Chapter 812: Swallowing Baiyue

It was in this very place that the Primordial Sage Emperor, Yao, abdicated in favor of Yu Shun.

Sacrifices have various rules; for example, as previously mentioned, Zhang Xu's method of summoning the Household God. Every rule aligns with the power of ghosts and gods, used to summon them for assistance.

At Li Qi's level, summoning ghosts and gods no longer requires sacrifices; a mere command is enough for countless ghosts and gods to appear and run errands.

This is mainly because at this stage of ritual, having comprehended the truth of sacrifice, one can act more freely, much like understanding the principles of a chemical formula. One can mix ingredients based on their properties to achieve the desired outcome, rather than strictly following a step-by-step process.

Nevertheless, the fundamental elements remain the same. No matter how much it changes, these basic elements are still components of sacrifice.

Among these fundamental elements, 'symbolism' is an indispensable part of the ritual.

Even language itself was originally a symbolic system expressed through sound.

The 'written word' attached to language directly 'refers' to a certain object.

Writing itself is a very direct 'symbolic' system.

When the word 'apple' appears before your eyes, why does it conjure the image of the fruit 'apple'? One can even recall the apple's taste and scent.

It is because language and writing 'symbolize' the fruit 'apple', allowing people to grasp its meaning.

This is also the power brought by writing and language; the power of spells and Talismans, in a sense, relies on this to be effective.

A symbol is an object or action to which meaning is attached.

The result of expression must convey the intended meaning to the other party, so a symbol includes a meaning commonly recognized by most people, meaning that this object or action will elicit the same response in most people.

The 'Grand Altar' commonly used in sacrifices, the altar master of the Grand Altar, should be five feet long to match the number five, two feet square to match Yin and Yang, pointed at the top to symbolize the birth of things, and square at the bottom to symbolize the earth's body – all these specific details derive from this.

In this situation, for most people to assign the same meaning to the same symbol, they must share similar experiences, meaning they must encounter and use the same symbol in similar environments. Because the same meaning is attached to the symbol, each specific social group must have its unique language, with many words and phrases that cannot be translated into other languages.

And the symbolism of sacrifice can actually be understood as this special language, a language that only Shamanes and nature can comprehend.

However, this language often degenerates into a simple, primitive meaning.

For example... imitation.

When life first reached a consensus on language, it relied on the common 'imitation' of a single thing.

Thus, the simplest way to implement symbolism is through imitation.

Li Qi confiscated the private assets of the Baiyue Kingdom Lords, and at the same time began to implement the 'Revolution' ritual throughout Baiyue. Using his own power, along with a touch of conspiracy, he forced the Baiyue Kingdom Lords to sit idly by, practically deposing them from their positions as Kingdom Lords.

At this point, the Yunluo Kingdom Lord chose to abdicate.

Now, the final step of this Grand Ritual is for the Yunluo Kingdom Lord and Li Qi to imitate the abdication of the Primordial Sage Emperor.

At the same time, at this moment, Qiu Zhi suddenly realized—

Li Qi himself conceded the first move!

Li Qi actually knew that the Karma brought by that wisp of Mountain Spirit, which caused the Mountain Spirit to distance itself from him, was itself intended to mimic the 'chaos' that precedes abdication.

Yes, the reason for abdication is that the virtue of the previous Holy Emperor could no longer maintain harmony, thus a new Holy Emperor was needed.

Therefore, Li Qi allowed the Human Dao to create the Mountain Spirit chaos, and since the Human Dao actively participated in the Grand Ritual, under these circumstances, this action also became part of the Revolution ritual!

It is precisely because of this 'chaos' that a 'revolution' is needed, and Li Qi is the 'new emperor' who accepts the Baiyue country's position!

The Grand Ritual, which had already been tilted, now re-converged upon Li Qi.

However, Qiu Zhi did not panic; he merely looked at Li Qi with some confusion.

He already understood Li Qi's strategy.

There was nothing wrong with imitating the Primordial Sage Emperor's ritual.

It's just... looking at the color of the light pillar below, it's clear that at this very moment, the Grand Ritual is performing the Human Dao's true law.

The Human Dao's true law, coupled with the Revolution ritual, if these powers converge on Li Qi, he will die, won't he?

His Inner World was already riddled with holes, and now it had to bear the Human Dao's true law.

So, can his capacity accommodate the Human Dao?

Qiu Zhi felt it was impossible.

But he couldn't take that risk.

Since what was before them was the Human Dao's true law, then... why should only Li Qi bear it?

He immediately rushed towards the Holy Emperor Relic.

Li Qi was the symbol.

Then he would make it real!

He prepared to directly devour the Holy Emperor Relic and confront Li Qi head-on.

And Li Qi looked at him.

We really are in sync, thinking the same thing.

Then let's fight for it.

Up until now, Qiu Zhi had no doubts about victory.

Although Li Qi employed various unexpected tactics, no matter what, these methods were all strengthening the power of the Human Dao's true law.

In other words, no matter how much Li Qi struggled, he was making the power of the Human Dao stronger, and Qiu Zhi had a natural advantage in this regard.

Including now.

The power of the Human Dao permeated Baiyue, and the Human Dao's true law had become the 'way of the world' in Baiyue.

Qiu Zhi could正好 borrow this power.

The next instant, Qiu Zhi arrived at the Holy Emperor Relic.

This was a Rank Three battlefield, where one could see Zhu Fengdan, with only half a head remaining, battling a Human Dao Great General who was merely a spiritual entity.

Zhu Fengdan looked relaxed, though he couldn't actually defeat his opponent.

The Grand General of the Southern Command began to act, suppressing Zhu Fengdan to create an opportunity for Qiu Zhi.

Now, the symbolism brought by this Grand Ritual, upon Qiu Zhi's arrival at the Holy Emperor Relic, would be entirely borne by Qiu Zhi.

Zhu Fengdan immediately struck out, attempting to intercept.

But reality was altered, with distorted timelines and spatial fragments interwoven. Light traveled through different spacetimes, forming an ocean like shattered mirrors.

This sea of shattered mirrors blurred all force and light, and also blurred the laws of Karma and various interferences, creating a safe zone for Qiu Zhi to successfully evade Zhu Fengdan's assassination.

Zhu Fengdan increased her output, attempting to break through.

But the Grand General of the Southern Command would absolutely not let go at this moment, forcibly suppressing Zhu Fengdan with even greater output. This would lead to his subsequent exhaustion, but if Qiu Zhi were protected, there would be no 'subsequent' at all.

Zhu Fengdan could not break through the sea of shattered mirrors and was suppressed.

Li Qi, meanwhile, was bearing the Grand Ritual and couldn't spare a hand.

So... Qiu Zhi successfully arrived before the Holy Emperor Relic.

It was called a relic, but it was actually just a grotto.

Many years ago, this was actually a swamp, but after the swamp was deeply buried by geological activity, it became a grotto.

Qiu Zhi did not delay and quickly walked into the grotto.

Before him were some 'trace fossils'.

That's right, there were no Divine Artifacts that remained incorruptible for billions of years, nor any Divine Abilities or anything else left behind. Just some trace fossils, similar to the imprints left by dinosaur footprints.

But this was a genuine Holy Emperor Relic.

Qiu Zhi stood within it, then activated the terminal, and the admonitions of the Two Clans of Chong and Li came to his ears.

The Shamanes of the Two Clans of Chong and Li immediately began to guide him.

Qiu Zhi's Spirit Soul began to separate from his body.

He entered the Realm that Shamanes' spirits enter when they perform their 'spirit dances'.

In this state, a Shaman would temporarily lose consciousness, losing control over their external body and entering a 'spirit dance' state. However, in return, they could establish contact with the existence they wished to communicate with, and then engage in communication and exchange, or even coercion or bribery.

As an orthodox Human Dao cultivator, Qiu Zhi was experiencing this feeling for the first time.

The sensation was somewhat dizzying and sluggish; the feeling of his Spirit Soul separating from his physical body was not pleasant, one could even say it was a bit torturous, like having a connection severed.

However, it was bearable.

When he opened his eyes, he had already arrived in the unique spiritual world of the Shamanes, and through it, he could see the true form of the Primordial Sage Emperor Relic.

Though referred to as its true form, it was actually nothing special.

They were just some ordinary ritual artifacts, some essential treasures. These treasures had practical functions and were not for luxurious display, but rather things the Holy Emperor needed to fulfill his responsibilities, such as 'compasses,' 'squares,' and 'tripods.'

Qiu Zhi stepped forward. He intended to take that position himself, to absorb the symbolism of this relic, the burden of Baiyue, into his own body, thereby completely annexing Baiyue and conceptually incorporating it entirely into the Human Dao's territory.

But at this moment, a voice suddenly came from behind him.

It was Li Qi's voice: "Hey, Commandant Qiu, that's not your place."

With that voice, Li Qi also descended into this place.

"A seat no one occupies can be taken by anyone," Qiu Zhi replied, but he stopped in his tracks.

Although he could immediately take the seat, Li Qi would definitely not be able to snatch it from him due to the distance, but Li Qi would certainly interfere with him.

He had to make Li Qi yield and withdraw before he could sit down with peace of mind; otherwise, if he were interfered with, he couldn't guarantee his success.

"No, only I can go, because... now, I am the Kingdom Lord," Li Qi said, raising his hands and displaying his status.

A sense of oppression emanated from him.

He was not the Great Deer Kingdom Lord, nor the Yunluo Kingdom Lord, nor the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord—

He was the Baiyue Kingdom Lord.

All countries of Baiyue, connected as one, and the statuses of all Kingdom Lords, were completely condensed within Li Qi alone.

At this very moment, in terms of 'legitimacy', Li Qi was undoubtedly the ruler of Baiyue. He had successfully 'abdicated' and obtained the Dao foundations of all the Kingdom Lords throughout Baiyue.

...How overbearing,

Qiu Zhi exclaimed.

"For the Human Dao to say that, are you trying to make me laugh?" Li Qi couldn't help but scoff.

"More talk is useless. Status means nothing. Let's see the real deal," Qiu Zhi also raised his hand.

"We can't fight here, but... who says only one person can sit? Let's go together, let me see your capacity," Li Qi said.

"We can't fight, so we'll compete in capacity? Very well, then, let's do it." Qiu Zhi nodded, then unhesitatingly sat on the Primordial Sage Emperor's seat.

Since they couldn't fight here, there was no fear of any interference.

As for competing in capacity?

It didn't matter at all; Qiu Zhi was not afraid of such a challenge.

Li Qi said no more; he closed his eyes.

He couldn't snatch that seat, but he had the status of a Kingdom Lord, and could still participate and interfere with the other party.

Then let's see who can seize the Holy Emperor Relic.

Both chose their methods simultaneously.

The next moment, the Holy Emperor Relic began to vibrate, and two spiritual forces contended within it.

The spiritual struggle was indescribable, but both sides were using their 'capacity' to encompass Baiyue.

Baiyue is vast, with many, many people, and countless individuals each have their own stories.

Whether it's One and Yu'er in the outer domain, or the high-and-mighty Kingdom Lords, or Mortals like Xiao Chan and Zhang Haoming, or cultivators like Zhang You, Bai Di, and Zhang Xu.

Their cultivation methods varied, their thoughts differed, and the things they did were vastly dissimilar.

Tens of millions of people, tens of millions of professions, tens of millions of thoughts.

All of this formed a sea of minds.

In this great sea of minds, everyone's consciousness gathered.

Li Qi clearly felt the existence of this sea of minds. As his perception spread throughout Baiyue, he distinctly felt the presence of the collective power of the Human Dao.

He had never so clearly perceived the Mortals.

Countless Spirit Souls, whether human, demon, ghost, or anything else, as long as they were in Baiyue, whether in the outer domain or the world, all living beings were clearly visible to him.

He saw all the Treasure Troves within those minds, saw the bravery of sentient beings who, despite their twisted and perverse fates and the insidious intentions of their Kingdom Lords, refused to yield.

Extraordinary courage, genuine spirit, emotions expressed from the depths of all living beings' hearts—these contained no base or vulgar elements. It had become a tremendous power that seized all of Li Qi's emotions at this moment, seized his entire being, seized all his thoughts.

The Spirit Souls swayed, arrayed together, forming a vast Mortal World, like schools of sardines in the ocean, overwhelming and endless.

Was this what the Human Dao's Dharma Eye saw? Was this what the 'Kingdom Lord' status should behold?

Li Qi felt all of this.

However, in this sea of minds, Li Qi felt another presence.

That wasn't a sardine; it was a giant whale!

The giant whale saw Li Qi, and immediately erupted with an unprecedented might!

The giant whale charged towards Li Qi, unstoppable. In the great ocean, nothing had ever been able to shake this magnificent being.

The whale was the absolute overlord of the ocean.

Words can hardly describe such power, and even images cannot convey the terror of this moment.

Countless small fish were flung away, and the ocean churned, with waves reaching the sky. Above the surging waves, Li Qi saw many small boats flying up; they fearfully sensed the giant whale's majesty, so much so that they were awestruck by its mighty presence and completely grasped the noble wrath of the great whale.

At this moment, in the outside world—

The Holy Emperor Relic on the battlefield unleashed surges of energy.

Aftershocks poured from the earth's cracks into the sky.

It was as if one could hear the rushing sound of water, like a flash flood.

A massive concentric vortex formed.

The energy vortex stirred up a cyclone, shaking the very atmosphere.

The surrounding scenery was like leaves in a tornado, spinning and spinning and spinning, then gradually tearing apart.

Two spiritual forces appeared in the minds of all living beings in Baiyue, causing them to involuntarily experience hallucinations.

Who possesses enough capacity to devour all of Baiyue?