Civil War

Upon first seeing the other person, Li Qi was somewhat surprised.

He... was wearing armor?

No, it can't be called armor. No armor can cover you up so tightly; it's clearly skin!

Unlike any other Sacred Flame Tribe Li Qi had ever seen, his skin was different; his carapace resembled armor.

If ordinary Sacred Flame Tribe are merely black or red ordinary carapaces, then his carapace has grown countless skirts and outward expansions, providing more robust protection without hindering his movement.

Moreover, the colors were different. Their skin was snow-white and shiny, with only a very thin black border around the edges. The rest of the skin was pure white, without a single scratch, and the stitching was extremely tight.

Looking at the other person's body, Li Qi could sense a suffocating atmosphere.

Looking at the other person sitting in a wheelchair and listening to the clicking sounds he was making, images flashed before Li Qi's eyes.

The scene looked like this:

"As dusk fell, the air after the rain was filled with a warm scent, the ashes of the spices in the stove grew cold, and more and more mountains and rivers were drawn on the map. On the table lay military reports of the enemy's defeat and peace petitions from other monarchs offering annual tributes of wealth in exchange for their armies not descending upon their kingdoms."

Is this the experience of... an ancient Sacred King?

This Sixth-Rank World lord seemed to be lost in some kind of memory.

Li Qi discovered that the Sacred Flame Tribe body he had transformed into was inevitably following him as he wanted to sink into those memories, and he received a large amount of information!

This information came from the sound emitted by the other party.

Is this the resonance of the Sacred Flame Tribe?

This ancient Sacred King was trying to resonate with himself, to pull himself into the same vortex of thoughts.

If it were any other member of the Sacred Flame Tribe, they would likely find it difficult to resist such a resonance.

Fortunately, regardless of the circumstances, this body was merely a Technique Method illusion created by Shen Shuibi, so Li Qi was not significantly affected.

But the Sacred Flame Tribe named Lira, standing to the side, was stunned.

Not only the Sacred Flame Tribe Lila, but the entire sanatorium seemed to be filled with some kind of deep emotion.

With this resonance, a tick.

Before this ancient Sacred King, a golden flame ignited.

It has no temperature, nor is it fire, but is a pure aggregate of divine energy.

This... is the Holy Flame?

Li Qi looked at this thing, and with a slight wave of his hand, he summoned the Holy Flame into his hand to examine it.

This is the first time I've ever seen real holy flame.

At this moment, Shen Shuibi suddenly waved her hand, and a silent area suddenly appeared around them.

This is a soundproof wall, so no sound can get outside.

This directly resulted in the resonance being severed.

The Sacred Flame Tribe outside is still in resonance. They cannot resist the resonance initiated by the ancient Sacred King, and since it has already begun, it is difficult to stop until it ends.

And the Sacred King's influence over the outside world was also severed.

Therefore, during this period of time, apart from Li Qi, Shen Shuibi, and this Sacred King, no one in this sanatorium maintained consciousness.

"You discovered it?" Li Qi looked at the ancient Sacred King of the Sacred Flame Tribe with some surprise.

As expected of a sixth-rank cultivator, even injured like this, his mind is still very clear. While I was still thinking about how to speak, he directly saw through the fifth-rank illusion.

Oh no, he didn't see through it; he deduced it.

The Sacred King stopped resonating and looked at Li Qi, asking in a hoarse voice, "You disguised yourselves very well, but there is a small flaw."

"What?" Li Qi asked curiously. Normally, he shouldn't be able to tell the difference between himself and the Sacred Flame Tribe.

Shen Shuibi's illusions were flawless to them.

"Your bearing... your posture is upright. This building was constructed in the pure style of immortals. The Sacred Flame Tribe would not be able to hold their heads high in such a place." The Sacred King flapped his wings and spoke.

A simple answer, yet it left Li Qi silent for a long time.

Thinking about it carefully, it really is true.

It's like someone who has always lived in a wooden thatched house in the countryside, firmly believing that his place is backward, while the villas in the city where adults who have returned from abroad live are the places where noble people live.

Then one day, he suddenly arrived at that luxuriously decorated villa, where he was most likely unable to lift his head.

The fact that he and Shen Shuibi seemed unfazed was indeed a flaw.

Okay, I'll make a note of this; I might need it later.

After all, Li Qi had no experience in infiltration, and he had never been a spy before, so it was normal for him to make a small oversight.

As for Shen Shuibi, she was a complete AFK player; she did whatever Li Qi asked her to do, and all the arrangements and plans were Li Qi's responsibility.

After all, everyone has their own expertise, and she's really not good at these things.

"Indeed, that was an oversight. As expected of the ruler of a world, he can still perceive even when his five senses are almost completely lost. He is truly perceptive," Li Qi exclaimed, then moved a stool and sat down in front of the other person.

Then, Li Qi said, "However, being so vigilant is useless. Your incredibly precious world has become an endless, shapeless ruin, and the rotten gangrene has spread to a point that your scepter cannot cure."

"I wasn't particularly wary; it's just that you were too relaxed... You never intended to hide anything, did you? This... should I call you an immortal, or what? What are you trying to do by telling me all this?" The Sacred King's voice was deep.

He could tell.

The two people in front of me were completely indifferent to the disguise, as if being discovered was no big deal.

That is indeed the case.

Li Qi didn't care about being discovered, because Shen Shuibi was capable of handling everything that would happen after being discovered.

Besides, most people wouldn't even notice it.

"I am not the immortal you speak of. You should be able to tell that I am not with them," Li Qi said, sitting down.

"You are not with them, but you share the same goal: you all covet this world." The Sacred King pointed out Li Qi's purpose directly.

"They're not in the same group, but they have the same goal. That means I'm their competitor, someone you can use," Li Qi said with a smile.

"Use what? Does it matter to me who wins? I want to choose a master for this world?" the Sacred King asked calmly.

Li Qi smiled, looked at the Sacred King, stood up, and pointed to the time outside. "Hmm... of course there is a difference. Let me put it this way, Sacred King, have you seen the changes in this world? They want more than just this world; they have come to spread their teachings."

"Look, everything about you is changing, even your aesthetic sense is changing. With the abilities of the immortals, you will look like the immortals after a dozen generations."

"This is the power of spreading the Way. When the Way changes, this power will be generated. Your philosophy will be modified, and your labor will create form for your Way. At the same time, the Way will also create form for your labor. While you think you are enjoying the Way of the Immortals, you are actually just its slave."

"Once those immortals succeed, the Sacred Flame Tribe will cease to exist. They may have the blood of the Sacred Flame Tribe, but in their hearts, they will have completely become the same kind of people as the immortals."

Li Qi pointed to the city outside and said this.

The city here has already begun its reconstruction.

They wanted to tear down their mud house and replace it with a beautiful little villa.

This is what is meant by 'preaching'.

"I know, so what?" The Sacred King's voice turned cold.

He knew everything Li Qi was talking about. At first, he didn't understand it, but now he understood it very well.

"So, my purpose is different from theirs. They want to spread the word, while I am just after money." Li Qi laughed. "I have no interest in making you a part of me. In fact, I'm just here to sell."

"I can provide you with the foundation for resistance: weapons, equipment, Cultivation Method, and even their weaknesses, intelligence, and so on."

"You can exchange all of this for Holy Flame. What does the Sacred King think?"

Li Qi turned around, looked at the Sacred King, and spoke in a kind and alluring tone.

Shen Shuibi turned her head and glanced at Li Qi.

Something's strange. This isn't what we agreed on at the beginning. Li Qi changed his mind?

But... well, he's better at this kind of thing, so it should be fine to let him handle it, right?

"Can I refuse?" the Sacred King replied in a deep voice, his wings fluttering lightly as if he were scorning Li Qi.

"Of course." Li Qi shrugged.

"Then I refuse." The Sacred King's choice was very decisive.

"I'm so sorry to have bothered you. Well then, please enjoy your retirement." Li Qi was also very straightforward, giving a slight bow before turning to leave.

However, after taking only two steps, he turned back. "By the way, I can't just take this wisp of holy flame from you for nothing."

"Yu, heal his eyes. This is a reasonable price," Li Qi said.

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuibi didn't say much. After all, it was just treating the eyes, not curing all of the other person's injuries.

So the rabbit examined the other's injuries.

The opponent's injuries were not ordinary injuries, but rather Dao injury. Someone had used their Law Power to Great Dao Imprint onto his body.

This directly resulted in the complete loss of the Sacred Flame Tribe Sacred King's cultivation. Whenever he tried to circulate his own power, he would be interfered with by other Great Dao Imprint.

The Great Dao Imprint will operate in the way it was originally recorded, forcing the injured person's power to operate only in their own way.

The Dao is external; it is the rule governing the operation of all things.

Your cultivation must operate in accordance with the way this Great Dao Imprint, otherwise a 'Dao conflict' will occur.

There are two solutions: either completely destroy the imprint and leave only your own path.

Either submit to the other party's Great Dao Imprint and transform the Cultivation Method within your body into the other party's.

If you get stuck in the middle, the result will be that your skills will lose their effectiveness, which is no different from being useless.

It's a very common tactic.

Because once a battle reaches a certain point, 'injuries' cease to exist for high-level cultivators.

For example, Li Qi's Time Reversal Talisman can even rewind time, so how can you expect it to be useful for physical or spiritual injuries?

They are truly immortal.

All injuries must directly affect the opponent's Dao, and only by destroying the opponent's Dao can real damage be caused.

Of course, the sixth rank is far from that stage.

Therefore... Shen Shuibi could guess that this was the purpose of the person who imprinted this Great Dao Imprint; he wanted to force this Sacred King to submit.

As long as this Sacred King honestly comprehends this inscription and then changes his Cultivation Method and physical body to Cultivation Method of an immortal, the inscription will not only not become an injury, but will instead become a benefit.

The person who left the inscription... was a fifth-rank official.

That's interesting. It's Metal Element Cultivation Method, Divine Path Method, a very rare type.

The diagnosis is complete.

It's not that difficult.

She flicked her finger lightly, and a sliver of moonlight flashed by.

With a clang, a portion of the Great Dao Imprint on the Sacred King's body was shattered.

He let out a sound of utter shock, because a small part of the mark that had been binding him had broken off—the very part that had covered his eight eyes.

The eight compound eyes were restored, and the surrounding scenery became clear. Even the dust in the air could be clearly seen moving.

The Sacred Flame Tribe is not sensitive to color, but their dynamic vision is excellent, after all, they have compound eyes.

However, when he began to observe his surroundings with his compound eyes...

The two men who claimed to be historians disappeared.

I didn't realize when I left, and even after my vision returned, I still couldn't tell.

These two... are also immortals.

However, they are immortals from another faction...

The Sacred King fell silent, ceasing all sound and movement.

He needs to think.

This is not a decision that can be made lightly.

On the other side.

In the homeland of the Sacred Flame Tribe, which is the streets of this city, the two of them were strolling.

They still maintain the form of the Sacred Flame Tribe, so they look like an ordinary couple.

To be honest, walking down the street, apart from feeling far behind and not having access to supernatural powers and Law Treasure, Li Qi and Shen Shuibi felt like they were still in the world.

Anyway, the decorating styles are all pretty much the same, and their aesthetic styles are extremely similar. Only occasionally can you find places with the aesthetics of the Sacred Flame Tribe.

The Dao of the Sacred Flame Tribe has been defeated and eroded by the Dao from all under Heaven, leaving it teetering on the brink of collapse.

It's only been a hundred years, which is just two generations for the Sacred Flame Tribe.

Walking down the street, Shen Shuibi looked at this new world and asked, "Li Qi, why is this different from what we agreed on? Did you change your mind?"

"No, the goal is still the same, just in a different way," Li Qi said with a smile.

"What? Didn't you say you were going to set up an organization and then extract resources for profit?" Shen Shuibi asked, tilting her head.

"That's for later, not now. Look, someone has already beaten us to it. We're here to poach their talent. The fact that they can interfere in matters outside the domain means that there must be at least Fifth-Rank Great Expert behind them. We still need to be careful."

"So, I'm going to start a civil war first and see how it goes," Li Qi said.