Chapter 849: Contest

The Demonic Prince's flying boat sliced through the void, still traveling beyond the domains, its destination quite clear, but its speed remained limited to that of a fifth-rank.

Facing the Heavenly Demon Lord before him, the Demonic Prince showed obvious surprise, so obvious that even with his face hidden behind an unmoving mask, his expression could be easily discerned.

“About Li Qi’s matter… Oh, have you received the Heavenly Demon Lord’s command?” the Demonic Prince asked.

“The Heavenly Demon Lord’s command?” The Heavenly Demon Lord was somewhat surprised but still shook his head, “No, we haven’t received any command or hint.”

“Then that’s truly… a coincidence,” the Demonic Prince chuckled.

The two words ‘coincidence’ sent a shiver down the Heavenly Demon Lord’s spine: “Your Highness, what happened? Has the Heavenly Demon Lord conveyed any message to you?”

As a fourth-rank Demonic Dao cultivator, he best understood the weight of those two words, ‘coincidence.’

The Demonic Prince then said, “I just reached an agreement with Shaman Dao; regarding Li Qi’s matter, no third-rank or above will interfere. Fourth-rank matters should be resolved among fourth-ranks. You must have a plan for coming to me, so tell me how you intend to proceed.”

The Heavenly Demon Lord glanced at Li Shiwei beside him.

“Don’t mind her,” the Demonic Prince waved his hand.

“Alright, then… our plan is to use Li Qi’s daughter to lure Li Qi into continuing to destroy City of Dreams. This will inevitably lead to a great upheaval in thought currents. At that point, we can begin to refine. We plan to use this upheaval to create a thought storm centered around him.”

A thought storm is, in fact, the violent mental energy generated by many, many people together, similar to the existence of an ‘atmosphere.’

In many situations, collective consciousness can bring a strong mental stimulus. For example, at a concert, even if you just stumble in, you can easily be infected and enter a state beyond your control.

“Li Qi is currently working on transforming City of Dreams. We will mold him into the ‘vanguard’ of this transformation, making him a ‘faith,’ and then use him as the center of the thought storm,” the Heavenly Demon Lord said.

The Heavenly Demon Lord spoke lightly, but in reality, this was no simple matter.

In fact, it is extremely cruel, essentially equivalent to using harsh reality to grind people’s spirits into components, then assembling countless components into a usable machine. This operating machine is a ‘thought storm.’ In essence, this is similar to a large Formation, where each person is a symbol within the Formation, and specific individuals are the ‘Formation cores.’

The human spirit itself is extremely free and highly malleable. Forcibly grinding it into components causes unimaginable pain, but only this way can Li Qi be truly restrained.

“This won’t restrain him; he can easily shatter this restraint,” the Demonic Prince said. “It’s not that simple, is it?”

“Yes, it certainly won’t restrain him, but as long as the connection is close enough, his act of shattering this thought storm will kill everyone in City of Dreams.”

“You don’t think this will make Li Qi stop, do you? When he gets anxious, he doesn’t seem like someone who cares about human lives,” the Demonic Prince seemed to realize something.

“Of course, it won’t be that shallow. Our anticipated ‘Formation core’ is Li Shiwei,” the Heavenly Demon Lord said.

“Another hostage trick. If you do this, I can’t guarantee what madness Li Qi will unleash. Then none of you will escape. Also, this is too uncreative; the success rate is too, too low. Li Qi will absolutely rescue Li Shiwei before you can even make a move. Trying to scheme against him using Li Shiwei is simply impossible.” The Demonic Prince seemed very dissatisfied with the Heavenly Demon Lord’s approach and rebuked him.

They spoke without avoiding Li Shiwei at all. Li Shiwei listened to their entire conversation, clenching her fists, but her ears perked up, listening carefully to every detail.

Since they weren’t avoiding her, she needed to listen clearly to prepare herself.

“Not a hostage, but a catalyst. Our action will inevitably provoke Li Qi’s response. He will come to save his daughter no matter what. At that time, we only need to activate the Demon of Death’s Dao Resonance within Li Shiwei, making her attack Li Qi out of her own anger. This will surely stir Li Qi’s demonic thoughts.”

“Oh… You want to use this method to expose a flaw in his Dao Heart and then sneak in? That’s somewhat new, but the problem falls on Li Shiwei. Can you truly make her actively attack Li Qi? Putting everything else aside, she’s heard everything. If you use brainwashing or hypnosis, Li Qi won’t develop a flaw in his Dao Heart; instead, he’ll see all of you as thorns in his side,” the Demonic Prince warned.

Yes, to expose a flaw in Li Qi’s Dao Heart, it must be Li Shiwei’s genuine intention, making her genuinely harbor murderous intent towards Li Qi from the bottom of her heart, wanting to commit patricide.

Only then would it cause an inner fluctuation in Li Qi.

If it were merely manipulating Li Shiwei’s body to attack Li Qi, it would only provoke Li Qi’s wrath, further solidifying his resolve, and would not cause a true spiritual impact on him.

“Of course not. We are already fourth-rank; how could we not understand these things? Your Highness, rest assured, we have many ways to make her act voluntarily, which is also why we came to you,” the Heavenly Demon Lord said to the Demonic Prince.

The Demonic Prince looked at the Heavenly Demon Lord with interest, then glanced at Li Shiwei: “Hmm… a bit tricky. You’ve really given me a difficult problem. If I agree, it’ll be like I’m pushing someone into a fire pit. Li Qi will definitely fight me to the death then. Although I’m bound to fight him after reaching fourth-rank, I hope it’s a fair duel, not a vendetta driven by hatred.”

“But I also can’t seem to find a reason to stop you, since strictly speaking, this matter has nothing to do with me. Tsk…”

The Demonic Prince seemed to be in a dilemma.

He really wanted to have a fair fight with Li Qi, and he hoped this fight wouldn’t involve any love-hate relationships or anything like that—just a pure battle.

After reaching third-rank, his Overlord Dao Foundation would be completely formed. At that time, the Demonic Prince would no longer be bound by victory or defeat. Before that, the Demonic Prince hoped to conclude all battles.

But what reason did he have to stop the other Demonic Lords?

None, right?

This made the Demonic Prince very troubled.

The Heavenly Demon Lord waited beside him for the Demonic Prince’s decision.

As for Li Shiwei, he completely ignored her.

In the Heavenly Demon Lord’s view, Li Shiwei had no say in this matter; she was neither qualified nor capable of interfering with her own fate.

After pondering, the Demonic Prince stood up.

Leaning on his cane, he limped over to Li Shiwei in the corner and said, “Well, I’ve thought about it for a while… I think I’ll leave it to you to decide.”

“If you ask me to save you, I’ll make them leave, and Li Qi’s matter won’t involve you.”

“If you want to face it yourself, then I won’t interfere in this matter.”

“You choose.”

Li Shiwei looked at the Demonic Prince.

Here it comes again.

This… feeling of powerlessness.

——————

The world, the extreme southern hot sands, the dwelling place of the Demonic Dao.

Li Qi was currently working with Jing Wuzhen on the transformation of the entire City of Dreams. Li Qi had re-convened the fifth-rank controllers, distributed new tasks, and clarified the oversight mechanism, making these fifth-ranks realize one thing—

Compared to the previous small-scale acts of benevolence, this Senior… seemed to be serious.

Jing Wuzhen’s previous actions, in their eyes, were purely acts of benevolence that would soon be withdrawn, just like countless changes in the past that ultimately couldn’t change the predicament of the Demonic Dao dominating this place.

But what Li Qi was doing was different; Li Qi was fundamentally targeting the Demonic Dao!

Many of his measures were fundamentally hindering the birth of demonic thoughtss, aiming to prevent the emergence of the Demonic Dao from the ground up. He was even systematically and plannedly slaughtering those who cultivated the Demonic Dao and obstructing the spread of Demonic Dao cultivation methods.

Therefore, these fifth-ranks were getting restless.

They exchanged glances, and one of them stepped forward and said to Li Qi, “Senior… isn’t this a bit too harsh? To kill all cultivators of the Demonic Dao?”

“When the Demonic Dao oppressed you, you didn’t find it harsh, but when I want to avenge you, you find it harsh? What does this mean, or are you in league with the Demonic Dao?” Li Qi retorted.

“Of course not… Since it’s Senior’s will, then let’s do it. It’s just that the Demonic Dao’s power is immense; we’re afraid it will be difficult to do it perfectly—” a fifth-rank controller said.

“Don’t worry, leave the matter of demon-slaying to me. You certainly can’t do it well. You just need to help,” Li Qi said with a smile.

These words sent chills down the spines of the other controllers.

Undoubtedly, for them to become fifth-rank layer controllers, they must have some connection with the Demonic Dao.

And Li Qi wanted to cut off this connection; he really wanted to eradicate the Demonic Dao’s foundation here.

This act made all the layer controllers present break out in cold sweat.

If it were just sympathy, that would be one thing…

But if he truly wanted to uproot the Demonic Dao from here, it would inevitably touch upon many, many things, even leading to the Demonic Lords taking action—

This possibility made all the layer controllers present tremble uncontrollably.

“Rest assured, you just do it. If you do it, I’ll bear the responsibility. If the Demonic Dao returns, they’ll come for me. However… if you don’t do it, the responsibility will be yours. You should have realized by now that unlike Jing Wuzhen, I’m not soft-hearted,” Li Qi whispered to them.

Between his words, a trace of Demonic Qi swirled around Li Qi’s voice.

This made the others look at each other.

Suddenly, Li Qi seemed to have become… no different from those Demonic Lords.

Could it be… an internal dispute within the Demonic Dao?

They suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

If it was an internal dispute within the Demonic Dao, that would be wonderful.

A small hint made these people relax, as if they had already perceived the truth behind it.

It seemed that Jing Wuzhen had also been misled by this fourth-rank Senior. It made sense… This was the Demonic Dao’s City of Dreams, their foundation in the world; how could it be casually handed over to outsiders?

Now it seemed to be nothing more than an internal conflict. If so, helping either side was the same, no different from before.

Severing demonic thoughtss and then replacing a new group of people—this must be what this fourth-rank Senior had in mind, right?

Everyone understood tacitly and began to work silently.

Li Qi just smiled and then left.

This way, these people should work even harder.

He returned to the ecological cabin where Jing Wuzhen was waiting for his miniature.

“It’s done. If we continue to implement this, in about ten years, the birth of demonic thoughtss at the lowest level can be eradicated. However, there are still so many people who need to be dealt with. How do you think it’s best to handle them?” Li Qi asked Jing Wuzhen.

“It’s already resolved?” Jing Wuzhen was somewhat incredulous, but she also knew Li Qi wasn’t someone who lied, so she focused on the subsequent question and answered directly, “Of course, send them away. Back to where they came from.”

“Is that so? Then it will involve the matter of the Star Gate. After all, that thing is still maintained by the Demonic Dao, and using it probably isn’t that simple, involving many specific technical issues.”

“Anyway, we’re going to face the Demonic Lord, so you must have a good solution, right?” Jing Wuzhen said with great trust.

Li Qi’s efficiency in resolving these matters and the thinking ability he displayed greatly impressed Jing Wuzhen. Jing Wuzhen considered herself not foolish, but she was clearly not as intelligent as him.

However, as for how many people would agree with that self-assessment… that’s another matter.

Putting that aside, Li Qi laughed heartily upon hearing Jing Wuzhen’s words: “Indeed, but I’ll need your cooperation then. In my plan, dealing with the Demonic Lord is the first step, and this first step requires them to make the first move so I can counterattack. Only when I’ve captured a few Demonic Lords can I truly initiate the plan.”

“You have to wait for them to make the first move? Aren’t you afraid your daughter will be used by them? The Demonic Dao will definitely do that, right?” Jing Wuzhen frowned. Was Li Qi unaware of his daughter’s predicament within the Demonic Dao with this attitude?

“I want them to use her,” Li Qi said. “When they use my daughter, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.”

“You’re really bold. You only have one daughter. Don’t tell me… you’re the kind of person who treats their child as expendable,” Jing Wuzhen’s expression was a bit subtle.

“I trust her,” Li Qi said with a smile.

“Trust?… That’s good. I used to have someone I could trust too, but unfortunately, he couldn’t keep up with me later,” Jing Wuzhen said. “It’s really nice to have someone you can trust.”

“Don’t you trust me?” Li Qi asked.

“No, you can tell at a glance that you’re a person with many schemes,” Jing Wuzhen shook her head decisively. Li Qi’s mind was clearly full of twists and turns; such a person was untrustworthy.

Just as Li Qi was about to say something, he suddenly felt a jolt.

A sense of ominousness washed over him.

A Shaman’s sixth sense is usually very accurate, carrying many special symbolic meanings in the mystical sense.

“Something’s wrong.”