Chapter 297: Seventh grade

Why did it shatter with a touch before, but now it can withstand it?

The reason is simple: Li Qi made changes.

He could see the weaknesses revealed by the three lives ancient mirror, and naturally, he immediately made modifications, excising redundant parts, streamlining the structure, improving efficiency, and reducing internal consumption.

Moreover, there was another reason why he could achieve this in a short time.

That was the countless clear pieces of intelligence!

His True Knowledge Dao Resonance was more than twice as strong as before.

Everything became clear; the world and the Heavenly Demon before him became incredibly distinct.

The Heavenly Demon's Demonic Qi, which had previously looked like a black mist, now appeared in a concrete form in Li Qi's eyes.

He could even see through Six-Rank Demonic Qi and read the opponent's specific actions.

It was as if he had returned to that night in the alley when he fought Shan Dazhuang.

He focused all his attention, fully observing every movement of his opponent, then interrupted them in advance, preventing them from achieving their full effect.

The Hundred Zhang Buddhist Kingdom that Li Qi mimicked was essentially a Buddhist spell he created himself, then formed by utilizing that wisp of Universe Dao Resonance he borrowed.

The Universe Dao Resonance played a significant role in it; the hundred-zhang space it conjured gave Li Qi a moment to breathe, making the Heavenly Demon's attacks less dense, and also allowing Li Qi to set up many curses within this hundred-zhang area to block them.

This is called strategic depth.

Li Qi still didn't know what specific changes had occurred to his True Knowledge Dao Resonance, but what he did know was that, as his sixth sense, his True Knowledge Dao Resonance had more than doubled in strength, to the point where he could clearly see the Heavenly Demon's attacks.

If he could see clearly, he could naturally find ways to counter.

The battle was no longer limited to breaking each other's Dao Heart; it had become a genuine, no-holds-barred fight!

The Heavenly Demon let out bursts of demonic sounds, and countless Demonic Overlords appeared, with black skin, adorned with garlands, skulls around their necks, biting infants in their mouths, riding evil creatures, and snakes wrapped around their waists; some had four heads and eight arms, others held halberds, all incredibly hideous, surging towards Li Qi!

Li Qi, while maintaining the Hundred Zhang Buddhist Kingdom, also used Shaman Dao methods integrated with Daoist demon-suppressing spells to suppress them.

The Human Body Small Universe transformed, and the inner body spirits emerged, presiding over Li Qi's Human Body Small Universe.

Their primary duty was not to fight enemies; normally, they were responsible for regulating Li Qi's body and maintaining the stability of the Human Body Small Universe.

But when brought out to fight, they were not weak either.

Above, the heavens always look up at the celestial mansions, returning to the three luminaries.

Below, the Five Mountains and Four Rivers, and all the spiritual mountains.

The sun surged with electricity, the moon exhaled clouds; Li Qi's Dharma Body appeared, holding the Heavenly Gate in his hand, stepping on the Earth Gate with his foot, naturally established, and the celestial time changed!

It moved thirty-six times a year, corresponding to the three hundred and sixty degrees of the Heavenly Gate's rotation of the Nine Heavens' Qi.

Immediately, within the Human Body Small Universe, ten thousand spirits scattered, earth dragons devoured ghosts, heavenly winds dispelled evil, and the source of demons was extinguished!

Using Shaman Dao methods to control celestial time, corresponding to Daoist methods of borrowing power, they jointly eliminated the Heavenly Demon's Demonic Qi from entering the body, protecting his own safety.

Both sides countered each other's moves.

But the Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor outside was very anxious.

Originally, letting Li Qi's Dao Heart collapse and die was the most secure method; no one would be able to trace it.

Now, the Heavenly Demon appearing and fighting was a disadvantage, but there was no other way.

Only Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor himself could absolutely not make a move; if he did, the matter would escalate.

So, it had to rely on the Heavenly Demon.

And they couldn't continue this stalemate; if external reinforcements arrived, would Li Qi be rescued?

Furthermore, it now seemed that the opponent's Dao Resonance had suddenly strengthened, surprisingly reaching a stalemate with him in the fight.

Did he really have to let him live?!

Thinking of this, Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor decisively pointed his fingers like a sword and fiercely stabbed his left hand.

With a swish, his left hand was directly severed!

Then came his chest, abdomen, internal organs, skin, and facial features.

He slashed several times, blood splattered, Dao Resonance became chaotic, and his Human Body Small Universe collapsed.

Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor's vitality, blood, and Qi rapidly surged out with the sacrifice.

Like a balloon full of water pricked by a needle, his body began to shrink rapidly, and only popping sounds were heard continuously as all the major acupuncture points on his body burst, his whole body was covered in blood, and his Qi and blood rapidly drained away.

All this scattered blood and cultivation were greedily devoured by the Heavenly Demon outside.

Li Qi's pupils contracted.

This fellow, unable to act himself, actually self-mutilated and sacrificed himself to the Heavenly Demon!

The Heavenly Demon, receiving the blood sacrifice, immediately became frenzied, and the pressure on Li Qi doubled!

This was still a Heavenly Demon without consciousness; if it had consciousness, Li Qi would probably have been defeated long ago.

Difficult!

The Heavenly Demon received the sacrifice of a Sixth-Rank Cultivator, and its power instantly surged, causing Li Qi's Hundred Zhang Buddhist Kingdom to gradually collapse!

Heavenly Demons danced wildly!

Some Demonic Overlords burned palaces, and within the Hundred Zhang Buddhist Kingdom, the Seven-Treasures Platform instantly disintegrated.

Some Demonic Overlords gnawed and bit, and within the Ten Directions Pure Land, the Bodhi Tree crashed down with a roar.

The kalpa's defilement filled the sky, the darkness was endless, evil spirits charmed the human heart, the Hundred Zhang Buddhist Kingdom nearly collapsed, leaving only a few dilapidated rooms that couldn't shelter from wind and rain.

Li Qi could feel that after accepting the sacrifice... this Nascent Heavenly Demon seemed to have turned spherical.

Spherical!

Li Qi's hair stood on end!

In the past, when he was entangled by demonic thoughts, he saw that sphere with countless tentacles extending from it.

Li Qi tried to Reboot the Buddhist Kingdom again to resist the Heavenly Demon.

To deal with Demonic Overlords, Buddhist spells were still the most effective, after all, Buddhas and demons were natural enemies, fighting for countless years, and each restrained the other the most.

However, this time, when the Buddhist Kingdom Rebooted, it suddenly turned black.

Within the Buddhist Kingdom, there was originally Buddhist light shining like a great sun, but now, it had abruptly disappeared.

Li Qi was drenched in cold sweat.

He found that he couldn't see anything.

The Buddhist light scattered, everything was destroyed, burned down and annihilated, leaving no ashes, like burning butter, boiled and consumed, leaving no smoke or ink.

Within the Hundred Zhang Buddhist Kingdom, nothing remained.

Everything had disappeared, not even light, only darkness remained.

Even... True Knowledge Dao Resonance couldn't see anything at all.

Li Qi felt as if he had fallen into an abyss, a bone-chilling cold.

He didn't know what had happened, but... it was probably nothing good.

However, the Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor outside showed an expression of great joy.

Li Qi didn't know, but he did.

His sacrifice had attracted the attention of a higher-grade Heavenly Demon.

Li Qi was bound to die!

He didn't hesitate; since he was going to die anyway, he directly slashed his throat with one hand, and his head spun off.

Sacrificing all his cultivation, blood, and even his soul!

No one would survive!

Today, he would die with a Young Master of Shaman God Mountain!

Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor decisively sacrificed himself, dying and having his Dao disappear.

Then, his remaining cultivation, flesh and blood, and soul all became food for the Heavenly Demon.

And the Heavenly Demon outside's power surged again, almost instantly enveloping all areas of this chaotic cosmic light.

Li Qi was unclear about what was happening outside, but he knew he was in big trouble.

The demon-extinguishing Buddhist curses and Daoist demon-suppressing curses he had previously tried to use were all ineffective against the Heavenly Demon after it received the sacrifice; they were easily broken through.

Then he still had Shaman Dao methods.

His Human Body Small Universe surged.

All his inner body spirits appeared.

Li Qi stood in the center, and his inner body spirits scattered, flying out to soothe the four directions; thus, the heavens can operate and the earth can remain still, rotating without ceasing, water flowing without stopping, beginning and ending with all things.

As the Heavenly Demon corroded all things, Li Qi used his Human Body Small Universe to brew vitality, fighting it in a battle of attrition.

Within Li Qi's Human Body Small Universe, he saw:

It optimized heaven and earth to harmonize Yin and Yang, regulated the four seasons, and balanced the Five Elements.

The sun and moon shone because of it, and the stars moved because of it.

All living things, heaven and earth bestow life.

It moistened grass and trees, and permeated metal and stone.

Birds and beasts grew large, their fur glistening.

Wings flapped, and horns grew.

Beast fetuses were not aborted, and bird eggs were not spoiled.

The reasonable and smooth natural order nurtured endless vitality, supporting the only light for Li Qi's Human Body Small Universe in the darkness, keeping him from being corroded.

Or rather... even if corroded, he could recover.

Li Qi held his ground, letting the Heavenly Demon surge, but he remained unmoving.

To be honest, he couldn't move.

The Demonic Qi assailed him, the malice corroded the world, the aura that guided all things to their demise, and the clanging demonic sounds were incessant, stirring up distracting thoughts in people's hearts.

Li Qi truly had no ability to parry.

If he could have countered moves before, now he could only defend.

He calmed his mind, wanting to eliminate the noise within.

Hunger and alternating cold and heat came and went.

Mosquitoes, gnats, flies, fleas, and lice, the five insects, harassed his ears.

He encountered various illnesses, extremely painful, to the point of wanting to die.

Anxiety and sorrow entangled his heart, unable to find release.

Li Qi was enduring unspeakable pain, a torment more intense than any physical pain.

But he had no choice; he could only quietly hold on, maintaining the vitality of his Human Body Small Universe, thinking of solutions in desperation, and waiting for possible rescue.

He had previously found a variable, forcing Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor to sacrifice himself to continue escalating.

So where was the next variable?

This Heavenly Demon... was too powerful.

Just this nameless intrusion was already unbearable for Li Qi.

One possibility was that someone would come to rescue him immediately, but Li Qi couldn't gamble on that.

Then... it was still that choice, the only source of variables...

Li Qi looked at the three lives ancient mirror.

Then let's continue to follow the three lives ancient mirror back in time.

The retrospection continued, Li Qi suppressed the noise in his Dao Heart, immersing all his senses in the retrospection of the three lives ancient mirror, hoping to find a variable.

However, as soon as he sank into it, Li Qi discovered... something.

Something that was expanding.

"This is... the edge of the Universe?!" Li Qi was inexplicably shocked, as if the pain on his body had diminished a bit.

Because the three lives ancient mirror had traced back to this place, where it was filled with chaotic cosmic light and constantly extending space.

A terrifying power, an indescribable power, was pushing space to constantly expand! Its speed left the Heavenly Dao's limit far behind!

Previously, Li Qi felt nothing, but now that the two True Knowledge Dao Resonances had merged and strengthened, he could finally understand why the three lives ancient mirror had shattered.

The distance of this retrospection had far exceeded the concept of 'galaxy'; he had now even reached the edge of the Universe, and could feel this vibrant Universe constantly extending its boundaries, constantly expanding!

What was outside the Universe, Li Qi didn't know, nor could he feel it; he only knew that the Universe was continuously growing larger.

However, at this very moment—

He suddenly felt that the Heavenly Demon's torment on his body seemed to have disappeared.

Because... he personally witnessed 'creation out of nothing'.

Before the expansion of the Universe's boundary, time did not exist, space did not exist, matter did not exist.

But after the Universe expanded, space-time appeared, and matter also seemed to have been created out of thin air.

Li Qi suddenly had a strange feeling.

He had once heard of the Big Bang theory, which was said to be the starting point of all space-time and matter; before that, there was nothing.

It had been said before that Li Qi was still separated from the Seventh-Rank by a thin film, called 'creation out of nothing'. (See Chapter 271 for details)

He could never understand what 'creation out of nothing' meant; to him, the conservation of mass and energy was simply self-evident, making it difficult to grasp what 'creation out of nothing' truly was.

But now, he seemed to understand.

The entire Universe was 'created out of nothing'.

Since even the Universe could appear out of nothing, why couldn't it?

His True Knowledge Dao Resonance subconsciously activated fully.

Massive amounts of information flooded into his mind.

That was the lingering sound of the Universe expanding, of creation.

Li Qi could not directly face the expansion of the Universe; he could only remain behind and experience the after-effects, and even that was only possible because the three lives ancient mirror was burning itself.

But listening to the lingering sound was already enough.

So that's how it is, so that's how it is.

Li Qi felt the same sensation he had when he used to preach to others.

All doubts, in the end, amounted to nothing more than a single phrase: "So that's how it is."

The problem that had troubled Li Qi for a long time was suddenly resolved.

The torment brought by the Heavenly Demon seemed to have disappeared.

He was completely immersed in the lingering sound of the Universe's creation, feeling that magnificent epic.

That was the mystery of creation out of nothing.

Li Qi observed carefully, and at the same time, he drew out a wisp of his energy to sense that wisp of Universe Dao Resonance.

Was the hundred-zhang space within it created out of thin air?

Perhaps so.

Thinking of this, Li Qi took a deep breath, and his Human Body Small Universe began to change.

He wanted to add a new Great Dao to his body.

During the Universe's expansion, that indisputable 'Heavenly Dao'.

Then, Li Qi's Human Body Small Universe suddenly began to slowly expand.

From nothing, to something.

"This..." As his Human Body Small Universe expanded, Li Qi suddenly felt a surge of new vitality pouring into his body.

His Human Body vessel, out of thin air, gained new vitality, and it seemed inexhaustible.

Just like the expansion of the Universe, it seemed it would never stop.

This vitality was not much, just enough to replenish the depletion of his Human Body vessel.

In other words... as long as he wasn't injured, Li Qi's Lifespan would not be depleted!

As his Lifespan increased, other parts of his Human Body Small Universe also ascended accordingly.

The lingering sound from creation made Li Qi's Human Body Small Universe more rational and began to approach the real world more closely.

At the same time, Li Qi also came into contact with another kind of Qi.

A Qi he had never seen before.

As his Human Body Small Universe naturally expanded, he seemed to have intruded into an unknown Domain.

"This is..." Li Qi felt that kind of Qi.

Then, abruptly, his entire Human Body Small Universe suddenly solidified!

It was as if air had turned into water mist, its quality increasing exponentially!

Only then did Li Qi suddenly realize.

Having exhausted almost all his reserves—

He had reached the Seventh-Rank!

Opening his eyes again, Li Qi was full of confidence; he hadn't even experienced his strength yet.

However, when he opened his eyes, what appeared before him was—

It was as if the great sun had been placed in shadow, forming a black mist tide like ten thousand demons surging.

The Heavenly Demon was still here.