Chapter 996: Hook

Li Qi was still competing with the Demonic Dao. Although the overt war had ended, the true, more perilous war had just begun.

The Demonic Dao had used retreat as a means of advance, posing a difficult problem for Li Qi, and Li Qi had responded in kind.

How should I put this...

What Li Qi did actually had a very significant loophole.

To view war and construction as a struggle against demons is a very appealing idea. Look, we make brave sacrifices, even paying the ultimate price of life, to defeat demons—just thinking about it feels sacred.

To indirectly have other people's children end the demons is enough to make one feel the same glory; most supporters think this way.

Becoming part of a group always seems like a very wise choice, and immersing oneself in the sentiment of the team always makes one feel excited.

Even if one is sober, not swayed by the group, and not indulging in hatred and prejudice, the group can at least provide a period of happiness.

To view one's own group as superior to others always brings pleasure. Therefore, various things, including Dao Orthodoxy, that can distinguish 'us' from 'the enemy' can always unite people instantly.

But in reality, for the Nine Lands Under Heaven, this is nonsense.

Everyone knows that organizations are organizations, and Dao Orthodoxy is Dao Orthodoxy.

For example, Shaman Dao is Shaman Dao, and Shaman God Mountain is Shaman God Mountain.

When speaking of Shaman God Mountain, it refers to the organization of Shaman God Mountain, and while the organization of Shaman God Mountain is a major sect of Shaman Dao, it is not the entirety of Shaman Dao.

Many Shamanes do not recognize Shaman God Mountain, such as the Two Clans of Chong and Li; not only do they not recognize Shaman God Mountain, but they also support the existence of the Tang Nation.

The Buddhist School was once the same; the World Honored One Tathagata was Mahayana Buddha-Dharma, but there was also Hinayana Buddha-Dharma in the world.

The Daoist School is also like this. Although the Daoist School is a Dao Orthodoxy, its internal structure is not monolithic, leading to Schools like Mount Penglai and Mount Luofu. When Mount Luofu suffered misfortune, no one else offered aid, because they were not familiar with each other at all.

The division of Dao Orthodoxy is essentially a tendency of thought, and because of this tendency, they prefer to be with like-minded people, thus forming organizations like the Doctrinal Canon, Schools, and master-disciple relationships.

And you can belong to a certain Dao Orthodoxy without joining any organization.

Dao Orthodoxy is not a strict, rigidly disciplined organization. While there are organizations within Dao Orthodoxy, Dao Orthodoxy itself is not an organization.

Dao Orthodoxy is a classification, just as 'human' is merely a classification.

However, the classification here is not based on race, but on 'thought'.

Dao Orthodoxy itself is merely the result of the convergence of thoughts, not a rigid, inflexible organization.

For example, an alien fifty light-years from Earth is studying mathematics, and a student at any university on Earth is also studying mathematics. They are clearly of the same Dao Orthodoxy, but have no relationship with each other whatsoever.

The commonality of Dao Orthodoxy is merely the recognition of a fundamental concept; how to interpret that fundamental concept is one's own business, and whether or not to have an organization is also one's own business.

Schools can have rules and regulations, but Dao Orthodoxy itself does not.

Dao Orthodoxy are 'Schools'; they may even have no relation to each other, or be outright hostile.

Therefore, for Dao Orthodoxy, there is no such thing as a 'group'; the relationships between groups are not close. Even the Human Dao is like this: the Tang Nation is the Tang Nation, and the Human Dao is the Human Dao. Not all Human Dao cultivators are people of the Tang Nation; it's just that the Human Dao places more emphasis on organization and unity than other Dao Orthodoxy.

Through the form of groups, many people simply divide things into two sides and firmly believe in this, but the real world is not like this. This idea does not allow people to control themselves; on the contrary, it causes people to entrust their fate to those who manipulate them with lies of war. Hatred and prejudice cannot bring lasting satisfaction; they can only fuel anger.

This emotion is the emotion Li Qi provided to the Demonic Dao.

The relationship between Dao Orthodoxy and Qi Palace lies in this.

Dao Orthodoxy are Dao Orthodoxy because people feel their goals are similar, so they spontaneously gravitate towards each other. This action is entirely spontaneous, with no forced divisions.

What Qi Palace is doing now is completely the opposite: deliberately bringing the power of the Great Power to the masses, making others mistakenly believe that the Great Power is 'one of them'. This blindness, this obedience to the group, is the natural breeding ground for demonic thoughts.

The 'Dao' of the people in Qi Palace is not interconnected. In fact, Li Qi and many people in Qi Palace have different views. Their only common ground is the action of 'exterminating demons'. Li Qi is now displaying the power of the Great Power, creating a sense that 'the Great Power's power belongs to all of us'. This blind 'group spirit' that emerges when everyone's Dao is different is a huge flaw for the Demonic Dao.

This is what Li Qi deliberately leaked to the Demonic Dao.

Will they take the bait?

Li Qi didn't know, but whether they took the bait or not, this move could at least maintain the stability of Qi Palace for a while, so there was no loss either way.

The struggles of Great Powers are mostly like this; everyone considers things very thoroughly, but there's one problem...

Everyone is very thorough because they all know what their core interests are, so their actions are all for their core interests. Generally, unless the difference in strength is too great, core interests will not suffer too much loss, which is why situations where 'there's no loss either way' occur.

But... Li Qi's purpose and core interests are laid bare, and who is the Demonic Dao currently playing against Li Qi? What are their core interests?

It's very possible that what Li Qi has been plotting is something the other party doesn't care much about and wouldn't mind losing, which might lead him into a predicament instead.

But there was nothing to be done about it; so be it. 'When soldiers come, use Dao Resonances to block them; when water comes, use earth to cover it.' He would analyze the specific situation once the Demonic Dao made their move.

And so, time moved forward again.

These matters were generally quite tedious, as the practical execution always involved a myriad of trivial details, but overall, there were no major issues.

Construction is always better than war. Although it's not as direct and brutal as war, one can visually watch what they're doing gradually take shape.

Qi Palace maintained this state—

Thus, planets were fabricated to provide a place for those civilizations whose everything had been destroyed.

Therefore, many people also began to want to join Qi Palace, not out of hatred for the Demonic Dao, but out of recognition or reverence for Qi Palace's construction.

In response, Li Qi uniformly chose to refuse.

Accommodating too many disparate wills was a burden for Qi Palace, but while seemingly strictly guarding against it, he merely issued orders and did not personally manage the matter.

Without the First Grade and Second Grade personally managing it, how the subordinates would execute it would depend entirely on luck.

For the same command, how many people would interpret it in what way is something you can control, just like a book. When a book is written, how readers interpret it is beyond the author's control.

Whether they genuinely didn't understand, thought they understood, or pretended not to understand, when no one is in control, how the same command is executed almost entirely depends on the person and on luck.

Li Qi's command was one thing when it reached the Fourth Grade, another when it reached the Fifth Grade, and yet another when it reached the Sixth Grade. When the same command passed through thousands of people's hands, it was hard to say if it was even the original command by the time it reached the executor.

The flaws in between were countless.

Fortunately, Li Qi possessed the True Knowledge Dao Resonance. This Dao Resonance, inherited from the Heavenly Demon, could perceive almost all information, and Li Qi could easily control it.

It remained to be seen if the Demonic Dao could discern it.

Regarding this, after his Breakthrough to First Grade, Li Qi also gained a new understanding of the True Knowledge Dao Resonance.

This is also... a characteristic of the Heavenly Demon, isn't it? The True Knowledge Dao Resonance is truly the eye of the Heavenly Demon, and indeed, Li Qi now possesses one of the Heavenly Demon's eyes. Moreover, this eye can 'open' in the form of a Heavenly Eye on his forehead, taking in everything.

Although the First Grade confirmed this eye was safe, its essence wouldn't change. This was also a manifestation of the Heavenly Demon's 'absolute self'.

How does the Heavenly Demon confirm that others are also himself? How does he break the 'high wall'?

One must know that sentient beings have high walls in their hearts; others cannot cross these high walls to 'empathize' with you. This is also the boundary that distinguishes the 'self'.

Inside the wall, is 'self'.

Outside the wall, is 'other'.

Each of us is born into this world alone.

Each person belongs only to themselves, and each has a 'world' that only they can see.

That is one's inner world.

In the eyes of the Demonic Dao, the inner world is all that a person has; there is no external world to speak of. This inner world is the only truth.

Therefore, those who wish to communicate with the outside world are pitiful. They wholeheartedly want to tell others what they think and feel, but... there is no one outside at all.

Even if, for argument's sake, there is something outside, others do not have the capacity to receive, just as you yourself do not have the capacity to receive others.

One person cannot truly understand another.

If there is someone who can understand one-tenth of you, that is a 'confidant', a rare friend to meet in a lifetime, something one cannot beg for.

Therefore, humans can only walk alone; although their bodies lean on each other, they are not truly together. They neither understand others nor are understood by others.

Everyone seems to be living in a different world.

All those separated can only shout to others from afar, unable to truly see or touch each other.

But for the Heavenly Demon, he has a way.

This method is the True Knowledge Dao Resonance.

The True Knowledge Dao Resonance can break down high walls and truly achieve 'empathy'.

No matter what it is, it can pierce through and completely understand all of the other's feelings, as if they were the same person.

This power is terrifying; it's not mind-reading in the usual sense, because mind-reading also cannot allow you to read the other's thoughts. Thoughts are an extremely secret, extremely subjective, and extremely private matter, forever unknowable to others.

Reading memories, mind-reading—none of these can break the high wall.

But the complete form of True Knowledge can.

The complete form of True Knowledge, which is one of the Heavenly Demon's eyes, can thoroughly understand the other person, feeling all of their thoughts with virtually no gap.

Just as Li Qi was pondering these things, the sound of a teacup being placed on the table suddenly rang out in front of him.

Li Qi awakened from his thoughts and looked at the person before him.

Before him was a maiden as bright as the full moon.

Of course, by age, she certainly wasn't a maiden anymore; they were an old married couple. However, she still looked only in her early twenties, no different from when they first met.

"Don't put too much burden on yourself," Shen Shuibi walked to Li Qi's side, stood behind him, and said, looking at the table full of documents.

Ever since the matters of Qi Palace began, Li Qi had basically been responsible for handling all affairs, signing various documents, and making various decisions.

In Shen Shuibi's view, others placed too heavy a burden on Li Qi. These people took for granted that Li Qi was First Grade, that he naturally possessed extraordinary power and sufficient wisdom, and that his strength and wisdom were enough to bear all of it, believing he could perfectly handle these problems.

But Shen Shuibi knew that things were not like that; Li Qi also had his limits of endurance, and fighting the Demonic Dao was a difficult task.

"It's only right. They see me this way, just as I once saw the Shaman God," Li Qi said with a smile.

Yes, the Li Qi of the past was indeed like this.

Believing the Shaman God was omnipotent, he almost completely trusted the Shaman God's methods.

"Alas," Shen Shuibi also knew the current situation, so she didn't try to persuade Li Qi, only asking, "Does it really have to be enmity with the Heavenly Demon?"

In fact, from Shen Shuibi's perspective, there was no need to wage war against the entire Demonic Dao.

Even if she had been toyed with by the Heavenly Demon in the past, such things were common. To insist on 'revenge' would be truly reckless, as the Demonic Dao was not easy to deal with. If they kept doing this every day, Shen Shuibi was very worried that their current peaceful life would soon disappear.

Who knew when a major incident might occur, causing the hard-won, uncontrolled life Li Qi had found after his Breakthrough to First Grade to plunge back into turmoil.

"This isn't revenge, Yu'er. Do you think, at this point, my conflict with the Demonic Dao is still as simple as hatred?" Li Qi asked.

"Then what is it for? You and the Demonic Dao have no Dao conflict, and now that you've re-cultivated, everything has settled. Is there still any need to do anything?" Shen Shuibi didn't understand.

Li Qi, however, held the rabbit's hand and said to her, "The Demonic Dao is too great an obstacle in this world. You and I have both suffered through this, and though we are now free, it doesn't mean all sentient beings are."

"So, what I want to do is to ensure that these sentient beings are not troubled by demons."