Li Qiye smiled and said: “That's true. It really does have the blood of a divine beast, a mighty bloodline. If your four branches are willing to invest, maybe you can groom it into a divine beast like a phoenix or true dragon one day.”
“Phoenix and true dragon!” Both Jianshi and Ruyan were shaken upon hearing this.
Even though there had been races that claimed to have these bloodlines, even as descendants of the divine beasts, it was only to elevate their own worth. Those with the bloodlines of true dragons and phoenixes would have a very thin amount to the point of it being negligible.
Descendants of such bloodlines would only be able to exert one hundredth or even one ten-thousandth of a phoenix's power.
The daoist anxiously asked: “Can you really breed a true dragon or phoenix?”
Li Qiye laughed after seeing his expression: “Do you want to try?”
The daoist coughed and asked: “Ah, well, who wouldn't want to have a true dragon or phoenix. Even an Immortal Emperor would have this desire. Brother Li, can I really breed this golden egg into one?”
Li Qiye smiled: “In theory, yes. This is an evolution of the bloodline. This egg already has a divine bloodline, so it does have a chance in this respect. After undergoing metamorphosis, it has a certain chance of atavism.”
Even a big shot like the daoist still became excited and blurted: “Really?”
Li Qiye laughed in response: “No, this is only theoretical. In fact, it isn't really possible. The so-called pheasant jumping into a branch to turn into a phoenix is only an argument used to elevate one's worth. It's impossible for something like that to happen.”
“Oh, I see.” The daoist smiled wryly.
Li Qiye continued: “You don't have to feel down. With efforts from your branches, you will still be able to train an incredible existence. It's not like this egg's bloodline is bad. The only reason is why it can't evolve into a true divine beast is that in this world, the conditions for it to reach atavism can't be met.”
“You mean this egg itself has a chance to become divine?” Jianshi understood the implications.
Li Qiye replied: “Any creature has a chance for atavism, the number is just very small. In theory, the more effort you spend trying to cultivate it, the higher the chance for atavism. Of course, this kind of atavism is only suitable for other creatures such as charming spirits or treants; it isn't possible for true dragons and phoenixes, at least not within the nine worlds.”
The daoist asked: “Then what kind of conditions and environments are required to make this egg divine?”
Li Qiye laughed in response: “Looks like you still haven't given up. Okay, so let's say that such a world exists. It would be very simple, every single existence and citizen of the four branches will have to use their blood energy to gestate it on top of utilizing all possible treasures. In other words, every ounce of your resources. However, this isn't worth it. Then what if a world allows for this? Do you think it's worth the effort of an entire race and all of their resources to create a true dragon or phoenix? With your resources, it is possible and more efficient to train three Immortal Emperors instead of a single divine beast.”
Having said that, he stared implicatively at the daoist.
“But…” The daoist paused for a moment and said: “I heard a legend that says divine beasts are not just strong, they possess something unique as opposed to the other races, innate gifts so to speak. Even Immortal Emperors have a hard time acquiring them.”
Li Qiye couldn't help but smile: “That's the four branches for you, your sect indeed knows a lot.”
“Is it really the case?” The daoist pressed on with his inquiries.
Li Qiye looked at the calm sea before answering: “The divine beasts are indeed special and races worthy of envy. However, even if they do exist, they are too few in number and more precious than anything else.”
The rest of the group held their breaths and listened carefully.
Li Qiye went on: “These are creatures that only exist in tales. I'm afraid no one has seen a real divine beast. Many records state that not only are they powerful, they're also priceless. Even a single feather of theirs is precious! However, for the truly mighty crowd like Immortal Emperors, this isn't the cause for the beasts' temptation.”
“What's the most tempting characteristic about them then?” Qianbei couldn't help but ask since Li Qiye stopped for a moment.
Li Qiye looked at him and revealed: “Their innate gifts. They're not things races like us can have in this world.”
“What are these gifts?” Ruyan was also fascinated by this topic.
Li Qiye gently shook his head in response: “There are too many to say because each of these divine beasts has their own unique gift. In fact, because too few have seen real divine beasts, we don't really know much about these special gifts. Of course, some are also extremely well-known.”
He went on: “For example, we were talking about the phoenix earlier. What is the innate gift of a phoenix? Rebirth through fire!”
Everyone was shaken after hearing these words. Rebirth was a pipe dream many people yearned for. Even emperors researched it thoroughly.
Li Qiye elaborated: “Of course, not just any phoenix can achieve this. Only when they attain a certain amount of strength would they be able to use their gift of rebirth.”
While the group was silent, Li Qiye smiled and said: “Why do emperors covet it so much? Rumor has it that when a phoenix is at the peak of its power, it could be reborn forever.”
“Continuously?” The daoist was startled.
Li Qiye exclaimed with a grin: “To put it another way, eternal reincarnation and permanent immortality!”
The group was astounded once more after hearing this. Rebirth alone was already enough to make everyone wish for it. An endless number of rebirths was most likely unobtainable even for emperors. It was too tempting!
“Does the world really have a reincarnation cycle?” Jianshi thought about something else. This matter felt too surreal. Repeated reincarnation for immortality was quite frightening.
“I don't know.” Li Qiye smiled and shook his head: “This is only a legend. It is already hard to see a real phoenix, let alone one at its apex. Such a phoenix will definitely only be found in legends.”
The group fell into silence after hearing this. As for Xiong Qianbei, he didn't even dare to think about it. He could only consider it as part of a myth since it was too unreachable for him.
After a while, Ruyan asked: “What about the gift of a true dragon?”
Li Qiye laughed and looked at her with a mysterious grin: “If you see an actual true dragon one day, I'll tell you its innate gift.”
“Jerk.” She pouted with dissatisfaction but didn't pry further.
Li Qiye stopped talking and looked at the sea while letting his boneship drift through this area. His ship drifted wherever the seawater flowed. This atmosphere was one of rumination; everyone had their own thoughts.
After a long time, they found that Li Qiye seemed to not want to leave. This journey of drifting left them quite puzzled since they didn't know his intentions.