Chapter 540: The real game and the five nectars

A single palm strike shattered the head of a 6th Grade Lama, and Li Qi's injuries slowly healed.

His Physical Body healed, but his small Heaven and Earth within his body had not yet healed and would require several years of recuperation.

After all, he wasn't a Demonic Prince; he couldn't act as if nothing happened after being so severely injured, so he collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.

His Dao Heart's main meridian was severed, which was a very serious injury.

Even for a Great Power, having their heart removed is a fatal injury. Didn't the Imperial Preceptor from ancient times, the one schemed to death by the White Fox King Bodhisattva, die after losing his heart?

This is because the 'heart' is not merely a physical organ. If it were just a Physical Body, replacing a few more wouldn't matter. If one is skilled in transformation techniques, even taking out seventeen or eighteen hearts wouldn't be difficult.

The real problem lies in the 'heart' itself, which is a crucial component of the small Heaven and Earth within the human body.

The heart: a person's heart is the master of their vital Qi, just as a person emulates Heaven. Heaven holds the principal threads to govern the twenty-eight mansions, which is the North Star. The North Star dwells in its place, and all other stars bow to it. The heart is the North Star of a person. If one preserves their heart, they nurture their nature.

Sages have said: The heart in the body is the position of the ruler. A Sage governs things without being controlled by them. When the heart is at peace, the world is at peace; when the heart is governed, the world is governed. Governance is the heart, and peace is the heart.

Even the human Dao emphasizes this, as it can be written:

Learning comes from the heart; the heart is the master of the body. The ears and eyes attend to the heart. If the heart is not in learning, then one hears no recitation and sees no texts. If one wishes to cultivate an endeavor, one must first rectify the heart, and then principles and righteousness will enter.

Therefore, if the heart is focused on the eyes, it will forget the ears, and one will not hear; if the heart is focused on the ears, it will neglect the eyes, and one will not see.

Why is the core of the small Heaven and Earth within the human body, the most important thing, called the 'core'? Its essence is that the 'heart' occupies an absolutely central and crucial position within the small Heaven and Earth of the human body.

The heart is responsible for giving动力 to other parts.

If the brain is the thinking organ, the heart is the engine, hence the saying, 'A person's heart is the master of their vital Qi.'

For example, as just mentioned: 'Therefore, if the heart is focused on the eyes, it will forget the ears; if the heart is focused on the ears, it will neglect the eyes.'

If the heart is focused on the eyes, it's easy to forget the ears, causing you to not hear other things.

If the heart is focused on the ears to listen to sounds, when you are listening intently, you will unconsciously close your eyes.

Therefore, the heart, within the small Heaven and Earth of the human body, is responsible for a person's attention, concentration, or rather, the 'energy' required for the operation of other parts of the small Heaven and Earth.

This is why there is the concept of 'Dao Heart'. Its essence is to ask: how much heart do you truly put into your Dao? How strong your Dao Heart is, is a question of how much you are invested in the path of pursuing the Dao.

Therefore, Li Qi, whose Dao Heart's main meridian had just been pierced, now felt muddled and half-asleep, unable to take interest in anything. He would forget what he saw after a glance, and the sounds around him seemed to fade away.

Fortunately, the main meridian of the Dao Heart was not the 'heart' itself within the small Heaven and Earth of the human body; it was merely a transport route. He used his cultivation to forcibly link it, stabilize his mind, and then began to repair it.

However, the matter was not yet over.

Just as Li Qi sat down to recuperate, he saw the 5th Grade Lama in the sky return.

Li Qi suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the returning 6th Grade Lama.

This is bad.

"To be able to kill my disciple while severely injured, you are truly formidable, as expected of the Young Master of Shaman God Mountain. That previous move, commanding the Di Qi (Earthly Qi) of the Buddhist Heavens with the power of the Heavens, was indeed splendid." The 6th Grade Lama slowly landed.

Li Qi immediately began to calculate rapidly in his mind.

However, his Dao Heart's main meridian had just been damaged, making it difficult to concentrate, so he couldn't think of a good solution for a while and could only stare at the opponent.

But the 6th Grade Lama's attention was not on Li Qi; instead, he gently beckoned, drawing his disciple's headless corpse over and holding it in his hand.

Then, the human skin Thangka behind him suddenly opened its mouth, swallowed the corpse, and began to chew.

Bones, flesh, fat, internal organs, and blood were blended into a blurry crimson mass in that large mouth, which resembled a blender. The cultivation of a 6th Grade Lama continuously gushed out and was then sucked back into the Thangka.

This 6th Grade Lama didn't care at all that this was his own disciple.

After chewing for a while, the entire corpse had turned into pus and blood, making the Thangka appear even more vibrant.

"Hmm... the taste of a disciple, though not as good as a Junior Brother, is still a considerable supplement. I just wonder how the Young Master of Shaman God Mountain tastes." The 6th Grade Lama walked over to Li Qi's side.

Li Qi hadn't lost his ability to move, but moving now would be useless, and he couldn't possibly outrun a 5th Grade.

However, he wasn't afraid at all; he merely said, "Senior is truly... not picky about what he eats. However, I'm afraid you won't be able to eat me today."

"Oh? Why? Do you intend to bring out your Senior from your sect? But this is the Western Heaven. No matter how strong your Senior from your sect is, how can he rush to the Western Heaven and do anything to me? If you say you have backing, then when your Senior comes, my backing won't just sit idly by, will it?"

"Tsongkhapa is indeed formidable, and he also has Manjushri Bodhisattva and Mahakala behind him, so if it really escalates, there's no way to seek revenge. However, Senior, if you look at my cultivation method, there is indeed a shadow of Dakini Heaven within it," Li Qi said with a smile.

"It's perfectly natural for there to be a shadow of Dakini Heaven. You're not cultivating the orthodox Dakini Heaven method, so what's strange about having a shadow?" The 6th Grade Lama's Thangka was still chewing, but it looked... almost done.

Once it finished chewing, it would likely be Li Qi's turn.

But Li Qi still showed no sign of panic. Instead, he said, "But I clearly just came out of Dakini Heaven, and Senior also saw my previous methods. If I observe the Buddhist Heavens without the Bodhisattva's approval, I'm afraid the Dharma Dharma Protectors wouldn't be vegetarians, would they?"

"Hmm, this only proves that you indeed have a connection with Dakini Heaven, but what does that have to do with me?" The 6th Grade Lama asked, "You're not going to tell me that a dignified 3rd Grade Dakini Heaven would personally step forward for a 6th Grade like you, are you?"

This was truly a joke. Unless you were Dakini Heaven's lover, you would simply die. Would a mere 3rd Grade deity personally intervene for a 6th Grade Shaman who had nothing to do with her?

Even with one's toes, it's impossible. Dakini Heaven wouldn't find a 6th Grade for a lover either.

Li Qi, of course, knew it was impossible, but he still said, "Actually, allowing me to observe the Heavens was a reward. Dakini Heaven has another entrustment for me; I bear her mission. If I die, my Seniors might be stopped by the Buddhist sect, but Dakini Heaven will certainly be enraged."

"Dakini Heaven can't kill me either," the 6th Grade Lama replied.

"But she will certainly be disgusted. Am I, a mere 6th Grade, worth Senior enduring the disgust of a 3rd Grade?" Li Qi retorted.

"Why wouldn't it be worth it? Do you think you're very bad?" The 6th Grade Lama asked in surprise, "Look at you: solid cultivation, profound foundation, various Dao Orthodoxy within your body operating in an orderly manner without interfering with each other, and your small Heaven and Earth already showing signs of forming a climate. If you step into the 5th Grade and completely solidify the illusory, you will surely soar. If I eat you, I will definitely make significant progress."

"Speaking of which, I'm a bit curious. It's not uncommon for Senior to eat people, but why does eating people increase cultivation? My Dao is mine after all. Even if you devour my small Heaven and Earth, at most, you'll just have a pile of useless miscellaneous Qi within your body. It should be purely harmful and not beneficial. Since death is imminent, I ask Senior to enlighten me, so I can be a clear-headed ghost." Li Qi, however, directly clasped his hands together, performed a Buddhistrite, and asked curiously.

These words sounded like they came from a madman; he was about to die, yet he still asked such a question.

But what was even more mysterious was that the 5th Grade Lama sat down and earnestly explained to Li Qi how he accomplished such a feat.

He sat down in front of Li Qi and said, "Benefactor, please see, the Five Nectars in my hand are clearly defiled things, so why are they called Nectars?"

Li Qi looked at the Five Nectars in the skull. After refinement, they no longer looked defiled, but were merely some translucent, red and white liquid, indeed having some resemblance to 'nectar'.

"It's normal for it to be called nectar when it looks like this, right?" Li Qi guessed.

"How could it be so absurdly childish? In reality, the Five Nectars must undergo complex refinement. After preparing the five meats and Five Nectars, they must be mixed with Amrita wine, herbs, etc., and placed into a 'skull vessel' made from a human skull. Then, one visualizes a wind wheel and a fire wheel arising beneath the skull vessel."

"Using a skull is because, like brain marrow, it can bear human wisdom and support human thought. Through visualization, after the contents within the skull boil, a secret method is used to turn the boiling substance into a mercury color. When the five meats, Five Nectars, and other defiled substances go through the three processes of purification, augmentation, and transformation, the nectar is complete. At this point, it is no longer defiled."

"Why are things that were clearly defiled no longer defiled after refinement? The reason is also very simple: because defilement and purity are but a single thought. Consuming defiled nectar pills can eliminate discriminatory thoughts."

"Refining and consuming these defiled things is actually just to break the practitioner's attachment and discrimination towards purity and impurity."

"Breaking the practitioner's discrimination between purity and impurity means realizing that all phenomena in the Heavens are nothing but suffering, emptiness, and no-self, and even realizing that all phenomena in the Three Realms are transformations, manifestations, and appearances of one's own mind, and are not truly existent phenomena. Thus, one can eliminate self-view and self-grasping, thereby achieving the effect of breaking attachment to purity and impurity."

"Extreme purity and defilement can also transform under visualization, so what else cannot transform? Do you agree with this principle, Benefactor? In this way, emptiness and form become one, emptiness is form, and form is emptiness, just like your cultivation."

"Your cultivation and corpse are both like this nectar pill. What is the difference between so-called miscellaneous Qi and pure cultivation? It's just that in your eyes, it's pure cultivation, and in my eyes, it's miscellaneous Qi, isn't it? The cultivation itself hasn't changed; it's still the Qi that revolves around the Dao, moving unchanged from your body into my body. Since it hasn't changed, why is there a distinction between miscellaneous Qi and pure cultivation? Isn't this a form of attachment to appearances?"

"So, I just need to visualize from your perspective, and wouldn't it become pure cultivation? Just like how these Five Nectars transform from pure to defiled, and then from defiled back to pure—emptiness and form are one."

This 5th Grade Lama explained in considerable detail, directly revealing his cultivation lineage and foundation.

Although these were not true origins, knowing them greatly reduced the difficulty of inferring things.

However, Li Qi's eyes suddenly widened after hearing all this.

Wait.

Different perspectives?

He suddenly realized something.

The perspective of an ant and the perspective of a human are actually different.

In other words, others' perspectives and one's own perspective are actually also different.

Li Qi had, of course, realized this difference early on; the Dao conflict within him actually stemmed from this. Therefore, he had always been searching for an absolute God's-eye view.

For example, his current method of resolving the Dao conflict was to assume a 'Ultimate Great Dao', an absolute, all-encompassing God's-eye view, to look down upon all Dao Orthodoxy. In this way, with the Ultimate Great Dao, it meant that all Dao Orthodoxy were essentially different paths leading to the same destination, thereby naturally dissolving the Dao conflict.

This 'Ultimate Great Dao' was actually a concept proposed by Dao Orthodoxy. Dao Orthodoxy transformed all things in the world into the two poles of Yin and Yang, indicating that everything in the entire world is contradictory, and contradictions widely exist among all things, but at the same time, they are harmonious, with an Ultimate Great Dao that reconciles all contradictions.

Li Qi used this point to reconcile all the conflicts between the Dao paths within him.

But now, this 5th Grade Lama gave him another idea.

Perhaps...

There is no Ultimate Great Dao, no supreme Dao Orthodoxy.

There is no absolute 'God's-eye view', or rather, the true God's-eye view is essentially the ability to switch between all perspectives.

Yes, a stable, absolute supreme perspective is impractical, but if you can freely and arbitrarily switch your perspective, then you are equivalent to having a God's-eye view.

And there is a fundamental difference between the two.

Li Qi suddenly sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.

He understood.

He had found a way to resolve the Dao conflict within him.

Within Li Qi's body, numerous Dao Orthodoxy suddenly differentiated.

Li Qi, in front of the 5th Grade Lama, began his cultivation, boldly treating the other party as a Dharma Protector.

And that 6th Grade Lama did not immediately eat Li Qi; instead, he just waited for him.

Until—two months later.

Two months later, Li Qi opened his eyes.

The Dao conflict within him was completely resolved; at least in the foreseeable future, it would not erupt again.

The true God's-eye view, the true method to experience all Dao Orthodoxy, had been found by Li Qi!

He opened his eyes, extended his hand, and clenched it.

It seems... having resolved the Dao conflict, he has already touched the edge of the 5th Grade.

Then he turned his head to look at the 6th Grade Lama.

The 6th Grade Lama smiled at Li Qi and said, "Benefactor owes me a life, and also a great favor."

"I will bear it in mind." Li Qi clasped his hands together and bowed.

The 6th Grade Lama laughed heartily and departed on a cloud.