Someone asked, “Then… where are all the humans?”
Li Qingshan smiled and pointed down. “Look.”
Before he had even finished what he was saying, the surroundings rapidly changed. Various sceneries receded. The sky and ocean blurred into a bright, blue background as thousands of colours were extended into long streaks before suddenly halting again. They had already travelled thousands of kilometres away, once again experiencing the unbelievable power of a god.
The green-eyed child that the Great Banyan Tree King had turned into was held by madam Vine. He had been trying to break free from her embrace the entire time, but he never succeeded. At this moment, he actually forgot about struggling, calling out loudly, “So powerful! No wonder I wanted to become a god!”
Everyone gazed in the direction that Li Qingshan pointed in. It was also a spacious continent, even larger than the one earlier in terms of area. However, it was an endless expanse of “golden” plains.
It was golden because an endless expanse of wheat fields grew there, glistening under the sunlight. There was also rice, fruit trees, mulberry trees, and all sorts of crops. It was a sight of a bountiful harvest. Even the great cultivators who had already grown distant from the society of mortals felt a sliver of joy well up inside.
There were no towering mountains or white-water rapids on this continent, only smooth, sloping hills and criss-crossing waterways.
The humans from the nine provinces were settled on this continent. Following their initial confusion, they all began a new life, harvesting the crops and building houses. The climate was extremely warm anyway, and the land was filled with edible food, so they did not have to worry about the cold or starvation. Many establishments had already begun to appear through the wilderness.
Even after the numerous disasters the nine provinces had faced, their population still reached over a billion, but that was nowhere near enough to fill up this spacious continent. Cultivators who knew how to view the aura of the populace saw the aura of the people gathering and surging together, completely freed from the shade of war and death. They could basically foresee the future prosperity of this place.
The King of Southern Yue thought, If I can found a country on this continent, it’ll definitely surpass even the Great Xia empire!
The continent basically possessed an environment most suited for human habitation. There was none of the misama from the jungles of the Mist province, none of the droughts from the deserts of the Scarlet province, and none of the harsh coldness from the tundras of the Mist province. It was basically covered in fertile, arable land. It did not even require much tending to at all. Just living off nature was enough for them to be well-off. It was basically the paradise that humans dreamt of.
There were no obstacles from mountains or attacks from wild beasts. Coupled with the dense network of waterways, it brought great convenience to transport and communication, so both commerce and study became extremely convenient. That was exactly what served as the foundation of human development. They could found a perfect country here.
They had lost everything they once possessed, but unknowingly, it had also taken away the various inequalities of society. Everyone had to rely on their own two hands to work and toil. With the intelligence of humans, countless cities and towns would be built very soon. A painting of a flourishing age was being gradually unfurled.
However, that did not come without a price. In order to maintain the most basic ecological balance, Li Qingshan had also introduced many creatures like butterflies and bees, but he had not brought a single livestock like pigs, horses, cows or sheep, regardless of whether they were wild or domesticated. He had left them all on the Daemonic Beast continent so that they could face natural selection. He had basically divided them in the simplest and crudest way possible.
After all, the workload involved would be far too great. It seemed like just a wave of his hand, but he had undertaken countless meticulous calculations in the background. From the distribution of the people to the density of the rivers, he had considered all aspects. Otherwise, it might have been possible for him to break up families or for rivers to flood again and again. The laws involved were even more complicated than the laws of the world.
Even with the spirit turtle’s powerful calculations, this was all he could do. He personally believed that was enough anyway. With so many humans, they were already doing fine if they could simply live well. At the very least, the tough life that the majority were forced to live had been improved. Whether the land owners and landlords could eat meat was none of his business. Even to his own sons, he was not that considerate, so why would he care about them?
As a result, in a short while, even chicken eggs became items of luxury on the continent. A great big hog was even more coveted than a great beauty, while a fine steed could fetch the price of an entire city, serving as an absolute symbol of status and identity. If they could have a dog running behind them too, that was basically the definition of extravagance.
Because there were no boats in the beginning, these common animals had all been captured and brought over from the Daemonic Beast continent by cultivators that had flown over the ocean, so their value went without saying. Of course, there were also many daemons that travelled thousands of kilometres to capture a few humans to eat, but they were all risking their lives in the process.
As a result, most people were forced to spend their entire lives as vegetarians. A very long time later, the Dauntless monk secretly sung praises about Li Qingshan for this deed of his, saying that he truly did have a buddhist nature.
Rāhu Xiaoming thought, This should be the Human realm!
“Sir Qingshan, may I ask where my people are?” a Giant Lumberfolk King asked with great humility.
Li Qingshan nodded. “To the next stop!”
The third continent was much smaller than the previous two. Li Qingshan had specially left it to the otherfolk. Whether it were the Giant Lumberfolk or the Night Roaming Folk, as well as the various races beyond the seven great otherfolk races, they were all gathered there.
Li Qingshan announced, “Otherfolk, or should I say godfolk, no longer have to mingle among humans and daemons anymore! You do not have to be enslaved by anyone anymore. You can live your lives here or even rebuild your divine kingdoms and recover your former glory!”
The Giant Lumberfolk King became even more polite, bowing down. “Sir, I want to thank you for your benevolence as a representative of my race. I hope our experiences of these five thousand years can make us set aside our past grievances and rebuild our homeland.”
The other otherfolk kings were interested too, bowing towards Li Qingshan gratefully as well. The continent was not large, but it was definitely enough given the smaller numbers of otherfolk. On top of that, the terrain was highly variable, clearly having taken Li Qingshan much thought to take the various races’ habits and characteristics into consideration.
Rāhu Xiaoming thought, So-called otherfolk have always been extremely similar to the deva of the Heaven realm. This continent can be known as the Heaven realm.
Li Qingshan accepted their bows and thanks calmly. He smiled. “Hopefully, these arrangements can leave you all satisfied.”
Suddenly, the world shook.
In the endless outer space, a star shone with unprecedented light.
The small world was evolving. He shut his eyes and sensed the expansion of the world, together with the transition in the laws of the world.
The sun rose and fell. Time flew, yet it also felt like an instant.
The cultivators of the third heavenly tribulation abruptly sensed that the invisible shackles had vanished. They were filled with a sense of indescribable joy and ease. They immediately understood the world had already accepted them.
Their existence accelerated the evolution of the world too, as they were no longer “foreign entities” that the world had to reject. Instead, they were extremely precious resources. Every single one of them were elites chosen by the spiritual qi of the world.
The good graces that the world showed Li Qingshan had arrived at a new peak. With just a single thought, he could turn a mortal into a favourite of the heavens, as well as kill Daemon Kings and great cultivators. Divine graces were truly vast like the ocean, and divine might was truly fierce. As long as he wanted to, he could treat himself to all the joys and pleasures that a human could imagine.
A voice in his heart said to him, Let’s stop. Stay here and enjoy everything. Reward yourself properly. Stop chasing after those pointless things, just in case it all ends in nothing!
However, he raised his head, casting his gaze towards beyond the Nine Heavens again.
Su Mirao implied many things when she spoke, and he noticed all of them. He could basically imagine just how difficult and dangerous it would be for a nine-tailed fox that was only too anxious to see the world fall into chaos to want to avoid it at all costs.
Not to mention that the broken horn on brother ox’s head constantly reminded him. Even now, he was unable to imagine what kind of power could achieve that. Probably a mere finger was enough to crush him to death!
The path ahead of him was hazy, enough for him to die a thousand times.
However, for the ideal he held dear to his heart, he would not regret it even if he died a thousand times.
“Brother ox, let me cut off that bastard’s head to pay you back!”
At that moment, the smile on his face was flagrant and without any restraint, breaking free from all of his shackles inside.
