Chapter 1235: Minor Zen School
After a long time, an ancient existence who actually knew about what happened movingly spoke: "The Hundred-Saints Hall is the untouchable resting place of heroes. A few fools do not know and only think of it and Dongting Lake as a treasure land worth coveting. Why don't they think about the reason it has been untouched for millions of years? Whatever, just a few fools wanting to die. My old bones do not want to join such muddy waters."
After commenting, this existence went back to sleep and ignored this matter completely.
Back on the island, the plaque returned to the top of the temple. It was still incomparably old like before.
Zhang Baitu had fallen to his knees from the pressure emanating from the invincible aura. It took him a long time to calm down. Nevertheless, he was still stunned. Not even in his dreams would he have thought that this old plaque of the hall carried such power.
Eventually, he stood up and looked at it while stammering: "This, this thing is…"
He took half a day, yet he couldn't enunciate a whole sentence clearly. 1
"You still don't understand? The wise sages protecting the hall does not refer to me." Li Qiye flatly said: "They are the spirits of the Zhang, Xu, and Hong Clans, answering the call once more."
"Spirits?" Zhang Baitu was dazed for a moment.
"Your ancestors were benevolent, broad-minded, and brave. They were not the most powerful of their generation, but many Godkings still admired them. This was not because of their achievements or strength, but because of their magnanimous and pious minds on top of being very loyal. These characteristics are worthy of admiration, as precious as gold and jade." With that, he looked at Zhang Baitu and continued: "But as for their unfilial descendants, look at what they have done. Turning on each other for petty power, cutting off all ties. When your ancestors stood at the peak to look down on the world, they still didn’t think about competing for power! How can you all not be ashamed with them watching you from above?!"
Zhang Baitu was unable to calm down. He imagined the scenes when the three clans struggled together. He saw them in one camp, not abandoning each other even in the face of death…
"You will follow me for now." Li Qiye commanded: "Go tidy up your belongings, I will go on ahead. Wait for me in Rainbow City."
After issuing the command, he pointed at the air and created a portal, leaving instantly.
Meanwhile, Zhang Baitu stood there absentmindedly. After a long time, he eventually calmed down yet still felt like this was a dream before going to pack his things.
There were many islands outside of Dongting Lake. Of course, they couldn't compare to the lake whether in size or resources.
Among them, the Minor Zen School could be considered a powerful lineage with five islands. Their entire ancestral ground was built on these five landmasses.
The Minor Zen School was fairly far from Dongting Lake. It was established by humans as well and only consisted of humans cultivators. This gave it a bit of fame in the Dragon Demon Sea.
There was a guest today who specifically wanted to meet its schoolmaster. If it was any other sect, it wouldn't be so simple to see a schoolmaster like this. After all, it was a prestigious position, not just anyone could see them.
However, the Minor Zen School was a relatively small lineage. Their schoolmaster didn't put on airs; after hearing that a young human wanted to see him, a personal reception was in order.
In the room, he and the guest sat down before he finally looked at this young man. It was a very normal-looking person with no semblance of a master.
Nevertheless, being the leader of a small sect he trod very carefully, regardless of who he might be talking to.
"May I have your name?" Eventually, he cupped his fists in greeting.
"Li Qiye." It turned out that after leaving the hall, he went straight for the Minor Zen School.
His purpose was to find out more information on Su Yonghuang.
After hearing the name "Li Qiye", the schoolmaster immediately stood up and respectfully cupped his fists again: "So it is Young Noble Li from Peacock Land. Excuse me, this lowly one has eyes yet failed to see Mt. Tai. Please forgive us."
As a leader, he had his own intelligence channels, especially regarding news that related to the human race. The story of Li Qiye sacrificing a billion Teeming Fish for the Peacock Tree had also spread to the Dragon Demon Sea.
Li Qiye was satisfied with the schoolmaster's attitude and nodded.
The schoolmaster didn't expect the successor of the Peacock Tree to come to the Dragon Demon Sea. He was quite surprised and emotionally spoke: "Young Noble Li, you are the great disciple of the Peacock Tree and will be the master of Peacock Land in this generation. It looks like the human race will continue to have a sanctuary in the Heaven Spirit World."
Many people considered Li Qiye to be the tree controller or even a disciple of the Peacock Tree.
Li Qiye didn't bother correcting this misunderstanding. He nodded and said: "I didn't come today for anything relating to Peacock Land. I only want to ask about a woman that has been here."
"You must be asking about Miss Su?" The schoolmaster thought about a certain person after hearing this.
Li Qiye looked at him and nodded again: "Yes, I want to know what you gave her."
The schoolmaster trembled internally. He hesitated and spoke unwillingly: "Well, it is not that I don't trust you, but this relates to someone else's personal business."
"Don't worry, I know her better than you. We are from the same sect." Li Qiye flatly said: "But I can still make a guess even if you don't tell me since it looks like you're not completely human."
The schoolmaster was shocked to hear this: "What do you mean, Young Noble?"
"You know what I'm talking about." Li Qiye smilingly said: "The bloodline of the Undying Gate flows through you. Even though it is very faint, its mark is indelible. It's only just that the bloodline marking of Immortal Emperor Bu Si's clan would be extraordinary."
The master took several steps backward and stared at Li Qiye in horror. Outsiders shouldn't know such things, yet Li Qiye was able to see through it with his all-piercing eyes.
The schoolmaster calmed down and sat back in his chair before wryly smiling: "Your insight is wonderful. This lowly one won't hide it anymore."
He sighed and continued: "You are right, one of my female ancestors was indeed from the Undying Gate. After its decline, she married her husband here at the Dragon Demon Sea."
"She also brought some items from the Undying Gate to this place." Li Qiye speculated. The thing he was curious about was how the ancestor from the Su Clan had a connection with the Undying Gate.
"A few treasures." The schoolmaster admitted: "But none of them are particularly incredible."
Li Qiye laughed and gently shook his head: "Don't worry, I'm not here for treasures. Plus, if I wanted treasures from the Undying Gate, I wouldn't have come here."
"Ah, there is a misunderstanding." The schoolmaster hurriedly smiled in response: "She brought along a few items in her dowry that have been used up long ago. If I had a world-shattering treasure, the Minor Zen School wouldn't be a small lineage right now."
"Then what did you give Miss Su?" Li Qiye chuckled.
"A map." To which the schoolmaster responded: "But it is not a treasure map or anything. It is a very strange map with no use. If it wasn't for Miss Su bringing the other half of the map with her, I wouldn't have known that it was half of a map in the first place. She had to have it, so she paid an exorbitant amount of refined jades for it."
Li Qiye casually asked: "What kind of map is it?"
The schoolmaster revealed a wry smile and said: "To tell the truth, I don't know what kind of map it is either. It was thrown into a corner at home and no one has ever looked at it before. After Miss Su brought the other half here, I finally remembered it. After she received the other half, I also took a quick look. It is a very strange map, I couldn't make heads or tails of it."
"Of course, it is definitely not an art for eternal life." In the end, he added this sentence lest Li Qiye have some misunderstanding.
Li Qiye burst into laughter: "I know what you mean. Rest assured, I am not here for the art of immortality. If such an item could fall into your hands so easily, countless people for the past millions of years wouldn't have been searching for it. It's not something you can possess."
"Your keen insight is worthy of admiration." The schoolmaster became relieved after hearing this. He didn't want Li Qiye to think that he once had the art of immortality.
If this news were to spread, then a disaster would befall their school.
"Thank you for your time, goodbye." After his inquiries, he understood that the schoolmaster had limited knowledge, so there was no need to pry further.
In fact, he was not in a rush to find Su Yonghuang. As long as she wasn't in any danger, he was fine with it. He was only curious about what she actually did to make even the skeletal horse of Immortal Emperor Bu Si start running outside.
Of course, he also knew that the collapse of the Immortal Emperor back then wasn't so simple. Otherwise, the emperor wouldn't have left some cautionary measures.
The schoolmaster enthusiastically asked: "If you don't mind, can you stay in our humble abode for a few days?" Li Qiye was the successor of the Peacock Tree. In the future, he could become a leader for the human race in the Heaven Spirit World, thus the schoolmaster wanted to befriend Li Qiye.
Li Qiye smiled and shook his head. He glanced at the master and casually took out a wooden box: "Thank you for your hospitality. This is a greeting gift, goodbye for now."
The master was taken aback. He accepted the wooden box and whiffed a medicinal fragrance. He looked up to say: "Young Noble, you are too polite…"
However, Li Qiye had already disappeared without a trace.
The schoolmaster eventually calmed down and opened the wooden box. He was astounded and stumbled several steps backward while unable to believe his eyes: "One million year old Blood Ginseng!"
This truly frightened him because it was just a greeting gift. How extravagant was this? It wasn't an item he would even dare to think about.
Li Qiye gave it to him due to his honesty. If he wasn't someone who took pride in being a schoolmaster, Li Qiye wouldn't have given him the gift.
After the schoolmaster calmed down, he quickly put it away. Such an item could bring about a sect-ending disaster for them if others were to find out.
Half a day is an expression, he didn't actually stammer for 12 hours. ↩Chapter 1236: Rainbow Island
If Dongting Lake was a jewel before the dragon mountain, then Rainbow City was situated by the very end of its tail.
The tail of the mountain range was dotted with many islands like the stars in the sky. All of them were quite small yet exquisite. The inhabitants here used the trees in the surroundings to build pretty little houses.
At the mountain range and Rainbow City, people usually brought up another lineage, one that was very mysterious in the Heaven Spirit World — the Giant Dragon Kingdom.
Some believed that it indeed existed while others denied this claim. Who knows the truth in this matter? According to the legends, the ancestor of the kingdom was the Giant Dragon God. The existence of this deity was widely accepted, unlike the kingdom.
It was considered the apex existence of the sea demons. After dying, its huge body turned into the current Giant Dragon Mountain Range. From then on, its descendants prospered and populated this area. The kingdom was also established by them within the depths of the range.
Nevertheless, the kingdom's location and characteristics were still mysteries to outsiders. However, one could find some traces of this kingdom at Rainbow City. Some said that this city was a window of the Giant Dragon Kingdom. It was purposely established as an outreach towards the secular world.
Meanwhile, the Rainbow Islands were only the beginning of the city itself. One must go through the islands before being able to reach the city.
Li Qiye entered one island and faintly smiled while staring at the sky. A series of islands appeared before him with people coming and going. Humans, sea demons, and treants — all of these cultivators were only stopping by for a bit before attempting to enter the actual Rainbow City.
He saw a carriage going through this island. It was very extravagant and its body was made from the precious metals of the Profound Dynasty. Eight different compartments spewed out water that paved a path in the sky so that the carriage could move forward even faster.
Eight of the rarest phoenix-steeds in the Heaven Spirit World were pulling this luxurious ride. Scintillating lights accompanied them and made it seem like their owner was a deity on patrol.
Many pretty maids were behind the carriage while younger servants were throwing flowers next to the carriage. Wherever it was on its path, the surrounding ten miles would be filled with fluttering flowers. It was the most ostentatious showing of wealth and nobility.
Not too many people would put on such an overbearing posture in the Heaven Spirit World. Most importantly, the majority of cultivators did not pursue this type of luxury, so this type of lavish travel was quite rare.
It also easily attracted jealousy and even trouble from others. However, the master of this carriage probably never spared a thought for such a problem.
In fact, the moment people saw the little flag on the carriage, they quickly gave way, let alone cause trouble. They knew that this was the banner of the Profound God-Monarch. Only those closest to him were allowed to use this banner.
A cultivator murmured: "Gongsun Meiyu is here."
His friend reminded him: "Shh, quiet down. You better call her Queen Gongsun. I heard people from the Abyss Sea say that she likes being called queen the most. Otherwise, she might randomly kill people if she is in a bad mood."
People had different emotions while looking at this luxurious carriage. Some were awed while others were envious, but regardless of what they felt the most common reaction was to retreat.
Gongsun Meiyu was a concubine of the Profound God-Monarch and was known to have earned his favor. Rumor has it that she might even be promoted from concubine to wife, the new queen of the Profound Dynasty.
In fact, she didn't only rely on her beauty to win his love. Before marrying him, she had already been famous among the younger generation of charming spirits. Her cultivation was very powerful as she was once a prodigy.
Someone speculated: "If Queen Gongsun is here, maybe the monarch is on his way as well?"
His companion quietly replied: "Don't speak carelessly. I heard Queen Gongsun is very grumpy right now. Her favorite maid was killed by a kid named Li Qiye. She is probably on a trip to feel better, or maybe she is trying to find that kid."
Li Qiye ignored the carriage. He entered an inn and quietly drank, waiting for Zhang Baitu to come.
He quietly sighed while gazing outside the inn to look at the ocean as well as the faint dragon mountain range in the distance.
In fact, many resting cultivators were gazing at it as well.
A cultivator asked his friend sitting next to him: "Are there really dragons in those mountains? Or rather, does such a race truly exist in this world?"
An older elder pondered for a moment regarding this question before answering: "That would depend on how you define the dragon race. Whether they exist in those mountains or not is difficult to say. However, dragon demons indeed exist in the Heaven Spirit World. They are supreme among our Sea Demon Race. Some ancestors believe that the dragons in there are part of the sea dragon demons as well."
"Speaking of dragons, I have heard of a certain legend." A friend at the same table added: "A very long time ago, a little black dragon used to play around these mountains and this sea region. It swam through the Rainbow Islands, but who knows if it is real or not."
Another friend happily joined in: "I've heard about that too. This little black dragon caused a lot of trouble at Dongting Lake. Later on, it was subdued by an immortal."
The cultivator that initiated the conversation became quite curious and quickly asked: "Immortal? A real immortal?"
"It's probably just a fairy tale. Where can you find immortals in this world?" The elder smiled and shook his head.
One of the friends added: "I heard a version that is a little different. It says that the person who subdued the little black dragon was not an immortal at all, it was a heinous devil king. After this devil king took down the dragon, he skinned it and drank its blood before boiling the meat and eating it."
Li Qiye, who was sitting in a corner, almost spat out his wine. Some rumors kept on spreading and eventually, the tale became completely different.
Li Qiye didn't really mind this small talk. He gently smiled and stopped listening.
After a good while, Zhang Baitu finally arrived. He saw Li Qiye and quickly bowed. Li Qiye nodded and signaled for him to sit down.
"You are late." Li Qiye casually spoke while drinking and enjoying the scenery outside.
"Something happened that slowed me down a bit, just a small matter." Zhang Baitu smiled awkwardly while rubbing his palms.
Li Qiye slightly frowned and asked: "Someone came looking for trouble?"
"No, no—" Zhang Baitu saw Li Qiye's expression and his soul almost left his body. He quickly waved his hands to deny the claim.
But how could a little character like him withstand Li Qiye's glare? He eventually gave up with a bitter face: "Young Noble, really, it is no big deal. Because of the big commotion earlier, the disciples from Dongting Lake were afraid that something had happened to me, so they came asking questions, that's all. They really didn't trouble me at all, really."
In his eyes, Li Qiye was definitely not a good-natured person. A single discordant conversation could lead to a bloodbath. He probably belonged to the type of people who would kill as many provokers as possible. Because of this, he was afraid that Li Qiye would misunderstand and kill the disciples from the lake. He would never be able to forgive himself if that were to happen.
Li Qiye gave him a quick glance before shifting his gaze towards the mountains.
After seeing Li Qiye no longer pressing the issue, Zhang Baitu finally felt relieved. He thought about back then when the disciples saw the corpses that were hung on the trees. How could they not be frightened?
Of course, he didn't want these disciples to provoke Li Qiye, it would be the same as courting death.
He eventually gathered his courage and softly asked: "Young, Young Noble, where are we going now?"
Li Qiye withdrew his gaze and replied: "To Rainbow City to grab a few things for you. We have to prepare certain things in order to destroy your dao foundation and start over."
"Destroy my dao foundation?" The old man was startled after hearing this. Even though his foundation was very shallow, it was still the fruit of several dozen hard-fought years. He couldn't accept this so quickly.
Li Qiye looked at him with one eye and said: "There is nothing to feel lost about. I'm not trying to belittle you, but your dao foundation is as good as not having anything at all — it's completely dispensable. Destroy to rebuild from the beginning — this is the way to go."
Zhang Baitu had to admit that his foundation was indeed lacking and dispensable.
He asked with some concern: "But I'm not young anymore, can I handle it?" He was quite old already. Destroying the foundation at his age could easily lead to exhaustion, he'd croak for sure.
Li Qiye casually replied: "Don't worry. With me here, it would be difficult for you to die even if you wanted to."
"Then we'll do as you say, Young Noble." He made a decision after a moment of hesitation. In his eyes, Li Qiye had no need to harm him. If he did, just one finger was enough to take care of him, there was no need to go through so much trouble.