Chapter 77 The Devouring Beast is renamed Little Black! Is there a great terror hidden in this ancient well?
Morning light broke through the dawn. Wisps of cooking smoke rose from the construction site on the northern outskirts of Qingyun City.
The Ancient Devouring Beast, which had nearly swallowed the Eastern Desolation in a single bite last night, was now lying in a yellow mud pit, looking as if life had lost all meaning.
Its majestic dark-gold scales had long been slapped clean by Lin Yuan's palm. Now, it was bald, shrunk to the size of a local dog, and pitch-black all over, lacking even the slightest hint of an immemorial great terror's prestige.
Last night, after Lin Yuan had eaten and drunk his fill, he glanced at the Vicious Beast. Disliking its previous title for being too long and unpleasant, he casually set a rule: "It's as black as a piece of coal; let's call it 'Xiao Hei' from now on. Old Wan, give it a shovel and let it go dig a well in the back."
The dignified Ancient Devouring Beast didn't even have the room to resist before it was forcibly given the rustic name 'Xiao Hei'.
Presently.
Xiao Hei held a rusty shovel tightly with its two front paws, huffing and puffing as it dug up dirt in the center of the construction site.
"This is too much! To think that I, who once devoured the starry sky and roamed the immemorial era, have now fallen to the point of digging a well for a Mortal!"
Xiao Hei dug through the soil while its heart bled.
As a dignified ancient terror, how powerful was its Physical Body? Even though its cultivation was now completely sealed, digging a dirt pit was an easy task based on the brute strength of its Physical Body alone.
"Once I dig through this Mortal leyline and find the source of Spiritual Qi underground, I will surely break the Seal and turn all of you ants into..."
Xiao Hei was making a vicious oath when suddenly, the shovel in its hand made a 'keng' sound, as if it had hit something hard.
Immediately after.
Puchi!
A stream of clear, sweet spring water burst out from the gap in the soil broken by the shovel, spraying Xiao Hei directly in the face.
"Bah, bah, bah! What kind of trash groundwater dares to dirty my face..."
Xiao Hei subconsciously licked the water stains around its mouth and was about to start cursing when its voice came to an abrupt halt.
Its triangular beast pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pinpricks!
"This... in this water..."
Xiao Hei trembled violently, and even the paws holding the shovel went weak.
This was no ordinary groundwater!
The moment the spring water entered its mouth, a vast and boundless Power of Primordial Creation, seemingly capable of nurturing the myriad worlds of the heavens, exploded directly within its withered Yao Core!
Its ancient Bloodline, which had been stagnant for a million years, actually experienced a tremor of atavism because of this single mouthful of muddy water!
Xiao Hei suddenly lowered its head, staring intently at the small dirt pit it had just dug.
Through the clear spring water, it could faintly see that deep within the earth, countless roots emitting a hazy immortal light were spreading out in a complex network. And the source of these roots was precisely the small courtyard just a wall away!
"The roots of the Primordial World Tree! And it's an ultimate World Tree that has fully recovered and drained the ancestral veins of the Immortal Realm!"
Xiao Hei sucked in a breath of cold air, its head buzzing.
It finally understood why that white-robed scholar insisted on making it dig a well!
This wasn't an insult at all!
"That supreme existence was displeased with the heavy ancient Death Qi in my body, so he specifically let me dig through to this Primordial Spiritual Spring to wash away my beastly Karmic Obstruction with World Mother Qi!"
Xiao Hei's eyes instantly turned red, and its tears of humiliation transformed into fervent gratitude.
"Woof!"
It couldn't help but let out a cheer that sounded like a dog's bark. It dropped the shovel and dove headfirst into the half-meter-deep muddy pit, frantically gulping down the surging Primordial Spring Water.
"Delicious! So delicious! This is simply the supreme immortal brew that leads to the God Realm!"
Just as Xiao Hei was frolicking in the mud like a real local dog.
Not far away, Cangqiongzi and Ancient Ancestor Yuanmo pushed a wheelbarrow full of blue bricks, walking over covered in sweat.
Ancient Ancestor Yuanmo looked at the pitch-black 'little local dog' in the mud pit, a disdainful sneer appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"Look at that. Yesterday it was a majestic immemorial terror, and today it has turned into this pathetic state."
Ancient Ancestor Yuanmo was now a 'senior' on the construction site. He stood with one hand on his hip and lectured in the tone of someone who had been through it all: "Xiao Hei, the rules on this site are: no work, no food. If your bathing in this water pit delays the Supervisor's schedule, you won't even get a scrap of pickled vegetable at noon!"
Cangqiongzi also chimed in from the side: "Exactly. When I first arrived, I was also wild and untamable. Now look at me; my technique for mixing mud has long since harmonized with the Heavenly Dao!"
Xiao Hei lifted its head from the mud pit, its face covered in muddy water.
It looked at the two filthy old men before it as if they were idiots, then suddenly grinned, revealing a mocking smile.
"Two fools."
Xiao Hei snorted coldly. Although it couldn't use its Yao power, the physical pressure of the Ancient Devouring Beast remained. It shook off the muddy water and said proudly:
"What do you know? This well I am digging is a Creation Eye that leads directly to the Primordial Origin! The Master letting me dig this well is clearly entrusting me with the core Luck of this world!"
With that, Xiao Hei extended a paw and pointed at the ancient well beneath its feet, from which the immortal spring continued to gush.
"From today onwards, all the water used on this construction site is under my jurisdiction! You want to mix mud? You want to drink water? Fine! Trade your steamed buns for it!"
As soon as these words were spoken.
Cangqiongzi and Ancient Ancestor Yuanmo were first stunned, then flew into a rage!
"A hairless local dog dares to bark in front of me?!" Cangqiongzi raised the trowel in his hand, his beard fluttering in anger.
Ancient Ancestor Yuanmo was so angry his body trembled: "You've got some nerve! When I was roaming the Abyss back in the day, you didn't even know where you were eating dirt! You dare cut off our water source? Brothers, grab your tools, let's stew this local dog!"
Just as a 'construction site brawl' between legendary old monsters and an immemorial terror was about to break out.
"Zhiya—"
The courtyard door was slowly pushed open.
Demon Venerable Wanhua walked out carrying a large wooden basin filled with leftover Yao Beast bones and meat scraps from last night's barbecue.
He glanced at the tense atmosphere on the site and tapped the wooden basin irritably.
"What's all the noise about! It's early morning; do none of you want to work?"
Demon Venerable Wanhua walked to the corner, dumped the basin of bones onto the ground, and beckoned to Xiao Hei.
"Xiao Hei, come here! This is the breakfast the Young Master rewarded you with. Eat your fill and finish the well quickly; the courtyard is waiting for water to wash vegetables."
Xiao Hei, who had been acting arrogant and overbearing just a moment ago, immediately perked up its two furry ears upon hearing it was 'rewarded by the Young Master'.
It didn't even spare a glance at Cangqiongzi and the others. With a kick of its hind legs, it turned into a streak of black lightning and rushed to the corner.
It looked down.
That basin of so-called 'leftover bones' actually still held traces of Immortal Emperor Sword Intent and the perfect Dao Rhyme of Nine Nether Fire!
"Woof, woof, woof!"
Xiao Hei wagged its tail excitedly and dove into the food basin, devouring the contents ravenously. Its protective stance over the food was exactly like that of a loyal watchdog.
Nearby.
Ancient Ancestor Yuanmo and Cangqiongzi watched Xiao Hei feasting, then looked down at the dry, cold steamed buns in their own hands, and couldn't help but feel a wave of sorrow.
"Worker Cang... why do I feel like we're working our lives away on this site, yet our treatment isn't even as good as a dog raised by the Master?" Ancient Ancestor Yuanmo wiped away a tear of bitterness.
Cangqiongzi took a deep breath and raised his shovel with gritted teeth.
"Stop looking! Go push the bricks! As long as we build the wall well, sooner or later, we'll be able to eat meat bones too!"
The top powerhouses of the Central Province and an immemorial Divine Beast had completely begun a prelude of frantic internal competition in this Mortal land.
...
Inside the courtyard.
Lin Yuan sat by the stone table, listening to the sound of wheelbarrows and dog barks coming from outside the wall, and took a satisfied sip of hot tea.
"The lively atmosphere of this Qingyun City is truly getting stronger and stronger."
He put down his teacup and looked at Xiao Yuer, who was helping Luo Xue wash vegetables nearby.
"Xiao Yuer, go change into some more practical clothes. Master will take you to the Wanbao Pavilion in the Eastern Desolation today to look around and buy some flower seeds to decorate this courtyard of yours."