Zhongshan Shenzhu Chi

Three days passed, and it was noon again.

The giant snake rested its head on the shore, its massive body submerged in the water.

Since the yin-yang vortex within its body has reached a certain scale, its process of absorbing the essence of the sun has become much more vigorous.

As the snake flicked its tongue, the essence of the sun that had been scattered in the air gathered into a small stream, which was continuously drawn into the red snake's body.

Until a familiar burning sensation arose, the giant snake held its breath, mobilized the profound yin and moon essence absorbed last night, and wrapped the essence of the sun bit by bit, sending it into the vortex for refining.

After more than a month of arduous training, the vortex inside the giant snake had grown to the size of a young and strong man's palm, and it was visibly growing larger every day.

But Huai Nian always felt that something was missing.

According to my mother, the "Three Qi Return to Transformation" is about using one's own spirit to connect the Yin and Yang energies to form a vortex, thereby attaining Hunyuan (primordial chaos) and then encompassing all things.

Now that the cyclone has formed, how can I attain Hunyuan?

After consuming the essence of the sun again, the burning sensation rising within his body, like needles pricking at the red snake's mind, made him exceptionally clear-headed.

"The third shackle that binds me, divine will, should be in the attainment of Hunyuan."

"The difficulty is second only to eliminating the Great Sun... and it is closely related to the drought it caused."

The giant snake lowered its eyes, counting the fine sand on the riverbank one by one.

Natural disasters and man-made calamities have almost never been separated.

Huai Nian, who had once been human, knew very well that under natural disasters, the human will to survive was fully aroused... and its danger was even far greater than the natural disaster itself.

Although Zhongshan Mountain is majestic and stretches for thousands of miles, it is at most a quarter the size of Yongningzhou.

Even if he could truly save Zhongshan from drought by building water conservancy projects, such a pristine place would still need the strength to protect it.

At this moment, within Zhongshan, only he himself is the strongest.

At that time, I will be a white jade pillar supporting the sky, a purple gold beam spanning the sea; once it collapses...

"Luckily, the white fox is here; it has saved me a lot of time for cultivation."

"But we should also find some time to ask what that verdant light is..."

The snake thought of the white fox and then of its mother, who had died of old age.

The mother and child are exactly alike, having only broken the shackle of life force; their lifespans, no matter how long, will not exceed that of an ordinary fox.

At most thirty years...

Thinking of this, the torchlight in the serpent's eyes dimmed, and then, with a hint of venting, he took a deep breath of the sun's essence.

The terrifying suction force even subtly distorts the air, forming a vortex like water being pumped in.

The daily essence, several times greater than the usual amount, suddenly entered the body and landed on the flesh and blood, burning rapidly like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, turning into red lotuses of karmic fire.

The giant snake endured the pain, pressing its head firmly into the sand, where the terrifying heat was almost melting the river sand.

Suddenly, the sound of crackling bubbles rose from the shore, and a large plume of scalding hot steam enveloped the red snake in a mist of scalding heat and moisture that lingered for a long time.

The moisture finally dissipated as the sun was about to set and dusk approached.

The red snake collapsed on the riverbank, its entire body wracked with excruciating pain, as if its meridians were blocked, rendering it unable to move.

"Your demons from Zhongshan are truly perverted." Only then did Hunxie Qinggua dare to approach the Red Serpent, croaking twice before exclaiming in amazement.

"Why are you here? Have you finished dealing with things in the water?" The red snake could barely lift its head at this moment, and could only slowly turn its eyes to focus its gaze on the frog.

"I just gave the order that the big blue fish would find some cleverer little fish to enter Yunxi Continent and search for General Clam."

The frog carefully jumped over the sand on the shore, which was almost melted and was still radiating heat.

"I heard from the Great Blue Fish that there are similar disturbances in the valley where the Great Golden Ape lives, and you are all absorbing the essence of the sun."

"Why work so hard?"

"There's no reason why, it's just that it's time for me to fight to the death." The red serpent's throat rolled with a deep breath.

"I can't just swallow the essence of the sun like you," the frog said softly, its eyes gleaming. "My mother said that I will naturally gain power when I grow up. Childhood should be pure and happy enough."

As soon as he finished speaking, Huai Nian turned his head with difficulty and took another look at the massive water vapor surrounding the frog.

As if it were consciously aware of its surroundings, the moisture shielded the frog from the scorching heat and its own prying gaze without its knowledge.

"Are you happy now?" The giant snake withdrew its gaze.

"It's alright. As long as you're willing to talk to me to keep me entertained, I'm quite happy." The frog pondered for a moment, "Will the drought in Yongning Continent be very severe in the future?"

"It's very serious, so serious that all living beings in Yongning Continent could potentially lose their lives," the giant serpent said in a low voice.

"That's very serious."

"But don't worry, once I find General Clam and return to the pool, I will immediately gather water vapor to help you."

The frog imagined itself suffering from a drought, unable to get a single drop of water, its skin dry and cracked, and couldn't help but shudder.

"Then thank you in advance..."

Before the words were finished, a hole suddenly appeared on the beach a hundred meters in front of the frog and the snake.

Immediately afterwards, one after another, pale yellow earthworms, almost as long as an adult, emerged from the sand.

They were intertwined together, writhing and twisting on the sand like stranded octopuses.

The frog was disgusted by the sight and jumped right next to the snake to hide.

"You..." The giant snake also felt a bit nauseous. Before it could finish speaking, its forked tongue caught the earthworm's scent and sent it into its brain for analysis.

They haven't developed intelligence yet... they only have some naive instincts like infants.

The giant serpent was still puzzled when it suddenly felt the sand beneath it shaking as if an earthquake had struck.

It looked as if countless people were digging upwards from underground.

Fifteen minutes later, a gray rat as big as a tiger burst out of the sand, bringing with it a swarm of enormous rats.

The chattering almost filled the snake's field of vision.

"King Zhu, Boss White Fox wants us to come over..." The gray rat leading the pack ran over obsequiously, not paying any attention to its footing.

"Ouch—!! It hurts!!!"

"Candle, besides the gray rat, I also found an earthworm." The white fox then emerged from its sandy burrow, shaking off the loose soil. "When it comes to underground skills, it seems the earthworm is stronger."

"How could they...?"

The gray rat had barely uttered its rebuttal when, as if remembering something, it suddenly changed its tone and said to the giant snake, "Even if it's incredibly powerful, it still can't understand what you mean, can it?"

"The watercourses of Zhongshan need to be mapped out, don't we?"

"I'll draw the map," the white fox immediately interjected. "You and the earthworm demon must thoroughly investigate the water system beneath Zhongshan Mountain; there can't be the slightest mistake!"

"...Yes, yes." The gray rat shrank back.

"Candle, you focus on your cultivation. I will definitely draw the water veins of Zhongshan for you!" The white fox raised its head, its face full of stubbornness.

"Hmm..." Looking at the white fox's current appearance, Huai Nian seemed to be hallucinating the way its mother spoke fifteen years ago.

But now is not the time to think about these things.

The giant snake shook its head, its thoughts drifting down the mountain.

Drought relief is essential for the people in Xia'an City and for those places along the Luo River.

Maybe……

I should go down the mountain.