The Wonders of Creation

The sun had completely set behind the mountains, and the last rays of sunlight were about to disappear from the horizon.

Qin Yi suddenly summoned the Taotie.

The Taotie grew larger against the wind, rapidly transforming from Black Fur Ball into a vast, all-encompassing black cloud. Its abyss-like maw opened wide, absorbing and swallowing the last rays of the setting sun. The sky fell completely dark, as if the Taotie had devoured the light, causing the night to descend.

It's a very mysterious scene.

Li Wuxian looked somewhat amazed. Before this, she had thought, much like her father, that those who cultivated immortality were simply people with stronger abilities. Even though she had learned the profound Creation Golden Chapter, she hadn't really grasped its significance due to her limited cultivation.

Even looking at the two Formless Ones, I didn't feel anything...

But the scene of the gluttonous beast devouring the light right now truly made her feel that it possessed a divine intent that transcended mere "power," and she found it very interesting.

But this scene happened precisely after she had toured the mountains and rivers... her mind became somewhat distracted, and her interest waned a little.

The Taotie reverted to its small, fluffy form and landed in Qin Yi's palm. Qin Yi stroked the Taotie like a dog, then turned to Li Wuxian and asked, "What are you daydreaming about?"

"Wow, Tao Tao is amazing."

The Taotie revealed a smug expression, Qin Yi reached out and pressed it down, causing it to droop again.

"Tao Tao is quite unique." Qin Yi stroked Tao Tao and said, "Don't underestimate it just because it's only at the Cloud Soaring level now. If we're talking about its wondrous aspects, even a Qian Yuan cultivator might not be able to compare to it."

"Hmm..." Li Wuxian looked at Taotie thoughtfully. "Master, what exactly do cultivators cultivate? Powerful strength?"

"It's mainly for longevity, the power is just for protection. After all, without power, you would have been crushed to death long ago, so what's the point of talking about longevity? There are also people who want to explore the origin, seek knowledge and truth, and for them, power can be called protection."

"Are there any practitioners like Master who cultivate for other purposes?"

Qin Yi thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "A long time ago, Minghe told me that she cultivated the art of killing to slay demons and monsters. I don't know how her master managed to fool her, he almost made her a fool... In the end, she looks aloof and unapproachable, but she's actually quite silly and cute."

"Ha..." Li Wuxian laughed as well.

She thought her master was really fun.

My master is a chivalrous person, with a righteous heart, but he is completely different from the rigid and upright person I had imagined.

The Taotie in Qin Yi's palm curled its lip, seemingly with a slightly disdainful expression.

Qin Yi didn't notice, but Li Wuxian did. He felt that this was even more different from ordinary pets, so he laughed and said, "I think that cultivating immortality should involve cultivating things that are different from the norm. Things like Tao Tao, which are wondrous and magical, are much more fun."

"I think so too." Qin Yi smiled and said, "It's possible to continue cultivating the Creation Golden Chapter... It's just a pity that things in this world are often not as one wishes. Most of the time, I'm busy with the art of offense and defense, which means I rarely get to get involved in the things I like."

"Besides transformation, can the Creation Golden Chapter possess other wondrous properties?"

"Creation is not just about change... Of course, change itself is the most wondrous thing..." Qin Yi reached out and summoned a small stone from the mountain below. Qin Yi held it in his hand, then opened it again; the stone had turned into gold.

"This is turning lead into gold, usable at the Shining Sun Realm. Although the amount that can be transformed is very small, and it can only transform mortal objects, it has already taken this step—changing the properties of objects out of thin air, rather than a short-lived Illusions," Qin Yi said. "This is one of the wonders of creation, involving the essence of the world. If we continue to deepen it, it will also have powerful practical significance, but unfortunately, we hardly ever look at it until it can be used in actual combat."

Li Wuxian stared at the tiny piece of gold in a daze, thinking to himself that no wonder immortals had almost no desires for mortals.

If Huiyang is already like this, what about Qianyuan?

Qin Yi pointed to the mountain peak again.

A withered tree, stripped of all its branches and leaves, has visibly sprouted a few new buds.

"This is like a withered tree coming back to life. My current methods are insufficient, this is all I can do." Qin Yi looked at the new buds, somewhat lost in thought, and said in a low voice, "Flowers bloom in an instant, withered trees come back to life. If this method is mastered to a higher level, it can grant people longevity, and even bring the dead back to life."

Li Wuxian shook her head. "He doesn't need it."

Qin Yi turned to look at her and sighed, "Mm."

Li Wuxian turned to look at the new sprout and wondered if the inability of cultivators to become human emperors, or the inability of cultivators to delve too deeply into the mortal world, was related to these things, because it was too against the rules?

The natural order is constant. If the national economy and people's livelihood were managed like this—making money when there's no money, providing subsidies for seedlings during droughts—without any regard for natural laws, what would that be like...?

She's only Qin Xin now, so she should be fine. But if it were Huiyang or even Qianyuan... they might really face a direct heavenly tribulation.

It's uncertain; we can only speculate at this point.

But Qin Yi had clearly considered this as well, so he asked her, "So, are you more interested in these things, or in governing the country?"

Li Wuxian came to her senses and smiled, "This is my empire... I am Li Wuxian."

Qin Yi laughed heartily, then spurred the airship and disappeared into the distance in an instant.

"Master, can I borrow Tao Tao to play with?"

"Okay..." When Taotie showed its ferocity towards Li Wuxian before, Qin Yi secretly asked Liusu to add the part corresponding to Li Wuxian to its Wrathful Soul Wrath Soul Curse, otherwise this thing's so-called prohibition against hurting people is really unreliable.

Now that it's been added, it's perfectly fine to let Li Wuxian play with it.

"Tao Tao is special, we can't give it to you, you can only play with it for a few days... Hmm... Actually, it's more suitable for you to feed it than for us during this time. Its soul power is insufficient right now, and it would be a waste for it to swallow the high-energy things here. But as the emperor, you have quite a lot of resources that are suitable for it to use, and it can also protect you closely. But remember, Tao Tao is very fierce, you must order it not to hurt anyone."

"Okay." Li Wuxian happily picked up the Black Fur Ball and stroked it kindly. "It won't hurt anyone with me."

Taotie shuddered.

It was already late at night when they returned to Dragon Abyss City. Qin Yi put away the airship and landed on the ground with his apprentice.

Li Wuxian held Taotie in one arm and tugged at Qin Yi's sleeve with the other, somewhat reluctant to part with him.

Qin Yi patted her head. "You're an emperor now... Get some rest and conserve your energy. Your master isn't leaving anytime soon, see you tomorrow."

Li Wuxian stood there, watching Qin Yi enter the bedchamber before slowly turning and leaving.

"Tao Tao, this is the best teacher in the world, isn't it?"

Taotie sneered.

He didn't teach you anything; he just pointed here and there, showed off a few skills, and that's considered the best mentor?

As if knowing what Taotie was thinking, Li Wuxian muttered to himself, "Of course you don't understand, because you're just a Taotie, you don't know anything about humans."

The Taotie's black fur bristled.

Qin Yi never told you that this was a Taotie. How could you tell it was a Taotie from a Black Fur Ball? Whose Taotie looks like this?

Li Wuxian smiled slightly, "With your ability to devour everything, what else could you be but the Taotie described in ancient books? Appearance doesn't mean anything. Sometimes it's not that I'm so mysterious, it's just that most people in the world... are too stupid."

Taotie finally couldn't help but speak up, "Then your master was stupid for trying to hide it from you."

"Master isn't stupid," Li Wuxian said, pulling Taotie horizontally. "He's the one who understands me best."

While chatting idly, they slowly walked to Li Wuxian's own palace. A group of eunuchs and palace maids were waiting outside. Upon seeing Li Wuxian return, they all bowed and said, "Your Majesty."

They seem quite used to His Majesty going out alone and returning in the middle of the night, which must be something they've seen many times before.

Li Wuxian laughed and said, "Go and find me a few things."

"Please give your orders, Your Majesty."

"I want Heartbreak Grass, Thunder God Vine Gelsemium, Gelsemium Red Crown Cranes Poison, arsenic, Arsenic trioxide, Strychnos nux-vomica, Oleander, Aconitum carmichaelii..."

The eunuchs and palace maids stared in disbelief. "Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

A Black Fur Ball struggled desperately to escape from His Majesty's hand, but His Majesty pulled it back, smiling and saying, "Just go and find it; you don't need to worry about anything else."

"Amitabha... Your Majesty's actions are contrary to the principles of Heaven."

A faint voice came from inside the hall, but the others seemed not to hear it. Taotie paused for a moment and stopped struggling.

Li Wuxian, however, was not surprised. He casually stepped into the hall and lit a candle. "So you just want to take on a disciple, huh? I don't know where you get the confidence to start disciplining me before you've even accepted anyone. Come on, show me and Tao Tao a few tricks. Besides your ability to hide your tracks, what other methods do you have that dare to be so arrogant?"