Chapter 147: Inquiry

Piao Xu, along with Qi Ya and some other small workers, excused themselves and went to the backyard to hide.

However, after Li Qi finished his harsh words, he did not act, but remained standing at the door, waiting silently.

But, in reality, he wasn't idle.

He was observing the terrain, calculating the placement of the altar and its corresponding orientation.

The current intelligence was not enough. For Li Qi, who liked to plan before acting, and even because of this, always seemed a bit indecisive in his actions, he would absolutely not directly confront Jin Buhuan at this moment.

Knowledge and intelligence were the basis for action. To act without them was called reckless and impulsive, and it was the root of disaster.

Li Qi observed for a while, determined the orientation, and then he began to set up the altar, placing the offerings for knocking, and began to sacrifice with reverent rituals.

After a while, there was a response from within the altar.

The sacrifice was complete.

The ritual, the Invoker, and the Di Qi (Earthly Qi) reached an agreement.

Li Qi's consciousness arrived at that familiar Chaos...

Wait, this space was not familiar at all!

Where was that incredibly empty, chaotic, vast, and dark space?!

Why were there mountains and rivers here, complete with water veins? Although there was no life, one could feel a certain vitality contained within it.

The sky was clear, the earth was bright, and the three Yangs converged. The previous Chaos space had now transformed into a tangible miniature heaven and earth.

Li Qi immediately realized what had caused this change.

It turned out that the Chaos space he had once sacrificed to was his own Human Body miniature heaven and earth!

The space he arrived at and communicated with during each sacrifice was actually inside his own body?

Previously, his cultivation was too shallow, and he had not yet entered the ranks, so his Human Body miniature heaven and earth was still a chaotic mess. Now that he had entered the ranks, the Chaos had evolved into a miniature heaven and earth, and the surrounding scenery had changed?

For the first time, he clearly felt the evolution of his inner miniature heaven and earth.

Li Qi tentatively tried to exert his power here, and saw that when he exhaled, it became wind, stirring up sand and stones, and where his foot stepped, dust arose in the Void Realm.

Pointing to the sky with his hand, the sun, moon, and stars appeared. Pointing to the earth with his hand, mountains and lakes instantly emerged.

He exhaled water to create clouds, waved his hand to raise mist, gathered soil to form mountains, and stabbed the ground to create abysses.

It was as if this world could be manipulated at his will.

Li Qi was still testing his control over this place, but at this moment, he heard a dry cough.

After the dry cough, a gentle and cautious voice came: "Cough, cough, cough! Young Master, why have you summoned this humble deity?"

It was the deity he had summoned.

Li Qi was a little embarrassed.

Of course, he wouldn't forget the main task and knew what he was here for, but he hadn't seen the deity's presence before, which was why he tried other things.

Until the other party spoke... he still didn't see him.

"Cough... May I ask where Senior is? This junior truly hasn't noticed you."

Li Qi looked around awkwardly, but still couldn't see where the other party was.

"Young Master, look down, this humble deity is here."

The voice said again.

Li Qi looked down at his feet.

Nothing changed, wasn't he standing on the ground...

Wait, the ground was moving.

An earthquake spread from beneath his feet!

Each tremor made the solid ground behave like a liquid, spreading through soil and stone as easily as through air!

Countless massive mountains were forcibly created, and the earth was directly uplifted. From the sky, it looked as if countless inverted spikes were rising from the ground, piercing the firmament!

The shockwaves were like endless tides, rolling in, threatening to collapse the very core of the earth!

The world was vast and clear, and a thousand mountains rose!

From Li Qi's perspective, tens of thousands of cubic kilometers of land were flipped over!

A thousand-mile earthquake!

Then, a white snake raised its head from within, almost overturning the earth's crust.

This white snake was thousands of miles long and tens of miles wide. A single scale could house a city. At first glance, it stretched endlessly, almost occupying Li Qi's entire Human Body miniature heaven and earth!

Li Qi was terrified.

No wonder he couldn't see it.

It was so enormous, it would be a ghost if he could see it!

After raising its head, the giant white snake buried its body again.

That gentle voice spoke again: "Young Master's cultivation is still shallow, and your Human Body miniature heaven and earth cannot yet accommodate the projection of my true form, so I had to bury myself below to be able to converse with Young Master."

And Li Qi, he was so surprised that he stammered when he spoke: "Then... then, then in the past, how did Senior descend?"

Yes, the altar Li Qi set up and the object he invited was the White Snake Mountain God who had a past connection with him.

He just didn't expect that the White Snake Mountain God's body was truly a white snake, and so enormous!

"Ah, is Young Master referring to the first time you summoned me? Did Young Master see a chaotic space then?" The giant white snake asked.

"No, I remember it was a beautiful garden at that time."

Li Qi replied.

"That's it. At that time, it wasn't Young Master's Human Body miniature heaven and earth, but a space I constructed by expending my own power. Young Master, do you understand now why when sacrificing to very powerful deities, one might not always receive a response? The reason is simply that the Human Body miniature heaven and earth cannot bear it."

The white snake said with a smile.

"That time, I took the initiative to expend power to construct a stable space and descend myself, mainly because Young Master's offerings startled this humble deity. If it were an unfamiliar deity, they most likely wouldn't do this."

The white snake explained calmly.

Li Qi nodded: "So that's how it is."

"However, Young Master has only just reached the Ninth Rank, yet your Human Body miniature heaven and earth can already barely accommodate my will. Your talent is already of the highest caliber. Even Shaman God Mountain probably doesn't have many Disciples who can achieve this. You can already be proud. It's no wonder you could be taken as a Disciple by the Grand Invoker. Indeed, you are a fledgling Phoenix. Given time, you will surely become a soaring Phoenix!"

The white snake praised.

"Cough, cough, Senior doesn't need to be like this, you're flattering this junior too much."

Li Qi quickly declined.

The saying about Phoenix and owl, it's fine if I say it myself, but it can't be

"Now, back to business, this time, Young Master has summoned me again, is there any problem that needs me to solve?" The white snake asked.

"On the way back to the mountain, if I encounter something, I should resolve it myself. How dare I trouble Senior to act? Besides, if I did that, Master probably wouldn't be happy either."

Li Qi quickly explained.

If he really used his Young Master status to demand these deities to help him solve problems, Master would probably crush his head.

"Then Young Master is...?" The White Snake Mountain God asked in confusion.

"It's like this, I wanted to ask Senior, are you familiar with the Green Mountain Mountain God?" Li Qi inquired.

"Ah, so that's it. Young Master is here to inquire about information. The Green Mountain Mountain God... is Jin Chi? I do know him, and we've had some nodding acquaintances. Why does Young Master ask about this? Have you offended Jin Chi?" The White Snake Mountain God asked.

"That's not it. I'm only of the Ninth Rank, what virtue or ability do I have to offend a Sixth Rank Great Master? It's just that I passed through Qingwu City and accidentally offended his Young Master, Jin Buhuan, and had some conflict. But I don't understand his specific situation, so I boldly invited Senior to inquire a bit."

"I see. Jin Chi's son is indeed a bit dissolute and arrogant. It's a good thing that he offended Young Master and got a lesson."

The White Snake Mountain God smiled, seemingly understanding the reason.

But Li Qi shook his head: "I dare not hide it from Senior, I am not just preparing to teach him a lesson."

After Li Qi said this, the White Snake Mountain God was stunned for a moment.

"Young Master is...?" He asked tentatively.

This Young Master, is he so murderous?

"This person, in order to force me to accept compensation, killed dozens of people, intending to hang their resentment on my body, and then ruin my 'reason' and attack my Dao Heart."

Li Qi explained: "He is cruel and inhumane, acts improperly, behaves unjustly, and is wantonly arrogant. Keeping him would only be a disaster for one side."

"Young Master's statement... does have a bit of the flavor of humanity, but Young Master comes from Great Deer Kingdom..." The White Snake Mountain God said here, then suddenly stopped, not continuing to speak, but quickly changed the topic.

He changed his tone and said: "Never mind, Young Master, just ask whatever you want to know. This humble deity will certainly tell you everything I know, but please, Young Master, don't mention me in front of Jin Chi. He is extremely murderous, and I am not good at fighting. I was already suppressed by the Cursed Demon Bear and two other demons before. If I were to face Jin Chi, I would probably only lose..."

At this point, the White Snake Mountain God's voice became mournful: "Among the Sixth Rank, Jin Chi is probably one of the most powerful and strongest in terms of killing power. If this humble deity were to face him, twenty of me wouldn't be enough for him to fight..."

"That is natural."

Li Qi immediately promised: "I will definitely not reveal Senior's existence. If he comes looking for trouble because of this, I will never forget this matter."

"Hmm, then what does Young Master want to know?"

"First, about Jin Buhuan's cultivation method..."

Li Qi began his inquiry.

While inquiring, he also once again discovered and confirmed something.

The White Snake Mountain God... was truly not good at fighting.

— — — — — — — —

An hour later.

Li Qi returned from the feeling of being disembodied during the sacrifice.

When a Shaman communicates with the deities of heaven and earth, they temporarily lose control of their body. During this period, to outsiders, they appear dazed, as if performing a shamanic dance.

Li Qi used to think this was ridiculous, but now that he understood the specific situation, he only felt helpless.

He really didn't like doing shamanic dances.

But there was nothing he could do. Perhaps when he could multitask in the future, he would be able to control his body.

However, that would be disrespectful to the deity. Multitasking always seemed perfunctory, and it certainly couldn't be used when making formal invitations.

He opened his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Shen Guniang, how is the Formation?" He turned to ask Shen Shuibi.

"Almost, don't rush, don't rush, I'm finishing up."

Shen Shuibi replied distractedly, with her head held high.

"Hmm, I'll go outside and take a look."

Li Qi nodded, stood up, pushed open the door, and walked outside.

Outside, Yan Jun still stood, unmoving.

Around him, there was no one else.

The surrounding onlookers were also gone; everyone had left.

Although it was still daytime, the entire street was already empty. Even the shops were closed, and pedestrians all took detours, not daring to enter at all.

All the礼官 (ritual officials) of therite隊 (ritual procession) who had originally stood beside Yan Jun, and even the sedan chair bearers and porters, had all disappeared.

In their place was a pile of ashes, and Yan Jun standing amidst the ashes.

Sedan chair bearers, porters, ritual officials, and various Masters of ceremony and other people, all together, there were probably over a hundred people.

Now, only a pile of ashes remained.

"Mr. Li, you've arrived? Have you thought it through and are you willing to accept my Young Master's compensation?" Yan Jun asked politely, his attitude quite respectful, and his tone very humble.

It was just that his words made Li Qi's expression darken, and his feigned nonchalance broke again.

Li Qi sighed, his self-control was not enough.

"Yan Jun... is that the name?" Li Qi asked.

"Yes, Mr. Li can just call me by my name."

Yan Jun showed great respect, although Li Qi could see that there wasn't much genuine respect in it.

However, when he occasionally looked towards the house, there was a very sufficient amount of respect in his eyes.

Clearly, he did not believe Li Qi was worthy of his respect or regard, while Shen Shuibi was a Senior Great Master worthy of admiration.

It was also quite normal. No matter how Li Qi looked, he was just an ordinary Ninth Rank Cultivator, while Shen Shuibi seemed more like his Dao Protector, who was the true expert.

Watching Li Qi ask him, Yan Jun tilted his head, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

To be honest, Yan Jun didn't really care much about this Ninth Rank Cultivator in front of him. Even if the other party had a high status, and perhaps great talent, at least for now, there was nothing about the other party worth his respect aside from his background.

But it was precisely this point that forced him to show respect to this young man, who had nothing stronger than himself except for luck, and even had to address him as Mr.

What is a Mr.?

One who has achieved much is Senior, one who knows much is learned; that is 'Mr.', an honorific title reserved for Seniors with talent, ability, and skill.

It was certainly not for a junior like the one in front of him.

But just because they were lucky, born into a good family, or took on a good Master, they could instantly rise to prominence and become someone he had to respectfully address.

Truly...

Unfair.

Yan Jun thought this, but his hand was already raised: "How does Mr. Li feel about this?"

Li Qi vaguely seemed to see a cold glint in the other party's eyes, but he couldn't be sure. Besides, whether he was sure or not, it couldn't change the fact that he couldn't beat this person.

The gap between the Eighth Rank and the Ninth Rank was too great.

Therefore, Li Qi directly replied: "If I were to accept these now, wouldn't those people who died earlier have died in vain?"

Yan Jun smiled: "If Mr. Li doesn't accept, then they truly died in vain. If you still don't accept, under my Young Master's wrath, I'm afraid many more people will die."

"Is death a very common thing?" Li Qi asked.

"Is it not common? Qingwu City has over ten million people. Hundreds die naturally of old age every day. It's completely normal for a thousand or so people to die from accidents or illness in a single day. These hundred-plus people dying won't even cause a ripple."

Yan Jun replied.

Then, he asked in confusion: "Is Mr. Li here just to say these things?"

Li Qi shook his head and said, "No, I was just asking casually. I came out mainly to pay a visit to Young Master Jin Buhuan and speak with him directly. Can Yan Jun introduce me?"

Then, he made a request that utterly astonished Yan Jun.