Chapter 1239: Rainbow Fish
In fact, Zhang Baitu was not the only one who was envious. Many people had the same stunned expression while looking at her.
"Shangguan Feiyan, the junior sister of the Seashield Prince. Rumor has it that she is already an Intermediate God-Monarch, what a magnificent goddess." A young cultivator stared at her in admiration but became gloomy when comparing himself to her.
God-Monarch was only a title. In fact, experts at the Virtuous Deity level were eligible to be called God-Monarchs.
There were different levels of this particular title. Cultivators generally divided them into five levels: Minor Monarch, Intermediate Monarch, Grand Monarch, True Monarch, and Bestowed Monarch. 1
There wasn't a need to explain the levels of Minor, Intermediate, and Grand Monarchs. In fact, some God-Monarchs from the previous generations didn't think that these levels were necessary. Some even held them in contempt and thought that these three levels only consisted of false God-Monarchs. This was because although they had reached the level of Virtuous Deity, they couldn't understand the true profundities of this realm.
Of course, a few called themselves "God-Monarch" even before reaching the Virtuous Deity realm. These were the real pretenders.
True Monarch, for many people, was the true baseline of this realm. Individuals of this realm not only understood the mysteries of the Virtuous Deity realm, they could also create their own kingdom and climb up the divine investiture platform to accept the blood energy of their citizens.
For the older experts, only True Monarchs could exert the real power of this realm and were eligible to fight against the world itself.
As for Bestowed Monarchs, needless to say, these were the top existences among the Virtuous Deities. They were normally bestowed the title by an Immortal Emperor and have gone on expeditions around the nine worlds. This was the type to have experienced countless baptisms of blood and sharpening from battlefields.
Even though real experts looked down on the first three levels and considered them fake, Shangguan Feiyan was still an Intermediate Monarch at such a young age, so she was powerful and impressive enough.
"The Roaring Conch is worthy of being one of the strongest sea demon lineages. They have more than just the Seashield Prince among the younger generation, there's Shangguan Feiyan as well." A sect master was amazed to see her.
She was a young genius from the Roaring Conch with great aptitudes. She knew that there was still quite a gap between her and her senior brother, the Seashield Prince, so she chose the path of the grand era instead. She was determined to become a top Godking instead of competing for the heaven's path with her senior brother.
At this time, many people were lined up for the ferry to go to Rainbow City. After arriving, Shangguan Feiyan didn't try to cut the line and stood there just like everyone else.
"The two of you, eh? It will be ten Ancient Saint Jades for each." An old man standing by the entrance saw two extravagantly dressed young men and named the price. It looked like these two were from great powers.
This old man was the only person watching over the entrance. He wore a gray robe and had an ordinary appearance; nothing particularly stood out.
One of the two youths wasn't happy to hear this, so he complained: "Ten Ancient Saint Jades for each person is too outrageous. That person earlier heading for Dragonwell City only paid a single Heaven's Mandate Jade. We are going to Dragonhark City, yet you are asking for ten Ancient Saint Jades? What kind of tolls are these? I know that Dragonwell is the first stop and Dragonhark is the second stop, but why is this second stop ridiculously more expensive than the first?" The youth was very indignant. They came from a great power and had great statuses, so they weren't lambs to be slaughtered.
The old man was unmoved. He didn't bother to even look at them as he arrogantly said: "I'll collect the fees how I see fit. If you don't like it, don't come to Rainbow City."
He had an unperturbed demeanor, as if he didn't mind other people coming to cause trouble.
The youth's friend immediately pulled his sleeve and whispered: "This is the rule of Rainbow City, the fees are arbitrary without a clear criterion."
"Are the two of you coming or not? Scram to the side if you aren't, don't get in the way of the people behind you." The old man impolitely waved his hand as if he was swatting flies away.
The friend immediately placed refined jades into the old man's hand and hastily said: "We're going, we're going."
The old man whistled. With a splashing sound, two rainbow fish jumped out from the water. He waved his hand again at the two youths: "Go on."
This so-called ferry was, in fact, a large well. It had clear water with no bottom in sight. Who knew how deep this well actually was?
Meanwhile, the rainbow fish resembled gigantic goldfish. The main difference was that they also had a tail with seven colors.
The youths quickly jumped on the fish. With a pop, the two fish each spat out a large bubble. The youths began to fly with these bubbles and disappeared right away. This was the way to Dragonhark City.
The old man said: "Next."
Another boarded the ferry and busily stated: "I want to go to Dragonhark City as well."
The old man glanced at him and replied: "Three Inner Longevity Jades."
The person immediately paid the fee without complaint and the old man called for another rainbow fish to take him away.
Cultivators boarded the ferry of Rainbow City one after another. This old man's pricing had no standard at all. He asked for however much he wanted while the people wanting to reach the end of Rainbow City obediently paid the price.
No one dared to cause trouble. There had been tales of people trying to fight against members of Rainbow City being thrown away very far. Among them, one person needed to fly several hundred years before returning to their home.
After a good while, it was finally time for Shangguan Feiyan's ship. She stood at the bow and said: "The entire ship to Dragonhark."
"The whole ship?" He looked at the ship and began to count with his fingers: "A ship of this size requires one hundred rainbow fish. There will be a fee added for labor as well as an entry fee to the city, docking fee and protection fee…"
The old man counted a whole bunch of fees and went all out: "30,000 Prosperous Era Paragon Jades."
Many people were tongue-tied after hearing this price. This was practically extortion. The majority would never be able to earn this many jades in their entire lifetime. Even a great power wouldn't necessarily be willing to pay so much to enter the city.
However, she came from the wealthy Roaring Conch; she handed the payment over to the old man without batting an eye.
He whistled again and one hundred rainbow fish emerged. He commanded: "Go."
The fish immediately pulled the ship away. To see this many fish drag away such a huge ship with their bubbles was quite a spectacular scene.
More time passed, it was finally Li Qiye and Zhang Baitu's turn. Baitu was only following Li Qiye since he didn't know which station they were going to.
"Dragonhark." Li Qiye smiled while looking at the old man.
"You? Free." The old man looked at Zhang Baitu and then turned to look at Li Qiye: "And as for you, thirty Virtuous Paragon Jades."
"We, we're together." Zhang Baitu was anxious for Li Qiye after hearing the price. In his eyes, thirty Virtuous Paragon Jades was an astronomical figure! He wouldn't be able to gather this much in his entire life.
"30." The old man didn't care at all; it was as if he didn't hear Zhang Baitu.
Li Qiye only smiled and handed a black pouch over to the old man. The old man didn't bother looking at it before putting it away in his chest pocket, then he whistled for two fish.
The two jumped on the fish as they blew their bubbles and disappeared. By the time the bubbles disappeared, allowing the two to see again, they had already fallen into a huge ancient city. This was their destination, Dragonhark.
Dragonhark was the first stop of Rainbow City. In fact, Rainbow City was only a general term, it didn't mean that it only consisted of one city. On the contrary, it was the general designation for everything here, including these cities and stops.
Many believed that Rainbow City gained its name because all of these stops required the riding of the Rainbow Fish's bubbles to reach them.
Rumor has it that Dragonhark City was named after Dragonhark Valley. The validity of this claim remains unknown.
Dragonhark City was enormous. While standing on the city walls to look outside, people would see blossoming white clouds. This city seemed to be built in the sky. While looking down, one would only see a vast expanse with no end.
Even while inside the city, people didn't know where it was located. This has always been a hot topic with great discussions and studies. However, the answer remains a mystery.
There were stories of people jumping down from the wall in order to locate where Dragonhark actually was, but there would be no return after jumping down. From then on, no one from future generations dared to jump down the wall unless they were tired of living.
Li Qiye and Zhang Baitu jumped off their fish, and the fish swam away with their tails flapping about.
Note, they are all God-Monarch in the raw, but that makes it even longer and these titles will be repeated a lot, so I'm removing the God part for now unless the text requires it to make sense. ↩Chapter 1240: Destroying The Dao Foundation
Li Qiye brought Zhang Baitu straight to the Rainbow Pavilion in Dragonhark. They reserved a small courtyard and settled down.
The Rainbow Pavilion was the biggest inn at Dragonhark. In fact, it was the only one in Dragonhark and all of Rainbow City as well.
No one knew why there was only one inn in the entire region. Some believed that the inn belonged to Rainbow City and that they didn't wish to share this business with outsiders. Others stated that behind the inn was the Jian Clan. This clan had a very deep relationship with Rainbow City.
Despite being the only inn here, the pricing was very reasonable and could accommodate more than ten thousand guests. Because of this, there were no complaints from outsiders upon visiting the inn.
After taking care of Zhang Baitu, Li Qiye went out to buy some medicinal materials. When he passed by the lobby, he heard a shopkeeper advertising to the guests: "Fair to the young and old with the right price, we have eighty million years of reputation!"
The shopkeeper was an old man around the mortal age of seventy with a gray robe. His appearance was not too outstanding, but he was very hardworking, evident by the calluses on his hands.
Li Qiye smirked after seeing the shopkeeper and revealed a very interested smile.
The shopkeeper noticed Li Qiye and smiled back: "Sir, do you want to go out or need something?"
Li Qiye smiled back: "How can you prove that your reputation has been great for more than eighty million years?"
The shopkeeper laughed and replied: "Ah, Sir, just look at my age and you should know that I am not a swindler. My hair is completely gray from being tormented by time. At this age, why would I need to lie, right?"
Li Qiye continued to smile and leisurely responded: "Was it an eventful experience?"
"You are asking about my life?" The shopkeeper happily responded: "It wasn't bad, so-so I guess. I don't want much at this age, only a full belly. And of course, my old bones have a bunch of children and grandchildren as well. What more do I want? Just food and clothing and children playing around me, this would be more than enough for an old man like me."
Li Qiye nodded while looking at him and movingly said: "You're right, what more do you want in life? Warmth and food with children surrounding you — quite an enviable lifestyle."
The talkative shopkeeper asked with a grin: "Sir, do you have any other pursuits in life?"
Li Qiye pondered for a bit before smiling at the shopkeeper: "I just want an answer, that's all I need."
The shopkeeper rubbed his clothing with his callused hands and continued: "Who can have all the answers in life?"
Li Qiye responded: "No one knows the answer, which is why I require it." With that, he turned and left the inn.
"What is the goal of life?" Li Qiye sighed and recalled the past. In a distant era, someone had asked him the same question at Rainbow City.
It had been said that the heaven and earth were too unreachable. All were mere ants below them, but this was also fine. It was just like what the old man said, nothing was bad about having a content life with loved ones surrounding you.
Li Qiye walked on slowly in silence while contemplating this issue and the unforgettable words.
Being an ant within this unreachable heaven and earth was not necessarily a bad thing.
He became lost in a daze. There was once an extremely wise man here who eventually chose a peaceful ending.
After a while, he lifted his head towards the distance. With an incomparable firm gaze as if nothing and nobody could shake him, he said: "No matter how distant the heaven and earth might be and regardless of how long this path is before the end, I just need an answer. This has always been the case in the past, the present, and will be so in the future as well!"
He smiled freely after this and entered the streets full of pedestrians.
Rainbow City was too large to be measured. Even though there were very few landmasses in the Heaven Spirit World, there were still several big cities. The ones here weren't necessarily the biggest ones in this world, but they were definitely among the top ten.
Dragonhark, as the first stopping point, was very lively. This was the biggest market in Rainbow City. It could even be considered the largest one in all of Heaven Spirit.
There were sea demons from this region, charming spirits from the Abyss Sea, and treants from the Jade Sea.
In additions to the many shops, cultivators set up little stalls along the streets as well to sell their treasures. Some were searching for alchemy ingredients. It was a scene that encompassed all sorts of images.
Many cultivators came here due to the great reputation and size of this market at Dragonhark. There was a phrase used to describe this place: there is nothing one couldn't buy here if they had enough money.
Li Qiye bought a lot of materials for Zhang Baitu. They weren't that precious, which was why he went outside and buy them.
He was getting ready to destroy Baitu's cultivation in order to have him start from the beginning. Because his cultivation was needlessly complex and convoluted, it was only harmful without any benefits.
Of course, it would have been much easier for a young cultivator to destroy their cultivation, but it was different for Zhang Baitu. He was no longer young and his blood energy was quite feeble. Without being supplemented by pills, he would be going to see his maker after destroying his cultivation.
After preparing all the alchemy ingredients, he readied the cauldron to refine them. The flame ignited and melted all the ingredients. It burned away the dregs and left behind the essences.
Eventually, the fire flowed like a pot of soup within. In this moment, it was difficult to tell the fire from the medicinal essences.
Under Li Qiye's instruction, Zhang Baitu stepped into the cauldron. The fire seemed to have its own life and slowly infiltrated Zhang Baitu's body along with the essences. They protected his meridians and veins.
Li Qiye ordered: "Remember, focus your energy while clearing your mind of needless thoughts."
Any carelessness would result in death for an old cultivator like Zhang Baitu, so Li Qiye had no choice but to use this method.
The old man followed his order and calmed his mind while converging his vitality. He could feel the essences flowing through his body.
Right at this moment, Li Qiye began with lightning speed and shattered Zhang Baitu's dao foundation.
"Crack!" Zhang Baitu's dao foundation collapsed in an instant. He trembled and almost audibly screamed, but he managed to endure the pain.
Li Qiye was fast and accurate as he quickly destroyed the foundation completely. At this time, there was nothing left of the broken foundation in Zhang Baitu. All of the residue has been destroyed without leaving behind any traces.
Zhang Baitu now resembled a mortal that had never cultivated before. The essences began to integrate into the key locations in his body, every muscle and joint, in order to strengthen him.
His condition stabilized due to the medicine. Otherwise, someone else at his age experiencing this process would immediately turn into a hunchback old man after losing their dao foundation.
Li Qiye withdrew the fire and Zhang Baitu fell to the ground. There weren't too many visible changes to him. His hair became grayer and he had lost the aura of a cultivator. However, his complexion was quite ruddy like an immortal with gray hair, yet he still had the face of a young man. This was a very healthy and rare constitution for a mortal man.
Zhang Baitu's vision worsened and he couldn't walk as if he was flying like other cultivators. Most of his abilities were gone as well. Of course, this was the great difference between a mortal and a cultivator.
"Maybe it isn't that bad being a mortal sometimes." Zhang Baitu sighed emotionally after his regression.
The sense of loss was there, but it was not overwhelming. After all, his cultivation was extremely shallow in the first place. This would be a completely different scenario for a master. Some wouldn't be able to handle losing their cultivation.
"Thank you, Young Noble." Zhang Baitu quickly thanked Li Qiye.
Li Qiye waved his sleeve dismissively: "There's no need to be emotional, what you have lost will return not long from now."
"Young Noble, you wish to pass down a merit law to me?!" Zhang Baitu happily asked right away after hearing this.
Despite knowing his terrible talents and that he wouldn't get much further in his life in terms of cultivation, he had never given up before. Persistence was part of his character.
His hope had been rekindled after becoming a mortal and listening to Li Qiye.