Chapter 449: ‘Gentleman’

“Who is it?!” The seventh-rank Merfolk immediately reacted, decisively getting up!

But Li Qi directly revealed his figure and walked out, asking in confusion, “The Bai Zhu Family… is this how they produce Mother-of-pearls?”

At the same time, he also unleashed his most oppressive form.

“Your Excellency, who are you? This is a confidential area of the Bai Zhu Family. Trespassing… may cause a misunderstanding.” The seventh-rank Merfolk had originally been prepared to act immediately, but when he truly intended to, he decisively chose to back down.

This person in front of him had easily broken through the Pearl Formation and strolled leisurely to this point…

The seventh-rank Merfolk could only say that he absolutely could not do it, and… the hope of achieving it in his lifetime was also slim.

This was a Formation personally crafted by a Formation master from the Family. He couldn't even understand it, yet this person… could easily break through it.

If he rashly attacked, the opponent could surely suppress him with ease, and… he could feel the Qi on this person’s body.

A… indescribable sense of oppression, as if some sort of all-devouring Return to Nothingness. The shadows around him seemed to twist and writhe.

Even though they were both seventh-rank, he believed the opponent could kill him in an instant, and he wouldn't have any chance to react.

Demonic Dao!

This was absolutely a thorough Demonic Dao, and an extremely superior Demonic Qi. Its purity was simply unimaginable.

If Li Qi were to make a comparison himself, if ordinary Demonic Dao was coffee beans, then the Demonic Qi swirling around him was purified caffeine crystals after processing.

One could only bring pleasure, while the other could directly destroy a creature’s nervous System.

This was still the result after the Shaman God had removed the Demonic Qi. If it were the Demonic Qi directly instilled by the Heavenly Demon back then, Li Qi’s purity would be indescribably and incomprehensibly high. The Heavenly Demon Demonic Qi could even completely distort reality and create a new life form.

In fact, it had indeed done so.

However, the seventh-rank Merfolk was confused: why would such a Demonic Overlord find him?

Li Qi didn't concern himself with that. He merely gradually retracted the Demonic Qi he had created around him and then walked two zhang in front of the seventh-rank Merfolk.

Only then did the seventh-rank Merfolk finally see Li Qi’s face through the concealment of the Demonic Qi.

His pupils contracted, and his body stiffened slightly.

“What? You recognized me?” Li Qi chuckled.

“Your Excellency… Your Excellency—” The seventh-rank Merfolk’s expression was tense, and he stammered a bit.

He had indeed recognized him.

This was the outsider whom the Gentleman had paid him a scale to keep an eye on.

However… the Gentleman said he was a Shaman, but never mentioned he was from the Demonic Dao.

“Hmm, it seems to be true. The Flood Dragon arranged for the Bai Zhu Family to monitor me? So… Bai Zhu Zhaoyue knows me, but she hid it very well. Your junior from the Family is a much better actor than you,” Li Qi said lightly.

As he spoke, he had already walked to the center of the residence, where the Flood Dragon Dragon scale was located.

Li Qi compared the Qi.

That’s right, it was the Flood Dragon that had used the mirage to confuse him.

Then… the reason the other party used the mirage to confuse him was also obvious.

His arrival on this East Isle was essentially guided by that mirage, because the algorithm he obtained directly pointed to this East Isle. That Flood Dragon had influence here, but not necessarily on other East Isles.

If he were allowed to wander freely in the East Sea, he might not have come to this East Isle.

“Hmm… the Flood Dragon’s objective, and the Bai Zhu Family…” Li Qi pondered for a moment, then looked at the scale.

The Bai Zhu Family’s Mother-of-pearls seemed to be formed by Dragon Qi.

The Dragon Qi was drawn from this Dragon scale and then, with the help of this Formation, was being transported to some relatively small pearl mussels.

These pearl mussels, controlled by this special Formation, after forcibly absorbing Dragon Qi, were…

This Formation was quite strange. Li Qi didn't understand its principle, but it seemed to be manipulating the Mother-of-pearls' bodies, inducing their 'mutation.' What a mysterious method.

He didn't know how to describe it, was it mutation, or 'evolution'?

The Flood Dragon Dragon Qi was stimulating these Mother-of-pearls, forcibly rushing their growth, making these ordinary pearl mussels grow into the appearance of 'Mother-of-pearls.' However, this was clearly not a good thing for the Mother-of-pearls.

The miniature heaven and earth of the Mother-of-pearls seemed to have developed cracks due to such growth, and their Dao Path was also distorted, their lifespan drastically shortened. Although they were forcibly elevated to eighth-rank, each Mother-of-pearl only had less than ten years of lifespan left.

Under normal circumstances, these pearl mussels could live for hundreds of years, and if they could cultivate themselves to eighth-rank, living for several hundred years would be easy.

Moreover… like the Mother-of-pearls outside, the Mother-of-pearls here were also immersed in a hallucination. This species was not very intelligent to begin with, and unless they could raise their rank, their thinking ability was very ordinary. So they were completely fooled by the hallucination, not feeling anything amiss, and would probably live their lives in a daze.

This was the Bai Zhu Family’s method? And also a method allowed under the Dao of Heaven’s Evolution?

But thinking carefully, indeed.

Dao of Heaven’s Evolution… perhaps it means having no scruples whatsoever, everything is just for survival, and better survival.

In many Dao Paths, survival is not the goal.

For example, in the Martial Dao, to maintain the Martial Dao Heart, one punches towards stronger opponents, even if it means death. If one flees from battle, it might lead to a Dao Heart collapse.

But the Dao of Heaven’s Evolution would never have such an outcome. The so-called Heavenly Evolution is about adaptation, adapting to everything, whether it's adapting as food or adapting as a predator, it doesn't matter.

Pearl mussels are not intelligent. They will never discover any problems in their lives. If their cultivation improves, their Spirit Soul gradually strengthens, and their thinking organ gradually shifts from the brain to the Spirit Soul, beginning to take over consciousness and thinking ability, what would they think then?

Would they follow the biological instinct and continue to lie down and rot, since the hallucination must be wonderful, and living might not be as wonderful as the hallucination for them.

Or… would they exert their subjective initiative?

Li Qi suddenly had an inspiration: Is Dao of Heaven’s Evolution a passive evolution, or an active struggle?

He felt that the pearl mussels that would resist would definitely be a minority, because reality was much crueler than the hallucination.

If following this line of thought, then subjective consciousness in this—

Thinking of this, Li Qi suddenly shook his head.

He recalled that he wasn't here to find a way to Breakthrough; he was here to investigate clues.

Enlightenment, or finding an opportunity for a Breakthrough in a certain method, needed to be firmly grasped by others, perhaps only once in a lifetime, but for Li Qi, he was already used to it.

Such things were somewhat common to him, not rare.

It was just that this time it concerned the Dao of Heaven’s Evolution, so he briefly noted down what this inspiration pointed to, and then dismissed it from his mind.

Such things could be thought about later.

Let’s do the proper business first.

Meanwhile, the seventh-rank Merfolk discovered that the terrifying Demonic Overlord in front of him suddenly began to space out, then after a few seconds, he shook his head, as if fighting against some distracting thoughts?

He heard that Demonic Dao cultivators were full of demonic thoughtss, constantly backlashing. Was he being backlashed at this moment!?

The Merfolk was overjoyed, even having the idea of escaping.

Unfortunately, the Demonic Overlord only took a few seconds to dispel the distracting thoughts, and his eyes regained clarity.

This greatly disappointed him, but it also made him even more afraid to leave casually.

“What did that Flood Dragon tell you to do?” Li Qi asked softly, appearing very amiable.

“The Gentleman only told us to keep an eye on Your Excellency. Other than that, we know nothing. Your Excellency should be able to tell that there is no reason for hostility between us. Moreover… although the Bai Zhu Family is not Your Excellency’s match here, we are, after all, the local power along the East Sea coast. Our Family also has a fourth-rank Old Ancestor. Please consider the implications, Your Excellency.”

“Furthermore, although Your Excellency is strong, you are only seventh-rank. You can certainly be condescending towards someone like me, a seventh-rank who is unlearned and was elevated by luminous pearls, but the Gentleman, as a Flood Dragon about to undergo the Dragon Transformation, is a dignified fifth-rank and not someone you or I can offend…”

The seventh-rank Merfolk deliberated as he spoke.

Since he couldn't win, he had to try and see if he could intimidate him.

Li Qi shook his head, “If he, as a fifth-rank, dares to attack me, then he’s seeking death. If we disciples of major Schools are killed by someone of the same rank, that’s our own fault. But if we’re killed by someone of a higher rank, that’s bullying the weak, and someone will come to avenge us.”

Hearing this, the Merfolk’s heart settled.

Good, now he didn't have to worry about his life. This wasn't some reckless youth; he knew the rules.

In a place like this world, the difference between having a background and not having one lies here.

Bullying the weak easily invites retaliation. No one wants their junior to be killed before they even grow up. If it's a conflict between peers, it's fine if one is inferior, but if a high-rank kills a low-rank, then be prepared to face the elders of the other Family’s School.

What’s more, there might even be something like a Dao Protector.

Of course, if the junior actively provokes and is blind, then a disciplinary action won't cause any trouble.

But now… it was clearly the Flood Dragon who made the first move, having arranged for Li Qi first, so Li Qi was not at all afraid that he would actively attack.

And the seventh-rank Merfolk also relaxed, knowing that the other party wouldn't kill him so easily. So, he said, “In that case… has Your Excellency heard of the name ‘Gentleman’?”

“I came here to ask you just that, didn’t I? Go on, it’s all under my coercion, it has nothing to do with you.” Li Qi found a place to sit down, observing the process of the pearl mussels being ripened by Dragon Qi as he spoke.

Learning is very important. Just like when two sides debate the Dao, if you truly refute the other party with your own understanding, you will certainly be able to create corresponding spells based on that understanding to defeat them. Therefore, daily accumulation is very important.

Since creatures would all choose this, then, is there a possibility that this method could be used on the Shamanic Silkworm Artifact?

Dragon Qi, if it could induce mutations to evolve the Shamanic Silkworm Artifact, even if a brood of Shamancraft Tool Silkworms’ lifespan were reduced from over ten years to half a year, or even two or three months, it could still make the Shamanic Silkworm Artifact much stronger, couldn’t it?

If it Breakthrough from seventh-rank to sixth-rank, that would mean Li Qi’s Shamanic Silkworm Artifact had successfully overcome the Shamanic Silkworm Artifact’s sixth-rank Spiritual Artifact mass production plan.

Dragon Qi was useless for Spiritual Artifact assembly lines, because Spiritual Artifact assembly lines were inanimate objects.

But Shamanic Silkworm Artifacts were living insects, just without brains or Spirit Souls…

Li Qi, on his side, was deep in thought while listening to the Merfolk speak.

And the seventh-rank Merfolk also relaxed a lot, so he said, “Thank you for your understanding, then I’ll be direct…”

“The Gentleman, his name is Lord Tianhong, known as the Gentleman. His temperament is volatile, and he is widely renowned in this nearby sea area. As a fifth-rank Flood Dragon, he is about to undergo the Dragon Transformation—”

The seventh-rank Merfolk began to recount information about this Flood Dragon to Li Qi.

It turned out that this Flood Dragon was named Lord Tianhong, a household name around this East Isle.

For no other reason, Lord Tianhong was crude in his actions, acting purely on impulse without much thought, so he often did things that only a fool would do.

These things included some thankless tasks, such as dredging waterways. Although it would benefit future generations, the current construction hindered the East Isle’s movement. The East Isle could not create ocean currents by moving, and the seabed currents were altered because of it, leading to widespread complaints; no one was happy.

Another example: for a snail-woman who refused to be enslaved and was forced to flee, he personally opened the sea. Except for that snail-woman, everyone complained that he made a mountain out of a molehill. With his status, a word would have sufficed; why bother personally causing the great sea to churn, stunning even the giant whales near the East Isle?

There was also one time when a good friend of his encountered a decaying natural disaster during the collapse of a high-rank world outside the domain. Most of his Spiritual Artifacts were scattered just from escaping, and he happened to be pursued by enemies, so he had no choice but to seek refuge with him.

Not only did he actively disperse his wealth, taking out huge sums to help his friend rise again, but he also went with the other party to eliminate the enemy, asking for no reward.

However…

There were also times when, merely woken up from sleep, he would publicly devour innocent gong and drum teams on the street.

It had also happened that when he had a joyous occasion and held a banquet, dining with others, a funeral procession passed by his door, and he buried everyone in the funeral procession along with it.

It was difficult to distinguish his true temperament. Sometimes he was benevolent, generous, and had a feeling of 'a thousand pieces of gold scattered, yet they return again,' but if angered, he would kill without mercy, utterly reckless, acting purely on his mood.

Some people, because of this character, gave him the title 'Gentleman,' though it was unclear if it was satire or praise.

But he, the Dragon himself, quite liked it, and referred to himself as Gentleman to anyone he met. Thus, he was also called 'Gentleman' by many.

Li Qi listened to the introduction of Lord Tianhong.

Hmm…

In other words, this was someone who, at least on the surface, was very straightforward. His emotions were clearly displayed; everything, whether anger or goodwill, was very direct.

Then… would he target someone he didn't know?

The probability is very low, right?

Which means, someone is directing him from behind?

This person who is directing is fishing.

He must be fishing. This is bait. The Dao of Reason people along the way, the Spirit Dao situation, and now the Shamanic Silkworm Artifact evolution method.

Who has a grudge against him?

Or rather, it’s not a grudge, but a True Dragon?

This is getting interesting.

Li Qi’s goal in coming to the East Sea was precisely to lure out a True Dragon.

This is a huge order; it feels like the New Year won't be good.