Chapter 340: Doppelganger

Soon, all the Demonic Qi was completely removed, and Li Qi’s Human Body Heaven and Earth became incomparably pure.

Li Qi originally didn't want the Shaman God to do it; he wanted to complete these things himself.

But after he thought about it, it didn't really matter.

However, to his surprise, the Demonic Qi did not dissipate but condensed beside him.

That was a… Li Qi composed entirely of Demonic Qi.

Li Qi turned his head to look, and a term popped into his mind.

Ship of Theseus.

When a ship has a component replaced every so often, and after many years, all its components have been replaced, it no longer has any original parts.

At the same time, all the replaced components are reassembled on shore into an identical ship.

Which one, then, is the ship?

Li Qi felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at this self composed entirely of Demonic Qi, and a sudden surge of killing intent welled up within him, wanting to erupt and destroy this thing directly!

Aside from being made of Demonic Qi, this thing was indistinguishable from Li Qi himself!

Even the Materials were taken from Li Qi’s body.

This was the Demonic Qi that had been removed from Li Qi, and the places where this Demonic Qi had originally been were filled by the Shaman God with other pure Qi.

So, who was he?

Who was the true Li Qi?

A intense sense of panic rose in Li Qi’s heart, so much so that he wanted to directly destroy the Demonic Clone Li Qi in front of him.

But he still held back.

After all, this was in front of the Shaman God.

The Shaman God must have had a deeper meaning in doing this.

Sure enough, once all the Demonic Qi was removed and a seemingly real Demonic Clone Li Qi was formed, the Da Tu Shaman God spoke.

He said, “Although your Dao path still has some characteristics of the Demonic Dao, I have removed all the Demonic Qi.”

“Now, if you do not actively cultivate Demonic Dao Daoist Art and cultivation methods, no one will be able to see your Demonic Dao characteristics, and at the same time, you will also be able to develop some resistance to Demonic Dao Daoist Art, especially Demonic Dao illusions, which will provide great resistance.”

“Furthermore, if there’s any dirty work that needs to be done, you can hand it over to him.” The Da Tu Shaman God pointed to the Demonic Qi body behind Li Qi.

Li Qi turned his head to look, gathered his courage, and asked the Shaman God, “Does he… have a mind?”

“A mind? Of course, he does,” the Da Tu Shaman God replied.

Li Qi’s heart skipped a beat.

However, the Shaman God immediately added, “But I have temporarily sealed his mind because allowing him to have a mind directly, without the benefit of your long-term thoughts and memories, would cause great trouble. So, for about a hundred years, he will only have instincts and will only be controlled by your consciousness.”

“As you control him, he will also slowly absorb your thoughts, eventually maturing and adopting your way of thinking. It can be considered a win-win.”

Li Qi was covered in cold sweat. He stood up and solemnly asked, “Shaman God… what is the meaning of this action?”

The Da Tu Shaman God, still with that calm and gentle voice, said to Li Qi, “Firstly, it’s to give you a helper and enhance your self-preservation. No helper is as convenient, quick, and trustworthy as yourself, especially since before he awakens, he is no different from an ordinary Clone, and even stronger.”

“Because ordinary Clones share internal energy, but this Demonic Clone has its own complete Cultivation System, allowing you to have double the combat power.”

“Secondly, this is also a test for you. You see, he is almost identical to you, except for the Qi he is composed of. In a hundred years, he might even fully acquire all your memories and thought processes.”

“During this time, you can ponder why you are you, and he is he.”

“Why am I me? Think carefully about this question; it will be very helpful to you in the future.”

Li Qi listened to the Da Tu Shaman God’s words with a frown.

To be honest…

He felt a bit annoyed.

However, he also felt the sensation brought by that Demonic Clone…

How should he put it? It was like having an extra hand?

It was completely at his beck and call, as if his thoughts existed in two bodies simultaneously.

It was very unusual, but Li Qi had experienced this before.

In Guangyang, he had once constructed a Incense Golden Body, and at that time, he had controlled two bodies, so he was still able to manage it.

At the same time, he also understood what the Shaman God meant by ‘one hundred years.’

Because… this Demonic Clone was ‘learning.’

When Li Qi controlled this body, there seemed to be an unconscious true spirit in the Demonic Clone’s mind, mimicking and learning his methods.

Damn it, that means if he controls this Clone for a hundred years, it will possess his way of thinking, experience the same things as him, and even potentially synchronize memories with him.

At that point, it would be truly difficult to say who was real and who was fake.

Furthermore, Li Qi felt…

The connection between the two bodies seemed to be… bidirectional.

If that true spirit awakens, as a consciousness originating from the same source as himself, it might also be able to control his own body.

If… no, not if, according to the Shaman God, that is exactly how it is.

“Why… am I me?” Li Qi fell silent.

He had no answer, and he couldn't prove that the Demonic Clone wasn't himself.

“No need to rush; think about it slowly.” The Da Tu Shaman God didn't seem to think he had done anything excessive; he merely comforted Li Qi.

Then, he stretched out his hand again, and a drawing floated out.

To be honest, Li Qi was a bit afraid to look, fearing that the Shaman God would pull another trick on him.

But he had no choice; he still took the drawing proactively.

Upon closer inspection, he found it was a map.

No, it looked like a map, but also like… an anatomical drawing? Like the body of a long, snake-like creature.

Li Qi scrutinized it, then had a jolt!

This was the complete appearance of that Grotto-Heaven!

He had spent a great deal of effort, making Imperial Academy students work for him, and it took a long time to piece together only a part of it.

But now, the Shaman God had directly given him the complete blueprint, so he could take it back and start assembling it immediately.

The Da Tu Shaman God said to Li Qi, who was looking at the blueprint, “Regarding this demon dragon, your approach is correct. The remaining work is simply a matter of grinding away, so I will directly help you assemble it. Then you can just observe it without wasting too much time.”

“But other matters still require you to experience them personally, only then can you truly grow.”

“Also, you can stay here afterward to observe and comprehend the Yang Sacrifice for removing difficult Yin Qi, which should also benefit you. However, the armor on your body can only support you staying here for about a month. When the time comes, you should leave.”

Li Qi understood that the Shaman God had already seen what he wanted to know from him, but what exactly he knew, he probably wouldn't tell him.

In return for this matter, he made him the Demonic Dao Clone, gave him the blueprint for the demon dragon Grotto-Heaven, and allowed him to observe the Yang Sacrifice.

To be honest, it was actually quite good. Li Qi had everything he needed, and he could even use this to advance to a higher level.

So Li Qi bowed again.

The Shaman God nodded slightly, and that wisp of will vanished without a trace, leaving only two Li Qis standing in place.

Yes, two; the Demonic Clone was also there.

Li Qi looked at the Clone, wondering if he could just destroy this thing now.

That way, he wouldn't have to ponder who the true self was.

But after much thought, he finally shook his head.

Never mind.

Doing so would only make him appear cowardly and incompetent.

This meeting was so brief that he didn't know what to say; one could only say that the Shaman God was truly decisive and efficient, finishing everything in a few minutes.

One must know that Li Qi alone spent several days just traveling here, yet only a few words were exchanged.

However… if he were to say this out loud, he would probably get beaten up.

That was an audience with the Shaman God! Even if it was only for a few seconds, some people would probably wish to sit for a hundred years to exchange for that opportunity.

Li Qi suppressed these distracting thoughts in his heart and simply sat down.

He was going to begin observing the Yang Sacrifice personally presided over by the Shaman God.

Even if he only comprehended a tiny bit from it, it would definitely be enough to greatly advance Li Qi’s understanding of Shaman Dao.

Observing the Shaman God’s sacrificial operation was not a common occurrence!

As for the two Wu Yu, they didn't seem to be in a hurry and just kept waiting there.

After all, to be honest, Li Qi’s time here was only about a month.

A month for these long-lived beings was just like taking a nap.

They weren't young people like Li Qi.

Only young people would feel that time passed slowly; by their age, ten years were but a flick of a finger.

During this month, Li Qi sat here, adapting to the simultaneous existence of two bodies, and trying to incorporate the other body. All other time was spent observing the Shaman God’s ritual.

However…

He couldn't understand it.

In the past, Li Qi could always discern something from anything he observed, always discovering something that would turn into his own insights and ultimately deepen his foundation.

This characteristic of Li Qi was also the reason for his rapid cultivation progress.

However, when facing the Shaman God’s power, he racked his brains, devising various methods and using different ways to observe, but he couldn't grasp even a hint of divine meaning.

Truly… he couldn't understand a single bit; it was completely like reading an indecipherable book.

This was the case for the entire month.

Li Qi had no choice but to use the clumsy method: simply memorize everything, rote learning, and wait to understand it slowly in the future.

As for how much he could remember, that depended on his effort.

Read three hundred Tang poems, and even if you can't compose poetry, you'll be able to recite it.

First, memorize it by rote, and perhaps one day in the future, when facing a certain predicament, he would suddenly realize, bang the table, and exclaim, “So that’s it!”

A month slowly passed.

The scenery here seemed to never change, an endless Yang Sacrifice.

Countless grotesque beasts and ghosts, wearing masks with shaven heads, green faces, and fangs, danced around a giant.

This scene was so bizarre and terrifying to behold.

They seemed to be forever dancing their strange dances here, stretching their gaunt and long limbs, playing instruments and singing in a state of Chaos, either singing or crying, emitting eerie sounds.

And the Da Tu Shaman God in the center remained motionless, merely quietly supporting the base of Shaman God Mountain.

No one would have imagined that the base of Shaman God Mountain would be such a scene.

Li Qi committed all of this to memory.

He also had some conjectures in his heart.

The ghost multitude here kept dancing, and the Shaman God’s two servants were also ‘Wu Yu.’

Was there some connection between these?

A month passed, and the armor on Li Qi’s body began to dim. He also started to feel the intense heat and immense pressure of the place.

However, he still had no clue.

The dances of these ghosts seemed spontaneous and random; Li Qi had never seen them perform regular or identical movements. It was as if they were simply swaying their bodies, twisting their limbs into bizarre poses.

He couldn't even summarize any commonalities; it was a tangled mess, with no thread to follow.

However, just at this moment, the two Wu Yu appeared silently behind Li Qi.

“Young Master, it’s almost time. If you stay here any longer, you will die,” they kindly suggested.

Li Qi immediately stood up: “Then please, Senior, take me back.”

Now, in this place, the Demonic Clone had disappeared.

This Clone had already been put away by Li Qi.

The method used was very simple, similar to… pouring water into sand.

If a cup is full of sand, is the cup really full?

Of course not.

You can still pour water into it, and after pouring water, you can also drip alcohol, by drilling into the gaps, allowing different substances to overlap.

Li Qi used this method to make the Demonic Clone and himself overlap in the same area, moving simultaneously, perfectly synchronizing actions, so that from the outside, he appeared to be only one person.

However, there was also a problem: his weight doubled.

But it didn't matter; no one cared about such a minor detail.

Moreover, this also saved effort, as he didn't need to control two bodies at once; as long as the two bodies remained consistent, they would naturaly synchronize.

But… if they kept synchronizing like this, would the two bodies develop some strange attunement?

Never mind, he wouldn't consider those vague things.

The two Wu Yu stood up and, together with Li Qi, floated upwards.

A distance of over a million li still required several days of travel.

However, the ascent speed was much faster, taking only about three or four days.

Along the way, the Wu Yu cautioned Li Qi about a few things.

They solemnly told Li Qi, “Young Master, please note that matters concerning the Shaman God must not be told to others.”

Li Qi was very puzzled and replied, “That is natural, but if someone truly wanted to know, soul-searching should be able to easily find it, right? I am only at the Seventh Rank, so I shouldn’t be able to resist.”

The Wu Yu shook their heads: “Soul-searching will not work. The Shaman God’s status, even if it exists only in memory, will invite the Shaman God’s gaze if presumptuously touched. However, Young Master, you must not actively reveal it to outsiders.”

“Understood.” Li Qi immediately agreed.

After giving these instructions, the Wu Yu stopped speaking and focused on ascending.

Li Qi also didn't disturb them.

He took advantage of this time to sort through and familiarize himself with the final blueprint of the demon dragon puzzle that the Shaman God had given him.

With this, once he returned to Tang Nation, the secret of that Grotto-Heaven would be within his grasp.