Chapter 525: Dark Path

After bidding farewell to the Jing Family, Li Qi continued on his journey.

Along the way, he chatted with Shen Shuibi.

“You said, after meeting her twice, what will her Dao path be like in the future?” Li Qi asked.

“Difficult,” Shen Shuibi shook her head.

Indeed, it was difficult.

Jing Yan was sincere in her heart and diligent in her actions; her success and failure stemmed from this. She was too sincere, too diligent, a wooden head. When she grasped a technique, she would diligently practice it. When she grasped Qi, she would diligently practice Qi.

In the future, when she grasps Martial Dao Divine Intent, she will certainly become fixated.

This also made Li Qi reflect.

Could someone like Jing Yan truly be blamed for anything?

Even in Tang Nation and Shaman God Mountain, Li Qi had never seen anyone more diligent than her. At Ninth Rank, she could already sense Li Qi’s Qi, which, to some extent, could be considered a Genius.

But…

Shen Shuibi had already said it herself: her future Dao path would not go very far, and Li Qi’s judgment was nearly the same.

“Being diligent won’t work, being lazy won’t work, being stupid won’t work, and being cunning won’t work either,” Li Qi looked up at the sky.

It was truly difficult.

He was very intelligent. Zhu Fengdan’s evaluation of him was: “Too intelligent.”

Jing Yan was very diligent and upright, but the evaluation she received was: “Too diligent.”

It was truly difficult.

On the Dao path, there were countless dangers. Taking one wrong step could mean no more opportunities. But if one didn’t move forward, what was the difference from having no opportunity at all?

One needed the courage to move forward, the wisdom to judge whether one had stepped into a pit, the confidence to believe that one was on the right path, and the perseverance to continue walking for a long time without results.

For example, Jing Yan, she actually didn’t know at all that she had taken the wrong path. So how could she distinguish between “I’ve taken the wrong path” and “I haven’t worked hard enough”?

The answer was, she couldn’t distinguish at all.

No one knew if they were right, and no one knew whether they had worked hard in the wrong direction or if it was the darkness before dawn.

As the saying goes: “One who walks a hundred li considers ninety li to be half the journey.” But who knew if they had already walked ninety li, or if they had simply walked in the wrong direction from the start?

And Li Qi, how was he to know whether his current caution was good or bad?

Brave? Or reckless?

Cautious? Or cowardly?

Confident? Or arrogant?

Persistent? Or foolish?

Was what Zhu Fengdan said correct? Was his own judgment correct?

Li Qi suddenly felt that after witnessing Jing Yan’s experience, he seemed to have gained a new understanding.

At that moment, in a trance, he recalled when he first stepped into cultivation. Holding the book “Zhu,” he felt as if a clear, unobstructed path to the heavens had appeared before him, and all he had to do was follow it.

At that time, he felt that cultivation had no Bottleneck, and everything seemed easy along the way. After all, he had already thoroughly reviewed how to advance and the markers for each Rank.

But now, he only felt that this path had countless forks, was overgrown with thorns, and only darkness lay ahead.

The entire Dao path was an endless, dark land. Although it didn’t seem to have thrilling battles, it was far more terrifying than a journey filled with constant fighting.

Your knowledge, your foundation, your diligence, your talent, your teachers—these were like a lamp in the darkness, illuminating a limited area, allowing one to make small predictions about the path in the darkness.

The more knowledge, foundation, and diligence one had, the brighter the lamp, and the more of the path ahead one could see.

But these lamps could never illuminate the entire dark land.

Perhaps no existence could truly understand what the path was like. All existences, in the darkness called ‘Dao path,’ were sorrowful, blind worms.

So tiny, so insignificant. In the world’s dark unknown, countless dangers lurked. Every exploration of the outside world was a walk between life and death.

The worm itself had no idea whether its next step into the darkness would land on food, a predator, or perhaps an even more unspeakable, indescribable, immense terror?

True Knowledge Dao Resonance, Li Qi named it True Knowledge, but he found that in the face of truly profound darkness, even True Knowledge could see nothing.

Was this the truth of exploring the Dao path? Desperate and profound.

And the current Dao path, all the clear places, were safe paths explored by countless Seniors in the dark continent. Compared to starting from scratch, it was already much, much better.

However, for an individual, it was still full of crises.

Li Qi suddenly felt that even someone as strong as First Grade should be no different from him, right?

What Shaman Dao pursued, coexisting with the entire world, was essentially to fully see, or even illuminate, this dark continent of the ‘Dao path,’ wasn’t it?

What humanity pursued, the future of humans replacing the heavens, should also be to completely master this dark continent, with humans becoming the masters of this matter.

What Dao Orthodoxy pursued, freedom, was absolute safety within this dark continent, no longer being in danger because of anything.

What about Buddhism? From their ideas and propaganda, it was ‘the enlightenment of all sentient beings.’ This was the so-called great undertaking of the Tathagata, ‘Tathagata’s Awakening of the World.’ Did they want everyone to be able to awaken, to recognize the essence of this dark continent?

Or, did they want sentient beings to comprehend more? After all, Li Qi knew that there were many, many truths he did not yet understand. What he knew now was obtained through existing clues and knowledge.

So, after understanding these current things, what should he do next?

Just understanding, but not acting, was equivalent to not understanding at all.

What should be done next?

Li Qi, riding the old horse, pondered deeply on his way to visit Lingxiao Flower Goddess, and finally came to a conclusion.

He felt that since no one knew what lay ahead on this dark continent, nor whether the direction they were walking was correct, or even if they were going in circles or the wrong way.

Then, the role of teachers became very clear. For example, Li Qi could use his knowledge to see Jing Yan’s flaws, and Zhu Fengdan also pointed out Li Qi’s self-indulgent timidity and tried to stimulate him.

How did teachers and Seniors manage to see your path clearly?

Very simple, their ‘lamps’ were brighter, so they could certainly see further.

Li Qi made up his mind.

For the next four to nearly five hundred years, his energy would be focused here. He wanted to clearly see his future path. If he found his future path and knew how to act, then Zhu Fengdan would no longer pressure him.

If Zhu Fengdan didn’t pressure him, Shen Shuibi naturally wouldn’t need to go to the most dangerous front lines.

So, the next step after returning would be to immerse himself in the Shaman God Mountain library, letting knowledge permeate him, and from it, find a possible path.

If he couldn’t find it, he would still try his best to improve his strength and other influence to help Shen Shuibi receive the best possible support on the front lines.

Having made up his mind, he flew another nearly hundred thousand li, arriving at Lingxiao Kingdom.

Upon arriving at Lingxiao Kingdom, there was no need for such trouble. Li Qi merely cast a Daoist Art into the sky.

The Daoist Art unfolded, transforming into Life Qi, slowly expanding like clouds, continuously releasing vitality.

This vitality would slowly release, improving the weather in this province of Lingxiao Kingdom, making it favorable with good winds and rains, likely lasting for about a year.

This level of Daoist Art was not a small expenditure for Li Qi, but he still did it.

There were two main reasons: first, such a large commotion would surely be noticed by Lingxiao Flower Goddess. This was a friendly way to knock on her door and a gift for an unexpected visit.

Second, Li Qi saw the situation below, so he acted. It was a small effort to alleviate the suffering of the common people.

Lingxiao Kingdom had actually been used by Lingxiao Flower Goddess to substitute for her life once. In Chang’an, Lingxiao Flower Goddess used the national destiny of Lingxiao Kingdom to block a killing tribulation for herself.

At that time, Li Qi knew that Lingxiao Kingdom would inevitably face severe disasters in the future: no rain, continuous earthquakes, rampant plagues, and frequent anomalies. After all, with the national destiny depleted, there would certainly be a price to pay.

A nation’s people blocking a tribulation for their Country Lord was one of the classic evil methods of humanity. In true Dao Orthodoxy, such methods were absolutely forbidden.

Drawing on national destiny, devouring the strength of the masses, and even forming something like a ‘company’ that purely used the flesh, lives, and livelihoods of the common people as resources for cultivation, were all considered root-destroying operations by orthodox Dao Orthodoxy, evil methods that must be completely eradicated.

Because doing so deviated from the essence of humanity.

For the high-ranking individuals of humanity, they themselves were part of ‘humanity.’

This was the essence of humanity: whether high-ranking or common people, all were one whole, inseparable. High-ranking individuals helping the lower strata was also helping themselves, and the lower strata contributing to high-ranking individuals could also provide benefits for themselves.

Everyone for me, and I for everyone. This ‘for’ not only means ‘for the sake of,’ but also includes the meaning of ‘becoming.’ ‘Everyone’ and ‘I’ have no essential difference; we are all one whole. That is why human officials can borrow the power of the multitude, giving all human officials a dual status.

If one extracts national destiny like Lingxiao Flower Goddess, then the two are completely separated: the Country Lord is the Country Lord, the people are the people. I am not for the people; the people must be for me. The meaning of the people’s existence is to be nourishment for the Country Lord.

In this way, what humanity is there to speak of? It is more similar to the various sects of the divine Dao.

The only difference is probably that the efficiency of humanity’s extraction is higher, and the speed of root destruction is faster.

Furthermore, even within the divine Dao, Dao Orthodoxy that completely relies on believers for power is considered low-grade among the low-grade. The true Innate Gods are self-existent; believers need them, not the other way around. Exploiting believers is seen as a parasitic act by high-ranking Gods.

Humanity did not approve of this method. Presumably, when Lingxiao Flower Goddess used this trick, she had already decided to completely separate from humanity.

Li Qi didn’t really approve of such methods either; he wouldn’t use them himself. However, everyone had their own methods, and he wouldn’t find it problematic if others used them.

Shaman, that’s how they are: anything goes, everything is acceptable, because your very existence is part of this world.

As the Daoist Art in his hand evolved, Li Qi’s expression grew slightly serious, as this matter was not so simple, not done casually.

The Life Qi grew increasingly浓郁, yet the essence of the Life Qi truly converged on the grand scheme, like the form of the earth, often hidden and unadorned.

This Life Qi would enter the atmospheric circulation, gradually flowing throughout Lingxiao Kingdom over several years, and should reduce diseases in the entire Lingxiao Kingdom by about ten percent.

Lingxiao Kingdom was not small, with a population of over a billion. To reduce diseases by over ten percent was already an impressive Daoist Art, and it was fortunate that Li Qi was a Shaman to be able to do such a thing.

If Shen Shuibi were to do this, it wouldn’t be as convenient as for Li Qi. For her, she would probably have to manually bury Formations in various earth veins and then activate the earth Qi to transmit Life Qi, working for three or four months to see results.

Of course, the effect would also be better.

The methods of each Dao Orthodoxy were indeed different.

It was said that on the Buddhist side, all that was needed was a pure vase, and with a willow branch dipped in water and sprinkled, a nation could be free of illness. That was another set of methods entirely.

As Li Qi’s Daoist Art gradually unfolded, several hours later, this mass of Life Qi cloud finally took shape and then quickly joined the atmospheric circulation.

These several hours were also enough for Lingxiao Flower Goddess to react.

After the cloud of Life Qi dissipated, a figure drifted over.

A fragrant flower branch, filling the path with perfume. Suddenly, a sigh was heard, and in a moment, a subtle reflection appeared in the curtain, standing askew, with a lingering, melancholic fragrance.

The newcomer was also a beauty, also a noble, also a Heavenly God. Her shadow fluttered and drooped, her steps graceful and slow.

With her arrival, suddenly, one felt the mist hazy and the air filled with fragrance. With light makeup and elegant demeanor, she leaned by the flowers, her gaze lingering for a moment, making it impossible for one to move.

Shen Shuibi frowned, looking at the other party.

But she couldn’t find any fault.

She had heard of the Flower Goddess’s captivating reputation, and it was truly… well-deserved. She was so beautiful it was almost irritating.

Li Qi, however, was accustomed to it. He cupped his hands and greeted her, “Country Lord, for you to personally come so far to greet us, I am truly ashamed. By the way, this is my wife. We have just returned from Penglai and happened to pass by Lingxiao Kingdom, so we came to visit an old friend.”

“Esteemed couple, your gracious arrival. Lingxiao was momentarily unaware and even allowed guests to knock with a gift. It is truly impolite. Why not come to my palace, where I will prepare a banquet and wine to welcome our distinguished guests?” Lingxiao Kingdom Lord said with great courtesy.

Her words were very clear; she didn’t mention Li Qi’s name at all, directly treating the two as a single entity in her response, which was extremely proper and eased Shen Shuibi’s expression somewhat.

The Flower Goddess, after all, came from an environment like the Imperial Garden, so her words and actions naturally had a sense of propriety.

As for the incident with Liu Donghe in the past, where she clung to Li Qi and dragged him into it to stand by her, that was purely due to her nature.

If not for that, how could the lingxiao flower have such a reputation?

“No need, no need. We just happened to be passing by and came to see the situation. How have you been, Country Lord, recently? I observe your injuries; they seem to be no longer serious?” Li Qi waved his hand decisively, declining.

No thanks. Drinking with Lingxiao Kingdom Lord, who knew what kind of trouble would arise.

“So Young Master still remembers me, and even brought his wife to personally eliminate illness and disaster for the billions of people of Lingxiao Kingdom. This is truly great kindness,” Lingxiao Kingdom Lord said.

Li Qi, however, didn’t want to dwell on these matters anymore. If he did, the little rabbit might get angry. So he waved his hand and said, “I didn’t come for these things, but to ask the Country Lord about matters concerning Buddhism.”