Piecing Together the Grotto-Heaven

Two days later, as agreed, we set off on time.

Even Li Qi himself couldn't wait to set off, but he also wanted to know if the Demonic Energy Clone would return when the time came.

Clearly, he didn't come back.

Then we should set off quickly.

Go to Chang'an, resolve all current issues, and then piece that grotto back together.

We need to secure the sales channels for the Holy Flame. After all, in another half month, we should be heading to the Sacred Flame Realm to settle everything.

Address the follow-up issues of the Witchcraft Silkworm and resolve the supply chain of the holy flame.

To fulfill the reward promised by the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom.

To complete the last clue to my identity, and temporarily resolve the deception of the Desire Realm that the Heavenly Demon could descend at any moment.

Then... go to the Sacred Flame Realm, drag it to a place where the Liesu Sacred Flame Realm the Golden Platform can reach it, so that you can quickly establish a connection.

Having finalized these basic matters, Li Qi set off as soon as the time came.

Golden Platform was extremely fast, but much slower than Liesu, and the journey to Chang'an required time measured in 'Chen'.

Perhaps this is for the purpose of more efficient energy allocation. In the world, every slight acceleration will result in a huge energy consumption. Slight deceleration will not cause any trouble for the journey, but it can save a lot of energy.

If this energy were placed outside the domain, it could easily transport people to countless billions of miles away.

Not long after, Li Qi returned to Chang'an.

Together with the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom.

Stepping out of Golden Platform, Chang'an remained as prosperous as ever, seemingly unaffected by anything the Heavenly Demon had brought.

In reality, it didn't have any impact. After all, the cosmic light was suspended at that time, so for others, those changes were no different.

But this only made Li Qi more afraid.

If that's the case, who can know when the change occurred?

Perhaps at some point, all the first-grade flowers bloom, the battle destroys all the heavens and myriad worlds, and he is completely unaware. After one side wins, the battlefield is cleaned up, time continues to flow, and Li Qi continues his life as usual, completely oblivious.

If the enemy wins, they will die without any awareness, not even knowing what happened before they die.

Such a scene is truly despairing, where life and death depend on 'randomness', with no certainty of whether one will live or die.

Li Qi really didn't want things to turn out this way.

As Li Qi gazed at Chang'an, pondering these matters, the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom beside him grew somewhat impatient.

"Young Master, why are you standing there in a daze? Aren't we going to make things easier for you?" the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom asked in confusion.

"Oh, right, let's set off then. Will Your Majesty find a place to stay on your own, or will you stay at my place?" Li Qi took a few steps forward and asked as he walked.

"If possible, I hope to announce our upcoming news immediately, rather than wasting time resting," said the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom.

Li Qi shook his head. "It's not that simple. To resolve this matter, we need to prepare a banquet and invite guests of sufficient importance. All of this requires preparation. However, since Your Majesty is so anxious, let's divide the work and cooperate."

"You go and prepare the banquet. I'll invite Liu Donghe and Liu Shenzhi for you. If all goes well, we can use Liu Donghe's name to attract more people. Perhaps the name of the Flower Goddess Competition will spread throughout Chang'an. At that time, we can make the famous scholars who wrote poems to scorn you apologize. Only then can the king get what he wants." Li Qi said after considering it for a moment.

"That makes sense. Then let's proceed in this manner. Publicizing and holding a banquet is no simple matter, and I'm not entirely sure how long the preparations will take. But let's communicate via the terminal. I'll let you know once I'm ready. As for Mr. Liu Donghe, I'll leave that to you, Young Master." The Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom thought for a moment and agreed that this was the best course of action, so he nodded.

Li Qi took out the terminal he had just purchased and exchanged contact information with the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom.

Then the two said goodbye and went about their own business.

The Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom had her own carriage, and she drove away quickly along the Jade Road.

Li Qi didn't own a car and hadn't taken the driving test in the Tang Kingdom, so he had to take a taxi.

Li Qi contacted the Azure Bird Taxi he had previously sought through his terminal and began waiting by the roadside.

Although he said he was going to talk to Liu Donghe about this, Li Qi didn't plan to do so for the time being.

Li Qi did not intend to go directly to Liu Shenzhi and have him contact his father; that would not be appropriate.

He needs to go to the Imperial Academy first to settle things there, especially the matter of the Cave Heaven.

Because the concept of boundaries also plays a significant role in the case of the Witchcraft Silkworm, there seems to be a 'boundary' between the individual Witchcraft Silkworm and the group.

Li Qi observed the existence of boundaries in many places, as if this hidden rule covered everything.

However, the concept of boundaries is not as readily apparent as those fundamental rules; it is more deeply hidden and not so easily seen.

The true fundamental rules are clearly discernible everywhere, such as in 'space'. Everything depends on the extent of its properties in space, so it can be concluded that space is a fundamental rule.

However, the concept of 'boundaries' is much more subtle and not everyone can perceive it, but 'boundaries' also generally present in many things that are in a transitional phase.

Whenever things undergo a transition, such as from few to many, or from weak to strong, there must be a 'boundary' in the intermediate process.

The so-called boundary is the moment when a qualitative change occurs during this transition.

Li Qi had figured out many uses of the boundary, but he still couldn't understand this moment. He needed an experiment to personally observe the collective resurrection of a high-level being and witness how this qualitative change was accomplished in that instant.

And now, he is only one step away from the answer.

Soon, an Azure Bird landed on the ground along the transportation network; it was the very same bluebird that Li Qi had hired.

It was clear that she was somewhat excited, but she managed to suppress it.

"Sir." The Azure Bird landed on the ground alone, spread its wings, and bowed to Li Qi. "I didn't expect you to contact me a second time. I thought someone as important as you would have a personal driver."

"A big shot? I'm not a big shot at all, why do you think that?" Li Qi shook his head, denying the term "big shot," while asking with some curiosity.

"I saw it! I was with the children when I went to listen to the lecture at the Imperial Academy!" Upon hearing this, Azure Bird's suppressed excitement burst forth. "My children and I all saw it! You were at the gate of the Imperial Academy, giving a lecture on behalf of the other teachers, and you were even received inside by the Chancellor!"

"So that's what happened, "Li Qi nodded.

No wonder she called herself 'sir'; it turns out she didn't mean that at all. She really meant 'sir', referring to a teacher.

"Ahem, that was just an accident. I never expected it to turn out like this," Li Qi explained after a dry cough.

"Being able to do something like that shows you're already a very important person," Azure Bird said respectfully.

"Let's talk about these things later. Send me to the Imperial Academy." Li Qi shook his head, not wanting to dwell on these matters any longer.

Although he did gain some fame without realizing it, that's not important.

He won't stay in the Tang Kingdom for long, and he might leave the Imperial Academy tonight.

However, we are already prepared.

The Azure Bird immediately nodded, then spread its wings, allowing Li Qi to step on them and walk onto the pavilion she was carrying on her back.

Then, she flapped her wings and flew high, quickly heading towards the Imperial Academy along the designated flight path.

This kind of journey is relatively slow, but Li Qi likes it very much. It's much more comfortable than the super-fast travel between Liesu and Golden Platform.

Unfortunately, Li Qi was in a rather heavy mood and didn't feel like appreciating the scenery or chatting.

The Azure Bird seemed to sense this feeling, so she remained silent and obediently carried the pavilion, flying towards the Imperial Academy along the prescribed route.

Soon, they arrived at the Imperial Academy.

Azure Bird respectfully bid farewell to Li Qi, and Li Qi paid the bill.

Azure Bird didn't say anything about it being free; that was just an act. She needed every penny to support her child. She wasn't a native of the Tang Kingdom; she had "ascended" from another world.

Therefore, she had to work much harder than Tang Kingdom.

After bidding farewell to Azure Bird, Li Qi arrived at the gate of the Imperial Academy.

It wasn't holiday time yet, so the Imperial Academy remained as peaceful as ever, with only occasional visitors.

Li Qi entered the Imperial Academy without any hindrance. He was a student of the Imperial Academy, so no one would stop him, not even the automatic devices.

To be honest, the Human Path world is full of all kinds of automated devices, but Li Qi has never seen anything like 'device spirit' or 'AI' as part of an automated device, but these devices are still very sensitive.

They were so sensitive that they could easily screen and investigate every single person, confirm the identity of everyone entering and leaving the Imperial Academy, and take timely action.

Li Qi had a guess.

Perhaps all these automated devices share a common AI.

That is the essence of the Nexus of All Realms.

Within the area covered by all terminals, all people and things are under the watchful gaze of this second-rank being.

However... this is actually quite safe.

In exchange for some privacy, one gains almost absolute security. Any violation of the rules will be seen by the Nexus of All Realms. The Nexus of All Realms themselves will not react, but subsequent law enforcement agencies can easily retrieve everything from the Nexus of All Realms' records.

There was nowhere to escape.

Unless you are a being of the level of a Heavenly Demon.

What happened tonight must be the same.

Li Qi thought to himself.

Back at school, Li Qi found a spot and quietly waited for nightfall.

Before long, it got dark, and the students left. Li Qi then slowly walked into the classroom.

There are still just as many desks inside.

Li Qi unleashed his power and began to piece together the puzzle.

Li Qi did not personally explore these grotto-heavens.

The pattern itself had already been pieced together by the sorcerer, so Li Qi wasn't worried about making a mistake, and everything proceeded in an orderly manner.

He used his power to connect the desks together, as if stitching them together, then carefully broke down the dividers between them, and before everything broke apart, he used the power of the Shaman to stabilize the landscape.

The world itself has an instinct to unite. As long as Li Qi stabilizes the impact of the shattered landscape like a surgeon, the world will heal its wounds on its own, just like reattaching a severed arm.

It will heal itself.

But this was still no easy task. Li Qi made many preparations for it and even had complete blueprints, but he was still sweating profusely.

Fortunately, Li Qi had made extensive preparations for this.

He carefully mended the collision of these caverns, minimizing the damage.

At this very moment, within these grotto-heavens...

Countless residents felt the earthquake.

In one of the caves—

There is a kingdom here, and there is a king.

The king enjoyed his rule in peace and devoutly obeyed the will of 'Upper Heaven'.

In other words, every so often, he would send his soldiers to messengers sent by 'Upper Heaven', and then let the messengers command the army for a fierce and exhilarating battle. This way, he could enjoy life and do nothing else.

But today, as the king drank a glass of wine, he suddenly discovered...

The sky has fallen.

The earth was torn apart, and the sky was cracked open with countless gaps, as if it were crying.

His capital was also torn into four pieces, as a rift in the earth easily overturned everything.

The buildings and the inhabitants, both nobles and commoners, were destroyed.

Before the kingdom could react, it was completely buried by natural disaster along with its people.

This natural disaster was Li Qi's 'surgical operation'.

Surgery on a person involves tearing open flesh and killing some cells.

The surgery performed on the world... will naturally tear things apart and cause the deaths of some residents.

A ninth-grade grotto-heaven cultivator with seventh-grade strength can already cause earth-shattering changes.

Li Qi was completely focused on completing this delicate surgery.

The two grottoes collided with a deafening roar, unleashing flames, seawater, and endless shockwaves.

Li Qi was like a god, watching over everything from above.

He is both destroying and reborn these grottoes.

After destruction comes rebirth.

The Demon Dragon that was initially used as teaching material will regain its life amidst this series of destructions. Although the outcome is unknown, it will certainly be resurrected.

Time passed slowly, Li Qi knew that if he tried to finish this in one night, he would be stopped when someone came to class the next day.

Therefore, we need to speed things up.

The eastern fragment is complete, revealing the front abdomen.

With the western fragment complete, Li Qi could see the back of a Demon Dragon and its many parts.

The southern fragment is complete, and a clearly discernible dragon tail has been pieced together.

Then there's... the northern fragments, where the dragon's head is located.

Amidst a series of booming sounds, the grotto at the dragon's head merged with the flames.

Then, Li Qi pieced in the last and most important piece of the cave.

The finishing touch.

With this move, Li Qi immediately activated all his senses.

Physical, spiritual, and even the True Knowledge Dao Charm things—nothing was unlocked by Li Qi!

It all began!

Moreover, it was exactly as Li Qi had thought.

With a silent energy fluctuation, the location of the dragon's eye in those caves suddenly lit up.

You can clearly feel the liveliness in those eyes.

It seems like it's still double monthly votes, everyone should vote! Who knows, we might get a thousand votes this month!