Chapter 217: 217. Chapter 215: Multitude of Demons Undergo Tribulation, the World Startled

217. Chapter 215: Multitude of Demons Undergo Tribulation, the World Startled

Ye Qin finally returned to Longyuan Mountain again.

The mountain was filled with verdant greenery, lush and abundant, the mountain wind stirred, pine waves rose and fell, everything seemed unchanged, yet Ye Qin felt as if he had been separated from the world.

His pair of green eyes were filled with wind and frost as well as history, having undergone time's precipitation and polishing, full of mystery and dignity.

Ye Qin's state of mind also underwent a change in the depths; for him, this experience was nothing short of a special tempering.

Recalling the past, his first journey to the time fragments was to seek opportunity; now, with his cultivation level profound, re-entering the time fragments is to fulfill the karma he once established.

Now the main hall of the Supreme Clarity Temple was almost filled with people; besides the initial Longling, Zuoci, and Qin Shi Huang, there were also Guan Zhong, Zhang Liang, Wei Zheng, Chen Tuan, Laozi, and so on.

Inside the temple, auspicious clouds curled around, incense smoke drifted, the sound of sutra chanting never ceased; these people sat cross-legged on the offering platform, although their eyes were tightly closed, their bodies emitted a faint white halo, as if they would open their eyes any second.

Those who arrived earliest had a brighter white light on them; the later light, though not especially strong, was not to be underestimated.

These people should have died a hundred or even a thousand years ago; because of Ye Qin, their spirit bodies received offerings, absorbing the spiritual aura nourishing the Supreme Clarity Temple, existing in a state between life and death, neither immortal nor mortal.

Later, Ye Qin had them descend to the world to receive human offerings; perhaps one day, when the time is ripe, they will be revived, which can also be considered another form of longevity.

"Roar!"

The tiger's roar coming from the air pulled Ye Qin's thoughts back to reality.

This sound shook heaven and earth, making the ground tremble; not far away, leaves quivered, a brown-yellow shadow rushed like a tornado, scattering leaves wherever it passed, and soon appeared beside Ye Qin.

It turned out the Northeast Tiger had caught Ye Qin's scent and hurried over to greet him, with a long line of other animals following behind.

Seeing Ye Qin, the Northeast Tiger's furry beast face was full of human-like joy; it lay on the ground, making a kowtow gesture, and the other animals behind it did the same.

All beasts kowtowed, welcoming their king's arrival; the mountains and forests were solemn.

Even the towering trees nearby were shaken by the wind, their leaves rustling like applause in celebration.

"During the time I was away, have you been diligently cultivating?"

Faced with Ye Qin's question, the Northeast Tiger proudly puffed out its chest, "Roar roar roar!"

Even if the Northeast Tiger didn't speak, Ye Qin could sense its steady aura; not only the tiger, but the other animals also showed modest progress, indicating they had put in effort daily.

Having reached this point, the animals' talent is still decent, but to Ye Qin this speed is utterly insufficient, still too slow.

His affairs are mostly settled; the rest can be left to time, the revival of these ancients cannot be rushed, and his cultivation level has already reached the peak; now, sitting in meditation, the spiritual aura he absorbs has no effect on him.

Therefore he plans to devote all future time to these animals, intending to launch the third "Dao lecture"!

When these ancients are all revived in the future, it will be a great boon for humanity; the demon race naturally must not fall behind; before that, he hopes to witness these animals undergo the heavenly tribulation, shedding their mortal flesh completely to become true demons!

Ye Qin's spiritual power blanketed the entire mountains and rivers; all living beings learned of his intention to lecture the Dao again, and in an instant the previously silent mountains and forests boiled over.

Longyuan Mountain represents not just a mountain; under Ye Qin's pervasive influence, nearby mountain ranges also fall within its scope, so the name "Longyuan" can be said to represent the entire mountain range.

Under the ever-nourishing spiritual aura, some spiritually aware small animals later emerged, but they certainly cannot compare to the earliest cultivators among the Northeast Tiger, black turtle, jackal, weasel, and fox.

Now that they learned Ye Qin would begin the third Dao lecture, all living beings in the mountains became excited, knowing this is the sole opportunity to change their fate.

Countless animals poured out of their nests, rushing toward Ye Qin's location, surpassing the scenes of the previous two Dao lectures.

Animals that have awakened spiritual intelligence, upon cultivating to a certain realm, no longer need to drink blood and eat raw meat; they only need to absorb the spiritual aura between heaven and earth to fill their stomachs, and the spiritual plants covering the mountains can also provide an energy source.

They do not slaughter each other, meaning there are no natural predators in the mountains; nourished by spiritual aura, the animals can live and reproduce, but their numbers will not surge excessively, transcending the local balance.

Some animals, due to insufficient realm and cultivation, reached the end of their lives, all dying of natural old age.

These animals' corpses are filled with spiritual aura, nourished by Longyuan Mountain; after death they also give back to Longyuan Mountain, the spiritual aura dissipating through the mountain range forms a natural harmonious cycle, endless and continuous—this is Longyuan Mountain's unique system.

At the highest point of the terrain, Ye Qin could easily see the surroundings; countless animals ran toward him like devout pilgrims, their eyes full of reverence and fear.

The Northeast Tiger and these animals were closest to him; other animals dared only to stand far away, the originally empty clearing soon filled with various animals, a black mass stretching as far as the eye could see, numbering not just in the thousands but in the hundreds.

The hazy mist, centered on Ye Qin, continuously spread outward, soon enveloping the animals.

Ye Qin swept his green eyes downward; the animals felt an unparalleled pressure, though his manifested form was relatively small.

Yet in the eyes of all the animals, they faced a colossal being, like an ancient primordial beast from the Honghuang era; all the animals prostrated on the ground, their bodies trembling slightly.

A profound and mysterious voice emanated from the depths of the mist, like the Dao murmuring, endlessly whispering.

"Heaven and earth have no all-encompassing function, sages have no omnipotence, all things have no universal use. Therefore heaven's duty is to generate and cover, earth's duty is to bear form, the sage's duty is to teach and transform, the ox's duty is what is suitable. Yet heaven has its shortcomings, earth has its strengths, the sage has its denials, things have their applicability."

"Thus the Dao of heaven and earth is either yin or yang; the sages' teaching is either benevolence or righteousness; the suitability of all things is either softness or hardness: these all follow what is appropriate and cannot exceed their proper place."

As these words were spoken, the hazy mist began to surge with golden light.

Auspicious clouds entwined heaven and earth, purple aura came from the east, the entire Longyuan Mountain was enveloped in a mysterious aura, standing atop the clouds like the celestial palace of the nine heavens, truly miraculous to the extreme, like the immortal mountain of myth and legend.

The clouds at the horizon gathered, winding into dragon shapes; sunlight shone on them, refracting dazzling golden light; in an instant, it seemed as if countless golden dragons were churning in the sea of clouds, rushing forth eagerly.

Ye Qin is now a true dragon; his realm and cultivation are naturally incomparable, and as the third Dao lecture begins, such extraordinary phenomena appear, each word carrying supreme truth.

He teaches all beings, enjoying the merit of living creatures; an invisible rosy light covers his whole body, these are the power of merit.

Green scales intertwined, emitting countless divine lights; as each of his words fell, the light grew more blinding, and within Ye Qin's body warm, robust spiritual power surged, traveling through his meridians.

These animals devoutly believed in Ye Qin, likewise receiving reciprocation; a faint golden light likewise encircled their bodies.

The Northeast Tiger and its kind had long been enlightened, with extraordinary comprehension; although the words were obscure and hard to understand, they could grasp the general meaning, while for the later animals it was like hearing heavenly script—completely incomprehensible, their beast faces full of bewildered expressions.

The former Northeast Tiger was also like that, having gradually explored its way here.

If they could penetrate the profound principles within, even just a few characters would be enough to benefit these animals for life.

The sutra's sound never ceased, drifting between heaven and earth, lingering long; the animals listened as if intoxicated, shaking their heads and swaying, no longer aware of time.

The time of the third Dao lecture was extraordinarily long, naturally also due to Ye Qin's profound cultivation; he had sufficient spiritual power to sustain it.

However, not all animals could endure it; midway, some animals came to their senses, unable to continue, they bowed to Ye Qin and then left.

Spring came and went, autumn followed, winter and summer passed; these animals still gathered here, maintaining their original posture, as if only a short time had passed, though in fact a year had elapsed.

"Boom—"

With a clap of startling thunder exploding.

Since ancient times there has been the saying, "Spring thunder sounds, all things grow."

When the time of Awakening of Insects arrived, the myriad creatures hibernating in the soil began to awaken; amid the burgeoning spring they slowly revived, bringing vitality to the earth, the earth returned to spring, the beautiful light suffused, and the hazy mist finally began to disperse.

These animals have greatly changed from their original appearance; the most obvious is that these animals are led by the Northeast Tiger.

Ye Qin looked at the dark clouds gathering above his head, green light surging in his eyes; this was not just ordinary dark clouds, he sensed a familiar aura within them.

This is tribulation clouds!

After a year of preaching, the energy inside these animals' bodies finally reached its peak, and it was time to break through their shackles and face their own heavenly tribulation.

Of course, this heavenly tribulation is vastly different from the one Ye Qin faced when he first underwent his tribulation; they are worlds apart.

Ye Qin is the first cultivator in the world, and the tribulation he underwent is one in a myriad.

But the animals' first tribulation is the heavenly tribulation inherent to their cultivation realm, so it arrives early, coming while their strength is still immature.

Another important reason is that during Ye Qin's previous tribulation, he deliberately let them catch a trace of it, which also became the main factor triggering this heavenly tribulation.

Because only by undergoing the baptism of the heavenly tribulation can there be a qualitative change.

Its power is naturally not as terrifying as Ye Qin's was back then.

But even so, for these animals, it is no trivial matter.

"Wake up quickly!"

Accompanied by a deafening roar, the animals immersed in their own worlds all opened their eyes, they also sensed something, and immediately lifted their heads to look at the sky.

The once azure firmament suddenly gave rise to wind and surging clouds, countless black clouds coming from all directions.

The Northeast Tiger, turtle, yellow weasel, hawk, and fox—these animals all welcomed their own heavenly tribulation.

For a moment, large and small dark clouds gathered above Longyuan Mountain, pressing upon the mountain range; the once crisp outlines of the peaks became blurred, and even the sky seemed to sway on the verge of collapse.

"Your heavenly tribulation has descended; it is time to leave Longyuan Mountain."

With so many animals undergoing tribulation together on Longyuan Mountain, problems are likely to arise; the heavenly tribulations intertwine, doubling their power, and the tribulation cannot accurately determine which specific creature it is—if it strikes the wrong one, or misses, the loss outweighs the gain.

To be safe, Ye Qin intends to let each of them undergo their heavenly tribulation separately outside; Ye Qin is not worried that these animals will encounter any danger while undergoing their tribulation outside.

They have cultivated for so long precisely for this day; outsiders must not interfere, nor can they interfere.

Even if Ye Qin could, with his current power, let them pass their tribulation safely, such deceit of heaven would only make these animals' cultivation path more arduous; ultimately it is not the best strategy.

In Ye Qin's mind, the demon tribe are beings who do not fear hardship and obstacle, not merely those who get by under his protection.

Even if he could protect them for a moment, he cannot protect them for a lifetime; only by strengthening themselves can they become truly strong.

The animals respectfully bowed deeply to Ye Qin, then each scattered and headed toward the mountain base.

Watching their departing backs, Ye Qin's azure pupils filled with deep solemnity: "I remain here, awaiting your return!"

He believes the Northeast Tiger and the others will surely pass their heavenly tribulation safely and undergo a complete transformation.

The spiritual energy on Longyuan Mountain tempered these animals' fur and bones day and night; they were already extraordinary, and with the previous heavenly tribulation's cleansing, they were further prepared—many animals, having been forged by lightning, grew even stronger in body.

If even this fails, then it can only be said to be a matter of timing and fate; Ye Qin can only help up to this point.

Once the animals destined to undergo the heavenly tribulation left, it felt as if many beings had suddenly vanished; the whole mountaintop became empty, and the remaining animals, whose cultivation level was insufficient, could only envy watching the Northeast Tiger and the others fade into the distance.

"Diligently cultivate, and someday it will be your turn."

As the animals departed, the dark clouds hovering over Longyuan Mountain instantly dispersed, the warm sun shone high, with not a trace of gloom.

Such a commotion quickly attracted the villagers' attention.

"Strange, at first the dark clouds were thick and thunder was rolling, yet in a moment the sun came out."

"The weather in March is truly changeable."

After chatting a bit, nobody took it to heart; casually seeing many animals running down the mountain, nobody thought much of it—perhaps the Mountain God had assigned them some task.

Moreover, spring has arrived, all things have revived, it is quite normal for these animals to come out and stretch their bodies.

The villagers continued their spring plowing, and Longyuan Mountain fell into tranquility; no one knew that within this peaceful state, an extraordinary aura was gestating.

The animals that ran down from Longyuan Mountain scattered in all directions—southeast, northwest, northeast, southwest—heading straight for the famous mountains and rivers of the various regions of Great Xia! (End of chapter)