Chapter 173: 173. Chapter 171: Going down the mountain to save people, a demon's plot for merit

173. Chapter 171: Going down the mountain to save people, a demon's plot for merit

Before an earthquake, infrasound appears; this sound has a frequency lower than the range audible to humans, but animals' hearing range differs from that of humans, and the structure of their ear ossicles enables them to detect these sounds.

Not to mention an existence like Ye Qin, who is even more sensitive to such fluctuations; with the presence of heavenly and earthly spiritual qi, he can easily sense them.

However, the energy of this fluctuation has not yet reached the surface in a short while, so there is no tremulous feeling, and humans cannot perceive or detect it.

Ye Qin vaguely sensed that the force underground was becoming increasingly active and frequent, and it also contained an extremely violent power.

"It seems the magnitude of this earthquake is not small."

"If we wait for it to reach the surface, wouldn't it cause massive casualties!"

"Even Longyuan Mountain and the villages at its base will be affected."

Longyuan Mountain, after Ye Qin's modifications nearby, has become akin to a blessed grotto-heaven; once an earthquake strikes, the surrounding mountain terrain and meridians will surely become unstable and suffer damage.

By then, the spiritual qi that had been painstakingly gathered will all spill out and disperse; at that point, everything he has cultivated will suffer major damage.

This is not only his stronghold, but also the home on which these animals depend for survival; it has taken great effort to reach its present scale, and Ye Qin absolutely cannot let an earthquake destroy it.

"Chirp-chirp—"

The animals also understood the gravity of the situation, and they kept calling out there without cease.

"Rest assured, I will not stand by and do nothing."

Ye Qin's words slightly eased their inner panic.

The animals have already embarked on cultivation, each possessing superb skills; even a violent earthquake would pose no problem for them.

But everyone has grown accustomed to life on Longyuan Mountain, and no one wants to see their homeland destroyed in an instant.

Ye Qin's gaze turned to the Dharma Implement beside him, and a decision gradually formed in his mind.

"Since we have a Dharma treasure, let's give it a try; other places may be beyond our power, but protecting the vicinity of the cave dwelling might succeed!"

Given his current cultivation level, he cannot stop the earthquake's arrival; after all, this is the heavenly might of nature, and Ye Qin is far from reaching that realm.

However, if he wishes to protect the area around Longyuan Mountain, there is still some hope.

As if sensing his master's intent, the small cauldron emitted a hum, hovered in midair, exuding a surging ancient aura that once again filled the surroundings.

Ye Qin's golden core rapidly circulated, and countless golden rays emanated from within his body, pouring into the small cauldron.

Amidst the flashing golden light, the small cauldron swiftly rose, leapt into the air, and soon appeared at the peak; around it, clouds rolled and mist surged, and all spiritual qi, drawn by Ye Qin, converged toward the cauldron.

The dark cauldron's body grew brighter and brighter, like a small sun; the patterns on it became more vivid, exotic birds spread their massive wings, and strange flowers and herbs continually grew upon its surface.

From far away, a cluster of flashing golden light could be seen; subsequently, that cluster of light grew larger, and for a moment the sky above seemed to have two suns.

The cauldron tilted slightly, and its radiance poured down, subsequently enveloping the entirety of Longyuan Mountain, including the nearby villages.

Moreover, within the mountain's interior, countless golden threads wandered, tightly linking every part; it could be said to be as solid as gold and bronze.

Such an anomaly quickly attracted the attention of nearby towns, after all, that light was truly too conspicuous.

"What's going on?"

In the town, many people rushed out of their homes, stunned and speechless, thinking they were hallucinating, and instinctively exclaimed: "Two suns have appeared in the sky!"

Only seen in the distance, the continuous green mountains had their peaks covered with a faint golden glow, appearing as if a canopy protected the entire range.

The light flashed continuously, and the layered, overlapping mountain peaks were also shrouded in clouds and mist, displaying wondrousness that made one think of overseas fairy mountains—probably what they saw before their eyes.

"I haven't mistaken, right? How do those mountains seem to be emitting light?"

"It seems to be coming from the direction of Longyuan Mountain."

"What is this situation? Could a meteorite have fallen there?"

"A meteorite fall doesn't look like this; otherwise, we should go over and check the situation."

Well-meaning individuals wanted to go investigate, but they were stopped by someone.

"Longyuan Mountain has long been sealed off, and the government does not permit entry; even if you went, it would be useless, as the villagers there would not let you up the mountain."

Although the government blocked the news, there is no impenetrable wall under heaven; they live nearby and have, to some extent, heard rumors about Longyuan Mountain—true or false, all kinds of talk.

Regarding this strange phenomenon, many were astonished, discussing it animatedly there, but soon the anomaly in the mountains vanished, as if what they had just seen was merely an illusion.

At the same time, the villagers of Longyuan Village were likewise filled with suspicion and unease.

"What do you say the Mountain God is doing, suddenly causing such a commotion?"

"Perhaps the Mountain God is cultivating."

"Good grief, that golden light almost blinded my eyes."

The village chief saw a crowd gathering here and said, "What's so strange about this? Making a fuss over nothing; the Mountain God Sir is quite formidable."

After calm was restored, the villagers soon dispersed gradually.

"Moo—"

However, the village chief had just returned from offering incense at the Mountain God's temple when he suddenly heard the livestock bellowing incessantly.

In the yard, the sheep kept digging at the ground with their hooves, as if gone mad, trying to rush outside; the chickens and ducks flapped their wings, flying about the courtyard, and even the several large fat pigs in the pigsty kept grunting nonstop.

Usually the obedient, well-behaved yellow dog held his pant leg in its mouth and kept pulling him outward.

"What is happening?"

The village chief couldn't make heads or tails of it; similar events kept occurring in the village, and even through a wall one could hear the neighboring livestock's cries.

At the same time, the animals in the village became restless, all wanting to run outward.

Just as the village chief and others were puzzled, the ground transmitted a faint tremor; his expression changed, he associated it with the livestock's abnormality, and quickly reacted.

"Oh no! There's an earthquake!"

Accompanied by the village chief's vigorous shout, which drifted over the entire village, all villagers ran from their houses onto the open ground.

The tremors felt on the ground grew stronger and stronger; people standing on the ground found their bodies involuntarily swaying.

For a moment, the villagers' faces turned pale, their eyes filled with many shadows, and they worriedly said, "This is the earth dragon turning over; surely nothing serious will happen."

"I remember that an earthquake occurred before, and many people were injured then."

What nonsense are you spouting? We have the Mountain God protecting us, what is there to fear?

The village chief suddenly recalled the golden light he had seen earlier, and couldn't help but say: "Could it be that the Mountain God had foreseen the earthquake's arrival, which is why there is something unusual in the mountains?"

After he said that, the others also realized.

It must be that the earlier commotion appeared in order to resist the earthquake.

Everyone undoubtedly had taken a calming pill; looking at the verdant mountains in the distance, unaffected by the earthquake, their originally panicked hearts gradually calmed.

Yeah, with the Mountain God here, we have nothing to fear.

The Mountain God will bless us.

Besides feeling the ground shake a bit, there was nothing else; even the houses were fine, as if an invisible force enveloped the entire Longyuan Village, completely protecting them inside.

Ye Qin also felt that strong tremor on Longyuan Mountain.

There is spiritual energy protecting the mountain; although there is tremble, it's not a big problem, but other places probably...

Ye Qin felt somewhat powerless; at first he realized his cultivation was still far insufficient, clearly sensing the arrival of a natural disaster yet unable to stop it.

Although he is a demon, he wants to save this suffering populace; this is not saintly, but doing what he can, unwilling to see the world suffer.

Ye Qin came to the highest point, his mental power spreading outward; sure enough, dust flew in the distance, deep bottomless cracks appeared on the ground, spreading rapidly like a spider's web.

Many trees along the road fell, but in the blink of an eye it became a mess, everywhere horrible traces and fallen rubble.

Even the nearby mountain road suffered a devastating blow, the mountain path severed, rocks rolling down.

Near Longyuan Mountain, because he was stationed there, although the tremors remained strong, fortunately it did not cause major destruction; but looking elsewhere, this earthquake's scope is probably not small.

Ye Qin's mental power cannot cover without limit; covering the vicinity of Longyuan Mountain is already the limit. But looking at the dire scene in the distance, he inevitably feels some sorrow in his heart.

From the tremors, this earthquake's magnitude is of a certain scale; the urban area has many buildings and complex terrain, so many likely injured, afraid the situation in the city is not optimistic.

…

Natural disasters are ruthless, but humanity has love; when one side suffers, all sides give support.

As Wu Du, Yunling and other cities suddenly experienced earthquakes, the authorities also reported it immediately; all over Great Xia people got the news, the internet exploded in an instant, countless people prayed for blessings.

I heard that an earthquake occurred in Wu Du Yunling; my aunt's family lives there, now I can't contact them, I hope they are safe.

I also felt the tremors; at first I thought I was dreaming, but after seeing the news it turned out to be an earthquake.

The chandeliers above our heads kept swinging; it was terrifying at the time, but we're fine here, not as severe as Wu Du.

I think the situation is still quite serious; I'm a nurse, today the higher-ups drafted many people to prepare to go to Wu Du and Yunling.

I also have many relatives in Yunling; I hope they are all safe.

Other netizens in unaffected cities closely monitored the situation of Wu Du, Yunling and other cities, and some voluntarily gathered supplies to send over.

Truckloads of various supplies set out from various places, rushing overnight to the disaster area.

Besides that, many medical personnel also received temporary orders from above, hastily bade farewell to family, and arrived at the earthquake zone.

Because of this earthquake, the hearts of people up and down the nation have coalesced into a single rope.

Even the countries internationally on good terms with Great Xia, upon hearing of the earthquake, donated much supplies and offered condolences.

Of course, some countries put on a friendly front, but secretly schemed to cause harm.

Recall that years ago, Great Xia suffered an earthquake; a certain country deliberately shut down GPS navigation, preventing Great Xia from locating itself, causing massive losses.

Nowadays, Great Xia's technological level ranks second globally, and will no longer face such a predicament.

M Country, CIA organization.

Great Xia's earthquake is an opportunity for us; maybe we can fish in troubled waters, gain much useful intelligence, and send our people to Wu Du and Qinling!

Since the last operation plan failed, the CIA has not given up, believing that Great Xia is secretly developing meteorological weapons.

However, due to agents' deaths and exposure, to avoid being found by Great Xia for more useful information, they have temporarily lain low, yet their treacherous hearts never die.

Now hearing that Great Xia is in turmoil due to the earthquake, their thoughts have become active again.

This is clearly an excellent opportunity; we can take advantage of the chaos to send spies to infiltrate, obtain useful intelligence, and even penetrate deep into Great Xia's secret internals!

Execute the plan, dispatch agents to the disaster area of Longyuan Mountain!

…

Meanwhile.

On Longyuan Mountain, Ye Qin also constantly monitored the earthquake situation.

The disaster was not as big as he imagined; although the affected area is wide, that's because there are many mountains, but casualties are few because the earthquake magnitude is not high.

This is a blessing in misfortune, but even so, countless people have been displaced and encountered danger.

As the Demon King of Longyuan Mountain, Ye Qin could not bear to see this plight and decided to lend a hand.

His gaze fell on the nearby animals, "Perhaps it's time for you to take the stage."

Since he founded the monster clan, he cannot stay hidden forever; sooner or later they will be exposed to the world, but if he wants humanity to accept them, there will inevitably be difficulties.

Ye Qin does not want the monster clan to oppose humanity; although the monster clan is strong, its numbers are few, while humanity is weak but possesses heavy weapons; if both sides suffer mutual loss, wouldn't foreigners laugh?

Peaceful coexistence between them would certainly be best.

From now on I will teach you how to concoct elixirs; you must study diligently.

His time is limited; he cannot stay in Longyuan Mountain forever, so during this period Ye Qin hopes these animals will learn as much as possible, making future self-sufficiency easier.

For him, elixirs are no longer useful, unless he develops an extraordinary immortal pill, but that is clearly still unattainable.

However, for these animals, future cultivation supplemented by elixirs will still have great effect.

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and you feed him for life.

Once successfully concocted, one can go down the mountain to save people; this benefits future development and also counts as merit.

And merit is absolutely beneficial to their cultivation, facilitating future tribulation crossing.

Upon hearing this news, the animals became more excited, nodding in agreement that they would cultivate seriously.

In Zuo Ci's tomb there are many containers, such as porcelain bottles, plates and the like, which can serve as their tools; Ye Qin had previously stockpiled many medicinal herbs, which are now put to use.

Ye Qin picked up the newly forged cauldron and began demonstrating it to them; sure enough, as he had anticipated, the newly forged cauldron was much easier to handle.

"The main point of alchemy is to extract the life essence from within, then combine it with the spiritual qi of heaven and earth to form an elixir; to prevent the elixir from being ruined during refinement, one must constantly monitor it."

These animals had already awakened their spiritual intelligence, and had previously watched Ye Qin refine elixirs several times, so picking it up was not difficult; indeed, a few of them even looked quite proper while doing it.

Dozens of animals surrounded Ye Qin, with variously shaped vessels arrayed before them; they stood on their hind legs and, with their forepaws, picked up nearby herbs, dropping them bit by bit into the vessels.

Firelight shone everywhere, illuminating the animals' furry faces; their eyes were intensely focused, fearing insufficient heat or a mistake in any step.

Such a scene looked quite spectacular, like an ordinary school class—except that in this class, whether teacher, student, or the lesson itself, everything was extraordinarily special.

One monkey, not knowing how to operate, heard a booming sound from inside the vessel, with faint black smoke drifting out; it immediately panicked, scratching its ears and cheeks, and moved forward to see what was happening.

"Bang!"

Accompanied by a faint explosion sound, black smoke instantly spread, thoroughly suffocating the monkey; its originally red face turned completely black.

The hyena nearby couldn't help but burst into laughter.

This little explosion certainly had no effect on the monkey; with its big black face it resumed refining, and Ye Qin, unable to suppress a smile, spoke up to give guidance:

"You just released too much heavenly and earthly spiritual qi; you must understand that everything has the principle of neither excess nor deficiency. In alchemy, besides extraction, there is also the principle of balance."

The monkey nodded as if half‑understanding, bowed to Ye Qin, and then continued with the elixir refinement.

During this period, several more explosions rang out one after another, all due to injecting too much spiritual qi; additionally, failing to concentrate internal spiritual qi resulted in insufficient life essence being extracted.

Minor problems kept occurring, but nothing serious; if this trend continued, they could barely manage to keep refining.

These animals were quite perceptive; Ye Qin found them easy to understand, and teaching them required little effort.

However, after a brief moment, the air filled with a burnt smell—completely the scent of ruined elixirs—but if one sensed carefully, there was also a faint medicinal fragrance, so it wasn't entirely wasted.

After the refinement ended, seeing the animals' pitch‑black elixirs in their hands, Ye Qin fell into silence.

Although their appearance was unimpressive, they contained a faint spiritual qi; this bit of spiritual qi could alleviate humans' injuries and was greatly beneficial to them.

In Ye Qin's view they counted as ruined elixirs, but still better than nothing—they at least had some use.

"Not bad, you should refine a few more batches, then go down the mountain and distribute them to the injured humans; doing this is also a meritorious deed for you and greatly beneficial to your cultivation."

After the animals finished refining, they dared not delay and all rushed down the mountain base. (End of chapter)