Chapter 1011: What Wu Xian wants

“Who is it?” Li Qi immediately expanded his perception.

Something’s not right.

With Li Qi's strength, could someone still capture him?

The moment his perception expanded, time around him began to flow backward.

Li Qi appeared in the ‘past,’ before he was captured.

However, at that point in time, before he was captured, he was also captured.

This means the other party also possessed the ability to traverse space and time.

That’s normal. To dare to capture Li Qi, an ordinary Third Grade wouldn't be qualified; at least a Second Grade would be needed.

But if it was a Second Grade, Li Qi was a bit curious as to why he felt nothing at all?

Even if the opponent was incredibly strong, Li Qi's sixth sense might even react to the arrival of a First Grade, so how could he feel nothing?

As a Second Grade, Li Qi was already a Great Power of renown in this Universe; those on par with him would have to be Four Symbols, or Dragon Kings, or even Demon of Karmas and Heart Demons.

Honestly, as long as a First Grade didn't personally make a move, Li Qi could walk sideways in this Universe without issue; this was his confidence.

But… this sudden ‘hand’ made Li Qi vigilant.

After realizing that reversing space and time was ineffective, Li Qi's power immediately expanded!

A full-strength Second Grade instantly displayed all his power.

Space and time fluctuated, and even ‘concepts’ themselves began to waver.

The influence from another ‘will’ began to force the concepts in pure thought to decay, no longer eternal.

That was… ‘demonic thoughts.’

Don't forget, Li Qi is a ‘Demon Child.’

In Li Qi's view, the Spirit Dao's sense of superiority was not based on their strength, but on the imagination of the mind.

The Spirit Dao evidently believed that compared to other beings in the world, they belonged more to the essence, and thus they were nobler and capable of self-restraint.

He is the Spirit Dao, the concept itself, eternal and immortal; they are inherently self-disciplined, living within the never-breaking concept of self-restraint, unwilling to mix with anything vulgar or corrupt.

Then isn't this… a colossal demonic thoughts?

Such a demonic thoughts laid before Li Qi, of course, was to be seized and utilized.

So-called eternity is nothing but decay.

The contradictions between concepts, and the so-called changes and possibilities born from them, are merely predetermined fatalism.

Li Qi had long since rejected this fatalism.

Approaching from this direction, Li Qi's demonic thoughts spread in all directions, invading every ‘bubble’ he could see, invading those immortal concepts.

In that very instant…

Li Qi noticed that the surrounding ‘concepts’ began to ‘evolve.’

How do concepts evolve? It's actually very simple; all concepts can evolve into ‘reality.’

Because the concept of ‘mountain’ exists, there is a continuous process of mountain building.

Because the concept of ‘beauty’ exists, a statue can exist within a stone, and poetry can arise from the堆砌 of words.

For example, let's assume: human genes are ‘concepts.’ So, are genes human?

Evidently, genes are not human, and there's no apparent relation to humans.

However, the concept itself contains all the information for developing into a human; although essentially spiritual, it can ‘develop material.’

Recipes for producing various proteins, screening mechanisms for combining proteins, blueprints for various ion pumps, construction methods for countless cells—all are stored within ‘genes.’

And when ‘genes’ develop into an embryo, and the embryo further becomes a ‘person,’ then spirit and concept also exist within the ‘person’s’ mind.

At this moment, the concept achieved the unity of matter and spirit.

Is the DNA contained in a fertilized egg ‘spirit’?

Then, the embryo underwent its first division, cells multiplied, the relationships between cells became more complex, and the human embryo gradually formed; spirit and matter thus began to unfold.

This is ‘self-unfolding.’

The concept itself can self-unfold, self-realize; when the ‘concept’ leaves that ‘bubble,’ it will spontaneously begin to form everything.

The concept itself is the unity of thought and existence, it does not need to strip away mind and matter, and it does not conflict with reality.

Thus, in this instant, the Spirit Dao unfolded itself.

The shrunken bubble revealed its edges.

The poetry of concepts began to be recited; in the half-light, half-dark void, stars seemed to dart about, leaping into the hazy morning light, then suddenly hiding and vanishing without a trace.

The next moment, a highly compelling, utterly uncompromising, pure conviction emerged.

Not a single trace of hesitation, not a hint of hollow groaning.

The world expanded here, and the myriad heavens were born from it! Another entity equivalent to the Reality Universe was ‘hatched’ at this moment!

Li Qi found himself bound; an unprecedented ‘Dao,’ unprecedented ‘rules’ were hatched from the concept at this moment, and he, as an anomaly in these pure heavens, was expelled!

Like a drop of oil surrounded by water, he was involuntarily pushed out of the water.

Including the demonic thoughts Li Qi had spread, it was also pushed away.

Li Qi witnessed this process of emergence from nothing in that instant; at that moment, the unfolding of the concept formed ‘reality,’ and the division of reality formed matter, matter materialized due to its quality, and then, materialized matter began to ‘combine,’ ultimately giving birth to ‘life,’ and life in turn gave birth to will.

The development of these living beings’ consciousness then recognized the concept within their own consciousness, and so the concept began to evolve within his consciousness, thus cycling back and forth, continuously developing, continuously self-realizing, continuously nesting to form endless Reincarnation loops.

So perfect, so flawless.

It takes itself as its object, it itself is the object; within it, all logic converges and becomes one.

It itself is the unity of objectivity and cognition; it takes itself as its object, meaning thought itself thinks itself, without subject or object; everything is so unified.

A ‘bubble’ with infinite possibilities, all-encompassing, yet self-contained.

Li Qi was pushed away, but the next moment, all of it ‘withered.’

The bubble closed up again.

Li Qi opened his eyes, and around him… was the North Pole.

Clouds shrouded the mountaintop, the sky was covered with chaotic, boundless grey clouds, the ground was permafrost, but some resilient young shoots still sprouted there.

A fine drizzle fell continuously, rain needles slanted into the mountains, the colors of the land and trees blended together, forming patterns of varying shades of coniferous forests, tree trunks, peat, and mountain walls, as well as some deep purples of unknown origin, while the distant mountain peaks were covered in silvery-white snow.

In this desolate land of the North Pole, nothing had changed.

In front of him, there was even Bei Jia, who had previously understood everything, decided to accept everything, and left.

Here, time had not advanced a single second.

However, everything Li Qi had experienced before had disappeared, and he could no longer perceive the world of ‘concepts.’

“Hoh… was I rejected?” Li Qi shook his head, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

The Spirit Dao did nothing to him; it merely pushed him away, displayed its power before him, and then sealed itself off, unwilling to have any further contact with Li Qi.

Just as Li Qi had said before, this was the ‘superiority’ of the Spirit Dao.

The Spirit Dao would not do anything to him.

They would not be hostile towards him, because this was also part of the Spirit Dao’s “superiority.”

The Spirit Dao was too superior to bother with Li Qi.

The world itself is inferior; there’s no need to fuss over worldly things.

If Li Qi wanted to disturb them, they would just drive him away, that’s all.

However… with just this one contact, Li Qi had already seen what Shamansan desired.

What Shamansan wanted was the ‘self-unfolding’ concept itself.

Only this thing could be comparable in value to the ‘Desire Realm.’

The moment the concept unfolded itself, something equivalent to the ‘Reality Universe’ indeed appeared, and the Desire Realm itself is also equivalent to the Reality Universe.

This was Li Qi's goal: to obtain this and exchange it with Shamansan for the Desire Realm.

There was just one problem…

What exactly was that hand that had held Li Qi before? Li Qi still hadn't grasped its nature.

Also, it seemed Li Qi could no longer access the Spirit Dao’s world; he had been completely rejected by the Spirit Dao.

He now understood why there was almost no conflict with the Spirit Dao in this world.

Indeed, it was hard to fight with them; they also seemed to believe there was no Dao Orthodoxy to speak of, because they were self-sufficient and perfect, with no need to contend for anything.

So how could he re-establish contact with the Spirit Dao, or even obtain those unfolded concepts?

Given the Spirit Dao's attitude, dealing with them seemed very complicated.

People who desire nothing are the most troublesome.

Li Qi fell into deep thought.

However, the next moment, he immediately looked up and called out to Bei Jia’s back: “Wait.”

Bei Jia heard this and turned to look at the dream he had been chasing all his life.

“You’ve pursued me for so long, and now you seem to have comprehended something. Would you like to… stay by my side and see more with me?” Li Qi said to Bei Jia.

“See more? What else is there to see?” Bei Jia didn’t agree, but instead asked Li Qi.

“The Nine Lands Under Heaven are far more than just the North Pole, and the Universe is far more than just the Nine Lands Under Heaven. Do you want to see them?” Li Qi asked.

“No,” Bei Jia shook his head. “A myriad of sceneries are, in the end, just similar things. What else could there be? Ultimately, seeing one mountain is enough.”

“A very good idea,” Li Qi commented, already seeing the Spirit Dao’s ‘hermitic’ feeling in Bei Jia.

This was because of Li Qi.

He pursued Li Qi, and finally discovered that he had never been pursuing Li Qi.

He was pursuing the phantom in his own heart.

Since from the very beginning, he was pursuing the phantom in his own heart, then why bother with what Li Qi was like?

Similarly, when you look at scenery, you are not actually looking at the scenery itself.

During your travels, the ‘scenery’ you imagine might be more beautiful than what you actually see in that moment.

Waiting is often more moving than obtaining.

You ordered a lavish meal you usually couldn't afford. In the half hour before it arrived, your happiness might be greater than when you actually ate it.

Because what you anticipate is not the lavish meal itself, but the phantom of that meal in your heart.

If that’s the case… aren’t all lavish meals in the world the same phantom?

Are all beautiful sceneries in the world also the same phantom?

Beautiful scenery is one, delicious food is one, and so the anticipation of other beautiful things are all the same phantom, all phantoms existing in one's own heart.

If so, why pursue those things? Isn't that putting the cart before the horse?

Therefore, from the very beginning, just pursue that ‘phantom’ in your heart, let that ‘phantom’ spontaneously develop in your heart into the object you wish to pursue, wouldn't that suffice?

Since all perceptions, upon entering the heart, have already become part of that phantom, why seek things outside the phantom in the heart?

Bei Jia pursued Li Qi’s retreating figure, striving his entire life, and the answer he finally received brought him satisfaction.

His heart was like a large glass bubble; he himself was within its transparent membrane, looking out through the glass bubble, he would feel ethereal, but within the glass bubble, it appeared so clear and distinguishable.

It is I who let them go, it is I who brought them here; I cannot let them be.

It can be judged that Bei Jia believes that all events do not happen by chance; people's destinies are created by themselves.

Therefore, there's no need to constantly turn around and look elsewhere; just find answers from within, and then the rest of your life will be spent in tranquility, undisturbed.

Li Qi looked at Bei Jia before him and suddenly felt a bit absurd.

Could a Dao Orthodoxy with such an attitude also develop into the Nine Lands Under Heaven? How did they change this Universe?

However, the moment this thought arose, Li Qi felt a surge of absurdity.

Of course, they can change the Universe.

Because they themselves are part of the Universe, and this is also part of the Universe's contradictions; the essence of all things originates from themselves, meaning concepts themselves are also like this.

And their way of changing the Universe is to let concepts develop and unfold on their own, while they merely need to observe those ‘a priori’ things gradually taking shape.

There's no need for interference, nor any Dao Orthodoxy to speak of, because the concept is already destined to be complete in itself, merely awaiting the period of its unfolding.

One could even say that the external Dao Orthodoxy is the process of concepts contradicting and developing themselves.

Facing the Spirit Dao with such an attitude, Li Qi couldn't help but feel a headache.

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