Chapter 755: Meeting Shariputra

And all of this was completed under Li Qi's watchful eye.

Yao Wanchi, this Primordial Void Realm, made his choice.

Primordial Void Realm, or rather, Primeval Void Realm.

These Void Realms are not formed by the gravitational collapse of stars ignited by the aggregation of common massive matter; instead, they originate from the very instant of the Big Bang of the Universe.

The essence of a Void Realm is a singular phenomenon caused by infinite gravity, capable of devouring everything, and naturally able to isolate Karma, existing independently, free from the constraints of physical rules.

Apart from the self-collapse of massive celestial bodies, there is only one other situation in which a Void Realm might be born.

That is the ultra-high density of matter during the Big Bang, the inflationary period of the Universe.

In short, during the early formation of the Universe, due to the excessively dense distribution of matter in space at the instant of the explosion, the matter was directly compressed to collapse by the force of the Big Bang, forming these Void Realms.

Their formation mechanism differs from the Void Realms formed by stellar collapse under normal circumstances, and… this indicates that the other party has directly observed the formation of the Universe.

However, Primordial Void Realms also have Ranks.

And not all similar Void Realms are on the same level as Yao Wanchi.

Because many high-Rank worlds, when they are born, actually burst forth suddenly. For these high-Rank worlds, which are often tens of billions of light-years in size and contain countless civilizations, their inhabitants will call their own world 'Universe' and the true Universe outside 'Multiverse'.

But in reality, it's meaningless. To the people of the world, the Universe is everything, and those others can only be called 'Worlds'.

In short, when these worlds are born, Primordial Void Realms will also be born, but these are secondary and cannot compare to Yao Wanchi.

And Yao Wanchi himself is a Primordial Void Realm from the very beginning of the 'Universe's' birth, and this Universe refers to the endless Void Realm.

As a Rank Two, he is almost as old as this Universe, having lived for the same length of time.

"Senior," Li Qi stood up and bowed to the Void Realm quietly floating in the Universe.

As a Primordial Void Realm, Yao Wanchi was actually a very quiet black sun. There was no accretion disk formed by material torrents around him, nor were there explosive ray streams. He floated in the Void Realm like a black gem.

He was actually invisible, as Void Realms cannot be observed, but a Void Realm also has the property of absorbing all light. Against the backdrop of the light from the surrounding world ring, one could still glimpse the enormous black sun that attracted countless worlds to form the world ring.

"It seems you know why I helped you?" A small black sphere suddenly appeared beside Li Qi. It was an illusion formed by aggregated matter.

Evidently, it was Yao Wanchi's Incarnation.

His main body was enough to destroy Li Qi, but his Incarnation could still converse with Li Qi.

However, he did not state the reason for his intervention but instead spoke in riddles with Li Qi.

Li Qi also smiled and said, "Of course, after all… Sariputra is indeed very powerful, and even Senior, you can use him to do your own things."

Li Qi suddenly mentioned Sariputra, which seemed somewhat nonsensical, as Sariputra was now completely destroyed.

No sooner had he spoken—

But then, over at the Nascent Heavenly Demon's side…

The obstructed Nascent Heavenly Demon began to crack from within.

Buddha-Dharma light shone universally, and from within the Nascent Heavenly Demon's body, a Lotus bloomed.

The Nascent Heavenly Demon died, and it wasn't the previous self-destruction… all Demonic Qi dissipated without a trace, and the Buddha-Qi that emerged from it permeated the space of the Universe, giving rise to many strange phenomena.

The Buddha's sunlight shone universally, distinguishing the meanings of the Dharma realms.

One could see that with right mindfulness undisturbed, at this moment, the world trembled, emitting great light that illuminated thousands.

Places untouched by the sun and moon were all bathed in great light, and beings in the underworld saw each other, knowing their destinations. This light also shone upon demon palaces, all heavens, Devas, Brahmas, ascetics, and other sentient beings, universally receiving great illumination.

Within the Buddha-Qi, a golden body slowly emerged.

Observing the golden body, one saw the Bodhisattva's body, with all roots complete, like refined purple gold, without blemish or impurity, just as one with eyes observes pure lapis lazuli, clear inside and out, without any obstructing impurities. His body was pure, undefiled by any filth.

Just as one with eyes casts a clear pearl onto white silk, neither contaminates the other, both being pure, so too was the Bodhisattva's emergence from the womb.

Li Qi looked at those strange phenomena.

This must be Sariputra, truly formidable.

And the reason Yao Wanchi could act was also revealed at this moment.

The Nascent Heavenly Demon would die, and it was not Yao Wanchi's doing at all, so Yao Wanchi was not worried about affecting his relationship with the Heavenly Demon, nor was he worried about being resented by the Heavenly Demon.

The one who killed the Nascent Heavenly Demon was Sariputra.

"I'm very curious, how did you know Sariputra would win? From your perspective, you shouldn't have been able to perceive it," Yao Wanchi asked Li Qi at this moment.

Li Qi first bowed, then smiled faintly, saying, "Senior, you probably didn't notice some details. Actually, it's very simple; there's a clear progression."

"Firstly, since it's confirmed that the Nascent Heavenly Demon split Sariputra into three parts—Dao Heart, Buddha-Nature, and Wisdom—then it can be confirmed that Sariputra himself possessed these three things."

"The Nascent Heavenly Demon's plan was to separate Sariputra's three aspects, then allow each to be defiled, or even fall into devilry, after which he could devour Sariputra and achieve his unspeakable goal."

"However, I hadn't thought of it until I realized the separation of the three parts. Only then did I realize… Sariputra had already known about his own dissection, so he split off one more," Li Qi said.

As he spoke, he took out a Buddha statue.

That was… the Buddha statue that Er Gou used for cultivation when he first met Er Gou and Xiao Gou.

"This thing is a Rank Four product," Li Qi said, looking at the Buddha statue.

This Buddha statue was a genuine Rank Four product, and its level was not low. Even with Li Qi's full cultivation poured into it, it only developed a few small cracks.

However, the Buddha statue was now dim, and it was clear that the Buddha-Qi and Divine Ability within it had disappeared.

"You've figured it out?" Yao Wanchi asked.

"This is Sariputra's Dharma Body," Li Qi said.

That's right, after realizing Sariputra's three-body split, he guessed this point.

This was Sariputra's Dharma Body. What did this imply?

Sariputra's Dharma Body had already reached Rank Four.

Then why did he still need to Reincarnate?

Li Qi speculated that it was most likely because, although his Dharma Body had reached Rank Four, his Wisdom, Buddha-Nature, and Dao Heart had not, and coupled with his defeat by the Demonic Prince, he ultimately chose Nirvana.

After Nirvana, there would be Reincarnation.

Therefore, Li Qi suspected that the splitting of the three—Buddha-Nature, Dao Heart, and Wisdom—might even have been done by Sariputra himself.

And Li Qi's appearance, taking away Sariputra's Dharma Body, was probably the Nascent Heavenly Demon's arrangement. He believed that by taking away Sariputra's Dharma Body, he could completely take control of Sariputra.

But when Li Qi realized what he was doing, he immediately turned the tables.

First, he actively sought out Wisdom, created a scenario that the Nascent Heavenly Demon was good at, lured the opponent to come, and gave him an Opportunity to completely demonize Sariputra.

Then, he extracted the power from Sariputra's Dharma Body and placed it into the illusory dream, waiting for the Nascent Heavenly Demon to succeed.

Before that, Li Qi would attempt to fight the Nascent Heavenly Demon. If he could win, that would be best. If not, he would directly send the power of the Dharma Body along with the Buddha-Nature, Dao Heart, and Wisdom to the Nascent Heavenly Demon.

This could very likely lead to Sariputra falling into devilry… but it could also lead to the three uniting and completely reviving.

He believed in Sariputra, this Buddhist Disciple could absolutely not die at the hands of a mere Nascent Heavenly Demon. Even if the three were defiled, as long as they reunited with the help of the Dharma Body, Sariputra would certainly truly revive.

Because Li Qi felt…

If Wisdom were defiled, Buddha-Nature could cleanse it.

If the Dao Heart fell into devilry, Wisdom could re-guide its direction.

If Buddha-Nature dimmed, both Dao Heart and Wisdom could reshape Buddha-Nature.

This was Li Qi's view, and it was the confidence he had to do so.

Of course, it was also possible that the Nascent Heavenly Demon would win, and the three uniting would not change anything, with Sariputra completely gone.

Li Qi admitted that he took a gamble, but the result had already shown itself; he won the gamble.

Sariputra did not disappoint Li Qi. He reunited and regenerated by his own power, and… broke through to Rank Four.

Having experienced the great battle with the Demonic Prince and this Breakthrough through the Nascent Heavenly Demon's limitations for a complete Reincarnation, it seemed he had also gained some enlightenment.

There are many Geniuses in this world.

Yao Wanchi smiled upon hearing Li Qi's answer, so what he did was very clear: Yao Wanchi simply prevented the Nascent Heavenly Demon from running too far.

If he ran too far, it would be difficult for Sariputra to return.

Anyway… the Nascent Heavenly Demon was already doomed to die. Running so far would just cause a lot of unnecessary trouble, so it was better to stay and let the Nascent Heavenly Demon die closer.

But at this moment, Li Qi suddenly realized something. He suddenly looked at Yao Wanchi and asked, "Senior… according to my understanding, Sariputra should have had all three aspects completely demonized and devoured by the Nascent Heavenly Demon, eventually merging within his body, using the Nascent Heavenly Demon's shell to be Reborn, breaking through the demonic to achieve the Fruit Position…"

"The Nascent Heavenly Demon was like his cocoon, and he broke out of it, using the demonic heart as a foundation to establish his Rank Four Dao Foundation…" Li Qi hesitated, speaking of Sariputra's Rank Four Dao Foundation.

This was originally taboo.

Such things should be kept secret. Although Li Qi's senses were too keen, and the intensity of his True Knowledge Dao Resonance was absurdly high, so he saw Sariputra's Rank Four Dao Foundation in that instant… but one should not speak of what one sees. He should not have said it.

However, Li Qi had a question he had to ask Yao Wanchi.

He said, "Senior, in this situation, will Sariputra… be connected to the Heavenly Demon?"

Yes, breaking out of the cocoon from the Nascent Heavenly Demon…

Wouldn't that be being born from the Heavenly Demon's tentacles?

The Peacock Buddha Mother is called the Peacock Buddha Mother precisely because the Buddha once emerged from the Peacock Buddha Mother's belly, which is why she became the Buddha Mother.

And now Sariputra is Reborn from the Heavenly Demon's tentacles…

Then, is Sariputra a Heavenly Demon's tentacle?

This thought made Li Qi break out in a cold sweat.

Yao Wanchi heard Li Qi's words, smiled, and said, "Guess?"

With that, he did not wait for Li Qi to press further, and this Incarnation directly dissipated.

Clearly, he was not going to tell Li Qi.

Li Qi looked at the black sun floating in the Void Realm.

The massive Void Realm encircled by the world ring, its mass almost incalculable, an ancient Void Realm that had swallowed an unknown amount of matter and existed for an unknown length of time.

It just hung silently in the Void Realm, with no known beginning or end.

Li Qi had a feeling.

He had never truly contacted the other party; their previous conversation was just an illusion.

It was like a Mortal who could gaze from afar at a divine palace in the sky. He could certainly see it, and if he had the Opportunity to climb, this Mortal could ascend the highest mountain and approach one of the divine palaces, but that didn't mean he was any closer to the divine palace.

The other party was unreachable, a country bumpkin.

Entering the imperial palace doesn't mean you get closer to the emperor.

Li Qi had dealt with many people during his travels. These people might have laughed and talked with Li Qi, but they could never truly get close to Li Qi, nor could they understand what kind of existence Li Qi was.

And now, Li Qi himself felt this gap.

Yao Wanchi met him and even spoke to him, but it was essentially no different from not speaking at all.

They were not of the same Dao, so after meeting, there was still no connection, not even a mention of Karma.

However… although Yao Wanchi didn't have one, Sariputra did.

Li Qi looked at Sariputra, who had already been promoted to Rank Four.

Sariputra also looked back at Li Qi, performed a Buddhistrite, and then took a step forward.

"Thank you, Benefactor, for your help. Without your assistance, I fear I would have found it very difficult to overcome this tribulation, let alone Breakthrough to Rank Four and attain the Fruit Position. This kindness, Sariputra will engrave in his heart," Sariputra said with a gentle smile, his body's Buddha-light receding as he appeared before Li Qi.

An ordinary build, delicate features, eyes full of spirit, and very long arms that almost reached his knees when straightened, but currently clasped together, so it didn't feel out of place.

Li Qi scrutinized Sariputra before him.

This was the Buddhist Genius who was as famous as himself, a Disciple of the Buddha, the most renowned of many Buddhist Disciples, 'Sariputra,' known for his Wisdom.

He showed his talent at a young age. Born outside the domain, at the age of eight, he participated in debates in his own country, discussing ancient and modern times with scholars from all sides. Many thought he was young and ignorant, but Sariputra's arguments were thorough and his words astonished everyone present, shocking all those in attendance with his Wisdom, and he began to become famous in his world.

By the age of twenty, he had surpassed his world; the wisest scholars in that world could not withstand Sariputra's questioning.

At that time, he arrogantly believed that there was no one wiser than him in the world, and probably no one else qualified to be his teacher.

However, through a stroke of Opportunity, he met Asvajit and heard the Buddha-Dharma from him, immediately feeling as if the sky was falling and the earth was cracking. His former Wisdom seemed like a firefly before the moon compared to the Buddha-Dharma.

Thus, he joined the Buddhist sect.