Chapter 513: New home

On Mystic Radiance Mountain, near Li Qi's Immortal Cave, he was currently questioning a mouse.

“Sowing?” Li Qi tilted his head.

“Yes, sowing, after eating the fruit… we should sow for the plants. This is the truth the old grandfather in our nest told me,” the little mouse said, trembling, “If not, the fruits will become fewer and fewer in the future.”

Li Qi nodded and said, “You are right, it should be so. Go.”

The little mouse, as if granted a great pardon, squeaked and scurried away.

Li Qi's gaze followed the mouse, his True Knowledge Dao Resonance extending, his perception following it inside, and he saw the mouse burrow into a mouse hole.

Inside the mouse hole, a ninth-grade old mouse, whose fur had turned枯white, was holding a book the size of a thumbnail and reciting classics to a group of hairless young mice.

The little mouse quickly ran inside and finally settled down, no longer so afraid.

Li Qi shifted his gaze and took a deep breath.

Intense Life Qi and Spiritual Qi were drawn into his body, and he felt the power contained within them… Li Qi looked around at the scenery again.

As far as the eye could see, almost everything—this land, the rivers, the trees upon them, and all kinds of living beings—possessed sentience; they had all been urged into Anomolus Spirits by the powerful Heaven and Earth Great Source.

These Anomolus Spirits were not necessarily Demons, but pure 'Spirits'.

From the grand, like snow, moon, wind, and flowers, to the small, like bottles, chimes, combs, and even withered stems and fallen leaves, spirits emerged.

The hidden cannot conceal their wondrous beauty; nothing in the myriad phenomena can hide their spirits.

Furthermore, their appearance was not a consumption, but a gradual strengthening of the Heaven and Earth Great Source. Their Cultivation was not like that of the Dao Sect or the Human Dao, which collect Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, absorbing Spiritual Qi and expelling turbid Qi; instead, they collectively strengthened the Heaven and Earth Great Source.

The Cultivation method of the Dao Sect is to take the parts they need, and then gather more. If they Cultivate fire methods and need fire Qi, they will go to places of earth fire to extract it, or ascend to the Nine Heavens to pluck heavenly fire for their Cultivation.

This is pure plunder for the Heaven and Earth. The Dao Sect's Cultivation method aims to achieve a 'solitary self'.

Therefore, if Daoists collect too much, the Heaven and Earth might even dry up, because the essence of the Heaven and Earth has been consumed and taken, and then they leave this place.

They call this departure 'Ascension'.

But Shaman Dao is different.

These spirits, just like Shamanes, Cultivate and improve, but… they still belong to a part of natural, they will not detach from natural, they are still a part of the entire cycle, only… gradually becoming more important, their 'position' getting higher and higher, and the things they can influence also increasing.

But he is still a part of it, never detached, and never will detach. When he grows stronger, the Heaven and Earth Great Source also gradually grows stronger.

Li Qi suddenly realized why he didn't resist certain special Qi.

Those on the Demon Dao would find the Human Qi in cities annoying; those on the Human Dao would find the miasma in the wilderness bothersome; the Dao Sect would find Demon Qi pungent; and the Buddhist Sect naturally detested Demonic Qi, having many methods to counter it.

But only Shaman Dao felt nothing towards these Qi; they were accustomed to any place and found nothing particularly special.

This is all because everything is inherently a part of the Universe; they exist very naturally, so there is no resistance whatsoever.

No matter how powerful you are, you are still a part of the Universe.

You cannot exist apart from the Universe. Even if you truly leave this world, you are still just 'outside the box', and outside the box is also a part of the Universe.

Therefore, all you can change is your position, not the world itself.

“So that's how it is, so that's how it is,” Li Qi sighed.

He understood.

His sixth-grade Cultivation within his body became much calmer, and his foundation was further solidified.

However, in this situation, he could no longer feel joy; the matter of Shen Shuibi's imminent departure to the front lines still weighed heavily on his heart.

Now, seeing the true scenery of Shaman Dao, he could take a good rest. Even with the assistance of the Clan Affairs Office, ennobling a seventh-grade True God had left him somewhat fatigued.

Ennobling a god consumes a lot of things. Even minor demons who seek ennoblement from Mortals will compensate afterward, otherwise they will incur a great Karma.

Therefore, what Niu Huang said, that the grace of ennoblement is like rebirth, and one should treat the ennobler as a birth father, actually makes a lot of sense.

“Forget it, let’s rest first.” Li Qi shook his head, returned to his empty Immortal Cave, and closed his eyes.

He wasn't Cultivating, but sleeping.

He hadn't slept for a long time, and his human body's microcosm had tilted towards Yang Qi. Sleeping would help regulate Yin and Yang.

He fell into a deep sleep.

— — — — — — — —

Time slowly flowed, and Li Qi's fatigue gradually faded in his sleep.

However, as he slept, he suddenly felt a warmth.

Li Qi didn't open his eyes; his True Knowledge Dao Resonance instantly swept through his surroundings, gathering all nearby information before his eyes!

This was very convenient, just like the legendary Divine Sense.

Normally, such a thing as Divine Sense does not exist.

After all, senses are just senses. Cultivators perceive the outside world by relying on different senses.

Eyes are organs that perceive light, ears are organs that perceive mechanical waves, and noses are organs that perceive odor molecules; these perceptions are fixed.

Different senses bring different feelings, which eventually converge in the five aggregates, parsed by your thinking organ, thereby obtaining information about the surrounding world.

Even high-grade Cultivators, who can directly see things at the molecular level, still have eyes that receive light and see things through light.

So what is Divine Sense? What kind of sense is it? How does it acquire information about its surroundings? Light? Mechanical waves? Diffused molecules?

After all, information transfer always requires a medium; it's impossible for information transfer to occur directly without any medium. And acquiring information from a medium is the essence of 'senses'.

If you don't have the corresponding senses, you simply cannot perceive it. There is almost no such thing as an omnipotent, absolute sense that can perceive everything.

Yes, almost, it does not exist.

Because True Knowledge Dao Resonance is such an omnipotent sense.

The now-enhanced True Knowledge Dao Resonance can perceive all mediums, whether it's scent, light, mechanical waves, or anything else, even deeper information can be directly read, and it can also be directly seen and parsed by Li Qi's Information Stream Vision, without even going through the five aggregates, thus eliminating the possibility of illusions.

This could be considered Li Qi's trump card.

With that sweep, Li Qi immediately perceived everything around him.

The warm feeling was because Shen Shuibi was sleeping beside him.

The surrounding furniture was also all arranged.

Curtains, screens, overhead canopies, incense burners, baskets, beds, pillows, mats, felt rugs, tables, boxes, washbasins, combs, hairpins, handkerchiefs, hairpins, earrings, round mirrors, powder boxes—everything was complete.

It was just that because Li Qi had casually found a place to sleep, he wasn't on the bed. The warmth he felt came from Shen Shuibi's body temperature; the two were now leaning against each other.

the little rabbit was truly asleep, curled up in a ball, even revealing her ears.

They were black.

This was quite peculiar; the little rabbit's fur color actually changed according to the pattern of the Great Yin, with phases of waxing and waning, which was one of her characteristics as a Moon Essence.

However, she rarely showed her true form when there was nothing wrong, so it was seldom displayed.

Perhaps she was truly asleep today, which was why her ears were exposed.

Li Qi got up and pinched the upright ears.

the little rabbit's ears deftly dodged, and then she opened her eyes.

Both of their perceptions were very keen. Although the little rabbit didn't have an omnipotent sense, her senses were actually extremely sharp.

Sharp and excellent senses, coupled with sufficient information processing capabilities, are what support the combat and daily lives of high-grade Cultivators.

After all, in battles outside the Domain, which are often measured in light-years, even though they don't have an omnipotent sense that can perceive everything, their existing perceptual abilities are far beyond those of Mortals and extremely precise.

Shen Shuibi might even be able to see molecular structures with her naked eyes now.

Li Qi had experienced this before: a third-grade's mind-reading wasn't truly mind-reading, but simply seeing your thoughts.

Because a person's thoughts must have a carrier: brain waves, neural synapses, Spirit Soul fluctuations, or the operation of Shaman Dao Heaven and Earth, the exchange of physical matter in the Martial Dao—these are the carriers that form thoughts.

A third-grade could see the most minute details with their naked eyes, even the quantum Domain smaller than photons, directly observing all your thought carriers, making your thoughts clear at a glance.

Although Li Qi didn't know if this world had a quantum Domain, in this world, the various 'Qi' that formed the basis of all things seemed infinitely divisible.

A wisp of Qi could be split into countless threads, and a thread of Qi could be split into countless tiny threads. In any case, Li Qi hadn't yet split Qi down to its most basic parts. Presumably, Great Shamanes should be able to 'see' them directly.

After all, eyes are for seeing. Even without an omnipotent sense like True Knowledge Dao Resonance, they had their own methods, perhaps even more wondrous than an omnipotent sense.

In the past, when the little rabbit's fur or ears were stroked, she would always seem a bit reserved. However, by now, she seemed to have gotten used to it. After being woken up by Li Qi pinching her ears, she calmly retracted her ears, returned to her human form, and said, “You're awake? I've mostly arranged the furniture, and it's all in place. From now on, this place will be suitable for daily life and Cultivation; living here for thousands of years won't be a problem.”

“That’s good, but we probably won’t be living here for thousands of years. Oh, right, I’ve asked the Niu Huang Mountain God here to host a banquet for the local Anomolus Spirits, to celebrate our housewarming.”

“I’ve already prepared for these things. Ingredients and wine are all ready. Celebration is a natural custom. Oh, and people from Mount Luofu will also be coming then; I’ve already notified them,” Shen Shuibi nodded.

It was only right; establishing an Immortal Cave was a major event. After this, Shen Shuibi would not easily return to Mount Luofu.

She and Li Qi were now settled here.

Although neither of them showed much emotion, both felt a certain joy in their hearts.

How wonderful.

Li Qi got up, stretched: “Then let’s get up and prepare the banquet. After the banquet, it will be a new day.”

“Mhm, and then having a child will also be a matter of course. After all, just preparing the battlefield for war will take the Great Shamanes several hundred years. We’ll be living here for the next few hundred years, then,” Shen Shuibi nodded, her voice flat, simply stating facts.

However, the speaker had no intention, but the listener felt a headache. Li Qi only felt these words pressing down on him like a great mountain, making his shoulders sink a few inches. He coughed twice and changed the subject: “Ahem, we’ll talk about that later. First, let’s invite our friends and family and tell them.”

Shen Shuibi didn't suspect anything, and the two immediately split up to handle their respective matters and notify their respective friends and relatives.

Li Qi first wrote to Chang'an, notifying Bo Yue and the others. He hesitated repeatedly, but still notified Liu Canzhi and the others. As for whether they would come or not…

It's up to them, after all, venturing deep into the heart of Shaman God Mountain must be quite exciting for the Human Dao, right?

Besides, what good would it do if they came? One could only say it was… a final farewell?

From then on, their Daos diverged, and they would go their separate ways.

Li Qi and Shen Shuibi prepared separately.

The banquet dishes, celebrations, and etiquette were left to Li Qi.

The venue setup, invitations, and beverages were handled by Shen Shuibi, who was more skilled in these matters.

After all, they were Cultivators, so even without help from others, they worked very quickly.

Li Qi was quite experienced with banquets; his illusionary tableware business accumulated in Shangyuan made him adept at these matters.

Before long, the banquet was arranged.

The illusion was cast, as if in a dream.

Candles blazed, five-colored auspicious clouds enveloped the surroundings, fragrant breezes filled the air, and immortal music played.

Around them were two floating small rivers, their water suspended in the air, forming a loop and emitting bursts of fragrance.

Upon closer inspection, these two floating small rivers were one formed from a spiritual spring, and the other entirely of fine wine.

The two small rivers floated in mid-air, flowing through the Immortal Cave, with small boats upon them.

The small boats were exquisite and beautiful. Upon closer inspection, one found stacks of dishes placed upon them: dried soy sauce, raw melon seeds, small fruit plates, crispy pastries, spring rolls, crystal cakes, flower pork siomai dumplings, sugar-oil steamed buns, all bobbing and swaying on the floating rivers.

Furthermore, hanging within the Immortal Cave were prayer wheels, talisman pouches, spiritual talismans, and scrolls, adorned with red gauze and gold thread, with calamus and pith hung at the entrance. Five-colored dyed calamus was suspended around the sides.

Carvings of a hundred insects were spread above, surrounded by clusters of mallows, pomegranates, mugwort leaves, and flowers. Inside, further, were multi-colored ropes, silk threads, delicate openwork gold flowers, silver drum-shaped ornaments, honeyed fruits, ingenious zongzi, and five-colored beads forming lucky pouches, imperial paintings of mallows and pomegranates, mugwort tigers, and silk and satin piles forming small plague-warding arrays.

Mallows and pomegranates vied in splendor, gardenias and mugwort contended in fragrance, glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in gold, calamus cut like jade, banquets were splendidly arrayed, and zithers resonated. As for other settings, they were even more luxurious, with illusions presenting scenery limited only by imagination. One saw wind lanterns hanging front and back, all inlaid with white glass and covered with pearl nets, while wine ewers and tea caddies were displayed on either side.

Above, there was a starry sky, with a golden breeze bringing coolness, dew generating chill, osmanthus fragrance wafting, and a full silver moon shining—this was what Shen Shuibi desired.

After confirming that everything was perfectly prepared, Li Qi also sent out the invitations.

Niu Huang Mountain God also received one.