“We meet again, what a coincidence.” Li Qiye’s group didn’t get far before being stopped by a voice from the back.
They turned around and saw the black bull behind them. It was eating gra.s.s with a leisurely demeanor. The students stared at it with a strange expression.
“What mischief are you up to?” Li Qiye asked.
“Hehehe, just taking in the sceneries, this is my home, you know? I’m not allowed to come here?” The bull seemed to be up to no good.
“Of course you can be here, just not right behind me. Keep on doing so when I’m hungry and I’ll think about stir-frying some beef, haha.” Li Qiye said.
“Okay, okay, I’m just playing around.” The bull became tense: “Don’t take me seriously.”
The young ones smiled after seeing this. They felt that the bull was slightly vile, just not hostile towards them.
Li Qiye ignored the bull and continued forward.
The bull caught up to him and revealed a wretched smile: “Brother, I’ll let you know that I’ve found a small secret here, very juicy.”
“Are you a pimp? You sound like you’re trying to solicit customers for a brothel right now.” Li Qiye looked at it and said.
“C’mon now, I look nothing like that, am clearly an immortal species from birth. Hurry up and apologize for insulting me right now!” The bull jumped up and started shouting.
“I’ve insulted plenty of people, it’s fine to add one more to the count.” Li Qiye replied.
The bull saw his tough att.i.tude and decided to back down.
“Hey, look, that river over there is so beautiful.” A youth exclaimed while pointing forward.
Everyone looked ahead and saw a mighty river with seven-colored water. Its flow looked like something in a dream, a river from heaven. People couldn’t help wanting to jump in for a swim.
“Yea, it looks pretty and also a very poisonous, seven-colored devil serpent.” The bull laughed before roaring.
“Splas.h.!.+” This “river” suddenly became erected straight towards the sky. All the water seemed to be flowing upward.
“!!!” The students couldn’t believe what they saw at the very top. The head or mouth of this creature was split into eight petals of flesh. Each had teeth all over the inside layer.
The students turned pale and quickly retreated.
“Little caterpillar, go back to sleep.” The bull put on an arrogant posture and told the serpent.
“Splas.h.!.+” This seven-colored creature stared at the bull for a bit before returning to the ground and becoming a beautiful “river” once more.
The young ones no longer viewed this river as a sight to behold any longer.
“You, you know that thing?” One student calmed down and asked the bull.
“Look at who I am. A true immortal in the mortal realm, a one-and-only lord of the beasts, the emperor of all creatures. This seven-colored devil serpent is nothing more than a caterpillar in my eyes.” The bull advertised with trumpet and drum, looking very pleased with itself.
“Really?” The students had admiration in their eyes.
“Of course, as real as can be.” The bull fully enjoyed this moment.
“Don’t listen to this nonsense, it is in its nature to brag.” Li Qiye smiled: “If it were a true immortal, it would have ascended by now instead of hanging around here.”
The bull looked like a deflated balloon after being exposed by Li Qiye, instantly lowering its head.
“Chirp…” A pleasant chirping interrupted their conversation. A bird flew closer, only around the size of a fist or so.
It had a pair of golden wings and a blue tail. The most interesting thing about it was a rune on its forehead - ancient and impossible to understand.
Only Li Qiye was able to decipher the rune. Its meaning was “virtue”.
The bird left behind a radiant trail in its wake so it looked very transcending.
“What a pretty bird.” A student praised.
It circled around Li Qiye several times before chirping and leaving.
“A peacebringer magpie…” Du Wenrui who has been quiet the entire time in the back became startled.
The bird quickly returned with a garland in its beak and placed it on top of Li Qiye’s head. It circled around him several more times before shooting towards the sky like an arrow and disappearing from sight.
“No way…” Du Wenrui shouted.
“... Something big is about to happen. This age won’t be the same…” The bull loudly said. Its eyes were wide open - bigger than two bronze bells.
Both Du Wenrui and the bull stood there frozen as if they had just been struck by lightning.
Li Qiye ignored them and looked at the garland with a smile: “Very well made.”
“Well-made? Not just that, this is the ultimate glory in the world, so many brilliant geniuses and existences in the past can’t obtain it…” The bull said…
Wenrui was completely speechless - this was a miracle of the ages.
“What happened?” The students had no idea what was going on.
“That was a peacebringer magpie earlier.” Wenrui said.
“Is it that strong?” They still didn’t get it.
The bull was clearly a mighty creature yet it looked stunned too. Could that magpie be even stronger?
“It’s not an issue of strength.” The bull regained its wits.
Nevertheless, it still stared at Li Qiye with astonishment: “This bird is a symbol of morality. To be circled by one once means that the person is extremely virtuous. Circled several times? Tales of his virtue will be sung for generations.”
“And what about that garland?” One student looked at the exquisite garland on Li Qiye’s head.
“Ha...ha...ha… being given that garland? I’ve never heard of such a thing before. It should be peerless, saving the world isn’t enough for it… completely unmatched…” The bull stared at Li Qiye with respect: “To earn this garland requires changing the entire world or doing something that benefits all living beings resulting in earning this meritorious karma, or… he’ll become a ….”
The bull didn’t finish this sentence. It went on: “Haha, this is unprecedented in Three Immortals. Desolate Saint was only circled around twice, no chance of getting the garland, haha…”
“Why couldn’t our progenitor get one?” One student wasn’t convinced.
This was understandable. Desolate Saint’s light illuminated Three Immortals. This should be the ultimate merit deserving of great karma. They believed that this feat was beyond anything Li Qiye had done.
“Well… hehe, I’ll tell you kids.” The bull laughed: “The old demonic tree said that Desolate Saint isn’t a savior, only a destroyer. That’s why he couldn’t get the garland.”
“Impossible!” Not a single student believed this about their progenitor.
Du Wenrui continued to stare at Li Qiye; his eyes were filled with respect just like the bull.
“The heavenly change heralds a monster.” He remembered this particular phrase and started pondering, becoming afraid.
The students took a closer look at that garland and didn’t quite grasp the implication of this issue. It was beyond their station.