Chapter 1168: Peacock Land
The human race was one of the rare races in the Heaven Spirit World. Outside of those scattered across the world, they gathered in two famous locations.
The first was the renowned Exquisite Valley. It was one of the top lineages, so there were many human mortals and cultivators there...
Of course, the excellent bloodlines of the humans all came from this valley. If one couldn’t find a suitable bloodline there, they would be hard-pressed to find one anywhere else.
The other base for the human race was Peacock Land. However, the land of the peacocks was in great decline in the present day. It could no longer be compared to the Exquisite Valley. Legend states that in its most prosperous generation, it was even greater than the valley.
It was a landmass that spanned tens of thousands of miles. This was not much if placed in the other eight worlds; it could only be considered the territory of a nation at best.
However, in this world of boundless oceans, this vast landmass was already considered a great continent.
One could see rolling hills and green trees everywhere in this place, making it look full of life. Smoke from kitchens lingered in the air with roosters crowing and dogs barking continuously.
This was a land full of legends. It didn’t always have the name Peacock Land. The name was eventually changed due to the Peacock Treefather. It is said that a long time ago, this place was a very small landmass with only around one hundred miles of territory. It was not so much a continent as it was a large island.
Later on, the Peacock Treefather met his maker in this place and returned to the origin. He took root and refined the nearby sea region, turning it into a continent.
From then on, Peacock Land became prosperous under the protection of the treefather. Humans were able to live here peacefully from one generation to another.
In principle, the treefather was still part of the Treant Race. He should have opened a new land for the treants, but he chose to do so for the humans.
There was a legend about this story. When he was younger, he was a wandering treant that was abandoned by his parents. He eventually wandered to this island and was adopted by a nice couple who then raised him. He grew up here where human cultivators taught him how to cultivate. They opened the doors to this world of cultivation for him, a door that he had never seen before.
As he became stronger and stronger, he traveled the Heaven Spirit World and even the nine worlds. Ultimately, he still viewed this landmass as his home despite being a treant for he considered himself a human.
Eventually, he met his end. Even though he couldn’t pass down his legacy, he still took root here to make Peacock Land even larger for the other humans, a land of contentment.
“Splash!” The seahorse leaped out of the ocean and stepped onto Peacock Land.
Li Qiye was still resting with his eyes closed on Kong Qinru’s chest as if all in this world had nothing to do with him.
Kong Qinru was hiding her body again so that no one could tell that she was the Exquisite Valley Lord. If Golden Isle knew that she was the one who seized their groom, things would be quite problematic.
She slowly said as the seahorse landed: “We’ve arrived at Peacock Land.”
While taking in the fragrance of the earth and the breath of the continent, the scent of the flowers and trees, Li Qiye took several deep breaths and opened his eyes.
With majestic hills and scary peaks that towered all the way to the skydome like giants, this was a scene of greenery as far as the eyes could see. It gave spectators an incredible feeling.
Others wouldn’t notice anything, but this Peacock Land looked different in Li Qiye’s eyes. He was seeing the approaching twilight.
Despite its lush and vibrant appearance, Li Qiye saw a huge old tree. Even though its branches and leaves were still fresh, the body itself was aged and near death.
Li Qiye quietly spoke while looking at this land: “Peacock Land... The Peacock Treefather will wither eventually, and that time is not far from now.”
Kong Qinru felt quite sad inside after hearing this.
A treefather would take root in the earth to protect their descendants. This was the difference between an Immortal Emperor and a treefather. Immortal Emperors would eventually leave, but treefathers would stay for generations. Nevertheless, this didn’t mean that they were everlasting. Even these divine trees would wither one day.
Returning to the earth was another method of living longer, but it was still not immortality. Of course, this period was still extremely long relative to the lifespan of mortals and even cultivators.
Li Qiye looked at Kong Qinru and said: “In the future, humans at the Heaven Spirit World will only have one base left.”
She went quiet for a moment before helplessly speaking: “Maybe in two or three generations, the treefather will die and Peacock Land will collapse with him.”
When a treefather died after taking root, a large part of the earth refined by him would also fall.
For example, at least Peacock Land would be destroyed after the treefather’s death. Moreover, the remaining land would become increasingly barren until it eventually became uninhabitable.
Li Qiye nonchalantly commented: “When it is time to leave, one has to leave.”
She could only sigh gently. In fact, this had been the trend for a while now; many cultivators would migrate.
Remember that this place used to be extremely prosperous with several powerful human lineages due to the treefather’s protection. However, as the tree grew older, these powerful lineages began to decline and moved away from this land. They didn’t leave the Heaven Spirit World, instead moving to other territories. Some even chose to become tributaries to the other three great races.
In fact, many cultivators here understood that there was not much time left for the Peacock Treefather. Those who were able to move away had already left. Only mortals or weaker cultivators would stay here, or those who had a deep attachment to this land.
The seahorse slowly moved forward. Some villages began to appear among the rolling mountains. The smoke that wafted from them made it seem like this was a land of paradise. However, there was no escaping the signs of withering. It seemed that the young and robust had started moving away. Only orphans, widows, and the old were left in these villages.
The truth was not far from this depressing description. The capable have all left, leaving behind the mortals and those who couldn’t make it.
Even though the Exquisite Valley also had a branch in this place, Kong Qinru couldn’t conveniently come here at this moment. Of course, a cunning rabbit has three nests. There was more than just one stopping point belonging to the valley here.
She brought Li Qiye to a house with a fully enclosed courtyard in a small village. The owner of this house was a disciple of the valley disguising as a vagabond.
“Do you have any plans, Young Noble Li?” She asked after preparing a place for him.
“If possible, I will wait for your message.” He looked at her and said: “Once you find the whereabouts of the person I’m looking for, I will set off immediately.”
She wanted to say something but decided to swallow her words. She nodded instead: “Don’t worry, Young Noble. I have sent the order. As long as we find the person you are looking for, we’ll receive updates right away.”
Li Qiye nodded back. He was very confident in the valley’s ability to find Su Yonghuang.
“I will go say goodbye to the Peacock Treefather tomorrow.” He said as she was leaving.
She paused and turned around to say: “I’ll go with you to the Peacock Peak tomorrow.”
“Very well.” He replied: “Prepare some incense for me. There might not be another chance in the future after this offering.”
Her heart sank again as she gently sighed: “I will.”
Regardless of whether she was willing to accept this fact or not, the Peacock Treefather was indeed wilting away.