A pitch-black little creature crawled out of his sleeve, seemingly drawn by the rich aroma of meat, its throat working as it kept swallowing.
Its tiny pink nose twitched constantly as it sniffed the air, but with the runes sealing its mouth, it could only keep fidgeting there.
Seeing that Shi Qingyun was still eating the meat in his hand without looking its way, it pattered over and set its paws against him.
Shi Qingyun turned his head and saw the little black ball tugging at his trouser leg. With a wave of his right hand, the runes over its mouth swiftly vanished.
Feeling the seal on its mouth loosen, it let out several little howls at Shi Qingyun.
Knowing it had been drawn by the roast meat, Shi Qingyun did not stint. Runes appeared on his hand, and he sliced across the chunk of meat he was holding.
He neatly cut off a fragrant piece of meat and caught it with his divine power.
The meat slowly floated over to the little creature before being dropped onto the ground nearby.
"Eat!"
He turned away and paid it no further attention, continuing to take great bites of his roast meat.
The little creature ran over to the fragrant meat, blinking its golden eyes. It glanced at the piece lying on the ground, saw the specks of dust clinging to it, and twitched its mouth as it swallowed.
Then it turned its round eyes toward Shi Qingyun again. Seeing the beast meat in his hand steadily dwindling, it grew anxious.
Wriggling its body, it returned to his side and rubbed its head against Shi Qingyun as he wolfed down his food.
He tilted his head in puzzlement and looked at the little creature wriggling its backside at his feet as it rubbed against him. His face darkened with exasperation.
What do you want now? Could you stop being such a little flatterer? You're a Qilin! Well, that's only my guess.
Seeing Shi Qingyun look its way, it stood upright and cheerfully raised its two little legs, pointing at the hunk of meat in his hand.
Then it pointed at the piece on the ground and waved its limbs about wildly in the air.
Although its gestures were a jumble, he understood what it meant.
His mouth twitched. He beckoned with his right hand, and divine power surged, bringing a clean stone down from overhead to land before it. With another wave, a piece of meat floated from his hand onto the stone.
Thoroughly satisfied by this sight, the little creature wagged its tail and scampered over.
It leaped up, buried its head in the enormous chunk of meat, and began chomping away.
Watching the little black ball wag its backside as it tore at the heap of meat, he could not help muttering.
"Fussy little thing. Even eating roast meat comes with all these bad habits."
After muttering a few idle complaints, he turned his attention back to the roast meat in his hand.
He stretched out a hand, and an enormous Ferocious Beast appeared inside the cave, instantly filling it.
Slice the meat, add firewood, turn it over, slice the meat, add firewood.
With the combined efforts of man and beast, it did not take long for the enormous Beast King's carcass to steadily shrink.
The sunlight slanted westward, and all the flesh on the Beast King's body had vanished.
Only scraps of meat remained hanging from its stark white skeleton, swaying in midair.
Shi Qingyun belched, rubbed his belly, and flopped down. After shifting into a better position, he lay there comfortably.
The little creature beside him also sported a bulging belly as it tottered over to his side.
It flopped down, rested its tiny head on his foot, and closed its eyes.
Chapter 69: Nirvana
It's been ages since I ate this much. Before this, I was either cultivating or on my way to cultivate. Leisure like this really is rare.
Having a meal like this truly has a flavor all its own. He wiped the grease from his mouth and sat up.
He circulated his divine power, and his abdomen churned. The meat he had eaten was instantly digested into streams of energy, and his bulging belly flattened at once.
He casually reached down toward his feet and lifted the sleeping little black ball with one hand, holding it before his eyes and giving it a shake.
The little creature merely whimpered a few times, showing no sign of waking, its eyes still tightly shut.
Shi Qingyun rubbed his chin and held the little creature farther away for a look. It really did resemble a miniature black dog. Hmm, a dog obsessed with cleanliness?
He stroked its little head with his other hand and discovered two swollen bumps on top. He poked them with a finger; they were rather hard.
Feeling the disturbance on its head, the little creature lifted its head and opened its eyes briefly.
It gave him a half-lidded glance, then lowered its head again, promptly shutting its eyes and falling back asleep.
Its head drooped, and it even nuzzled his palm.
Was it grievously wounded and now needs to undergo nirvana again?
Seeing the little creature in this state, Shi Qingyun could not help wondering.
He channeled his divine power into his eyes. A tiny Taiji Dao Imprint appeared over them, spinning constantly as a mysterious light emerged from his gaze and fell upon the little ball in his hand.
"Tracing the Source!"
The light shot straight from his eyes onto the little creature, as though no secret could escape his gaze.
The little creature's condition was immediately laid bare before his eyes.
He discovered shattered golden runes flickering across its bones, while the meat it had swallowed transformed into streams of energy that flowed throughout its body.
"Just as I suspected."
Streams of energy coursed through its entire body, nourishing it. Shi Qingyun increased the flow of divine power and dimly saw a divine beast towering between heaven and earth, asleep within it.
Even in its slumber, every breath it took seemed to bring worlds into being and extinguish them.
An extremely damaged rune rotated over its forehead bone, absorbing the energy circulating within the little creature.
He focused his gaze entirely on its forehead bone, and the rune gradually came into clear view within his pupils.
Though shattered and broken, it still shone brilliantly inside the little creature, bearing a sacred aura.
Suddenly, as though sensing Shi Qingyun's prying gaze, the rune began trembling rapidly. Something like thick mist enveloped it, blocking his view.
He withdrew his gaze, gradually reining in his divine power.
He laid the little black ball across his hand. It sprawled there on all four limbs without the slightest sign of waking, and he teased it with his other hand.
"That should be the Qilin Precious Technique. It's just far too damaged."
"Still, having it is better than having nothing. I'll comprehend it once I'm a little stronger."
He stroked down from its head. Its fur was exceptionally soft, like a piece of silk, cool and smooth. It really did feel quite pleasant.
"Let me give you a name! You'll be sticking with me from now on. If you don't say anything, I'll take that as agreement."
As though it had heard him, the little black ball lying on his hand rubbed its nose with a paw, then went back to sleep.
"Draw in the flowing radiance of clear clouds, drink the dew blossoms of the Ruomu tree. My name is Qingyun, taken from that line."
He rubbed his chin with his free hand, then stroked the little creature's fur again, as though struck by sudden inspiration.
"From now on, I'll call you Little White! Since you're black all over, I'll give you the opposite name to balance things out. As for a formal name, that can wait!"
He was thoroughly pleased with the name he had chosen.
With the great matter of naming settled, he set it aside. Shi Qingyun stood and stretched, and a series of sharp cracks immediately rang out from his body.
"Now that I've eaten and drunk my fill, it's time to get down to business."
He walked around the cave, then casually waved a hand. A platinum-white flame appeared in midair and dropped straight onto the white skeleton.
It ignited the stark white bones. In an instant, they disintegrated inch by inch into a handful of dust that drifted down.
Finding a clean, level spot, he sat cross-legged, resting his hands naturally on his legs.
He opened his mind to comprehend the Dao laws between heaven and earth, instantly sinking into a deep state of enlightenment. In his perception, each great Dao was so very clear.
Within the cave, black and white Qi flickered across his body as his Yin-Yang Dao Body gave off a faint glow.
Streams of worldly essence immediately swarmed toward him. Even the sunlight scattered across the ground was drawn to him, flecks of platinum-white light drifting toward Shi Qingyun.
The Dao Diagram inside him also rotated slowly. Fragments of Dao laws shed from it glittered as they fell, bringing a refreshing coolness to his mind.
Countless insights into the great Dao surfaced in his mind, and the four-wheel cave heaven involuntarily manifested behind him.
As though they had found an outlet, streams of worldly essence swiftly poured into those Cave Heavens, which immediately continued expanding.
The two Yin-Yang Cave Heavens he had just opened, in particular, grew almost as large as the first two in only a short while.
"The Dao of Yin-Yang, the principle of balance, the source of wisdom."
"All things bear yin upon their backs and embrace yang, blending their Qi to achieve harmony."
He murmured, his mysterious words resounding like the great Dao thundering beside his ears. At the same time, the Dao resonance surrounding him grew increasingly dense.
The Dao Diagram within him trembled, and a Yin-Yang Dao Diagram appeared beneath him, slowly rotating as it absorbed the dense Dao resonance.
Little White, sleeping nearby, sensed the rich Dao resonance in the air. Opening bleary eyes, it tottered toward Shi Qingyun with its round belly sticking out.
It found a comfortable spot beside him and lay down again. A five-colored halo radiated from its body as it absorbed the Dao resonance and dense essence drifting between heaven and earth.
The thick, pervasive Dao resonance transformed into flecks of golden radiance and entered its body, making it grunt in comfort. It curled its four limbs together, absorbing the energy outside.
Meanwhile, enormous changes were also taking place within Shi Qingyun's four-wheel cave heaven.
Many thanks for your support, brother.
Chapter 70: Immortal Bone
The energy within the Yin-Yang Cave Heavens churned wildly, and many inexplicable things seemed to have appeared within Shi Qingyun's Cave Heaven worlds.
The skies within the Cave Heaven worlds slowly tore open. Yin-Yang Qi poured madly down from the heavens like waterfalls, swiftly filling them.
The ground also shook violently, cracks spreading into a dense web like a spider's.
Within the Solar Cave Heaven, countless torrents of magma erupted from those fissures, while within the Lunar Cave Heaven, silver mercury exuding an icy chill surged forth.
Streams of essence manifested in different forms within his Cave Heavens, creating all manner of extraordinary phenomena.
With their skies collapsing and their earth splitting apart, the Cave Heaven worlds seemed poised to shatter.
Yet Shi Qingyun showed no sign of panic, continuing with the same calm expression as before.
His hands rapidly crossed before his chest, forming one intricate hand seal after another.
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