Chapter 836: The law of tranquility

At the same time, countless distracting thoughts began to arise in Li Qi’s mind.

Evil views arise in the Heart-Nature, leading to inverted reasoning about all truths, with defiled wisdom as its nature, capable of obstructing good views and bringing suffering as its karma.

Li Qi’s wisdom, thoughts, and the anger and indignation in his Heart-Nature completely filled his mind.

Joy is the Heart-Nature’s delight, and anger is the Heart-Nature’s trouble.

Sorrow is the Heart-Nature’s pain, and fear is the Heart-Nature’s dread.

Love is the Heart-Nature’s attachment, aversion is the Heart-Nature’s dislike, and desire is the Heart-Nature’s longing.

What is the Heart-Nature?

The Heart-Nature is neither the heart nor the brain, but rather a person’s thoughts; it is the element of all human psychological activities. What the Heart-Nature emits is the movement of thought, which is intention, abbreviated as ‘intent’; what the Heart-Nature goes towards is the gathering of thoughts, and the gathering of thoughts is resolve. Thoughts arise and perish in an instant, like a dream, an illusion, a bubble.

When the Heart-Nature is affected and the Heart-Nature is moved, it arises by separately connecting with circumstances, unlike the omnipresent that is always present. It only arises when it connects with a certain Realm.

Its nature is free from defilement, and it benefits both oneself and others. All treatises say that Bodhisattvas consider others as themselves, so benefiting others is still benefiting oneself, hence it is called good. Six kinds of troubles arise: greed to unrighteous views.

Its nature is fundamental trouble. It can give rise to secondary defilements, hence it is called fundamental trouble. ‘Trouble’ means disturbance, and ‘defilement’ means confusion; they disturb sentient beings, keeping them perpetually in the cycle of life and death. Sentient beings are another name for humans and all living creatures, because they possess consciousness, hence they are called sentient beings. Because sentient beings possess greed and so on, their bodies and minds are disturbed, and they are long immersed in the bitter sea of life and death, unable to attain liberation, hence they are called trouble.

Li Qi’s Heart-Nature’s troubles extended infinitely.

The trouble of joy was his confidence in his talent and his sect.

The trouble of anger was his indignation at the various deeds of the Demonic Dao today.

The trouble of sorrow was the pain he felt over what happened to his daughter.

The trouble of fear was his panic about the Heavenly Demon Lord targeting him.

The trouble of love was his attachment and worry for Shen Shuibi, even to the point where, in Baiyue, he almost chose to incinerate the daytime and abandon ‘righteousness’ because of it.

The trouble of aversion was his extreme disgust for the Demonic Dao before him, to the point of unleashing a massacre.

The trouble of desire was his craving for advancement, wanting the power to Breakthrough to the Third Realm.

All sorts of things were inherently the ‘troubles’ in his Heart-Nature.

The Demon of the Five Aggregates controlled his mind’s channels for controlling matter, while the Demon of Affliction filled his thoughts with troubles.

Secondary troubles are endless, ranging from anger to distraction. They are established by the fundamental troubles based on their different stages and their equal flow. They are mostly provisionally established based on the different stages of fundamental troubles, which manifest as various different stages.

For example, secondary troubles like anger and hatred are all established based on the different stages of ‘hatred’ within the fundamental troubles.

Equal flow means that the secondary troubles, based on the essence of their fundamental troubles, flow in a continuous, consistent manner, hence they are called secondary troubles.

Greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, doubt, evil views, self-view, extreme views, wrong views, clinging to views, and clinging to precepts surrounded Li Qi, completely disrupting his thoughts, and demonic thoughtss proliferated.

At the same time, the ‘Heavenly Demon Lord’ of the Heavenly Demon Lord, who had just transformed into a thought, quietly infiltrated Li Qi’s mind.

Suddenly, many ‘motivations’ arose in Li Qi’s Heart-Nature.

What should be done now?

There are thousands of ways to resist, to counter, and various countermeasures.

Which one to choose?

It seems like any of them would be correct.

But... are these thoughts, these ‘ideas,’ truly your own?

The Demonic Lord of the Heavenly Demon Lord quietly infiltrated Li Qi’s mind, transforming into his ‘thoughts’.

Yes, they directly became Li Qi’s ‘thoughts.’ Many ‘solutions’ popped into Li Qi’s head, and these solutions entirely emerged from his own mind.

This is a typical example of ‘a thought suddenly popping up’ or ‘suddenly having an inspiration.’

But this is not your inspiration.

This is a manifestation of the Demonic Lord of the Heavenly Demon Lord; if you believe it, you will inevitably be led into boundless Hell.

But the problem is...

How can you distinguish?

How do you know if this is your own thought, or a thought impersonated by the Heavenly Demon Lord?

Under the interference of endless troubles, and with the Demon of the Five Aggregates controlling his Physical Body, can Li Qi truly Breakthroug h so many demonic thoughtss and Demonic Lord interferences to find his true Heart-Nature?

Even the thought of ‘recovering one's true Heart-Nature’ might ‘fall into anger’.

Anger is characterized by the fiery outburst towards an immediate unfavorable situation, capable of obstructing non-anger and acting with aggression.

The so-called immediate unfavorable situation refers to what is currently seen or heard, such as other sentient beings, meaning other people or other views, which are indeed unfavorable to oneself. Facing such a situation, anger arises. The nature of anger is precisely this fiery outburst. As the saying goes, ‘anger flares up and cannot be suppressed.’

If you are dissatisfied with the current situation, anger arises. This... is also one of the troubles, and one of the demonic thoughtss.

It's hard to distinguish whether I am ‘dissatisfied with the current situation’ or ‘want to change the current situation’.

These two are completely different, and can even exist simultaneously.

Many people want to change the current situation because they are dissatisfied with it.

However, this does not negate that ‘anger’ is a form of trouble. The correct approach should be to ‘recognize that this matter needs to be changed,’ but without anger or vexation; simply change it, without being ‘dissatisfied.’

It is because this matter is wrong that it needs to be changed, not “because I am dissatisfied with this matter, so I will change it.”

Seemingly insignificant, the subtle emergence of demonic thoughtss within is indescribable.

That's why practitioners of the Heavenly Demon Lord find it especially difficult to deal with, and why the Heavenly Demon Lord is so widely present in the Dao Heart of so many people—you simply don't know whether it's demonic thoughtss implanted by others or your own thoughts.

How many people in the world can be completely free of demonic thoughtss? And at the very least, they would have to be at the Realm of a Buddha.

Bodhi means enlightenment, while trouble means sinking. They are fundamentally two sides of the same coin.

The Yang side is called Bodhi, and the Yin side is called trouble. Yin and Yang are one body and cannot be separated, so “Bodhi is trouble, and trouble is Bodhi.” It all depends on the rotation of Yin and Yang, which side is facing up. Both Bodhi and trouble are neither increased in the holy nor decreased in the ordinary. To try to remove trouble and gain Bodhi is itself already deviating from ‘Bodhi.’

The fundamental difference between the two lies in a single thought, entirely dependent on your initial intention. Between demonic thoughtss and the true Heart-Nature, it all hinges on this one thought, thus one cannot be too careful.

Within the Physical Body, evil views, troubles, ignorance, and delusion, when one perceives them as having a nature of their own, actually give rise to demons.

The demonic thoughtss of the Heavenly Demon Lord are at work, causing endless greed, infinite troubles, anger, and various negative emotions to overwhelm, leading to a build-up of Qi and fire attacking the Heart-Nature.

Accompanying these were the “anger, hatred, resentment, vexation, and trouble” Five Ghosts that followed.

The Five Ghosts quietly emerged in Li Qi’s mind.

The more capable a person is, the stronger their temper and disposition, and the more intense their anger, hatred, resentment, vexation, and trouble become, the more they obscure their innate nature, making it harder for their true Heart-Nature to manifest, and thus making it harder for them to be a good person.

Even if he wants to return from his lost path, alas, with the Five Ghosts in charge, his true nature cannot take control, and he can only helplessly cry out: It’s too hard to be a good person!

One often sees such people struggling in pain, trying to escape the demonic control of the Five Ghosts. Some people cannot escape and simply become a Devil.

Just upon meeting, the four Fourth Realm Demonic Overlords collaborated, instantly gaining complete control over Li Qi’s mind, Physical Body, and the bridge between them.

If it were an ordinary Fourth Realm, there would be no chance of recovery at this point.

The Demonic Dao Fourth Realm is not to be trifled with.

Among them, there are simply too many mysterious and unpredictable methods that can make one unknowingly lose oneself, not to mention a collaboration of three Fourth Realm Demonic Lords from different Dao lineages.

Li Qi’s Dao Heart was not that firm.

And to be honest...

He might not even have noticed all these attacks, because the Demon of the Five Aggregates had completely tampered with his perception. A weaker Fourth Realm from outside the Universe might even feel that nothing is happening, that he is still very healthy, just with some inexplicable troubles.

They had him.

The Four Heavenly Demon Lords almost instantly reached a consensus, so the next step was to corrode his Spirit Soul and Physical Body, causing him to perish.

However—

At this moment, the Demonic Lord of the Heavenly Demon Lord, and the demonic thoughtss he had transformed into, all felt a certain targeted ‘gaze’.

The next moment, all the Demonic Lord demonic thoughtss were annihilated!!

It was still the same question.

How can you distinguish?

How do you know if this is your own thought, or a thought impersonated by the Heavenly Demon Lord?

The answer is—

By equipment.

Li Qi activated the Spiritual Artifact, which was the compass given to him by Grand Shaman Yun Fang. Essentially, it was a Gu worm.

As a Shaman, Grand Shaman Yun Fang’s Gu refining techniques were also quite superb, being a Third Realm, he had plenty of time to hone these peculiar and ingenious skills.

This Gu worm was neither alive nor dead, always in a pupal state. Its Spirit Soul was incomparably clear, without any thoughts, making it an extremely rare life form ‘completely devoid of demon thoughts’.

Completely devoid of demonic thoughtss. Normally, if a creature has no demonic thoughtss at all, it means it has no thoughts, it is a dead person, an object.

Unless your Heart-Nature can reach the level of a Buddha, or there is some special exception, you can maintain normal thinking while remaining in a state of unmoving Heart-Nature and unmoving thoughts.

This Gu worm was precisely like that; it was an inanimate object, yet it possessed clear thoughts, perfectly capable of reflecting demonic thoughtss.

In other words, with the help of this item, Li Qi could clearly see all the actions of the Four Heavenly Demon Lords and determine all their positions.

One should know, Grand Shaman Yun Fang said that this thing could even reflect Third Realm Demonic Dao.

Li Qi had grasped the opponent’s movements from the very beginning. The two Demonic Lords, the Demon of Affliction and the Heavenly Demon Lord, had not been able to exert any effect; Li Qi had merely made them ‘think they were useful’.

And all of this had meaning.

Because there was still one problem Li Qi needed to solve.

That was the Demonic Lord of the Five Aggregates Devil; these two truly severed Li Qi’s mind and Physical Body. Although Li Qi knew the positions of the other Demonic Lords, he couldn’t control himself to blast them one by one.

However, this was also Li Qi’s strongest suit.

The Demon of the Five Aggregates, he knew it very well.

Among the Four Demons, this was the one he was most familiar with.

The five aggregates, what are they?

The ‘Treatise’ says: “Because of the meaning of accumulation, they are called aggregates.”

The five aggregates are: first, the aggregate of form; second, the aggregate of sensation; third, the aggregate of perception; fourth, the aggregate of volitions; and fifth, the aggregate of consciousness.

It is believed in the world that there is a so-called self and a so-called Universe. When this so-called self and Universe are analyzed, they are merely the mutual accumulation of phenomena like form and sensation.

There is no real self, nor a real Universe. Like peeling banana leaves, when each one is peeled off, no real substance is found.

The so-called ‘emptiness’ is precisely this.

Buddhism speaks of aggregates to break the clinging to self and objects. When both objects and self are gone, one’s true nature is revealed as pure. This true nature here refers to our own inherent nature. But this self is not the small self; rather, it is the original pure inherent nature that is one with us and all things, called one’s own inherent nature.

As the ‘Heart Sutra’ says, “no hindrances, no fear.”

Hindrances and fear, their manifestations are extremely subtle and hidden. People are trapped by them without realizing it, and this is all caused by clinging to self and objects. Once clinging is broken, one’s true nature is revealed, and these things are originally absent from one’s true nature.

The nature of the five aggregates appeared in Li Qi’s Heart-Nature, and he prepared to break the Demon of the Five Aggregates’s blockade.

However, just at this moment, a Sword Qi came from the horizon!

South revolves the Fire Palace, North turns the River Kui!

A sword descending from the sky destroyed all the defensive arrangements set up by the surrounding Demonic Lords. Instantly, Killing Intent blazed red in daylight, withered bones cried at night, halberds were shattered, armor was broken, and no one could stand in its way!

The Sword Qi erupted, screeching, and rushed into this place!

The Martial Dao Divine Intent unfolded, shining like the light of a trillion stars, ejecting a massive, dazzling jet that directly altered the surrounding Universe structure!

It was like a golden river, with a stream of energy light traversing through it.

Many, many layers of the ceiling above this underground city were pierced with a palm-sized small opening, but from this small opening, a brilliant Holy Light emanated, continuously spewing forth terrifying auras that oppressed the soul, bringing an unparalleled sense of fear and holiness.

The light spread like mercury spilled on the ground, penetrating everywhere, with absolutely no possibility of evasion!

Except for the Heavenly Demon Lord who had already transformed into a thought-demonic thoughts, the other three Demonic Lords immediately ceased their attacks and fully defended!

This Sword Intent, this level—

Martial Dao Fourth Realm!

The three Fourth Realm Demonic Lords were forced back by the sudden attack.

At the same time, Li Qi was also temporarily freed from the state controlled by the Demon of the Five Aggregates.

Then, a hand patted Li Qi’s shoulder, and a hearty female voice said, “Be careful, I’m here to save you. You, though a Shaman, still have some guts. It’s fate that we ran into each other. Why don’t the two of us cause a big ruckus here?”

Li Qi turned his head and looked at the big sister beside him.

She was a female Martial Artist, a typical Human Race from the world, with a handsome appearance, but exuding a heroic aura. In her hand, she held not an ordinary light and agile longsword, but an eight-sided heavy sword, without any flexibility. Calling it a sword, it was more like a club.

“Is this Fellow Daoist here to save me? Where are the Patrolling Envoys?” Li Qi asked.

“The Patrolling Envoys will be here soon. As for me, I just came here to smash some things, after all, I’ve been annoyed with the Demonic Dao for a long time. It just so happened that you started first, and seeing you at a disadvantage, I came down to help you. But... you still have the thoughts of the Heavenly Demon Lord inside you, your condition isn’t very good. But don’t worry, I’ll cover you.” The female Martial Artist said, while swinging the heavy sword in her hand, her attention already focused on the three Demonic Lords who had just dodged.

Li Qi let out a breath: “Then I truly thank you, young lady. However, we can join forces, but don’t underestimate me.”

With that, he formed hand seals.

the Purification Method! (End of Chapter)