Chapter 313: The History of the Taotie Clan

"Earth-Devouring?" Lu Yang bent down, picked up a piece of mud from the ground, resisted the urge to eat it, and then threw it back.

Immortal Fairy jumped up from the ground with a chirp. "That's right," she said, "Doesn't 'Earth-Devouring' just mean eating dirt? Is it that hard to understand?"

Immortal Fairy thought that while Lu Yang's intelligence wasn't on par with hers, grasping this concept should be straightforward.

Lu Yang was speechless.

"So, your 'Earth-Devouring' skill is literal?"

Seeing Lu Yang still utterly bewildered, Immortal Fairy sighed softly. She felt fortunate to be in his mental space, offering advice; otherwise, Lu Yang's naive mind would easily be tricked in the outside world.

She explained further, "Though the Taotie are known as one of the Four Fierce Beasts of antiquity, that reputation came much later. In the beginning, their entire clan struggled terribly. They had huge appetites but no ability, constantly hungry. Being hungry meant no strength to hunt, creating a vicious cycle."

"The Taotie clan couldn't sustain themselves without food; they ate their entire lives."

"When desperate with hunger, they'd eat tree bark and leaves, but those weren't sustainable either."

"Eventually, as if their ancestral graves had begun to smoke, a genius emerged within the Taotie clan—gifted in cultivation and sharp-witted."

"That particular Taotie thought, 'Eating is eating, no matter what it is. If tree bark and leaves are edible, why not the dirt on the ground?'"

"It entered seclusion for three days, not a drop of water passing its lips. On the verge of starvation, its entire life flashed before its eyes. It believed it was about to perish, but then it remembered its clan, its family, its emaciated siblings, and their earnest hopes."

"It felt it couldn't simply succumb; it had to fight back!"

"It saw hope in the face of death; its survival instinct drove it to synthesize all its life's knowledge. Finally, from the depths of despair, it forged a powerful divine ability: 'Swallowing Heaven and Devouring Earth'!"

"This mighty divine ability transformed into a bloodline power, integrating into the Taotie lineage. From then on, every member of the Taotie clan automatically acquired this skill and began vying to eat dirt."

"Hold on," Lu Yang interjected, puzzled. "I thought the Taotie's 'Swallowing Heaven and Devouring Earth' could even tear space apart. The way you're describing it doesn't sound like it has that power. That's not what the books say."

Immortal Fairy glared at Lu Yang, puffing out her cheeks. "Honestly, you're so impatient! Let me finish!"

"Please continue."

Immortal Fairy smugly said, "That's more like it," and then continued her tale:

"Previously, the Taotie clan suffered terribly, and their cultivation levels were generally low because they lacked the energy for practice. Once they ate their fill, they would have surplus energy for cultivation."

"Their inherent cultivation talent was comparable to that of top-tier demon beast clans, such as the Dragon, Phoenix, Kunpeng, and Qiongqi."

"Another reason for their rapid cultivation was that eating dirt genuinely made them stronger. The better the soil quality, the faster their cultivation progressed. For a time, the price of black soil soared because of these creatures."

"The soil quality in the Dao Sect's herb gardens isn't low. If you're interested, you could try it; it's guaranteed to boost your cultivation speed!"

"Let me consider it."

While Lu Yang feigned contemplation, Immortal Fairy explained, "As the Taotie clan's cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, they began to make a name for themselves among the demon tribes. Eventually, not only their individual talent, but the entire clan's collective strength could rival that of the most powerful clans."

"This ultimately cemented their reputation as one of the Four Fierce Beasts."

"Once the Taotie clan prospered, realizing they were now a prominent clan, they decided that constantly eating dirt wasn't dignified. So, they modified the 'Swallowing Heaven and Devouring Earth' skill to 'devour all things,' making it what you see today."

Lu Yang paused, then asked, "Then, Fairy, why didn't you teach me the later version of 'Swallowing Heaven and Devouring Earth'?"

Immortal Fairy looked at Lu Yang strangely, not understanding his question. "Didn't you specifically ask for the most ancient skill, one that clearly looked like it was from antiquity?"

"This is a truly ancient skill. These events are very old even to me. I only learned the details after reading about them in ancient books and then hearing the Qilin Immortal embellish the story."

"Let me tell you, this technique is almost lost. The Taotie clan themselves might not even know it anymore. If you hadn't begged me, I wouldn't have taught it!"

Lu Yang was speechless.

"Thanks," he muttered sarcastically.

"Is eating dirt the only function of this technique?" Lu Yang asked, holding onto a sliver of hope.

"Of course not."

"There is?" Lu Yang's heart lifted; he thought the Fairy was reliable after all.

"If you try to eat a mouthful of dirt, it's dry and hard to swallow. If you drink water with it, it'll turn into mud, which is just as difficult to swallow and sticks in your throat."

"That's where 'Swallowing Heaven' comes in. After you eat the dirt, 'Swallowing Heaven' allows you to use spiritual energy as water, absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy to wash the mud down. You just 'gulp' it right down!"

"...So, this is a combo move?"

"Well, the founder was a prodigy of the Taotie clan after all. Isn't it normal for them to design their techniques to be as perfect as possible?"

"Of course, 'Swallowing Heaven' can also be used independently, simply to absorb spiritual energy."

"I'll try it."

Lu Yang silently recited the incantation of the cultivation method. He opened his mouth, and indeed, a massive amount of spiritual energy surged in, filling his limbs and bones.

"Cough, cough." Feeling as though he was choking, Lu Yang found his breathing labored. His body instinctively closed his mouth, and he began to cough.

"You're absorbing spiritual energy too quickly. At your current cultivation level, you can't handle such a rapid intake."

Hearing this, Lu Yang circulated his cultivation method to calm the spiritual energy within his body. He opened his mouth again, deliberately slowing down the absorption rate.

The spiritual energy felt like sweet dew, palatable and refreshing. It was digested through his stomach, spreading throughout his entire body, providing immense comfort.

"Ah, that's comfortable," Lu Yang sighed.

"Wait a minute," he mused. "That spiritual energy absorption just now, why did it feel exactly like using a Spirit Gathering Array?"

"You guessed right," Immortal Fairy confirmed, revealing another ancient secret. "Our human race's earliest Spirit Gathering Arrays were actually created based on this very skill."

Talismans, formations, and countless other immortal cultivation arts were developed by ancient humans who emulated nature and demon beasts.

The Taotie clan was among those demon beasts.

"No wonder..." Lu Yang suddenly realized. "Wait, even if I learn this version of 'Swallowing Heaven and Devouring Earth,' it's useless! Who still remembers this old history of the Taotie clan? Even if I start eating dirt right away, the Nine Nether Cult won't recognize it as 'Swallowing Heaven and Devouring Earth'!" He even doubted if many people in Immortal Fairy's own era knew about these things.

Immortal Fairy hesitated. "So you want to learn the current version of 'Swallowing Heaven and Devouring Earth'?"

Lu Yang nodded vigorously.

Immortal Fairy breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, that simplifies things."

"How?"

"I don't know it."

Since she didn't know it, Lu Yang wouldn't have to learn it—a simple truth.