Chapter 900: Return to Tianxia

When Hao Tian left, Li Qi was still a bit confused.

Just ten minutes ago, what happened almost overturned all of Li Qi's 'impressions' from his cultivation until now.

Aside from the fact that the world was still the world, and those High Grade worlds were still High Grade worlds, the entire Universe had completely changed.

Only one thing was true.

That was the 'past' of the Third Grade.

Because the Third Grade needed to grow, and history was a part of growth, the history involving the Third Grade itself would not change, unless several Third Grades were killed…

Of course, many Third Grades and even Second Grades were indeed killed, and precisely because of this, those histories collapsed, became entangled, and were eventually straightened out, but they were already completely unrecognizable.

This made Li Qi feel a little scared.

Li Qi… had once witnessed the death of multiple Second Grades.

It was about the Sun-Moon Orbit, that Dao; at that time, several Second Grades failed at the last moment and died.

So, their deaths, at the time Li Qi felt there was no problem, as if the Universe had not changed…

But now that he thought about it, if even Second Grades had fallen, what exactly had the Universe become? What form did their deaths take?

Li Qi at that time did not have substantiality, which meant that even if he was changed, he wouldn't feel anything, but he knew that if everything was changed for him at that time…

He would also be changed; he had likely been reshaped many times; when he first came to the world, he might not have been a Lifter, or even a Human Race member.

But through successive reshapes, he ultimately became who he is now.

"Alas, though I had anticipated it, and knew that all of this was real, it's still a bit of a headache to actually witness it," Li Qi sighed, saying so.

"Hmm? What, you're already Third Grade, and you're still debating reality?" At this moment, Yao Ji walked to Li Qi's side, tilted her head, and said.

She was still in that same manner, with the aura of a Heavenly God, but she seemed a bit more cordial towards Li Qi, no longer so arrogant.

Was it because Li Qi was now 'half a Heavenly God'?

"I'm not debating reality; I know that no matter how many times it changes, the last time I experienced, which is everything in my memory, is real." Li Qi shook his head; he would not be swayed by reality, just like his previous answer, he knew for certain that those things were real.

Even if it could be changed, it was by no means false.

"I'm just, a little emotional, that's all." Li Qi let out a long breath: "It's precisely because I recognize their reality that I'm emotional; such real things shouldn't be like this."

Yao Ji listened to this, looking at Li Qi with some curiosity: "Hmm? What you said sounds quite like the Heavenly Emperor; no wonder he asked you to bring me."

Li Qi then said: "Yes, I also think the Heavenly Emperor is a very great and gentle First Grade; the reason why the history of the Universe proceeded so stably before was probably because of him, but, wait a moment—"

As he spoke, Li Qi suddenly realized something; he looked at Yao Ji seriously: "Yao Ji, why… are you still like this? Did Hao Tian make you stay this way?"

It was only then that Li Qi noticed Yao Ji hadn't changed at all.

Not her appearance, but rather, her history, everything she experienced, hadn't changed at all; despite only being Fifth Grade, her reality was incredibly stable.

When Li Qi was Fifth Grade, he had already gained Third Grade traits; at that time, Li Qi could already trace back and even determine the future for a small range of events.

Yao Ji seemed to be the same; she also gained Third Grade traits when she was Fifth Grade, but she gained a different kind of trait; she couldn't change Karma, but she also couldn't be changed.

Her reality and history were as solid as steel; if it weren't for targeted tampering against her, she could even maintain herself during a flashback, and even freely break through the Heavenly Dao's limits.

This truly surprised Li Qi.

"No, I was never going to be changed by you all; you don't know how I was born, do you?" Yao Ji asked.

"Indeed, I don't." Li Qi nodded.

He and Yao Ji weren't really close.

He had only met her twice.

Once, when Yao Ji was severely beaten by the Demonic Prince, and Li Qi watched.

Once, when Li Qi was severely beaten by a Third Grade, and Yao Ji watched, though that time, Yao Ji lent Hao Tian's General to Li Qi.

Besides that, there was no other connection.

"Then it's fine to tell you, after all, the Heavenly Emperor personally sent you, but, you still need to feel it for yourself." Yao Ji said, taking Li Qi's hand.

As Li Qi was puzzled, suddenly, her body became illusory, transforming into a wisp of Qi, which then wrapped around Li Qi's finger, like a ring.

And Li Qi's eyes immediately widened.

This wisp of Qi, Li Qi was incredibly familiar with it; he had even used it!

This was—Hao Tian's General!

Yao Ji's true form was Hao Tian's General?!

In other words, Yao Ji had no mother; as the daughter of the Heavenly Emperor, she was born solely by Hao Tian.

She was a part of Hao Tian, the manifestation of Hao Tian's residual fragments.

"So that's how it is; Hao Tian left you by my side, is that it?" Li Qi nodded slightly, having understood many things.

"However, since that's the case, you don't mind staying with my daughter, do you? She's also Fifth Grade like you; I think you two should be able to get along." As Li Qi spoke, he had already left the Heavenly Court.

He strolled through the starry sky, walking through the 'grid-like' Universe, observing this brand new world and history, while conversing with Yao Ji.

"Your daughter? We don't seem to be of the same generation, do we?" Yao Ji, transformed into a wisp of Qi, chatted with Li Qi mentally.

"The seniority of cultivators is complicated to calculate; let's just go by our own," Li Qi replied.

After all, he had experienced such things many times before, especially for a Genius like Li Qi whose cultivation speed was boundless; seniority was truly difficult to apply to him.

Moreover, the Third Grade's modification of history itself made the so-called 'seniority' seem quite illusory.

"True, then let's do as you say." Yao Ji replied casually: "By the way, do you know what the Heavenly Emperor and the others are doing?"

"What is the Heavenly Emperor doing? From Hao Tian's previous behavior, he must want to maintain the stability of the Universe itself, after all, each reshape is actually equivalent to a destruction, and it can even accumulate Death Qi as a result… and also led to the resurrection of the Demon of Death, you should be very clear about these, right?" Li Qi said.

"Yes, I should be very clear about it, so let's leave it at that." Yao Ji stopped talking.

Li Qi didn't continue either; he just walked through the Void Realm with the ring formed by Yao Ji's Qi.

This walk lasted for over a year.

However, a year's time was just an instant for the current Li Qi.

During this year, he observed the Universe itself.

In this brand new Universe, galaxies were enveloped within certain solid 'barriers,' which were similar to the former world barriers but completely different in nature.

These barriers were elastic and could be destroyed, much like bubbles floating and squeezing together in soapy water, and inside the bubbles were 'mini-Universes.'

There were a great many of these mini-universes; the galaxies within them had various shapes, whether they were a scattered cluster of asteroids, a flat plane, or a chaotic jumble of planets, the world barriers enveloping all of this separated them from the outside world.

Within a mini-Universe, all celestial bodies floated in a vacuum, forming world after world and civilization after civilization, but the previous kind of independent space, or even independent rule 'worlds,' no longer had a foundation for existence.

The Universe was connected as one, yet not entirely one; Mortals could still reach other mini-Universes by 'breaking the bubbles,' although this might require great effort.

These mini-Universes varied in size, from as small as a single solar system to as large as dozens of Observable Universes.

As for those 'worlds' related to the Great Powers, meaning those worlds of Third Grade and above, they… continued to exist in another form.

That was 'Heavens.'

Their worlds, protected by the Great Powers, had a Heaven opened for them, and then nothing changed; they simply existed peacefully within a 'Heaven.'

If that's the case…

Then are the forms of the Buddhist Heavens, and even the Human Race Heavens, the 'Cang Tian' and 'Vast Heaven' created by the Shamanes, similar?

Are the so-called 'Heavens' actually replicas of the Reality Universe?

"So that's it; then observing the early Universe's development by going to the Heavens might also yield new insights." Li Qi nodded slightly, thoughtfully.

The next moment, he had returned to the world.

The world remained unchanged.

The reshaping of the Universe had no impact here; it was just that the local cultivators suddenly learned some things…

That the rules outside the domain had changed, and there was no longer such a thing as world clusters; a new term would be needed from now on.

But the Golden Dais and Star-Mansion Array, these superluminal travel markers, were still fine; the operating mechanism of these fast Universes was the 'star map,' and the essence of the star map was the Star Officials, so they remained stable and could still be used as markers.

As for those who came to the world for travel, it's hard to say whether they were lucky or unlucky…

They would lose everything 'familiar'; everything they experienced would become nothingness, and they themselves—

They would probably fall into panic.

After all, their foundation of existence was gone; their parents, and even civilization itself, no longer existed, as if they had suddenly arrived in a parallel Universe.

Their foundation of existence was already tied to the world; the reason for their birth was not 'parents' but 'the world,' it was that bizarre.

"How pitiful, suddenly losing everything, and not by destruction, but simply vanishing into thin air, as if they had never been born…" Li Qi sighed.

"Wait a moment…" As Li Qi thought of this, a flash of lightning suddenly streaked across his mind!

Undoubtedly, all things have a 'foundation of existence.'

Just like Mortals, if Mortals want to exist, there must be a 'reason for existence'; this reason is that their parents gave birth to them; if the act of 'parents giving birth to a child' does not exist, then the Mortal does not exist.

This is the principle of the 'Existence Erasure' spell.

Now, the fact of their 'parents' existence' has been erased; from the perspective of Karma, they will disappear.

However, because they are in the world, their foundation of existence has become the world; if one had to describe it, then… it is actually 'the world gave birth to them.'

However, they still retain memories, because memories are merely ethereal information that can be fabricated and concocted at any time; for the Demonic Dao, manipulating memories is even easier.

Memories have no substantiality, so what they remember is merely a self-important phantom; if possible, it could even be called a 'dream' or 'hallucination.'

So, the question arises.

This is true for Mortals, but for beings like the Fourth Grade, who already possess incomplete substantiality, they no longer need their parents to give birth to them as the foundation of their existence.

Quite the opposite, it is because he exists that his parents can give birth to him.

His existence is certain, it is substantial; his parents can give birth to him because he exists; he is his own cause, and everything that extends from him is the 'effect' caused by this 'cause,' including his parents and ancestors, who are also his 'effects.'

It's that magical: because I exist, my parents exist.

But these are just the powers of the Fourth Grade; Li Qi had long understood this.

What truly flashed through his mind was another answer behind these things.

First: All things have a foundation of existence.

Second: Mortals, after the Universe's reshape, had their foundation of existence tied to the world; the reason for their birth was not 'parents' but 'the world.'

Third: Not only them, but Li Qi's foundation of existence was also tied to the world.

"Dao Field… so that's its purpose." Li Qi suddenly realized this.

How many times had the world experienced such things?

Then, it could even be said that here in the world, all those histories became entangled, forming a brand new, mixed existence of many Third Grades, and even Second Grades and First Grades.

As a result, the nature of the world itself changed; establishing a 'Dao Field' here was to create a strong correlation with all of this.

Actively participating in this strong interaction of Karma, making oneself a part of the Dao Field, mixing with the world's super Great Power Karma thread tangle, strengthening one's own existence, thereby strengthening one's own existence as well.

In this way, one could more directly feel the existence of 'basic units.'

Therefore, establishing a Dao Field itself is borrowing the power of all Dao Fields.

A Dao Field group?

Can it be understood that way?