Chapter 298: Black hand

The Heavenly Demon is still here.

Li Qi felt a surge of courage.

He was already a Seventh-Rank, and although he hadn't yet solidified his foundation or fully understood it, the increase in his power was tangible.

After coming into contact with that wondrous Qi, his inner body spirits became much more substantial.

It was no longer ethereal; instead, it had a definite, actual foundation.

Li Qi had a vague feeling.

His inner body spirits had been 'created from nothing.' If he continued to progress, he might be able to turn the illusory into reality, and anything produced within his inner body spirits would become a real, existing object when brought out.

Because of this change, his power rapidly increased, allowing many symbolic, illusory meanings to influence reality and cause actual changes.

This is Shaman Dao Seventh-Rank…

Truly formidable.

With this power, even if he couldn't defeat the Heavenly Demon, simply resisting it shouldn't be a problem, especially since this Heavenly Demon was no longer being controlled by anyone.

Li Qi's inner body spirits stirred, beginning to carve out a pure land within the black mist.

Then, he confidently opened his eyes.

And immediately closed them again.

The self-confidence he had just built up was instantly shattered.

Because he saw a sphere.

Cold sweat instantly drenched Li Qi's clothes, and intense fear pierced his heart.

He tremblingly opened his eyes again.

Before Li Qi's eyes was the Infinite Sea of Blood.

Above the Infinite Sea of Blood floated a silent black sphere, like an abyss that swallowed all light, or like an endlessly spreading destruction.

Magic beyond physical laws, beyond time, beyond reason, and a majestic thought drifted on the Infinite Sea of Blood.

Li Qi could not see anything he understood here.

Everything was so strange and unsettling.

The essence of madness and destruction resided high above, and chilling demonic sounds echoed all around.

Countless monsters and calamities were merely born from a tiny fraction of the aura it emitted, using its twisted and writhing embrace to seize the entire world, leading all things to their doom.

It made no movement; merely hovering above the Sea of Blood caused Li Qi to lose all desire to resist.

Because although it said nothing and did nothing, Li Qi felt as if some knowledge and memories had been poured into him.

The culprit of the Infinite Sea of Blood, the Incarnation of disaster.

The omen of all things returning to death, the symbol of the Age of Dharma Decline.

The shadow beneath the Buddha's light, the roaring Karma of the Tathagata.

Entangled with the sins of immeasurable hundreds of thousands of kalpas.

Unspeakable, unforgivable!

Its name is—

Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations!

Li Qi didn't know what he had done to meet this big shot repeatedly.

This time, the other party had even actively descended here through a Nascent Heavenly Demon.

He didn't dare to speak, closing his eyes and pretending not to see it.

If he could, Li Qi even wanted to keep chanting, 'You can't see me... you can't see me.'

However, there was no communication.

After about ten seconds, Li Qi suddenly felt that he had once again received a wisp of Dao Resonance.

Li Qi had not dared to keep that wisp of Heavenly Demon’s Dao Resonance at the time, entrusting it to Senior Yun Fang to help him investigate.

But now... another wisp arrived.

He tremblingly opened his eyes.

The Infinite Sea of Blood had dissipated.

There was no communication, only another wisp of Heavenly Demon’s Dao Resonance received.

"This..." Li Qi didn't know what expression to make.

Should he thank the big shot for their favor and attention, or should he turn hostile?

Did he dare to turn hostile?

However, just after the Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations left, Li Qi suddenly heard a 'crunch' behind him.

He turned his head and his pupils contracted!

The three lives ancient mirror! It had completely shattered!

The retrospection was interrupted, and the part of Li Qi's perception that had been retroactively released returned.

The three lives ancient mirror was about to explode!

— — — — — — — — — — — —

At the same time, outside the three lives ancient mirror.

Great Shaman Mi Xin was outside, using both hands, his inner body spirits fully displayed, operating at full power!

An area of five hundred li had been enveloped by his inner body spirits; even Chang'an could not resist his erosion!

Within it, the Three Pure Ones and Nine Qi each formed a Heaven, giving birth to the eight directions, and then there were twenty-four inner body spirits, known as the Twenty-Four Emperors.

There were seventy-two palaces, each below the eight directions, further giving birth to five hundred fifty-five billion, five hundred fifty-five million, five hundred fifty-five thousand, five hundred fifty-five true subordinate divine Officials, all inheriting this form, establishing themselves in layers.

Within the small Heaven and Earth, the ground was twenty billion li deep, receiving moisture.

Further down, five hundred twenty billion li, was the framework that maintained Heaven and Earth, preventing it from collapsing.

The Twenty-Four Emperors were arranged in a circle, three in each direction, representing Heaven, Earth, and Man.

Each received the Qi of the three-three, forming a true triple combination, encircling and forcibly suppressing the expansion of the three lives ancient mirror!

However, his face was filled with anxiety.

He had been busy with other matters when he suddenly heard that something had happened to Li Qi and the three lives ancient mirror, so he rushed over.

But he was blocked here!

He prevented the expansion of the three lives ancient mirror, but he couldn't enter.

Even though he had used all his strength, even smoothing out the expanding Chronos and drilling several holes in space, he still couldn't get inside.

It was as if something was sealing the contents within.

Just as he was anxious, people from Chang'an finally arrived.

The one who came was the chief official of Chang'an, the "Mayor of the Capital."

The Mayor of the Capital, a Third-Rank Official, commanded the Chang'an Magistrate, oversaw military affairs, and managed the capital; all duties were ultimately under the Mayor.

This meant that the position of Mayor of the Capital commanded all orders in Chang'an, and his duties were roughly equivalent to the Mayor of Chang'an.

By this time, nearly half an hour had passed since the incident with the three lives ancient mirror.

To be honest, this speed was already very fast.

A Third-Rank Official, returning to Chang'an from outside the domain in half an hour, indicated that a great price had almost certainly been paid.

However, Mixin still cursed loudly: "It took you two quarters of an hour to get here! Do Chang'an Officials only know how to neglect their duties! I really don't know what you're doing; your home has been blown up, aren't you ashamed? Hurry up and come over, and help me break this Seal!"

The Official had just arrived when he was berated, and his expression immediately turned ugly.

But he said nothing, because this was not a good time for an argument; they still needed to work together to break the Seal.

Great Shaman Mi Xin's words were harsh, but one thing he said was not wrong.

Chang'an was the center of humanity, the face of the Central Plains.

It had been infiltrated, the five-hundred-li Dragon Vein was overloaded and breaking, and it could even be flattened!

How could such a thing happen and the Mayor of the Capital maintain his dignity?

If the Three Dukes and the Censorate held him accountable afterward, how would the responsibility be calculated?

He also didn't bother to argue with the Great Shaman; the two immediately joined forces, attempting to collectively break the barrier formed by the three lives ancient mirror.

But just then, the barrier suddenly disappeared.

Their perceptions immediately probed inward.

They happened to sense Li Qi's terrified gaze and the completely shattered three lives ancient mirror.

The two Third-Rank Grandmasters immediately made their choices!

Great Shaman Mi Xin completely disregarded the troublesome three lives ancient mirror.

He quickly used a Divine Ability to protect Li Qi, and the inner body spirits that had been expanded outside immediately contracted and gathered, Li Qi only felt a blur before his eyes, and his entire being was taken into the Great Shaman's palm.

As for Mixin himself, he directly transformed into a streak of light, disappearing a thousand li away in the blink of an eye.

If Chang'an exploded, what did it have to do with him?

The Mayor of the Capital, on the other hand, seemed to have been prepared; he seemed to have understood from the beginning that Great Shaman Mi Xin would not cooperate with him, and after Li Qi was rescued, he immediately employed his own methods.

A scroll unfolded, covering an area of fifteen meters, with the wind blowing fiercely, creating a spectacular sight.

Upon closer inspection, the scroll was a complete geomantic map of Chang'an.

Streets, waterways, earth veins, weather, within it were city walls and people, with complex chapters, yet clearly delineated, and everything on it was lifelike, with every detail depicted in the map.

From this map, one could view all the details of Chang'an; Qi formed palaces, instantly spreading over mountains and ridges, reaching up to the celestial sphere, Origin Qi flowing through the Five Elements and the Jade Armillary, truly worthy of being the pivot of Heaven and Earth, the handle of all measures.

Geomancy is the Dao Resonance term for Heaven and Earth.

The geomantic map of Chang'an was the overall essence of Chang'an's Heaven and Earth.

Within Chang'an's territory, all things were contained within it, so complex that a careful look would feel like a hammer blow, and if one's cultivation was low, they might faint for several days.

This geomantic map was the Spiritual Artifact inherited by the position of Mayor of the Capital; in terms of quality, though both were Third-Rank, it was an entire grade better than the three lives ancient mirror.

The geomantic map directly enveloped the explosion of the three lives ancient mirror, preventing any of its power from escaping.

The illusory image of Chang'an within the geomantic map forcibly blocked the explosion, delaying it by five or six seconds.

However, trying to directly confront the three lives ancient mirror was like using a precious saber to chop a cleaver; no matter how good the precious saber, it would still chip its blade, and even if the cleaver was damaged, it would not be worth the loss.

So, more effort was needed.

Then, he took out an official Seal.

This was the main Seal that embodied the position of 'Mayor of the Capital'!

With this, coupled with the imperial decree, one could hold a certain official position.

Afterward, he fiercely waved his sleeve, and a large brush appeared in his hand, writing in mid-air.

Lines of golden characters appeared in the air, stating:

"All within the Capital Prefecture, heed my command! A calamity has arisen in Chang'an, though no calamity is unprecedented. Only by cultivating virtue can calamities be dispelled. If governance and teachings are flawless, even with calamity, what harm can it do to the times?"

"Therefore, calamities respond to Heaven, but are truly tied to human affairs, residing in the rites. Let all civil and military Officials of Ninth-Rank and above, upon hearing this, hasten to act, moving promptly. The Five Spirits tremble, the spear and axe are wielded, the River God oversees the waters, the Rain Master controls the winds! Mayor of the Capital, by imperial decree!"

This was an official imperial decree.

It was a command, requiring all gods, ghosts, and Officials in Chang'an to contribute their power!

Gathering the power of the people for one's own use—this was a typical human Dao method!

As the last two characters, 'imperial decree,' were written.

The Mayor of the Capital took out the great Seal and steadily stamped it on the decree.

Just after the great Seal was affixed—

The entire Chang'an, spanning ten thousand li, suddenly fell silent for an instant.

The wind stopped, the rain ceased.

All Earth Flow Vehicles slowed down.

The great canal in the center of Chang'an, moreover, abruptly began to accelerate.

All gods obeyed the imperial decree, contributing all their power.

Officials, great and small, below Third-Rank, all simultaneously injected power into their official Seals.

Even the underground Dragon Vein specifically drew out a portion of its branches to fully supply this area.

Immeasurable great power descended!

The Qi of Heaven's four seasons, the essence of Earth's Five Elements, the world was thus reshaped!

Vast and mighty, formless and shapeless.

The primordial Qi circulated, following the ultimate Dao to completion.

It rounded the pure to establish Heaven, and shaped the turbid to form Earth.

It spread its spiritual essence to transform the world, and condensed harmonious Qi to form human society!

Here, human principles replaced heavenly principles!

Even the world's inherent resilience was forcibly altered in its Dao principles!

Thus, the Chang'an geomantic map received a blessing, radiating layers of precious light, and strange phenomena arose!

The high scenery glowed, the perfect essence shone brightly.

The towering peaks suppressed the earth, and the spiritual gates soared into the sky.

Exhaling Qi, clouds formed; wind and dew brought forth verdant splendor.

Flying pavilions and towering buildings, the azure sky trembled!

A Dharma Body of the Mayor of the Capital emerged from amidst layers of majestic pavilions, dignified and valiant, with an imposing aura reaching the heavens, carrying an unbelievable grandeur, pressing down with one hand!

But there were no other aftershocks.

This was Chang'an; causing aftershocks here and collapsing two streets would lead to accountability.

However, under this overwhelming power, the aftershocks of the three lives ancient mirror's self-destruction vanished into thin air.

A Spiritual Artifact capable of tracing to the edge of the Universe had actually self-destructed and shattered like this.

Only that Dharma Body remained standing in Chang'an, with the geomantic map fluttering in the air beside it, as if blown by the wind.

The fluttering long scroll, the magnificent Dharma Body, the full display of Third-Rank power, yet there was not a hint of joy on his face.

Nor could he be happy.

Because one hand of his Dharma Body was already pitch black, and the geomantic map even had a hole, causing its precious light to dim.

The Mayor of the Capital closed his eyes, beginning to ponder.

This disturbance in Chang'an must involve significant forces behind it; not everyone had the audacity to act in Chang'an.

As for an accident?

Absolutely impossible.

An accident that the Grand Historian Bureau and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau couldn't predict—what level would that be?

Although divination was more the specialty of Shamanes, the geomancers and Shamanes of the Grand Historian Bureau weren't too far behind.

It had already been said that Tang Nation also had Shamanes, the Chong and Li clans who stood on the side of humanity when Emperor Zhuanxu ordered the severance of communication between humans and gods.

The fact that an 'accident' could happen in Chang'an itself already said a lot.

"I must report to the Censorate; there must be a mastermind behind this matter." The Mayor of the Capital withdrew his Dharma Body, put away his official Seal and geomantic map, and prepared to leave.

The clean-up would be handled by his subordinates; he didn't need to do it himself.

However, just as the Mayor of the Capital was about to depart, Great Shaman Mi Xin appeared again.

But he didn't bring Li Qi.

"Great Shaman Mi, what can I do for you? If it's about that Young Master, I'm afraid you need to ask Honglu Temple; they are responsible for such matters." The Mayor of the Capital looked at Mixin, his tone somewhat disgusted.

This Great Shaman had just rescued someone and fled, forcing him to use his official Seal and imperial decree to suppress the three lives ancient mirror... which damaged his Dao foundation.

Furthermore, the Chang'an geomantic map had absorbed all the power of the three lives ancient mirror's explosion and had suffered some damage.

If Mixin had acted just now, these losses would not have occurred.

It was one thing for him not to help, which the Mayor of the Capital could understand, but when the Mayor of the Capital first arrived, he was also thoroughly scolded by him.

Being scolded and not helping, these two things combined naturally led to an unpleasant expression.

"Honglu Temple probably can't handle this matter; Dali Temple needs to handle this." Mixin's expression was also not good.

Dali Temple, which oversaw legal and judicial matters, was an institution that shared judicial authority with the Ministry of Justice.

"Dali Temple? Why?" The Mayor of the Capital frowned.

"Young Master Qi was assassinated in Chang'an. The three lives ancient mirror was your exam proctor, arranged by Imperial Academy Vice-Chancellor Li Ci. You'd best mention it when you report to the Censorate." Mixin said, raising his head.

Then, he turned and left.

The Mayor of the Capital frowned at the sight.

But soon, he also turned and left, his face expressionless as he went.