Chapter 953: Li Qi's transformation

Shen Shuibi was naturally also in this war. In fact, as an indispensable part of Li Qi's life, she would inevitably be drawn in.

Being too close to a Third Grade naturally means bearing corresponding risks.

Moreover, in these countless regressions, she would retain every memory, and as a Fourth Grade, she would suffer even more.

Li Qi would not be changed. A Third Grade is already a metaphysical existence, difficult to alter.

But Shen Shuibi is not a Third Grade; she is a Fourth Grade. Her substantiality only allows her to maintain herself during regression; she cannot resist on her own.

If Li Qi is a writer watching a constantly repeating story, then she is a character within that constantly repeating story, but she can maintain herself.

This is actually… very painful.

Just like the endless regressions Li Qi experienced when he was a Fifth Grade.

It was that painful.

Everything vanished, nothing remained but one's lonely self.

This means that other things in this world often disappear, and no one can help her face them. In Shen Shuibi's world, the only real existence left is herself.

An astonishing sense of nihilism enveloped Shen Shuibi. She even began to fear this self that faced possibilities.

Because the constant refreshing of the surrounding world brings a sense of lonely nihilism.

No attachment, no shelter—

Lonely, abnormal, eerie, cold.

As we said before, people immersed in the Mortal world feel warmth, a sense of comfort like being at home, because others have arranged their identity and way of life for them, so they don't have to face possibilities themselves.

How convenient, comfortable, and warm that is, with everything in order, feeling just like being at home. But fear pulls you out of that home, making you an individualized, lonely self.

However, in such days, there was still something she could truly believe in, and that was Li Qi, who appeared by her side every time.

This gave Shen Shuibi tremendous support.

In this chaotic world of nihilism, how wonderful and beautiful it was to have a solid existence to accompany her.

It was precisely because of this that Shen Shuibi was able to persevere in this endless timeline war.

But now, Shen Shuibi, by Li Qi's side, also saw such an atmosphere.

That… nihilistic atmosphere.

She realized it was time for her to support Li Qi.

So, she stepped forward and hugged Li Qi, saying to him, “I’m always here.”

Li Qi gave a wry smile, “I know, but not for long.”

“Is this branch going to be cut off?” Shen Shuibi asked again.

“Yes, in four minutes. To be precise… the fighting has already started; I just came back to the present to talk to you,” Li Qi explained.

This is indeed difficult to understand, because for Li Qi, his conversation with Shen Shuibi, his separation from Shen Shuibi four minutes later, and his battle with the Human Dao Third Grade, all three events are happening simultaneously.

Many other things are happening at the same time, such as Li Qi experiencing his selves on other timelines, engaging in various conversations and countless battles. All of this is happening simultaneously in the eyes of Li Qi’s ‘main body’.

Every moment, there are countless enemies to face, countless battlefields to clear, and countless decisions waiting to be finalized. This is the battle Li Qi is fighting.

Time has no meaning; chronology has meaning, and chronology only has meaning for Li Qi himself. Everything else can be ignored.

“Only four minutes… then, before that—” Shen Shuibi wanted to say something, but the words seemed harder to utter than she expected.

So she couldn't continue.

Li Qi just looked at her, appearing somewhat helpless.

He pretty much guessed what the rabbit wanted to say.

“Li Qi, I seem to have… become your weakness,” Shen Shuibi said with a bitter smile, shaking her head and changing her words.

“Weakness? Don’t say that,” Li Qi shook his head.

“In the upcoming possibilities, you cannot leave me here. I am a burden. Perhaps trying to abandon me could lead to a better outcome,” Shen Shuibi immediately added.

She had already realized this.

Because of her relationship with Li Qi, at some crucial junctures, the Human Dao would target Shen Shuibi's possibilities, attempting to strip Shen Shuibi's history from Li Qi's side.

If he actively separated from Shen Shuibi, he might gain the initiative.

“Impossible, I won’t do that, you know,” Li Qi said calmly but firmly, stroking her hair.

The rabbit, however, shook her head and said, “It’s better this way. Anyway, once everything settles, you can make everything start over, can’t you?”

Even if they were temporarily separated, as long as Li Qi himself had a future, then as a Third Grade, he would have the chance to restore everything.

But this brought them back to the original question.

Which historical period is 'more real' and 'more qualified' to be preserved?

Is it the history where Shen Shuibi lived, or the history where she died?

Without a doubt, for Li Qi, the history where she lived is more important. If he had to choose, he would definitely preserve the history that allowed Shen Shuibi to live.

But…

But if that were the case, wouldn't it fundamentally deny Shen Shuibi's existence?

When Shen Shuibi also becomes an object that can be manipulated at will, what does this reality even count as?

Besides illusion, is there anything else that can describe it?

“That’s why I said, I won’t back down on this step,” Li Qi stated.

Shen Shuibi said nothing, just buried her head in Li Qi's shoulder.

At this moment, Li Qi thought of the past. He had once met a Third Grade of the Zhongwei Bird clan, whose Dao Heart had collapsed due to a First Grade battle (details in Chapter 916).

At that time, the Zhongwei Bird Third Grade said to Li Qi: “In the previous great battle, my history was killed. In that tiny bit of time when I was about to escape, I almost lost consciousness. When I regained my senses, I found my history was like a pig dismembered in a butcher shop.”

“If I had a bit of backbone, I should have risen up in resistance and let my possibilities return to zero. That way, even if I couldn’t interfere with the future, at least I could hold onto the present, hide in a closed spacetime loop and continue to live, hoping to gain new possibilities one day.”

“However… I couldn’t do it. I chose to concede, didn’t interfere with the changes they made, and preserved the possibility of continuation, but it shattered my past into a dream.”

This memory surfaced in Li Qi’s mind, and Li Qi suddenly realized a certain danger was approaching.

When he felt this way because of Shen Shuibi’s situation—

If he ultimately chose ‘never to back down’.

Then, if he got caught in the Human Dao's tug-of-war, this so-called 'never backing down' would inevitably become the beginning of his possibilities being closed off.

What Shen Shuibi meant by 'burden' was actually this.

You refuse to back down? Alright, let's have a tug-of-war then.

When you engage in an infinite tug-of-war within the timeline, it is equivalent to never being able to move forward. For those matters, you actively choose to remain in the infinite regressions of the past.

This is the death of a Third Grade: possibilities returning to zero.

Li Qi would actively remain in the past, no longer moving towards the future, no longer creating new possibilities.

This made Li Qi sigh.

To maintain the possibility of moving into the future, must he abandon Shen Shuibi?

Then…

Abandoning Old Ma, abandoning Sixth Uncle, abandoning Shen Shuibi…

Abandoning everyone he knows, being all alone, then there would be no more ties, light and nimble, and it would even be impossible to attack Li Qi's past against him, because he wouldn't care at all.

Li Qi would naturally become 'immortal'.

Giving up everything, abandoning all, just to survive for one's own existence.

Just like… the Immortal Heaven.

The Immortal Heaven cares about nothing.

It needs nothing.

Everything in the outside world is irrelevant; it doesn't need to care whether it's real or not. That has nothing to do with the Immortal Heaven.

The Immortal Heaven is a thorough brute. If it were born unranked, it would likely remain unranked and die, with no possibility of cultivation.

But it just so happens to be a naturally born First Grade, similar to Haotian.

It's hard to imagine how such a thing came into being, but it just appeared.

Because the Immortal Heaven doesn't care about anything.

Because the Immortal Heaven doesn't care about anything other than itself.

He has no Dao dispute with any existence, nor does he care about any interests or the like; he just needs to exist.

Therefore, the Immortal Heaven is the safest existence in this Universe. If Li Qi learned from him, then naturally there would be no problem.

Just…

Li Qi suddenly reached out and hugged Shen Shuibi tightly: “I suddenly understood something, Yu’er.”

“What?” Shen Shuibi looked up.

Li Qi slowly said: “When I reached Third Grade… no, when I reached Fifth Grade, I always held a soft attitude towards the existence of Mortals. You still remember what I was like when I was a Ninth Grade and Eighth Grade, right?”

“I just realized that the manifestation of so-called ‘natural’ is not the ultimate Origin; it’s not that nihilistic. What is called ‘natural’ is everything itself.”

Yes, 'natural' does not hang above all things, but coexists with them.

In this world, there is no 'metaphysical' existence.

Li Qi noticed this point.

He is not 'metaphysical'; there is no existence 'higher' than 'form'.

Form, the appearance of all things, is the Origin of all things.

Therefore, there is no distinction between 'real' and 'illusory' at all.

“If even all things themselves are false, then what ‘Dao’ is there to speak of? Right?” Li Qi said, stroking Shen Shuibi’s head.

The rabbit looked at Li Qi, and from him, she vaguely saw Li Qi's former self.

The previous Li Qi had a very 'masterly demeanor'.

A Third Grade master, a Great Power traversing the Universe, unrestrained by time and space, whose power could penetrate ancient and modern times—naturally, his demeanor was also lofty.

With a light step, he vanished from the spot; a single word could decide the world; his words were law, and his magic power boundless.

He regarded everything with indifference, only appearing somewhat normal to those close to him and other Great Powers of Third Grade or higher. Beyond that, Li Qi barely considered Mortals as beings with whom he could converse.

Because there was no need.

Countless heartbreaking individual lives: humanoids, fish-like creatures, mollusks, energy beings, elements, or high-dimensional beings like La Qi, including the fates of all other creatures.

Before them, Li Qi was high above.

His attitude towards these creatures this time was by no means equal.

Li Qi's attitude was neither indifferent nor simply loving.

Admittedly, if one had to say, Li Qi respected them and loved them, but it seemed that Li Qi, as a Third Grade master, no longer had the desire to save them from suffering, nor was he willing to help them escape the harsh effects of their environment.

Li Qi was willing to respect them, but no longer pitied them.

In the endless Reincarnation, Li Qi saw the flaws of these lives, their limitations, their trivial characteristics, and their wavering between昏庸 and clarity.

This wavering and these flaws have even become part of the essence of these lives. If he were to help them escape all this, it would be to obliterate their existence. So Li Qi did not interfere with them, merely maintaining their existence, and felt no pity for their plight.

Because, for the master Li Qi, they are part of possibility. As long as the 'Dao' exists, they will exist, and even if they are destroyed again and again, it doesn't matter.

Because all things are derived from 'natural'; as long as 'natural' is maintained, life will grow from the ground by itself.

This was the attitude of the master Li Qi towards them.

But a long time ago, Li Qi was not like this.

A long time ago, Li Qi would rage for justice and risk his life.

But as he cultivated, he increasingly realized the fragility of Mortals and the illusory nature of this Universe, so he fell into a state of confusion. He couldn't distinguish whether interfering with this Universe still had meaning. He remained indifferent to individual Mortals, but was always unsure how to approach Mortals as a whole.

However… at this moment, Li Qi finally affirmed his answer.

All things are not derived from 'natural'.

All things are 'natural' itself.

All things generate themselves, things create themselves.

Not dependent on the Dao externally, nor on oneself internally. Things in the world seem to have a 'Dao' that makes the world as it is, but if one seeks that metaphysical 'Dao', the result can only be nothing.

Because, things create themselves, independent of each other. Each specific thing becomes an independent entity, and the sum of all things is 'natural'.

With this answer, Li Qi looked at Mortals, at Shen Shuibi, and at this endless Reincarnation with a new perspective.

At the same time, he also made a new decision.

“Leave it to me,” he whispered softly into Shen Shuibi’s ear.