Chapter 474: Chapter 416: Yin Yang 2 Masters, Qi Eater God
The forces of both sides fused together.
The Four Gods were no more, and correspondingly, the Four Masters also vanished.
The divine skills of both sides birthed new species—or perhaps one could say, evolved new beings.
With wings, the Azure Dragon emerged. Song Lin had seen depictions of the winged Azure Dragon on Han Dynasty eaves tiles before. Indeed, the Azure Dragon, one of the Four Spirits, had wings.
After three hours, the four finally completed their assimilation.
Atop each of their dharma bodies emerged a spiritual light, which condensed into a pearl. As the pearls attempted to flee, Song Lin, with his sharp reflexes, swiftly captured them and sealed them within the jade box.
Within the pearls lay the most profound essence of the innate divine beings, also known as Innate Qi. This marked the key distinction between innate creatures and those of the acquired realm.
The Qi Eaters—they are gods!
Those born with innate Qi are Innate Gods.
The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise transformed once again into human forms.
Their appearances remained unchanged, but the peculiar earrings and the stance of standing atop twin dragons were gone.
Their features shifted toward those of ordinary mortals, evoking a sense of returning to simplicity and purity.
Among the four present, Ju Mang appeared as a maiden, Zhu Rong as a robust middle-aged man, Rushou as a swordsman with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and Yuqiang (also known as Xuanming) as a hawk-nosed elder with an aura of somber menace.
The four reemerged into the world after thousands of years.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for saving our lives."
The four expressed heartfelt gratitude. Even Ju Mang, who was particularly close to Song Lin, struggled to conceal her excitement.
In a life-and-death moment, as if ordained by fate, Song Lin appeared out of nowhere to rescue them.
This deepened their conviction that Song Lin was a man destined by the heavens.
As the others marveled at the twists of fate, Song Lin’s heart mirrored their amazement.
Having traversed countless worlds, he had never encountered the Four Spirits. Yet today, he witnessed their rebirth.
The passing of the Four Gods heralded the emergence of the Four Spirits.
The old myths gave way to the new, the cycle of legends intertwining—only now did he realize he had a hand in this transition. The moment brimmed with the grandeur of myth and epic.
Perhaps the essence of mythology lies precisely in this.
Together, they swept through the Four Seasons Sect’s headquarters, settling grudges that had lingered for a millennium.
"Your Majesty, the Eight Masters are split into the Upper Three Masters and Lower Five Masters. The Four Seasons Master belongs to the Lower Five Masters, who are weaker compared to the Sun and Moon and the Yin Yang Two Masters. The most enigmatic are the Upper Three Masters, led by the Heaven and Earth Masters. Warlord Chiyou is considered the strongest openly known figure."
Ju Mang relayed the intelligence she knew.
"There’s no rush. Let’s take this step by step. I’ll take you to meet someone."
The group was struck speechless with shock upon meeting the Queen Mother of the West.
They hadn’t expected that even with the combined efforts of the Buddhist Sect and the Eight Masters, the Queen Mother had survived.
"This is the Dao of Four Seasons. It should suffice for you to recover your powers."
"Thank you," the Queen Mother replied, her face glowing with joy. She accepted the jade box with a smile, showing no hesitation as she consumed its contents before Song Lin.
"I’ll take it right here."
As her True Spirit absorbed the essence, the Queen Mother’s jet-black hair danced wildly, her skin took on a jade-like luster, and she stood barefoot atop the rippling water, her crystalline toes shining with a holiness beyond compare.
To avoid detection, Song Lin summoned the black flags to shield the area.
After a long while, the Queen Mother restrained her aura entirely.
"How are you? Have you recovered?"
Song Lin inquired.
The Queen Mother smiled elegantly and answered, "I have recovered."
Her strength had returned to the level of the Primordial Spirit stage, and she was now capable of reopening the Kunlun Immortal Realm.
With a light gesture toward the lake’s edge, water ripples spread, surging outward.
A jade gate arose from the waters.
The two entered, greeted once more by familiar pavilions, terraces, and halls amidst rugged, extraordinary stones.
Compared to a thousand years ago, the once-vibrant Turquoise Pool had dried up, and the divine tree at the lake’s center had withered.
All around were members of the Undying Clan encased in ice: three-eyed people, feathered folk, three-body people, double-headed beings, green-eyed square-pupiled figures, giants, dwarves, godlike men, and Fulou people.
Each was frozen in time, their expressions vivid and lifelike, as though caught in the final second of life’s spark.
Apart from these Abnormal Soldiers, there were also numerous Auspicious Beasts.
Altogether, there were likely several hundred thousand frozen forms.
"Alas, who knows what year or month it will be before they can be awakened. But now that my strength has returned, I will surely assist you in vanquishing your foes."
The Queen Mother spoke, her appearance delicate yet her demeanor steely. As the ruler of the Queen Mother’s country, she had killed enough beings to encircle Kunlun Mountain three times over.
"By the way, haven’t you ever refined any Magic Treasures or Immortal Pills?"
Song Lin abruptly asked, as if recalling something.
A hint of awkwardness flashed across the Queen Mother’s face as she replied, "Beings like us—innate divine spirits—we are born with boundless lifespans and divine powers. We’ve always looked down on external tools and, honestly, don’t know how to refine them."
"What about the Thirteen Strange Treasures of the Moon Cultivation World?"
Song Lin thought of the jade axe formed from the synthesis of those treasures, which once slashed a gash into the moon.
"That’s an ancient Great Witch’s treasure. Let me see... Found it!"
It turned out that near the divine tree, the treasures had now regressed into their original forms as thirteen separate items.
Each treasure was of an Acquired Spiritual Treasure quality.
"You keep these treasures for now. I’ll teach you the techniques. Practice when you have free time."
Song Lin spoke earnestly.
"Understood," the Queen Mother replied, making up her mind.
"Good. Start by refining undying medicine. Make as much as possible. I’ll help you cultivate some people."
In the thirteenth year of the Qi Land Eight Gods’ era, the Four Directions Sect, one of the great sects, was eradicated, shocking the entire world.
The court announced that the culprits were remnants of demons and mobilized its full forces alongside two other major factions.
Anyone displaying signs of heavenly anomalies was hunted down and killed.
Tracing the clues to Kunlun Mountain, they found it long abandoned and devoid of any trace of life.
By the fifteenth year of the Qi Land Eight Gods’ era, tales of immortals began circulating in the mortal world, with frequent accounts of mortals achieving ascension in broad daylight.
In truth, most of these individuals were absorbed into Kunlun Mountain.
While the Queen Mother’s production of undying medicine was limited, it was still effective when put to use.
Song Lin spared no effort in nurturing talent, imparting every skill he had to offer.
One had to remember that the passage of time differed between the story world and the real world.
By the next time he saw these individuals, tens of thousands of years might have passed, during which surely a few among them would rise as formidable figures. By then, Song Lin could truly stand as the leader of a significant force.
When the Queen Mother asked the purpose behind all this, Song Lin replied:
"I aim to create a divine system!"
Time flowed on silently.
By the fortieth year of the Qi Land Eight Gods’ era, twenty-five years had passed.
The Kunlun lineage, supported by Song Lin’s Taoist skills, had produced many remarkable practitioners.
These included twenty-eight Human Immortals and one True Immortal, who served as the Yaochi Sect Master. Among each major magical vein were numerous Core Formation-level experts skilled in Taoist soldiers, swordsmanship, thunder techniques, and the Xuantian Eight Techniques.
The Four Spirits had completely refined their powers, returning to the Primordial Spirit stage.
This swift recovery was largely attributed to the Queen Mother’s undying medicine.
Song Lin also leveraged the medicine to master the twenty-four cloud seals.
"It’s time. Let’s wage war on the Yin Yang Two Masters."
Before the battle, Song Lin and the Queen Mother divided the prospective spoils.
As previously agreed, he would absorb the Yang Lord’s innate Qi, while the Queen Mother would take the Yin Lord’s.
One would ascend as a Yang Immortal, the other as a Yin Immortal.
If he succeeded in absorbing Yang Qi, Song Lin was confident he could transcend the Heavenly Tribulation and reach the realm of Thunder Tribulation Perfection, a half-step toward the Primordial Spirit stage.
If the Yang Qi could transfer back to the real world, transcending Heavenly Tribulation would no longer be an issue.
...
In the real world.
As the population of refugees grew, the Donghua Alliance began showing signs of collapse.
With the resources of only half a state supporting fifty million people, their strained capacity risked total breakdown.
Meanwhile, the repercussions of the vanishing Heaven and Earth Essence Qi began surfacing.
Floods, droughts, earthquakes, and other natural disasters unfolded unceasingly.
Adding to the chaos, demons ran rampant, leaving the Donghua Taoist Alliance exhausted from their efforts.
Furthermore, spies placed among the refugees by forces such as Tianhe finally uncovered the entrance to the Eight Sceneries World.
"Taoist friends, the time is ripe. Prepare to reap the rewards."