Chapter 491: Possession

Li Qi and the Demonic Prince collided head-on!

Both were fully focused, completely unaware of a third person appearing at the edge of the battlefield.

Demonic Qi surged around the Demonic Prince, and the Qi of the Four Demons erupted!

The Qi of the Heavenly Demon was like a rumbling tide, similar to the sharp, piercing sound within one's thoughts. Within the Demonic Qi, it seemed as if the rolling Mortal World had merged, with what sounded like human voices, shouts, pleas for mercy, and laughter, all converging together, like a brawl in a bustling marketplace.

The Qi of the Demon of Death caused the world to surge, as frost light scattered all around, fire erupted from the ground, and black mist and mournful clouds covered the sky and obscured the sun. Stars shifted, and the cosmos trembled. The Qi of the Demon of Death was like the sinister, foul breath exhaled by a venomous snake devouring the world, intent on dragging this world into destruction.

The Demon of Affliction Qi, however, presented sorrow. Numerous desires unfulfilled, greed without ability, love without fruit, born from confusion, following ignorance. It seemed to contain immeasurable suffering like birth, old age, sickness, and death, lashing out at all beings, disturbing body and mind, obstructing True Knowledge, and preventing them from ever achieving the Dao Fruit.

The Demon of the Five Aggregates Qi, formless and intangible, instantly formed sixty-two kinds of evil views. Form, sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness were obstructed; eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind were forcibly sealed; form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and phenomena were instantly disturbed. The five senses entered Chaos, falling into rolling illusions, perceiving a filthy body as a true one.

The Demonic Prince truly unleashed his full power. He had laid the groundwork for so long precisely to face Li Qi at full strength!

Now, his wish was finally granted!

Let's see how the exploding weakling survives under the crushing force of this absolute power.

On Li Qi's side, he primarily used Heavenly Lightning, but he also knew that if his power didn't reach a sufficient level, even if water could extinguish fire, it would still be evaporated.

Therefore, he had to raise his cultivation.

However, this was very difficult. Li Qi's current cultivation had reached the upper limit of his theoretical value. If he continued to improve, his already fractured Inner World would not be able to bear it, and perhaps various Dao Orthodoxy would directly tear him apart.

Cultivation surpassing the Dao Heart, coupled with the conflicts of various Dao Orthodoxy, would lead to this result.

However, he had to improve, otherwise, it would be impossible to suppress the Demonic Prince.

He didn't know how the Demonic Prince cultivated, or why he was able to raise his cultivation to such a degree?

But, speaking of raising cultivation, how should he raise it?

If Li Qi followed his previous thoughts, he would diligently cultivate, accumulating little by little, eventually wearing down the stone by drops, slowly achieving a Breakthrough to the Sixth Rank, and everyone would be happy.

But now there was no time.

He had to achieve a Breakthrough in battle.

Becoming a Sixth Rank! Then he would naturally be able to suppress the Demonic Prince in cultivation.

He had already thought of the specific method.

The True Knowledge Dao Resonance had already touched that head.

The Third Rank head still retained the Dao Resonance of the Third Rank, the Dao Resonance from the Human Dao Legalist School.

If Li Qi were to directly read the Dao Principles from it, according to his own estimation, there was at least an 80% chance of him directly dying, a 15% chance of becoming an idiot who could only babble.

Only the remaining 5% chance was success, and even if he succeeded, there would be a major problem: the balance of Li Qi's Dao path would be completely broken.

Breaking through to the Sixth Rank with the Dao Resonance of the Human Dao as the foundation meant that the conflict of Dao paths within Li Qi's body would have a resolution. The Human Dao would expand significantly, and the influence of other Dao Orthodoxy would greatly decrease, possibly even surpassing the Shaman Dao that was originally Li Qi's Dao foundation.

This was very likely... to directly drive Li Qi mad. If not handled well, even if he became a Sixth Rank, he would just be a mad, confused Sixth Rank who couldn't distinguish his own origins.

The conflict of Dao paths was quite terrifying.

However, for this, Li Qi also had his own arrangements. He had made preparations, and... he was also prepared to bear the cost.

Of course, not the cost of death or madness; he wouldn't be so brain-dead as to actually gamble on an 80% chance of death.

He had other ways to reach the Sixth Rank alive.

Li Qi charged towards the Demonic Prince! His Aura suddenly unfolded, and around him, clear 'rules' appeared.

Without rules, one cannot form a square or circle;

Without the six pitches, one cannot correct the five musical notes;

Without laws and governance, one cannot bring peace to the world;

Rules exhaust the principles by which squares and circles are formed, just as Sages exhaust the Dao by which humans are formed.

Rules are one of the core principles of the Human Dao.

When measures are truly set and rules are truly established, one cannot be deceived by length or shortness, and the lengths and shortnesses of the world can be effectively utilized.

And the ultimate of rules is one of the great branches of the Human Dao, the Legalist School.

The Legalist School, within the Human Dao, can almost be said to hold the same status as the three branches of Shaman Dao: Divination, Incantation, and Prophecy.

Without distinguishing between close and distant, without differentiating between noble and lowly, judging grace by righteousness, cutting off familial affection, abandoning all grievances and enmities, taking rules as one's standard, not rejoicing in external things, not grieving for oneself, purely practicing rules, and thereby creating a perfect world.

So, Heavenly Demon noise? Does it matter? Under the rules, demonic thoughts cannot exist.

Demon of Death, then, suppresses Chaos with the punishment of slaughter, using killing to stop killing.

Demon of Affliction: desires unfulfilled, greed without ability, love without fruit? Follow the law, proceed step by step, then naturally desires will be fulfilled, greed will be punished, love will bear fruit. Where does trouble come from? It's merely self-inflicted trouble by those who overthink.

Demon of the Five Aggregates, sixty-two kinds of evil views: as long as one follows the rules, even if one's eyes are covered and ears are plugged, there is still a direction to follow, and one will not be deluded by the five aggregates.

As the rules expanded, Li Qi's cultivation also rapidly increased!

His Dao was rapidly inclining towards the Human Dao, and the True Knowledge Dao Resonance was reading the knowledge and Dao Resonance from that head!

Numerous concepts from the Human Dao and the Legalist School were being continuously read and understood by Li Qi. Those principles, which had long been clearly analyzed and proven, were laid out one by one before Li Qi. Each one would have taken him four or five years to ponder on his own, but now, all these answers were right before his eyes. He didn't even need to think; he just needed to read.

This was a Dao path that a Third Rank had already thought through and chewed up.

If compared to food, Li Qi thinking on his own would be like him going hunting in the mountains empty-handed, then coming back and making food himself. Whether he caught a rabbit or a tiger, whether the meat tasted good, was nutritious, or got burnt, all depended on him. That was the result of his own thinking and summation.

However, the Dao Resonance before him couldn't even be described as food prepared and served to him; it was like directly injecting a finished nutrient solution into his body. He didn't even need to chew; he just had to inject it into his body.

This was a finished product.

However, there were also disadvantages.

For those who had no hope of reaching the Third Rank in their lifetime, directly pouring it into their bodies was, of course, a great piece of news.

But for someone like Li Qi, in the future, after he reached the Third Rank, these things would become stumbling blocks, hindering him from reaching his own Dao path.

All of this was a price.

The Demonic Prince and Li Qi collided, their two Dharma Idols shaking heaven and earth. The flashes of light from their collision lingered for a long time, the sky clear, as if a bright moon hung in space, illuminating the vast expanse of misty waves with brilliant light.

One, two, three times.

Successive collisions, and in the sky, three full moons bloomed, hanging in the firmament.

Heavenly Lightning and Demonic Qi collided, and boundless black mist surged all around, like murky clouds, dust mist, fierce winds, and heavy rain. Demonic karma, demonic speech, demonic intent, and demonic return constantly emerged. The aftermath of the battle caused the surrounding weather to become chaotic, the celestial phenomena disordered, and various Qi manifestations紊亂. Light surged in Hell, and the debris from all directions fell like scattered stars, crashing towards the Mortal World.

In the first impact, Li Qi wanted to breathe, but it was as if he was underwater, unable to speak. Countless corpses, evil spirits, and Demonic Qi intertwined, like waves in the sea, clinging to each other. Li Qi floated and sank within them, unable to breathe for a time.

In the second impact, Li Qi broke through the Demonic Qi. Around him, Heavenly Lightning transformed into a mighty Dao Resonance, his Divine Power invigorated. Swords, spears, halberds, axes, battle-axes, hooks, and forks all displayed Divine Might, wielding spears and brandishing swords, instantly manifesting countless attacks, like dense rain, like swift lightning, unleashing the force of taut bows and crossbows, brandishing weapons and asserting power!

It must be known that when Li Qi studied the Human Dao methods at Imperial Academy, he chose military strategy.

Military strategy, combined with the Legalist School, formed an army that followed orders strictly! With this as the foundation, that Divine Dao Resonance and his countless weapon Qi were like a grand army!

With just the second strike, Li Qi had already integrated and absorbed the power of that head into himself, and his cultivation had broken through the limits of the Seventh Rank!

In the third impact, Li Qi's cultivation had already steadily surpassed the Demonic Prince. Now, it was the Demonic Prince who was treading on thin ice. The Demonic Prince's Demonic Qi scattered greatly, and even his cultivation began to drop.

The Demonic Prince's Inner World was completely disrupted. His Dao Resonance had been suppressed by three consecutive Heavenly Lightning strikes, and there was already a tendency to retreat.

But the Demonic Prince himself did not retreat.

Sixth Rank? He hadn't reached it yet, he had only broken through the shackles of the Seventh Rank.

Since he hasn't reached it, he can't beat me.

Fourth time, fifth time—

The collisions continued for a full eighteen times.

Now, it was the nineteenth time.

Li Qi's cultivation continuously climbed during these eighteen times, his Qi and intent growing denser and denser. The rules even began to regulate the weather and restrain demonic thoughts!

It must be known that the Legalist School is a master at restraining demonic thoughts. Within the entire Human Dao, countless demonic thoughts and evil intentions must retreat under the laws and righteous governance. It has prevented countless people from falling into the Demonic Dao due to a momentary lapse.

On the Demonic Prince's side, however, his forces were in disarray, and a large number of his spells disintegrated.

However, there was no panic on his face.

The balance of power had not shifted.

He was still the strong one.

Because, during the previous eighteen collisions, he had already used demonic thoughts to infiltrate the opponent's Dao Resonance. It seemed as if he was on the defensive, but if Li Qi continued to make a Breakthrough, the demonic thoughts would erupt at the moment of Breakthrough, affecting his mind.

Being extremely vulnerable during a Breakthrough and having one's mind affected could lead to a drop in cultivation at best, or even madness at worst.

Therefore, he continued to build up his momentum, gripping the bamboo staff in his hand, even though it was already covered in cracks from the Heavenly Lightning strikes.

However, victory was within his grasp. The weakling's desperate struggle was meaningless.

A Breakthrough in battle should also be the opponent's last chance.

The nineteenth impact—

Thunder roared! A pillar of lightning spanning space pierced through heaven and earth!

Heavenly Lightning, being extremely Yang and rigid, this time directly penetrated the Demonic Qi protection and struck the Demonic Prince's staff!

Lightning trees pierced and electricity bloomed, even space reacted, with countless electric sparks jumping between the Demonic Prince and Li Qi, then spreading.

This time, the Demonic Prince was directly sent flying, his Dharma Idol cracking and gradually shattering.

And Li Qi, with this attack, completely succeeded in building up his momentum.

His rank, at this moment, increased!

Under the灌脑 of the Human Dao Third Rank Dao Resonance, the Sixth Rank was achieved!

The moment he achieved the Sixth Rank, the Human Dao Dao Principles began to cover his Inner World, seemingly wanting to devour the territory belonging to other Dao Orthodoxy.

And the other Dao Principles also began to resist, and the entire Inner World instantly showed signs of tearing apart!

At the same time, the demonic thoughts that the Demonic Prince had already laid erupted, and countless Demonic Qi instantly corroded Li Qi's body. Under the double blow, Li Qi's advancement seemed about to be interrupted immediately.

The Demonic Prince covered his mouth, blood constantly seeping through the gaps in his fingers, but his expression remained calm as he watched Li Qi's advancement fail and his rank drop directly.

But just then, Li Qi suddenly clasped his hands together.

Then, he accepted the demonic thoughts.

Not only the demonic thoughts that the Demonic Prince had laid down, but also the Demonic Dao of the Demonic Prince that he had analyzed during the previous battle, the Demonic Dao that the Heavenly Demon had once used to tempt him, his own understanding of the Demon of the Five Aggregates's Demonic Dao, and the Demonic Dao of the Demonic Lord Moluo Yan that he had seen before.

The countless Demonic Daos he had encountered on his Dao path were all mixed together by Li Qi.

Then, using the Demonic Prince's Four Demons' demonic thoughts as a catalyst, he fused these Demonic Daos into one mass.

Then, he swallowed them all.

The Demonic Prince's eyes widened, utterly astonished, his jaw almost dropping!

He understood!

This was Li Qi's plan from the beginning.

Dao conflict, all Dao Orthodoxy completely split?

Isn't the solution very simple?

Then, falling into the Demonic Dao would solve it.

As long as he entered the Demonic Dao, these disputes would no longer have any effect on him. The Demonic Dao follows one's heart's desires and fundamentally doesn't need to care about these rules. This was already told to him when the Heavenly Demon first tried to make him fall into the Demonic Dao. (See Chapter 293 for details)

Dao conflict meant nothing to the Demonic Dao. Everything was inherently void, so Dao conflict was even more void. As for the Demonic Prince's demonic thoughts, it became a catalyst instead of an obstacle.

Li Qi was not going to advance to Human Dao Sixth Rank, but to Demonic Dao Sixth Rank, while retaining all his Dao Orthodoxy characteristics, encompassing all characteristics with the Demonic Dao!

The Demonic Prince watched all of this, knowing that in this round, he had lost.

Li Qi was neither weak nor strong.

He was wise.

In terms of wisdom, he had still lost a step. He had schemed for a long time, even following someone else's advice, but in the end, he still lost.

Truly...

However... wisdom has another characteristic compared to strength.

That is, wisdom can be used by others, while strength can only belong to oneself. Therefore, the strong are always leaders, and the wise are always assistants.

So, although his wisdom had lost to Li Qi, leading to defeat, still... he hadn't lost yet.

Because, there was another wise person who hadn't made a move yet.

As Li Qi broke through to Demonic Dao Sixth Rank.

A pure Demonic Qi, so pure it seemed to have come directly from the Heavenly Demon, merged into Li Qi's body.

Li Qi suddenly felt that something in his Inner World began to overlap, and... taking advantage of his weakest moment, it began to seize control.

That was Demonic Clone Li Qi.

This was 'his' plan.

Demonic Clone Li Qi had calculated from the very beginning that Li Qi would inevitably break through to Demonic Dao Sixth Rank! And for him, as Demonic Qi, to merge into 'his own' Demonic Dao was simply natural and right.

From the very beginning of his manipulation, he had almost made all preparations. He had schemed countless things for this moment, even instigating the Demonic Prince to act, pushing the True Dragons to enter the fray, and even calculating every one of Li Qi's preparations!

It was all for this moment!

From this moment on, 'he' was the true Li Qi!