Chapter 745: The world is impermanent

Li Qi hadn't expected Er Gou to be so decisive.

Originally, Li Qi's plan was to have Er Gou sit down while he himself avoided any mention of the word 'death.' He would have allowed the other's Spirit Soul to leave the body quietly and enter Reincarnation. This way, there would be no process of 'dying,' making the prospect of Reincarnation much easier to accept.

After all, compared to dying and then being reborn, it's far more palatable to simply wake up from a dream and find oneself already born.

But perhaps after Xiao Gou's death, Er Gou truly lost his will to live. He didn't care whether Li Qi was deceiving him or not and simply ended his own life cleanly.

With a single palm strike, his body shattered, and his True Spirit drifted out.

"I'll have to trouble the two of you," Li Qi said, cupping his hands toward the two Underworld Messengers while offering some sacrificial gifts.

The Underworld Messengers repeatedly claimed they didn't deserve such courtesy, but their hands were quick to accept the gifts. They immediately returned the salute, took the two True Spirits, and entered the Ghost Gate.

Li Qi left a trace of perception within the two True Spirits before returning to the rabbit's side.

To him, this was a trivial matter, something done with minimal effort.

Seeing Li Qi return, Shen Shuibi, who had been watching, suddenly said, "Those two... their bond was quite deep. Don't let them suffer."

"How could I? I'm not some sort of sadist," Li Qi laughed, then asked curiously, "Besides, you didn't used to say things like that. Why the sudden change?"

"How should I put it... don't you think the two of them are a bit like us?" the rabbit said.

Li Qi was taken aback.

After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Not really? Er Gou and I aren't alike at all, and you're nothing like Xiao Gou. Besides, they called each other brother and sister; there was no romantic involvement."

"If you analyze it, that's true, but it's just a feeling," Shen Shuibi replied casually without much explanation.

This matter wasn't particularly important to her; she had just mentioned it in passing.

"A feeling?" Li Qi nodded slightly, keeping it in mind.

The feelings of a Cultivator often heralded something. Shamanes especially believed in this. For instance, Li Qi used his sixth sense as a standard for action every day; if he had an ominous premonition, he would generally choose to stop.

Of course, those of the Human Path or the Dao of Reason felt that feelings were unreliable. This was simply a difference in Daoist paths.

Shen Shuibi didn't continue the topic. Since Xiao Gou and Er Gou were both dead, she went back to her own business. Watching them had just been a way to pass the time with Li Qi.

Regardless, the rabbit had her own ideas. She knew what she needed to do, and Li Qi didn't need to worry about her. The Guixu before her was her Opportunity; she was currently observing it, summarizing the laws she needed.

Even without Li Qi, she could continue on her path alone, though that path would become... somewhat meaningless.

Li Qi also resumed his own observations.

In this Reincarnation, Er Gou and Xiao Gou were born into the same household as actual siblings.

Naturally, it was still within the Myriad Demon Reservoir World.

The Myriad Demon Reservoir World was immense. Its essence was a chain of worlds linked together in an unknown number. One world after another, like pearls on a necklace, were held tightly together by the gravity of that dark sun, the Guixu, forming several rings that orbited around it.

Aside from the common 'Negative Entropy Structure,' the differences between each world were vast.

For example, in the world where Li Qi first landed, a bioluminescent ocean occupied ninety percent of the area. That was because that world was the territory of Chang Qiao. As a True Dragon, Chang Qiao preferred marine environments, so she built her palace there and lived there normally. The surrounding natural environment began to change to suit her preferences.

This change was like a person living in a room; the decorations in the house would soon become exactly what that person liked.

It was nothing more than her changing things whenever she had some free time.

By the same token, the other worlds on the chain of the Myriad Demon Reservoir World would naturally be the same. Some worlds even had identical terrain and natural environments, depending entirely on what the local powerhouses preferred.

Li Qi cast Er Gou and Xiao Gou from Reincarnation back into the Myriad Demon Reservoir World as true siblings, and... their birth this time was quite prestigious.

They were born in the nest of a Grade Six Demon King, as a double-yolked egg—two lives from one shell.

This Grade Six Demon King was a Garuda, commonly known as a 'Golden-Winged Bird'.

The offspring of a Golden-Winged Bird and a Kunpeng is the renowned Golden-Winged Great Peng, which feeds on snakes, dragons, and krakens, and is considered one of the top exotic beasts in all the heavens.

However, while a pure Golden-Winged Bird didn't possess that level of power, it was still not weak.

Garudas are divided into four types: transformation-born, moisture-born, womb-born, and egg-born.

The transformation-born Garuda is the most powerful, followed by the moisture-born, then the womb-born, and finally the egg-born.

Clearly, this Grade Six Garuda was of the lowest egg-born type. But regardless, being a pure-blooded Golden-Winged Bird was already very powerful. In this brand-new world, two tiny Golden-Winged Birds hatched from the egg.

As soon as Er Gou opened his eyes, he felt the strength of his body.

A Golden-Winged Bird is Grade Nine at birth. Without needing to Cultivate, it can cover three li in a single breath; its speed is astonishing.

His memories and sense of self were very clear, without any issues. That Great Power had told the truth; he really had protected his True Spirit, allowing him to avoid the Confusion of the Womb.

At the same time, Li Qi was also surprised.

The difficulty of keeping the other's True Spirit clear was surprisingly low. Li Qi had originally thought that when the boy was born, he would be troubled by the Confusion of the Womb, which would then slowly dissipate, gradually Awakening his Innate Wisdom until he reached adulthood and began to fully realize his identity.

That was the normal Awakening process.

But Er Gou was clearly not normal. His True Spirit was unexpectedly clear, and the Confusion of the Womb was almost non-existent.

Li Qi even felt like he hadn't put in much effort. Even if he had just let him go into Reincarnation normally, Er Gou likely would have easily seen through the Confusion of the Womb.

This was a unique advantage of Buddhist Cultivators. For them, Reincarnation was as routine as eating a meal. Some didn't even have to give up their cultivation; as soon as they Awakened their Innate Wisdom, their cultivation would return with them.

Of course, for followers of other Dao Orthodoxys, this was actually quite terrifying. After all... Reincarnation breaks down your entire existence and mixes it with other things. You only preserve your memories.

After Reincarnation, are you still yourself?

There were many such cases where, after Reincarnation, one became a brand-new life with memories, refusing to acknowledge their past life and shouting that they 'wanted to live for themselves'.

Many Great Powers' Reincarnations had done this. Although they inherited the legacy of their past lives after being reborn, they resolutely refused to admit they were that person and believed they had their own will.

Therefore, unless it was absolutely necessary, some Cultivators would rather have their Spirit Souls obliterated than undergo Reincarnation.

The Buddhist sect treated Reincarnation as a trivial matter, which was actually quite formidable. Moreover, they didn't believe that Reincarnation caused a confusion of the self; they basically viewed their past lives as part of themselves, because they had a unique understanding of 'the self as self'.

Undoubtedly, being able to see through the Confusion of the Womb so quickly allowed Li Qi to conclude that Er Gou definitely had a connection to the Buddhist sect.

Thus, Li Qi continued to watch the other's experiences from a distance.

Er Gou shook his head and, under the instincts of his body, looked up and let out a cry.

He couldn't control this instinct at all, which was one of the problems after Reincarnation. The body and the Spirit Soul are two sides of the same coin; consciousness can control the Physical Body, but the Physical Body can likewise influence consciousness.

Such instincts were uncontrollable, at least for now.

With that cry, the weak mother nearby—the female Golden-Winged Bird who had been incubating the egg for decades—immediately spat out a grayish-blue object into the crying Er Gou's mouth.

Er Gou took a closer look and was instantly horrified!

It was actually a large, mottled gray snake! Its body was filled with foul and poisonous Qi. Even in his past life, if he had been touched by such poison, he probably wouldn't have fared well.

But the speed was simply too fast; the foul-smelling poisonous snake went straight into his beak.

Er Gou's eyes widened suddenly!

This... was delicious!

The poison seemed to turn into a savory flavor, while simultaneously transforming into a surging torrent of energy, injecting robust strength into his newborn body.

His originally groggy mind and weak body were suddenly filled with power. He spread his wings and took flight on the spot, his body suffused with golden light as blades of wind swirled around his feathers.

He looked down; the one born with him was Xiao Gou.

He was certain that it was definitely Xiao Gou.

Er Gou looked around and found... the surrounding environment didn't seem very friendly.

Giant umbrella-shaped fungi as tall as trees towered above, these massive mushrooms blocking out the hazy gray sky. Other fungi were attached to the thick umbrella caps.

However, rather than saying they blocked the gray sky, it was more accurate to say they were the reason for the gray sky; these giant caps were constantly spewing spores.

The atmosphere was murky and humid. Fissures from the ground endlessly erupted with polluted air currents. In the hot, damp air, various poisonous gases, spores, and various rotting scents were mixed together.

Even near the Golden-Winged Bird's nest, yellow mold was everywhere. The stalks of the agarics were cream-colored, and around the base of the stalks, various molds grew in clusters. They appeared in strange shades of orange, red, and purple, making the ground look like a puddle of moldy cream.

Most of the water surface was covered by green scum, which was occasionally broken by expanding bubbles—toxic gases emitted by rotting matter at the bottom.

The small rivers were quiet, with only the central current moving slightly faster, allowing the water itself to be seen.

In such a place, there were only poisonous insects, venomous snakes, and various moths. From Er Gou's perspective in his past life, this place was absolutely unfit for survival. Only venomous creatures would nest here.

However... Golden-Winged Birds happened to feed on poisonous insects and snakes. He found that he didn't find these things disgusting; looking at this environment was like looking at pig feed.

And those fierce snakes and insects were the pigs raised by the Golden-Winged Birds.

Golden-Winged Birds usually only lay one egg and raise one chick, but now that she had encountered a double-yolked egg, the mother was actually quite delighted and brought back double the food.

In any case, there was plenty of food.

After that, the two newborn Golden-Winged Birds began their lives.

Under the influence of his body's instincts, Er Gou quickly accepted his mother; that natural sense of closeness was irreplaceable. As for Xiao Gou... she hadn't been able to see through the Confusion of the Womb. Aside from a faint sense of closeness, she had no connection to her past life.

But Er Gou still remembered everything.

He began to live as a Golden-Winged Bird, Cultivating hard and bringing Xiao Gou along with him.

Just like before, under his mother's guidance and with his own perseverance and willpower, Er Gou's cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds. Although he couldn't find the direction himself, his mother, a Grade Six Golden-Winged Bird, could guide him.

His mother's name was Mingjin Shasuo. She liked Er Gou very much and gave him a tongue-twisting Buddhist name meaning 'Great Light,' but secretly, he still liked to call himself Er Gou.

Xiao Gou's nature seemed unchanged; she was still as timid as before, which made their mother very displeased. Consequently, she was much colder toward her daughter.

Er Gou perfectly matched his mother's preferences. He was incredibly determined; no matter how difficult the task, he would always face it head-on, never complaining of hardship or exhaustion. This was what his mother admired most.

Xiao Gou, however, was timid in everything she did. She even spent several months learning to fly simply because she was afraid of falling, even though flying is instinctive for a Golden-Winged Bird.

This made the mother extremely annoyed, and she turned her focus entirely to training Er Gou.

Er Gou, meanwhile, took care of Xiao Gou. Whether as his sworn sister in his past life or his blood sister in this one, he remained the same as always.

Unknowingly, he had shed the rogue-like air of his past life, and the fortitude and determination in him became increasingly prominent.

His original rogue and hooligan air had only been for survival, like a piece of fine jade covered in mud. The mud looked dirty, but it actually protected the jade from being shattered.

Now, his birth as a Golden-Winged Bird had washed away that layer of mud, and the firm Dao Heart within him was revealed.

With a Grade Six Demon King mother, Er Gou quickly became a famous young master of the Golden-Winged Birds within a hundred thousand li.

Everyone knew of the two offspring of the Grade Six Golden-Winged Bird, Mingjin Shasuo.

One was brave and tenacious, the other timid and weak.

In this place, everyone revered Er Gou and despised Xiao Gou.

Because in this land of poisonous miasma, only the strong survive; someone like Xiao Gou wouldn't last.

This contrast made Xiao Gou even more timid, but Er Gou always protected her. Everyone knew that this young master doted on his sister and allowed no one to bully her.

High-spirited, he gradually adapted to his identity as a young master.

Everyone thought it was a quirk, but it didn't matter; if the young master liked it, then so be it.

That was until... Mingjin Shasuo's mortal enemy, a Grade Six Poison Dragon, carrying ten thousand years of suppressed resentment, killed her through a long-planned surprise attack.