Chapter 1074: The truth of everything (finale)
The battles between the First Grades quickly delineated their respective war zones.
No matter what, many First Grades supported the Heavenly Demon, which was why the plan could progress to this extent; the Heavenly Demon alone certainly couldn't have accomplished it.
But now, the appearance of Li Qi and Pratyeka Buddha Merchant has stalled the Heavenly Demon's plan.
And Li Qi finally achieved what he had always dreamed of.
Confronting the Heavenly Demon.
A one-on-one decisive battle against the Heavenly Demon.
This was the ultimate result of his continuous struggle for freedom.
This was a timeless war, breaking free from slavery and entering the Realm of Eternal Freedom.
The Heavenly Demon issued a negation to Li Qi: "Li Qi, you cannot transcend history. You must know that even for First Grades, the sole content of their history is their selfishness and endless struggle. They always overvalue these struggles, hyping them up, when in reality they only pursue power—the power to interpret the world."
"This isn't something from your ideal world, is it? You have mastered demonic thoughts, and you should also understand that the history of all things is merely an endless string of boring and tedious records."
The Heavenly Demon's words began to guide Li Qi's demonic thoughts.
However, the current Li Qi had already found his own answer.
The First Grades were not too afraid of the Heavenly Demon's demonic thoughts influence; their Dao had reached this level, so before the start of this 'Age of Dharma Decline' operation, no one had detected the Heavenly Demon's immense destructive power.
Li Qi did not respond to the Heavenly Demon's disturbance.
Because he knew that history was not that simple.
He had experienced the forms of the Myriad Heavens; he knew that all the most perfect and flawless gems within history were the result of an endless journey, refined through great waves, washing away the traces of human strife.
To possess these gems was a great fortune for every Dao Seeker. These things continuously appeared, constantly manifesting as 'information' before the Dao Seekers, providing them with an endless source of motivation and thought, allowing them to continuously pursue the Dao forward.
Through continuous deep abstraction and generalization of this information and history, the works of sages and Great Powers were born. Upon closer inspection, you would find that these great works could be broken down into primitive components.
And all components originated from all events and the history behind them.
The Great Powers sublimated these mundane meanings, then dissected and analyzed them, as if these components were building blocks to be assembled into a more perfect form.
However, at their core, all things are one.
Just like the Dao Li Qi had comprehended.
Reality was not exclusive to Great Powers; it was just that the Great Powers' reality was more vivid.
Objective reality completely existed, subjective cognition completely existed, and the difference between the two was erased by the absolute reference frame.
Li Qi's answer was enough to make the Heavenly Demon feel a state of harmonious perfection.
Furthermore, the existence of the Heavens of the Formless Realm prevented the Heavenly Demon from observing Li Qi's subjective thoughts.
In other words...
The current Li Qi was a complete specialized version against the Heavenly Demon.
The Heavenly Demon's unparalleled 'speed of thought' was slower than Li Qi's.
The Heavenly Demon observed the thoughts of all things through demonic thoughts to plan ahead, but at this moment, he could not see Li Qi's demonic thoughts; the Heavens of the Formless Realm obscured Li Qi.
Li Qi's First Grade answer was a rejection of the Demonic Dao.
The death of Amitabha and the decline of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss had brought about Li Qi's Myriad Heavens.
And ultimately, everything formed the current specialized Heavenly Demon killer version of Li Qi.
However, although the Heavenly Demon seemed a bit troublesome, he was not very afraid.
He didn't even show any intention of fleeing; instead, he continued to fight Li Qi.
The battle continued.
Such a battle was like a conversation between a chicken and a duck.
Li Qi's Dao and the Heavenly Demon's Dao were almost completely conflicting.
It was like people of different nationalities and languages talking to each other, completely unable to understand.
Even if one side tried their best to learn the other's language, it would never be as smooth as communication between people who share the same mother tongue.
Moreover, Mortals who couldn't understand could use 'body language' as a last resort.
But for First Grades, they didn't even have body language; their communication was Dao.
If for a race, language itself meant 'war,' then how could 'peace' be spoken?
Incompatible Daos destined the two to be locked in an endless struggle until one perished.
But one thing was good.
Li Qi now had the advantage.
In the middle of the battlefield—
"So, why should I believe you?" an emperor of a great Empire asked, looking at Li Qi before him.
This was a great transformation in history, where history diverged into many branches.
Li Qi was about to guide history in a specific direction.
Facing the emperor's doubts, Li Qi's Dharma Body said: "You don't need to believe me, but these technologies are already here. Your artisans invented them. As for whether they can be used, that's up to Your Majesty."
With that, Li Qi's Dharma Body dissipated.
At the same time, before the world's greatest artisan, a black shadow was repelled.
The 'inspiration' that was originally in the artisan's mind also came to an abrupt halt.
"Hmm? I just had a good idea, why can't I remember it all of a sudden?" The artisan scratched his head, a bit confused.
But it didn't matter, anyway, the initial design blueprints were already thought out, and thankfully, he had written them down.
——————
In a small dark room, many rented standard fiber optics were laid out, and a 'hacker' was hiding there.
These fiber optics were connected to a nearby private data communication company, a small company that only managed network operations for a few cities.
However, these paths were sufficient for the hacker to connect to any receiving processor on Earth, with almost no chance of being detected. Within minutes, he had probed and switched three lines, found a blank domain name online for modulation calculations, where this company leased processor time at an extremely low price, almost the same as ground communication lines, and accepted automatic transfers.
Through several anonymous accounts, the hacker obtained exclusive control of a large block of data space through anonymous payments, available for use a few milliseconds after a request.
This time, the hacker was preparing to quietly enter the Federation's most confidential information storage disk to see what decisions guided civilization, and if he was dissatisfied, he could even modify them.
There was no particular goal; this hacker simply enjoyed it.
People like him lived contentedly in cheap apartment buildings, spending all their money on processing and life support Systems, able to stay online for days, never moving their Physical Bodies in the Reality Universe.
Their skills became more refined day by day, their knowledge increasingly broad, while their Physical Bodies gradually wore down and atrophied, yet this only made them appear more terrifying online.
Relying on many fiber optics, they were like spiders motionless at the center of a web, with all of civilization's computers as their prey.
The hacker was browsing the confidential information when he suddenly saw a folder labeled "Anti-Ballistic Missile Control System."
He took a look; this thing was clearly not yet successfully developed.
The people of the Federation were idiots; they were still programming this System in the most primitive language, a method that would take thousands of years to complete.
Not even worth a single hair of his.
And at this moment, inspiration struck him, and he began typing rapidly on the keyboard.
Soon, the System was perfected.
The hacker was filled with a sense of accomplishment.
Without me, the anti-ballistic missile System would not succeed, and hundreds of millions of people would die because of it. Perhaps many cities would now be reduced to glass.
This feeling of changing the world was truly exhilarating.
History was changed by an anonymous hacker, leading to another outcome, and he didn't even leave his name.
——————
On a Celestial Mountain floating in the sky, the Old Ancestor of this immortal cultivation School was Undergoing Tribulation.
He yearned for Immortal Ascension, hoping to go to the Immortal Realm.
Although he was completely unfamiliar with that world outside, he still wanted to go, because he had tasted almost everything in the Mortal world.
He had already lived as long as the Heavens and hoped to go to a larger place.
Of course, most people also had roughly similar desires, yearning for something in the Void Realm, yearning for something indescribable, something they didn't quite understand, but simply yearned for.
And during Undergoing Tribulation, one tribulation was called the 'Heart Tribulation'; after being struck by lightning, one's inner self would be scrutinized. If one's Dao Heart was not firm enough, then all of one's cultivation would dissipate.
He felt that he had no problems at all; his Dao Heart had endured countless trials during his ten thousand years of life and had never wavered.
To be honest, his probability of successfully Undergoing Tribulation was basically 100%.
For him, it was merely a piece of cake.
But this time...
The Heavenly Tribulation came with unusual ferocity.
His demonic thoughts constantly boiled, trying to erode his Dao Heart, trying to destroy his many desires, trying to devour his possibility of Immortal Ascension.
Something's not right.
Why is the Heavenly Tribulation so fierce? He had observed others Undergoing Tribulation before, and no one had ever had such a strong Heavenly Tribulation.
Something's not right, something's not right.
However, what was even more wrong was that the Heavenly Tribulation in the sky began to become erratic.
Sometimes large, sometimes small.
This... what exactly is going on?
Until he was struck dead by lightning, he felt that the Heavenly Tribulation was strange.
However... with the death of the Old Ancestor, the entire School was in turmoil, and the immortal cultivation world would once again face a great catastrophe.
The wheel of history began to roll at this moment.
——————
Amidst various possibilities, two figures constantly traversed through history.
Origin Qi gained revival in new forces and new changes.
Li Qi's battle, amidst the decaying Origin Qi, tore open a path to the future.
The traces left by destiny, those things that make you who you are and belong to you, were opened one by one.
The Universe had all sorts of scenery.
Crystal clear nights.
Floating clouds, nebulae with scattered stars.
The light, cool air of an autumn night.
Sky full of floating clouds, land, sea, and air.
And various civilizations.
Behind all these sceneries, in the deepest part of everything, in the most subtle and profound reaches of the Universe, two patterns were intertwining, constantly cultivating, changing, and overturning everything.
They shaped the terror and abyss of reality, and also wove an orderly world composed purely of forms and formulas, of abstract concepts and exquisite elegance.
In both of these worlds, their flickering figures could be seen.
Every race would eventually develop. Thousands of years later, or hundreds of thousands of years later, whether this race was enslaved or moved towards glory, they would find that their future would ultimately depend on one or two people, and these one or two people had already determined the entire civilization's development direction many years ago.
Everything they did was like the flapping of a butterfly's wings, influencing the entire course of civilization's history, and in turn, affecting larger and more things in the future.
——————
In this war, Li Qi won completely.
The Heavenly Demon's speed was suppressed, its characteristics were suppressed, and even its demonic thoughts itself was restrained.
The demonic tide swept by the Heavenly Demon was suppressed by the Three Realms, with the Heavens of the Formless Realm perfectly neutralizing all demonic thoughts influence, so that the Heavenly Demon's influence on the outside world was completely zero.
The Heavenly Demon engaged in direct hot war, but before he made a move, Li Qi had already arrived at an earlier point in time than the Heavenly Demon. When the Heavenly Demon reacted and went to trace back, Li Qi had already arrived at an even earlier point faster than him.
This cycle continued until both sides reached the end of time. The Heavenly Demon then discovered that from the beginning of time to the end of time, Li Qi always had the first move everywhere, and the Heavenly Demon was destined to fail everywhere.
No, not destined, but had already failed.
All things happened at the same moment; from the very beginning, all of the Heavenly Demon's interferences were blocked by Li Qi, which in the wars of First Grades, usually meant the end.
Such a battle, manifested in history and reality, meant that... history began to revive.
From the very beginning of all creation, history was rewritten by Li Qi, and the process of Origin Qi decay was curbed.
When the Heavenly Demon tried to continue advancing, Li Qi could always appear one step ahead of him, changing history and making countermeasures against the Heavenly Demon, leaving him only able to furiously move to the next point in time.
Other First Grades, some helped the Heavenly Demon, but some also helped Li Qi. With the two new forces, Li Qi and the Demonic Prince, the power they brought had already tipped the scales.
The Heavenly Demon was not just facing Li Qi, but was facing the encirclement of many First Grades.
Only...
It wasn't enough.
Even if Li Qi suppressed the Heavenly Demon in all possibilities across all time, the Heavenly Demon himself remained completely unharmed.
"After all this, you still won't die?" Li Qi finally spoke.
Something's not right.
The battle had reached this point; if it were any other First Grade, they would be heavily injured if not dead.
"Die? What kind of joke are you telling?" The Heavenly Demon's tone remained light: "Shang Fan can resist death, you wouldn't think I can't, would you?"
——————
After Li Qi awakened, he completely suppressed the Heavenly Demon, united with other First Grades to encircle him, and even sealed off all his possibilities across all timelines.
For those of the Second Grade and Third Grade, this would be enough to die ten thousand times over.
Even for a First Grade, this would be a fatal wound, after all… this actually means that the Heavenly Demon can no longer interfere with the Reality Universe.
Li Qi, with a transcendent attitude and the will of a First Grade Great Power, acknowledged this world, and with this, negated all Demonic Daos.
This is the most profound understanding and great love, an affirmation and confirmation of all things, the clarity maintained when facing all abysses of nothingness, a virtue of a sage.
He acknowledged that reality is indestructible, that reality and sentient beings are the secret of everything, and also the fundamental essence of all Dao; it is sentient beings who gave birth to Dao, not Dao that evolved sentient beings.
He used countless brilliant methods to proclaim reality, praising the magnificence and terror of all things in narratives of creation history and legends.
If viewed from the perspective of a Heavenly God, then Li Qi has already made pure reality resound in his music; he stands firmly before the gate of substantiality, enduring the torment of all tears and pain.
All of this was to completely prevent the advent of nothingness.
Whether it was the absolute nothingness represented by the Demon of Death.
Or the forced nothingness of other things brought about by the Heavenly Demon's subjective idealism.
Or the nothingness in perception brought about by the Demon of the Five Aggregates by distorting the perception of subjective will.
Or the Demon of Affliction, centered on 'suffering,' guiding sentient beings to accept nothingness and abandon substantiality.
The Demonic Dao, in essence, is to acknowledge the nothingness of this world.
Li Qi still remembered the vow he made.
To ensure that sentient beings are not troubled by demons.
Essentially, this is resisting nothingness, resisting everything that negates the meaning of existence of all things.
This world, countless space-times, as shown in the histories Li Qi wrote, began with a beautiful substantiality, both sacred and beautiful, incomparably radiant; that was truly a golden age.
But after beings above Third Grade could erase history, this world became sick, its illness worsening with the continuous Reboots of the Great Powers; it declined daily, even giving birth to the 'demonic thoughts' of doubt.
After countless Reboots, in the midst of degeneration and fear, the sentient beings experienced the cruel historical changes of the world, gazing at the eternally rotating cycle of craving and suffering, unable to escape Reincarnation.
Finally, the time for its destruction was ripe.
Because the Heavenly Demon appeared.
He laughed and danced, trampling the substantiality of the world under his feet.
He saw and understood the fragility of the substantiality of all things, saw the desires and bestiality in the endless space-time, and simultaneously the strong pursuit of purity and harmony that coexisted.
The Heavenly Demon scorned them and beamed with joy.
The powerful Heavenly Demon, singing and dancing, trampled the fallen world into ruins, then, with a smile, playfully created a new world from his dream.
This new world was the Age of Dharma Decline.
However, this world did not perish after all.
From the ruins, from the seeds sown by the Heavenly Demon, beings like Li Qi grew, firmly defending the things he deemed important.
Thus, the world gained new life again, recovering through Li Qi's persistence; with his skillful hands, he created a young, beautiful, and brilliant new world, holding it in his embrace with utmost respect.
But… that was all.
The Demonic Prince also participated in the battle; he witnessed the entire fight and was involved in it.
He was originally overjoyed, feeling that victory was already in his grasp.
However, as the battle progressed, the Demonic Prince realized that Li Qi had indeed protected the world in his embrace, but… beyond that, Li Qi could do nothing else.
The Heavenly Demon… possessed the same nature as his former self.
No, it was the other way around.
It should be said that the Demonic Prince, as a Demonic Prince, inherited this nature from the Heavenly Demon.
As is well known, the Demonic Prince previously displayed two natures.
The first is to resist the reality he doesn't want; as long as he firmly doesn't want it, that thing truly won't appear, but this also has limits, and the limit is his 'Heart.'
As long as his Heart is firm enough, he can resist everything, including death.
When he was in the Seventh Grade, his battle with the Young Celestial Master showed this characteristic: as long as he didn't want to die, then he wouldn't die. (See Chapter 519 for details)
The second is the Nascent Heavenly Demon Prince.
Like the Heavenly Demon, the Demonic Prince's thoughts would also materialize into Devil Heads; these Demonic Overlords would exist on their own, sustain themselves, and execute the thought they embodied, never resting until their goal was achieved. (See Chapter 863 for details)
For the Heavenly Demon, such thoughts are Nascent Heavenly Demons, and for the Demonic Prince, they are Nascent Heavenly Demon Princes.
These were all inherited by the Demonic Prince from the Heavenly Demon.
Therefore, for the Heavenly Demon, these characteristics would only be stronger.
Even with so many First Grades collectively obliterating the Heavenly Demon's possibilities, he didn't seem to be suffering much.
The Demonic Prince grew anxious.
He himself knew the terror of this characteristic deeply.
Many times he faced insurmountable enemies, yet ultimately counter-killed them, relying on this very ability.
As long as his Heart didn't collapse, he wouldn't die, no matter how severe the injury, it couldn't defeat him.
So, to defeat the Demonic Prince, one must defeat the Demonic Prince's Heart, which is usually something only someone much stronger than the Demonic Prince can achieve using special Divine Abilities.
Just like that battle with the Young Celestial Master, the Young Celestial Master was stronger than the Demonic Prince but couldn't kill him; ultimately, a Third Grade of the Daoist School acted, and with a single gaze, the Demonic Prince's willpower shattered; if not for the Third Grades of the Demonic Dao intervening, the Demonic Prince would have truly fallen there.
So, the question arises.
The Demonic Prince at that time was a Seventh Grade; shattering his Dao Heart and making his will collapse was achieved by a Third Grade's gaze.
The current Heavenly Demon is a First Grade, and a particularly strong type among First Grades.
Who can violently break the Heavenly Demon's Dao Heart?
Or rather, who can find the 'answer' that will deliver a decisive blow, enough to shatter the Heavenly Demon's Dao Heart?
If there is no way, then, can they reach the level of the World Honored One Tathagata? That is, to Seal the Heavenly Demon.
"Can it be done?" the Demonic Prince asked the many First Grades.
As a 'Pratyeka Buddha,' he was actually weaker than an ordinary First Grade; although he could participate in this battle, he couldn't play a decisive role.
A Pratyeka Buddha, after all, is not a true Buddha.
However, in reality, the path has already been paved; as long as they continue to practice the Bodhisattva path, they will eventually become a Perfectly Enlightened Buddha, but that takes time, and what is most lacking now is time.
"Difficult." Radiant Light Buddha sighed, "The Heavens of the Formless Realm, which can restrain the Heavenly Demon, has already exerted all its power, but without the true Dharma of the World Honored One, it is ultimately difficult to Seal him."
Seal.
Yes, even Radiant Light Buddha thought of Sealing, not killing.
The Heavenly Demon was too difficult to kill.
As long as sentient beings still have desires, as long as higher intelligences still have cravings, the Heavenly Demon will always exist.
As long as there is even a trace of 'Heart' in this Universe, it is difficult to kill the Heavenly Demon.
"Are we just going to watch?" The Demonic Prince felt a headache coming on.
During their exchange, the other First Grades of the Demonic Dao had already attacked.
They were forced to separate and began their respective First Grade wars.
The battle once again became a solo performance by Li Qi and the Heavenly Demon.
The Heavenly Demon also noticed this.
Then, his body dispersed, and Demonic Qi swept through.
Li Qi stopped the Heavenly Demon's actions, continuing to firmly suppress the Heavenly Demon using the Three Realms, but… he couldn't kill the Heavenly Demon.
And the Heavenly Demon let out a giggling laugh.
Clearly, he was very confident that Li Qi couldn't do anything to him.
The Heavenly Demon had done too many things in this world; apart from the World Honored One Tathagata Sealing him, no one else had been able to do anything to him, so he was very willful.
To put it more cutely, he was a mischievous ghost, playful, witty, cunning, fond of magic tricks, and very good at hiding himself.
Of course, in Li Qi's eyes, the Heavenly Demon was an extremely vicious executioner and an arrogant game player.
He appeared and disappeared, full of malice towards the world; his maliciousness far exceeded people's imagination, although he himself didn't consider it malice, he was just simply playing in the human world.
Because he didn't acknowledge the reality of the world, the world was merely an illusion to him, and he simply couldn't be bothered with the destruction and suffering he caused.
Including towards Li Qi and the Demonic Prince.
At this moment, due to the Heavenly Demon's attitude, Li Qi began to ponder.
He was thinking about how to defeat the Heavenly Demon; if he couldn't kill him, then at least he had to destroy the Heavenly Demon's power of external interference and Seal him.
What to do?
So, to understand this, one needs to clarify a question: what is the Heavenly Demon's purpose?
From the current situation, the Heavenly Demon's purpose seems to have been revealed, but… Li Qi always felt something was off.
The Heavenly Demon had appeared before Li Qi a long time ago with a kind and polite demeanor, creating and weaving a comforting web for his mind.
The Heavenly Demon often influenced Li Qi in his own way; he wanted to awaken Li Qi, to transform Li Qi. At least, he had gone to great lengths from the very beginning to win Li Qi over.
Why did he do this? Why did he try to win me over? Li Qi truly didn't know.
Li Qi once thought he was very important.
Later, he found that he was not important at all.
And now, looking back, he found that… in fact, many things the Heavenly Demon did to him were not just for the destruction of the World Honored One.
He also made many idle moves on himself.
These idle moves were meaningless for destroying the World Honored One.
For example, his own memories.
Why was he given memories from Earth, while the Demonic Prince wasn't?
Clearly, his memories did not play any significant role in the plan for the World Honored One's nirvana.
If both Demonic Princes were traps laid by the World Honored One, where did the difference between them come from?
Based on past situations, Li Qi felt that a being of the Heavenly Demon's type probably acted out of a conditioned reflex, an instinctive interest, rather than a conscious action.
However, even a First Grade's interest must contain deep meaning.
What's going on?
"Hey, Li Qi, have you given up?" The Heavenly Demon stopped his war with Li Qi and floated in front of him instead.
His true form came to Li Qi's side, transforming into the appearance of a young girl.
The Heavenly Demon always liked this.
They temporarily ceased hostilities, as it was clear they couldn't decide the victor here.
Li Qi looked at the young girl in front of him.
This was the Heavenly Demon's initial appearance to him.
This must have been based on Li Qi's 'nostalgic' thoughts; Li Qi usually sighs a little when he sees things that happened a long time ago.
Even these were among the Heavenly Demon's subconscious actions.
Li Qi looked at the girl, who had an almost sacred and mysterious aura about her; she stood before Li Qi with a bright smile.
This was the person.
This was the source of all the suffering for Li Qi and the Demonic Prince.
"Why are you standing in front of me? Aren't you going to find Shang Fan?" Li Qi waved his hand, and a chair appeared behind him; he sat down.
"Shang Fan is not as good as you." The Heavenly Demon also sat down, but she sat cross-legged in the Void Realm, her posture looking cute and innocent, her hair naturally falling onto her legs.
She was like a high School girl, her hands placed in the middle of her crossed legs, leaning forward, and said to Li Qi, "Honestly, I really didn't expect you to succeed in attaining Dao in the end. So many Second Grades died on Celestial Pole, yet you succeeded."
"Three First Grades paved the way for me with their lives; if I still didn't succeed, it would be my problem. The Universe recently gave birth to three brand new First Grades, but a full six have fallen, you know." Li Qi replied.
As he said this, Li Qi lowered his head and looked at Celestial Pole and the Three Realms.
Celestial Pole and the Three Realms were crucial for Li Qi to become a First Grade.
Among them, the Three Realms allowed Li Qi to gain the same observational ability as the Heavenly Demon.
That was power from the Desire Realm, the power to control demonic thoughts and to be driven by the Heart.
At the same time, the Formless Realm also gave Li Qi the ability to curb the Desire Realm and demonic thoughts.
The Form Realm gave Li Qi an endless experience of possibilities, and it was also key to his ability to control the Three Realms, because the Form Realm itself was Li Qi's Inner World, and it also absorbed Amitabha's Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, and used Taiyi's Physical Body as a vessel.
But the difference in values between the Three Realms was enough to tear Li Qi apart; if Li Qi had simply relied on the Three Realms to advance to First Grade, he would have died without a burial place, just like the other Second Grades.
However, with Celestial Pole, he could overcome this difference.
And to get all this…
Taiyi's Physical Body after his fall, Amitabha and the World Honored One Tathagata's nirvana.
The deaths of three First Grades paved the way for Li Qi to reach the First Grade.
If Li Qi had to do it himself, he probably would never have reached the First Grade.
"Alright, let's not talk about these things. You already know, right? You can't hurt me. Why don't we stop? Let's not fight for now, and when there are new variables in the future, we can decide the victor." The Heavenly Demon suggested.
"Stop?" Li Qi even doubted if he had misheard.
"Mm, stop." The Heavenly Demon nodded.
The Heavenly Demon actually asked Li Qi to stop.
Li Qi even suspected he had misheard.
"It's normal, you see, everyone else is preparing to stop, except for you and the Demonic Prince." The Heavenly Demon pointed outside.
Li Qi looked back.
What Destiny said was right.
The First Grades who were just fighting to the death were now packing up and preparing to go home.
The battle was over.
The First Grades, who had previously sung sorrowful songs of generosity and even willingly faced death, returned to their respective places as if there had been no gap between them after the battle ended.
Everyone clearly knew where to divide and what spoils of war to take.
There was almost no argument, not a single judgment beyond rationality.
There's a saying: “If there were no accidents in this world, everyone would just lay out their weapon lists and compare their strengths, and the losing side would surrender directly, no need for war at all.”
This sentence was originally a taunt, implying that strength cannot truly determine the outcome of a battle.
However, in front of the First Grades at this moment, this sentence was true.
The rationality of the First Grades was also fully demonstrated at this moment.
Before the battle, everyone had hidden trump cards, some revealable and some not, various plans, calculations, private connections, and hidden objectives, which is why they needed to fight for real.
At this time, the First Grades would not hold back at all; if they needed to kill, they killed; if they needed to die, they died.
Every First Grade was like the cruelest chess player, willing to sacrifice even themselves, as long as their objective could be achieved, as long as their great wish could be fulfilled, then all sacrifices were worthwhile.
Demon of Death was willing to self-destruct to promote the decay of Origin Qi.
Amitabha and Medicine King Buddha would also willingly enter nirvana, actively advancing into the 'Buddhist Pagodare Age' to accomplish the great undertaking of a world without Buddhas and rectify their mistakes.
Were their methods malicious? Of course they were malicious; even people like Shamansan used astonishing schemes and tricks, not to mention Demon of Death, who intended to destroy the entire Universe.
But… at this moment, they all appeared so simple.
Once they found the situation stable and needed to wait for the next variable, they would immediately pack up and quietly wait for the next opportunity.
At this point, it was clear how many steps to retreat and who would occupy what place; there was no need for further conflict, and everyone knew what areas they could hold.
In other words, everyone already felt that this variable, this Reboot of the Universe, had reached its limit here.
Next, they needed to quietly continue accumulating variables and wait for the next time.
Li Qi recalled the previous Universe Reboot.
The reason for the previous Universe Reboot was the Human-Shaman War; at that time, the First Grades rebooted the Universe nineteen times, and Li Qi did not participate in those nineteen times; he hid in his own timeline, concealing himself until after the war.
And this time, he personally participated in the battle.
The Universe this time… rebooted sixteen times? Probably, he didn't spend too much effort counting, as the battle had already been going on for some time before he awoke.
Would such things happen every time the Universe rebooted?
This time, the commotion might be a bit bigger, as it affected the Nine Lands Under Heaven; last time, it didn't affect the Nine Lands Under Heaven.
So, in places that his past self hadn't seen, this Universe had been turned upside down, and various Dao paths had done all sorts of things.
No wonder even the Five Elements could be snatched away by one side.
Is this the war of the Nine Lands Under Heaven?
Thinking these thoughts, Li Qi looked at the Heavenly Demon.
Facing Li Qi's gaze, the Heavenly Demon tilted his head and chuckled lightly, his smile like when you've just woken up from a nap on an autumn day, and the girl at your desk has also just woken up, rubbing her eyes, then smiling at you.
However, Li Qi made no movement at all; he looked at the Heavenly Demon's expression and said, “So, most First Grade wars are like this?”
The Heavenly Demon replied, “Otherwise? Who doesn't have some life-saving methods? Like you, you used every method possible, almost all your Divine Abilities were aimed at me, but can you kill me?”
“Since you can't kill me, then let's wait for an opportunity; wait until I have a chance to kill you, or you feel you have a chance to kill me, and then, the next First Grade war will begin again. The struggles of First Grades are all like this.”
Li Qi nodded.
He had only just become a First Grade; although in terms of subjective time, he had fought the Heavenly Demon for an almost countless duration, because they had experienced brief periods on all timelines, and the number of timelines was too vast, so the duration of such battles would also be very long.
If calculated in 'years', it would be approximately 10 to the power of five billion.
For Mortals, this is an unimaginable number; simply stating it makes it difficult to comprehend its magnitude.
However, this doesn't prevent him from actually being a 'young' First Grade.
Because time means nothing to them.
Li Qi had experienced too few 'changes'.
Just this one Universe Reboot brought about a major event like Origin Qi decay; who knows what kind of situations arose in previous First Grade battles?
Just the last time, during the Human-Shaman War, the Five Elements were reset, the silver controlled by humanity was expelled, and there were other changes, even the structure of the world disappeared, and the Universe became composed of planets and nebulae.
It must have been a great battle as well.
Li Qi had experienced too few such great battles.
“So, that's enough. You can't do anything to me anyway, so you should go find a way to deal with me first.” The Heavenly Demon reached out and touched Li Qi's head.
And Li Qi, in a trance, recalled his self-questioning from before he became a First Grade.
At that time, Li Qi asked himself: “How long must I wait?”
“Must this very moment also be called 'Ancient' by future generations?” (See Chapter 1046 for details)
Because Li Qi knew that humanity was still 'waiting for the right moment', waiting from the Ancient Era until now, yet still waiting for the opportunity to destroy Haotian.
How far is it from the Ancient Era to now?
How many such First Grade battles have occurred?
When will the opportunity that the Heavenly Demon spoke of finally arrive?
“Hey, hey, hey, what's with that expression? Snap out of it, fighting now would just be a waste of our time. Why don't you contact them and ask?” The Heavenly Demon pinched Li Qi's face, trying to persuade him.
However, in reality, Li Qi didn't need to contact others; he already knew the answer.
After all, everyone had already dispersed, and anyone with a bit of sense would know that at this point, retreating first was the better option.
Even the Demonic Prince had withdrawn.
A winner could no longer be determined.
This time, it ended here.
Wait, and then anticipate the emergence of new variables.
Or actively cultivate new variables himself.
In any case, this matter was concluded.
So, Li Qi grabbed the Heavenly Demon's hand that was pinching his face and said to her, “Heavenly Demon, you once said that you wanted to make me and Shang Fan great.” (See Chapter 1056 for details)
“In other words, you still have moves, still have calculations, right?”
Facing Li Qi's question, the Heavenly Demon nodded frankly, saying without concealment, “That's right, it is so, but this time isn't enough, let's talk about it next time~.”
The next second, the battle resumed.
Li Qi lunged at the Heavenly Demon.
The Heavenly Demon's pupils contracted, and his disguised body dissipated, revealing his true form.
Collision, destructive aftershocks rippled out.
These aftershocks revealed a savagery, so exultant, madly hateful, and fanatically indescribable.
“Li Qi, you are truly imprudent.” The Heavenly Demon said, and at the same time, his eyes gleamed with delight.
Yes, delight.
“...I'm unwilling to wait.” Li Qi said.
“I don't want to wait until now and still have it called 'Ancient', so let's settle it now.”
The waiting was simply too long.
Time presses on, how many 'Ancient' eras can there be?
Li Qi… only wished to seize the day!
As Li Qi spoke, the Heavenly Demon's mouth stretched into an exaggerated grin.
“Look at you, look at you, look at you now.”
“I can already feel your demonic thoughts.”
Indeed, there was no need to wait any longer.
Because, for the Heavenly Demon, the variable had already arrived.
Even the Heavens of the Formless Realm couldn't suppress Li Qi's rampant demonic thoughts!
The Heavenly Demon once again felt Li Qi's 'Heart'!
This was the 'flaw'!
With a rumble, in their war, the world that Li Qi had originally protected twisted again.
One must know… the current Li Qi was actually manipulating the body of 'Taiyi'.
Li Qi's own Physical Body was still there, but if he wanted to engage in a First Grade battle, he had to enter Taiyi's body and fight with Taiyi's body. Therefore, every time he fought, he would inevitably involve all the Star Officials, and all the living beings within Taiyi's body, which meant all the living beings of the entire Reality Universe.
They would all participate in the battle alongside Li Qi.
Purely instinctive history unfolded again: greed, lust, ambition, murder, violence, destruction, and war; ambitious emperors, generals bought by money, and civilizations destroyed one after another.
Chaos reigned everywhere, between the young and the old, conservatives and radicals, those who championed the spiritual and those who championed the real—
As the two First Grade entities fought, two possibilities and timelines furiously clashed.
Such battle lines had completely broken through the boundaries of nations, civilizations, and even bloodlines.
In such a war, most warriors, or even including Li Qi and the Heavenly Demon, all believed their side possessed the supreme truth.
This was actually undeniable; whether it was Li Qi or the Heavenly Demon, both actually possessed a certain degree of idealism. Although the fighting led to battlefields everywhere and widespread destruction, both sides emphasized that they were the truly correct ones.
All of this was merely one aspect of history.
Li Qi and the Heavenly Demon also knew that even though they were First Grades, even as transcendents, they were actually a part of history, a product of history's growth, and thus, once they lost the ability to continue developing and changing, they were destined to suffer destruction.
The Great Powers were both creators of history and its components, and naturally had to share responsibility in the world's history.
In their battle, wild and barbaric eras, chaotic eras, and eras of incomprehensible conflict were constantly born.
Only when enough blood had been shed would this era be declared over, and this battle declared ended.
But the longer such a war continued, the more excited the Heavenly Demon became.
Yes, yes, this is it.
Li Qi's demonic thoughts had flourished, ready to burst forth! The demonic thoughts of a First Grade was so intense that even the Heavens of the Formless Realm was struggling to suppress it.
Of course, the Heavenly Demon's demonic thoughts was also like this!
But it didn't matter; the Heavenly Demon's demonic thoughts was his strength, while Li Qi's demonic thoughts was his Achilles' heel.
Keep fighting, keep fighting.
As long as the fight continued, Li Qi would personally dig his own grave.
Didn't Li Qi know this himself?
The Heavenly Demon already felt that Li Qi himself actually knew.
But even knowing, he would still do it.
This was something that had been said countless times…
The most terrifying aspect of demonic thoughts was never low-level methods like concealment or guidance; those were useless against Great Powers. Their self-control and wisdom were completely unafraid of any demonic thoughts. If they wished, they could easily extinguish most demonic thoughtss and make their minds clear.
The most terrifying thing about demonic thoughts is 'willingness'.
Li Qi, can you endure it? Are you willing to wait? Are you willing to continue watching the Heavenly Demon act without restraint?
You're not completely without a chance of winning, are you? Look, you're stronger than me now.
After all, everything about you, every specialized method, was created to target the Heavenly Demon. Since it's like this, even if you just keep entangling the Heavenly Demon and suppressing him so he can't move, isn't that good enough?
Even if this causes the history that Li Qi just protected to fall back into conflict, causing the Mortals he currently protects to fall into an endless 'War of Li Qi and the Heavenly Demon'.
The Human-Shaman War was no different from this, was it?
Anyway, countless people below would do the exact same things as in the Human-Shaman War.
Right?
Come on, continue.
Until… the Heavens of the Formless Realm can no longer suppress your demonic thoughts.
The two First Grades continued, even though the other First Grades had already begun to retreat.
Undoubtedly, Li Qi naturally received questions from the First Grades who supported him.
Shamansan sent him a message: “What are you doing? Acting now will yield no results and will affect the next step of the plan. Come back, we will discuss these matters separately.”
The Demonic Prince also sent a message to Li Qi: “If you want to fight, I won't stop you, but don't expose your trump cards, and don't die there, it will affect many things. However… I advise you to come back and plan for the long term. With you here, we can plan the next time.”
The Dao Ancestor didn't send a message, but Li Qi could feel his gaze, as if he was observing something.
The Cang Tian also told Li Qi: “Be careful, if your demonic thoughts expands to a certain extent, you will never be able to return.”
Li Qi ignored all of this; he controlled Taiyi's body, controlled all the Star Officials, and launched another assault.
He could not accept continuing to wait, or even waiting while shaking hands with the Heavenly Demon.
And at this very moment, the Heavenly Demon seized Li Qi's overflowing demonic thoughts.
Very good.
Li Qi lost.
Li Qi's surging demonic thoughts ultimately broke through the suppression of the Heavens of the Formless Realm, allowing the Heavenly Demon to capture these demonic thoughtss.
Through this, the Heavenly Demon naturally entered Li Qi's body.
Truly imprudent.
Originally, with the protection of the Heavens of the Formless Realm, the Heavenly Demon could not observe Li Qi's inner thoughts, nor could he use demonic thoughts to influence Li Qi's actions. This was essentially like the Heavenly Demon fighting Li Qi with his hands and feet tied, which is why he was suppressed by Li Qi.
But now, because Li Qi was unwilling to wait, unwilling to let his and the Demonic Dao's matters become 'ancient grudges', he chose to act forcefully at this time.
This action caused a flaw to appear in his First Grade demonic thoughts.
One must know, there was a very significant problem with Li Qi's foundation.
That was, Li Qi was very reliant on 'Taiyi'.
Taiyi's Physical Body was an important form for him to maintain his own stability; without Taiyi's Physical Body, the Three Realms would be unable to maintain stable contact with Celestial Pole.
As long as Taiyi's body was taken away, Li Qi's Dao foundation would be affected.
If Taiyi's Physical Body could be usurped, it might be possible to Seal Li Qi, causing Li Qi to be 'possibility-sealed'. Of course, Li Qi would not die.
A First Grade being would not truly die.
However, in that case, the condition for Li Qi's revival would be to retrieve Taiyi's Physical Body, just as the condition for Demon of Death's revival was to plunge the world into death and advance the 'Age of Dharma Decline'.
A First Grade being wouldn't die, but wanting to revive wasn't an easy feat either.
Once Li Qi's possibility was sealed, the Heavenly Demon would have ample time to continue pushing for the Age of Dharma Decline.
One must know, if not for Li Qi's sudden emergence, he might have already completed it, without needing to drag it out for so long.
And so...
The Heavenly Demon, guided by Li Qi's demonic thoughts, entered the interior of Taiyi.
Possession of Taiyi?
Come, give it a try.
Let Li Qi and the Heavenly Demon compete to see whose Possession technique was superior.
Actually, there was no need to compare; even a fool could see...
Li Qi was destined to lose.
Therefore, almost instantly, the Heavenly Demon had already arrived within Taiyi's Physical Body.
Since Heart Demon and Demonic Prince were useless, he would handle it himself.
Taiyi's Physical Body began to stir.
At the same time, the other First Grade beings were also forced to join the battle.
Demonic Prince was the first to arrive.
If the Heavenly Demon truly gained control of Taiyi's Physical Body, the trouble would be immense.
What exactly was Li Qi doing?
But it was already too late.
The Heavenly Demon, exploiting the flaw Li Qi exposed—a flaw that should absolutely never appear on a First Grade being—directly penetrated deep inside and successfully took over Taiyi's Physical Body.
"Li Qi—!" Demonic Prince let out a low growl.
What the Hell!
It had already become a stalemate, but Li Qi stubbornly insisted, turning the situation into what it was now!
The Heavenly Demon, however, sighed: "I even thought we were truly going to cease hostilities, but in the end, didn't I still win?"
As he said this, the Heavenly Demon stretched his Physical Body.
At the same time, Taiyi's body also stretched its limbs.
The Universe vibrated, galaxies shattered, nebulae were stirred into vortices, and the stable gravitational structures formed by countless stars were torn apart in that instant.
The First Grade beings hostile to the Heavenly Demon immediately reacted, instantly protecting the reality they wished to shield, preventing the Heavenly Demon's invasion!
Taiyi's Physical Body was useless to the Heavenly Demon; it was merely a burden to him, which was why he wanted Demonic Prince or Heart Demon to deal with it.
But for Li Qi to lose Taiyi's Physical Body, that was a fatal blow.
However, since things had come to this, there was nothing to be done. They had thought the battle had ceased, but never expected Li Qi to make such a move.
Perhaps... he truly had some plan, after all, he was a First Grade being, he wouldn't do something completely without reason.
But everyone also knew there was another possibility.
That was, Li Qi's Dao did not allow him to retreat.
Dying for one's Dao was not something incomprehensible.
But no matter what, the situation had suddenly developed like this, so preparations had to be made.
The First Grade beings who had already packed up and returned descended once more, only this time, the situation seemed somewhat grim.
The Heavenly Demon quickly seized Taiyi's Physical Body, then rushed towards where Li Qi's mind resided.
The Heavenly Demon, as always, said, "Hey, Li—"
But he didn't even finish speaking before Li Qi interrupted him.
Li Qi's Physical Body abandoned Taiyi's Physical Body and forcefully lunged, grabbing the Heavenly Demon.
"This is the first time I've been this close to you, Heavenly Demon."
"Weren't we this close before?" The Heavenly Demon smiled and touched Li Qi: "What do you say? Do you have any trump cards you haven't used? Now's your chance, because after this, you won't have any more opportunities."
Li Qi held the Heavenly Demon tightly and said to him: "The reason I let you in is because only this way can I truly get close to you."
"Get close to me for what? Do you want to hug me?" The Heavenly Demon tilted his head.
Li Qi nodded: "Perhaps that's it. Oh, and I certainly knew that revealing my demonic thoughts would expose a flaw, allowing you to seize the opportunity to come in, but I still did it."
The Heavenly Demon replied: "Yes, your Dao doesn't allow you to retreat. You didn't retreat when you were Second Grade, and you won't retreat now, Li Qi. In this world, I understand you the most."
Li Qi looked coldly at the Heavenly Demon: "That's one reason. Another reason is that I must be this close to you."
"The other reason is... I want to ask for your name."
"My name? Papiyas?"
The Heavenly Demon had a smile on his face, looking at Li Qi with interest.
How to put it...
How many times had Li Qi pulled out 'trump cards' in this battle?
How many of them could truly pose a threat to him?
Don't be ridiculous, the Heavenly Demon jumped around the world, how many could truly restrain him?
Continue your performance, Li Qi, this is your last chance, because after this, Taiyi's Physical Body will be completely stripped away, and you will be completely sealed because of it. No one will be able to save you, because no one will ever find Taiyi's Physical Body again.
"Of course not, your name is Li Qi," Li Qi said.
Before he finished speaking, the Heavenly Demon's body trembled violently.
In an instant, boundless malice poured out!!!
Even when the World Honored One Tathagata entered Nirvana, the Heavenly Demon had never erupted with such intense malice!
All unutterable, unutterable worlds shattered!
Evil intent and malice surged forth, shielding the Laws of the ordinary world, and the evil shadow covering all things swallowed all possibilities. Infinitely accelerating darkness and malice enveloped space-time!
Because seeing all forms as dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows, he thus manifested the might of the endless Demon Lord here. His roaring evil Karma was enough to make all Heavens fall with him!
The obscuring shadows of sentient beings, the wildly spreading Demonic Qi, all sounds, all Karmas, all attachments, all arrangements, all combinations, all cycles of Reincarnation, all fell into the Demonic Dao!
Creating evil Karma, creating all kinds of heavy suffering, due to these obstacles, forcefully preventing sentient beings from seeing the Buddha, from hearing the Dharma, from knowing the Sangha!
The Five Gravest Offenses and Ten Evils, the Ten Directions Avici Hell, immeasurable suffering, immeasurable eons, one only saw countless sentient beings' minds flowing on his body, as numerous as dust and sand. These sentient beings cried and roared incessantly, playing a melody of extinction, transforming into a permanent cycle of beginning and end.
The great storehouse of evil Karma bringing pain and despair, the Heavenly Demon's true complete form, the sin of the Tathagata, the sin of sentient beings, the opposite of all material entities, all descended here!
This was the Heavenly Demon after becoming completely insane, the sin-eating worm covering all Karma and minds!
This posture of the Heavenly Demon was incredibly terrifying, incredibly shocking. Even merely existing caused Li Qi to feel a stinging pain all over. Undoubtedly, Li Qi, having lost Taiyi's Physical Body, was absolutely incapable of resisting this posture.
However, facing such a Heavenly Demon, Li Qi instead laughed.
"Dreams, illusions, bubbles, and shadows. The reason it's this same old set is because... you truly think all of this is your dream, right?"
To the Heavenly Demon, the world was merely a dream.
The Heavenly Demon only believed his own mind was real; other existences were merely his byproducts.
When he closed his eyes, the world ceased to exist.
This was the answer brought forth by the Heavenly Demon's 'Dao'.
So, the question arises.
An extraordinary answer requires extraordinary evidence.
Your Dao can yield any answer, but the premise is that you must have a complete chain of proof.
Whether it's a 'logical chain' of self-proof, or an 'evidence chain' relying on other things for proof, you always need a complete argument to support your conclusion. Otherwise, if you can't even convince yourself, how can you form a Dao Path?
So, what evidence supported the Heavenly Demon's extraordinary answer, to the extent that it extended to all of the Heavenly Demon's power?
Li Qi had always pondered this question.
Now, he made a guess at the answer.
"Indeed... although I myself find it quite absurd, it seems I guessed correctly," Li Qi said.
The Heavenly demonic thoughts this world was a dream, and the evidence was that he truly was a dream.
Evidently, Li Qi's memories contained many memories about this world.
These memories once made him believe he was a Transmigration.
Tang Nation, Chang'an, and even the existence of grapes.
The Hundred Schools of Thought, ancient Shaman, Dragon and Phoenix, and even various familiar names, like Buddha Tathagata and Guanyin Bodhisattva, Amitabha, and so on.
Shamansan, Haotian, and even numerous ancient texts, with even the characters being identical, and all of them were Chinese characters.
Although many different civilizations existed, these civilizations were all manipulated by the Nine Lands Under Heaven.
This world was full of fantasy, but its underlying tone came from the memories of another world.
So many similarities, yet in some places, they seemed not so similar.
But it was later proven that these memories were instilled in Li Qi by the Heavenly Demon.
The problem lay here: where did the Heavenly Demon's memories come from?
Li Qi faced the roaring Heavenly Demon and continued: "I've long suspected it. That time when Heart Demon possessed Immortal Heaven, the observer that appeared, although it was you, what exactly was the judging standard? Did you need to do that? Did Heart Demon's demise have any meaning to you?" (See Chapters 1022 to 1024 for details)
"Now I finally understand, the observation you made that time wasn't for Heart Demon, but to confirm the existence of another mental entity, right?"
"So, the true Li Qi, is you!"
"I'm just a clay figure you molded based on yourself, or rather, what you consider to be a clay figure."
"I would never get answers to these questions, so I chose to expose my demonic thoughts and let you enter here. This way, I can also feel your demonic thoughts."
Li Qi's Physical Body had been destroyed. In the face of the Heavenly Demon's full power, he, having lost Taiyi's body, was completely unable to resist. One could only see Li Qi's existence being continuously erased, and his mind being constantly eroded by demonic thoughts, but he still confidently spoke those words.
The true Transmigration existed.
But it wasn't Li Qi, it was the Heavenly Demon!
Or, one should directly call the Heavenly Demon by his name, but that name wasn't Papiyas, it was "Li Qi."
The true Transmigration was 'Li Qi', who was the Heavenly Demon!
This was the evidence!
It was precisely because the Heavenly Demon had those memories from birth that he questioned what this world truly was.
It was precisely because after being born in the Desire Realm, he discovered that this world he had arrived in had an extremely terrifying degree of similarity to his previous life.
And the purpose of creating the Demonic Prince named 'Li Qi' was to verify the answers to the Heavenly Demon's conjectures!
Li Qi and the Heavenly Demon's births were actually extremely similar.
Both carried 'past life memories'.
Both faced a 'similar but completely different world' with no knowledge.
The Heavenly Demon even deliberately manipulated Li Qi, making him start to encounter 'demonic thoughts' and 'subjectivity' when he was Ninth Grade.
All of this was to make Li Qi move closer to the Heavenly Demon, to verify many of the Heavenly Demon's conjectures.
But what the Heavenly Demon didn't expect was that Li Qi, after experiencing so much, from Chan Zhi Monk, to Five Aggregates Demonic Blood, and then to the Demonic Clone, the pure spirit during the Human-Shaman War, eventually walked step by step to the very end, and the final Li Qi... believed with unparalleled conviction that this world was real.
Why?
He had so much evidence of falsehood, yet in the end, he still chose reality.
He even... exposed what was in the Heavenly Demon's mind.
"Is it the Tathagata? Are you here to wake me up?" The frenzied Heavenly Demon, after hearing Li Qi's words, instead calmed down.
The World Honored One Tathagata was the second mental entity, so Li Qi, who said all this, was undoubtedly a subordinate mind of the Tathagata, right?
Right?
Right?!!?
"No, it's not the Tathagata who's waking you up. I am Li Qi, a Puppet you created, and a Puppet with its own mind, a Puppet that acknowledges reality!"
"Heavenly Demon, this answer of mine is going to deny your dream! Can you answer it? Can you ignore this answer?!"
The Heavenly Demon once caused the World Honored One to enter Nirvana with a single answer.
Similarly, it only takes one answer to make the Heavenly Demon lose his transcendence, lose his status as the 'foundation of all things' and 'the only true mind'.
The Heavenly Demon's transcendence came from his unique nature, his position of 'absolute subjectivity'.
When this point was denied, how would he respond?
The Heavenly Demon, who had always been so composed, now erupted with an incredibly oppressive force.
This was the biggest secret hidden deep within the Heavenly Demon's heart—
After that plane crash, the Heavenly Demon lost consciousness, and when he woke up, he found this world, which was similar in every way yet different in every way.
It contained everything from the Heavenly Demon's common sense, yet lacked everything from the Heavenly Demon's common sense.
He was terrified and uneasy, he felt that he was immersed in a comatose patient's dream, and he trembled with fear and disbelief because of it.
Was this world, this world with so many similarities, truly a dream he had while severely injured, unconscious, and lying in a hospital bed?
Or, is this world real, and he just Transmigrated to a world similar to the Primordial Era?
Could he distinguish it?
He couldn't distinguish it.
This was also the reason for a question the Heavenly Demon once asked Li Qi.
At that time, the Heavenly Demon asked: "Can you imagine things you've never seen before?" (See Chapters 332 and 333 for details).
Li Qi once thought he was the answer.
But in fact, he was the question.
What Li Qi possessed was the memory of the Heavenly Demon; his identity as a Transmigrator came from the Heavenly Demon.
Everything he experienced was the Heavenly Demon's experience, and he faced the same dilemma as the Heavenly Demon.
In this world, is it a dream or reality?
Just as the Heavenly Demon used 'Retribution of Black Karma' on the Demonic Prince and Li Qi, Retribution of Black Karma would create countless lives, each indistinguishable from reality.
In the Reincarnation of those endless lives, which one was the true reality?
Was the Heavenly Demon perhaps in his own Retribution of Black Karma?
The Heavenly Demon ultimately chose the illusion.
Li Qi ultimately chose reality.
So, right here, Li Qi presented that answer.
Is this world ultimately an illusion or reality?
Can his subjective will truly interpret this world? Is all of this, all the First Grades, all the stories, all the civilizations, merely the final insane dream of a person on a hospital bed or in ruins after a plane crash, or is it a truly existing, unequivocally magnificent reality?
At this moment, the entity 'Li Qi' finally fulfilled his design purpose.
The Heavenly Demon’s Dao wavered.
Is this world an illusion?
This made both Li Qi and the Heavenly Demon recall what the Heavenly Demon had said to Li Qi during the Retribution of Black Karma.
"If you are reading this, you have been in a coma for twenty years. We are using the latest treatment methods. We don't know where this message will appear in your dream, but if you see it..." (See Chapter 1057 for details).
Li Qi watched the Heavenly Demon's transformation, utterly drained.
He had truly lost the power to fight the Heavenly Demon.
But that didn't matter.
The answer had been spoken.
Li Qi actually didn't know if it was correct.
But just as he didn't know if Celestial Pole could solve his problem back then, it was all a gamble, only about winning or losing.
And facing Li Qi's answer, the Heavenly Demon abandoned other actions, looked at Li Qi, and said mockingly: "You... now you truly make me unable to see through you, but you still can't do anything to me."
Li Qi nodded.
Indeed, even after pointing this out, he still couldn't do anything to the Heavenly Demon, just as the Heavenly Demon couldn't do anything to the World Honored One.
It's just...
"Yes, I truly can't do anything to you, but, Heavenly Demon, don't you want to take a gamble? Don't you just want to verify if you are the sole consciousness? I can make you wake up, do you believe me?"
"What if I don't want to wake up?" the Heavenly Demon asked.
"Do you really not want to wake up?" Li Qi retorted.
The Heavenly Demon fell silent.
Whether to prove or disprove.
The Heavenly Demon wanted to know the answer.
Guiding the World Honored One into nirvana and orchestrating the Age of Dharma Decline were all for this purpose.
It's just... if he agreed to Li Qi, he would be gambling with his life.
But... the most terrifying thing about demonic thoughts is willingness.
So, the Heavenly Demon smiled with relief: "However, your answer can indeed lead me to death, but... what will happen to this world after I die, that's unclear."
The Heavenly Demon was the source of the world; the world was a dream of the Heavenly Demon.
If the Heavenly Demon died, or if the Heavenly Demon awakened, would this world still exist?
Close your eyes, the flowers wither.
"It will exist," Li Qi stated emphatically.
"Is that so? Then let's try it. This time, we're gambling with both our lives." The Heavenly Demon finally laughed.
Before the Demonic Prince, Shamansan, and many other First Grades, the Heavenly Demon dissipated.
Along with the Heavenly Demon, Li Qi also dissipated.
"Mutual destruction?"
"Mutual destruction."
"Mutual destruction!"
"Mutual destruction..."
The First Grades each uttered different sounds, but they all pointed to the same fact.
That is, both the Heavenly Demon and Li Qi no longer existed in the world.
From then on, the evil insects that plagued the minds and thoughts of all beings would disappear.
All beings, from then on, would be free from demonic disturbance.
"How did he do it...?" The Demonic Prince stood rooted to the spot, stunned.
He didn't understand, and he couldn't figure it out.
His lifelong wish was still fulfilled by Li Qi.
If it were his old self, he might have been annoyed, pained, because the Heavenly Demon wasn't killed by his own hands, he would regret it for life, and even resent Li Qi because of it.
But now there was none.
Therefore, one thing could be confirmed.
He had indeed let go.
"Namo Amitabha, Namo Mahavairocana Buddha." Shang Fan put his palms together and recited a Buddhist name.
No other meaning, nor did he wish to be saved and go to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
It was merely gratitude and remembrance.
The nirvana of the two Buddhas had bought this opportunity.
At the same time, in the center of the battlefield, everyone noticed the arrival of a mere Fourth Grade.
That was Shen Shuibi.
The Demonic Prince was about to turn and leave.
But Shamansan moved at this moment.
Shamansan appeared before Shen Shuibi.
"Shaman God." Shen Shuibi immediately bowed, her voice a little hoarse: "Could you... tell me what happened? I know that matters of the First Grade are secret, but... for Li Qi's sake..."
"Don't worry, this matter will not be hidden from you, and there is good news to tell you." Shamansan said.
"What good news?" Shen Shuibi immediately looked up.
"Li Qi was right." Shamansan said, with a hint of emotion in his tone.
Yes, Li Qi was right.
After the Heavenly Demon disappeared, the world did not disappear.
This had already proven that Li Qi was right, and the Heavenly Demon was not the source of the world.
The deaths of many First Grades, a great chaos that swept across all beings, the Universe Rebooted many, many times—all this cost proved one answer wrong and pointed out a wrong path on the Dao-seeking journey.
To Shamansan, this was worth it; many answers were obtained this way.
Even if it was Shamansan himself who died, he would not hesitate and would still feel it was worth it.
Shen Shuibi's face darkened slightly when she heard this, and she shook her head, saying: "Is this considered good news? Shaman God, is Li Qi still alive?"
"He should be dead, but before he died, he must have known he was right. Such an ending is already good enough. As for the Heavenly Demon, he will never know if his answer was right or wrong. That's truly miserable for him." Shamansan replied.
Yes, in Shamansan's view, Li Qi was fortunate, while the Heavenly Demon was unlucky.
But Shen Shuibi didn't see it that way, though she couldn't directly refute the Shaman God, she just said: "I don't want any Dao path... I just want them to live..."
Shamansan saw her appearance and shook his head: "Your Dao Heart is unstable, your pursuit of Dao is not firm, which is why you are only a Fourth Grade now, and probably will remain so in the future. I'm afraid you won't be able to understand Li Qi. To be honest, you are no longer worthy of him. As for Yang Zhenqian, he can see the Sun-Moon Orbit of the First Grade, which should be enough comfort."
"But don't worry, although you don't understand, Li Qi is already a Shaman God. Even if he falls, he has already paved a path for Shaman Dao. As his family, you will have everything you need. Shaman God Mountain will protect you, and I believe Li Qi would also wish for this."
Upon hearing Shamansan's words, Shen Shuibi suddenly looked up: "Shaman God, I don't want to talk about these things with you. I only know that Li Qi and the Sect Leader are both dead. Don't say any more sarcastic remarks."
"First Grade and Second Grade will not die." Shamansan stated directly.
All of Shen Shuibi's words and resentment were choked back by this sentence.
She stared blankly at Shamansan.
"Wait, there will be a day."
"When this very moment is called 'Primeval' by later generations, perhaps they can return."
With that, Shamansan drifted away.
He still had many things to do. After the war, there was a heap of matters awaiting his careful sorting, and the new格局 of the Nine Lands Under Heaven was also about to take shape.
The Dao-seeking path continued, and many people would still die one after another, paving this path of corpses forward, all the way to the end.
Ninth Grade, First Grade, were all just road foundations.
But with a continuous supply of road foundations, one day, the end of the Dao path could be reached.
Watching the Great Powers leave one by one, only Shen Shuibi remained alone in the Void Realm.
Shen Shuibi wiped her face with her sleeve.
Alright.
It was time to go back and find her child.
She would live on.
Live until... this very moment would be called 'Primeval' by later generations.
— — — — — — — — — —
Li Qi felt drowsy.
Li Qi felt a little out of breath.
He felt like he had a dream.
In the dream, he was omnipotent.
He could easily read minds, travel through endless time, manipulate countless people, and with just a flick of his finger, he could explore all the Observable Universes.
But, he was very afraid.
In the dream, he was terribly afraid.
Finally, he painstakingly woke up.
Woke... up.
"Whoosh—!" Li Qi suddenly sat up.
He found himself lying in bed, wearing a hospital gown.
Right... he had been in a plane crash.
He was still alive?
The memories in his head... so chaotic.
This didn't seem to be a hospital, but some kind of 'sanatorium' or similar place.
Was it because he had been in a coma for too long, and his family didn't want to stay in the hospital, so they moved him out to this place and hired a caregiver?
Very likely.
Oh, how did he get so smart? He certainly wouldn't have noticed these things before.
Did the experiences in the dream make his mind faster?
The caregiver didn't seem too responsible; he had bedsores, and when he woke up, no one was around.
Well, after a long illness, even a son can't bear it, let alone a caregiver.
It was already quite good that they helped him clean up waste and got him a room in a sanatorium.
Li Qi thought about these things and looked out the window.
Outside was the sanatorium plaza, reflecting sunlight that made one's eyes blur, with many green plants casting shadows in the midday sun, looking somewhat cool.
He started to walk around.
As he walked, Li Qi suddenly laughed.
Sure enough, he knew he was right.
That world was just a dream.
Li Qi's loud laughter attracted the attention of many people around him, and soon a nurse came to remind him not to make loud noises.
He quieted down and continued walking in the sanatorium.
This was enough.
He didn't know what he was so happy about, but he had merely proven that a dream was a dream, which was perfectly normal, yet he was unbelievably happy, as if he had finally escaped the strange torments of his dream.
That's right, torment.
Li Qi always felt that being in the dream was a torment, and the pain was indescribable.
Soon, his awakening was discovered by the caregiver.
The caregiver immediately contacted his family.
Li Qi was picked up that evening by his family, who had taken time off work and were overjoyed to see him awake.
He had been in a coma for four years.
After returning home, Li Qi tidied up the house, then was sent to the hospital for many check-ups, which confirmed that he was indeed fine.
Then, like a normal person, he rested at home for a while, and then started going to work.
More than a year later, one day, he was playing a game at home.
Then, there was a knock on the door outside.
Was it the delivery?
Li Qi stood up, shuffled in his slippers, yelled, "Coming!" and then opened the door.
The moment the door opened, Li Qi's pupils contracted, and he froze in place.
A person stood outside the door.
He performed a very ancient-styleetiquette, looking gentle and humble.
He spoke softly to Li Qi: "Li Qi, we meet again. Do you still remember me?"
"Oh, if you don't remember, let me introduce myself."
"My name is also 'Li Qi'."
— — — — — — — — — — —
Don't worry, the entire book is not over. There will be one more chapter of epilogue + author's note on completion.
The epilogue is a free chapter. (End of this chapter)
Check the translation notes section.