Transportation

We have arrived in the Tang Kingdom.

Li Qi's spirits lifted!

He had been looking forward to the Tang Kingdom for a long time!

The interior of Wushen Mountain is quite peaceful, just like the way of Shaman Path itself. Everyone does their own thing and doesn't disturb each other. If there is something to discuss, they will communicate separately.

Let nature take its course and uphold the natural laws governing the universe; that's all that matters.

But that's not how Human Path works.

Human Path seeks change.

We innovate every day and are always striving for a better future.

Li Qi held Shen Shuibi in his arms and murmured:

"Human Path is infinitely complex, and its rules are all-encompassing. It guides people with benevolence and righteousness, and restrains them with punishments, thus unifying the world and bringing order to all people."

Reason Way and the Daoist sects have a portion of their lineages that follow the Human Path, even at the cost of breaking with their original Dao Lineage. This is enough to show that the Human Path is actually very attractive.

However, Li Qi had not seen it with his own eyes, so it was still difficult for him to understand.

The Human Path he had witnessed in the past was more like tyranny than Human Path.

Although magnificent and grand, it was ruthless, crushing all disobedients with terrifying and unparalleled brute force. There was no room for reason; it was either submission or death.

There is absolutely no other choice.

But he also knew that Human Path was not that simple, which was why he wanted to see it for himself.

Li Qi studied at the Imperial Academy, which was located in Chang'an.

This is...

Chang'an.

The center of Human Path in all the heavens and myriad realms, the place where the Human Emperor sits.

"Li Qi ..." At this moment, Shen Shuibi, in her rabbit form, spoke.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Shui Bi?" Li Qi asked.

Shen Shuibi's ears drooped, and she trembled all over, seemingly still not quite used to this form of address.

However, she quickly rallied and said, "Be careful, I've never been here before either... I'm not familiar with Human Path places, but the Tang Kingdom is very domineering and doesn't like to listen to people talk."

"Don't worry, the people from the Honglu Temple will come to pick us up. The Tang Kingdom won't let anything happen to us." Li Qi nodded, comforting the rabbit, then stroked its fur and tugged at its tail.

The trail is really long.

This made Shen Shuibi curl up into a ball, trying to stop him from continuing his nonsense.

The roc gradually shrank in size, standing on the edge of its wings. Gradually, Li Qi saw the scenery before him becoming clearer.

As the clouds and mist in the sky dissipated, the cave on the back of the roc was completely hidden, shrinking to only a few meters in wingspan, just enough for Li Qi to stand on.

At this moment, the roc spoke.

She spoke in a gentle, feminine voice:

"Young master, we came in a hurry and have no one with us. I also need to go back to report to the Great Shaman, which will probably take four or five days. There will only be two of you in Chang'an... Be careful."

"Don't worry, senior. I already knew about these things. It's only a few days, no problem." Li Qi smiled. He already knew about this.

That's normal. He didn't set off with the main force after preparing the mission.

Instead, after robbing Shen Shuibi, he was afraid that Ranked Shaman would come back and hang him up and beat him, so he quickly left to seek refuge.

When they came to study in the Tang Kingdom, even the Ranked Shaman couldn't say anything and could only stare blankly at Li Qi.

Upon hearing this, the rabbit curled itself into a ball, head and tail down, pretending to be just a fluffy ball.

"It's good that you have a plan in mind, young master. We've arrived." The roc circled in the air and then slowly descended to the ground.

The ground... is a metropolis.

Li Qi gazed into the distance, but could not find the boundary of Chang'an no matter what he did.

Just as Wushen Mountain covers an area of tens of thousands of miles, Chang'an's area, while not quite that exaggerated, easily reached the level of tens of thousands of miles in circumference, right?

To be honest, Li Qi found it a bit strange. In his imagination, Chang'an should have been boundless.

However, the area occupied was much smaller than he had imagined.

Spanning thousands of miles, it's roughly the size of Australia in my previous life.

It's about seven or eight million square kilometers, a little less than China, but a little larger than the United States.

A city of such enormous size is already quite terrifying.

But I always feel like something's missing?

Seemingly sensing Li Qi's doubts, the roc laughed and said, "Young master, there is no need to worry. Just like the Wushen Mountain in the world, Chang'an in the world is merely the central hub and the 'gateway'."

A portal?

Li Qi suddenly realized.

I see.

The roc continued to fly downwards, breaking through the Gale Layer.

Right here, prosperity is on full display.

All around were countless flying machines. Most of these flying machines could not break through the Gale Layer, but they were enough to travel around here.

Each flying vehicle has its own unique characteristics; some are flying mounts or exotic beasts, just like Li Qi's.

Some are Law Treasure, such as common boats and vehicles.

Others are massive public transportation facilities, such as buses or urban light rail.

A series of Technique Method pathways, resembling tracks, traverse this area, with strict regulations governing the routes.

Flight also has its own paths, marked by latitude and longitude, opening up correct tracks, numerous yet orderly, each flying within its own range.

Li Qi was the same. Dapeng seemed to know the 'traffic rules' here and was moving along a windless path constructed by Technique Method. Such rules allowed so many flying machines to operate in an orderly manner!

It's fast enough that it won't collide with other people.

Li Qi could see that there were countless ordinary people here who had not yet reached a certain rank. Although they possessed cultivation, they had not reached a certain rank, yet they were using the same public transportation as many people with ranks.

Some even bought their own aircraft.

Looking down from the air, you can see countless rivers.

It really is, countless...

A giant river, probably eight hundred miles wide, flowed through the entire city of Chang'an. From this great river, countless smaller rivers spread out, forming a water network that extended throughout the city.

These waterways also appear to have been meticulously planned to ensure sufficient permeability in every area, thus becoming the city's second transportation network.

What a magnificent river! The mighty Honghe River flows on and on, its source unknown, its destination uncharted, encompassing the earth and connecting to the vast expanse of the universe.

All one can see is foam rising and rushing, boundless to the south and endless to the north, with lush and verdant water lilies, on which live exotic birds and animals, gathering in large numbers, and countless people traveling by boat or riding on turtles and tortoises, adorned with finery and draped in purple and red, coming and going on the river in accordance with the seasons.

Li Qi even saw many Flood Dragons! These Flood Dragon carried palaces on their backs, floating above the great river, where people were drinking and making merry, with music playing softly.

In addition to water and air transportation, land transportation is also very well developed.

On land, there are various vehicles, or other land-based Law Treasure, and strange beasts among them.

Following the planned routes, these vehicles and Law Treasure beasts traveled on the roads, and some could even reach certain takeoff points to fly into the air or go into the water.

Some air and water vehicles are able to land on the ground, each with its own different procedures.

There are countless modes of transportation and hundreds of millions of people traveling through this city, yet they all abide by some strange and mysterious rules, which make everything orderly, well-organized, and perfectly orderly.

This is just transportation.

The buildings below are even more breathtaking.

The flying eaves stand like mountains, and the long journey is entrusted to others.

The towering Jieyun Pavilion is planted with divine trees and sacred herbs.

Ever-changing, each with its own unique form and purpose, the shady beams flow northward, while the yang birds soar southward.

The majestic pillars stand tall, the illustrious camphor trees gleam, hundreds of pillars stand in rows, and thousands of cypress trees support the pillars!

Various types of houses are situated below, some resembling residential buildings, easily reaching heights of several miles, piercing the clouds, with many flying vehicles passing by.

These residential buildings will also extend into roads, like overpasses formed by rooftops, allowing vehicles from the ground below to drive up.

These overpasses are interconnected, forming a three-dimensional transportation network, but there are no pedestrians, only vehicles.

Complex, yet orderly.

Through certain traffic rules, hundreds of millions of vehicles travel through this city, which is the size of Australia.

Li Qi suspected there might even be underground transportation, because he could feel the earth's energy constantly surging within the veins of the earth.

This would be a warning of an earthquake in the Baiyue region, but here there was no sign of it.

This reminded him of the 'Earth Flow Chariot' that Jing Yan had mentioned to him before.

A glimpse of the leopard through a tube reveals only a part of its brilliance.

Li Qi could tell the prosperity of Chang'an just from these transportation routes.

It is bustling yet orderly and full of life.

Rules protect everyone, but they do not restrict anyone's freedom.

Rules are meant to prevent you from being hurt or from hurting others; within those boundaries, you are free.

Or you could say it like this...

Rules bring freedom.

Wushen Mountain has few rules and allows all things to develop freely, but the mortals in the Baiyue region have no freedom whatsoever; they are still living in a feudal era.

Because without rules to bind us, social development is almost inevitable to stagnate, but Wushen Mountain doesn't care, because it is also part of nature.

A stone from 100 million years ago would still be considered a stone today.

Wushen Mountain will not deliberately carve this stone into utensils; it will only do so when necessary.

"I see, I see," Li Qi exclaimed.

He understood part of it.

These rules constrain the powerful in order to allow the weak a certain degree of freedom.

Law Power prevent ordinary people from committing crimes, while stronger oversight forces hinder Law Power, and so on, layer by layer, moving upwards.

Up to the highest ranks, the First Rank officials, they restrained themselves and served as the ultimate constraint on all these rules.

This layered structure, layer by layer, has created the current social order.

The orderly system allows everyone to enjoy the maximum freedom they can obtain without infringing on the freedom of others.

The boundaries of freedom are regulated; as long as you do not infringe on the freedom of others, you are free.

Just like the traffic lanes here, as long as you don't affect other people's driving, you can drive however you want.

That's why it's said that here, the rules that bind people actually bring freedom.

This greatly contributed to the prosperity.

Soon, the roc followed the aerial passage, traversing hundreds of miles, and landed on...

PARKING LOT?

He didn't know how to describe it, but in Li Qi's mind, this thing should be called a parking lot.

It covers a large area, spanning tens of square kilometers.

Many strange beasts, or magical Law Treasure that cannot be shrunk, are placed here. There are people patrolling and guarding them. There are also things like surveillance cameras all around, which are like the eyes of Law Treasure patrolling.

It was made very conspicuously and even flashed, making it more like a warning than surveillance.

The message warns those with ill intentions, "Beware, there are surveillance cameras here."

Moreover, the surrounding decoration style is also very interesting.

No wonder it had a blend of ancient and modern styles back in the 'Earth Oil Realm' of the small world.

At that time, it was said that the Earth Oil Realm was governed by "Human Path Evil Method".

This is the most advanced and enhanced version in the Earth Oil Realm.

The surrounding decorations are quite antique, but beneath the antique style lies an incredibly modern atmosphere.

Judging from its appearance alone, it is truly magnificent: a jade pavilion shrouded in emerald curtains, a screen veiled by clouds, dew glistening on the steps at dawn, and a gentle evening breeze blowing through the woods.

However, upon closer inspection, one can discover the advanced methods and measures hidden beneath these ancient and traditional styles.

In the Tang Kingdom, everywhere you looked, there was a Law Treasure of magical artifacts!

Yes, there isn't a single place that isn't.

The wall was there because advertisements were still playing on it, promoting flying swords.

The road was clear, and the road signs were dynamic, flashing to guide Li Qi out of the parking lot.

The flower beds along the roadside are also automatically watered, fertilized, and loosened.

Even the floor tiles are Law Treasure!

These paving stones subtly form a vast array, connecting the entire parking lot.

The vibrations transmitted by various techniques filled the surroundings, just like radio waves filling the entire earth.

Everything seemed to have been automated.

Aside from retaining a certain classical Eastern aesthetic, everything else has truly reached a level of 'science fiction'.

Holding the rabbit, Dapeng said as he parked in a spot in the parking lot, "Young master, the people from the Honglu Temple just spoke with me. They told us to park here and someone will come to pick us up."

"You communicated? When?" Li Qi asked in astonishment.

"When entering or leaving Chang'an, they all have to go through the inspection. At that time, they contacted me, but Great Shaman doesn't like to be disturbed, so I couldn't contact you in the cave, so I didn't speak then."

"I see. It's alright. It's normal for them to come and pick me up anyway." Li Qi nodded and landed on Dapeng's back.

Then, following the road signs that kept changing on the ground, we walked out of the parking lot.

Li Qi saw that as he moved, the nearby road signs were changing in real time, adjusting their position according to his path, and pointing out the way at all times.

Indeed, a parking lot covering tens of kilometers, without directions, would be fine for cultivators, but ordinary people would probably get lost and die inside.

Not long after they started walking, Li Qi saw a group of people dressed in typical Tang Kingdom clothing.

They were wearing... official robes.

There were six or seven people in total, with two leading the way.

Upon seeing Li Qi, they quickened their pace and came to greet him.

Then, they bowed slightly, showing little respect, and simply said to each other:

"Chen Wei, Banquet Attendant of the Court of State Ceremonial Affairs, Celestial Honglu Temple."

"A Fang Yuanzheng visitor to the Court of State Ceremonial and the Court of State Ceremonial, Honglu Temple."

"We have come to welcome the young master of Wushen Mountain into the hall."