Another Ghost Gate

Faced with the Monk Jingmo, Li Qi really didn't know what to say.

He held the Demon Prince in high regard; such a person, possessing both the demeanor of a ruler and the integrity of a man, was quite charismatic. Although an enemy, he could also be a friend; he was someone worthy of respect.

But Monk Jingmo is different. He is a typical charlatan, not the kind of cute and innocent charlatan like Zhong Minglou, but a cold and indifferent one.

Especially after he revealed his Buddhist aura, although he still spoke in that gentle tone, his robotic appearance and his behavior and deception along the way made Li Qi not have much affection for him.

He wasn't lying, but it seems he was still hiding a lot of things.

So, after exchanging greetings, Li Qi didn't say much, just nodded slightly, and then pulled Shen Shuibi along, preparing to leave.

As for those fourth-rank officials, Li Qi doesn't need to worry about them. They have their own things to do, and even if they want to leave, it's just a matter of a thought. There's no need to deal with them much.

Monk Jingmo watched Li Qi leave. Since he hadn't fallen into demonic ways, that was good.

Old Ma had transformed into Demon Dragon, seemed to want to say something, but he didn't. Instead, he shrank in size, hovered around Li Qi, and nuzzled against him.

These are the basic abilities after Dragon Transformation.

Dragons can be large or small, can rise or hide. When large, they can stir up clouds and mist; when small, they can hide their form like a mustard seed. After Dragon Transformation, changing size becomes instinctive.

Just like other demons who can cultivate smoothly after Human Transformation, this is one of the benefits of Form Transformation.

The purpose of a demon Form Transformation is to acquire a portion of the power of the object it Form Transformation.

Li Qi held the shrunken Old Ma in one hand, then, shoulder to shoulder with Shen Shuibi, left the treasure ship under the watchful eyes of the Monk Jingmo.

Li Qi and Shen Shuibi went outside. The rabbit looked around the treasure ship and then said, "Wait for me. This is the Avici Hell. Opening the gates of hell is quite troublesome. Wait for me."

As she spoke, she formed a hand Hand Seals, preparing to tear open hell, open the gates of hell, and return to the world of the living.

This is the level of a fifth-rank master, who is not subject to reincarnation and can freely travel between the underworld and the mortal realm. Li Qi, on the other hand, has just been promoted to the sixth rank but still does not possess such Divine Ability.

"No need, I recently acquired a Law Treasure that can get me out of here without you having to do anything." Li Qi stopped the rabbit, then reached out and summoned a Ghost Chariot.

This Ghost Chariot can travel between Yin and Yang and cross the Yellow Springs. It is an excellent Law Treasure of transportation. The merchant guild in the Dragon Palace gave it to Li Qi as a gift.

"... Good stuff, what's your haul this time?" the rabbit asked.

"Okay, with this, you won't have to work so hard. Let's go," Li Qi said.

Shen Shuibi didn't stand on ceremony, accepted the magic Law Treasure, and immediately began refining it.

Clearly, this was given directly to Shen Shuibi, since, to be honest, Li Qi wouldn't be able to use something like this.

If I had to use an analogy, it would be like this: he doesn't have a driver's license.

Yes, operating magical Law Treasure requires long-term training and familiarity, and the refining process itself also requires practice, especially for this type of mount-like magical Law Treasure, which involves many operations and is quite troublesome.

Law Treasure are just tools; you can't just have them and expect them to work. You have to know how to use them. If you don't know how to use them, it's better not to use them at all. The best tool is the one that suits you.

Rockets are fast, but people generally still buy cars.

In fact, many powerful beings don't understand this kind of vehicle, so they choose to ride mounts for traveling, which they can directly command.

Fortunately, Shen Shuibi does; she belongs to the group with a driver's license.

The Ghost Chariot opened, and the two lifted the curtain and sat inside. Shen Shuibi activated the Ghost Chariot using complex Technique Method.

At this moment, Old Ma suddenly opened his body, transforming into a dragon seven or eight zhang long, and landed to the side, speaking in human language, "Hey! Hey, hey, hey, can you understand what I'm saying?"

"You can talk now?" Li Qi looked at Old Ma and chuckled.

Now, Old Ma has finally reached the eighth rank. The Demon Dragon's voice is not that of a horse; it can naturally produce almost all types of sounds. If it can speak, it can communicate with almost any species, especially scaled insects, but it can also speak other things.

This is also the origin of the title "Chief of Ten Thousand Scales" for the true dragon. As the chief of ten thousand scales, it would be too unreasonable for him not to know how to speak.

In the ancient times, many different kinds of life were classified into five types of insects: naked, scaled, hairy, feathered, and burrowing.

Dragons are scaled creatures.

This classification was established by the earliest primordial deities when the world was first created. However, although the primordial deities are still powerful, the Spirit Way Heavenly Court is now just one of the Nine Lands of the World, and it no longer has the absolute authority it once possessed. As a result, this classification has gradually declined, and only people like Li Qi who enjoy reading leisurely books would know about it.

"Of course I can talk, Li... uh, what should I call you again? What would be a suitable way to address you? How old are you this year? We're brothers, so let's figure out who's older or younger, shall we? I'm twenty-five this year," Old Ma said.

This age was a bit unexpected for Li Qi, but thinking about it, it was quite normal.

When Old Ma met him, he was just an ordinary Dragon Steed, not the legendary divine horse that the Tang Kingdom general insisted on capturing. Since the Dragon Steed was not of high quality, it was normal for him to be in his twenties.

"Haha, I'm already over thirty, so I'm still the eldest brother," Li Qi laughed.

Old Ma didn't hesitate and immediately raised his dragon claws. "Then I'll call you Big Brother." Then, he very seriously coiled his body and bowed to Li Qi with human etiquette. "I thank you for your great kindness in giving me a second chance and guiding me on the Dao Path. I will never leave you and am willing to serve you."

To be honest, Li Qi was quite surprised.

The first time Old Ma was able to speak formally, he said this.

However, I'm quite relieved.

To be honest, Li Qi must have played a big role in making Old Ma's Dao Path so smooth. Except for the difficult time at the beginning, when Old Ma was forced to run around every day and not given any spiritual herbs or anything like that, only dry grass and beans, which made Old Ma lose 200 pounds and become emaciated.

After that difficult period, Li Qi found Cultivation Method for Old Ma, and Old Ma also enjoyed most of the Spirit Flower and herbs that Jin Buhuan had given him as gifts.

Later, after Shen Shuibi's cultivation recovered somewhat, she would often open the furnace to refine pills. Old Ma also ate a lot of these things and gave her Uncommon Song as a cultivation Cultivation Method.

Since Li Qi went to the Tang Kingdom, Old Ma stayed on Wushen Mountain and ran wild all over the mountain. As the place with the strongest Heaven and Earth Great Source, Wushen Mountain has stronger energy than the outside world, so his cultivation naturally went smoothly.

They might even have a bunch of kids, since they don't have to take responsibility for them.

Now, we lack nothing—resources, Cultivation Method, and everything else.

However, Li Qi did not feel that this was a favor to Old Ma. When he had nothing, Old Ma stayed by his side and helped him a lot.

Despite losing 200 pounds in half a month, Old Ma didn't say anything and stayed by Li Qi's side as always, helping Li Qi avoid many dangers. Being fast was indeed useful. Even when they finally found Lady Luofu and were forced to face the sixth-rank Demon King, Old Ma never abandoned Li Qi and fled alone.

One man and one horse can share both hardship and happiness.

So Li Qi smiled and patted the dragon head, "Why are we brothers saying these things? We've come this far from being nobody, so we naturally understand each other's feelings. By the way, now that you can speak, we can't always call you Old Ma. Why don't you give yourself a name?"

But at this moment, Shen Shuibi spoke up, "The matter of a name should be taken seriously. I think it would be better to find a master to bestow a name upon us. Otherwise, if we are given a bad name, we will suffer more calamities in the future."

Li Qi nodded; he knew that too.

Names are not a trivial matter. Ordinary people may not think they are anything special, but just like words have power, names themselves are a kind of hint, a hope for the future and a prophecy of the future.

Having an unlucky name can easily bring several calamities in a place like this, while having a good name can even be considered a talent.

Therefore, the concept of 'taboo' came into being. If you share the same name as a powerful person, you may easily feel overwhelmed by that name and feel suffocated by the fate it brings.

Therefore, naming is a very important matter. To come up with a good name is truly an art. The person who comes up with the name must be learned in Celestial Person, know the names of all kinds of great figures, understand the meanings of various connotations, and be proficient in phonetics and literary talent. The name cannot be too unpleasant to hear.

For example, Shui Bi is named after jade, and Lady Luofu is very particular about such things.

For example

"There are five principles for naming: faith, righteousness, imagery, borrowing, and category. You also need to pay attention to the rhythm. Old Ma, you should be careful not to name someone randomly. Besides, you don't have a family lineage. What do you plan to use as your surname? Surnames are also very important to you. In the past, there was a great sage of the Demon Race whose name was chosen very carefully." Shen Shuibi told her the story she had learned back then.

"The demon king was a spirit stone that transformed into a hozen, and he became a Daoist with the body of a hozen. His master said that the character "hozen" went next to a beast, but it turned out to be an ancient moon. The ancients are old, and the moon is yin. The old yin cannot be transformed and nurtured, so it cannot be cultivated. Therefore, the surname "" was given to him. The word "" was removed from the side of "animal", which is the surname of "child", and the surname "child" is in line with the original theory of "infant", so the surname "Sun" was derived."

"Once you have a surname, you need a given name. Then, the master who named him established a generational naming system with twelve characters: 'Great Wisdom, True Suchness, Nature, Ocean of Insight, Enlightenment, Perfect Enlightenment.' He was the tenth generation, belonging to the 'Enlightenment' generation, so he was given the character 'Enlightenment'."

"Because he was born from metal and stone, he has the nature of metal, he lives in water, and he comes from the sea. His cave abode is also called Water Curtain Cave. Metal and water have the nature of emptiness, so it is in line with his meaning of metal and water. He was named 'Kong'. The three characters together are the honorable name of this Great Sage of the Demon Race. It is so complicated to come up with a name. You need to pay more attention to these things."

Shen Shuibi gave these instructions.

Old Ma knew this woman's capabilities. Seeing her so serious expression, he immediately nodded, indicating that he would consider the name matter carefully when he got back.

But Shen Shuibi didn't stop. Instead, she looked at Li Qi and said, "Old Ma's matter is relatively easy to handle, but... your matter is more troublesome. Li Qi, your cultivation level... has improved too quickly."

"It is a bit fast, but there's nothing we can do about it." Li Qi spread his hands and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

Cultivation is not something that can be improved as quickly as possible.

Li Qi had almost no prior experience; he rose to the sixth rank by relying on the residual Daoist aura within the third-rank skull.

He only took a small portion, a very small portion, but that was only a small portion for a third-rank official; it was enough for a sixth-rank official.

In other words, Li Qi's foundation is currently extremely fragile, almost collapsing at the slightest push. He needs to expend ten or a hundred times the effort to solidify his foundation, and... he also faces an additional major tribulation.

Once he reaches the third rank, these existing answers will completely hinder his progress. He will have to overcome countless difficulties to break free from the lingering effects of today.

"There's nothing we can do... Just be more careful in the future. If it happens again, there might not be another chance to make amends." Shen Shuibi reached out and placed her hand in Li Qi's palm.

This was more than just holding hands; a few needle-like breaths emanated from her palms, flowing into Li Qi's meridians to clear his blood vessels and regulate his meridians and internal organs.

"It's good that we can make up for it this time. It's a matter for after the third rank. Just be more careful in the future." Li Qi didn't seem to care that much.

The main problem is that it's too late to regret now, and what's the point of complaining? There's always a price to pay for everything you do; nobody only experiences good things and never bad ones.

The fact that they successfully exposed the matter of the Sun and Moon Path is already a huge gain, and the sixth-grade Ghost Chariot is an unexpected bonus.

In this way, if they are lucky, Mount Luofu will gain true freedom, and Shen Shuibi and Li Qi will be able to break free from their hostage status.

If... we're lucky.

After all, there will be a major battle later on.

"Alright, let's settle on that then. We won't go back to Chang'an for now; we'll go straight back to Wushen Mountain." Shen Shuibi nodded and continued, "Now that these matters are settled, it's your turn. Tell me about everything that happened on the way."

Her tone softened, becoming less serious.

Li Qi, of course, would not refuse, and immediately began to tell his story.

From his return to the Great Deer Kingdom, to the God of the Li River, the East Sea, the Ghost Gate, Old Master Shen Yijun, and finally the battle in the Underworld, every detail was clearly recounted. Old Ma also chimed in, corroborating Li Qi's words, and gave Shen Shuibi a complete account of Li Qi's experiences during his time away from home.

Shen Shuibi listened attentively beside her, seemingly trying to take notes.

After this part of the story was finished, whether by coincidence or not, the Ghost Chariot suddenly stopped, and then a cool breeze and sunlight came from outside the Ghost Chariot.

"We've arrived?" Li Qi looked outside.

Shen Shuibi said, "Yes, we've already passed through the Ghost Gate. However, we're not going back to Chang'an this time, so I came out through another Ghost Gate, which is closer to Wushen Mountain."

"Another ghost gate?" Li Qi tilted his head in confusion.

"You should know about another ghost gate, Mount Luofu."

(If you have any questions about the plot, feel free to join the group for a personalized explanation. Let's not argue though!)

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