Chapter 333: Non-existent things

Li Qi immediately bowed respectfully: "This junior will listen with all his attention."

The Grand Tutor then sat down where Li Qi had been sitting and asked, "Do you know why the Heavenly Demon came to find you?"

Li Qi did not hide it and stated his guess: "This junior boldly guesses, it should... be because of my identity as an outsider?"

"You are right, it is because of that. It's just that your outsider status is a bit different from ordinary outsiders, so I'm going to explain it to you in detail and answer your doubts," the Grand Tutor said.

Li Qi lowered his head: "Is the Grand Tutor worried about what the Heavenly Demon said at the end?"

Hearing Li Qi's doubt, the old man nodded: "Exactly, I am a bit worried. You are indeed a very curious person. If too much is hidden from you, I'm afraid you might really go to the Heavenly Demon to seek answers."

The Grand Tutor sighed: "Therefore, I will answer many things for you, but I hope you trust me, some things are indeed not meant for you to know."

"You haven't completely fallen to the Demonic Dao yet, and you cannot withstand some of the impacts on the Dao. Not telling you is truly for your own good."

"This junior understands, then... may I ask?" Li Qi raised his head and said.

He truly had too many doubts.

He needed answers.

Perhaps the Heavenly Demon was right; Li Qi's curiosity was the greatest weakness of his Dao Heart.

This was an uncontrollable curiosity; Li Qi's very first reason for cultivating was to witness things he had never witnessed before.

"Ask," the Grand Tutor nodded.

Immediately, Li Qi asked: "May I ask, Grand Tutor, what exactly is an outsider?"

Upon hearing this question, the Grand Tutor pondered for a moment. He stroked his beard, looked up at the sky, seemingly considering how to explain it to Li Qi.

Because this question was quite profound.

What is an outsider?

How should it be described?

The Grand Tutor pondered for a moment, then suddenly waved his hand.

The sky suddenly changed.

It was daytime, and the sky above Chang'an was a clear blue, with clouds and strong winds drifting.

Then, abruptly, this sky turned into night, with both the sun and moon setting simultaneously, transforming into a brilliant starry sky.

The light of the stars seemed to be magnified, making the sky exceptionally beautiful at this moment.

Profound gorge Dragons wailed mournfully, their reflections on the stars swayed, perceiving a single hair from billions of miles away.

It was truly magnificent, a shock almost impossible to describe in words.

Especially since Li Qi knew that all those stars were actually clusters of worlds.

This splendid tableau was, in essence, a miracle composed of infinite space, infinite life, and even the infinite, brilliant civilizations they created.

Moreover, he understood that this starry sky was probably not fake, not an illusion.

Instead, it was truly, genuinely, pushing back the sun and moon of the world, allowing the starry sky to reveal itself.

He wondered what chaos was unfolding outside right now...

However, it seemed it wouldn't be chaotic.

Because time seemed to be paused?

As long as it remained in this paused state, no matter what was done, as long as everything was restored before time began flowing again, then nothing would happen.

The power of a First Grade... truly terrifying.

Li Qi gazed at the starry sky, awaiting the Grand Tutor's answer to his question.

After the Grand Tutor waved his hand to display this starry sky, he said, "To discuss outsiders, you must first understand the composition of the Universe."

"Li Qi, Shamanes specifically study celestial phenomena, so you should be very clear that this starry sky appears identical to all worlds. Do you know why this is?"

It had been said before that the sky is the same in all worlds.

The Four Symbols, the Big Dipper, the twenty-eight lunar mansions—these stars visible in the world would not disappear if you moved to another world, nor would their positions change due to your own change in location.

All worlds shared the same starry sky, and even their positions would not change, as if they were using the same texture map.

If a change occurred, it would be a revelation from the stars to Mortals, indicating that the world was about to change.

"This junior does not know," Li Qi immediately replied.

He truly didn't know this. Although he understood that such a phenomenon existed, he was still clueless about what it represented.

"Because, the worlds themselves cannot see the stars," the Grand Tutor said.

"The stars now displayed before all worlds were hung up by the Star Officials, little by little, in the sky. Each star represents a Star Official, not a shining world."

"The ancient Star Officials collectively forged the Great Dao of Stars, thereby intervening in the Dao of the sun and moon's operation, becoming one of the three cosmic powers of sun, moon, and stars."

"Originally, only a very few worlds had natural stars, but the Star Officials extended this to all worlds, making the starry sky a standard feature of all worlds."

Upon hearing this answer, Li Qi felt a chill run down his spine.

The starry sky... was man-made?

Was it hung up by the Star Officials, one by one...?

Worlds themselves had no stars? That is to say, there wasn't such bright light visible between worlds; originally, all worlds should only have had a sun and moon? Or perhaps not even a sun and moon?

Was the Dao of the sun and moon also forged by others?

Li Qi dared not think.

But the Grand Tutor continued to ask him: "Do you know what this means?"

He looked at Li Qi.

Li Qi didn't want to say he didn't know this time, so he lowered his head to ponder what it meant.

Li Qi was a smart person, and he quickly found the key.

Every world doesn't necessarily have stars, nor does it necessarily have a sun and moon.

The sun and moon are hard to say, after all, in Li Qi's understanding, the sun and moon are actually stars and satellites, although they are different in the world...

The sun and moon in the world are the same size, and the sun and moon are essentially the same, with no one being more supreme than the other.

But in other world clusters, Li Qi knew, for example, Dou Su Six, where the entire world cluster, hundreds of thousands of worlds, shared a single pair of sun and moon.

These world clusters revolved around the same pair of sun and moon.

So what does this mean?

It means that the concept of 'sun, moon, and stars' is not universally applicable.

The sun, moon, and stars themselves have their own limitations; they are not like physical Laws that are effective everywhere.

Then this implies...

The Dao of worlds are not interchangeable.

The Laws of worlds are calculated separately.

This is actually a very terrifying thing, because if you think about it, on Earth, the entire Universe follows the same set of Laws.

But here, Li Qi suddenly realized something.

Each world follows different Laws!

He had misunderstood.

This 'Universe' of the world was not the Universe Li Qi understood!

As if seeing Li Qi's expression, the Grand Tutor nodded: "Now do you understand? What is an outsider?"

"In Boundless Outer Domain, there are countless world clusters. The worlds within these clusters vary in size, from those containing a Universe to small, flat, square worlds, and even some strange worlds, such as worlds stacked layer upon layer carried by turtles, or giants playing with worlds like balls, and so on and so forth."

"Universe refers to all time and space, not a single system," the Grand Tutor said.

And Li Qi also understood.

He had always thought that... Boundless Outer Domain was actually the Universe as he originally understood it.

Worlds, though somewhat strange, should be no different from planets.

But hearing the Grand Tutor, he understood.

Worlds and planets are too different.

In terms of status, the entire Universe where Earth is located, in this world, is probably just a 'world'.

The Observable Universe, spanning hundreds of billions of light-years, is just a 'world'.

Hundreds of billions of light-years... this distance.

Perhaps... it's a First Grade world?

No, it's hard to say.

Li Qi knew too little about that level; he had no way of knowing or judging.

However, a conclusion could be drawn.

The entire Void Beyond is not a Universe composed of planets and galaxies.

Instead, it is a 'multiverse' composed of one world after another?

The Grand Tutor said: "So, this is what an outsider is: a world different from the one you know, with completely different Laws."

"It's just that there are also differences among outsiders."

"For example, among the infinite worlds in Boundless Outer Domain, many of these worlds share the same Great Dao, and various constants are the same, but their arrangement methods are different. Thus, these are the closest outsiders. You've seen the Golden Dais, haven't you?"

Li Qi nodded. He had seen many world clusters on the Golden Dais.

He knew that these world clusters were worlds that could be reached quickly. By taking the Golden Dais's transportation, even if it was billions of light-years away, one could easily arrive within a few hours.

"The worlds encompassed by the Golden Dais are worlds unified by the same Great Dao. The worlds within them have been largely assimilated by the world," the Grand Tutor calmly stated a terrifying fact.

"Worlds outside the Golden Dais, such as the Sixth Grade world you possess, are worlds with greater differences. The basic Laws are roughly the same as our Universe, but the constants might differ, allowing for the birth of more unique products. These unique products are also one of the driving forces behind the world's continuous expansion. This is the second furthest type of outsider."

"There are even more distant outsiders, which previously only existed in speculation. These are worlds where even the most fundamental Great Dao is different, and all settings and constants are completely unlike our own."

The Grand Tutor looked at Li Qi and said calmly: "This third furthest type of outsider is where you came from. It used to be speculation, but now it's not."

Li Qi's breathing hitched.

This outsider was indeed a bit far.

"Of course, there's also the fourth and furthest type, but that's even more preposterous. It speaks of a Great Dao completely different from anything we know, with no similarities whatsoever. This isn't even a complete speculation; it's like a dream."

"Do you understand? What an outsider is, and the importance of your outsider status," the Grand Tutor said.

Li Qi bowed again: "This junior understands. This junior still has one question: Why does the Heavenly Demon value me so much?"

"Why? Hmm... for transcendence, perhaps," the Grand Tutor pondered for a moment, this time answering quite quickly.

"Transcendence?" Li Qi frowned.

Transcendence from what? A dignified First Grade, was there anything he hadn't transcended yet?

Even the natural physical Laws couldn't control him. He could arbitrarily modify worlds, manipulate time, trample space, and even easily erase and rewrite people's memories and thoughts.

Li Qi couldn't understand what else could prevent him from transcending.

Facing Li Qi's doubts, the Grand Tutor replied: "Li Qi, do you know the weaknesses and characteristics of the Demonic Dao?"

Li Qi immediately replied: "This junior knows a little... the Heavenly Demon just told me personally."

The Grand Tutor indicated he knew, then explained to him: "The Demonic Dao believes that all things are empty and void, and only one's own inner self is real. Therefore, for their Dao, how to fill their inner self is of utmost importance."

"And Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations is naturally the strongest among them. His inner world... also known as the Desire Realm, or Heaven of Others’ Emanations, Demonic Heaven."

"Within the Desire Realm, everything from the outside world can be reproduced and satisfied. All your desires, all your pursuits, the Desire Realm can fulfill. You can even pursue the Dao within the Desire Realm; the Dao from the outside world can be recreated within the Desire Realm, indistinguishable from those in other worlds, and genuinely usable."

"That is a... dreamlike world, constructed by the Heavenly Demon using all his knowledge, intelligence, and everything seen by all the Nascent Heavenly Demons spread throughout the myriad worlds, acting as his eyes."

Li Qi listened to the Grand Tutor's description of the Desire Realm, his mind already somewhat numb.

What could these First Grade existences possibly not be able to do?

What meaning did this world even hold for them anymore?

Reversing time and space, overturning Karma, making thoughts come true, and now the Desire Realm could easily replicate everything from the myriad worlds. To the Heavenly Demon, this world was merely something he could mold at will.

What else could he pursue?

At this moment, the Grand Tutor tapped Li Qi's head and said to him: "This is a characteristic of the Demonic Dao, but at the same time, it is also the Demonic Dao's weakness."

Li Qi immediately became respectful, pricking up his ears to listen to the weakness of the Demonic Dao.

"The Demonic Dao constructs a complete world within its own heart. This world itself is impregnable and perfect, but... perfection means being stuck in one's ways."

"Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations is renowned for his transformations, but when a thing possesses all transformations at once, it loses the ability to transform. When he transforms into reality, can his inner self still transcend reality?"

Hearing the Grand Tutor's rhetorical question, Li Qi fell into contemplation.

He pondered the answer to the question in his mind.

The Grand Tutor's meaning was—

The Demonic Dao's inner world is destined to be unable to transcend reality. The Desire Realm already encompasses everything in reality, yet it remains difficult to transcend.

This is the Demonic Dao's shackles, the infinite chains that bind Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations.

Even if there's no conflict of Dao within you, and you can set everything as you wish, and all parameters can be adjusted freely, can you create something more exquisite than the real world?

If you want to create something more exquisite than reality, you need to transcend reality itself.

Impossible, it cannot be done.

The reason it cannot be done is also very simple.

Can a person imagine something that does not exist?

Or to put it another way.

Can the Heavenly Demon, using his transformation methods, create something that does not exist at all in the real world?

Wait, then I, as a third-level outsider...

Am I something the Heavenly Demon 'cannot imagine'?