Chapter 385 - 383: Dream Tree

Li Qiye and Monk Dazhi took a stroll around Feihuai Village. Before they knew it, they had arrived at the village entrance. At the entrance stood an old tree. It was ancient, its age impossible to guess. The trunk was so thick it would take several people to encircle it, and its rustling branches spread out like a great umbrella.

Because the old tree had lived for countless years, its trunk was covered in moss.

Although the old tree looked ordinary, Li Qiye couldn’t help but sigh with emotion upon seeing it. "A Dream Tree," he said. "Truly a rare sight in this world."

"Perhaps only an Immortal Emperor could accomplish such a feat," Monk Dazhi murmured. "For a small village to have such a Divine Tree guarding its entrance is simply incredible! With a Dream Tree that has achieved Divine Communication protecting the village, even a Great Sage would have to tuck their tail between their legs and behave!"

Li Qiye looked at the Divine Tree before him and said nothing more. Though this was just an ordinary village in the Mortal World, it possessed the foundation of an Immortal Emperor. Moreover, it was an Emperor’s foundation that had never been used or depleted. Such an ordinary little village was likely a rarity in the entire world!

Just as Li Qiye and Monk Dazhi were standing under the Dream Tree, the old village chief arrived. He greeted the two of them when he saw them under the tree. Then, he stood before it, clasped his palms together, and murmured softly. It was impossible to tell what he was saying, but it seemed like a prayer.

After finishing his murmured prayer, he bowed to the Dream Tree again and again.

"Legend says the Dream Tree can grant wishes. Old Donor, were you also making a wish to the Dream Tree?" Monk Dazhi asked with a grin after the old village chief stood up.

The old village chief shook his head. "No, I was praying for our girl. My girl once made an oath here, so this old man comes to pray for her every day!"

"Your daughter also made an oath?" Monk Dazhi said in surprise. "That’s impossible, isn’t it? Your daughter is an incredible person!"

The old village chief gave a dry laugh. "It’s all because my wife and I pressured her too much. She’s not young anymore, and we were hoping she’d find an ideal husband soon to carry on our family line. But that girl just wouldn’t listen. In the end, after we pestered her so much, she made a vow to the Dream Tree: if the Dream Tree chose an ideal husband for her, she would marry him. If not, she wouldn’t marry at all!"

Hearing this, Li Qiye couldn’t help but smile. The Dream Tree did indeed have legends about granting wishes. However, the one before him had already achieved Divine Communication; it wasn’t a wishing tree at all! ’It seems the old village chief’s daughter was pushed into a corner by her parents, which is why she made such an oath before the Dream Tree.’

THUD! Something fell from the Dream Tree, landing right on Li Qiye’s head. He instinctively caught the object as it bounced off his scalp.

Li Qiye looked at what he had caught. It was a Jade Pendant. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, and it was engraved with the character for "bamboo." Judging by its style, it likely belonged to a girl.

"That’s my girl’s Jade Pendant!" While Li Qiye was still bewildered, the old village chief cried out in delight. He immediately turned to Li Qiye and said excitedly, "This is the Jade Pendant my girl left behind when she made her vow! The Tree God took it back then, and today... today, it... it actually reappeared!" At this point, the old village chief was overcome with excitement.

"Ha! The Tree God has eyes! It has finally chosen an ideal husband for my girl!" The old village chief gripped Li Qiye’s hands tightly, exclaiming, "Ha, I’m going to tell my wife!" With that, he turned and ran back toward the village.

"Wife! Wife! Wonderful news! Wonderful news!" the old village chief shouted as he ran.

Li Qiye stared at the Jade Pendant in his hand, momentarily dumbfounded. He looked at the Dream Tree, feeling an urge to rip it out by the roots. They had just been talking about the old chief’s daughter, and the Dream Tree had dropped this pendant right on his head. He was certain the Dream Tree had done it on purpose. This was no ordinary old tree; it had achieved Divine Communication!

"Hee, hee, congratulations, congratulations! You’re about to become a groom," Monk Dazhi said with a sly grin, seeing Li Qiye staring blankly at the pendant.

Li Qiye shot him a sideways glance. "Congratulations, my foot. Who said I’m going to be a groom?"

"Heh, whether you do it or not is probably not up to you. Although Old Donor Yang is a Mortal, his daughter is a formidable figure. Besides, Feihuai Village has produced many great personages in the past. Heh, now that you’ve taken her Jade Pendant but don’t want to be the groom, I’m afraid you’ll be dead meat," Monk Dazhi said gleefully.

After saying his piece, Monk Dazhi turned to leave. Seeing him about to flee, Li Qiye asked strangely, "What are you running for? It’s not you who’s becoming the groom."

"Heh, you don’t know. That girl of Old Man Yang’s is a real handful. If she finds out a fiancé suddenly popped up out of nowhere, she might just go berserk and raise hell. Heh, more importantly, if she knew this humble monk was also present, then even the Yellow River couldn’t wash me clean! It’s best I make my escape now." With that, Monk Dazhi vanished in a flash.

Li Qiye didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He had no idea who this daughter of the old village chief was, but seeing even Monk Dazhi flee, he could imagine that this girl was truly extraordinary.

However, Li Qiye had never feared anyone in his life. But this matter was simply too bizarre. He had inexplicably become someone else’s fiancé. It was the kind of situation he couldn’t explain even if he tried.

Just then, Li Qiye saw the old village chief and his wife rushing over from a distance. Behind them followed a large crowd of villagers, young and old. They were clearly excited, dragging their families along as they charged toward the village entrance.

Seeing such a scene, even Li Qiye’s hair stood on end. ’If I don’t slip away now, when will I?’ With that thought, Li Qiye didn’t hesitate and turned to leave.

When the old village chief and his wife arrived under the Dream Tree and saw no one there, the chief’s wife immediately grumbled, "Look what you’ve done, you old coot. You got so excited you scared the new son-in-law away."

"No, absolutely not!" The old village chief practically jumped. "Quick, quick, send an Immortal Sound message to our girl! Tell her to come back right away! Her fiancé has run away!"

After escaping Feihuai Village, Li Qiye saw a small temple on a hill outside the village. At that moment, Monk Dazhi rushed out of the temple, carrying a large bundle on his back.

"Old Man Yang’s girl is rushing back! You’d better take care of yourself. I’m outta here! Heh, you’re on your own. If you try to run from this marriage, you might just have an army of thousands coming after you." Monk Dazhi fled to the horizon in an instant. Though his words were a warning to Li Qiye, his tone was tinged with schadenfreude.

Li Qiye didn’t know whether to laugh or cry and just shook his head. Although he had also fled Feihuai Village, compared to Monk Dazhi who had fled in disarray, he appeared much more calm and composed.

After getting his bearings, Li Qiye also leaped into the air and vanished over the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Li Qiye had come to the Ghost Sacred Realm with a purpose this time. As he flew south, he took out the Ghost Source Ancestor Key and murmured, "Some mysteries are meant to be unraveled in this lifetime!"

Li Qiye had come to the Ghost Sacred Realm for certain things. Thus, he headed south toward a place he was not unfamiliar with.

Although Li Qiye traveled south, he was still within the territory of the Qianli River. Speaking of the Qianli River, the name referred to both a Sect Inheritance and a river.

In the Ghost Sacred Realm, when a Cultivator mentioned the Qianli River, they would definitely think of the Demon Sect passed down from Qianli Immortal Emperor. In fact, the Qianli River was also a great river.

One could even say that the Qianli River was the largest river in Yao Yun, and perhaps the entire Ghost Sacred Realm. Across the Yao Yun Land, the Qianli River stretched for tens of thousands of miles, coiled like a Giant Dragon before finally emptying into the vast ocean.

The jurisdiction of the Qianli River covered a territory tens of thousands of miles wide on both banks. Within this territory, many Inheritance Sects and Jiang Country Sects were affiliated with an Emperor Immortal Gate like the Qianli River!

As a massive river, perhaps even the largest in the Ghost Sacred Realm, the Qianli River originated from an impossibly high mountain range. Some who had traced its source claimed it could be followed all the way back to the First Evil Tomb.

This gave rise to a saying in Yao Yun and even the entire Ghost Sacred Realm: the Qianli River begins at the First Evil Tomb and ends at the Thousand Islands! The very fact that this great river originated from the First Evil Tomb imbued it with a legendary aura!

For millions of years, the Qianli River had been shrouded in a mysterious veil of mist, as if the great river held many unknown secrets.

Over these millions of years, many had tried to uncover the secrets of the Qianli River, but few succeeded. It was once said that if anyone knew the river’s secrets, it could only be Qianli Immortal Emperor.

This statement was not without reason. Just like the river itself, Qianli Immortal Emperor was also shrouded in a mysterious mist. There were even rumors in the world that Qianli Immortal Emperor had originated from the Qianli River!

Li Qiye traveled south along the Qianli River. He was in no hurry to reach his destination, so he sometimes flew and sometimes walked, reminiscing about this land.

Over millions of years, Li Qiye had visited the Ghost Sacred Realm many times. As for the Qianli River, he had been there even more often. Especially during the era of Qianli Immortal Emperor, his footprints had covered both banks of the river.