Beyond the Realm

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuibi immediately raised her hands, and the yin and Yin-Yang trigrams around her rose up accordingly.

Li Qi grabbed her hand, shook his head, and gestured for her to stop.

The rabbit was puzzled, but since Li Qi had done so, she immediately put down her defenses and did not attempt to launch another attack.

Li Qi didn't know if he forgot or what, but he didn't let go and just kept talking to him. He continued to say to the sky covered by the canopy, "Master Chanzhi, the way of witchcraft is just a minor path. Among the many branches of Shaman Path, it is one of the less respectable ones. Its Dao Path is insidious, and the word 'sacrifice' is contrary to nature. If you take the way of witchcraft as a reference, I'm afraid you will only be deeply entrenched in demonic thoughts and never be able to escape."

"If you truly wish to learn the balancing methods of Shaman Path, you should seek my help, for I am the true orthodox Shaman." Li Qi sat on the Old Ma, his inner world unfolding before him.

The surrounding atmosphere gradually shifted towards Li Qi's location, and the natural energy began to change. Although it was still immature, it subtly exuded a sense of oppressive power, as if he were the very essence of heaven and earth.

He had used this technique on Jin Buhuan as well. By adjusting the rhythms of the outside world and his own body, he allowed his own little world to gradually spread out, forming a place similar to a domain around him.

In this region, the timing and location naturally favor Shaman, because they are part of their own personal microcosm.

It sounds simple, but the art of witchcraft does not employ such methods.

The essence of witchcraft lies in 'cultivation'—cultivating Gu worms, cultivating demonic followers, and even cultivating a part of one's own body. For Shaman who practice Witchcraft and Poison Arts, sacrifice is not a means of communication, but a means of cultivation.

This includes a series of Blood Sacrifice methods, all aimed at obtaining other external resources and then cultivating what they want.

Sacrifice was no longer communication, but plunder.

This is the difference between Li Qi's sacrificial rites and the Blood Sacrifice of witchcraft.

Li Qi was certain that if his speculation was correct, then if this Chanzhi Master continued to dabble in witchcraft, his fall into demonic ways was practically a certainty.

What he is showing now is what Chanzhi truly wanted.

So, after gradually adjusting the surrounding weather to suit himself, Li Qi held Shen Shuibi's hand and said in a low voice, "Don't come looking for me after this. Go to Guangyang City, find Golden Wave Sect, and tell them that Li Qi is looking for Wang Baiyan. Tell that person named Wang Baiyan about what happened today. Also, leave the White Rhinoceros Army matter to Zhang Lan. Don't get involved. Zhang Lan and Wang Baiyan will handle it afterward."

"Don't come looking for you? Where are you going?" Shen Shuibi immediately asked.

Outside, without Li Qi shielding her from so many things, she had to actively interact with people, which made her seem very uneasy.

She didn't feel anything when facing a seventh-rank expert, but since Li Qi was leaving, she had to take the initiative to go out and talk to someone, which made Shen Shuibi extremely uneasy.

But there was no other way.

Before Li Qi could speak, a vortex suddenly appeared in the sky.

Seeing this, Li Qi smiled and thought, "Just as I suspected."

Having witnessed the orthodox Shaman way, the other party, being a seventh-rank cultivator, easily recognized that this was the method he hoped to pursue, the one that could help him balance the conflict between Buddhism and demons.

This was the method Li Qi came up with to stop the Blood Sacrifice.

If someone were to fight a seventh-rank official, only a fool would choose that option. Even Shen Shuibi couldn't win, and everyone present would be doomed.

It would be better to take the risk and get the others out first.

As for Li Qi himself...

That's for sure, he'll definitely be taken away by Chanzhi.

Li Qi firmly believed that in Chanzhi's eyes, none of this was as important as the method to resolve his conflict between Buddhism and demons, and he would definitely do it regardless of the consequences.

Therefore, he arranged Shen Shuibi's matter, which was a backup plan regarding the Chanzhi incident.

Hopefully, Shen Shuibi won't cause any trouble.

As the whirlpool appeared, Shen Shuibi immediately tried to resist.

She shook off Li Qi's hand; clearly, she didn't want Li Qi to be arrested, no matter what.

However, just as she made her move—

Suddenly, a giant tree appeared all around.

A tall Bodhi Tree appeared here, incomparably magnificent. Its flowers and fruits were in full bloom, and its light shone everywhere. There were also red, green, blue and white Mani jewels, clouds of jeweled locks, and jeweled pillars.

Golden jewels and bells surround the area, and a net of precious jewels covers it, with hundreds of thousands of colors reflecting each other. Boundless light shines infinitely, and all kinds of splendor appear accordingly.

The Bodhi Tree was stirred by a gentle breeze, which rustled its branches and leaves, producing countless wondrous sounds of Dharma. These sounds spread throughout the surroundings, clear, melodious, subtle, and harmonious.

Countless birds perched on the branches of the Bodhi Tree.

There are various birds, including ducks, geese, robins, mynas, parrots, mandarin ducks, and peacocks.

There are Gandharva birds, Kalanda birds, Kuksha birds, Bhaga birds, Kalavinka birds, Jivajiva birds, and so on.

Birds, carrying flowers and fruits in their beaks, gather like clouds.

However, these birds abandoned the fruit in their beaks and flew towards Shen Shuibi's formation.

The Yin-Yang trigrams were clearly just manifestations of energy, without any physical form, yet they were carried away by these birds!

In an instant, the formation ceased to be a formation, the method ceased to be a method, and the technique ceased to be a technique; all power was lost!

Shen Shuibi frowned, quickened her pace, made hand Hand Seals, and moved her slender fingers, only to see the remaining Yin-Yang trigrams around her rapidly combining.

The Yin-Yang trigrams are the basic symbols that make up the trigrams, and are the most fundamental runes in Daoism that form the yin and yang of the eight trigrams. (Note: The Yin-Yang trigrams are the long and short horizontal lines around the eight trigrams, which form different trigrams and symbolize different scenarios.)

At this moment, these Yin-Yang trigrams flickered, filling the void in the trigram Kan and converging on Shen Shuibi.

When the Yin and Yang energies combine, the essence of the liver, gallbladder, heart, and kidneys mixes and operates in accordance with the generating and restraining mechanisms of the five elements, the true fire of the three flavors of Bing and Ding in the gallbladder can be emitted.

However, before he could unleash his power, Li Qi stood up on his own initiative, left Old Ma, and broke free from the protection of Yin-Yang trigrams.

Almost instantly, he was sucked into the vortex.

The surrounding sky and the Bodhi Tree vanished like an illusion.

Shen Shuibi's attack was already in place, but Li Qi and Tianmu had disappeared.

As if venting her anger, she pushed the Samadhi True Fire she had gathered forward. The powerful energy in her hand swept away all demons, showing no trace of femininity. The mighty fire wave crashed out like a tsunami!

A small mountain range was abruptly cut in half by her, splitting it in two!

Lava flowed everywhere, and flames surged skyward.

She floated in the air and looked up at the sky.

The rabbit is angry.

Although she didn't know who had kidnapped Li Qi, she was furious.

At that moment, a figure rushed over from not far away.

It was Zhang Lan who did not escape.

Although Zhang Lan was previously blocked by the sky barrier, he did not run away. Now that the sky barrier had disappeared, he immediately rushed over.

"Miss Shen? Brother Li?" Zhang Lan asked.

Shen Shuibi's previously blank expression changed into a serious expression with furrowed brows.

She originally didn't want to pay attention to Zhang Lan.

But then I thought of what Li Qi said before he left.

The rabbit rubbed its face in frustration and said, "Li Qi said that the White Rhinoceros Army and these civilians are in your hands. I'm going to go find someone. Goodbye!"

After saying that, Shen Shuibi fled as if she were escaping, riding a rainbow alone and flying towards Guangyang City.

First, go find that... King, King...

What was his name again?

Oh no, she didn't remember.

As for Zhang Lan, who had been left behind by Shen Shuibi, he glanced at the civilians below and the White Rhinoceros Army, whose Soldier's Qi had almost completely collapsed.

The swordsman also sighed.

Since the Li Qi brothers dared to risk their lives to abduct that seventh-rank official, the remaining mess can only be left to him.

The morale of the White Rhinoceros Army was low, and the civilians were even more panicked and at a loss.

"Damn it!" he cursed.

It's unclear whether he was cursing Li Qi, or the suddenly appearing seventh-rank official, or even himself.

Seventh rank...

The high-ranking members of the Righteous Sword Palace are only at the seventh rank. Even in the Hundred Forests Kingdom, a seventh rank official can be considered Grand Official or a supreme ruler.

How many people like that are there...?

Even a seventh-rank official can be the chief Sword Master, the one who holds the general outline of the three hundred and sixty Circulatory Stars Treasure Sword.

Just as Zhang Lan was sighing, Old Ma suddenly arrived.

He looked at the Old Ma with suspicion. "This is... Brother Li's Dragon Steed? Why?"

Old Ma suddenly turned around, revealing a letter on his back.

Zhang Lan picked it up, glanced at it briefly, and then his expression turned serious.

"You will come with me from now on. After we settle these people, we will go to the Righteous Sword Palace!"

Regardless of what happened on the spot, the division of labor has been arranged.

And Li Qi, after passing through that vortex.

He suddenly felt a strange sensation.

His vision was completely dark, and he couldn't see anything, but it was precisely this darkness that gave off a bizarre, frenzied, and irrational feeling.

It felt as if the world around us was already filled with despair.

He seemed to hear whispers in his ears, but something strange began to rise, and his five senses gradually blurred.

Consciousness quietly sank into darkness, and the cold, deep gold surrounding me seemed to warm up, just like lying in bed before going to sleep, turning off the lights, and closing my eyes.

That kind of look, though dark, is Anxin.

It carries a sweet, enticing scent that lulls you to sleep.

Li Qi was almost asleep.

But the next second, two golden lines lit up beside him, flashing through the darkness. Li Qi, barely managing to stay conscious, managed to react.

But it had no effect.

The eighth-grade metal energy seemed utterly incapable of shattering these things.

But--

Countless progress bars flashed before his eyes, as if he were passing through countless events.

Just then, Li Qi suddenly discovered that the progress bars he had long been accustomed to and able to ignore had pierced through the darkness, marking all the strange and bizarre things around him and bringing them all to his sight.

The darkness was pushed back by the progress bar, and in its place—

It is the starry sky.

A beautiful starry sky.

It's not the kind of starry sky where there are just a few tiny bright spots on the screen.

Looking Up at the Stars from the ground, the view is like sesame seeds sprinkled on a black cloth.

Those stars seemed utterly uninteresting at that moment.

Now, the Daoist aura emanating from Li Qi dispelled the darkness and revealed an even more astonishing truth.

What appeared before Li Qi at this moment was an endless galaxy, a true spectacle that could be seen with the naked eye!

The vast expanse of space is filled with endless brilliance, and hundreds of billions of burning spherical stars composed of ultra-high-temperature plasma!

But that's not all!

He saw a roc with a wingspan the size of a star, carrying a magnificent palace complex on its back, seemingly capable of holding several planets.

The roc was so far away from Li Qi that the light it emitted was only the size of a fist when it reached Li Qi, but the star beneath it was unmistakable.

A semi-transparent giant in the starry sky was leaping through the boundless galaxy. With each step, it could traverse several star systems, and soon disappeared before Li Qi's eyes.

His speed should have far exceeded that of light, far exceeded Li Qi's reaction speed, yet Li Qi was able to see the other's actions. It was as if what he couldn't see wasn't light, but some more mysterious information.

There is also a terrifying giant crocodile, which is wandering in the ocean of the universe. It is opening its huge mouth to devour the galaxy. Dozens of stars are sucked into its belly in one gulp, making the sun and moon seem to be startled and the galaxy seem to be overturned!

And moreover, on rivers formed by indescribable energy, countless small worlds float, like tiny boats on the ocean, rising and falling on this rainbow-like sea.

There were even larger worlds, beyond the rainbow ocean, that filled almost all of Li Qi's vision, bizarre and grotesque.

Some are spherical, like planets, but they are not planets. Instead, they are covered by a thin crystalline wall, with hidden caves inside.

Others are floating continents, suspended in the void, drifting through the universe according to some kind of law.

Others are hemispherical, with a round top and a square bottom, covered by a dome over the land below.

Even more magnificent and unbelievable was what Li Qi saw when he looked up.

A giant dragon, entirely composed of stars. On his body, the stars are living things, the galaxies are the writhing muscles on his claws, and the planets are his cells.

In the eyes of countless otherworldly beings, his existence was like a speck of starlight embedded in the sky.

The giant dragon appeared before Li Qi for only a fleeting moment before vanishing without a trace, a mere glimpse of its Li Qi.

But he still recognized what it was.

Azure Dragon! This is the Azure Dragon, one of the Four Symbols!

Within this boundless land lie billions of worlds, and beyond those billions of worlds, there are still billions of worlds!

Countless scenes come together, defying all logic!

Its beauty is indescribable, like crystal-clear snowflakes. Although beautiful, its pure beauty melts away when touched, and becomes tainted when it falls to the ground. Only in the heavens can one truly appreciate its beauty.

Even when Li Qi had the idea of "wanting to record it," and carefully considered his words, trying to summarize that beauty in a sentence, he could feel that the beauty had lost its purity and become vulgar.

Li Qi found out.

He knew where he had arrived after passing through that vortex.

Beyond the borders!

This is beyond our reach!