding Longevity Mountain should not be too difficult."

Qing Yi also glanced at the black line, and the corner of her lips seemed to lift slightly.

The demonic seals Luohou had painstakingly planted were originally meant to gather the Blood Fiend Aura of the three clans.

Yet Qing Xuan had now turned them into guides leading deep into the west.

If Luohou learned of this, his mood surely would not be very good. Of course, Qing Xuan's mood would not be very good either.

The two did not continue destroying the Black Lotus demonic seals along the way.

A few fewer demonic seals around the outskirts could not stop the Four Swords of Execution from coming into being. Instead, it might draw Luohou's attention ahead of time.

Qing Xuan and Qing Yi merely used the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls to isolate their auras and traveled westward along the route used by the demonic seals to transport Blood Fiend Aura.

Whenever they encountered a new node, they recorded its connection to the surrounding Earth Veins, preparing for their future arrangements.

Several thousand more years passed in this way.

After crossing endless mountains and rivers, the black line within the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls finally changed.

The demonic qi, which had always extended along the Water Veins, began gradually sinking into the earth.

Countless tiny branches converged within the Earth Veins, ultimately all winding toward a boundless stretch of towering mountains ahead.

The spiritual aura above the mountains was dense, and an Innate Grand Formation faintly concealed the peaks.

Even through the formation, Qing Xuan could still sense a Dao rhythm that naturally harmonized with the land of the Primordial World.

They had found it.

Longevity Mountain.

Beyond that heavy Dao rhythm, there were also the auras of two Innate Divine Beings within the mountains.

One was at the peak of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, while the other was in the late stage of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.

Such cultivation was already exceptionally impressive among the second batch of Innate Divine Beings, but compared to Qing Xuan and Qing Yi, there was still an obvious gap.

Qing Xuan and Qing Yi did not directly enter the formation. They merely revealed their auras outside Longevity Mountain.

Not long afterward, the Innate Grand Formation parted from the center.

A middle-aged Daoist in an earth-yellow robe emerged from the mountain, his aura steady and profound. He was the master of Longevity Mountain.

Beside him was a red-robed Daoist with an unrestrained bearing, holding a spirit fruit that he had just taken a bite from. He was clearly visiting Wuzhuang Temple.