Chapter 5: Dredging the Earth Veins, a Long and Arduous Task

"Hoo!"

Standing atop the divine mountain, Tian Yuan exhaled softly.

Although he had successfully brought the Blood Dragon into this Consciousness Space, he was not sure if it would have any actual effect.

Now that he saw the other party had truly removed a piece of impurity, it could be considered proof that this path was viable.

Having tasted a sliver of benefit, the Blood Dragon would likely dredge and purify the Earth Vein day and night as well.

Moreover, this act could also eliminate Karma, which was of great benefit to cultivation.

Being within the Earth Vein, the benefits were far more than just these.

As for the Blood Dragon knowing the secret of the Earth Vein, Tian Yuan was not worried; without absolute strength, no one could leave this place.

Once creatures of the Primordial World became immortals, as long as they were not beaten to death, they would not perish; this was a permanent labor force.

Looking at the crowd of figures in the distance, Tian Yuan's expression was somewhat solemn; once those cleared-out miscellaneous stones and foreign objects were peeled off, they all instantly vanished into the Earth Vein.

This included the red stones that were somewhat homologous to the Blood Dragon's aura, which also disappeared without a trace.

Even though a Branch Vein had been dredged now, he still could not figure out where these foreign objects went.

The Consciousness Space of Mount Buzhou was far more extraordinary than he had imagined, and these Earth Veins were likewise not so simple.

Thinking of this, Tian Yuan cast his gaze toward the other three directions of Mount Buzhou.

The Eastern Earth Vein was still intact, but the other locations were not so lucky.

To the north, black smoke billowed and Malevolent Qi surged to the heavens; there was not a shadow of an Earth Vein to be seen.

To the south, flames reached the heavens, the entire earth was crimson, and from time to time it was accompanied by flashing thunder; vaguely, one could see the shadow of a Main Vein.

As for the west of Mount Buzhou, what lay before his eyes was an abyss that seemed like a natural chasm. In the more distant places, there was only fragmented void; where was there any shadow of an Earth Vein?

He was not sure about the north and south, but the Earth Veins of the Western World were likely all shattered.

For the dredging of the Eastern Earth Vein, as long as he kept catching creatures to bring in, the speed of purification could be accelerated. These three sides, however, still needed repair, or even reconstruction.

Tian Yuan estimated that in the west, perhaps only some Spiritual Veins remained around Mount Sumeru, which managed to support the future Western Sect.

Without the support of Earth Veins, as time passed, the Spiritual Veins would inevitably wither.

This was likely why the Primordial World was constantly declining, to the point that during the Fengshen Calamity, only the disciples of the Saints had a few Great Luo Golden Immortals.

This was also the fundamental reason why the battle of the Saints shattered the Primordial World.

Although Heavenly Dao Saints were strong, compared to the foundation of the Primordial World, they were lacking by more than just a little.

And in the final analysis, it all started from the collapse of Mount Buzhou! Putting away the distracting thoughts in his heart, Tian Yuan's figure slowly disappeared from the peak of the divine mountain.

Dredging the Earth Veins was a long and arduous task; the primary matter at hand was to survive the Witch-Demon Calamity, and he needed to catch more creatures to bring in.

Tian Yuan guessed that the more the Earth Veins were dredged, the more this space might undergo great changes. After all, this was the Consciousness Space of Mount Buzhou, and also the consciousness world of the Primordial World!

His figure appeared at the foot of Mount Buzhou, still on that dredged Spiritual Vein, just in a different direction.

It did not take long before he encountered a suitable target.

It was a giant bear at the mid-stage of the Golden Immortal realm, three zhang tall, with golden fur all over its body and a vertical eye on its forehead, from which wisps of golden light were spewing; it was currently sunbathing beside a marsh.

Tian Yuan descended from the sky, and before the Demon bear could react, it was slapped unconscious on the ground.

Casually picking it up, he whooshed toward Mount Buzhou.

At this moment, in that Earth Vein, the Blood Dragon was excitedly waving a pickaxe, his face full of longing for the future.

Suddenly, a flash of rosy light appeared before his eyes, and a golden figure fell, accompanied by a pickaxe dropping to the ground.

At the same time, Tian Yuan's faint voice reached his ears. "He is handed over to you!"

The senior's actions were still as rough as ever.

The Blood Dragon put away the pickaxe and responded loudly: "Rest assured, Senior, this little dragon understands!"

He was very happy with Tian Yuan's instructions.

There were still many stone men in the Earth Vein, yet Tian Yuan had handed this task to him; this was definitely a sign of his regard.

Walking up, the Blood Dragon kicked the golden figure in the back, and the bear demon who had been thrown to the ground woke up groggily.

"Roar!"

Before the roar could be fully released, it came to an abrupt halt. The bear demon jumped up, eyes wide, looking at the surroundings. Spiritual Qi, Innate Spiritual Qi so thick it turned into a river.

The giant bear, in its astonishment, opened its mouth and took a fierce breath. The Spiritual Qi entered, but it all just wandered past, leaving not a trace in its body.

This strange phenomenon shocked the bear demon, and it swallowed hard again and again.

"Don't waste your effort; you have no power to absorb this Spiritual Qi!"

At the unfamiliar voice, the bear demon instantly remembered that it had just been slapped by someone.

Turning around angrily, it saw a young man in black standing before it; it could not see through the other party's cultivation realm.

After its expression changed several times, the bear demon transformed into a sturdy man in golden clothes and said respectfully: "Xiongda has met Senior!"

Smacking its lips, it discovered that there was indeed no gain at all.

The Blood Dragon explained while waving the pickaxe: "Fellow Daoist, no need to be polite; it was Senior Tian Yuan who brought you here."

Senior Tian Yuan?

Xiongda frowned; he did not know this person, and seeing the Blood Dragon's actions, he was even more confused.

The Blood Dragon did not say much more and recounted the situation here one by one.

"Dredging the Earth Veins???" Xiongda exclaimed loudly, then shook his head like a rattle-drum and waved his hands repeatedly.

"Not interested! Not interested!"

In such a place with abundant Spiritual Qi, one should naturally go into seclusion to seek a breakthrough into the ranks of the Taiyi; he had no time to mess around with this and that.

Cupping his hands, Xiongda said apologetically: "Fellow Daoist! Let us part ways here!"

Although he had been slapped for no reason, coming to such a blessed land was still very worthwhile, only his second brother could not come along.

The Blood Dragon, who was still striking hard, was stunned. Such a heaven-defying fortune, and this guy actually looked down on it? Since it concerned the senior's instructions, the Blood Dragon could not let Xiongda leave.

The aura of a peak Golden Immortal rippled out, and with a thud, Xiongda, who had just turned to leave, was pressed flat onto the ground.

"Fellow Daoist! Hold your hand! Hold your hand!"

Xiongda waved his hands repeatedly, picking up the pickaxe from the ground with a miserable look on his face.

"What a blockhead. Tending to the Earth Vein is a magnificent feat that benefits the Primordial World, and it might even bring down some merit." Seeing the other's reluctant expression, Blood Dragon shook his head repeatedly.

"Merit?"

Hearing these words, Xiongda remained somewhat confused; it was his first time hearing of such a thing.

Blood Dragon did not hide anything and recounted the records of the Dragon Clan in detail.

In the distant ancient times, Fierce Beasts wreaked havoc upon the world, and the three clans emerged to slaughter the Fierce Beasts, causing merit to descend from the heavens.

Merit can not only be gathered into spiritual treasures to increase the power of Dharma treasures, but it can also clear one's cultivation and break through shackles; it is an extremely rare object.

If it weren't for Tian Yuan's instructions, he wouldn't have bothered telling the other party about these things.

Seeing that the other spoke with such conviction, and feeling the faint aura of the Dragon Clan on Blood Dragon, Xiongda was somewhat skeptical.

He took a few more deep breaths of spiritual energy, but it still had no effect.

Xiongda had no choice but to step forward, looking curiously at the miscellaneous stone stuck in the air.

Seeing that Blood Dragon had not managed to knock off the finger-thick suction cup after quite a while, Xiongda couldn't help but whisper, "Fellow Daoist, let me try?"

Blood Dragon did not object and simply stood by to the side.

Scanning the pickaxe in his palm and then glancing at the few faint figures in the distance, Xiongda brought the pickaxe down with a fierce swing.

With a thud, Xiongda's eyes widened.

To regain the face he had lost from being pressed to the ground earlier, he had exerted his full strength. But that tiny suction cup only trembled slightly, remaining firmly attached in the air.

Taking advantage of the gap, Blood Dragon swung his pickaxe to follow up, and after a moment of hesitation, Xiongda raised his pickaxe again.

He carefully examined the surroundings, which were indeed very strange, and Xiongda decided to try doing it first.

The two of them continued like this, one after the other, striking the miscellaneous stone with all their might.

Blood Dragon certainly understood Xiongda's thoughts, but he knew very well that once this miscellaneous stone fell, Xiongda would be just as tireless in his efforts.

(End of this chapter)