Chapter 1062: Haotian sets out

The situation was simply too complex.

The entanglements between the Nine Lands Under Heaven were unimaginably numerous, and now the situation had plunged into a new reversal.

Forces continuously entered the fray, new developments constantly unfolded, and everyone had their own goals, which in turn led to new possibilities.

This was by no means a one-on-one battle determining the fate of the world, but a grand melee where everyone acted for themselves.

It felt as if the entire Universe had gone mad.

Haotian still hadn't appeared, and although the Heavenly Court's great battle was ongoing, Taiyi and Haotian had not yet directly clashed. The battle remained within the scope of the Second Grade.

However... everyone knew that the battle would eventually lead to the First Grade's involvement.

Leaving those aside for now.

Now, Li Qi's Zombie, a Zombie with complete thinking ability and external reactions, had separated from the Demonic Prince.

He left the Zombie Demonic Prince and the battlefield, instead standing with Emperor Jun, suspended above the allied army composed of Demon Gods, hanging amidst the Stars.

The Three Realms remained in his hands, and he still maintained complete thinking ability. Aside from lacking a self, everything else was normal.

In fact, Zombie Li Qi even sighed to Emperor Jun beside him.

"Is this the Demonic Dao? You all seem energetic and full of vitality, yet you lack the talent for constructive activities, so your energy must be vented by doing bad things."

"However, I feel that one day, violence will be seen as a product of youthful exuberance, annoying, and the quick wit of ignorant prophets. To be honest, I think Demons are wrong."

Zombie Li Qi said this, looking at Emperor Jun.

Emperor Jun held a Vermillion Shield and Jade Axe, draped in animal skins, surrounded by patterned shells, Li Yu, phoenixes, imperial birds, large objects, small objects, with many flying birds circling above his head, including azure birds, Lang birds, Xuan birds, yellow birds, tigers, leopards, bears, grizzlies, and yellow snakes.

The former Emperor Jun's attire was robes and a sword, but now it was animal skins and a shield and axe, showing a shift in his views on this matter.

Beside Zombie Li Qi, Emperor Jun listened to Li Qi's words.

Emperor Jun was somewhat surprised.

In reality, it was his first time seeing a 'Zombie' after its subjective consciousness had been erased, because Heavenly Demons rarely used this move.

Emperor Jun also knew the reason: the premise for using this move was 'acknowledging that the opponent has subjective will'.

Acknowledging that the opponent has subjective will is a great blow to Heavenly Demons, even affecting their Dao, which shows that Li Qi indeed caused great trouble for the Heavenly Demons.

He had also heard that a Zombie whose subjective will had been erased showed almost no external changes; it remained as it was, because what 'self' truly is, is quite mysterious.

Some say that self-awareness is like a hallucination appearing in the mind, as if everything around has become a thing of the past, though clearly visible and unobstructed, but ultimately fading away.

And now, seeing the existence of such a Zombie with his own eyes made Emperor Jun feel a sense of fear.

Li Qi seemed to have no changes at all, no flaws, exactly like his normal self. He could even make judgments and offer opinions regarding the current situation.

If Emperor Jun didn't know that Li Qi would absolutely not agree to target Haotian, he would definitely not be able to distinguish whether this was the real Li Qi or a Zombie.

How terrifying.

Completely stripping a person of their self, yet leaving no trace.

"Why aren't you replying?" Zombie Li Qi asked Emperor Jun.

Emperor Jun merely smiled: "There's no point in saying these things. Let's move forward."

Emperor Jun didn't want to waste too much time with a Zombie, nor did he want to debate the Dao with it.

It was just a Zombie; everything it said was merely a 'reaction'.

It was like dropping a stone into water, causing ripples.

Or like conversing with some generative AI; just input text, and you get a response.

It did give a response, but what exactly was that response?

The current Zombie was such a thing.

Emperor Jun didn't mind having a Dao discussion with the real Li Qi, but he was too lazy to communicate with the current Zombie.

Li Qi's Zombie didn't get angry, because he had no subjective feelings at all. His 'anger' only existed when he "should be angry," and when that 'should' was, depended on the situation.

Yes, Zombies also assessed the situation; they possessed adaptive capabilities, because adaptive capabilities did not require self-awareness to support them.

In the operation of a country, perhaps the king at the top is the least important.

And Emperor Jun's thoughts might be the source of his arrogance: a king wishes to converse with another king, otherwise he would never speak more than a word to his subjects, even though the country actually operates by relying on its subjects, and the king is already dead.

However, these differences no longer mattered.

Emperor Jun's self-awareness, his 'king', did not believe that his subjects could create the future. In his eyes, the king was a necessity for pursuing the Dao, while other subjects were a necessity for 'survival'.

And pursuing the Dao and survival sometimes did not align.

Therefore, there was nothing to say to a Zombie that merely maintained its own existence.

Without self-awareness, everything was merely a feedback to external stimuli. Although no flaws could be seen, there was indeed no need for communication.

As these conversations concluded, Zombie Li Qi had already arrived at the Heavenly Court.

Above the Heavenly Court, Taiyi was already waiting for Li Qi and Emperor Jun.

Taiyi's body was incredibly beautiful, like the convergence of countless Star Rivers, with countless specks of light continuously swirling around the entire Heavenly Court.

The Heavenly Court's area was immense, with countless Heavenly Palaces suspended on auspicious clouds, distributed across hundreds of millions of light-years. A Heavenly River stretching for billions of light-years encircled these Heavenly Palaces.

The Heavenly River navy sailed around these Heavenly Palaces. If a Mortal were to come here, they would feel as if they had wandered through a splendid and colorful dream world.

Like a feather drifting in the boundless Universe, gazing up at the bright moon suspended at the zenith on a clear night, over an extremely calm lake without a single ripple, with the surrounding Star Sea revolving around it, as Stars shifted.

Emperor Jun led countless Demons and Heavenly Gods from below to ascend the Heavenly Court, passing through the Heavenly River and the Heavenly Gate.

Li Qi also flew up, arriving before Taiyi.

Then, Taiyi said to Li Qi: "As per our agreement, you shall bear my body."

"You are a Dharma Body formed by observing my body, and with the existence of the Three Realms, in this Universe, apart from the First Grade, only you can bear my body."

"And I shall break free from the limitations of all living beings, and in my full glory, I will fight Haotian to the death."

Taiyi stated his purpose.

So... the reason he helped Li Qi was also because of this.

The reason why the tyrannical Heavenly Gods and Demons were willing to help Li Qi and sought to recruit him was all for this moment.

Li Qi had formed his own Second Grade structure by observing Taiyi's true form.

Now the Three Realms were complete, and the Myriad Heavens were directly forged in this chaotic form.

All of this was so that Taiyi could find someone to bear his body, allowing him to break free from the shackles of all living beings.

Zombie Li Qi did not refuse.

There was nothing to refuse. If he could temporarily experience Taiyi's body and truly bear 'all living beings' once, then this was of course an excellent thing.

Moreover, this could even facilitate Taiyi's expedition against Haotian. If Haotian died, Li Qi's extermination of Demons could seemingly continue, all good things.

Since they were all good things, why not do them?

Thus, Zombie Li Qi naturally took on Taiyi's body.

And Taiyi finally broke free from the pressure of all living beings.

Taiyi, himself, was an aggregate of 'all living beings'.

He was all Star Officials, and Star Officials were the power gathered from all life. This was both his strength and his burden.

When Taiyi bore all living beings, he could not engage in the final struggle with Haotian.

If it were put this way, Mortals might think that Taiyi actually intended to target them.

However, in reality, Taiyi did not dislike all living beings, but he had strong opinions about Haotian.

Haotian... had suppressed this world for too long.

Actually, this world could have had more futures.

Who says the demise of Mortals isn't a future? Who says destroying the Demonic Dao, or destroying Buddhism, isn't a future?

Since they are all futures, why should this world be confined to the state of 'coexistence'?

Destruction is also a possibility. Haotian constantly claimed to maintain the diversity of the entire world in this state, but in reality, he imprisoned all living beings.

And as is well known...

Taiyi's true form is all living beings.

Haotian restricted the diversification of all living beings, so Taiyi was also confined.

Taiyi once thought this was nothing, even believing Haotian was right, that more living beings and more creativity were always good.

However, now, after a long period of coexistence, Taiyi had new thoughts.

Haotian had effectively constrained the development of this Universe.

It seemed that Haotian maintained the existence of diversity, but maintaining diversity itself was stifling more possibilities.

Taiyi had witnessed this tyrannical Heavenly Emperor deny too many futures. If not for Haotian's protection, humanity would not have survived until now, and the Universe might have looked different.

And Taiyi, as the manifestation of all living beings, would also look different.

Therefore...

Taiyi was going to defy Haotian.

There was just one problem: as long as he bore all living beings, as long as all living beings and numerous Heavenly Gods were still his body, he could not oppose Haotian, because... this body was created by Haotian.

Someone had to bear 'all living beings', and then the free Taiyi could fight Haotian without burden.

Li Qi was thus chosen by Taiyi, who imparted his structural method to him, enabling him to establish himself at the Second Grade.

Now it seemed that although Li Qi himself was unwilling to defy Haotian, Zombie Li Qi was very willing.

Moreover, everything Li Qi could do, Zombie Li Qi could also do.

Zombie Li Qi began to bear all living beings, forcibly lifting Taiyi's body with the power of the Three Realms and the Myriad Heavens, so that all living beings would not immediately collapse, causing all possibilities to converge.

And Taiyi's pure and flawless spirit floated out.

It was so pure.

His purpose was also pure.

Taiyi wanted to change the status quo. This Universe had been whipped by a driver like Haotian for too long.

Everyone wanted to make a statement on the Reality Universe; everyone wanted to influence all living beings.

The Great Powers seemed to feel that their Dao must be implemented among all living beings, otherwise they would be displeased. They even wanted to eliminate those who disagreed with them.

In front of naturally divine beings like Haotian and Taiyi, this appeared particularly strange.

Especially as a 'hybrid' Taiyi, he was even less able to understand what this forced pursuit was about.

And the struggle between the Nine Lands Under Heaven and Haotian gave Taiyi the impression that... this was not true 'diversity'.

This was singularity disguised in the skin of diversity.

It seemed that all living beings were different, with different species, different technology trees, different cultures, and different social atmospheres.

However, in Taiyi's eyes, this was merely the voice of the world, uniformly emitted under different skins.

How unpleasant. This world should have been multipolar, diversity should have been realized, and all life forms originally had their own unique cultures and thoughts.

However, the world forcibly, through control over culture, education, propaganda, and the laws of the Universe, gradually castrated and dwarfed the cultures of all life into the ideal image of the people in the eyes of those Great Powers—

That was not diversity.

One cannot just follow the world's pursuit, sleepwalking with the world, for once one's own Dao is completely dismantled, there will truly be no return.

A brain-dead world has no future.

And Haotian was gradually witnessing the birth of this brain death. The diversity he maintained had become a slowly dying coffin.

Therefore, Haotian should die.

Taiyi abandoned the body composed of all living beings.

Fragments of Chaos consciousness exploded, conveying a mad message: "Haotian, you are the nanny of this mad world; it's time to let go."

Thus, at this moment, the Heavenly Emperor appeared.

His voice boomed like thunder, reverberating and thundering, countless Divine Qi around him scattered like wind and rain, spreading across Myriad Realms.

Illuminating the heavenly expanse above, clarifying the earthly network below.

The obscure and the clear, a single principle, the vast Origin Qi.

Spewing forth like whales and giant fish, surging like overflowing floods.

Connecting in an instant like lightning, with thick grace like dew.

Golden bells and drums sounded, and the hibernating Dragons rose to command.

Zhu Rong stood behind him, holding banners and streamers; Shamansan opened the Yulu (Jade Road) before him; Gou Mang held the chariot's axle; Ru Shou preceded with the spear. Rongcheng, Dating, Bohuang, Lilu, Hexu, Zunlu, and others set up frameworks around him.

The Heavenly Emperor traveled, surrounded by other Emperors!

Stepping to the rhythm of Shang and Yu, all Qi contended for existence, Heaven and Earth opened, and Myriad Things were born simultaneously.

Waving long Stars as banners, thunder as drums, driving all Gods out in chariots, summoning Xin to make the wind gentle, ascending to the lofty heights of Fusang, washing away the bright radiance.

The Heavenly Emperor's true form appeared here.

The Cang Tian and Da Tu Shaman God emerged at this moment, but did not help Haotian. Instead, after a brief encounter with Haotian, they headed towards humanity's direction.

Humanity was also seizing this opportunity to act.

Alas.

Was the fire still lit by the Heavenly Demon?

When Shamansan entered the fray, when Zombie Li Qi appeared, was the current situation already destined?

The situation Haotian least wanted to see.

A First Grade chaotic battle.