Chapter 179: Descending to the earth

Li Qi slapped one hand on the ground, and the Earth Qi from the miniature heaven and earth of his human body surged in, while Mountain Qi flew out.

Then, a great wind and dust storm, dark and obscure, swept towards them, about to cover the sacrificial ground, and even the old horse seemed unaccustomed to the wind and sand.

Li Qi gathered a ball of Water Qi in his hand, transforming it into clear water, then boiled it with Fire Qi and sprinkled the hot soup.

This move had been used in the Earth Oil Realm; it was a ritual for praying for rain.

Next, he tapped his foot on the ground, his throat warbling a clear, impassioned sound.

And indeed, in the sky, a great wind responded.

Li Qi took another mouthful of water, then spat it out.

White Qi rose from the water mist, like furnace smoke, rising several feet straight up, then drilling into the sky.

With water, he commanded the Heavens, and immediately clouds and rain gathered with thunderous roars and cheers, lightning flashed in the daylight, Qi gathered with long whistles, and sand and dust rose.

Despite being a desert, rain suddenly poured down.

The heavy rain fell, and in a short while, the sandstorm was extinguished by the rain, and then, in merely tens of seconds, the heavy rain stopped.

This was not like rain at all; it was more like someone pouring water from a basin in the sky.

The entire process lasted only a minute or two, barely enough to quell the sandstorm.

Wang Baiyan watched from the side, amazed, and exclaimed, "Incredible! It's said that Shamanes have the ability to control celestial phenomena, and it's truly marvelous. But why isn't this rain lasting?"

Li Qi replied exasperatedly, "The method of praying for rain is to borrow the Water Qi of Heaven and Earth. This is a great desert; how much Water Qi can there be? I only managed this rain by utilizing the power of Earth Qi to draw up underground water. Don't just stand there; there's Human Qi in the distance. Go see what's going on."

A Shaman's ability to observe Qi allowed him to directly perceive the types of various Qi, so while Wang Baiyan noticed nothing, Li Qi had already seen the Human Qi in the distance.

It seemed they were attracted by the sudden appearance of the thunder and rain anomaly, so many people were gathering and walking towards them.

Li Qi urged Wang Baiyan to go look, and he also found it strange in his heart that there were so many people in such a great desert.

Shouldn't deserts be desolate and uninhabited?

However, Wang Baiyan replied, "No need. I know what it is. It should be the tribes residing here."

"This miniature heaven and earth is divided into two types, each residing at the north and south ends. One type is similar to a civilized nation, calling themselves the King of Thousand Mountains. The place they inhabit is similar to the many nations of the Baiyue. That is also where I want to go, because there is agriculture there, and they live peacefully in villages, respecting the Dao of the King and accepting education."

"And in this great desert, there is also a tribe. Everyone braids their hair, wears gold rings in their earlobes, keeps their hair long at the back, tied with colored silk. They worship swords and bows, and live by herding and raiding."

"We can ignore this side. After you inquire about the Heavenly Dao here, we can directly go south."

Li Qi lit the altar and asked again, "This desolate desert, herding? Herding what?"

Wang Baiyan replied, "This is just a desert. If you go south, it's only a few hundred miles to the grasslands. We are already at the edge of this world. I've already explored and familiarized myself with this place. You just focus on communicating with the Heavenly Dao. When it comes to customs and traditions, I'll handle it."

Li Qi sighed, "Then have you ever thought about why they have to walk hundreds of miles to reach their grasslands, yet they appear here?"

"Why think about such things? It's just an unranked miniature heaven and earth. Without the protection of this Heavenly Dao, we can take whatever we want. Even if ten thousand people come, they are no match for us. Let's quickly start the sacrifice," Wang Baiyan urged.

But upon hearing this, Li Qi directly gave up on erecting the altar and looked at Wang Baiyan instead.

He said, "Brother Wang, the people of this world are also people."

"To save the hundred thousand people of Lilim, I would have to place millions, or even tens of millions, of people in this world into your hands, to be oppressed by you. How do you think I would choose? Do you think I would act to save a hundred thousand people, yet allow millions to suffer?"

Hearing Li Qi's words, Wang Baiyan showed an awkward expression and immediately cupped his hands in apology, "Brother Li is absolutely right. I was wrong. I will go inquire about the appearance of those people right away."

"No need. I'll go see for myself," Li Qi said directly this time, not listening to Wang Baiyan's suggestion. Then he mounted the old horse and flew towards the distance.

That's right, he made the old horse fly directly; it was faster that way.

The distance was only about ten to twenty miles, and the old horse arrived in an instant.

Upon arrival, he saw an army of Mortals, both men and horses clad in leather armor and armed with sabers and staves, bows on their backs, and arrowheads six or seven inches long, shaped like chisels—all of ordinary quality.

This entire army consisted of Mortals, with only a few officers having practiced some crude martial Dao cultivation methods.

However, this Mortal army looked scarred and exhausted, like a remnant force.

Among that Mortal army, the leading General had lost an arm. The wound was bandaged, but it was still seeping blood. Most of the other soldiers also had injuries. In this desert, they looked like an army destined to die.

At this moment, within that army.

"Rain in the great desert, haha! Heaven will not abandon me, Barahan! Head that way!" The leading General laughed loudly, "Children! There's a torrential downpour and thunder and lightning over there! There must be a water source! We won't die of thirst!"

The wounded soldiers were also greatly encouraged, and a surge of strength rose from their bodies. They struggled desperately through the desert, limping towards the place where it had rained.

However, the rain lasted only a few minutes before stopping. The previously dense thunderclouds dispersed like an illusion, leaving the remnant army stunned in place.

A staff advisor said with a mournful face and a sorrowful voice, "I heard that in the great desert, there is a strange phenomenon called a 'mirage,' a momentary illusion, half-bright and half-dim, disappearing in the blink of an eye, like waking from a dream. I fear we have encountered such a strange phenomenon. How can there be rain in this great desert?"

The General named Barahan also looked sad, even showing a hint of cowardice.

But he immediately composed himself and brandished the scimitar in his only remaining hand. The scimitar flashed like a full moon, creating a thunderous boom in the desert, startling the other disheartened and listless soldiers.

"A mirage is only light and shadow, but just now, we clearly heard thunder and the sound of water. That cannot possibly be fake. Perhaps it's just that there's little water in the desert, and not much rain fell, but there must be residual puddles on the ground. Let's go there. Heaven never closes all roads. There must be a way out ahead!" he shouted loudly, then led the way towards the place where it had rained.

As for whether there was truly a way out ahead?

He didn't know.

He asserted that it wasn't a mirage, that it was real, but did he truly know?

Of course, it was false. How could he know? He hadn't even heard of a mirage; it was all made up.

However, he had to give the soldiers a false hope so they could keep going.

If they walked, there was a glimmer of hope for survival.

If they didn't, they would surely become dry bones in the desert.

However, they had only walked a few steps when the soldiers suddenly looked up and said in alarm, "A horse is flying!"

Barahan also looked up, his heart filled with terror.

There really was a horse flying!

The horse was pure black, perhaps eight feet tall at the shoulder, with some parts of its body covered in green scales. It trod on auspicious clouds, holding its head high, striding confidently, and looking extraordinary. Its flight was accompanied by a rumbling sound, with green and black electric snakes following around it. As thunder roared, the remaining horses of this remnant army all knelt down, trembling, not daring to look up, as if suppressed by some higher status.

"Is it an Immortal!?"

"Has a Heavenly God descended!"

"Look, look!"

The appearance of the Dragon Steed caused a stir.

Barahan looked up at the sky, his heart filled with uncertainty.

In this world... are there really Immortals?

Leaving aside the reactions of the remnant army for now, Li Qi, flying in the sky, was focused on the distant.

Li Qi, in the sky, saw traces of magical techniques behind this remnant force.

Did this world also have simple cultivators?

It seemed they were all unranked methods, but these people hadn't noticed them.

Even that General only had ordinary martial Dao cultivation methods, but a single punch only had eight or nine hundred catties of strength, no different from Li Qi when he was a Lifter.

It was a trash cultivation method, inferior even to Wave-Breaking Force, probably not worth looking at anywhere in the world.

Wave-Breaking Force could achieve seven or eight hundred catties of strength after three years of practice, but that General had at least twenty years of effort under his belt.

After confirming this situation, Li Qi turned and left.

If they were refugees, he would definitely help them.

However, an organized army reduced to this state was the result of a battle between two armies. Li Qi saw that they also had Evil Qi condensed on them, and they didn't look like a benevolent army. So, with the outcome of victory and defeat decided, if he intervened without authorization, it would be improper.

Therefore, this group of remnant soldiers would have to help themselves.

Li Qi turned back and left, leaving the army below to lament.

However, before he left, he heard the General below shouting loudly to the soldiers, "Hahaha! I, Barahan, have dominated my life, only regretting one defeat. But even now, to have an Immortal guide me, it must be the will of Heaven! Children, follow the path pointed by that Immortal! There must be a way out ahead! That will be the place where I, Barahan, rise again!"

Hearing this, Li Qi looked back.

This person indeed possessed some spirit.

Therefore, Li Qi circled in the sky and found that there was indeed a patch of water vapor in the distance, which should be an oasis.

He galloped towards the oasis, disappearing from sight.

Heaven helps those who help themselves.

Perhaps it was also the will of Heaven that he appeared here.

Then, he changed direction and returned to Wang Baiyan's side.

However, as soon as Li Qi landed, both Wang Baiyan and he immediately felt something was wrong.

"Brother Li, what did you do?" Wang Baiyan asked in astonishment.

Li Qi looked at himself, "I didn't do anything special, but what's going on?"

Because both of them felt that the Heavenly Dao's suppression on Li Qi had disappeared.

Originally, it was suppressed by eighty percent, but now, there was no suppression at all. It seemed that this Heavenly Dao had accepted him.

Li Qi frowned and said in confusion, "I just, just helped that remnant army... Wait a minute."

"Child of Destiny!"

"Child of Destiny!"

Both of them exclaimed in unison, looking towards that remnant army.

Wang Baiyan was overjoyed, "It really is true that good deeds are rewarded! The problem that troubled me for so many years, Brother Li solved it as soon as he arrived! Now the Heaven-worshipping ritual will surely succeed, and the plan to plant grain here will definitely be completed! This world has tens of millions of people, so a mere three hundred thousand stones of grain can certainly be produced! Haha, I didn't expect it to be so smooth!"

Saving the Child of Destiny made Li Qi no longer rejected by the Heavenly Dao of this miniature heaven and earth, so communication would definitely become smoother, and perhaps things would work out!

Li Qi, however, shook his head, "Don't be happy too soon. The Heavenly Dao is emotionless; it has no likes or dislikes. It will only choose the best option for this world under the current circumstances. If it thinks your grain planting plan won't work in this world, then we'll still have to fight it out."

"Leaving aside refining the Heavenly Dao, neither of us has that ability. At the very least, we have to fight until it dares not obstruct us."

"That's true. Brother Li, please proceed as you wish. I will definitely follow your advice!" Wang Baiyan immediately said.

Li Qi had been here for less than a quarter of an hour and had already solved a problem that had plagued him for years, so he also realized how to act in this miniature heaven and earth.

Listening to Li Qi was definitely the right choice; he was good at this kind of thing.

When doing things in a miniature heaven and earth, it was better to follow the will of Heaven.

"As expected of a true Shaman..." Wang Baiyan sighed with emotion.

"Huh?" Li Qi, who was busy with the altar, suddenly looked up. What did that mean?

Could there be fake Shamanes in this world?

"Nothing, you busy yourself. Tell me if you need anything! I have many strange things in my mustard seed bag," Wang Baiyan waved his hands repeatedly, changing the subject.

Li Qi buried his head and continued working.

Two quarters of an hour later, the ritual was complete.

Then, Spiritual Qi gathered from all directions, and auspicious shadows appeared. There were illusions, but they disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Li Qi stood in place and let out a long breath.

"How was it? Did you reach an agreement?" Wang Baiyan immediately walked over, very concerned about the outcome.

"I wouldn't say an agreement, but I have a vague feeling that this world has a major hidden danger. The Child of Destiny we just helped was driven out of the Central Plains area."

"It seems that an outsider, like you and me, has come to this world and is using his unique power to become the ruler of this world. And unlike us who descended directly, he seems to have come to this world as a remnant soul and performed Possession on someone here, so the Heavenly Dao cannot target him like it targets you, after all, the Heavenly Dao is unintelligent and can only act according to rules."

The Heavenly Dao, like many natural Gods, is spiritual but unintelligent. It can react to stimuli, but all of this is like instinct, just as natural as an infant's crying, but it has no will or ability to act proactively.

"In order to stop that person, this Heavenly Dao chose a Child of Destiny to contend with him, but he was defeated. That outsider is about to rule this world and become its de facto ruler."

"If we help solve this matter, perhaps we can gain the recognition of the Heavenly Dao here," Li Qi said to Wang Baiyan, recalling his communication process.

Wang Baiyan was overjoyed upon hearing this. He clapped his hands and said cheerfully, "This makes things easy! Hahaha, Brother Li, it truly seems Heaven wants to help us! Now, both of our problems are solved! Let's go! You have a Dragon Steed, and this world is pitifully small. It's only two or three thousand miles to the Central Plains, reachable in a day. With the two of us acting, we can eliminate that person in an instant. Then you'll have your grain, and this miniature heaven and earth can become the Jinlang Sect's second base!"

"Don't worry, I will definitely treat this place well, using it only for grain production and mining, and never getting involved in other matters!"

Wang Baiyan was overjoyed, but Li Qi's expression was somewhat subtle.

Clearly, Li Qi was already pondering something in his mind, but Wang Baiyan seemed completely oblivious.

However, after a moment's thought, Li Qi still nodded, "Let's go. Let's go take a look first."