Chapter 726: The way is within!

Li Qi bid farewell to the Advancement Alliance and departed with Shen Shuibi.

For the academy he founded, its principal had died in the ruins.

For this world, several people of different identities had passed away, but they were not buried in history; their deeds had been passed down.

When the Fifth-Grade warship descended, the entire world of the Advancement Alliance was filled with inexplicable terror.

And those who worshipped the Pre-Civilization Divine Cult were ecstatic; their efforts had been rewarded, their piety had been granted, the Pre-Civilization had returned!

The technology companies were very afraid.

The farmers were bewildered, and the knights had already begun to prepare to die for their country.

All sorts of reactions appeared, and Li Qi did not ignore them; instead, he watched these reactions very seriously from the sky.

This was… the Dao within.

That’s right, what Li Qi had comprehended before was manifested in this very place.

The Dao within was not just his own ‘within,’ but also others’ ‘within.’

Indeed, others’ ‘within’ was also Li Qi’s previous comprehension of ‘my subjectivity is others’ objectivity.’

Others’ objectivity was also others’ Dao, and it was also within others’ hearts.

And all of this was seen by Li Qi.

What he saw was everything happening in a mere Fifth-Grade world, a world he usually couldn’t even be bothered to glance at.

Many such Fifth-Grade worlds were destroyed during the Pioneer War; he had never seriously examined them, but for these seventy years, he had earnestly observed this incredibly fast-paced civilization.

The civilization of the Advancement Alliance was merely Fifth-Grade; this Universe was too dangerous for them, they were truly too insignificant, and they weren’t even aware of this insignificance.

Therefore, they were gently ‘brushed away’ like countless specks of dust; Little Overlord Shou Yu’s casual stop for refueling directly interrupted this world’s civilizational progress, and if not for Li Qi, they would have been completely destroyed.

But, but—!

Even when crushed into ants, they still pursued their Dao!

Even if they didn’t know what it was! Yet they vaguely sensed that power, permeating the entire Universe and filling their own hearts.

They might not know the perils of the Universe, but they probably clearly understood that this power was enough to control the entire Universe.

How weak was the Advancement Alliance? Even during the peak of their civilization, when they could shatter stars, pilot worlds rampaging through the Universe, and warships densely covered the sky—the full glory of a Fifth-Grade civilization—they were still far from encompassing even a speck of the ‘Dao.’

How could they, so minuscule before the Universe, be worthy of pursuing such a thing?

However, in reality, the Advancement Alliance was indeed pursuing such a thing, and furthermore, they continued to seek it even after their civilization was destroyed.

The tiny Advancement Alliance, still an infant in its cradle, was also trying to reach out with a wobbly hand, grasping for the sun in the sky.

Utter foolishness.

But there was no doubt that this was absolutely the most dazzling thing the Advancement Alliance had ever done.

Moreover, such greatness permeated the entire Universe.

Li Qi left the Advancement Alliance, and then, outside the world barrier, he gazed out into the Void Realm.

He saw the boundless Void Realm and the countless worlds within it.

As mentioned before, the world clusters of the Illusion-Reality Domain were incredibly magnificent because the density of worlds here was ridiculously high; the number of worlds was simply too great.

Among these incredibly dense, countless worlds, each one seemed to emit such a dazzling light.

After being tempered, this world's appearance in Li Qi's eyes had changed.

Previously, Li Qi divided the Dao into two distinctions: ‘Dao within’ and ‘Dao without.’

‘Within’ was Li Qi’s own Dao in his heart.

‘Without’ was the objective natural laws of the outside world.

But now, he discovered that others’ Dao, though within them, had merged with ‘objective natural laws.’

Thus, the Universe appeared so dazzling!

The sight of countless worlds, extending their tender hands, attempting to grasp the sky, gave Li Qi a tremendous shock!

During the seventy-plus years in the Advancement Alliance, Li Qi integrated the inner and outer Dao, just as he unified subjectivity and objectivity.

The Universe revealed another, completely different appearance.

The boundary between pure spirit and pure matter blurred at this moment, fusing together and radiating a shocking brilliance.

The beauty of this material world required observation by a subjective will to be fully revealed.

Li Qi had once focused only on the objectivity of the world because of the attention of the Heavenly Demons; he had always wanted to confirm the absolute objectivity of the world, neglecting the world's inherent subjectivity, and thereby neglecting the self-perceptions of others, because if these self-perceptions were viewed from an absolutely objective essence, they were all 'philosophical zombies.'

Yes, others could all be philosophical zombies.

It can exhibit all physical attributes possessed by humans, including physical condition, functional appearance, and behavior, appearing completely indistinguishable from ordinary people.

However, in reality, these people lack “self-awareness” and pure spirit, merely performing a mechanical action.

He doesn't have true pain, but like a human, if an injury is torn, he will have a mechanical “pain” reaction, screaming, stress reflexes, and so on.

When you observe from an absolutely objective material perspective, you will find that all people are like this; all other life forms are merely something physically identical to us, but without conscious experience, and the inner world of all life, except oneself, is a complete darkness.

To be honest, what difference was there between Li Qi's condescending attitude and that of a Heavenly Demon? Perhaps it was because he wasn't as playful as a Heavenly Demon?

It's just that, if he's not playful, isn't that not the ultimate solipsism? When the affairs of everyone else are unimportant, firmly believing that others are zombies, and only oneself possesses subjective experience.

Thus, one would eventually fall into solipsism, plummeting into the Demonic Dao, which was also the reason Li Qi was previously enveloped by Demonic Qi.

To be honest, there's nothing wrong with the Demonic Dao; it's just that Li Qi doesn't like it.

But now, Li Qi found a way to break free from solipsism, and also to transform his perspective of the world, including his own condescending viewpoint.

Consciousness is not an appendage of matter, nor is it a natural reaction of a philosophical zombie; Li Qi’s answer affirmed the existence of others’ free will, and through the act of ‘thinking,’ affirmed consciousness’s active role on matter, thereby building a bridge between pure spirit and pure matter.

Thanks to the former Dao Law Reader, this mysterious invention from the Spirit Dao helped Li Qi successfully use a clever method to verify the inaccessibility between free minds.

Although he still couldn't experience the feelings of others, he could unequivocally believe in the existence of others' 'minds,' because objective, real material existence implies the existence of mind.

To say it was a sudden enlightenment would be an understatement.

It's still that same old saying.

When you think and think, and the final answer emerges, it's ultimately just one phrase: “So that’s how it is.”

“So that’s how it is…” Li Qi gazed at the myriad brilliant stars, as if seeing the spirit of civilization within them.

Countless worlds clustered together, continuously undergoing violent changes under the influence of gravity, with random encounters repeatedly flinging stars one by one out of the world cluster's gravitational well, only to be drawn back in and plunge at incredible speeds into the even deeper, unfathomable deep space, maintaining the delicate gravitational balance of this region.

Life and consciousness are born in hundreds of millions of different centers, then expand outwards to the entire starfield, with vast Empires expanding their territories, endless wars, and brilliant civilizations rising and falling, and new consciousnesses constantly being born among the stars, forging more tenacious life than before in this Void Realm.

The Universe itself, in its vast emptiness, is like an abandoned museum; Li Qi, like everyone else, is an exhibit within it.

He quietly displayed himself, each exhibit radiating the light of its unique thought, but as time stretched endlessly, those faint glows of thought, with the acceleration of time, became weaker and weaker.

On this level, these civilizations, and himself, were exactly the same.

Around Li Qi, countless thoughts identical to his own might be silently rising and falling.

The light of their pursuit of the Dao was not inferior to Li Qi's in the slightest, so Li Qi, like them, would be swallowed by the infinite expanse of time.

He realized a new possibility, which was—

All life will eventually be trapped in time, as if immersed in gradually solidifying ice water.

All consciousness, all thought, will gradually dissipate in the face of infinite time and this cold Universe, eventually leaving only an inexplicable consciousness, vaguely remembering its former identity, while 'itself' is unable to move.

The continuous expansion of the Universe tears your memories apart little by little; what awaits you is complete oblivion, not just being forgotten by others, but being forgotten by yourself.

Li Qi suddenly awoke—

Numerous great existences were slowly sliding along the curve of spacetime expansion, billions of years of memories being tormented, the great river of consciousness flowing away and drying up, like a dimly lit candle in an empty room.

Li Qi looked up at the infinite light of civilization in the starry sky, his heart filled with awe.

If he were like them, then the Universe would not be as he wished it to be.

The Universe does not conform to the theoretical model you are willing to accept.

However, Li Qi did not feel frustrated; on the contrary—

If faced with a predetermined annihilation, then one must find a method of correction, to make the Universe conform to this method, or to create a more preferred Universe.

Fortunately, Li Qi had enough time to study the details of the plan, to strategize how to resist this ultimate annihilation.

With infinite time expansion, we can all find ways to preserve information from ultimate destruction—life will certainly escape the fate of extinction.

Perhaps, all actions are built upon this single conviction.

He suddenly lifted his head, gazed at the starry sky, and couldn't help but let out a long howl!

Perhaps there was a second reason for the Dao Seeker: to challenge the inevitable destiny brought by the infinite time of the Universe!

The endless continuation of time, and the demise of all things, is a tremendous challenge for any Spirit Dao, for any Dao Seeker, and can even be called the ‘ultimate challenge.’

This is the ‘Universe’s’ ultimate examination for cultivators.

You must face it head-on, win this battle, and only then can you explore matters beyond the Universe.

Li Qi felt a strong sense of fulfillment.

And Shen Shuibi, by his side, felt it most profoundly.

The rabbit could clearly feel that much of the loneliness that had once enveloped him had dissipated.

If Li Qi couldn't find companions on his Dao before, then... for him now, the entire Universe was 'companions on the Dao.'

So, how could he feel lonely?

He should feel fortunate.

So, the rabbit just smiled and didn’t say much.

The problems that troubled and vexed Li Qi were no problem at all to her; she had never been bothered by these things, after all… on the Spirit Dao, everyone encounters different problems.

But Shen Shuibi also looked up at the starry sky with Li Qi, where in that boundless Void Realm, sparks flew, massive celestial bodies were born, burned, and died, and with each flicker of a spark, millions of worlds vanished in the Universe's indifference.

It was still very spectacular.

At this moment, Shen Shuibi reached out, tugged at Li Qi’s sleeve, and said with a smile, “Are you relieved?”

“Yes, I’m relieved. Let’s go, let’s go back and see the child,” Li Qi also smiled.

He seemed to understand why Shen Shuibi wasn't anxious at all.

This answer had probably always been in her heart.

Li Qi turned around, facing Shen Shuibi directly, and said, “You’re quite at ease.”

“There’s nothing to be uneasy about; haven’t I been by your side for these seventy years?” she replied.

Li Qi looked up, gazing at the starry sky once more.

It was true.

Ever since he returned to the Advancement Alliance world, for over seventy years, Shen Shuibi had hardly left his side, waiting until he figured out this answer.

“And you moved quite fast; seventy years, that’s much faster than I thought,” the rabbit said.

One must know that what Li Qi did was not merely observe the Mortals' actions, or participate in certain events; these were actually just superficialities.

What he truly did was verify the matter of ‘others’ subjectivity’; he was genuinely experiencing others’ feelings, attempting to feel what others felt.

For many people, this is an innate ability, called ‘empathy’; they are accustomed to this ability.

However, this is merely an instinctive possession. When they begin to think deeply, deeply perceive the subjectivity of this world and the inaccessibility of others' consciousness... can they still empathize?

The deeper one thinks, the easier it is to depart from this ‘habit’; sometimes, the ignorant can achieve remarkable things.

And Li Qi, after departing from this habit, re-possessed it.

Looking at mountains, they are still mountains; looking at water, it is still water.