Chapter 1006: Meet by chance

Seven years had passed since Li Qi arrived at the Bei Ji Spirit Dao.

Seven years was a very short time for Li Qi, but for these stowaways, it was a very long time, and these stowaways hadn't even managed to achieve immortality.

Li Qi had already inquired; these people had all exploited 'loopholes.' A large portion of them were led in by the Demonic Dao, and then, through various means, each doing their best, they had burrowed their way to the Bei Ji.

To say it was one in ten thousand during the process would be an understatement; most people would die on the way, and the success rate was very low.

However, those who succeeded could be said to have ‘Heaven-Defyingly changed their fate.’

Because the Spirit Dao truly wouldn't bother with them, and other Dao Orthodoxy wouldn't easily invade the Spirit Dao's territory, this allowed these stowaways to successfully establish roots here.

If they persisted for one generation, their descendants would become ‘Nine Lands Under Heaven natives.’

This was something countless people in the Universe envied; they were the very few lucky ones, so they cherished this luck even more.

These were just the outermost stowaways; it was said that within the Bei Ji continent, there were already established large cities, countries, and Sects that had taken root.

But Li Qi temporarily hadn't gone to see that side; he was currently focused on these ordinary stowaways, wanting to confirm whether the Spirit Dao truly had no interference with them.

It wasn't that they thought there was nothing if they didn't see it; the Demonic Dao also didn't bother to manage the underlying order of City of Dreams, but in reality, all of it was under control.

Li Qi had to observe carefully to discern, after all, the Spirit Dao was no ordinary Dao Orthodoxy; as one of the Nine Lands Under Heaven, it had First Grade backing it. If Li Qi presumptuously thought he could see through the Spirit Dao's arrangements at a glance, he would certainly suffer a loss.

While thinking about these things, Li Qi was conducting ‘stowaway observations’ by the coast, mainly observing if there were any new arrivals. According to what Li Qi had seen, on average, two to three newcomers would cross the black mountains and white waters near this coastline each year, and most of them arrived barely clinging to their last breath.

It was no exaggeration to say they completed this last stretch purely by willpower.

That's why these stowaway settlements were so surprised and wary when they saw Li Qi, because Li Qi seemed overly relaxed.

Just as Li Qi was recording—

“Senior.” At this moment, a stowaway walked over, plucking up the courage to speak to Li Qi.

This was a woman who looked to be in her twenties. No... her species wasn't of the Human Race, but still a humanoid race, just with subtle differences like pointed ears and green eyes.

“Hmm?” Li Qi glanced at her and said, “What is it?”

“Senior is from Shaman God Mountain, right?” the person asked.

“Yes, interested? However, you don't have much talent, so it's probably hard to pass the screening,” Li Qi said, not being polite but very direct.

Just state the matter; beating around the bush would give them unrealistic fantasies, which would only bring them more trouble.

The woman gave a bitter smile: “Is that so… I pretty much guessed it. Oh, by the way, I came to deliver food, Senior. Here are some provisions.”

Saying that, she brought out a food box containing some provisions, all made from local ingredients, which could be considered plentiful compared to their usual meals.

Li Qi took the food box and nodded in thanks: “Thank you for your trouble.”

After speaking, the woman left, her expression somewhat dejected.

In reality, they really wanted to connect more with Li Qi, but in fact, Li Qi barely paid them any attention.

However, what was comforting was that the Spiritual Artifact Li Qi gave them was indeed very powerful, allowing them to finally establish a firm foothold in this area, no longer needing to worry about their Formation being broken and everyone being driven out or even killed.

Li Qi watched the woman's retreating figure.

He had been here for several years, and Li Qi had more or less understood the lives of the stowaways in this region.

They still practiced their original cultivation method here, and almost no one bothered them, giving a sense of 'primitiveness.'

And, from an artistic perspective, it really was very primitive.

Although she was already Ninth Grade, she still didn't dare to fly in this place, only able to walk with difficulty under the archways formed by greenbriar vines, passing beneath various climbing plants like vines and beans.

Walking such a path was troublesome; her legs felt like they were caught in a net, the soft grass trembled underfoot, and there was always the danger of sinking into a quagmire.

Moreover, countless insects, giant bats obscured the path ahead, and on the ground, snakes and insects hissed everywhere. Even the various demon beast here, such as wolves, bears, badgers, and tigers, roared, their cries echoing through the forest.

They dared not fly; flying in such a desolate place made it easy to be caught by suddenly appearing flying savage beasts.

The Bei Ji was a desolate land; they lived here like primitive people, and the temperature here was also very cold, surrounded by icy oceans and harsh sea winds.

Islands dotted the vicinity, and sea beasts, even some demon dragon, would inhabit here.

To Li Qi, there was nothing special; it was normal for demon dragon to be in the water. However, to them, the sea contained unspeakable evil beasts, and venturing into it casually would lead to death.

Building palaces or other structures here was not technically difficult, but the problem was that the local creatures were very strong. A few Eighth Grade and Ninth Grade stowaways could only barely survive.

Many things in the Nine Lands Under Heaven became sturdy; they even found it difficult to cut trees, as the tall arbors were so hard that their Spiritual Artifact would chip if they tried to cut them, and local creatures would also hinder them.

So they lived in thatched huts, caves, and similar places, and their clothing was also very primitive, making them look like a group of superpowered Stone Age primitives.

As people from outside the domain, trying to pioneer in the primitive and desolate areas of the Nine Lands Under Heaven was simply Hell difficulty.

The Seventh Grade Spiritual Artifact Li Qi gave them helped them a lot, which was why they respected and feared Li Qi so much.

They had already realized that Li Qi was someone they couldn't reach. Although they didn't know Li Qi's cultivation… it was obvious that he was a ‘Nine Lands Under Heaven native.’

This identity alone was far superior to these stowaways.

After finishing this last meal, Li Qi had collected enough information on this coast, so he stood up and said to the stowaways: “I’m almost done with my business here; it’s time to go.”

He didn't say it to their faces, because it could still be heard.

As he spoke, dozens of people from the surrounding settlements suddenly appeared.

Originally, when Li Qi arrived, there was only one settlement here.

But he had been sitting here for several years, and the news had long spread. Everyone knew there was an expert sitting here, so they all gathered.

And during this gathering process, a new round of order succession occurred, and various things happened, which Li Qi quietly observed.

He once thought that this level of friction would give rise to demonic thoughts, so he prepared to see how the Spirit Dao would handle it.

However, to Li Qi's surprise, no demonic thoughts arose. These stowaways were very wary of each other, but not malicious.

It was surprising; they should have been unable to escape their primitive instincts, yet at this moment, they hadn't developed into a situation of mutual attack, mutual harm, leading to the collapse of the settlements.

Li Qi was initially surprised too, but after a few days, he understood.

Because the environment here was too harsh, everyone couldn't survive outside of a group, so basic ‘mutual help’ was the fundamental logic of survival here.

Regardless of good or evil, it was purely that if they didn't help each other, they wouldn't survive, and a primitive moral order was thus established.

It was indeed rare; this situation was usually seen only among many backward primitive races, but now it was discovered in the Nine Lands Under Heaven.

But these things were not enough to explain the situation in this place; Li Qi felt it was necessary for him to go deeper.

But at this moment, a small child ran towards Li Qi.

“Uncle Li, are you leaving?!” the child, dressed in animal skins, shouted as he hurried towards Li Qi.

Li Qi took a step, appearing before the child, and lifted him up: “It's very dangerous to run outside the settlement; be careful.”

As he spoke, Li Qi glanced at the child's parents.

Evidently, ordinarily, this couple would have stopped the child, but now they didn't, probably hoping that Li Qi would be moved by the child.

In reality, it was indeed so, because this child was the person Li Qi had the best relationship with here.

The child's name was Bei Jia, and he was born in the Nine Lands Under Heaven.

In other words, this child was born after Li Qi arrived. He had been very close to Li Qi since childhood, and Li Qi had given him some guidance on his cultivation, from which he benefited greatly, making him like Li Qi even more.

And now, hearing that Li Qi was leaving, this five or six-year-old child immediately started crying.

“Uncle, why are you leaving?” Bei Jia asked, biting his lip as Li Qi held him.

“My business here is done; now it’s time to do things elsewhere,” Li Qi replied. “However, if you want to find me, when you grow up, you can head north, and you’ll definitely hear news of me.” Li Qi pointed north as he spoke.

Bei Jia looked north, momentarily stunned.

Over there, the sky was overcast, the wilderness was silent, and the forest was quiet everywhere, but occasionally, distant thunder rumbled, extending into the ancient forest as old as the world, creating a booming echo.

“Don’t spread the breathing technique I taught you; people will die. You have good talent, keep up the good work in the future.” Li Qi patted the child’s head, then disappeared from the spot.

The information gathering here was almost complete, and he had used his free time to educate a child he found quite likable; it was almost time to go.

For Li Qi, this was merely passing by, but for this young child, it was an encounter with a peculiar uncle from a young age, and this peculiar sorcerer showed him another extraordinary world!

However, just after Li Qi left—

The surrounding stowaways suddenly noticed that the sky around them grew darker and darker, with low-hanging dark clouds pressing down on the treetops.

Then, suddenly, a bolt of lightning split the clouds, swiftly drawing irregular geometric shapes of fire!

Immediately, a fierce west wind blew, dark clouds rolled, and the forest bowed. The sky occasionally opened fissures, revealing new firmaments and fiery wilderness. This sight was both terrifying and magnificent. The Great Fire spread, dragging its body, columns of thick smoke and fire rushed towards the clouds, and the dark clouds poured thunder and lightning onto the Great Fire.

It was as if a Heavenly God was displaying its power. Deep darkness covered the mountains. In this Heaven and Earth Chaos, mixed clamor arose: the roar of strong winds, the howling of the forest, the cries of fierce beasts, the tumult of the Great Fire, and the constant falling and extinguishing hiss of swift lightning.

A True Dragon!

It was a genuine True Dragon! It emerged from the sky!

Everyone was too stunned to speak.

What kind of power was this?

The roar of the storm and rain, the Dragon might of the True Dragon suppressing all things. As a perfect creature at the pinnacle of evolution, the True Dragon's mere appearance, its body winding and weaving through the clouds and mist, made these stowaways clearly realize one thing—

They realized again…

This was the Nine Lands Under Heaven.

It was the center of the Universe.

Here, one could even witness a True Dragon passing through the sky.

But in that instant, everyone was stunned.

Because that True Dragon let out a loud roar: “Li Qi! Li Qi! Wait for me! I’m Chang Qiao! Ahhhhhh! Li Qi, look at me, look at me!”

Shouting such nonsense, the True Dragon pierced through the clouds and disappeared from the stowaways' sight.

Little Bei Jia looked up at the sky.

This little fellow, only five or six years old, was stunned, a strong shock impacting his heart.

In the deeper parts of the Bei Ji… is that right?

He subconsciously used the breathing technique Li Qi taught him. After years of training, he had grown accustomed to using this method of breathing, which also made his physique stronger than his peers.

After taking a deep breath, little Bei Jia exhaled a turbid breath.

This breath was exceptionally turbid.

——————————

And on Li Qi's side.

Flying in mid-air, he looked at Chang Qiao behind him.

Chang Qiao was still Fourth Grade, no different from before.

For a Fourth Grade, it was like this; a Fourth Grade was already close to eternity, possessing a part of substantiality, and could even survive a Universe Reboot.

So seeing Chang Qiao here didn't seem so unacceptable.

And Chang Qiao swayed her slender Dragon body, her scales reflecting beautiful dazzling light, circling around Li Qi.

“Wow! I can't believe we met again! Li Qi, Li Qi, do you know, I'm a big fan now, and many of the things you gave me last time are worth a lot now,” Chang Qiao said.

This made Li Qi a little embarrassed.

She really did succeed in her investment.

Some personal items Li Qi left for Chang Qiao when he was Fourth Grade had become akin to ‘Guanyin Bodhisattva’s prayer mat’ type items.

This really… made quite a profit.