Chapter 744: Reincarnation

Li Qi resolved the battle on this side.

Everyone scattered like birds and beasts, and the gazes from other places also dissipated.

The two Fourth Ranks didn't die; they just fled.

Having reached the Fourth Rank, it's not that easy to die; after being Sealed by Li Qi for a few seconds, they resolved the issues on their bodies, and in the next instant, both immediately unleashed their hidden escape techniques, disappearing without a trace.

Li Qi did not pursue.

It wouldn't be difficult to pursue and kill them both, but given the abundance of trump cards a Fourth Rank possesses, Li Qi would likely have to chase them for at least several decades to kill them.

There was no need; Li Qi had more important things to do.

For example... to look at Ergou and Xiao Gou over there.

Li Qi looked over; these two little monsters still didn't know how many people Li Qi had helped them block just now; if Li Qi hadn't been blocking, that group of Fourth and Fifth Ranks would have attacked them.

Although, in reality, all those who were blocked were attracted by Li Qi's commotion.

But it didn't matter; the root of all this was Sariputra.

Li Qi could already confirm that, whether or not Ergou was Sariputra's Reincarnation, he definitely had some connection with Sariputra.

Let's observe his future development; if he truly has a connection with Sariputra, it will definitely manifest.

The subtle destiny after Reincarnation... that connection of Karma will guide all of this.

Although Li Qi's understanding of Karma was already very deep, he still couldn't see through Reincarnation itself; perhaps he would need to wait until the Third Rank to possibly comprehend Reincarnation.

After all, the Celestial Eye, which can see through Reincarnation, is actually a Divine Ability that can only be fully utilized at the Third Rank.

So, let's just observe.

Having defeated two Fourth Ranks under the watchful eyes of the public, with all the Fifth Ranks scattering like birds and beasts, Li Qi had already demonstrated his strength, and no one would dare to provoke him anymore.

Having gotten rid of everyone who coveted him, Li Qi could quietly observe the existence of Ergou and Xiao Gou, to see what they would do.

One hundred and thirty years passed in this observation.

For one hundred and thirty years, Li Qi sat in the Void Realm, observing Ergou and Xiao Gou's every move.

Because he had more free time during this period, he specifically flew to Shen Shuibi's side, observing Shen Shuibi while also observing the two little monsters below.

Shen Shuibi was fine; she focused on that Dark Sun Return to Ruin, still meditating on her Cultivation, pondering deeply about her Dao.

She was contemplating the movement itself represented by Celestial Pole, which was a profound and obscure topic that Li Qi couldn't help with, but fortunately, it didn't require her to enter a complete secluded meditation; in about thirty years, she could live normally, staying by Li Qi's side, pondering while observing Ergou and Xiao Gou with Li Qi.

As for these two little monsters, over these hundred-plus years, they had made rapid progress.

Li Qi observed for a while before realizing that they had simply been lacking a 'wind' (opportunity).

Ergou was shameless, but this was actually an advantage; he was very good at interacting with people in unfamiliar places, and although Li Qi belittled him as worthless, in reality, Ergou possessed extraordinary 'patience'.

That's right, patience.

The white mark struck on the Buddha statue earlier was the result of Ergou's tireless efforts over three hundred years, yet he himself felt 'it was nothing'.

Ergou had an almost invincible patience; when he wanted to do something, he seemed to never feel tired; a typical Eighth Rank, after decades of doing something with no results, would probably start doubting life, but Ergou was like a fool, as if he didn't realize what he was doing was futile; he could still continue to do things.

This was the 'stupidity' Li Qi had mentioned before; he lacked great wisdom, he didn't know what he truly wanted, and this patience was meaningless to him, purely leading him to destruction.

Wasting too much time in meaningless places was the stupidest thing to do.

But...

If Xiao Gou was by his side, it would be different.

This Lotus demon was inarticulate and a bit timid, but in Cultivation, she possessed extraordinary wisdom, at least not what a Ninth Rank should have.

As a Ninth Rank, she could even guide Ergou, who was an Eighth Rank, and often hit the nail on the head.

Completely opposite to Ergou, she wasn't clever at all; if she were thrown out, she would probably find it very difficult to survive on her own; various malicious forces from the outside could easily swallow her.

She didn't have Ergou's quick wit and cleverness, nor the ability to survive in this dark, competitive world; relations among demons were not so peaceful.

Furthermore, her flaws were not minor either; she was too timid and lacked perseverance and confidence; even though she knew what was right, if it was too difficult or too painful, she would stop, filled with fear, or even choose a different path.

Not at all resolute, not at all brave.

This was true timidity, not outward softness with inner strength; those with outward softness and inner strength might seem easy to bully, but in reality, they are unshakeable in their own path, but truly timid people would change their correct answers if someone scared them.

These two people: one was quick-witted and persistent but didn't know what he wanted to do, like a headless fly, crashing into walls without turning back because he didn't even know where the path was.

The other clearly knew where the path was but was timid, indecisive, and hesitant about everything, constantly looking before and after.

But as they supported each other, moving forward together in the wind and snow, a chemical reaction occurred.

Ergou protected Xiao Gou, preventing external dangers from disturbing her.

Xiao Gou, in turn, used her keen Cultivation intuition to point out problems in Ergou's Cultivation.

Before, they didn't have this opportunity to do so because they had been cooped up in the dilapidated temple; now, after being forced to leave, this Second Rank world suddenly revealed its wonders.

Rare treasures for an Eighth Rank.

Abandoned Immortal Caves left behind by migrating Great Powers.

Sea markets, mountain markets, Ghost Market, various gathering places for demons, far exceeding the former dilapidated temple, and also an isolated city.

They obtained new cultivation methods, new fortuitous encounters, and new Spiritual Artifacts.

Of course, they also encountered many crises, several times narrowly escaping death, and the siblings were forced to separate, but... when Ergou set his goal as 'finding Xiao Gou', his terrifying perseverance and determination became his greatest assets.

He endured hardships others couldn't.

He did things others couldn't.

As someone who could leave a mark on a Fourth Rank Buddha statue artifact when he was only an Eighth Rank, his resolute will astonished many demons.

Truly... terrifying.

Once, a Seventh Rank demon captured Xiao Gou, and Ergou tried to rescue her; he had to pass through the demon's lair, but the lair was surrounded by a Formation of snakes and insects; to enter, one had to endure the suffering of ten thousand insects devouring the body.

That was torment capable of causing a Seventh Rank to mentally collapse, which was why it served as the mountain-protecting Formation for this Seventh Rank demon.

But Ergou crawled in, for one day and two nights, without making any sound.

Li Qi greatly admired this; he certainly couldn't have done it when he was an Eighth Rank.

This almost cheat-like perseverance and determination was the truth hidden beneath Ergou's grinning, cheap facade.

Finally, Ergou secretly snuck in, found Xiao Gou, and then, taking advantage of the opponent leaving the Immortal Cave, quietly slipped out.

It should have been impossible because the opponent would Seal the entire Immortal Cave when leaving.

But Xiao Gou, relying on her wisdom, comprehended the Immortal Cave's operation and, while the opponent was away, seized control of the entire Formation; not only did they leave brazenly, but they also packed up a bunch of things.

Through this fortuitous encounter, the two obtained a large amount of resources.

After that, Xiao Gou and Ergou experienced many more things; each time, Xiao Gou could point out Ergou's Cultivation errors, and no matter how difficult the path she indicated was, Ergou could steadfastly follow it.

After several decades of such adventures and accumulation, Ergou also advanced to the Seventh Rank.

However, his mindset had not changed, or rather... Ergou himself already possessed the will of a long-lived being; he could easily adapt to this state.

As for Xiao Gou, she also became much more resolute.

After decades of experiences, many of her ideas were validated through Ergou, which also gave her some confidence; although still timid, she had a tiny bit of persistence now, at least she wouldn't abandon the correct answer just because someone scared her.

After all, with her help, Ergou's progress was truly very fast.

They supported each other, struggling forward in this world; with Xiao Gou's guidance, coupled with Ergou's extraordinary execution ability, they were able to survive.

But after more than a hundred years, all of this came to an end.

Xiao Gou died.

That's right, Xiao Gou died...

It wasn't murder, nor was it a conspiracy; her natural lifespan had simply run out; she died of old age, her life ending naturally.

Xiao Gou had a unique understanding of Cultivation, but her own talent was very poor, and she was indecisive; no matter how wise she was, without a resolute mindset, she couldn't go too far on the path of Cultivation.

And without advancing to the Seventh Rank, the lifespan of a mere Lotus demon would naturally not be too long.

Witnessing Xiao Gou's death, Shen Shuibi looked at Li Qi and said, "She died of old age, huh. Although she seemed a little special, that's about it. Is she related to Sariputra?"

At this moment, the couple floated in the Void Realm, observing Xiao Gou and Ergou's situation during their leisure time from Cultivation, but... Xiao Gou had already died.

"I don't know," Li Qi patted his head, also feeling a bit troubled. "I'll go down and check, I'll be right back up."

The main thing was, dying like this was quite awkward... He had confidently told the rabbit before that there must be something strange about these two.

However, since she really died, he should still go and see.

Li Qi and Shen Shuibi exchanged a few more words, then his figure flickered, landing beside Ergou.

Ergou held Xiao Gou's corpse; he was already a Seventh Rank, having attained longevity, but Xiao Gou had not managed to do so.

At this time, this place was Ergou's Immortal Cave, located in a mountain, with a quiet environment all around, and few living creatures; presumably, Ergou had cleared most of them out.

The mountain-protecting Formation was the snake-and-insect Formation, the one he had packed up and taken with him earlier.

Ergou, holding Xiao Gou, was immersed in pain and confusion.

Xiao Gou was dead; what should he do next?

Many things he had done before were actually suggested by Xiao Gou; he merely acted on them; now that Xiao Gou was dead, besides grief, he also felt a trace of confusion.

From now on, how should he live in this world?

How should he face this world?

Confusion even overshadowed his grief; he now completely didn't know what to do, what he should do...

But at this moment, a presence came from behind him.

A completely unfamiliar presence.

"Who is it!?" Ergou turned his head sharply; his years of struggles had made him much more alert.

Then, he saw Li Qi.

Ergou immediately wilted.

He still remembered this person; now, with a much broader perspective, Ergou could fully realize how terrifying the person in front of him was.

After taking the Buddha statue, this person was still paying attention to him?

And Li Qi looked at Ergou and Xiao Gou's corpse on the ground.

If Ergou was the beastly nature of survival, then Xiao Gou was humanity.

A person with only instinctive beastly nature is no different from a wild animal, muddled, living in constant fear, not knowing what to do or what they should do.

But if one only has humanity, they lose the most basic ability and motivation to survive.

A person cannot abandon these two.

So, Li Qi had an idea.

Thus, he squatted down and said to Ergou, "She's dead. You must be very confused now, aren't you?"

"You... Senior, what do you mean?" Ergou asked tremblingly.

"I have a conjecture that can allow you to see Xiao Gou again. What do you think?" Li Qi walked over and asked.

"Senior, what exactly are your plans?" Ergou gritted his teeth, other emotions in his heart overriding his fear of Li Qi.

Indeed, he didn't know Li Qi's purpose, what Li Qi wanted to do, nor did he understand what this Great Power's intentions were towards him.

However, this person in front of him... said he could let him see Xiao Gou again.

This one sentence alone was enough for Ergou to disregard everything else.

"I told you, I suspect you two are related to Sariputra, but I can't say for sure right now. So, I have a conjecture: I will now... send you to Reincarnation, along with Xiao Gou." Li Qi pointed behind Ergou.

Ergou turned his head sharply.

Then, he discovered in horror that Xiao Gou's true spirit had been bound, forcibly held in place, unable to transcend to Reincarnation.

Next to them were two underworld officials, respectfully bowing to Li Qi, seemingly waiting for Li Qi to release the soul.

"I will protect your true spirit, so you won't be blinded, allowing you to see through the confusion in the womb, retain your memories, and live another life, and Xiao Gou will also be by your side," Li Qi said. "However, this requires you to abandon all your current Cultivation and die."

"You don't need to repay me for anything. Of course, if you don't agree, I won't force you."

"How do you choose?"

Li Qi spoke thus.

Ergou's expression was conflicted.

But after a few seconds, he bowed deeply and said, "I... am willing to trust Senior."

And so, he decisively struck his own head with his palm.

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