Li Qiye didn't return to the Yu after Zi Cuining made her way back to Heaven Suppression. He brought the monarch to a remote location.
They crossed the mountains, vast oceans, and a world of snow into the depth of the Grand Sea. This was the farthest and highest location in this region.
In short, it was an incomparably long journey.
“Where are we going?” She couldn't help but ask.
“A distant place. Since you have the Pearl Tower, you are eligible to know this place. Of course, whether you can find it again alone in the future, that's up to your own abilities.” Li Qiye said with a smile.
The monarch was momentarily stunned. After crossing through so many locations, she probably wouldn't be able to find the way again.
“Why don't we just cross through space?” She became curious and believed that someone of his power could reach any coordinate in the nine worlds.
“Crossing space won't do. This is a type of hidden realms, you must walk around to avoid it before reaching the area.” He answered.
The monarch realized that their destination was very important and mysterious or it wouldn't have this spatial protection.
They crossed through the extremes of the world before finally arriving. Though the monarch tried her best to memorize it, she still wasn't certain of making it back here alone next time.
A boundless land this was with endless forests and towering hills. An ancient aura assaulted the newcomers right away as if no one has ever inhabited this place.
The lack of people was made up with howls from apes and vines reaching for the sky. This land was full of life.
The spirit energy was so thick here that it became visible. It showed that no cultivators have tried to train here.
“This place? How come no one has tried to establish a lineage here?” Even if she didn't understand cultivation geography, even a fool could tell that this place full of energy was the best for starting a lineage.
“Because no one is allowed. It has an owner already.” Li Qiye smiled.
“Just what exactly is this place?” She inquired again.
“Crystalfowl Immortal Mine.” Li Qiye said: “Only Immortal Emperors are allowed here, no one else.”
“Crystalfowl Immortal Mine?” She has never heard of such a place. There should at least be legends about it.
“One of the six Ancestral Earths of the immortals..” Li Qiye said flatly.
This shocked the monarch since she has heard about the great six locations. She didn't expect for this place to be one of them.
“There are really immortals around? At least in the ancient era?” She asked.
Li Qiye shook his head: “I can't answer whether there were immortals or not but there are many locations with unbelievably old beings, older than your imagination.”
She froze for a bit after hearing this response. His answer implied that the world was far more than it seemed. At the very least, much more than their current era.
Right now, she knew about the distant Desolate Era, the Desolace Expansion Era when the races competed against each other, the dark ages of the Ancient Ming Era, and the brilliant Emperors Era.
Li Qiye seemed to be saying that there were eras even before the Desolate Era and some terrible beings from that period were still alive!
She shuddered after thinking about the possibilities. Just imagine, anyone who could still live from those ages would cause a storm after coming into this world again.
While the monarch was digesting the information in astonishment, the two made it to the bottom of a cliff.
He smiled and said: “Clean this place up a bit and throw away the pebbles. If we are visiting our hosts, we need to do it properly.”
The monarch's wits returned. She looked around and saw vines, weeds, and stones everywhere.
She was a top and famous character in the Grand Sea. Someone as prestigious as her doing manual labor would shock any spectator.
However, she didn't complain at all and rolled up her sleeves to begin by cutting the vines and moving the stones. Her jade-like hands became dirty with mud from the diligent work.
Someone as strong as her wouldn't have any problem moving mountains and shifting rivers. However, after listening to Li Qiye, she didn't dare to do anything that could be considered offensive so she took her time.
Anyone else would feel sorry for such a beauty doing such hard work in this desolate place. No one could bear to watch.
However, Li Qiye didn't give a damn. He closed his eyes and didn't bother watching her do the menial work.
She finally cleaned up this place after some effort. A bottomless cave was finally exposed.
Li Qiye finally stood up and smiled. He knocked on the entrance and said: “Okay, it's dawn now. Get up.”
Knocking was the wrong way to put it. He slammed on it, causing the entrance to quake with loud bangs.
“Which bastard is ruining my good dream?” A spiteful voice came from the darkness.
Li Qiye waved his sleeve towards the monarch. She trembled and knew that this was an existence she shouldn't see so she quietly left.
A shadow emerged from the entrance. It stumbled back and forth as if it couldn't walk straight, on the verge of fainting from hunger.
Once it came to the light, people finally saw its appearance, a malnourished and bony pheasant.
Its feathers were sparse. Who knows how long it has been starving for? Even all the feathers were about to fall off.
“Bastard, who the hell are you? If you aren't an Immortal Emperor, I will crush you to death for disturbing my slumber!” Despite its sad appearance, it still crossed its wings and said fiercely.
“Chicken, how long have you been on duty to actually look like this now?” Li Qiye cheerfully smiled: “Your peers are really mistreating you. They hide in the cave and huffing and puffing the immortal energy while you are starving to death.”
“Who are you?!” The pheasant's sleepy eyes turned cold. This piercing stare could kill just about anyone.
“Alright, I'm here to collect your debt. It has been a while since my last visit but you shouldn't have forgotten me just yet.” He smirked in response.
“Shit!” The pheasant instantly jumped around several times, no longer drowsy. It then took several steps back and glared at Li Qiye.
“Is such an overreaction necessary? It's not my first time here.” Li Qiye has grown accustomed to such reaction from people.
“You're that damned crow!” The pheasant, or a Crystalfowl, shouted at him.
“Correct, no prize though.” Li Qiye was quite amused at this moment.
The pheasant didn't want to hear this answer even if it was the truth. It looked defeated and lowered its head: “Nothing good will come of your visit…”
“Wait a minute!” The pheasant suddenly looked up and glared at him again: “You're not just taking a lass here, you, you got your body back!”
“Correct again, still no prize though.” Li Qiye said: “As for the girl, just showing her around. It's her own business whether she can get anything or not.”
“Hmph, damned crow, our mine has nothing to do with you. Stop coming here since we don't have anything this time!” The pheasant unhappily complained.
“We've been friends for so long, do you really need to reject me before I even say anything?” Li Qiye wasn't in a hurry at all: “Maybe you should invite me in for a cup of tea and we can have a little chat or something.”