Li Qi carried Old Horse on his shoulder and continued walking forward.
A distance of ten li was, for Li Qi at this moment, merely a matter of minutes—practically as if it were right in front of him.
After a few minutes, Li Qi could already see the other party through his line of sight.
There were five people in total. The one at the front deliberately released his presence, allowing Li Qi to sense him.
That person was… incredibly handsome.
He was truly good-looking.
Dressed in snow-white robes, with a sword strapped to his back, seated cross-legged between phoenixes, wearing cloud-patterned boots, a jade-green sash tied around his waist, exuding a harmonious and elegant aura of Metal Qi.
However, his clothing style was different from that of the Tang Kingdom, so it didn't appear particularly ancient.
At first glance, the impression he gave was either that of a saintly figure or a deeply hidden antagonist.
Behind him stood four others with varying appearances.
Among them were both men and women, each dressed differently.
One had long eyebrows and large ears, a robust physique, clear eyes, and an imposing presence. He was shirtless, with dark red skin, standing twelve feet tall, muscles bulging, emanating a powerful and majestic aura.
Another was fresh and delicate, lively and adorable, wearing a pink skirt, clean and bright, about six feet tall, resembling a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old girl.
The third had eyes like autumn water, eyebrows like spring mountains, calm and noble, barefoot, her golden lotus feet covered by an Xiang skirt. She floated mid-air, her eyes lively and intelligent, appearing sharp-witted.
The last one was blind, grayish-white film covering his pupils, revealing no expression. He wore plain clothes and smiled faintly.
Yet, it was this last person who sent chills down Li Qi's spine because since Li Qi appeared, those blind eyes had been staring straight at him as if he could see.
The five of them noticed Li Qi and came toward him.
The white-robed handsome man leading them rode his phoenix ahead and greeted Li Qi with clasped hands: "Junior apprentice, nice to meet you for the first time. How do you find Wu Deity Mountain now that you've just arrived?"
Li Qi sensed their auras.
Sure enough, all five were disciples of great Shamans…
Instinctively, he stepped aside: "Shen…"
But after uttering just one word, he realized Shen Shuibei wasn't here.
Normally, in such situations, he would habitually consult Shen Shuibei about the other party's background. That rabbit had seen much and knew much; when judging someone's origins, he rarely made mistakes.
But now, Shen Shuibei wasn't around.
Li Qi's mood immediately sank, leaving him somewhat irritated.
Still, he maintained his composure, quickly regaining his usual demeanor. He gently set the sleeping Old Horse aside and smiled as he bowed to the five people: "Greetings, senior apprentices and fellow apprentice. May I ask why you've suddenly come here?"
Though he asked, Li Qi had already guessed their purpose.
Teacher, oh teacher… can't you keep things low-key? Must you always cause trouble for your disciple? Can't you make things easier?
The white-robed handsome man responded politely and kindly: "Junior apprentice has just returned to the sect. As fellow peers, we naturally must welcome you with a feast. Why don't you join us for a drink and get acquainted? It'll help us get along better in the future."
After all, they were from the same sect. Wu Deity Mountain wasn't some demonic sect encouraging infighting among its disciples. Politeness among members was quite normal.
Besides, even evil sects wouldn't encourage constant infighting. If they did, they'd have died out long ago. Constant killing would scatter morale, and there'd be no sect left to speak of.
Moreover, ordinary people don't go around shouting threats and fighting everyone they meet.
Thus, though both sides were well aware of their intentions, their outward behavior remained civil.
Li Qi immediately replied: "Please forgive me, seniors. My teacher urgently summoned me. Otherwise, how about this—I'll finish my errand first, then come over later. Would that work?"
The white-robed man shook his head and said with a bitter smile: "Alas, junior apprentice, I too cannot defy my master's orders. A Grand Invoker has commanded us to invite you to the banquet. Would you really refuse a Grand Invoker's invitation?"
"The banquet isn't hosted by just one Grand Invoker," the muscular man with dark red skin chimed in, his voice gruff. "All five of our masters will attend. This is a rare grand event for Wu Deity Mountain. You'd lose out big time if you didn't come."
Li Qi sighed inwardly.
It seemed Wu Deity Mountain had a highly detailed division of labor…
The group of Shamans dealing with the Tang Kingdom were busy running around like madmen, barely keeping up.
And yet, these people still had the leisure to host banquets.
Perhaps, in their view, the situation wasn't that serious. After all, once Li Qi decided to go to the Tang Kingdom, half the issue was already resolved. If he succeeded, the entire matter would be settled.
Moreover, this was Wu Deity Mountain's main gate. No matter what, nothing would go wrong here.
So, they remained carefree.
If the sky fell, the first- and second-rank powerhouses would handle it. These Shamans likely didn't care much about problems outside their responsibilities.
Furthermore, Li Qi had already figured out their intentions.
Inviting him to the banquet, which was hosted by five great Shamans, was clearly aimed at forcing his teacher to attend.
If he went, his teacher would have no choice but to come out and meet him, and thus also attend the banquet. That would inevitably lead to a direct confrontation with the five great Shamans.
What would happen then? Li Qi didn't even want to think about it.
Therefore, Li Qi immediately shook his head: "Please don't make things difficult for me, seniors. My teacher truly has an urgent matter requiring my return. Otherwise, I wouldn't have rushed here, even having a fifth-rank elder specifically come to fetch me."
At this point, the barefoot woman with a noble and refined aura spoke to Li Qi: "Junior apprentice, your words are amusing. Rushing here? This is the first time I've seen someone return to the mountain after cultivating to the eighth rank outside. You've been away for so long—why rush back now?"
Her tone was gentle, resonating with nature, carrying a sense of warmth and charm.
However, this had no effect on Li Qi. He simply shook his head again and repeated: "I hope senior apprentice won't make things difficult for me."
The lively and adorable little sister sighed dramatically: "Sigh, I don't want to make things hard for you either… But Master is pressuring me. You say you have your master's orders, but so do we!"
As she spoke, she grew visibly angry, puffing out her cheeks and placing her hands on her hips as she scolded Li Qi: "If you refuse to go with us, aren't you making things difficult for us? Besides, it's just a banquet, not a death sentence. What's there to fear? There'll be rare delicacies at the feast, beneficial for your body. It's not like it'll harm you. Why not go? Why are you being so indecisive? It's not like we're trying to hurt you!"
Li Qi felt a headache coming on.
True, they weren't trying to hurt him, but it was obvious they were targeting his teacher. Was he supposed to walk into this trap willingly?
The situation remained deadlocked for a while.
Li Qi's smile grew increasingly strained. He was already in a bad mood, and being blocked here only fueled his irritation.
Finally, the white-robed handsome man took the initiative: "How about this? Since none of us can defy our masters' orders, let's have a friendly competition. If we win, we'll ask junior apprentice to accompany us to the banquet."
"If we lose, we'll let junior apprentice leave first and attend the banquet later. How does that sound?"
Upon hearing this, Li Qi asked: "Senior apprentice, how do you propose we compete?"
The white-robed man replied: "Fighting isn't something we Shamans and Diviners pride ourselves on, and it might ruin the harmony between us."
"If we test a specific skill individually, none of us is a universal expert, and we all have our weaknesses. With five of us, there's bound to be something we're better at than junior apprentice. If junior apprentice loses, he might not accept it, and neither would we. That might escalate into a fight, which isn't ideal."
"How about this—we play a game of chess instead?" the white-robed man suggested.
"Chess?" Li Qi asked curiously. "What kind of chess?"
He had no interest in such cultural games and had never encountered them before. What was he supposed to do?
"It's not ordinary chess," the white-robed man explained. "I possess a small world with exceptionally fast temporal flow. It's a gift from my master. This kind of world, with such extreme differences in temporal flow, isn't something we can enter casually—otherwise, the chaotic flow of time might tear us apart."
"But we can project our will into it. We can't interfere directly with our physical bodies, but by projecting our wills onto this world as a chessboard, we designate a person and assign them different goals. Each of us places three pieces at different points in time. After a year in that world passes, we compare whose goals are closer to the designated person's actual fate. Whoever gets closer wins. During this process, only wisdom and reasoning are allowed—no other divine powers."
"This way, the competition becomes purely intellectual, and no one will have any complaints about losing."
The handsome man in white said this, then took out a bead from his mustard seed pouch.
Inside the bead was a sun, and near it, three tiny planets orbited.
On the planet farthest from the sun, there were signs of life. This planet also had two moons, each rotating and revolving ceaselessly.
Due to the differing temporal flows of different worlds, the orbital speed of the planets was extremely fast—about ten minutes for a full rotation.
In other words, ten minutes in this world equaled a year in the outside world.
This… this was an entire star system held in the palm of one's hand.
Although it was a ninth-rank world, it wasn't something an eighth-rank cultivator should be able to access, was it?
Wait—the white-robed man said it was a gift from his master. That meant his master, a third-rank Shaman, had given him this.
This was truly…
Worlds with peculiar temporal flows were rare, and such characteristics were extremely valuable. Even Li Qi knew that the value of such worlds would skyrocket.
But…
Li Qi shook his head and looked up, saying: "Senior apprentice, could we change the method of this chess game?"
The white-robed man was taken aback: "Why? Isn't this fair? We're only comparing our intelligence and reasoning abilities. There's probably no fairer game in the world."
"Though the inhabitants of that small world are weak, they aren't tools for us to manipulate their lives for amusement. My Dao doesn't allow me to do such a thing. Please, senior apprentice, suggest another method." Li Qi straightened his back and spoke solemnly.
At the same time, a surge of energy emanated from Li Qi's personal microcosm—a wisp of the Qi of the masses.
Upon hearing this, the white-robed man fell silent.
Then, his aura suddenly became chaotic.
The other four people turned to look at him simultaneously, and the blind man stepped forward, placing a hand on him.
After a while, he finished regulating his breathing.
Then, he bowed slightly to Li Qi: "Junior apprentice speaks wisely. I have matters to attend to, so I won't participate in this contest. Everyone, please proceed as you wish."
He bowed to Li Qi again: "Junior apprentice's words have shaken my Dao foundation. Whether intentional or not, this level of skill is sufficient. It seems I can't persuade you today. Farewell. But beware of the remaining senior apprentices."
With that, the white-robed man lightly patted his phoenix mount.
The phoenix let out a low cry and flew away.
"I'll try my luck with junior apprentice," the towering young man announced, stepping forward. "You used words to damage Senior Yan's Dao foundation. I'll test your own foundation."
Without waiting for Li Qi's response, he stomped his foot on the ground.
Li Qi immediately felt an immense pressure akin to a mountain pressing down on him!
But it was merely a mountain.
Suddenly, he felt…
Though this person was much stronger than Zhang Lan—perhaps even stronger than any eighth-rank cultivator Li Qi had met before, capable of taking on seven or eight Zhang Lans—compared to Shen Shuibei's eighth rank and his own, it seemed… not that impressive?
Just a mountain, after all.
Li Qi's personal microcosm carried the weight of an entire province.
Without dodging or retreating, without even raising a hand, Li Qi directly countered with his Five Sacred Mountains' Divine Qi.
A loud bang echoed, and the young man with dark red skin stumbled backward several steps. Despite his naturally dark complexion, his face visibly turned pale.
His face flushed with shock: "How is this possible? I've already refined thirty spirit peaks! My foundation is solid! Didn't he just reach the eighth rank a few days ago!?"
This person's inner strength was like… an entire continent, resilient and unyielding, making his earlier arrogance seem laughable.
Realizing this, the burly man flushed with embarrassment, immediately covering his face and fleeing underground without even bidding farewell.
Of the remaining three, the two women stared at Li Qi, their expressions shifting from calmness to astonishment.
This new peer…
A tough opponent indeed.
They quickly made their decision.
"Junior apprentice's foundation is solid, and his strength is outstanding. It seems we cannot detain you today. We sisters admit defeat. We can only hope our master won't be too harsh on us. Sigh, farewell." The barefoot beauty sighed, then bid farewell and, grabbing the reluctant little sister, ascended into the clouds.
The little sister seemed eager to fight, but she was forcibly dragged away, though the reason was unclear.
Only the blind man remained.
Li Qi frowned. What was going on with these people? Were they just messing around?
Now, only the blind man remained.
Li Qi sensed that this person was a diviner.
His fortune-telling aura was overwhelming.
It was obvious he was a diviner.
But he didn't leave. Instead, he stood in place, politely addressing Li Qi: "If you're in a hurry, please go and report back. I won't stop you."
"Why?" Li Qi asked.
"Because we'll meet again soon," the blind man said, his sightless eyes staring into the void.
Li Qi furrowed his brow, feeling utterly perplexed.
What did this diviner know?
Forget it—he'd better go find his teacher first.