20demayo Chapter 10 An Invitation from Qingqiu
Chapter 10 An Invitation from Qingqiu
The boundary between mountains and seas.
Xiong Zhou looked at the lava in front of his feet and stretched out his claws to slap it upwards.
"Pop..."
A sound similar to the bursting of bubbles was heard, and the square block of magma turned into wisps of pixelated fragments, dissipating before our eyes. Then, it was reassembled within the inner landscape of heaven and earth and placed on a block of earth covered with golden wheat.
"Splash..."
The lava began to roll, spreading outwards from the center, extending several squares in distance, splashing red sparks, submerging handfuls of wheat, and sending up wisps of black smoke.
His perception of the Earth Path subtly changed; a burning, subtle feeling brewed in Xiong Zhou's heart. Under this special understanding, [Power: Abundance] seemed to undergo some changes that could only be understood intuitively.
It seems to have become a little more "complete"?
[Power: Abundance]
Level: First Stage of Qi Refining
Progress: Lv.5 (0/Max)
Status: Prototype
I opened the panel and took a look. There were no changes. It was still at [Lv.5] and was still in the rudimentary stage.
With a hint of irritation, Xiong Zhou flicked its fluffy white tail behind it, sweeping across the lush, vibrant grass and making a rustling sound.
This feeling of clear progress, yet being unable to describe it further, is a manifestation of the fact that his current knowledge and understanding of the world are insufficient.
"It's really a headache. When I was a child, I learned about Qi cultivation, but now, due to various opportunities, I have achieved certain results in the divine path and built my own path to sainthood."
"The ancestors who passed away one by one did not leave behind any knowledge or understanding of the path to sainthood in their bloodline that was at the first level of Qi Refining. There are no shortcuts."
"Now I can only catch up on my studies slowly at Senior Sister Baiyu's Tianli Dojo..."
Xiong Zhou touched the fat relic's body with the pink pads on its paws, sensing the temperature inside had dropped. It lowered its head, opened its mouth, and bit the thick, round snake body, slowly dragging it back to the cunning's gathering place step by step.
Several hours later, the first thing that came into view was a big dog with its tongue lolling out and drooling, trying to lick Xiong Zhou.
It was that big dog, three meters tall at the shoulder, which Xiong Zhou named Bai Yi.
"call!"
[sit down!]
"Huh?"
A voice carrying a hint of concern came from the mouth of the dog, which was more than twice the size of Xiong Zhou.
"Waaah...waaah, waaah."
[It's okay... I'm fine. I brought back some of the loot.]
Under the watchful eyes of the large dogs that gradually approached and formed a strong crowd, Xiong Zhou dragged the corpse of the Fei Yi clone to the stream.
The power of [Innate Divine Ability: █ (Pixel Block)] emanated from between his fingers and claws, covering an area about two meters from the stream and creating a square pool with sides of 8 blocks x 8 blocks and a depth of 2 blocks. Then, he threw the corpse of the Fei Yi clone into it.
With a slight thought, wisps of tiny square pixels spread from his body, covering the corpse of the Fei Yi clone and decomposing it.
"Gurgle..."
Strands of fiery red lava flowed from the corpse, gradually filling the pool and transforming it into a pixelated lava pool.
After a few breaths of being covered by pixel blocks, the corpse, which was flowing with magma, gradually crystallized, its shape and structure slowly twisting, curling into a large crystal filled with flowing light and continuously and orderly radiating high heat outward.
Strands of fire and earth elemental energy gradually took shape within the magma pool, intertwining with the celestial and terrestrial energy rising from the pixelated wheat.
Xiong Zhou opened his dog mouth and, following the operating method of the "Tai Li Refining Qi Method," swallowed strands of well-mixed Qi of Heaven and Earth, storing them in his inner world.
These primordial energies of heaven and earth can be directly utilized and transformed into one's own spiritual foundation without further refinement through innate supernatural powers.
In a short while, several more blocks of earth and wheat, as well as one block of lava, appeared in the inner world.
Xiong Zhou's eyes lit up, and he immediately manipulated the condensed pixel blocks to stuff them into the constructed [Gateway to Another World].
"Clatter..."
A sound of a cube being inlaid rang out, and this spiritual foundation, condensed by the "Mountain and Sea Realm" avatar, successfully merged into the inner world of the "Qi Refining World" main body.
The splicing was perfect, without any problems.
"Now, my progress in Qi refining in the 'Qi Refining World' has become much faster, and the speed of building my spiritual foundation has also increased by more than three times."
"Many thanks to Sister Fei Yi for sending such rare resources that can accelerate Qi refining from so far away!"
Xiong Zhou gave the Fei Yi, who was living deep underground, a "good guy" card.
Xiong Zhou assumed a posture, stretching out his body and every hair, and began to practice the [Lv.4] "Tai Li Refining Qi Method" in a way that best suited the natural world.
In an instant, wisps of mist originating from the stream and the intense heat of the magma pool formed a water-fire cycle, further boosting Xiong Zhou's Qi refining speed.
The abundant and fertile Qi of heaven and earth slowly spread outwards from where Xiong Zhou was.
The large dogs that had gathered around stared wide-eyed, seemingly sensing something amidst the bountiful atmosphere.
Bai Yi, who is over three meters tall at the shoulder, let out a soft cry and slowly lay down on the wheat. His eyelids were half closed, and the breathing from his mouth and nose gradually became the same as Xiong Zhou's breathing rhythm.
As time passed, hundreds of dogs began to whimper softly, one after another, like Bai Yi, they lay down on the wheat.
Unbeknownst to them, specks of warm, emerald-colored light began to gather within their bodies, and the incense energy pointing towards Xiong Zhou became even more substantial.
-----------------
Beneath the sacred mountain of Qingqiu.
Carrying the ancestral decree, Hu Xiaoqian arrived at the foot of the mountain, watching the setting sun, her emotions fluctuating.
She thought to herself, "How could a totem be born from this small patch of grassland? This world really doesn't make sense."
"Finish the work the ancestors instructed as soon as possible and return to Qingqiu."
Hu Xiaoqian raised her neck and looked around. Petals, tinged with crimson, gathered from the void and surrounded her body.
Her figure, scent, and voice began to be concealed, and her body became hazy and indistinct, almost becoming a transparent non-existent entity. Only the footprints on the grass, resembling plum blossoms, proved that Hu Xiaoqian still existed and had not truly disappeared from the world.
At this moment, a gentle mountain breeze flowed down from Qingqiu, swirling the slightly bent grass seedlings, disrupting the blooming plum blossoms, and erasing Hu Xiaoqian's footprints.
Several hours later, the silver moon hung high in the sky, and the stars shone brightly.
Under the glow of countless stars, the grassland was draped in a thin, shimmering silver coat, making the entire scene appear dreamlike and almost like a fairy tale.
Hu Xiaoqian stopped in her tracks, her two large, fluffy tails swaying slightly in the night sky, her face showing surprise and doubt.
"Why is the Qi of heaven and earth in this region so...light and ethereal?"
"I have only ever felt such a light and ethereal Qi of heaven and earth when I was with my ancestors."
"Could it be that this new totem, besides possessing the power of abundance as mentioned by our ancestors, also holds a portion of the power of the Azure Heaven?"
"But, that shouldn't be the case. If this totem really holds a portion of the Azure Sky authority, the ancestor would definitely be unable to resist personally going down the mountain to communicate with this new totem and obtain more Azure Sky authority."
With doubts in her heart, Hu Xiaoqian once again followed the guidance of the decree behind her and moved closer to Xiong Zhou.
However, this time, her movements were much gentler, and she was more vigilant about her surroundings.
Being far from the Qingqiu Mountains means losing the aura and deterrence of the Qingqiu totem. Various strange, exotic, and ferocious beasts from the Mountain and Sea Realm may attack the little fox who is only at the mortal level, threatening her life.
The decree given by the ancestors is not omnipotent. There are countless totems in the world that can rival it, and she cannot afford to be careless when walking between heaven and earth.
However, the closer Hu Xiaoqian got to the location of the God of Abundance, the stranger she felt.
This place was so peaceful that she couldn't sense anything that might pose a threat to her.
The poisonous insects and ants that might have been hiding in the grass were nowhere to be seen. Only a few harmless insects and those with glowing tails flew above the grass, chirping crisply.
Suddenly, Hu Xiaoqian's expression changed.
Not far from her, a patch of lush green grass was undergoing a terrifying transformation at an extremely slow pace, one that made her hair stand on end.
Its growth pattern has undergone a distorted transformation, and its shape has been reshaped in a near-homogeneous manner.
Under the moonlight, Hu Xiaoqian could see an extremely neat and orderly arrangement on this clump of weeds, as if it were built from individual cubes.
Their presence affects the grass, making each blade of grass appear "hazy".
Hu Xiaoqian found it difficult to describe this peculiar change in her own words. This "style" of growth had deviated greatly from her understanding of the normal world.
"Shh...shh..."
A gentle breeze stirred the square grass seedlings, causing them to collide and produce a pleasant, tranquil sound.
Especially under the illumination of various stars and against the backdrop of the surrounding environment, it appears even more peaceful and serene.
Hu Xiaoqian's turbulent heart gradually calmed down, and she narrowed her eyes slightly.
"What a unique charm."
"Although it cannot compare to the pure Qi that our ancestors brought down from the heavens for the growth of bloodline, this tranquility can soothe the various agitations that arise during the growth of bloodline."
"Although we are both mortals, it seems we are on completely different levels."
"This is the authority held by the totem, its influence over heaven and earth..."
Hu Xiaoqian sincerely praised, pulling her ears slightly back, her expression of enjoyment clearly visible on her face.
"Waaah."
Thank you for the compliment, but I feel I still have a lot of room for improvement.
A warm breath suddenly rang out from behind Hu Xiaoqian, causing her to jump up and run away into the distance.
However, after running several hundred meters, Hu Xiaoqian suddenly stopped, looking back at the big dog following behind her with an expression that was both frightened and surprised.
She raised her head, gazing at the large dog with fur as white and black as night, and light brown stripes, and asked, "Are you the god of fertility?!"
Xiong Zhou tilted his head.
"Waaah."
[That's not wrong to call me that.]
Hu Xiaoqian patted her chest with her little paw and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Judging from this extremely brief contact, the goddess of abundance was not the worst-case scenario she had anticipated.
It has no bad temper, no bloody smell that frightens foxes, and no lingering spirits... If you exclude its wicked pleasure of scaring foxes, it can be regarded as a totem that is benevolent to all living beings.
"Huh?"
[To kill a living being and still be haunted by its remnant spirit?]
"Waaah."
[That's far too sloppy a killing.]
Hu Xiaoqian's expression stiffened.
Even remnants of spirits must be killed?
Is this god of fertility so cruel?
Wait a minute, how did this totem know what I was thinking?
"Waaah."
[Your face tells you exactly what you're thinking.]
"Waaah."
[It's truly rare to see a two-tailed fox with such a rich array of expressions, so easily understood.]
Hu Xiaoqian's expression stiffened even more, as if her own mother was about to die.
Xiong Zhou slowly lowered his head, his eyes filled with curiosity as he carefully stared at the beige fox, then looked at the imperial edict on her back, which carried a hint of authority.
The power and spirit are profound; they are things inscribed by beings of the four realms of immortality who have surpassed the control level of [Lv.5].
However, compared to Senior Sister Baiyu's power of calamity and misfortune, it seems as if there is an insurmountable chasm between them.
In summary, it is more profound than the [Power: Abundance] that I currently possess, but it has not yet reached the level of the divine path that Senior Sister Baiyu is cultivating, so the threat is limited.
The blood within Xiong Zhou's body rippled slightly, and following his own inspiration, he looked in a certain direction.
"Waaah."
[The fox of Qingqiu.]
Xiong Zhou called out to Hu Xiaoqian with a hint of doubt.
"Huh?"
What are you doing here?
Hu Xiaoqian's mouth gaped open, her eyes filled with disbelief.
She hadn't even told the god of abundance where she came from, so how did she suddenly know?
Is this the power of totems?
This is terrifying!
With a very unsettled mind, Hu Xiaoqian took the ancestral decree from her back and spread it out in front of the big dog.
Her expression turned slightly solemn as she said earnestly, "My surname is Hu, and my given name is Xiaoqian. I come from the lineage of the Nine-Tailed Fox of Qingqiu."
"Now, on behalf of my ancestor, the totem of the Qingqiu Mountains, I extend an invitation to the God of Abundance to join the Qingqiu pantheon."
"This is a covenant between heaven and earth; please, God of Abundance, take a look."
Xiong Zhou's expression became subtle.
He had only been a totem for a short time, possessing the [Power: Abundance], when another totem extended an olive branch to him?
Is your own totem, or rather, your abundant power, so sought after among totems?
After thinking for a moment, Xiong Zhou guided out a wisp of the aura of the calamity and power within his body, which manifested in the night sky.
Hu Xiaoqian's face turned pale in an instant.
This caused the unfolded decree and the azure authority above it to teeter on the brink of collapse.
"Waaah."
[I have joined a totem pantheon.]
Xiong Zhou's voice rang out softly before the imperial edict.