Chapter 356: Thunderous eye, trumpet creeper

On the edge of the battlefield, where the fight for survival raged, Li Qi watched a young monk busy himself.

This young monk, though only an Eighth-Rank, could discern Li Qi's method of merging with natural, and seemed very experienced in performing rites of passage.

Was this a genuine Buddha-Dharma practitioner? Or was he another figure like Chan Zhi?

Speaking of which, what exactly was the concept of Buddha-Dharma?

Li Qi had read a part of it in books, but what he gained from paper was ultimately shallow, and he was not truly clear about it.

Soon, the battle concluded, with twenty to thirty people dead, and over a dozen demons, totaling less than a hundred casualties. The intensity of the battle was very low.

However, Li Qi, who was nearby, still sighed.

No matter how low the intensity, people still died, but there was nothing that could be done.

Among all living beings, it was impossible for everyone to avoid death; this was a law of natural, and no one could save so many people.

Even the Human Dao only selectively sacrificed non-human existences to allow humans to live longer.

But for those demons, what wrong had they committed? Was the difference between them and humans truly significant? These demons also experienced joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness; if they had human bodies, they would also be humans.

Li Qi could not find a solution and could only respect the laws of natural.

Perhaps, only the ultimate goal of Shaman Dao, that perfect world, could solve it.

The Great Source of the world would become incomparably strong, and everyone would be able to reach the Great Shaman Realm of 'creating something from nothing,' no longer having any demands on the outside world, and even everyone would be able to produce outwards.

Resources would no longer be a constraint; with each additional person, resources would increase. That was the perfect world pursued by Shaman Dao, absolutely no disputes, no competition whatsoever, everyone living only for pure ideals.

Truly, the more people there were, the stronger they would be, without needing to consume anything from the outside world. Perfect, harmonious, the ultimate supreme, there was no world more perfect than this, conforming to the true Dao, consuming nothing, just like the birth of the Universe.

The birth of the Universe created this colorful world from nothing.

If everyone could become a nascent Universe, a creator instead of a consumer... then all the suffering seen now would be easily shattered and cease to exist.

Li Qi fantasized about that scene, while his eyes watched the Buddha-Dharma novice monk performing rites of passage for the departed souls on the battlefield.

The departed souls were bathed in Buddha light.

Though the departed souls were muddled and confused, under the Buddha-Dharma, they involuntarily raised their hands and bowed their heads.

The novice monk extended his palm, facing upwards, and the departed souls were held in his hand.

He chanted continuously, the Buddhist scriptures flowing:

“Reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, where Lotus flowers bloom beneath the seats of the ten directions. When the flowers blossom, sounds of praise for the Four Noble Truths are heard, along with the Three Insights and Six Divine Ability. All the departed attain the Eight Liberations.”

“At the time of death, a golden Lotus flower, like the sun, appears before them.”

“Upon hearing the Buddha's words, they immediately behold the appearance of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss…”

As he spoke, the ghosts entered Reincarnation perfectly, one by one, perhaps truly reaching the 'Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.'

The battle was over, both sides had withdrawn, and the battlefield had been cleared, leaving only some remnants.

There was no one left around Li Qi and the novice monk.

Even if there were people, they couldn't see the two of them, as they each had their own spells to make others ignore them.

After the rites of passage were completed, the novice monk looked at Li Qi and chanted a Buddhist name: “Namo Maitreya Honored Buddha, this humble monk Xin Ming, greets this Shaman Senior.”

“You seem very surprised,” Li Qi said, looking at the young monk.

The young monk clasped his hands together and nodded, saying, “Yes, the Shaman Seniors I've seen before all scoffed at me, thinking I was wasting my efforts, and some even shouted to fight and kill. I've been chased many times and barely escaped.”

“Only you, Senior… not only did you not act, but you also helped me. I am indeed a bit surprised.”

After speaking, the young monk looked up at the sunlight in the sky.

It was somewhat difficult for him to perform rites of passage for Yin souls under such intense sunlight; he might not be able to protect everyone.

But just now, the Yang Qi in the sunlight had significantly decreased, clearly indicating that someone had cast a spell to block off a portion of the Yang Qi, preventing these Yin souls from being scorched to death.

There was no one else here, so it was obviously only the seemingly unconcerned Shaman in front of him.

Li Qi waved his hand, indicating it was nothing, then asked, “It's nothing, just a small favor. But you, why did you come to the Shaman God Mountain territory? And this place is almost near Annam. To travel all the way here from the Western Regions, you, an Eighth-Rank… isn't that extraordinary?”

The young monk lowered his head and said with some embarrassment, “It's shameful to say, but this humble monk has never been to the Western Regions. At this moment, I am on a pilgrimage to the Western Heaven.”

“This humble monk was born in Baiyue, heard the Buddha-Dharma, and gained some enlightenment, so I began to cultivate on my own. But self-cultivation always has some difficulties, and there are more Shamanes than Buddhists in Baiyue, so this humble monk thought of going to the Western Regions to hear the Great Dao. I am currently on my way, a moth flying into a flame, which must be amusing to Senior.”

Li Qi listened, then nodded: “Indeed, it's very difficult. From here to the Western Regions… you'll probably have to walk for more than fifteen years.”

“If I can hear the Great Dao and listen to the true scriptures, what does fifty years matter?” the young monk said with a smile.

Li Qi nodded, indicating his approval.

Indeed, only with such perseverance can one pursue the Dao.

Moreover, leaving Baiyue was also a good thing.

Li Qi had personally experienced what a terrible place Baiyue was.

It was a place of Dao disputes; it was almost impossible to succeed in cultivation there. Those rulers would devour people.

“By the way, how did you see me? An Eighth-Rank shouldn't have been able to discover me,” Li Qi asked about the question that had piqued his curiosity earlier.

Monk Xin Ming did not hide anything. He lowered his head and said, “Senior, you are perceptive. This humble monk has some Buddhist affinity and, without a teacher, has initially glimpsed the threshold of Celestial Eye. My eyes have some special qualities.”

Li Qi was stunned.

Of course, he knew what Celestial Eye was.

It was one of the famous Six Divine Ability of Buddha-Dharma, Celestial Eye.

It has the ability to “perceive” all phenomena, to see the suffering and joy of sentient beings in the Six Paths, their deaths and rebirths, and to perceive all forms and colors in the world without obstruction.

If he truly perfected Celestial Eye, then this monk's cultivation would probably exceed the Fourth-Rank!

The renown of the Six Divine Ability was known even to Li Qi; if it were true Celestial Eye, it could indeed penetrate the Reincarnation of the Six Paths and perceive all forms and colors in the world.

And this monk was only an Eighth-Rank now!

Li Qi immediately realized something.

Strictly speaking, Li Qi was also considered a Buddha-Dharma Cultivator; he had Buddha-Dao cultivation.

If he could understand this monk's secret, would he be able to use the supernatural power of Celestial Eye to see through the illusions of the Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations?

This way, his need for the question of 'I am I' would slow down significantly, giving him more time to ponder this dangerous question.

So, Li Qi immediately asked, “Celestial Eye? You're only an Eighth-Rank, how did you get started?”

Li Qi's excitement confused the young monk.

What was this Senior so excited about?

He was a Shaman, and he couldn't cultivate Buddha-Dharma… Celestial Eye was meaningless to him, unless he wanted to cause a conflict in his Dao.

Oh, perhaps this Senior was just curious?

Seeming to think Li Qi was a good person, the young monk said, “Uh, well, it's just Buddhist affinity.”

“Buddhist affinity? Did you gain the Dharma in a dream?” Li Qi asked again.

“Although it's not as mystical as gaining the Dharma in a dream, it's close. This humble monk once passed by a mountain where there was a Buddha statue that was largely complete, but its two eyes had not yet been carved. This humble monk stayed and carved them.”

“After that day, when I woke up, I felt my eyes were clear and bright. Later, I was advised by someone and learned that this was a small part of Celestial Eye, still awaiting further development,” Monk Xin Ming said candidly.

Monk Xin Ming would normally never reveal his origins so easily, but Celestial Eye could see more than just spells that concealed the body; it could also see a person's essence.

Not just a person's essence, Celestial Eye could “perceive all phenomena,” which means seeing through all spells, seeing through all life and death, and perceiving all forms and colors in the world.

Although he was far from reaching that level, he could still see that Li Qi was far stronger than him and held no ill will.

Moreover, in the depths of his being, he could also feel the 'Buddhist affinity' of this Shaman Senior in front of him.

Perhaps, this Senior truly had a connection with Buddha; at least for now, he seemed very interested in Buddha-Dharma and was trying to actively engage with it.

Therefore, the monk chose to speak out.

Li Qi, however, was unaware of these reasons. While surprised by the monk's honesty, he also instinctively grew suspicious.

There was no other way; he had been subjected to too many schemes and calculations, so he had no choice but to be suspicious.

However, after thinking for a while, he felt that regardless of the monk's intentions, Celestial Eye was worth investigating.

Even if he couldn't obtain Celestial Eye, perhaps just a glance could provide him with a significant amount of inspiration and insight.

Besides, few people would target him; his only enemy so far was the Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations.

Oh, the Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations cannot be dismissed with the phrase 'that's all.'

“Where is that statue? If it truly has such miraculous uses, then surely people would go there every day?” Li Qi asked.

Monk Xin Ming said, “The statue is indeed miraculous. This humble monk has mentioned this more than once, so many people know about it. It's in the eastern part of Baiyue, at Zunfo Mountain in Lingxiao Kingdom.”

“Lingxiao Kingdom… Wait, why does that sound so familiar…” Li Qi felt like he had heard that name somewhere.

Seeing Li Qi say this, the monk replied, “Lingxiao Kingdom indeed has some renown. Its name comes from the lingxiao flower, and its ruler is the Lingxiao Flower Goddess.”

Upon hearing this, Li Qi suddenly understood and clapped his hands, saying, “So that's it.”

He had heard of this.

There are a hundred flowers in the world, each with its own Flower Goddess.

Like the Peony Flower Goddess, Peach Blossom Goddess, and so on, each possessing unique divine abilities. There were also busybodies who compiled a 'Hundred Flowers List,' and there were also classifications such as the 'Twelve Month Flowers' and 'Twelve Master Flowers.'

Many Flower Goddesses also enjoyed these rankings and often competed to win higher rankings or classifications.

Because of this temperament, an idiom was even coined, called 'vying for beauty and splendor,' where the 'vying' refers to the secret competitions among the Flower Goddesses.

And the lingxiao flower was a victim of this struggle.

In the past, the lingxiao flower also had the reputation of being a high-mountain flower, but a famous scholar in Tang Nation wrote a poem, mocking the lingxiao flower: “Rooted in a tree, blooming on its branches. In the morning, a cloud-sweeping flower; in the evening, firewood fallen to the ground.”

Its meaning was self-evident, ridiculing the lingxiao flower for being self-satisfied, believing that no power could shake it, but in reality, it was merely a hanger-on, able to grow only by parasitizing others. Although it could climb very high and bloom to the sky, once its support fell, it could only lie on the ground, transforming from a 'cloud-sweeping flower' into 'firewood fallen to the ground.'

This poem directly plunged the lingxiao flower into the depths, and from then on, it was mocked by many Flower Goddesses. Even the common people no longer planted lingxiao, and no one praised its virtues or beauty.

The Lingxiao Flower Goddess was greatly affected, left Tang Nation, and then fled to Baiyue.

This matter was also an anecdote. Li Qi must have seen information about the lingxiao flower when he was scanning a large amount of information in Tang Nation. At this reminder, he immediately recalled it.

“It seems Senior must know about this matter.” The young monk clasped his hands together.

Li Qi nodded and said, “Yes, I do know. Since you've told me this, I can't let you speak for nothing. If you go this way, there will be danger. On your original route, further ahead, the mountain god is an unreasonable howling wolf, and you're likely to be robbed by him. Even if you escape, complications will arise.”

“From here, go east, make a detour. The large mountains in that area are the territory of a Seventh-Rank mountain god, a large banyan tree, which is relatively peaceful and much safer.”

“Thank you for the Senior's reminder, then…” The young monk looked at Li Qi tentatively.

“There's nothing else. Let's part ways here then.” Li Qi didn't delay and directly bid farewell, leaving.

Having understood what the Buddha light here was about and having met a different kind of monk, Li Qi didn't linger. He floated away and returned to Old Ma's side.

However, he continued to watch the young monk.

Anyway, he had nothing else to do, and Old Ma was still resting; it would take at least an hour.

He returned to the mountain and personally watched the monk set off.

The other party performed rites of passage for the Yin souls and then left, without any communication with those mountain strongholds or demons throughout the entire process, not even asking for a thank you.

Indeed, just as Li Qi had thought, he was just passing by and couldn't bear to see the Spirit Soul perish, so he hid and performed rites of passage, seeking no reward.

Hmm, not all monks are bad people.

As Li Qi thought this, he constantly weighed the Tang Nation Imperial Academy, Holy Flame World, the Heavenly Demon of Enjoying Others’ Emanations, and the new information from a passing young monk in front of him.

Li Qi had a need to break into Tang Nation's high society, but he hadn't had the chance to implement it yet.

He originally wanted to use the Imperial Academy and Liu Canzhi's connections to get on this path, but the Liu family members were very conservative and didn't get involved in such matters, so Li Qi couldn't even think about it.

Li Qi also wanted to make other connections at the Imperial Academy, but his energy was tied up with the matters of the Grotto-Heaven.

When he returned this time to resolve the Grotto-Heaven issue, he was considering whether he could use his classmate Li Lieqi's identity to get in. If so, the sales channels for Sacred Flame could also be opened up conveniently.

And now, there seemed to be a better option, and he could also conveniently deal with the Celestial Eye matter.

Lingxiao Flower Goddess, if he helped her restore her reputation and rejoin the competition among the Hundred Flower Goddesses, would the effect be better?

Even if it failed, it didn't matter, as he would have gotten in anyway.