Chapter 526: Time Flies

In a wilderness area of Lingxiao Kingdom, below the layer of strong winds, Li Qi was discussing some matters with the Lingxiao Kingdom Lord.

This was also the purpose of his visit.

Li Qi wanted to ask the Lingxiao Kingdom Lord about the Buddha-Dharma.

If he had time, he wanted to go to the West Heaven to take a look.

Among the people he knew, the one with the closest connection to the Buddha-Dharma was naturally the Lingxiao Kingdom Lord, who had grown on the wall of White Horse Temple during her childhood.

Oh, no, that’s not quite precise. Among the people he knew, the one with the closest connection to the West Heaven should be the Demonic Prince.

After all, he was the Buddha’s archenemy. When the Buddha achieved Dao in the past, the Demonic Prince personally obstructed him, attempting to corrupt the Buddha’s Dao Heart with three methods: desire, violence, and finally, the method still in use today, substituting one thing for another.

The first two methods failed. The Buddha resisted the chaos of the entire Desire Realm, proving that his heart harbored not a single demonic thoughts, and then countered the Demonic Prince and all his Demonic Army with Divine Ability. Thus, the Buddha achieved Dao, and the Demonic Prince could not stop him.

However, the last method is still effective to this day.

The Demonic Prince would mix the Demonic Dao into the Buddha-Dharma, letting his demon children and grandchildren wear kasayas, enter the Sangha with dignity, and wearing kasayas, misinterpret the Buddhist scriptures, distort the Buddha-Dharma, and ultimately merge Buddha-Dharma and demon into one.

Hence, it is said: “The Demonic King Papiyas is also like this, appearing as a Bhikkhu, a Bhikkhuni, a Upasaka, a Upasika, and even transforming into a Srotapanna, and even into an Arhat and a Buddha’s physical body. The Demonic King uses this defiled form to create a undefiled body, destroying the Buddha’s true Dharma, breaking the Buddha-Dharma and Sangha. In the future, evil demons will transform into ascetics, enter the Sangha, and spread various heresies, causing many sentient beings to fall into wrong views, teaching them evil Dharma.”

The Demonic Prince assumes the appearance of a Bhikkhu, a Bhikkhuni, a Upasaka, a Upasika, and even transforms into a Srotapanna, and even into an Arhat and a Buddha’s physical body.

Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis are ordinary Monks.

Upasakas and Upasikas are followers who believe in the Buddha-Dharma.

Srotapanna is a Buddhist fruit position, a prerequisite for the Arhat fruit position, and many Monks are at this stage.

The Arhat body is also easy to understand; it is the achievement of the Arhat fruit position from a Srotapanna.

The Buddha’s physical body naturally goes without saying; that is already becoming a Buddha.

The Demonic Prince will transform into the lowest-level believers, ordinary Monks, and then practitioners, and even enlightened Buddhas could be transformations of the Demonic Prince.

It directly told the Buddha its purpose, then laughed loudly and led its followers away.

Therefore, strictly speaking, the Demonic Prince and the Buddha-Dharma are the closest, because in so many years of mixing, they can even be said to be one.

For example, the lineage of Chan Zhi Monk…

However, Li Qi’s trip to the West Heaven was originally to find hidden pieces and… all methods to restrain the Demonic Dao, so the Lingxiao Kingdom Lord understood better.

Hearing Li Qi’s question, the Lingxiao Kingdom Lord was slightly startled, then covered her lips with her hand and chuckled softly: “Asking about West Heaven, what is Young Master preparing to do?”

Li Qi understood immediately from her reaction.

This was a sensitive topic for the Lingxiao Kingdom Lord as well, not something she could casually tell others. Li Qi had best explain everything clearly, otherwise, the Lingxiao Kingdom Lord probably wouldn’t say anything.

So, Li Qi said: “Last time, I was tainted by the Five Aggregates Demonic Blood and became involved with the Demonic Dao, so I want to go to West Heaven to find a way to suppress the Demonic Dao. I ask the Country Lord for some guidance.”

“Oh, so that’s it. If I were to hold back, I’m afraid Young Master would hate me to death. Please lean closer, Young Master, and I will inform you in detail. There is just one thing, which I hope Young Master will remember,” the Lingxiao Kingdom Lord said.

“What is it?” Li Qi knew this was the other party setting conditions, so he readily agreed.

“Regarding the Star-Mansion Array, I ask Young Master to put in a good word for me. Lingxiao Kingdom has just faced a great calamity, and its national fortune has suffered. I’ve recently been considering grabbing more worlds from outside the domain to supplement it, but since I’m only a Fifth-Grade, my Clones are stretched thin. If the Star-Mansion Array still has arrangements, it might be difficult to continue. If Young Master could put in a word…” The Lingxiao Kingdom Lord said this, then looked at Li Qi.

Li Qi smiled: “The Star-Mansion Array is strict; backdoor dealings are out of the question. Although Shaman God Mountain isn’t as rigidly structured as the Human Dao, it has its own set of rules, otherwise, it would fall into chaos. However… if the Country Lord only has a need for resources, I do have another method.”

“Another method?” The Lingxiao Kingdom Lord blinked, then said: “Please speak frankly, Young Master. Lingxiao is all ears.”

“I also have some industries outside the domain, and I’m currently preparing to expand. My wife is still creating the corresponding Formation. This Formation was obtained from the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord. If the Country Lord is in urgent need of resources recently, you might as well try it,” Li Qi said.

The Lingxiao Kingdom Lord, hearing this, chuckled softly: “If Young Master has this intention, then that is naturally good. Joining in is also a good thing. I believe in Young Master’s ability and that there will be no losses. So, it’s settled. However, I still have a suggestion I’d like to tell Young Master.”

“Oh? There are no outsiders here, so speak freely,” Li Qi nodded and said.

Hearing this, the Lingxiao Kingdom Lord glanced at Shen Shuibi, and then at the old horse playing dead below.

No outsiders…

Hmm…

Alright.

The Lingxiao Kingdom Lord continued: “My suggestion is, if you want to develop outside the domain, with Young Master’s status and current strength, why not include the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord as well? The Demon Lord is also outside the domain recently. I heard he had some misunderstandings with Young Master, but now that we share the same direction, why not join forces?”

“If our respective Country Lords join forces, our power will surely increase greatly, allowing us to reach more world clusters. However, in the past, our statuses were different, and being too ostentatious easily led to trouble. Now, with Young Master vouching for us, the places we can extend our reach have also increased. In this way, in at most a hundred years, the territory we can control will probably exceed one hundred thousand worlds, among which there will be at least seven or eight worlds that have reached the Sixth-Grade or above. What do you think, Young Master?”

Using Li Qi’s status as an endorsement, and then the Country Lords working, with everyone sharing the profits, and no fear of causing trouble, it was indeed a good method.

But Li Qi shook his head: “Unsuitable. I don’t trust Devouring Heaven, nor do I trust the other Country Lords. Expanding worlds is indeed for resources, but one cannot lose one’s Dao Heart because of it. Their methods are too cruel, and I don’t like their way of refining worlds. No, I didn’t even prepare to refine the Heavenly Dao of any world; I just want to take what I need.”

“If the Country Lord can accept this, then I think we can cooperate very happily, because I know that the Country Lord was born in a temple and should have kindness in her heart, unlike Devouring Heaven’s brutality. I trust cooperation with the Country Lord, but I am extremely unwilling to cooperate with Devouring Heaven. You and I both know that no one in Baiyue can control him.”

After Li Qi finished speaking, he looked at the Lingxiao Kingdom Lord, waiting for her answer.

“So Young Master doesn’t trust Devouring Heaven. Then I am truly thrice blessed to have Young Master’s heart. Since that’s the case, it’s fine. I agree. When Young Master wishes to act, please just send me a letter. Then, whatever Young Master wishes to know, I will certainly tell all,” the Lingxiao Kingdom Lord nodded, signifying that the transaction was complete.

It seemed that for her and Li Qi to do things, it always had to be through transactions; there was never any talk of favors. Perhaps this was also due to the Lingxiao Kingdom Lord’s personality.

Next, there was a rather distant exchange. The Lingxiao Kingdom Lord firmly refused to approach Li Qi, speaking from a distance about precautions for going to West Heaven and the Lingxiao Kingdom Lord’s own connections.

These were all very important, especially the connections. When doing business in a new place, if it’s not for tourism, then if one truly wants to accomplish something, the help of some locals is absolutely crucial.

Including local taboos, intertwined forces, and so on, Li Qi did not think West Heaven would be a good place.

Chan Zhi Monk had already warned him, and coupled with his understanding of the Demonic Prince, West Heaven might be a huge demon den.

Without good preparation, it would indeed be difficult to go.

This conversation lasted a total of ten hours.

In ten hours, Li Qi obtained a great deal of information about West Heaven, which was already sufficient.

So, bidding farewell to the Lingxiao Flower Goddess, Li Qi and Shen Shuibi set off again.

This time, they didn’t plan to delay on the road. They drifted all the way to the Star-Mansion Array.

Activating the Star-Mansion Array, they returned to the entrance of his Immortal Cave almost in the blink of an eye.

How convenient.

Taking a deep breath, the rich Spiritual Qi was refreshing. Compared to anywhere else in the world, Shaman God Mountain had a good environment; after all, it was a place where even stones could gain sentience.

The old horse shrunk his body and scurried away, probably bored and looking for fun. He was always lively and active, and this trip had truly stifled him.

Although he should also feel it was worth it, after all, he personally witnessed the Demonic Prince fighting the Little Heavenly Master. This was not something one could easily see, so the boredom of the journey could be considered the admission ticket.

As for Li Qi and Shen Shuibi, they looked down at the mountain, and everything was so peaceful and harmonious.

The village continued its usual life. The people in it didn’t have as colorful a life as the Tang Nation people, but they also had their own joys.

Li Qi also saw a young man, an Eighth-Grade in cultivation, who had already packed his luggage and was bidding farewell to the villagers.

A passionate young man, unwilling to spend the rest of his life in this village, so after mastering his skills, he prepared to venture outside.

Shaman God Mountain’s jurisdiction enjoys almost absolute freedom, so there are also so-called ‘big cities,’ though they are relatively few. But in those places, there are more people from the outside world, similar to the East Isles in the East Sea, serving the function of connecting and communicating with the outside world. There, like the East Isles, one can see people from all walks of life and various Daos.

This young man must also be heading to such a big city, and perhaps even to a farther place.

Hmm…

Having seen so much and understood so many Daos, he was, after all, a Shaman.

Thinking these thoughts, Li Qi and Shen Shuibi walked into the Immortal Cave and closed its door.

Next, they would do what they needed to do.

— — — — — — — — — —

Thus, time flowed by.

In a flash, seventy years passed.

These seventy years were the most peaceful period in Li Qi’s life.

For a full seventy years, he did almost nothing but devote himself entirely to self-cultivation.

What he did every day was study, cultivate, and occasionally entertain himself.

In the beginning, he still had many, many ideas, either to be lazy or something else, thinking about going out to do something.

In short, his mind was restless, thinking both good and bad thoughts.

However, he suppressed it with self-control, insisting on going to the Shaman God Mountain’s library every day to browse, reading, studying, gaining knowledge, and learning spells day after day.

In the first ten years of these seventy years,

As the Young Master, almost all books and materials were open to him, except for those that were dangerous.

However, the books in Shaman God Mountain were truly vast.

Using “vast” to describe them wasn’t enough. Even with True Knowledge Dao Resonance to help him memorize, Li Qi read ravenously for a full ten years, yet found that he hadn’t even finished a drop of water in the ocean.

Too much, too much.

Shaman God Mountain didn’t collect just any book. Those that could be included in the library were all very, very powerful books, recording spells, principles, analyses of the Dao, medicinal prescriptions, notes, local gazetteers, astronomy, geography—knowledge from countless disciplines piled there, available for anyone to use.

The knowledge in these books would presumably require a person to spend their entire life researching and summarizing to write them. Even an immortal would probably need to dedicate themselves fully for many, many years to write just one.

Yet, books of this caliber were so numerous that Li Qi had become numb.

This indirectly reflected how many people were there in Shaman God Mountain?

Li Qi also saw many organized topics and their solutions, which were very interesting. These things, presumably, were the ‘tickets’ for the Star-Mansion Array.

To use the Star-Mansion Array, one needed to solve a problem for it, as a ticket.

The wisdom of countless people across the heavens was laid out here, available for Li Qi to absorb.

For a bookworm like Li Qi, he naturally wouldn’t let it go, and it was these books that helped him suppress his wild thoughts.

After ten years of reading like this, the restlessness in his heart had completely disappeared. He had already realized how much he truly understood, and how much he actually knew.

It is precious for a person to have self-knowledge. Clearly, Li Qi already had it. Ten years of settling down, he became calm and no longer so restless.

Of course, Shen Shuibi also played a significant role in this. During these ten years of companionship, the little rabbit taught Li Qi how to cope with long periods of time, how to persistently do something without getting annoyed and wanting to give up after just a few years.

Adapting to a long life is something that needs to be learned, not something that can be done casually.

If a person gains immortality directly without adapting and learning, he would probably be tormented by endless life until he gives up thinking.

After all, people need goals to live. A life without goals is like a game without any objective, extremely boring.

After the first decade passed, Li Qi’s heart calmed down.

In the second decade, Shen Shuibi found out she was pregnant.