Chapter 866: The Story of the Prison Cage

Jiyuan pondered the woman's words. To some extent, he could understand her perspective, though he also held slightly different thoughts.

"The inability to advance is indeed a pity, but it's certainly not for the sake of eternal life. Life and death, beginning and end, are the natural way. Perhaps the only regret is not seeing the colors beyond."

As Jiyuan said this, he also wondered if this Lian Ping'er was related to Lian Baiping from the Tianji Pavilion, though he suspected it was more likely just a shared surname.

Lian Ping'er smiled.

"Mr. Ji, have you ever considered that this world might be a prison, trapping us all, never to escape? But this prison is very tall and vast; countless beings may never even touch or see its bars. Only cultivators like Mr. Ji, whose cultivation has reached a certain level, might perceive the existence of these bars."

Jiyuan waved his sleeve, clearing a patch of snow in front of him, then sat on a stone, deep in thought. While seemingly pondering the woman's words, his actual thoughts far exceeded her imagination.

Jiyuan had long considered the idea of the world being a prison, and he had thought even further, believing his own perspective was more accurate.

If this world truly suppressed everything like a prison, then what about the divine beasts that once roamed? What about the murals seen in Tianji Pavilion?

Which of those exaggerated beings, once active in the world, didn't exceed some boundary?

Although the murals in Tianji Pavilion constantly shifted, Jiyuan had already glimpsed some of their meaning. The boundaries of heaven and earth in the past were far different from today. The chaos and conflict of yesteryear were also incomparable to the present, almost leading to the collapse of heaven and earth and the extinction of all life. At that moment, even beings of terrifying cultivation would have found it difficult to escape.

It is already quite remarkable that heaven and earth can maintain their current state, with all living beings having vitality. As for the situation of those ancient existences, a few corners of the Tianji Pavilion murals hint at it. Combined with the Golden Crow seen deep in the desolate sea earlier, whether willingly or not, most were likely suppressed in a corner of the world, or even became part of maintaining it, like the Golden Crow.

From some unknown era until now, people have almost forgotten those ancient beings. While something certainly happened in between, it also indicates the vast passage of time.

After a long period of deep thought, Jiyuan did not ask about the world as a prison or, even less, about the "chess players." Instead, he asked a seemingly unrelated question.

"Mr. Ji asks you, was it your doing that so many aquatic creatures today asked Ying Ruoli to open up the desolate sea and establish a town?"

Lian Ping'er quickly shook her head.

"Mr. Ji, you're wronging me! How could I have such power? Indeed, it's unlikely this matter was spontaneous among the aquatic creatures; there must have been an instigator. But I couldn't have done it. I'm taking a big risk just contacting you secretly. How would I dare to thoroughly offend a true dragon?"

Although Lian Ping'er's expression was very sincere, Jiyuan didn't believe her outright. However, he didn't intend to press the matter at that moment, instead asking a seemingly casual question.

"You said someone wished for Ruoli to open up the desolate sea. It wouldn't be to increase her foundation, would it? Although such a feat is unmatched among existing true dragons, the gains are significant but so are the losses. And it would offend at least two other true dragons. Why would someone do it?"

"Perhaps it's for fun?"

Jiyuan nodded, looking earnestly at Lian Ping'er.

"You seem very much like the kind of person who would do such a thing for fun. Perhaps I should hand you over to Old Mr. Ying."

"You won't, Mr. Ji. You're already interested in what I have to say. Even if I admitted it, your cultivation, your divine abilities, have already reached the pinnacle of this world. What true immortals are revered by thousands in the cultivation world, but few can truly impress you. You wouldn't want to miss knowing... the colors ahead!"

As Lian Ping'er spoke, she began to stretch her limbs.

"Mr. Ji, perhaps I will come to find you again someday. Can you let me go today? I promise I've told you everything I can. Anyway, if I can't leave before sunrise, I will immediately take my own life. Surely, sir, you don't think this is my true body, do you?"

Seeing Jiyuan sitting there watching her, Lian Ping'er smiled again.

"If Mr. Ji doesn't speak, I'll take that as a 'yes.' That flying sword is quite special; can you return it to me?"

Seeing her playful demeanor, Jiyuan suddenly smiled and softly uttered a single word: "Fix."

The next moment, Lian Ping'er instantly stiffened as if petrified, frozen in place, her smile still lingering on her face.

Looking at the woman held in place, Jiyuan stood up and flicked his sleeve. Lian Ping'er was swept up by a gust of wind and carried far away. After about fifty kilometers, the Tongtian River was already close at hand.

"Plop."

Lian Ping'er plunged into the Tongtian River like a stone, splashing water on the surface, then sinking straight to the bottom. Her face still held a smile, her eyes were still open, and her hand was even outstretched as if still asking Jiyuan for the flying sword. She remained propped diagonally among the weeds and mud at the riverbed.

A group of fish, startled at first, gradually swam back, circling her curiously.

Jiyuan's calm voice entered Lian Ping'er's ears.

"Forget about the flying sword. Since you like to play games, I'll indulge you. In a moment, I'll inform Old Mr. Ying that you're at the bottom of the river. At the same time, I will release you from the immobilization spell. Whether you can escape or not is up to your own fortune."

Although the body of someone struck by the immobilization spell is frozen, their thoughts do not cease, so Jiyuan wasn't worried that Lian Ping'er wouldn't hear him.

'Hmph, not her true body?'

Regarding the "true body" point, after the incident involving Tu Siyan, Jiyuan had become more vigilant. Lian Ping'er couldn't deceive Jiyuan's discerning eye; it was clearly her true body.

Approximately dozens of breaths later, Jiyuan felt a slight stir and removed the immobilization spell from Lian Ping'er.

Although Jiyuan returned to the Dragon Palace, he didn't immediately seek out the Old Dragon. Only after sensing Lian Ping'er's aura rapidly moving away did Jiyuan head towards the resting area for some of the Dragon Palace's important guests.

However, before he could, the Old Dragon had already approached Jiyuan. The two naturally walked towards a pavilion in the Dragon Palace and stood there.

"Mr. Ji, what became of the demon creature the Yaksha mentioned?"

Hearing the Old Dragon, Jiyuan answered directly.

"Some of the things she said greatly interested me, so I let her go. However, this person isn't a demon creature; she cultivates demonic arts with a human body, and the methods she practices are extraordinary, almost without flaw."

"Oh? Is she connected to Ruoli's forced abdication?"

Jiyuan thought for a moment and then told the truth.

"It might not necessarily be her doing, but she certainly knows something. Given her youth, she's definitely not the mastermind."

The Old Dragon nodded.

"Does Mr. Ji mean to 'cast a long line to catch a big fish'? And what is it that interests you so much?"

"It's highly significant. Broadly speaking, it could involve all living beings... While it's possible she was just speaking nonsense to deceive me, taking such a risk by approaching me in the main hall earlier for such a prank seems hardly worth it."

Jiyuan briefly summarized for the Old Dragon everything that had transpired from the moment he was in the main hall after the banquet's temporary close until he threw Lian Ping'er into the water, even including her discussion about the world as a prison.

The Old Dragon listened, his brows furrowing frequently. Observing Jiyuan's serious demeanor, and knowing Jiyuan well, he surmised that Jiyuan believed at least a third of what was said.

"So, Mr. Ji, you truly feel the world's shackles?"

The Old Dragon always overestimated, never underestimated, Jiyuan's cultivation. Yet, he was still deeply shaken, his voice involuntarily growing heavier as he asked.

In truth, Jiyuan did not currently feel the world's shackles. It wasn't that his cultivation was too low to perceive them; rather, Jiyuan knew that even if his cultivation were a hundred or a thousand times greater now, he likely wouldn't be greatly bound by heaven and earth. This was because he was already a favored one of heaven and earth, a "chess player" who had vowed to protect all living beings.

But facing the Old Dragon now, Jiyuan couldn't say that. He could only nod slightly.

"Indeed, I have occasionally had such insights. However, I also sense that it is not absolute doom, that there is a glimmer of hope in all things. What that woman said held some truth, but her exaggeration was excessive, making it seem more like an attempt to mislead."

"Hmph, even so, if she dared to harbor ill intentions towards Ruoli, this old man will not let her off!"

Jiyuan quickly bowed to the Old Dragon, speaking frankly.

"Previously, I was too preoccupied with what she said, so I took the liberty of letting her go. I hope Old Mr. Ying will forgive me. If Lian Ping'er is encountered again, deal with her as you see fit. Even I, if I meet her again and she cannot provide more substantial information, will directly apprehend her and send her to the Tongtian River."

The Old Dragon sighed slightly, returned the bow, and then turned and left without another word.

Jiyuan watched the Old Dragon's retreating back, knowing his old friend was likely unsettled. He then turned to look towards a side room, where Hu Yun and Yin Qing were playing with Big Green Fish, riding on its back and darting about, even the no-longer-young Yin Qing doing so.