Chapter 6: Arrival of Bi Yun Bearing Precious Spiritual Objects, Lightly Equipped Departure to Three Mountains Island
"It is both a tribulation and an opportunity."
Shi Ji had already left, but Li Mingzhu still stood mid-air, muttering to himself.
After a long time, Li Mingzhu slowly turned around and descended. As for what revelation he had attained, only he truly knew.
"Mingzhu, how was it? Did Lady Shi Ji retreat?"
Seeing Li Mingzhu descend, Li Jing quickly stepped forward to inquire.
Although he didn't know the specifics, the intensity of the previous duel was clear to him. Fortunately, Lady Shi Ji had been driven away.
Li Mingzhu rolled his eyes—this was such an obvious question.
"Everything's fine. That Lady Shi Ji is tied to Nuwa by karmic threads. If we're being honest, she can be considered one of our own. It was just that her identity wasn't recognized at first. Once clarified, there was naturally no further issue."
Still, after some contemplation, he added a few words, just without delving into all the details—though he wasn't far off.
"I see..." Li Jing nodded and wanted to say more but couldn't find the right words.
"Father, I have something to report."
"Oh? What is it? Speak your mind."
Li Jing, in good spirits, noted his youngest son's budding sense of propriety.
"To report, Father, although today's matter has been resolved, I have promised Lady Shi Ji to go to Golden Turtle Island as her attendant for the birthday celebration of Duobao, the Immortal Master of the Jie Sect."
Li Mingzhu explained, glancing at Li Jing, who had recently become frail with streaks of gray in his hair, despite his prime years. Li Jing was rather pitiable—a thought that arose in Li Mingzhu but was swiftly suppressed.
"Hmm, a man's promise is worth its weight in gold. Since you've already agreed to Lady Shi Ji's request, you must fulfill it. Duobao Immortal Master is a mighty cultivator of divine skills. When I was studying Dao under my mentor near West Kunlun Mountain, he often spoke of this Immortal Master. You must handle this solemnly."
Li Jing spoke with a bright smile, his joy unmistakable.
Though thrilled at his son's fortune and connections, he was nonetheless somewhat uneasy. After all, this journey required travel across the seas.
"Yes, Father," Li Mingzhu replied.
"Let's not alert your mother just yet. Wait for my instructions." Li Jing suddenly remarked in a lowered tone.
Li Mingzhu quickly understood Li Jing's intent—to make arrangements for him. After all, Yin's child was only three months old. It was rather heartless to separate them so soon.
"Thank you, Father," Li Mingzhu expressed his gratitude and promptly added, "Father, I'll take my leave now."
"Very well."
Li Jing stroked his beard and laughed heartily, looking at Li Mingzhu's departing figure with increasing fondness.
And then, he roared with laughter!
Indeed, the more he looked at Li Mingzhu, the more he liked him these days—and it seemed Li Mingzhu felt similarly toward him.
"Sir, there is someone waiting to meet you outside. He claims to be Bi Yun, a junior from Skull Mountain's White Bone Cave."
Li Mingzhu had scarcely left when an elderly steward reported.
"Let him in."
Li Jing promptly ordered and sent someone to summon Li Mingzhu back. Though he suspected Bi Yun was here to deliver gifts for Duobao, he still harbored some concerns.
"Bi Yun, junior of Skull Mountain's White Bone Cave, greets the esteemed Lord General. I come bearing gifts."
Bi Yun respectfully saluted Li Jing, smiling at Li Mingzhu as well.
"Thank you for your troubles, young one," Li Jing replied with a polite smile, then handed the jade box containing the spiritual treasures to Li Mingzhu.
Li Mingzhu received the box, and his Divine Sense penetrated its seal—an Ancient Scarlet Fruit!
Good heavens!
Li Mingzhu exclaimed internally. An Ancient Scarlet Fruit was a spiritual treasure of such caliber that even a Daluo Golden Immortal would covet it.
Without showing his amazement outwardly, Li Mingzhu calmly placed the jade box into the Qiankun Ring's storage dimension. Bi Yun soon excused himself, bearing no resentment toward Li Mingzhu for shooting down Cai Yun earlier.
He dared not, nor could he.
After Bi Yun left, several days passed where both Li Mingzhu and Li Jing labored to persuade Yin.
Through endless cajoling and reasoning, Yin finally consented to allow Li Mingzhu to embark on his distant journey—proof, perhaps, that blessings must be sought through perseverance.
Yet, when the time came for departure, seeing Yin's tear-filled eyes, Li Mingzhu felt a pang of guilt.
"Child, go forth. You should soar like an eagle across the skies. Just remember to return often," Yin urged.
Yin, no ordinary woman, noticed Li Mingzhu wavering and wiped her tears before resolutely addressing him with genial strength.
How could a warrior's household harbor weakness? Even the womenfolk were an exception—Yin herself was once a valiant general.
She was skilled in Daoist arts, and if she were to duel Li Jing today, there was a good chance he'd lose.
At last, Li Mingzhu set off, traveling lightly and simply, with only himself, his Qiankun Ring, and his Ling flying ribbon.
The ocean was vast and equally monotonous.
Especially in this Primordial World, where the expanse of the sea dwarfed Earth's oceans by magnitudes. Azure waves stretched endlessly, majestic yet monotonous; it was breathtaking at first glance—but grew tiresome with time.
Li Mingzhu, for instance, now felt utterly disenchanted, nauseated even, from staring at it daily.
He had underestimated the disadvantages of lacking Divine Communication Techniques. As Nuwa's attendant, Ling Zhuzi naturally had access to such skills but was inherently lazy and had learned none.
Meanwhile, Li Mingzhu's Daoist heritage from his previous life was far too shallow, rendering it ineffective in this Primordial World. Nuwa's Divine Thought guidelines also lacked Daoist techniques.
The "Chaos Creation Skill," though unmatched for cultivation foundations, offered no techniques or divine abilities. No matter how sturdy the foundation, it remained useless without operational methods!
Perhaps Nuwa intended for Li Mingzhu to seek mentorship under other eminent divine cultivators, as she hadn't passed down such techniques herself. Whether she simply wished to curb Ling Zhuzi from exploiting daoist skills as a newborn remains uncertain.
Thus, Li Mingzhu found himself in dire straits—a reservoir of seemingly boundless mana yet reduced to slow, plodding flight.
Though he would eventually reach Golden Turtle Island, the journey would consume an entire month. Fortunately, his immense mana sustained him; otherwise, an average person would have faltered long ago. If only he had mastered some proficient flying Taoist techniques—he would have completed this trip in half a day at most.
At this moment, Li Mingzhu envied the monkey from Journey to the West immensely. The Somersault Cloud traversed 108,000 miles in one leap; what corner of this vast world couldn't be reached?
"Hmm? An island?" Li Mingzhu murmured in surprise before delighting at the sight of land.
Spotting the direction, Li Mingzhu accelerated, his figure darting toward it.
When his feet touched solid ground, Li Mingzhu almost felt like crying. Any more flying, and he swore he'd start sprouting feathers.
The island was modest yet contained everything essential, a self-sufficient haven.
However, Li Mingzhu quickly discerned that the island was a gathering point for loose cultivators by the sea. Though farmers and merchants populated it, they were all Cultivators, and what they cultivated or traded were anything but ordinary.
Sadly, Li Mingzhu could only spectate and not participate. Despite being born of a Saint's lineage, he was, in reality, embarrassingly destitute.
The few valuable items he carried were either insufficient or inappropriate for transactions.
The island, named Three Mountains Island, had been constructed under the supervision of the East Sea Dragon Clan's Third Prince. Its purpose was to foster economic exchange between the Sea Clan and loose cultivators.
Given the strained relations between these two groups in the oceanic realm, trade opportunities remained vital as their resources complemented each other.
On this island, Spirit Stones served as the primary currency. Though the ocean abounded in Spirit Veins yielding abundant Spirit Stones, they were often guarded by powerful Demon Beasts or Sea Beasts, making extraction perilous.
"Let me out—I'm suffocating in here!"
Having gathered this information, Li Mingzhu casually sat on a tree stump, and soon a small gray head poked out from his collar.
Naturally, it was Zhu Xiong, who had secretly snuck along. Thinking Li Mingzhu unaware, Zhu Xiong had in fact been pressed tightly into his clothes by mana for the entire journey.