Chapter 563: Meeting Luofu Goddess

The Outer Domain isn't just full of weak, low-grade worlds; in fact, the true Sovereigns of the Outer Domain aren't even the Nine Lands Under Heaven, but rather those powerful high-grade worlds.

First Grade worlds, Second Grade worlds, or some Third Grade worlds, or certain Outer Domain anomalies—like the Living Ruin or a demon star—are the true Sovereigns of the Outer Domain. Even the Nine Lands Under Heaven choose to cooperate with them.

They are the ‘fellow travelers’ of the Nine Lands Under Heaven, not resources. They possess unique Dao, a atmosphere distinct from the Nine Lands Under Heaven, and sufficient strength to maintain their independence.

A small number of First Grade worlds are even stronger than second-rate Dao Orthodoxy like Martial Dao, Dao of Reason, and Ghost Dao, second only to the Nine Lands Under Heaven.

These existences are the true grandeur and magnificent sights of the Outer Domain.

The Outer Domain worlds Li Qi has encountered so far are actually just the ubiquitous weeds of the Outer Domain. This time, he is preparing to meet the true big shots of the Outer Domain, those strange Sovereigns.

As for his destination, it’s his future battlefield: that starry sky.

The reason for going was also very sound. Li Qi even applied for public funds, wanting to receive an envoy’s credential, because he is a Invoker.

Generally speaking, in the war between Shaman Dao and Human Dao, these worlds must choose a side. Neutrality and fence-sitting are absolutely suicidal. Shaman Dao will not attack neutral worlds, but Human Dao will not tolerate worlds that stand by.

Therefore, they must join one side, either Human Dao or Shaman Dao.

This trip is to go to his battlefield, in the capacity of a Shaman Dao envoy, to engage and converse with those worlds, thereby gaining their trust.

Grand Shaman Yun Fang had done similar things, and Li Qi was learning from him.

Such a proposal was clearly not going to be rejected, so Li Qi quickly received permission and obtained the credential representing an envoy’s status.

Of course, this ‘quickly’ was actually three years later.

Three years passed, and Li Qi received the credential from the traveler’s hand.

This was a divine gold credential engraved with the unique aura of Shaman God Mountain, resembling an arched token, inscribed with: “The Tang Nation’s deceit and wickedness grow daily, their tyranny and aggression unchecked. Therefore, the time calls for governance, dispatching an envoy to defend against them, wishing for the wicked to know fear and the good to find peace. Envoy Li Qi, uphold your duty, protect their lands, guard their sacrifices, and preserve these people.”

What was written on it was Li Qi’s envoy certification and his responsibilities.

The “Chapter on Credentials” states: “One who holds the national credential distinguishes its use. Those guarding a state use jade credentials, those guarding a capital use horn credentials. For all national envoys, mountain states use tiger credentials, earth states use human credentials, and marsh states use dragon credentials; all are made of gold, supplemented by brilliant silk. Gate passes use tally credentials, goods use Seal credentials, and roads use banner credentials; all have a deadline for their return. All who traverse the Nine Lands Under Heaven must have credentials, supplemented by an escort; without credentials, one cannot pass if there is any doubt.”

The so-called ‘tally’ is actually the medium that records Li Qi’s identity, used to prove his status as an envoy of Shaman God Mountain. At the same time, this item is also a special Spiritual Artifact that can be used to travel through the Outer Domain. Once activated, it can traverse the Outer Domain at ten thousand times the limit of the Heavenly Dao, with incredible speed.

This kind of item is theoretically Third Grade, but actually Fourth Grade.

Because all credentials are in duplicate, the main credential is Third Grade. On the day an envoy departs, a Fourth Grade credential will split from the main one, and it needs to be personally inscribed with information by a Great Master to be effective. It’s a one-time use, described as “When an envoy receives the mandate, he carries it for his journey; upon return, he brings it back to report.”

The one in Li Qi’s hand, he must take it and bring it back. After returning, this one will be destroyed and returned to the main body, signifying that the mission is complete. After returning, it will be reforged into the next credential for other envoys to use, preventing counterfeiting.

In the past, Great Shaman Mi Xin, when taking Li Qi and those children to the Tang Nation, also carried such a credential. With this, he had identity and confidence. Even in a war zone, or even if captured by Human Dao, they couldn’t do anything to him and could only let him go, because the credential had immunity.

Of course, Human Dao could also choose not to recognize this immunity, but then Shaman God Mountain would not recognize Human Dao’s ‘banner credentials’ either.

This can be considered an agreement between the Nine Lands Under Heaven.

Oh, no, the Eight Lands.

The Demonic Dao is an exception; the Demonic Dao has no concept of envoys. Everyone governs themselves, playing as they please, not establishing any envoys themselves, nor recognizing any envoys.

Forget envoys, the Demonic Dao doesn’t even form large organizations. Every Demonic Dao practitioner feels they are unique. Even if there are small organizations, they are basically small circles formed around cultivation method collections.

For example, the Heavenly Demon lineage’s Heavenly Maiden Desire Demons will gather in groups to set up operating points everywhere, comforting weary travelers or saving practitioners troubled by Heart Demon.

Similarly, the Demon of Death lineage will have a group of people gather to slaughter Outer Domain worlds on a large scale, as the more deaths there are, the more stable their Dao Foundation becomes, and the higher their cultivation.

But these are all individual actions and unrelated to the Demonic Dao as a whole; countless individual cases cannot represent all Demonic Dao practitioners.

The above statement is not a joke; it’s serious.

The Demonic Dao is purely self-centered. Except for the Demon of Death, the other Demonic Dao practitioners are indeed a mix of good and bad, just like the Demonic Prince. They are extremely self-centered, and their good or evil completely depends on their own cultivation.

The meaning of the character ‘Mo’ (魔) is not evil.

It actually means ‘magical’ or ‘obsessed’ or ‘madness’. Only when used as a proper noun does it specifically refer to the Four Demons.

The Demonic Dao is not evil, although most Demonic Dao practitioners are not good people… After all, they don’t cultivate their hearts, because they themselves are ‘hearts.’ Extreme self-centeredness represents an absolutely stable Dao Heart.

If they don't cultivate their hearts, it's normal for them to do bad things. That's why the Demonic Dao is infamous and universally condemned in both Dao conflicts and behavior.

The Dao conflict goes without saying. The Four Demons, regardless of their lineage, all build their Dao Foundation on others. The Heavenly Demon destroys essence, the Demon of the Five Aggregates destroys consciousness, the Demon of Affliction destroys the Dao Heart, and the Demon of Death, even worse, takes your life.

There are very few Dao Orthodoxy like the Demonic Dao… that have Dao conflicts with all practitioners.

To be honest, if the Demonic Dao wasn’t strong enough, it would have been annihilated long ago. But even so, the Heavenly Demon is still Sealed by the Heavens of the Formless Realm, and the Demon of Death is nowhere to be found, so they don’t cause much trouble now. Otherwise, they might really be beaten to death.

In short, there is such a delicate balance between the Nine Lands Under Heaven, so Li Qi, holding the credential, will generally be fine in the Outer Domain, unless he encounters something particularly unlucky.

Of course, if you kill him and no one else finds out, it’s as good as not killing him, after all… it’s not just Shaman that can obscure Karma, and sometimes there are accidents, aren’t there?

But no matter what, it’s always a guarantee. With this, he had the courage to wander in the Outer Domain.

Not long after receiving the credential, two years later, Empress Luofu was awakened.

She had been unconscious due to severe injuries, and after Shaman God Mountain used vast resources to heal her injuries, she naturally awoke.

When Empress Luofu awoke, Li Qi didn't dare to go directly.

Because her awakening was a big event, and many people came to visit.

Two Utmost Person from the Human Dao were present, both cultivators of Third Grade and also Officials of Third Grade official rank.

From the True Dragon side, the West Sea Dragon King appeared to offer congratulations, though his attitude was subtle.

The Southern Ghost Emperor Du Ziren appeared, presented a congratulatory gift to Empress Luofu, and then departed in a hurry.

Zhu Fengdan also attended, claiming it was to ‘meet the in-laws.’

It is said that this statement stunned Empress Luofu, and it took her a long time to accept that her beloved daughter had been ‘taken,’ and that the other party’s Master was Zhu Fengdan.

Zhu Fengdan’s reputation is known throughout the Nine Lands Under Heaven, so it indeed required some time to adapt; she cannot be blamed.

Li Qi naturally couldn’t get involved in such a meeting of big shots. Although in the eyes of many, he was already an extremely high-level existence, he knew his own situation. At most, he was a middle manager, like a store manager or department head.

As for Third Grade, they are board members, able to vote on the future direction of the Dao Orthodoxy.

He waited until the many Third Grade visitors had departed one by one, then Li Qi tidied his clothes, changed into a clean and presentable outfit, and walked hesitantly to the entrance of Mount Luofu’s Immortal Cave, knocking on the Heavenly Gate.

The Heavenly Gate opened, allowing him to enter. The cloud sparrows around had changed, but they still recognized Li Qi and welcomed their young Master.

Li Qi exchanged pleasantries with the cloud sparrows for a while, then continued deeper.

Soon, he saw Yang Ning and Granny Mei.

The two of them seemed to be in charge of greeting and seeing off guests. Upon seeing Li Qi arrive, Yang Ning said a few words to Granny Mei, then walked towards Li Qi and said: “Niangniang knows you’re coming. She said if you arrive, just go directly. She’s at the Immortal Cave on the mountaintop.”

“Understood.” Li Qi made a gesture indicating he understood.

“Don’t be rude, and… never mind, you know what to do.” Yang Ning wanted to say more, but thinking that Li Qi might not be aggressive enough in his actions, but was definitely reliable and wouldn’t make major mistakes, she stopped speaking and gestured for Li Qi to go straight up.

After greeting Granny Mei, Li Qi walked directly up the mountain.

Along the way, Li Qi could see that the vitality of Mount Luofu had become much more vigorous.

Empress Luofu’s awakening also signified the return of the backbone, and it was evident that many practitioners of Mount Luofu had regained their morale and were no longer fearful.

With Empress Luofu, Mount Luofu truly took root; it was no longer a swaying blade of grass, but a great tree.

Good, good. When Rabbit finishes her seclusion, she should also hurry back, right?

Before that, I’ll take care of things.

Looking at the thriving Mount Luofu, Li Qi ascended the Heavenly Staircase and entered the Immortal Cave.

As soon as he entered, he felt a strong… pressure.

It wasn’t intentional; it was likely the natural oppressive aura left behind by many Third Grade beings gathering there.

From this pressure, one could tell that the conversation scene at the time… was probably not very friendly.

After all, Human Dao and the True Dragon had sent representatives, and even Zhu Fengdan was there, so it couldn’t have been friendly. The fact that they didn’t fight was probably because this was the heartland of Shaman God Mountain, and fighting there would yield no good results.

Li Qi remained unfazed amidst these pressures, as he was already accustomed to facing high-level existences. However, if it were someone unaccustomed, they would probably have trouble walking at this moment.

It’s like walking on a glass skywalk in a scenic area. Although you know in your heart that these pressures are harmless, some people are just afraid and their legs turn to jelly when they step on it. Because the glass skywalk conveys the message of ‘danger,’ just perceiving that message is enough to make one’s legs weak.

But Li Qi was the kind of person who worked at high altitudes every day, let alone a glass skywalk. He climbed high-voltage power towers daily, the kind that were live, so he was unfazed at this moment.

The furnishings around the Immortal Cave were nothing special, just ordinary items, no elaborate decoration. It’s estimated that Empress Luofu doesn’t particularly enjoy decorating.

Li Qi walked for a while, but then felt a gentle breeze caress his face. The lingering pressures around him were scattered by this breeze, and the oppressive atmosphere was swept away.

Seeing this, Li Qi immediately stopped, cupped his hands, and said, “Li Qi greets Niangniang.”

“No need for such formality, good child, come closer.” A soft voice came from above.

It was very kind and gentle, but subtly ethereal, as if… the other person was very, very far away, and their voice echoed for a long time before finally reaching him.

Li Qi stepped forward, and suddenly felt as if many Dao Dao Resonance appeared around him.

These Dao Dao Resonance were very faint, almost imperceptible, brushing past Li Qi’s body.

Li Qi instinctively dodged, as unfamiliar Dao Dao Resonance are very dangerous. It would be bad if these Dao Dao Resonance interfered with the operation of the Dao within his personal small heaven and earth.

“Oh, you can see these Dao Dao Resonance?” At this moment, a voice came from Li Qi’s ear.

He immediately lowered his head and said: “This junior was once contaminated by Five Aggregates Demonic Blood, but later escaped, and thus gained the ability to directly observe the spirit. It should be related to the Spirit Dao.”

“Is that so? But your tone… Have you met me before?” the voice asked again.

Li Qi’s mind instantly recalled the memory of being pulled into the Desire Realm.

Then, in the next instant, the scene around him changed rapidly. In the blink of an eye, he was sitting opposite Empress Luofu.

Empress Luofu sat opposite him, exactly as the Heavenly Demon had shaped her.

Li Qi took a deep breath: “Not exactly, I’ve seen her.”

But then he heard Empress Luofu say: “I remember now. Hmm… it really was the first time we met back then. You could already understand matters of space-time back then, very impressive. And it’s only been this short amount of time, yet you’re already Sixth Grade. While I was gone, Mount Luofu relied on your help a lot.”

Hearing this, Li Qi looked up in astonishment: “Niangniang remembers?”

She remembers? How could that be! That Empress Luofu was clearly simulated by the Heavenly Demon. Although identical, she was fake at the end of the day. How could Empress Luofu remember? This isn’t scientific!

That was the Empress Luofu simulated by the Desire Realm, two identical but fundamentally different people. The real Empress Luofu was still in slumber, and the fake one was a clay figure kneaded by the Heavenly Demon.

Could the Daoist Master have the memories of a clay figure?

But at this moment—

“Of course I remember. If the Heavenly Demon says it’s real, then it’s real. Although that wasn’t me, it… was actually me,” Empress Luofu said.

Upon hearing this, Li Qi’s hair stood on end, and his heart skipped a beat.

He understood!