Chapter 341: Small matters

Upon reaching the ground, the two Wu Yu simply bid farewell to Li Qi, then removed his armor, and departed.

Li Qi was left alone, standing in the wilderness of Shaman God Mountain.

He stood on the mountain, looking at the surrounding scenery, staring blankly.

The surroundings were still the same; it seemed like one person occupied one mountain peak, and each peak was an independent Grotto-Heaven.

He wasn't admiring the scenery.

He was lost.

Unlike the convenience of Chang'an, where all sorts of information were readily available, Shaman God Mountain had none of those things; everyone played in their own Grotto-Heavens, and there was no large-scale network.

In Tang Nation, if you got lost, you could take out your terminal, use navigation to guide you, or hail a car by the roadside.

Anyway, in an information-based society, getting lost was easily solved.

But... in Shaman God Mountain, none of these existed.

Li Qi pondered for a moment, then decided to use divination.

There was no other way; if he wanted to find his way in this place, other methods truly wouldn't work.

Divination came in many types.

Some involved calculation, predicting the future, and deducing the past.

Some traced Karma, finding connections between things to draw conclusions.

Of course, there was also a method of divination that Shamanes, especially Shaman Priests, excelled at.

That was to inquire of ghosts and gods.

For example, things like 'planchette writing' or 'god-asking divination' were called divination, but in reality, they were just using connections to find knowledgeable gods or ghosts to ask for information.

However, to Mortals or Cultivators without such Divine Abilities, this was extraordinarily miraculous.

Li Qi stomped his foot, formed a hand seal, and a few strands of Qi surged from his body, igniting a flame and offering pure Earth Qi.

This was a Chai sacrifice, primarily offered to the mountain and hundred gods.

But this was a simplified version of the Chai sacrifice.

Within the flames, white Qi ascended, merging with the smoke, as if calling for something.

Before long, the ground began to tremble, and a dwarfish old man suddenly emerged from underground.

This dwarf, who looked to be eighty or ninety years old, was only as tall as two basketballs stacked, with a large head and small body, his beard dragging on the ground, holding a tiger-head walking stick taller than himself, stumbling towards Li Qi.

Calling it 'running,' he was actually rolling half the time; honestly, it was quite cute.

"Zhu, Zhu, Zhu, Zhu... Invoker! This humble god is late, I hope Invoker will forgive me." This Q-version old man practically rolled over, and upon reaching Li Qi, he repeatedly bowed to him.

This made Li Qi a little unaccustomed, but at the same time, he felt a bit emotional.

He was already a seventh-rank; he was already an existence that these ordinary Mountain Gods needed to worship.

He had no real sense of it, as he rarely fought with people and didn't have the daily need to brawl; most of his interactions were with those of higher status than himself.

Now, suddenly realizing that his status was already very high, this feeling was quite strange?

However, he was still unaccustomed, so he immediately bowed, first helping the Mountain God up, then saluting and saying, "Mountain God, there's no need for such courtesy. I just wanted to ask for directions."

He appeared polite and without arrogance, which somewhat eased the Mountain God's tension.

While doing these things, Li Qi also took a glance; this... seemed to be a Mountain Spirit.

Not a Mountain God transformed from a demonic creature, but a Mountain God formed from the Awakening of the mountain's own spiritual intelligence.

This was truly rare, as expected of Shaman God Mountain's territory.

It was his first time seeing such a true Mountain Spirit; perhaps only Shaman God Mountain could casually summon such a Mountain Spirit.

If it were in the outside world, such as Baiyue, Mountain Gods awakened from Mountain Spirits would probably all be big celebrities, their names well-known, as they were true 'Innate Gods,' far more miraculous than demonic creatures who had achieved Soul Transformation.

Seeing Li Qi salute him, the white-bearded dwarf old man immediately straightened up, leaning on his walking stick, then planted his stick into the ground and humbly said to Li Qi, "What does Invoker wish to ask? This humble god will certainly cooperate fully!"

"Mountain God, there's no need for such formality. I just want to ask for directions. Does the Mountain God know where a Dragon Steed with this aura went?" Li Qi took out the old horse's aura for the Mountain God to identify.

"Oh, so that Dragon Steed is Invoker's mount, no wonder it is so heroic and majestic. Ten days ago, it indeed passed this way and headed east," the Mountain God said, pointing the way.

Then, the Mountain God was seen busily drawing something on the ground with his tiger-head walking stick.

Wherever he drew, the ground rose, forming the surrounding terrain, with various mountain peaks and valleys, all lifelike.

Then, a wisp of Earth Qi transformed into a miniature shape of the old horse, flying across the sky, clearly depicting the old horse's path.

As he drew, he said, "If Invoker cannot wait, you can pursue it now. If you can wait, please wait here for a moment. I will ask the other Mountain Gods, and we will surely be able to put together a route so that Invoker can have a direct destination."

"Then I'll trouble the Mountain God. However, since it will trouble the other Mountain Gods, please accept this as an offering," Li Qi thanked him, then his inner body spirits appeared behind him.

These were Li Qi's Five Peaks Mountain Gods.

The little old man Mountain God looked at the burly stone giant, his eyes filled with awe and envy.

Then, he saw a piece of stone fall from the inner body spirits, transforming into hundreds of wisps of pure Divine Qi.

The Mountain God's face lit up with joy, and he clumsily gathered the Divine Qi into his embrace, his delight overflowing. He danced with joy, hastily bowed to Li Qi, and then continued, "Enough, enough! Those fellows will surely be overjoyed and will definitely do their utmost!"

"Then please wait here for a moment, Invoker. I'll be back soon, no more than two hours!"

With that, the Mountain God plunged into the ground like a diver, disappearing in a flash of light.

Li Qi also waited at ease.

This time, he would use it to read.

Cultivation was like this.

The final Breakthrough relied on endless meticulous effort beforehand, and meticulous effort, of course, was daily diligence.

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Li Qi waited there, but the Mountain God had to hurry on his way.

Li Qi hadn't asked for his divine title, so he didn't know it.

However, others generally referred to him as Hua Xiu Mountain God, whose cultivation had reached the eighth-rank and who had some renown among the nearby mountains.

Nothing else, just because he was a naturally born Mountain Spirit who became a god, his starting point was much stronger than other demonic creatures who had achieved Soul Transformation.

Hua Xiu Mountain God transformed into a spirit body, traveling through the Earth Veins.

The principle was similar to Tang Nation's Earth Flow Vehicle, but only Mountain Spirits like him could achieve it at the eighth-rank.

Hua Xiu Mountain God arrived at the next mountain.

As soon as he emerged from the ground, he saw that in this mountain, a murky Qi was swirling and accumulating, and mist formed a miasma, enveloping the surroundings.

He shook his head; this old friend was still the same.

The Mountain God here was a centipede who had achieved Soul Transformation, also an eighth-rank, who enjoyed spewing miasma, making his mountain infested with venomous insects.

However, personal preference didn't matter; he couldn't force others to make their home picturesque, as that would make him uncomfortable.

Hua Xiu Mountain God shook his body again, transforming into a strange wind, passing through the miasma.

The strange wind blew to the mountaintop, where two stone doors were seen, just open.

Inside, there was a small demon guarding the door, not yet in human form, still in insect form, but able to speak human words. Seeing the strange wind, he immediately went over and shouted, "It's Grandfather Hua Xiu! You've come at just the right time. Please come in quickly, Old Ancestor is setting up a banquet and was just about to invite you!"

The strange wind landed on the ground, shook again, and transformed back into the appearance of the old dwarf, but unlike when he faced the Senior Li Qi, he appeared somewhat dignified, holding his head high: "That's quite a coincidence; I also have something to find him for. You go about your business."

The small demon nodded repeatedly, then stepped aside, allowing Hua Xiu Mountain God to enter.

The old man-like Hua Xiu Mountain God walked inside. After a few steps, he heard the clinking of cups, indicating that his old friend was indeed entertaining some people.

Hua Xiu Mountain God paid no attention to anything else and walked in.

Entering the mountain cave, the air was filled with the aroma of wine, and various foods—chicken, duck, fish, pork, lamb, beef, various berries, and dried fruits—were laid out on the table.

A demonic creature with the lower body of a centipede and the upper body of a human was raising a goblet to toast.

This was the Mountain God of this place.

Surrounding him were several other demonic creatures: a tiger, a white lion, and a goshawk, but they had one thing in common: there were no vegetarian plants, they were all meat-eaters.

Besides them, there were also three members of the Human Race, all Shaman Dao Cultivators, also at the table, though not as familiar with the demonic creatures; they seemed to have just joined this small circle.

These few were raising their cups and feasting when they saw Hua Xiu Mountain God walk in.

"Yo! We were just talking about inviting Old Brother Hua Xiu, and now that the words have barely left my mouth, he's actually here? When did those little brats get so fast on their feet?" The Centipede Mountain God immediately stood up upon seeing this, his hundreds of legs wriggling simultaneously, pattering as he walked towards Hua Xiu Mountain God to pour him wine.

"Alright, alright, let's talk about feasting later. I'm here for serious business. Oh, and who are these?" Hua Xiu Mountain God glanced around at the three Human Race Shaman Dao Cultivators.

"Hey, these are friends who recently came from Annam. They want to participate in Shaman God Mountain's outer sect test to see if they can obtain some Legacy. They are all Geniuses with boundless futures!" The Centipede said loudly, then toasted the Cultivators.

Then, he also gathered his voice into a line, secretly transmitting to Hua Xiu Mountain God: "These few do have some talent, their level is good, and they might even pass the outer sect assessment. In the future, they might even be able to join Shaman God Mountain's ranks. So I'm hosting a banquet to entertain them a bit, to get acquainted for the future."

Hua Xiu Mountain God nodded, indicating that he understood, and then he exchanged pleasantries, saying, "So it's a few promising Shamanes. In the future, we Mountain Gods might even need your care. I salute you first!"

The Shamanes repeatedly stood up and returned the salute, continuously saying they wouldn't dare, but their expressions showed they were quite pleased.

These Shamanes also felt a sense of self-satisfaction.

Although they had some reputation in their hometowns, they certainly wouldn't receive such courteous treatment from these Mountain Gods, but they didn't expect that merely gaining the 'qualification' for Shaman God Mountain's assessment would make these Mountain Gods so enthusiastic towards them.

This made them feel a bit giddy.

If they truly became disciples of Shaman God Mountain, even if only the outermost members, that would be a meteoric rise!

However, before they could float for too long, they saw Hua Xiu Mountain God continue, "However, friends, don't rush to drink yet. I've also undertaken a task from a Invoker of Shaman God Mountain this time."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone—those eating meat, drinking wine, chatting, including the Mountain Gods and Shamanes—stopped what they were doing and stared intently at Hua Xiu Mountain God.

A task from a Invoker of Shaman God Mountain?!

"Old Brother, quickly tell us, what's going on?" The Centipede Mountain God immediately asked.

The other Mountain Gods also surged forward, speaking in a clamor.

"How does Grandfather Hua Xiu know he's from Shaman God Mountain? What can't they do that they would need us?"

"Exactly, exactly! What's the cultivation level of the person who found you? Could it be seventh-rank?"

"It must be seventh-rank, otherwise, with Old Brother Hua Xiu's background, an Innate God, an ordinary eighth-rank certainly wouldn't catch his Dharma Eye!"

The Shamanes, however, didn't speak or make too much of a fuss; they just looked at each other, not knowing what they were communicating.

But it was easy to guess.

They also very much wanted to meet a Shaman who truly came from Shaman God Mountain.

This feeling was like a wild Daoist who had been living on the streets suddenly hearing that there was a noble from the orthodox Dragon Tiger Mountain nearby.

And not just any noble, but a 'Invoker,' which meant the orthodox of the orthodox!

Truly, they wanted to see, no matter what, what the so-called 'Orthodox of the World' looked like, especially since they also wanted to join Shaman God Mountain, even if it was just the outer sect.

Receiving everyone's gaze, Hua Xiu Mountain God, the little old man, looked very pleased.

He laboriously climbed onto the table, pretentiously planting his walking stick on the ground, then raised his head and surveyed the surroundings, and cleared his throat twice.

"Ahem, as you know, due to my background, this old man often sees noble people from Shaman God Mountain, and I've seen quite a few, so my discernment is naturally good."

The other Mountain Gods immediately stepped forward to flatter him, each speaking words of praise.

Listening to those words, Hua Xiu Mountain God became even more satisfied, and then continued, "According to my discernment, that is definitely a high-grade Invoker, certainly not just eighth-rank!"

"It's just that the noble person doesn't have much time, and coincidentally, he saw that I'm someone who gets things done, so he entrusted some miscellaneous tasks to me, asking me to handle them on his behalf." Hua Xiu Mountain God boasted, making it sound as if he and Li Qi truly had some close relationship.

"He wants me to find some people to help him search for his mount, a Azure Thunder Dragon Steed, which already shows signs of transforming into a Dragon. It passed through my territory a few days ago, but a Dragon Steed travels thousands of miles a day, so I don't know where it ran off to."

"Finding people and things is what we Mountain Gods are good at. As soon as I heard about this good assignment, I immediately thought of my brothers. They all say to share blessings, so there's no way I could monopolize such great fortune."

As he spoke, he took out dozens of wisps of pure Divine Qi, about half of what Li Qi had given him, and sent them flying towards the Mountain Gods.

The Mountain Gods immediately erupted in excitement.

This Divine Qi! It was truly incomparably pure! They might not be able to condense a single wisp even after decades of cultivation.

"The reward has been received! You all understand the quality of this, right? Then hurry up and get to work, don't make the noble person wait too long!"

The Mountain Gods cheered.

At the same time, the Shamanes also finished their discussion and stood up together, actively walking towards Hua Xiu Mountain God.

One of them came beside Hua Xiu Mountain God and said, "Old Brother Hua Xiu, we are also skilled in some Shaman Gu techniques for finding people, and perhaps we can help. The Invoker you mentioned might be our Junior Martial Uncle in the future, so why not let us help too and build a good relationship."

Hua Xiu Mountain God chuckled inwardly; this way, not to mention the Invoker's favor, he had secured the favor of these Shamanes.

So he smiled and said, "No problem, no problem!" and distributed one wisp of Divine Qi to each of them.