Since these people left, Longyuan Mountain has returned to its previous peace.
The shadows of the mountains are whirling, the breeze blows through the lingering clouds, like a thin veil covering the top of the mountains, and the swaying green pines are dotted between the mountains.
The green mountains overlap one another, like the undulating waves of the sea, turbulent and majestic. The sun rises slowly and sheds countless sparkling rays of light.
Ye Qin stood on the highest point of the terrain, overlooking the mountains of the sea of clouds, and had a panoramic view of the magnificent scenery.
"It seems those people should give up their thoughts."
If these people dare to come back again, they will be more than just comatose.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, Ye Qin did not want to contaminate human lives. Forget about those bad guys before, but these people's crimes did not lead to death, and a small punishment or a big warning would be enough.
But even so, these people also suffered a lot, which can be seen from the reactions of Li Minghai and others later.
I am afraid that they will have shadows in this life and will not dare to step into this mountain again.
"The formation seems to be very effective so far. In the later stage, the range can be expanded, the power can be enhanced, and the thunder and earth fire can be added. I think no one will casually break into the mountains again in the future."
"Of course, if you are someone like the mountain people who worship me, you can come and go as you please, as long as you don't go deep into the mountain."
With the protection of the formation, it can be said that Ye Qin's major concern has been solved. Even if he is not on the mountain in the future, the formation is equivalent to a layer of protection.
Ye Qin injected the energy of heaven and earth into several directions of the formation. As long as the energy was sufficient, the formation could continue, and the energy of heaven and earth consumed was not too much for Ye Qin.
After doing all this, Ye Qin began to continue practicing. He was busy dealing with these things these days, and he also did not delay refining alchemy.
Thanks to the fact that Ye Qin now has sufficient mental strength, the time spent meditating and practicing is equivalent to resting. Otherwise, if he were an ordinary creature and kept sleeping, his body would still be unable to bear it.
As the flame burned slowly, the cauldron was burned red, as if coated with a golden-red halo, and the entire cauldron exuded a vague and non-existent look.
Using this cauldron to refine elixirs is much easier than using the previous vat, and the speed is also improved.
Light green light spots were like fireflies, floating outside the tripod. Ye Qin guided the energy of heaven and earth in his body to gather these light spots together.
They seemed to be attracted by something, surrounding Ye Qin, and a strong breath of life emanated from them, like rain falling from the sky, and like dead trees rejuvenating.
Even many green plants around were affected, and the color of their leaves became more emerald, as if water would drip out in the next second.
Soon those green light spots dissipated in the air, and within a moment, a refreshing medicinal fragrance floated out from the cauldron.
Three green pills lay quietly in the small cauldron, gathering the essence of life. After being extracted by the Qi of Heaven and Earth, the power in them was concentrated several times.
Now Ye Qin's alchemy skills can be said to be extremely proficient. There can be two or three pills in a pot of pills, and he swallowed all the pills.
The sweetness continued to flow into the five internal organs along the snake's cavity, like a warm current swimming through it, and then formed several streams of gas and merged into the Qi Pill.
This Qi Pill has gradually become fuller, and it can be said that it is very different from its initial appearance, but it is not enough to reach the level of the Demon Pill.
Ye Qin must absorb more of the energy of heaven and earth.
"It seems there is still a long way to go."
Ye Qin knew that he could not eat hot tofu in a hurry, and there was no shortcut in practicing cultivation. He had always taken one step at a time, and walked down the road in a down-to-earth manner.
It is precisely because of this that although his cultivation is not a rapid improvement, he has always been steady and steady, and there has never been anything like going crazy.
However, Ye Qin is already satisfied that he can go from a little snake on the verge of death to where he is now.
"There are still many medicinal plants in the mountains. As the weather gets colder, there will definitely be fewer of them. I must collect more before then."
Even if the herbs are dried, although they are not as fresh as when they were picked, the medicinal properties inside can still be preserved for eight to nine points, and they can also be used to refine elixirs, and they can be stored for a longer period of time.
So now, in addition to collecting herbs, the animals in the mountains now have another task, which is to dry the herbs.
Not far from Ye Qin, the terrain here is open, there are no large plants around, and the sunshine can be said to be very abundant.
When the weather is nice, the animals take out the herbs to dry.
Time passed quietly, and before I knew it, it was already late autumn.
Fiery red maple leaves are all over the mountains and forests. The originally green mountains have a few more colors. They look fiery red from a distance and look particularly bright, as if they are hung with countless red lanterns.
Autumn is also a fruitful season. The villagers at the foot of the mountain are busy harvesting, with the joy of harvest on their faces. Even though they are busy, they are busy and happy.
"Thanks to the blessing of the mountain god, the harvest is good this year, and I can have a good year."
"No, if it weren't for the mountain god, how could our Longyuan Village have such good weather?"
"With the blessing of the mountain god, our wheat is bigger than others, and our output has increased several times. We sold it at a good price this year."
"When I finish harvesting this crop of wheat, I will go to the mountain temple to pay homage and thank the mountain god."
This is not because the villagers of Longyuan Village are boasting. No one in the town knows that the food in Longyuan Village is the best, and the price is much higher than before.
Now that the economy is developed, people in the city want to eat better, and they all pay attention to pure natural, green and organic food.
However, Longyuan Village is not only the largest in grains and vegetables, but also grows well and has the best taste. It can be said that it has gained a reputation.
Grain collectors came to their village to collect grains as soon as possible. In the past, the villagers were just smiling, but now a group of grain collectors surrounded the villagers, hoping that the villagers would sell the grain to them.
People from other villages even came to ask for advice and asked the villagers how to grow food and vegetables.
But the villagers don't have any special methods or skills. If they have any, it may be the blessing of the mountain god.
Perhaps because of this, the land will be fertile and food crops can thrive.
The people who came to ask for advice returned without success. As the villagers said, they had no skills in planting. It may be that this land is special.
Everyone in Longyuan Village knew that the mountain god was protecting them, and they felt even more awe and piety in their hearts.
There was laughter and laughter floating in the fields, and the weather-beaten faces looked particularly bright under the warm autumn sun.
I have worked hard for so long just for one day like this.
Under the blue sky, when the breeze blows, the golden wheat waves roll, carrying many hopes of the villagers, flying into the distance.
There are still people coming and going in the mountain temple. Even though it is the autumn harvest and everyone is busy with farm work, they still take time to come and thank the mountain god for giving them the joy of a bumper harvest.
Amidst the curls of fireworks, the snake looked at the people coming and going without sadness or joy, as if its originally expressionless face was tainted with the joy of the autumn harvest.
Autumn and winter are here.
As the weather gets colder and colder, ordinary snakes have fallen into hibernation. For Ye Qin, he can already ignore this at this time.
The changes of the seasons do not make much difference to him, but there are many fewer animals around him. Some cannot resist their nature, while others insist on staying with Ye Qin.
There are no green leaves on the branches anymore, they are bare and look very deserted. When the north wind blows, the mountain breeze whizzes past, adding countless feelings of desolation.
Soon a cold moon hung on the treetops, and white snowflakes fell in the endless darkness of night. Within a moment, the trees turned white.
The entire land was covered in silver and became a completely new existence. It seemed that only white was left between the sky and the earth.
Ye Qin is the only green in this vast white.
Looking at the falling snow, I felt very emotional, "Unconsciously, another year has passed quickly."
Recalling everything in the past, rebirth seemed like it happened yesterday. Those things were vivid in my mind, but in the blink of an eye, winter came and went, autumn harvested and winter stored. It turned out that more than four years had passed.
The cold snowflakes gave off a slight chill and slowly dripped from the green scales.
The originally emerald snake scales became even more transparent, like some kind of divine object, and looked particularly extraordinary.
During this year, Ye Qin continued to refine the elixir and absorbed the energy of heaven and earth. He could feel that the energy elixir in his body had reached a full level.
He was just a little short of being able to break through, enter the next realm, and form a real demon elixir, but he still couldn't get the point, as if there was an invisible wall blocking him out.
"Haste makes waste, maybe I should take a good rest."
After entering cultivation, Ye Qin barely had much time to rest. For him, meditation was rest. He didn't want to waste time, let alone hibernate.
Because there is the energy of heaven and earth in his body, Ye Qin does not need to be like ordinary snakes.
Looking at the silver glow above his head, for some reason, Ye Qin suddenly felt an inexplicable impulse in his heart. Maybe it was time for him to have a good sleep.
The winding green snake body, like a fine emerald stone, left deep traces on the snow. It was soon covered by the snow and disappeared, dissipating in the vast snow.
The mountains also fell into complete silence, and the heavy snow fell silently, like a deep sleep and a good dream.
The villagers at the foot of the mountain looked out the window at the vast expanse of white. Even the green hills not far away only had white spiers left. Countless ice crystals hanging from the treetops dropped down, reflecting the crystal clear colors.
The sky and the earth are completely white, as if only this color is left, interweaving this quiet and elegant world.
"It snowed so heavily last night."
The children were so happy that they went crazy, shouting that it was snowing, and ran out of their homes without even bothering to put on their coats.
Rolling on the ground, he suddenly turned into a snow doll in a New Year painting, his eyebrows and hair turned white, like an old grandfather, pointing at each other and laughing.
The children were laughing and playing in the snow, and laughter floated throughout the village.
The older generation looked at the snow and knew that there would be a good harvest next year, and the smiles on their lips almost never closed.
The village chief rushed to the mountain temple early in the morning to express his gratitude to the mountain god.
But he didn't expect anyone to do it earlier than him.
The mountain temple has a brand new look, even the incense ash stove has become neat and clean, it is obvious that someone has carefully cleaned it.
Looking at the slender figure not far away, the village chief tentatively said: "Xiaocao?"
The figure slowly turned around, revealing a delicate and small face. Although the facial features are still a bit immature, it is not difficult to see how elegant it will be when it is opened in the future.
Moreover, she has an inexplicable calm and demure temperament. Even though she is still young, she always feels like she has experienced a lot.
It’s just that we haven’t seen each other for a year, and she is about to become a grown-up girl.
The village chief was very happy, "Xiaocao, when did you come back? Why didn't you tell me in advance so that I could pick you up."
Hu Xiaocao smiled slightly, with the dimples looming at the corners of her mouth, which made her look a little more innocent and childlike.
"Grandpa, village chief, there is no need to trouble you. I was with my mother in the hospital earlier and I just came back today."
Because the school was far away and it was inconvenient to go back and forth, Hu Xiaocao went to boarding school and only had a few days off every month, but he never returned to school and stayed with his mother in the hospital.
The village chief took Hu Xiaocao's hands, his face full of kindness, "I will come to the village chief's grandpa to celebrate the New Year this year."
Hu Xiaocao smiled and did not refuse the village chief's kindness. "Grandpa, village chief, I ranked first in the class in this final exam, and I also won the certificate of excellence among the three best students."
Hu Xiaocao took out the test paper and the certificate, and the village chief smiled from ear to ear.
"I knew this kid was smart. If your mother knew about it, she would definitely be very happy."
Hearing this, Hu Xiaocao's expression dimmed slightly, "I have already told my mother. Although the doctor said it is unlikely that my mother will wake up, I always feel that she can hear her."
Hu Xiaocao is so sensible that it makes people feel distressed. He always reports good news but not bad news. Every time the village chief calls the teacher to ask about the situation, the teacher is also very complimentary.
She cherishes this hard-won learning opportunity and hopes that studying can change her destiny and live up to the expectations of the village chief and others.
Hu Xiaocao had no previous foundation, and he was in a strange environment and exposed to different knowledge.
In the beginning, I was only at the bottom of the class. Later, with my diligence and inquiring spirit, my ranking continued to rise, and I achieved the results I have now.
It is really not easy for Hu Xiaocao to be able to do this at his age.
The village chief was both pleased and distressed at the same time, "You kid doesn't know how to take a good rest. You'll be busy when you come back."
Hu Xiaocao shook his head and said: "It doesn't matter. I have nothing to do when I come back anyway, so I might as well clean the mountain temple."
"Grandpa Mountain God knows that you are a good boy, so he will always bless you."
The village chief's grandpa took Hu Xiaocao's hand and walked home, "I'll let your aunt cook you a delicious meal later. You've lost weight while studying outside."
Many villagers showed great enthusiasm when they saw Hu Xiaocao coming back.
Hu Xiaocao's eyes gradually became moist, as if he had returned to the previous days.
"The village is still the same, no one has changed."
The village chief smiled and said, "You are studying outside, and you don't know yet. A big event happened some time ago, and almost the whole village was affected."
Hu Xiaocao couldn't help but asked curiously: "What's the big deal?"
"People from the city said they want to develop a development project in Longyuan Mountain and turn it into a tourist attraction."
Hu Xiaocao was immediately anxious after hearing this, "How could this be possible? Doesn't Grandpa Mountain God want to-"
The village chief quickly comforted him: "Don't worry. I didn't tell you at first because I was afraid it would affect your studies. Now the matter has been resolved. The mountain god showed up and scared those people away."
After listening to the village chief explain the cause and effect of the incident, Hu Xiaocao felt relieved.
"I didn't expect that something like this would happen. I knew Grandpa Mountain God was the most powerful."
The village chief also nodded, "Yes, the mountain god has been protecting our village."
The years passed quietly. On the first day of the new year, Longyuan villagers came to the mountain temple to worship. This became a custom in Longyuan village and was destined to be passed down to future generations.
Therefore, from the first to the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, people from nearby villages begin to come here to pray for good health and success in the new year.
As the number of people gradually increased, some people even came to set up stalls near the mountain temple to sell some festive gadgets. This was obviously a trend towards the development of temple fairs.
Amidst such excitement, the long and cold winter has finally passed, and the mountains are once again covered with green feathers. The undulating mountains and rivers are like waves on the sea, shining under the sunlight.
The breeze brought some warmth, melting away the coldness of winter. The emerald green color returned to the mountains and rivers again, and the crow green background was connected to the sky, just like a landscape painting.
After a whole winter of hibernation and dormancy, the small animals in the forest seem to become more active.
They kept shuttling between the mountains and forests, as if they were looking for something.
At the highest point of the terrain, there was a small bulge, as if something was buried underneath. Among the dead branches and leaves, a faint green light could be seen flowing.
As life returned to the earth, this light became more and more powerful, as if it had gathered the essence of the entire mountain topography.
Ye Qin also woke up slowly. He slept for so long that he didn't expect that it would be spring when he opened his eyes again.
He could feel that his cultivation had reached its peak, his Qi Dan was condensed and rounded, and he saw that the breakthrough was just a matter of that layer of paper windows, but it was still not enough.
"I want to become a demon pill! But what's missing?"
It is obviously only one step away from the breakthrough. Once the breakthrough is achieved, it can be condensed into a demon pill. Ye Qin speculates that it will be a qualitative change in his life level!
If he was a beast before, he will become a demon from now on!
Unfortunately, no breakthrough has been found yet.
"Why."
Ye Qin sighed. Since he couldn't find it on the mountain, maybe his chance was still out there.
"If we can find fragments of the mottled years, maybe everything can be solved."
He had also noticed the stagnation in his cultivation before, so going down the mountain to search was considered an experience. Unexpectedly, he gained a lot of insights from it, and his level improved a lot.
After Ye Qin figured it out, he planned to go down the mountain. After all, there would be no gain in continuing to practice in the mountain.
Although he has experienced two episodes of mottled time, Ye Qin still hasn't figured out the principle. There are too many things involved.
At first, it was in Zuo Ci's tomb. Later, Ye Qin visited many ancient Taoist temples, but did not find that the power of time was mixed with it. Instead, he captured it in the ancient village.
So this time Ye Qin enlarged the search scope, and would try his luck wherever there were ruins, and was not limited to places with strong incense.
After all, if there are too many people, he may be easily exposed. Although the fog can cover his traces, it is not a foolproof strategy.
Every time Ye Qin takes action, it is either early in the morning or evening when there are few people around, or there are many green plants around that can serve as cover.
But his luck was not good this time. He ran to several places but failed. However, Ye Qin was ready for a protracted battle. After all, it is not that easy to find fragments of mottled time.
"I've walked around the city and found nothing. I might as well go to other remote places to have a look."
Ye Qin also searched many places at the beginning, and accidentally discovered the ancient village and the power of time mixed in it.
Thinking of this, he changed his mind and crawled towards the suburbs.
The cold crescent moon shone on the country road, like a basin of water splashing on the ground. There was a constant rustling sound in the jungle, as if some creature was passing by.
A faint green light flashed past, shining brightly under the moonlight, and even the originally ordinary gravel path seemed to become something extraordinary.
A dilapidated building not far away stood in the night.
Ye Qin took a closer look and realized that this was a wild temple. After being exposed to wind and sun, the bright color had long faded, and the shape of a house could barely be seen.
The doors and windows have also become rotten, all showing traces of insect bites, and the tattered cloth strips are swaying in the wind, giving off a sense of desolation for no reason.
When the evening breeze blows, the entire frame of the house shakes, like a frail old man, making people wonder whether it will fall apart in the next second.
Judging from the appearance, this place has long been deserted, and there are no traces of human habitation inside.
“I didn’t expect there would be a temple here.”
Ye Qin looked at the wild temple in the darkness, and when he was about to leave, his mental power sensed strange fluctuations in the air, which were emanating from the temple.
"What a strange energy, with a slight fragrance. Is there something extraordinary about this wild temple?"
Ye Qin looked at the wild temple not far away.
The existence I sensed this time was somewhat similar to before, but it was also a little weird. I couldn't describe the specific feeling.
Maybe you can only know what it is by going inside and taking a closer look.
It was here, and with the idea of not missing it, Ye Qin changed direction and continued to climb towards the wild temple. The closer he got, the more intense the strange fluctuations became.
"Why is this time different from the previous two times?"
The first time I visited Zuo Ci's tomb, it was not so much that I captured the mottled fragments of time, but that he was actively pulled in, trapped deep in it, and unable to extricate himself. Only later did I slowly figure out what was going on.
By the second time, Ye Qin gradually felt the energy fluctuations, and had learned to actively release his mental power, sensing the existence of the mottled fragments of time.
This time it feels familiar, but slightly different from the previous one.
Ye Qin entered the wild temple, and what he saw was even more dilapidated. There were spider webs everywhere, and there were a lot of broken wood on the ground. There was almost no difference between the inside and the outside.
The temple is very small and only enshrines one statue, which seems to be Maitreya Buddha, sitting on a high platform.
After being exposed to wind and sun, most of the golden body of Maitreya Buddha has completely fallen off, revealing the other half of the face of the clay statue.
Half of it is golden, and it looks like it still pities all living beings, while the other half has a gray interior, as if it is helpless and resentful of the world.
The two faces, one yin and one yang, are like two sides of light, which is really weird.
Maybe this place used to be prosperous and people came and went, otherwise the statue would not have been given a golden body.
But with the passage of time, the place gradually became deserted, and finally became unpopular. Even the statue of the god became so beautiful that people can't help but lament the changes in the world.
Ye Qin released his spiritual power again, and the fluctuations of the mottled power of time were indeed heard in the air.
"It seems that there are also remnants of time here."
It takes no effort to get there even if you wear iron shoes.
Ye Qin had been searching for so long, but he never expected that he would finally find the fluctuation of time in a ruined temple in the wilderness.
In his excitement, he no longer cared about the slight abnormality he had noticed before.
After all, every place is different, and the power of the mottled years produced will definitely be abnormal, and the fluctuation of energy is naturally reasonable.
Ye Qin circled his body together, released his mental power, and tried to enter that mottled time.
The statue's unchanging eyes of joy and sorrow stared at the big snake hovering inside the temple. The other half of the clay sculpture's face was shrouded in darkness, looking inexplicably cold.
The temperature is dropping a little bit, and something seems to be awakened from a deep sleep.
I don't know when the moon started to hide in the clouds. There was no source of light, and the surrounding wilderness instantly fell into darkness.
Ye Qin, who was in meditation, did not notice the changes in his surroundings.
The boundless darkness is like a tide, surrounding this abandoned wild temple. Everything is silent, as if all sounds have been swallowed up.
In the darkness of night, the incomplete golden body of the statue seemed to be corroded by something, stained with black, and kept spreading towards the side.
Soon, a shadow appeared in the corner of the ruined temple, and it slowly condensed into shape!
The energy fluctuations in the air became more obvious, and just when Ye Qin thought he was about to successfully enter the mottled years, an inexplicable aura suddenly burst out, instantly cutting off his connection with the fragments of time.
"who?!"
Ye Qin opened his eyes suddenly and saw that there was another statue next to the statue!
(End of chapter)
