Zong Yan was taken aback and suddenly realized, Could this person be from the mainland? It seems he has only ventured overseas a few times and is unaware of the situation here...
With this thought, Zong Yan's eyes grew eager, and he quickly explained, "Senior, you may not know this, but there are no minerals and spirit plants on my island. Everything below the sea surface belongs to the demon clan, and we aren't allowed to touch it. The only thing we can offer is our population..."
He continued, "Not just my small island; even those guarded by Foundation Establishment Realm and the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators must pay both tributes in the form of humans and treasures to the dragon clan. The difference is merely in the quantity..."
Li Yuanjiao, arriving in this remote place, had not considered exploiting any ore veins or treasures. He simply nodded, feeling embarrassed and silent. Zong Yan interpreted his silence as a sign he had said something wrong, and a sense of dread washed over him.
"The mainland seems to differentiate between immortals and devils! Aren't there ancient cultivators too? What are they called again? Yue Cultivating... or was it Subjects of Wanyu..."
His doubt, combined with the aura radiating from Li Yuanjiao, caused Zong Yan to lose his composure. He kneeled down in fear, his voice trembling as he pleaded, "Exalted Immortal, spare me! We are forced into this, and we never intended to do so!"
Li Yuanjiao merely glanced at him. This man was not a disciple of the immortal sect or gate, and the murky qi surrounding him was impossible to hide.
Nonetheless, he held no expectations for overseas cultivators and responded in a deep, measured voice, "You have no choice but to pay tribute to the dragon clan. However, I can see your true essence is vigorous and powerful, indicating you have consumed blood and resentment qi. What more can you say?"
Zong Yan paused for a moment, stunned, then pressed his forehead to the ground and humbly replied, "My elders also came from the orthodox path... I understand, but—"
"But..."
He paused, raised his head, and looked at the people behind Li Yuanjiao before continuing sadly, "If I consume blood qi, I will deviate from the orthodox path forever... But if I stop taking it, I won't be able to protect them. There are many demons in the sea, Zong Yan has been doing his best."
Li Yuanjiao regarded him thoughtfully and said softly, "There is no orthodox path in these times. Get up."
Zong Yan responded respectfully and stood by his side. Li Yuanjiao then looked up at the kneeling crowd. One or two children timidly raised their heads, their eyes filled with fear.
Li Yuanjiao reflected, It is inevitable to pay tribute to the Dragon Son on this island... If we want to establish a foothold in the Eastern Sea, we must first appease the dragon clan... But what should I do?
The laws of his own clan were strict regarding this matter, and the immortal mirror in his arms still emitted a slight chill, sending a cold shiver through his heart. The Supreme Yin Profound Light had not failed him so far, and this was no laughing matter.
I'll call Qinghong over first.
Li Yuanjiao launched a talisman high into the sky that glowed faintly. Zong Yan flinched at the sight. Turning to Zong Yan, Li Yuanjiao asked, "Do you have any family or offspring?"
Zong Yan, having already surmised much, remembered hearing about mainland cultivators settling overseas. However, it was rare to encounter them in his remote location. Noticing that Li Yuanjiao was not as fierce as he first appeared and seemed to have some principles, he felt a surge of relief and quickly replied, "I am a Son of Diyang, I cannot bear children."
"A Son of Diyang?" Li Yuanjiao frowned.
Zong Yan grew more confident in his assessment and explained respectfully, "The Scarlet Pristine Sea extends eastward, crossing the Qunyi Gorge. There's an island called Shiqi , where a state named Diyang exists. The springs in Diyang are known as Nurturing Springs . As long as you throw spirit items into them, babies will emerge." [1]
He lifted the hem of his robe, revealing a smooth abdomen devoid of a belly button.
"These babies are known as "Sons of Diyang", born without belly buttons and infertile. Their flesh tastes bland, like water, and as long as the spirit item thrown is precious enough, they are likely to possess a spiritual orifice."
He chuckled, adding, "Cultivating the Dao is challenging, and many cultivators end up without descendants. Unable to produce heirs, many go there for the sake of continuing their lineage. My father was one of them. He passed away many years ago, and I now manage this island."
Li Yuanjiao found this information eye-opening. He regarded Zong Yan silently, who then lowered his head and said, "But people like me are not destined for greatness. Qi Cultivation Realm is the furthest I can reach. If I cultivate the Dao, I can't establish an immortal foundation. If I cultivate Buddhism, I can't obtain the dharma. If I cultivate the devil Dao, I can't establish my own mansion. If I cultivate spells, I can't create talismans..."
After hearing this, Li Yuanjiao found these limitations to be reasonable. Nevertheless, he was still amazed.
"This world is indeed a place of great wonder..." he said quietly.
————
On Mount Qingdu...
Li Xijun sat in the courtyard, dressed in a white robe, with Hanlin resting on his knees. The thin sword gleamed coldly in the light as he wiped it meticulously with a piece of white silk cloth.
Despite his focus, he was actually polishing the blade absent-mindedly until it shone brightly. On the table before him lay a jade bottle containing the Essence Gathering Pill .
Li Ximing had reluctantly handed him the pill before retreating into seclusion to meditate in preparation for establishing his foundation, leaving Li Xijun in charge of the household. Since the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators were away, he now held the highest authority among those present.
While he continued to wipe the sword absentmindedly, an old man in plain clothes approached. The man was at the ninth heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm. He cupped his fist and bent down slightly, preparing to kneel.
Li Xijun quickly urged him to rise and said politely, "What are you doing, Clan Elder? I can't possibly accept such a gesture from a senior."
The old man was Chen Donghe, one of the most senior members of their family. As Li Xijun moved to assist him, Chen Donghe straightened up and said softly, "I received news that Daoist Houfu of the Great Xiukui Temple has broken through to the Purple Mansion Realm and attained mastery of a divine ability. The Family Head wants me to deliver a gift, so I came up to the mountain to retrieve it."
Li Xijun was just thinking about this matter. Since the Great Xiukui Temple had no connections with his family, there was no need to send an expensive gift. However, he had heard that Daoist Houfu cared about nothing else except for his image. He feared that choosing the wrong gift could lead to offense, and was troubled.
Now that Chen Donghe was here, he decided to ask for his counsel.
"What kind of gift do you think we should prepare, Elder?" he asked.
Chen Donghe pondered for a moment before responding hoarsely, "Our family gifted Daoist Master Chuting a treasured panacea, so this time, we cannot offer anything less than that. In my humble opinion, a dharma artifact of peak Qi Cultivation Realm should suffice."
"Daoist Master Houfu is well-off and probably doesn't need any lavish gifts from our family. But since he is young and is rumored to care a lot about his reputation, we should send our oldest Family Head along with six Qi Cultivation Realm cultivators to present the gift. Showing enough respect with our gesture is most important; the gift itself is not as important," he explained.
After a moment of consideration, Li Xijun remarked, "This matter has spread too widely. It almost seems like someone is deliberately pushing it, or it's related to Houfu's divine ability. Our family should give him the respect he deserves, but we must be cautious."
After another moment of consideration, he decided, "Let's visit the Xiao Family first since they will also be going to congratulate him. If our family goes with them, there's nothing we have to worry about."
1. "Son of Diyang" can be literally translated as "child born from the earth". The literal meaning of "Diyang" means "born/nurtured by earth", and Shiqi means "World's Navel". ☜