Chapter 771: Negotiation

“Establishing a country in Baiyue?”

Li Qi immediately realized the other party’s objective.

Just as mentioned before, the symbolic meaning of many things possesses power. For instance… Great Deer Kingdom was once Great Deer Marsh, the place where Primordial Sage Emperor abdicated. Although Primordial Sage Emperor was only at the Fifth Grade at that time, this symbolic meaning alone was enough to attract contention between the Human and Shaman sides.

It’s like becoming an official; does becoming an official change your power in any way?

The answer is, ordinary people remain ordinary after becoming officials, but merely a ‘title’ is enough to suppress others, and even make others willingly work for you.

Correspondingly, there’s a significant difference between planting a nail in Baiyue and directly establishing a country.

This is bestowing the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord with the authority to ‘found a country’.

‘Quan’ (权) refers to zhu, liang, jin, jun, and shi (ancient units of weight), used to measure and balance things, to know their weight, like a steelyard. ‘Du’ (度) refers to zhang and chi (ancient units of length), used to measure length. All things must be measured to be known.

When there are things and matters, weigh them to know their importance; measure them to know their length. This applies to all things, and especially to the mind.

It is said: “The nine hexagrams of the Yi Jing conclude with Xun, to exercise authority. Authority is the great use of a Sage. One who cannot stand and yet speaks of authority is like one who cannot stand and yet wishes to walk; few will not fall.”

The so-called ‘power’ (权力) actually refers to the ability to arbitrate measurements. Hence, it is said that someone ‘holds heavy power’, which is the meaning.

And at this moment, the authority to found a country means the ability to make decisions in Baiyue.

This can be considered making Shaman God Mountain cede territory.

“That’s a big ask, Demon Lord. Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” Li Qi immediately responded.

“Inappropriate? Perhaps. After all, Shaman God Mountain may not keep its promises. Then, I wonder if the Human Dao would be willing after they annex Baiyue?” the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord said calmly, his constantly flickering face completely concealing his expression, making it almost impossible to discern his mood.

“Demon Lord, placing a bet doesn’t always guarantee a win. Once your bet is placed and out of your hands, if you lose, you might not even keep what you have now,” Li Qi said.

The Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord’s tone showed a slight fluctuation: “Oh? Young Master means that even if I side with the Human Dao, you can still win, is that right?”

“Demon Lord’s courage is truly extraordinary. Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you right now, so there won’t be a variable like you for either the Human or Shaman sides?” Li Qi said in a gentle tone.

The Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord showed no fear, but continued: “But you need variables, don’t you? The total strength invested by the Human and Shaman sides is roughly similar. Every variable is precious to you, potentially the last straw to tip the scales.”

“Young Master must be very clear about the current situation. Regardless of whether it’s the Human Dao or the Shaman Dao, both possess the ability to completely destroy the Baiyue Area. In fact, if Young Master were to act, it would be effortless to refine the entire Baiyue, from the surface to ten thousand li underground, into a projectile in just fifteen minutes.”

“However, doing so would be equivalent to losing, because then you wouldn’t get the Holy Emperor Relic. It would be self-destruction of a treasure, and a waste of much combat power.”

“Therefore, you need to prevent the other side from doing this, and at the same time restrain yourselves from doing so. As long as the situation hasn’t reached an irreversible point, then a lose-lose scenario is an unwise choice.” The Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord spoke eloquently: “In this situation, any neutral force will accelerate this process. Firstly, the Devouring Heaven Demon Domain’s strength is not strong enough to force the Human Dao to overturn the table upon entry. You can confidently accept us without worrying that the Human Dao will directly abandon the fight. But at the same time, with me here, it can provide sufficient assistance.”

“Looking at the current Baiyue, a suitable force like the Devouring Heaven Demon Domain is hard to find, even with a lantern. Isn’t it worth paying some price for this?”

As the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord spoke, he also observed Li Qi’s appearance.

Li Qi maintained his calm demeanor, a faint smile on his face, showing no emotion.

It was normal to show no emotion; having reached the Fourth Grade, one’s composure would certainly be sufficient. Perhaps some Fourth Grade cultivators might show their emotions clearly and act ostentatiously, but that was only because their personality and Dao did not bother to hide their emotions, not because they couldn’t restrain themselves.

After watching for a while, he couldn’t discern anything, so he continued: “Young Master must know, the human heart is like flowing water, with plants within it. Each flows away, not looking back at each other. The former does not look back at the latter, nor the latter at the former. The plants flow, each as before, and the human heart is likewise; one thought comes, one thought goes, like plants not looking back at each other.”

“It’s just that plants eventually have a flow, and this flow is the ‘Great Trend’.”

“And where the Great Trend goes is actually determined by the Qi flowing on the surface. Now, with the Great Trend balanced, I am precisely the straw needed to secure victory for Young Master, am I not? After all, my joining is not just a few dozen Fifth Grade combat powers; this involves the movements of Great Sage Wan Chi and Mountain-Moving Great Sage, isn’t that right?”

At this moment, Li Qi, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke, saying: “The Dao is to make the people agree with their superiors, so they can die with them, and live with them without fear of danger. With the Dao as the guide, why worry about things like human hearts? How many people will help depends only on whether the Dao aligns, not on following the ebb and flow of human hearts.”

The Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord immediately responded: “For us in the Nine Lands Under Heaven, this is naturally true. The Dao is like bones and muscles. If grass has bones, it won’t be moved by the wind or beaten down by the rain, and the world’s currents will flow past without shifting it. But among the billions of living beings in this world, how many have bones and muscles? Does that mean they have no power and cannot form a Great Trend?”

“Many beings in this world are, in the end, just larger, smarter, differently shaped insects.”

“Insects jump when poked, and people without Dao also jump when poked. If crying is useless, they won’t cry. If crying is useful, they will continue to cry. If cultivation is useless, they won’t cultivate. Because cultivation brings benefits, there is motivation to cultivate. These beings constantly adjust their attitudes based on feedback, deciding how to live their lives based on the simplest ‘tastes good’ and ‘tastes bad’.”

“For these people, the Great Trend is the only credible ‘Dao’. And now, Young Master, look, in the entire Baiyue, how many can truly be led by the Dao?” The Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord spread his hands, and the accretion disk around him naturally expanded outwards, then dissipated.

As a demon who had cultivated in the Baiyue Area for tens of thousands of years, he knew deeply that among the many people in Baiyue, even the Baiyue Kingdom Lords had no ‘Dao’ to speak of; they were merely large paramecia.

People without Dao, a world without Dao, are mostly like this.

If they cannot find their own Dao, they will naturally drift with the current, their hearts like grass and trees, the former not caring for the latter, the latter not caring for the former. At that time, the arrival of the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord would naturally guide the human heart and increase Li Qi’s chances of winning.

The Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord thought a lot, and the final result was always this.

As long as this point was grasped, Li Qi would ultimately compromise. The authority to found a country obtained from Shaman God Mountain would be enough to validate the Demon Dao’s plan…

Mountain-Moving Great Sage had been planning this for a long time.

However, at this moment, Li Qi suddenly said: “If that’s the case, then Demon Lord, please return. The authority to found a country is no small matter; I cannot decide it with a single word. Demon Lord can go and ask the Human Dao how they choose.”

This answer stunned the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord.

“Are you sure, Young Master?” the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord asked. While he asked Li Qi if he was ‘sure’, his own tone became uncertain.

Does Li Qi have a trump card? Where does he get the confidence to say such a thing?

Li Qi smiled and replied: “What Demon Lord said is naturally reasonable. If the situation remains unchanged, then it is indeed exactly as Demon Lord said, with no flaws to be found.”

“As long as people are not treated as people, then nothing will change. The rise and fall of Baiyue through the ages, its various tragedies, beasts preying on humans, and various chaotic wars, are all due to nothing more than ‘lack of Dao’.”

Speaking of this, Li Qi stood up and walked forward, treading on air, approaching the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord: “Therefore, if they lack Dao, I will give it to them. I will widely enlighten the people of Baiyue, build academies, and widely spread methods, so that they may break free from the worldly currents and begin to contemplate their own Dao. In this way, they can be led by the Dao, achieving what I said earlier: ‘The Dao is to make the people agree with their superiors, so they can die with them, and live with them without fear of danger.’ ”

“What do you think of this decision, Demon Lord?” Li Qi asked: “So, will Demon Lord side with the Human Dao, or remain here?”

The Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord’s eyes flickered, and he straightened up, disregarding etiquette, meticulously scrutinizing Li Qi from head to toe.

This Young Master of Shaman God Mountain truly has great courage.

Because the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord knew that this was actually the Human Dao’s approach.

However, although this was the Human Dao’s approach, the Human Dao would certainly not do it. Even if he went to side with the Human Dao, it would be absolutely impossible for the Human Dao to enlighten Baiyue.

From the Human Dao’s perspective, Baiyue was an enemy, and there was no need to show mercy to enemies. From the Human Dao’s perspective, if they won, Baiyue would certainly be spoils of war, and sharing some with the Demon Dao would be irrelevant. So, he could basically be certain that the Human Dao would definitely agree immediately, and the authority to found a country that the two Great Sages desired would be within easy reach.

On one side was Li Qi’s refusal, and on the other was the Human Dao’s almost certain agreement.

From a practical standpoint, there was no doubt that he should turn around and leave, heading towards the Human Dao.

Except—

Something had just been said.

If one cannot find their own Dao, they will naturally drift with the current, their hearts like grass and trees, the former not caring for the latter, the latter not caring for the former, like paramecia, deciding how to live their lives based on the simplest ‘tastes good’ and ‘tastes bad’.

But, if one finds their own Dao, then they naturally have bones and muscles, knowing where to go and where they should go. At this point, profit is no longer the sole consideration; in fact… profit is the most easily abandoned, the most irrelevant thing.

So, the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord burst into laughter, then asked: “Young Master, are you so sure I will agree?”

“If you agree, that’s naturally for the best. If you don’t agree, then naturally our Daos are different, and we cannot conspire together,” Li Qi said very plainly.

Because the Human Dao does not treat people as people, while the demon race greatly appreciates Li Qi’s stance. The Demon Dao and Shaman Dao have a common understanding, which is: “All things have spirits.”

In the eyes of demons and witches, although all things differ due to their abilities, they are fundamentally equal.

But the Human Dao does not recognize this point.

To the Human Dao, the people of Baiyue are no different from pigs and dogs. Regarding this, the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord was actually quite displeased. Although he was not necessarily a soft-hearted good demon, whether good or bad, he ultimately still viewed other creatures as his own kind.

But the Human Dao was far more cruel than this. The Human Dao completely disregarded creatures other than ‘humans’, treating them entirely as resources or tools.

And Li Qi’s idea of ‘spreading the Dao’ was clearly much better than the Human Dao’s.

Even if there was a loss, even if profits couldn’t be maximized, what did it matter if their Daos aligned?

The Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord cupped his hands and said: “That’s good then. As long as Young Master promises me that when you build schools and spread the Dao, you will allow me to join in, then even if I don’t get the authority to found a country, the Devouring Heaven Demon Domain can still offer its strength to Young Master.”

“Good, then it’s a deal,” Li Qi nodded. As he spoke, he finally walked in front of the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord and extended his hand to him.

The Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord hesitated for a moment, then also grasped Li Qi’s hand.

The two shook hands as a vow. After that, the Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord turned and left, transforming into a stream of light, going to prepare for battle.

After all, he had to face the Human Dao. Although he spoke confidently, the pressure would be considerable when it came to actually doing it.

And after Li Qi watched the other party leave, he looked at Shen Shuibi.

“The Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord’s magnanimity and courage are indeed commendable. He dared to stand on your side in such a situation,” the rabbit said.

“Without this much magnanimity, Great Sage Wan Chi and Mountain-Moving Great Sage wouldn’t value him so highly. To be entrusted with such significant authority by the two Great Sages, he certainly can’t be someone who only cares about profit. To persuade them, one cannot rely on exchanging benefits, but rather on aligning in the Dao. On this point, Shaman Dao has a natural advantage, after all… the Shaman Dao and Demon Dao once united,” Li Qi said.

“However, benefits are also indispensable. After all, the other party is not a fellow Daoist. If it truly comes down to life and death, they cannot be expected to die for Shaman Dao. These things also need to be calculated in advance,” Shen Shuibi reminded.

“I naturally understand,” Li Qi nodded: “Then, Yuer, I’ll trouble you with supervision. The Baiyue Kingdom Lords are restless in their thoughts. Although the Human Dao army is pressing down now, suppressing their thoughts, the Human Dao will certainly not attack directly, so they are very likely to develop second thoughts as they work. You still need to keep a close eye on them.”

“Alright, leave it to me,” Shen Shuibi did not decline, nodding and leaving.

As for Li Qi, he remained in place.

He needed to consider the entire strategy.

And… he also planned to personally meet the Human Dao’s combat forces.

Just like when he went to find Liu Junyi, he would go in advance to see who his enemies truly were. Even if it might expose himself, he could still see through the other party.

Because Li Qi’s own background was certainly completely exposed to the Human Dao. He was quite famous, and many of his methods had been revealed. He wasn’t afraid of exposure, but as long as he saw the other party, True Knowledge Dao Resonance could see through them.

Moreover, even knowing this, the Human Dao would never refuse a meeting.

This was the Human Dao, whether tyrannical or kingly, they were just like that.