Chapter 379 - 377: Parting

Hearing this from Li Qiye, Elder Daoist Peng’s face fell. Li Qiye looked at him and said, "It seems you’ve grown restless from all this quiet meditation, old Daoist. At this rate, when do you think you’ll ever master your Longevity Body?"

Elder Daoist Peng’s old face flushed, and he gave a dry laugh. "Heh, heh, heh... I was just thinking of taking a little stroll. Cultivating every day is quite tiring, you know. A breath of fresh air outside is beneficial for one’s cultivation."

"In that case, if you’re looking for a stroll, why not take a walk over to the Middle Grand Realm?" Li Qiye said, his eyes narrowing. "I can tell you about a few Secret Realms there. You can go and explore. Who knows, you might even get to taste some peerless delicacies. And since you’ll be in the Middle Grand Realm anyway, you might as well stay at the Xiyan Ancient Sect for a decade or so. Taking up a title as an Honored Guest Elder wouldn’t be a bad choice, either."

"Heh, you’re trying to lure me into a trap," Elder Daoist Peng said, refusing. "That sounds like a miserable chore..." This old Daoist was as sly as a ghost.

Li Qiye glanced at him and said with a leisurely smile, "If you don’t want to go, I won’t force you. However, I hear there’s a ruin from the Mythical Era that no one has visited for a long time. The Divine Fish in its Divine Lake must have become spirits by now. I’m talking about authentic Buzhou Mountain sea bream. Its texture is unparalleled in all the Nine Realms. A delicacy that should only exist in the Immortal Realm..."

As Li Qiye spoke, he shook his head with relish, describing the fish as if it were the only one of its kind in the world, absolutely matchless.

"Buzhou Mountain sea bream..." Upon hearing Li Qiye’s words, Elder Daoist Peng couldn’t stop himself from gulping. "Where is this ruined Secret Realm?"

"Well..." Li Qiye drew out the word slowly. "A place as wonderful as that... I generally only tell the Honored Guest Elders of my sect. How could I possibly let an outsider in on such a great secret?"

"Heh, heh, heh, I’ll go discuss it with my junior brothers! If they approve, I’ll go to the Middle Grand Realm!" Elder Daoist Peng said eagerly, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

Li Qiye laughed and told him the locations of a few places. After hearing the details, Elder Daoist Peng gulped several times, as if the delicacies were right before his eyes. He then shot off like a flash, shouting, "I’m going to discuss this with my junior brothers!"

Watching Elder Daoist Peng’s retreating figure, Li Qiye couldn’t help but smile. With an expert like Elder Daoist Peng as an Honored Guest Elder, the Xiyan Ancient Sect’s foundation would be that much stronger!

While preparing to depart for the Ghost Sacred Realm, Li Qiye told Chi Xiaodie, "You should return to the Lion Roar Sect. Of course, if you wish to stay at the Celestial Dao Academy, you can remain for another year or two. Any longer than that would be unnecessary."

Chi Xiaodie looked at Li Qiye, her heart filled with a storm of emotions. There were a thousand things she wanted to say, but she didn’t know where to begin. She hesitated, wanting to speak yet holding back, and her expression ultimately dimmed.

"Silly Girl," Li Qiye said, gently stroking her hair. "I’ll come back to the East Hundred Cities to visit someday. And, of course, the Xiyan Ancient Sect will always welcome you as a guest."

Hearing these words finally brought a smile to Chi Xiaodie’s face. In the end, she said nothing more.

The day of departure arrived. With everything ready, Li Qiye headed to where the Domain God resided. Li Shuangyan and the others were there to see him off, as was Elder Daoist Peng.

On the way, as they passed Xiu Peak, Li Qiye couldn’t help but gaze at it from a distance. Seeing Li Qiye staring at the peak, Elder Daoist Peng asked in a low voice, "Do you want to bid farewell to the Ancestral Master?"

Li Qiye gazed at Xiu Peak from afar for a good while before shaking his head. "No. We will meet again eventually." He withdrew his gaze and turned to leave.

In the deepest part of the Celestial Dao Academy, ancient pines twisted like horned dragons. It was the first time Li Shuangyan and the others had seen the Domain God. They were all stunned to discover that the Domain God was actually just an ancient pine tree. An invincible existence was nothing more than a pine tree; it was difficult to believe.

"Are you ready?" the Domain God’s ancient voice echoed.

Li Qiye took a deep breath. "I’m ready. Please send me to that place."

"I will have to pierce the World Jade. I cannot guarantee that I can send you to the precise location you mentioned. However, regardless of whether we encounter temporal turbulence, I can deliver you to the Ghost Sacred Realm," the Domain God said.

Li Qiye nodded gravely. "That’s fine. If I end up somewhere else, I will find another way in."

"Let us begin." The Domain God said no more as a pine branch slowly extended outward. The branch was only as thick as a thumb, but its bark resembled Dragon Scale. It looked incomparably tough, like a Divine Spear.

Li Qiye waved farewell to Li Shuangyan and the others, then leaped onto the pine branch. "Send me off," he said in a heavy voice.

"Go!" the Domain God cried out. In an instant, the pine branch carrying Li Qiye vanished into the Celestial Vault. A single branch now stretched from the deepest part of the Celestial Dao Academy into the depths of the Celestial Vault.

Li Qiye stood upon the pine branch as it shot into the void beyond the heavens at an unparalleled speed, rushing toward a specific location. It was moving so fast that its speed could rival that of a Domain Gate teleportation.

The Domain God sent Li Qiye out of the world with a single branch. Traveling at lightning speed, Li Qiye could still feel the Void falling away and countless stars receding behind him. In the blink of an eye, he was delivered deep into the expanse beyond the heavens.

"The Ghost Sacred Realm contains a land of great evil. In this generation, that ghastly thing might just emerge into the world." The Domain God’s voice echoed in Li Qiye’s ear as it transported him.

Li Qiye laughed. "When it comes to great evil, which of the Nine Realms doesn’t have its share? They are all just relics of a bygone era. The Human Emperor Realm is a land of great evil as well; its horrors are merely dormant."

"That is also true," the Domain God said with some emotion in its voice.

"As for that ghastly thing in the Ghost Sacred Realm..." Li Qiye’s eyes narrowed. "I actually hope it crawls out of that Ghost Land in this generation. Heh, that thing has been hiding for far too long. Many of the Ghost Sacred Realm’s mysteries have always been connected to it. If it crawls out, some of those mysteries are bound to be solved."

The Domain God didn’t comment on Li Qiye’s statement. This matter involved a monumental secret, something that could even be considered what the world called a Celestial Secret!

In the blink of an eye, the Domain God delivered Li Qiye to a location in the void. Anyone seeing this place for the first time would be utterly shocked.

Here, in the depths of the starry sky, an Ancient City stood firm within the endless Void. It was completely deserted, without a single soul to be seen. It seemed to have been abandoned for a very long time.

"The Star Sky Gate... a path to all the other realms. Once upon a time, this place was incredibly prosperous, a strategic point jointly controlled by all the great powers." Li Qiye sighed with emotion as he looked at the desolate Ancient City before him.

"Back then, during their battle, the Black Dragon King and Ta Kong didn’t even dare to remain within the Nine Realms. They entered a battlefield from the Mythical Era, and their fight still tore the heavens and shattered the earth," the Domain God explained. "The Black Dragon King ripped apart the Celestial Mandate, which ultimately destroyed the passages of the Nine Realms. The World Jade sealed itself, and from that day on, all contact between the Nine Realms was severed. The Cultivators of the world could no longer travel from one realm to another. Even beings on the level of Divine Enthronement wouldn’t dare to attempt it lightly, acting with the utmost caution."

Thirty thousand years ago, the Nine Realms were interconnected. As long as one had enough Essence Jade or was sufficiently powerful, one could travel to any part of the Nine Realms. Back then, every realm had a Star Sky Gate leading to the Otherworlds. Even if you couldn’t open a passage yourself, you could pay enough Essence Jade to have the jointly-maintained Star Sky Gate open one for you.

Unfortunately, the battle between the Black Dragon King and the Ta Kong Immortal Emperor tore the world asunder, destroying the passages between the Nine Realms. With the World Jade sealed, all travel between the Nine Realms ceased from that day forward.

In reality, over the past thirty thousand years, many people had tried to reopen the passages to the various realms. But with the World Jade sealed, opening a passage was more difficult than ascending to the heavens. Even if one was successfully opened, it would be extremely unstable. Not even Great Sages dared to make the attempt lightly. If a passage were to collapse, the consequences would be unthinkable; one could even suffer a gruesome death inside.

The Domain God sending Li Qiye into the void beyond the heavens alarmed quite a few people. A single pine branch extending into the expanse immediately drew the gazes of countless onlookers.

’What is the Domain God doing?’ The Domain God’s previous battle had shocked the world, so now, the slightest rustle of grass at the Celestial Dao Academy attracted immense attention. Its sudden action instantly alarmed many Old Undyings in the East Hundred Cities. In that moment, numerous people gazed at the Celestial Vault, and many powerful experts activated their Celestial Eyes to peer into the void beyond.

Many Great Sect Ancestors were stunned to see one of the Domain God’s branches carrying Li Qiye straight into the heavens. One Elder Ancestor, whose Celestial Eye could see where the Domain God was taking Li Qiye, muttered, "That’s the location of the Star Sky Gate."

Countless Great Sect Ancestors and legendary experts were stirred by this scene. Ever since the passages of the Nine Realms had been destroyed, the world’s major powers had abandoned the Star Sky Gate. After thirty thousand years, the Star Sky Gate had become a ghost town, utterly uninhabited.

It could be said that very few people had set foot in the Star Sky Gate over these long years. Besides, to reach the depths of the starry void, even with a powerful Flying Treasure, one would still need an equally powerful individual to steer it.

There was nothing to be gained by visiting the Star Sky Gate in the present day, so no expert was willing to waste their time on such a fruitless endeavor.

The Domain God suddenly carrying Li Qiye to the Star Sky Gate today was a shocking sight. One Great Sect Ancestor gasped, muttering, "Don’t tell me Li Qiye is trying to travel to another realm!"

The thought sent a chill through many hearts. Li Qiye was thriving in the Human Emperor Realm, so why would he suddenly harbor the notion of traveling to an Otherworld?

’Such audacity! To think of traveling to an Otherworld in this day and age... Forcibly opening the World Jade would have unimaginable consequences.’ Even legendary experts felt a chill run down their spines.