New Dao Charm

Li Qi's heart tightened, and he immediately said in a panic, "I don't know, perhaps the master is mistaken? I will lay bare my soul, please take a look at me!"

He looked panicked, as if he was genuinely worried about his soul being damaged.

Chanzhi Zhi was taken aback.

Li Qi had always seemed quick-witted and brave, so why is he suddenly so flustered now?

Moreover, should I reveal my soul to him?

Aren't you afraid of dying?

The methods of Shaman Path are numerous and the Technique Method are wondrous, with many mysterious techniques, but they are all based on the premise that the practitioners are physically weak and their souls are fragile.

The human body, a microcosm within the Shaman Path, is arguably the most vulnerable of all Dao Path.

To voluntarily offer one's soul is to place one's life and death in the hands of others, and it is even difficult to guard against others tampering with one's soul.

If not forced, it is usually only possible to do this to someone with whom one has an extreme level of trust.

Chanzhi frowned, unsure of Li Qi's attitude.

However, for Li Qi, this was not a problem at all.

Does not revealing one's true nature mean that one's life is not in the hands of others?

What a joke! Every second he spends in this tower, his life is in the hands of the Chanzhi.

Therefore, he boldly revealed his true nature and did something that even the Chanzhi dared not imagine.

He incorporated demonic thoughts into his soul!

But then Li Qi revealed his soul, and within it, hundreds of ghosts ran rampant and demons danced wildly!

A swirling black aura enveloped Li Qi's soul; it was these demonic thoughts that were gradually eroding his soul.

After reading it, Chanzhi Zhi frowned and said, "Young friend, you have been researching demonic thoughts for me, but you have not expected to be infected yourself. I have no way to deal with these things, but I can help you suppress them to some extent."

Chanzhi never expected that Li Qi would fail to protect himself and be infected by demonic thoughts!

In that case, it's only natural that the soul would be damaged.

I just hope this kid doesn't die here; it would be best if he could finish researching the method before he dies.

Chanzhi immediately made a decision, put his hands together, and a great light of Buddha's light shone around him. "Young friend, you will soon enter the Rakshasa Ghost Kingdom. They will tempt you with sensual pleasures and food. Be careful not to fall for them. There will be all sorts of demonic obstacles. Just go forward bravely and do not retreat. If you encounter a treasure pool and drink sweet dew, your strength will double. Even if you are in a wonderful place, do not be greedy. Go straight there with a single mind. Only then can you suppress the demonic thoughts and guard your mind. I will now perform the ritual for you."

Li Qi nodded repeatedly, looking extremely flustered and absent-minded.

Then, Chanzhi Zhi sat down and began chanting sutras. Suddenly, he saw a dignified figure in white robes, chanting. "From hearing, thinking, and cultivating, one enters Samadhi. From hearing, one enters the stream and forgets the object. When the object of entry is still, the two aspects of movement and stillness clearly do not arise. Gradually increasing in this way, the hearing and the object of hearing are exhausted. When the exhaustion of hearing does not cease, the awareness and the awareness of awareness are empty. When the emptiness of awareness is perfectly round, the emptiness of what is empty is extinguished. When birth and death are extinguished, Nirvana appears. Suddenly, Li Qi transcends the world and beyond, becoming perfectly enlightened. Above, one unites with the Li Qi enlightened and wondrous mind of all Buddhas, sharing the same compassionate power. Below, Li Qi with all Six Realms Beings, sharing the same compassionate aspiration!"

Upon hearing the Buddhist chant, Li Qi's consciousness dissipated uncontrollably!

He was as if hypnotized, his mind and soul were shaken, and he fell into a deep sleep.

In a daze, he seemed to have fallen into some mysterious country.

There, he seemed to have experienced countless things.

He and a group of people seemed to be trekking through mountains and rivers.

They traversed basins, hills, canyons, plains, and deserts.

There were fruits in the basin, and some hungry people left to find food, but never returned.

Among the hills dwell golden deer. A greedy man abandoned his deer hunt and never returned.

There were medicinal herbs at the bottom of the canyon, but those who were sick left to collect them and never returned.

There was a campfire on the plain, and some weary people left to rest, never to return.

There are oases in the desert, and there are people who live in arid places. So they left to drink water and never returned.

Li Qi ignored them and let them leave.

He vaguely remembered someone reminding him of this.

Beware of temptations from demons, such as sensual pleasures and gluttony.

Despite all obstacles, press on without retreating.

Even if your strength doubles and you are able to reach a superior place, do not be greedy.

He kept it in mind.

He walked for an unknown amount of time, and his anxiety grew.

It might be ten years, or it might be a hundred years; Li Qi couldn't remember.

His consciousness was blurred, and even his sense of time was completely shattered.

I have no idea how much time has passed at this moment.

Despite feeling empty, tired, exhausted, and with a bitter taste in his mouth, he continued to walk with all his might.

He was truly giving it his all, mobilizing every ounce of power he could muster, even though he could feel endless pain coming at him with the slightest movement.

Real pain is like having your ears filled with snickers and screams, and something bouncing around you.

The soul is being eroded.

The oppression of the soul is more painful than any physical punishment.

This suffering lasted for... countless years?

How long exactly?

Have no idea.

But it doesn't matter.

Whether it's ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years, or even a million years, it will eventually come to an end.

Always...

Li Qi was already delirious, with only a sliver of determination sustaining his actions.

At this moment, his behavior can hardly be called "conscious behavior"; it is more like the violent kicking of a frog after it has been killed and skinned, an instinctive persistence.

Then, he walked over.

Something tugged at him.

Something seized him; countless demons suddenly grabbed his heart and tore it apart!

Intense pain struck!

Every nerve ending was trembling and screaming loudly!

Unbelievable pain swept over his entire body, making him tremble like a shrimp just pulled from the water, almost unable to move!

Under such pain, Li Qi suddenly regained consciousness.

Then he saw—

An existence of unparalleled grandeur.

Magic.

The real 'demon'.

Through his newfound senses of True Knowledge Dao Charm, he saw a colossal black sphere in the endless void.

A black sphere of unknown size.

He extended countless tentacles.

The truly countless.

They are as numerous as the Ganges sand, beyond counting.

Even a hundred million cannot be counted one hundredth of them.

Even the stars seemed like Weichen around him.

The Milky Way beside him seemed like a caterpillar.

His countless tentacles pierced into countless worlds.

A sudden realization dawned on Li Qi, and six words came to his mind.

'The Mara of Self-Transformation'.

Just from glancing at it and having that thought, Li Qi suddenly felt like he was being crushed, as if something had pierced his heart!

Then, as if he were rising rapidly from the deep sea, he suddenly opened his eyes and gasped for breath!

The gasping sounded like a bellows, and my lungs and heart were pounding!

After finishing his inhalation, he suddenly collapsed to the ground, coughing violently. "Cough cough cough cough! Cough cough! Damn!"

Even Li Qi couldn't help but swear.

"What... is this?" Li Qi looked up, his whole body was soaked, every nerve was trembling and groaning, his whole body was congested with blood and turned purple, and he almost exploded.

At this moment, the voice of the Chanzhi Zenzhi came. "Young friend, your will is firm. I did not expect that you would actually survive the pain of me suppressing your demonic thoughts. You just went to the Rakshasa Ghost Kingdom and endured the torment of me devouring demonic thoughts."

"I will use this method to seal your demonic thoughts, and they will no longer affect you. However, the damage to your soul is already a foregone conclusion. After you leave here, you can heal yourself using Shaman Path techniques, and there should be no aftereffects."

Upon hearing this, Li Qi struggled to his feet, swaying as he stood up. He clasped his hands together and said weakly, "Thank you... Master for your help."

"It's alright. You were infected by demonic thoughts because of me. Just Anxin and recuperate. I won't bother you anymore. You don't need to study the methods for me these next two days. Just focus on calming your mind and soul to avoid irreversible aftereffects." Chanzhi nodded and then went upstairs again.

After Chanzhi left, Li Qi wiped the sweat from his brow.

He was soaked through, as if he had been pulled out of the water.

Li Qi pointed two fingers, and water vapor surged out, turning into a large water ball that slammed into him, making him much more awake.

Then, he stumbled and fell onto the bed, unable to move.

Finally... we managed to get away with it.

Just now, in order to cover up his distraction, he directly infected his soul with demonic thoughts, creating the impression that his soul was incomplete because of demonic thoughts!

Although it was unclear whether this tactic would actually work, the situation was urgent at the time, and this was the only option available.

Fortunately, they managed to keep it a secret.

And--

"What... is that? The Mara of Self-Transformation?" Li Qi lay on the bed, his heart still filled with astonishment.

It's incomprehensible and indescribable.

What kind of being is that?

Li Qi sensed it.

That demon was giving him a hint.

This hints to Li Qi that he has a very important secret.

It urged Li Qi on.

It stirred up an inexplicable emotion in Li Qi's heart.

It's hard to describe; it's like vaguely expressing a spiritual meaning on a tangible thing. This meaning is so strange that any intelligent being can only barely express it with very imperfect symbols.

It seems that Li Qi found a beautiful pattern that belonged to him alone in the chaos of the universe, a pattern drawn using the tool of thought.

But the design is so exquisite that any clumsy attempt to copy it would be foolish.

The moment Li Qi saw the enormous black sphere, he almost strangely felt his physical body begin to lighten, as if a pure spiritual substance was filling his body.

A spirit that is both unsettling and intriguing leads one's imagination down uncharted paths, into a hazy, empty realm, a mysterious exploration of the new, illuminated only by the eternal stars, where one feels one's soul is free from all attachments, experiencing various adventures.

"Don't think too much... don't think too much, bury it, bury it..." Li Qi muttered to himself, then buried his head in the pillow.

This is the Heavenly Demon.

It is an entity that devours Human Path conscience.

This should not be taken seriously.

This feeling.

It's fake.

But...

Li Qi raised his hand.

In the blink of an eye.

The demonic thoughts that still lingered in his soul completely dissipated.

These demonic thoughts that he had deliberately infected, which he used to confuse Chanzhi, instantly left Li Qi on their own.

Even the demons suppressed by the Arhat statues not far away have all changed their postures.

These demons went from being suppressed to kneeling in fear.

But even the Chanzhi Zen Master didn't notice this change.

It was as if all the demonic thoughts and all the demons had submitted to Li Qi.

But Li Qi knew that they were not submitting to him.

Rather, it was a wisp of Daoist energy in his hand.

That is, the manifestation of the wondrous emotions he felt, the spiritual significance.

The Daoist essence Mara of Self-Transformation and Unfettered Heavenly Demon!

For some reason, after witnessing the black sphere with his own eyes, the other party actually gave him a wisp of Daoist charm!

With just this wisp of Daoist aura, all the demonic followers could be easily suppressed, all demonic thoughts could be dispelled, and the Chanzhi's intractable illness could be cured within a day.

It looks just like a fake.

Li Qi didn't want to take this seriously, but the existence of this thing was undeniable.

He curled up in bed and covered himself with the blanket.

Li Qi concealed this wisp of Daoist charm.

Then close your eyes.

But then, some distance away, someone opened their eyes in a daze.

Then he shouted loudly, "Miss Shen! Miss Shen!"

If you're ever unsure what to do, go to Shen Shuibi!

A Chen later.

Inside the secret chamber of the Lower Nine Gates.

Shen Shuibi's expression was serious and earnest, her eyes filled with distress.

She took a deep breath, finally spread her hands, and said, "I don't know. I've never heard of this either."

"Miss Shen, you don't know?" Li Qi was taken aback.

This was the first time, and Shen Shuibi said she didn't know.

Shen Shuibi then said:

"Judging from your description alone, it's vastly different from the Heavenly Demon described in the book."

"The Your Highness told me that Mara of Self-Transformation, attained the first rank of the Dao, and had followers all over the endless worlds. He once caused great disasters, dragging several Buddha Child to the demonic path, and even attacked the Great Sun Tathagata Buddha. Later, he was suppressed and driven away from the world. Since then, he can only cause trouble outside the realm, but has no influence on the world anymore. Only some followers remain, which is the current demonic path."

"So, I've never actually seen the Heavenly Demon, and... frankly, I don't think you Li Qi, are qualified to have survived after just one look at him."

Shen Shuibi carefully considered her words and said to Li Qi, "First-rank... what level of existence is that? You and I can't even imagine it. Moreover, the Mara of Self-Transformation is known for bewitching people. It's not that I don't believe you, but if you really saw it with your own eyes, I think you would be destroyed in an instant."

Although it sounded very impolite, Li Qi agreed with it.

He nodded and said, "That's true. I almost died when I looked directly at the true form of a sixth-rank Demon King, I would probably have been completely annihilated."

"But I didn't see it directly; I saw it indirectly through my Daoist aura," Li Qi said.

"I don't know either. To be honest, your Daoist aura is also very strange. I've never seen anything like it before. Perhaps the Great Shaman knows." Shen Shuibi shook her head, indicating that she was powerless to help.

Li Qi speculated, "Then... could it be a trap? Is this Heavenly Demonic Dao Charm Aura actually something created by the Chanzhi to deceive me? Is this thing fake? Did the Chanzhi deliberately create something to confuse me, or even to monitor me?"

Shen Shuibi remained silent; she was not good at such scheming and continued to stare blankly.

Li Qi knew this too, so he could only smile wryly and then figure it out himself.