Chapter 516: Going to Penglai

With everything concluded, Li Qi entered the most peaceful period of his life; he finally had ample time to refine his cultivation and meticulously sculpt his Physical Body’s Miniature World.

If Li Qi’s previous advancements were like sculpting with dynamite, now he could slowly adjust his direction, using small knives and chisels to gradually carve out the form he desired.

The methods he had previously understood for adjusting his Physical Body’s Miniature World, those little tricks, and techniques to make his Physical Body’s Miniature World more rounded, all came into play at this moment.

For two whole years, he was virtually a recluse, spending over two-thirds of each day cultivating and refining his minor states.

At this moment, Li Qi had never felt so good about himself.

He had once looked into the three lives ancient mirror, and although it was the eye of a Heavenly Demon, what was inside was true; the three lives ancient mirror had highlighted all the hidden injuries, developmental deficiencies, disharmonies, and operational conflicts within his body.

Now, they were all repaired and compensated for; his Physical Body was perfect, and his Physical Body’s Miniature World was free of any obstruction.

In Shen Shuibi’s words, his current Physical Body had already reached the Realm of the ‘Golden Core’.

‘Golden’ refers to something indestructible and firm; ‘Core’ refers to something complete and flawless, a unified whole without blemish.

Although for Dao Orthodoxy cultivators, reaching the Ninth Grade requires the Physical Body to attain the Golden Core Realm, Li Qi was, after all, a Shaman, so this aspect wasn’t a requirement for his cultivation; it was considered an extra achievement unlocked.

While Li Qi spent these two years on this, Shen Shuibi did something else.

That was to nourish her body and prepare for pregnancy.

The two had decided to have a child, and they were preparing for a dual gestation, meaning the child born would possess both the parents’ Bloodline and their Dao Orthodoxy.

Few Great Powers would choose to have a child with such a configuration, as it placed a significantly heavy burden on the mother’s body.

Even with Shen Shuibi’s Immaculate Body, this remained true, because pregnancy isn't an injury, nor is it an external substance; even the fetus itself cannot be considered an external entity.

Strictly speaking, a fetus is an organ of the mother, only this organ will eventually leave the body; however, this organ is a pure parasite, constantly demanding and absorbing the mother's nutrients until it leaves the body or the mother's body withers and dies.

Therefore, generally speaking, the weaker the fetus, the safer the mother; conversely, if the fetus is very strong and robust, a chubby baby, then the mother will likely have a difficult labor, so prepare for a C-section, otherwise, she will suffer.

Unfortunately, a fetus infused with fragments of their Great Dao would be incredibly strong, strong enough to demolish a building while still an infant.

Therefore, few Great Powers would be willing to gestate such a fetus; it's not that they can't deal with the fetus, they have many ways to handle it, but the question is, if you're going to handle it, why would you give birth to it in the first place? All methods of handling it involve weakening the fetus, and no mother would wish to weaken her fetus to make herself feel better.

So there's no choice but to endure it.

However, it’s not entirely without a solution; a very simple way to solve it is to strengthen the mother's body as much as possible, adjust her state, and store enough energy and consumables, so that the fetus can freely absorb blood—a thick blood supply means no fear of being drained.

This stage was what Li Qi called ‘preparing for pregnancy’.

Shen Shuibi found it very apt, so she also used that term.

Recently, she planned to spend a full five years in preparation, because a Fifth Grade child could not possibly stay put for just ten months.

Those who give birth quickly produce a sphere in three years.

Those who give birth slowly, like the mother of a Dao Ancestor, spent a full eighty-one years gestating him.

It's unknown how long this child will take, but it certainly won't be ten months.

Everyone was busy with their own affairs, and two years passed in a flash.

After two years, Li Qi’s condition had improved, and now, he had something to take care of.

Inside the Immortal Cave—

“Yuer, are you ready?” Li Qi looked at Shen Shuibi.

Shen Shuibi was preparing Medicinal Pills for their outing; normally, at home, she could refine them at any time, eating one and refining one a day, but for a long trip, it wouldn't work, she had to prepare some to prevent not being able to refine medicine when needed.

These Medicinal Pills were all for her to nourish her body, to store energy for gestating the baby; such a large amount of energy couldn't possibly be consumed all at once, as that would lead to her body exploding and dying.

Therefore, Shen Shuibi had devised a complete plan for timed and measured Medicinal Pill consumption, precise to every two-hour period; by following this plan, she could accumulate enough energy within five years, at which point her pregnancy preparation would be complete, and if she conceived then, she wouldn't be tormented too much by the fetus.

As for whether she would conceive, there was no need to worry; a Fifth Grade cultivator already possessed cellular-level manipulation abilities, so as long as she wanted to implant, it could happen at any time.

Not to mention Fifth Grade, even a Seventh Grade could easily achieve it.

“Alright, it’s all packed. These are enough for a year in situations where I can’t refine Medicinal Pills, which should be sufficient for this trip,” Shen Shuibi said with a smile.

“That’s good. This trip to Penglai shouldn’t take too long, at most one or two years before we return. You can also refine them yourself normally, so having a year’s supply is more than enough,” Li Qi nodded.

That's right, this time, they were going to Penglai.

The reason was simple: Li Qi had received an invitation from the Demonic Prince to attend a ceremony in Penglai.

What ceremony?

Of course, it was what was mentioned before: the Demonic Prince would descend upon the world and crush ten Geniuses?

Where did the ten come from?

Nine Lands Under Heaven, excluding the Demonic Dao, leaves eight.

The remaining Dao of Reason and Martial Dao each have one.

Exactly ten.

The Heavenly Demons had arranged everything for the Demonic Prince.

The first would be from the Young Heavenly Master of Penglai, and Li Qi, as one of the Demonic Prince's few 'friends,' was invited to observe the ceremony, to witness the Demonic Prince crushing these Geniuses one by one.

Li Qi knew that his victory over the Demonic Prince involved many, many elements of luck. For example, the Demonic Prince initially didn't want to fight Li Qi at all; he only wanted to fight Li Qi after all restraints were removed, so he deliberately provoked Li Qi.

Another example: even after Li Qi racked his brains and removed all restraints, the Demonic Prince still easily suppressed Li Qi, forcing him to directly absorb the Third Grade head and forcibly advance.

Furthermore, when Li Qi was desperately advancing to the Sixth Grade, the Demonic Prince could actually ascend to the Sixth Grade at any time; his foundation was much deeper than Li Qi's, and advancing on the spot was not difficult at all, just a thought.

However, what he wanted was to accumulate a winning momentum, to advance with the bearing of an Overlord as his Dao Heart foundation, so he chose not to risk his future like Li Qi, but instead honestly chose to concede.

Because in that situation, he could afford to lose, while Li Qi could not; the Demonic Prince never feared or resented failure, if he lost, he lost, what could you do to him?

But they both knew that if the Demonic Prince truly wanted to fight Li Qi to the death, Li Qi would lose in any situation, with not a single chance of victory.

This is what a ‘Strong One’ is; if Li Qi reached the theoretical limit of the Seventh Grade, then the Demonic Prince surpassed the theoretical limit—he himself broke the so-called theory, and those ‘theories’ should be revised for the Demonic Prince.

It could even be said that his appearance was meant to be a harsh slap in the face to these Great Dao Orthodoxy, and the Heavenly Demons would definitely find that interesting.

Even Shen Shuibi couldn't help but admire the Demonic Prince's power; after meeting him for the first time, Shen Shuibi said that he was not someone to be trifled with.

If the Demonic Prince could climb step by step, then it is very likely that he would possess the ability to challenge higher grades at every level and become invincible among his peers.

At least Li Qi knew that when the Demonic Prince advanced to the Sixth Grade with the bearing of an Overlord, the theoretical formula for Sixth Grade combat power would probably have to be revised for him again.

However, Li Qi didn't feel anything about it; he had known since his days as a Lifter that this world was not simple, and he was not some kind of world protagonist.

This world is too vast.

In such a vast world, no matter how strong you are, there will always be someone stronger than you; the world is full of wonders, and there will always be someone more powerful than you.

This saying might not apply much to the Demonic Prince.

For now, there might not be a stronger Seventh Grade in the world than him.

At least Li Qi thought so, and he hoped that the brothers and sisters from other major forces could curb the Demonic Prince's arrogance and give him a good slap in the face.

Therefore, Li Qi accepted the invitation; he and Shen Shuibi were going to Penglai, to broaden their horizons in the Dao Orthodoxy Holy Land, and also to see how the Demonic Prince would fight the Young Heavenly Master.

With everything ready, Li Qi shouted up to the sky: “Old Ma!”

A loach, less than a finger long, swiftly darted out from a nearby mountain stream, then its body suddenly expanded in mid-air, stopping only when it reached over two hundred zhang.

Maintaining this posture, he let out a series of Dragon roars that echoed through the mountains, then flew to Li Qi's front.

At this moment, Old Ma had also completely stabilized his Eighth Grade form, and he was becoming more proficient with his Dragon body.

As a Cong Dragon, his speed was still astonishing, and his stamina was even more terrifying; Li Qi’s cruising speed still couldn’t match his.

Although Li Qi’s burst speed far exceeded Old Ma’s, and he could leave Old Ma in his dust in a short time, movement itself required energy and mental control for Li Qi.

But for Old Ma, his movement at cruising speed actually consumed less than his natural recovery, meaning that the current Old Ma could maintain cruising speed and keep going indefinitely, never stopping; thus, over long distances and travel times, Old Ma's cruising range was surprisingly larger than Li Qi's.

As expected of a Cong Dragon specializing in travel, truly professional.

No wonder many Great Powers have mounts; it turns out they really can't run as fast without one, even if Old Ma's cultivation is far lower than Li Qi's. He doesn't burn fuel to travel, so you can never catch up.

“Didn’t I give you a name? Why does boss still call me Old Ma? Can’t you change it? My name is Ma Ji now!”

“You’re so loud, I thought you were called Ma Su. Aren’t you still surnamed Ma? What’s wrong with calling you Old Ma?” Li Qi rolled his eyes.

Old Ma was incredibly smug now; with a name bestowed by the Grand Invoker, he wished he could hang the name Ma Ji on his chest for everyone to see. Now, when Li Qi called him Old Ma, he was displeased; he had to be addressed by his full name, Ma Ji!

Li Qi initially found it quite amusing and addressed him by his full name, but later, he got used to calling him Old Ma again and reverted to the old address, yet Old Ma would remind him every time.

Li Qi didn't indulge him; it was just Old Ma, just Old Ma. Ma Ji was for San Pao to eat, how could a junior like you deserve beef?

Anyway, the two had been bickering about this without a conclusion.

However, it didn't affect their relationship; they still went about their business as usual.

Shen Shuibi shook her head; one person and one Dragon seemed to be at odds over this address. Oh well, as long as they were happy.

So she said, “Ma Ji, shall we leave now? For Penglai, you’ve already memorized the route, haven’t you?”

“Don’t worry, sister-in-law, it’s all sorted!” Old Ma said cheerfully, then swayed his body: “Get on, we’ll set off now. First, we’ll transfer from the Star-Mansion Array to the Baiyue, travel through the Human Dao territory, take the Earth Flow Vehicle to the local Golden Dais, then be sent from the Golden Dais to the Northeast, and then go to Hu Liang, from Hu Liang directly into Penglai. The journey will take at most twenty days, or fifteen days if we’re fast.” Old Ma patted his chest, looking as if everything was well-arranged.

Shaman God Mountain has the Star-Mansion Array, and Human Dao has the Golden Dais. Dao Orthodoxy naturally has a similar mechanism called Hu Liang.

Once at Hu Liang, they could directly enter Penglai.

“Good, since you have an arrangement, that’s fine. Let’s depart then.” Shen Shuibi stepped onto Old Ma’s body; he was now two hundred zhang long, enough for a person to roll around on, so two people standing on him was like child’s play.

Li Qi also walked up, and Old Ma's figure coiled, suddenly soaring into the clouds! Rushing into the Layer of Fierce Winds!

That posture was truly:

Dragon swims through the sky, blue clouds as its Dao.

Yin and Yang as its chariot, riding the wind to the heavens.

Lightning as its whip, thunder as its wheels,逍遥乎 beyond the eight directions, unhindered!

Blue lightning circled around Old Ma, clearing the wind and breaking through the air for him. His massive body was hidden in the clouds, appearing as just a tiny shadow within, yet his speed was incredibly fast, driving the fierce winds, rushing dozens of miles in an instant.

At such speed, it was fortunate that both Li Qi and Shen Shuibi had cultivation; if they were Mortals, the acceleration alone would have killed them.

As they rapidly flew through the Layer of Fierce Winds, they could still see other travelers.

Some rode vehicles, some rode birds; there were various mounts and Spiritual Tools. Everyone, by tacit agreement, traveled through the Layer of Fierce Winds because they could use the naturally flowing fierce winds to accelerate; it was faster to travel here.

Many travelers were traversing with various missions, and various Shamanes were also rushing in their own ways. Unlike the orderly arrangement of roads planned by Human Dao, there was another set of rules here, naturally forming an alternative traffic system.

This was an exclusive domain for cultivators; those with low cultivation couldn't even ascend here.

Looking down at the ground from here was truly 'looking down'; everything on the ground was beyond reach.

This feeling could indeed easily make one lost.

However, Li Qi’s Dao Heart was not so easily swayed now.

The two departed, heading towards Penglai.