Black Hand
The Heavenly Demon is still here.
Li Qi felt a surge of courage.
He has already reached the seventh rank. Although he has not yet consolidated his foundation or understood its nature, his growth in power is real.
Upon contact with that wondrous aura, his personal microcosm solidified considerably.
It is no longer something ethereal and unreal, but has a real and tangible foundation.
Li Qi had a feeling the Unseen.
One's own little world has been created from Creation from Nothing. If this continues, it may be possible to turn the virtual into the real, and the products in one's own little world will become real things.
Because of this change, his power grew rapidly, and many symbolic and illusory meanings were able to influence reality, causing actual changes.
This is the seventh rank of the Shaman Path...
That's really impressive.
Now that we have this power, let alone defeating it, simply resisting the Heavenly Demon should be no problem, especially since the Heavenly Demon is no longer controlled by anyone.
Li Qi's personal microcosm stirred its power, beginning to support a pure land within the Black Mist.
Then, he confidently opened his eyes.
Then it immediately closed again.
The confidence I had just built up was destroyed in an instant.
Because he saw a sphere.
Cold sweat instantly soaked Li Qi's clothes, and intense fear pierced his heart.
He cautiously opened his eyes again.
Before Li Qi lay an endless sea of blood.
Above the endless sea of blood, floats a silent black sphere, like an abyss that devours all light, or like ever-spreading destruction.
A magic that transcends the laws of physics, time, and reason—a magnificent and incomparable thought is drifting on an endless sea of blood.
Li Qi could not see anything he knew here.
Everything was so strange and unsettling.
The essence of madness and destruction resides here, and chilling, demonic sounds echo all around.
Countless monsters and calamities are merely born from a tiny fraction of its aura, using its twisted and writhing grasp to seize the entire world and lead all things toward their doom.
It made no move; merely hovering above the sea of blood was enough to extinguish any desire in Li Qi to resist.
Although it said nothing and did nothing, Li Qi seemed to have been instilled with some kind of knowledge and memory.
The culprit of an endless sea of blood, the embodiment of calamity.
A sign of the impending doom of all things, a symbol of the Age of Dharma Decline.
The shadows beneath the Buddha's light, the surging and roaring karma of the Tathagata.
He was burdened with countless sins, amounting to hundreds of thousands of millions of kalpas.
Unspeakable, unforgivable!
Its name is—
Mara of Self-Transformation!
Li Qi had no idea what he was doing or why he was meeting with this big shot so many times.
This time, the other party even took the initiative to descend here through a secondary celestial demon.
He didn't dare to speak, so he closed his eyes and pretended not to see anything.
If he could, Li Qi even wanted to keep repeating, 'You can't see me... you can't see me.'
However, there was no communication whatsoever.
After about ten seconds, Li Qi suddenly felt that he had once again obtained a wisp of Daoist essence.
Back then, Li Qi dared not keep that Heavenly Demonic Dao Charm to himself, so he handed it over to Senior Yun Fang, asking him to help him investigate it.
But now... another wisp has come.
He opened his eyes cautiously.
The boundless sea of blood has dissipated.
There was no communication whatsoever; they simply obtained another wisp of the Heavenly Demonic Dao Charm.
"This..." Li Qi didn't know what expression to make.
Should we thank the big shot for their kindness and attention, or should we turn against them?
Do you dare to turn against me?
However, just after the Mara of Self-Transformation left, Li Qi suddenly heard a cracking sound behind him.
He turned his head and his pupils contracted!
The Three Lives Ancient Mirror! It's completely shattered!
The regression was interrupted, and a portion of Li Qi's regressed perceptions was restored.
The Three Lives Ancient Mirror is about to explode!
Meanwhile, outside the Three Lives Ancient Mirror.
The Great Shaman Mi Xin was outside, using both hands simultaneously, fully displaying his microcosm within his body, going all out!
The area within a radius of five hundred miles has been enveloped by his microcosm, and even Chang'an cannot withstand his encroachment!
But then one sees that the Three Pure Ones and Nine Qi each form a heaven, giving rise to the eight directions, and there are also twenty-four deities within their Inner Gods, known as the Twenty-Four Emperors.
There are seventy-two palaces, each located below the eight directions, and from them arise five hundred and fifty-five thousand five hundred and fifty-five billion true officials Divine Official, all of whom inherit this image and are established in layers above and below.
Within this small world, the land is two billion miles deep, and it is nourished.
Further down 52 billion miles, the framework of heaven and earth is established, preventing anything from falling into its trap.
The twenty-four emperors are arranged in a circle, with three emperors on each side, hence the three emperors: Heaven, Earth, and Man.
Each possesses the energy of three, and the three combine to form a true form, forming a circle that forcefully suppresses the expansion of the Three Lives Ancient Mirror!
However, his face was full of anxiety.
He was still handling some business when he suddenly heard that Li Qi and the Three Lives Ancient Mirror had run into trouble, so he rushed over.
But we were stopped here!
He stopped the expansion of the Three Lives Ancient Mirror, but he couldn't get inside.
Even after exerting all their strength, even after straightening out the expanding cosmic light, and drilling several holes in space, they still couldn't get inside.
It's as if something has sealed the inside.
Just as he was getting anxious, people from Chang'an finally arrived.
The official who arrived was the Prefect of the Capital, who was in charge of the area of Prefect of Jingzhao.
The Prefect of Jingzhao Subordinate Third Rank a third-rank official who concurrently served as the Magistrate of Chang'an, oversaw military affairs, and was in charge of governing the capital. All his duties were attributed to the Prefect.
This means that the official position of Prefect of Jingzhao was in charge of all orders in Chang'an, and his job was roughly equivalent to that of the mayor of Chang'an.
At this point, nearly half an hour had passed since the Three Lives Ancient Mirror incident.
Honestly, this speed is already very fast.
A third-rank official returned to Chang'an from beyond the borders in just half an hour. This speed almost certainly came at a great cost.
However, Mi Xin still cursed loudly, "It took you two quarters of an hour to get here! Are the officials of Chang'an only good at neglecting their duties? I really don't know what you've been doing. Your house has been blown up. Aren't you ashamed? Hurry up and come with me to break this seal!"
The high-ranking official had just arrived when he was immediately berated, and his expression turned sour.
But he didn't say anything, because this wasn't a good time to argue; they needed to work together to break the seal.
The great shaman Mi Xin spoke harshly, but he was right about one thing.
Chang'an is the center of Human Path and the face of the Central Plains.
This place has been infiltrated, causing the Dragon Vein of the five hundred miles around to become overloaded and dry up, and it may even be blown to the ground!
How could the Prefect of the Prefect of Jingzhao bear such a disgrace?
If the Three Dukes and the ministers are held accountable afterwards, how should the responsibility be calculated?
He couldn't care less about arguing with the Great Witch, and the two immediately joined forces to try to break through the barrier formed by the Three Lives Ancient Mirror.
But at that moment, the barrier suddenly disappeared.
Their senses naturally probed into it.
Just then, he sensed Li Qi's terrified gaze and the completely shattered Three Lives Ancient Mirror.
The two rank-three experts immediately made their choices!
The great shaman Mi Xin completely ignored that damned Three Lives Ancient Mirror.
He quickly used his Divine Ability to protect Li Qi, and the small world of human form that had unfolded outside immediately contracted back. Li Qi only felt a blur before his eyes, and his whole body was taken into the palm of the great shaman.
As for Mi Xin himself, he transformed into a beam of light and disappeared a thousand miles away in the blink of an eye.
Chang'an got bombed, so what? What's it to him?
Meanwhile, the Prefect of Jingzhao of the Capital seemed to have been prepared all along. He seemed to have understood from the beginning that the Great Witch Mi Xin could not join forces with him. After Li Qi was rescued, he immediately used his methods.
But then a scroll was unfurled, spreading out over an area of fifteen meters in radius, the wind howling fiercely, creating a truly awe-inspiring sight.
Upon closer inspection, the scroll turned out to be Fengshui Map of the entire city of Chang'an.
Streets, waterways, earth veins, weather, cities and people—the text is complex yet well-structured, with lifelike details and every aspect depicted in the painting.
From this picture, one can see the details of the entire Chang'an, and see that the Qi formed palaces, and in an instant covered the mountains and ridges, connecting to the Xuanji (a celestial sphere), and the Primal Qi Yuheng, truly worthy of being the hub of heaven and earth and the handle of ten thousand degrees.
Kanyu is a general term for the universe.
The Fengshui Map of Chang'an is the general cosmology of Chang'an.
The Chang'an region contains everything, so complex that a single glance is enough to strike one like a hammer blow; if one's cultivation is weak, one might be unconscious for several days.
This Fengshui Map is Law Treasure passed down from the official position of Prefect of the Prefect of Jingzhao. In terms of quality, although it is also a third-rank official, it is a whole level better than the Three Lives Ancient Mirror.
The Fengshui Map directly enveloped the explosion of the Three Lives Ancient Mirror, preventing it from seeping out at all.
However, the illusory image of Chang'an on the Fengshui Map forcefully blocked the explosion, delaying it by five or six seconds.
However, trying to go head-to-head with the Three Lives Ancient Mirror is like trying to cut a kitchen knife with a precious sword. Even the best sword will have a chipped edge. Even if the kitchen knife is damaged, it's still not worth it.
Therefore, we need to increase the investment.
Then, he took out an official seal.
This is the official seal that bears the title of "Prefect of Jingzhao"!
With this, plus an imperial decree, one could obtain a certain official position.
Then, with a sudden flick of his sleeve, a large brush appeared in his hand, and he began to write in the air.
Lines of golden characters appeared in the air, and they read:
"All citizens of the capital, heed my command! Disasters and anomalies have occurred in Chang'an. Since ancient times, there has never been a time without calamities. However, if one cultivates virtue, the disasters will naturally subside. If governance and education are without flaws, what harm can disasters do to the times?"
"Therefore, calamities and disasters are in accordance with Heaven's will, but are actually human affairs, and are governed by rites and laws. All civil and military officials of the ninth rank and above are ordered to respond to the call and act accordingly. The five spirits tremble and wield their weapons. The River God governs the marshes and controls the wind. The Prefect of Jingzhao this decree!"
This is an imperial edict.
It was a command demanding that all the gods, ghosts, and officials in Chang'an contribute their utmost!
Gathering the strength of the masses for one's own use is a typical Human Path approach!
As the last two characters of the imperial edict were written.
The Prefect of Jingzhao took out his official seal and firmly stamped the edict.
Right after the seal was affixed—
The entire city of Chang'an, spanning thousands of miles, suddenly fell silent for a moment.
The wind stopped, the rain ceased.
All Earth Flow Chariot must slow down.
The great canal in the center of Chang'an suddenly began to accelerate.
All the gods obeyed the command and devoted their full strength.
Officials of all ranks, from the third grade downwards, all simultaneously channeled their power into their official seals.
Even the underground Dragon Vein have specially allocated a branch to supply this place.
An immeasurable power is descending!
The heavens govern the Qi of the Four Seasons, and the earth bestows the essence of the five elements, thus reshaping the world!
Vast and boundless, formless and without image.
The Primal Qi circulates and transforms, and the ultimate Dao is established and perfected.
The round and clear forms the sky, while the square and turbid forms the earth.
Pu Lingtong transformed the world, and Zheng Heqi fostered human relationships!
In this place, human reason has replaced the Heavenly Principle!
Even with the world's resilience, the laws of nature were forcibly changed!
As a result, the Fengshui Map Chang'an was blessed, radiating brilliant light, and extraordinary phenomena suddenly appeared!
The sky is high and bright, and the perfect light shines again.
The towering peaks stand guard over the land, while the sacred palace soars into the sky.
Exhaling breath, clouds rise; wind and dew, lush and vibrant.
Soaring pavilions and towering buildings, shaking the heavens!
An image of the Prefect of the Prefect of Jingzhao appeared amidst the imposing pavilions, majestic and heroic, with an aura that seemed to reach the heavens, carrying an unbelievable power, and pressed down with one hand!
But there were no further repercussions.
This is Chang'an. If you cause a commotion here and collapse two streets, you will be held accountable.
However, with this gesture, the aftershocks of the Three Lives Ancient Mirror's self-destruction vanished without a trace.
The Law Treasure that could trace back to the edge of the universe actually self-destructed and shattered.
Only that one Dharma body remained standing in Chang'an, with Fengshui Map fluttering in the air beside it, as if being blown by the wind.
The long scroll fluttered in the wind, revealing a magnificent Dharma body and the full power of a third-grade being, yet there was not a trace of joy on his face.
It's impossible for them to be happy.
Because one of his hands was completely blackened, and the Fengshui Map even had a hole in it, the precious light was dimmed.
The Prefect of Jingzhao closed his eyes and began to ponder.
The turmoil in Chang'an must have many underlying connections; not just anyone would dare to take action in Chang'an.
As for the unexpected?
Absolutely impossible.
What level of accident must it be that even the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and the Imperial Observatory couldn't predict?
Although Shaman are more skilled in divination, the sorcerers and Shaman of the Imperial Observatory are not much weaker.
As mentioned before, the Tang Kingdom also had Shaman, namely the Chong and Li clans who stood on the side of Human Path when Emperor Zhuanxu ordered the severing of communication between humans and gods.
The fact that an 'accident' could happen in Chang'an already says a lot.
"I must report this to the provincial authorities; there must be a mastermind behind this." The Prefect of Jingzhao withdrew his divine form, put away his official seal and Fengshui Map, and prepared to leave.
The finishing touches will be handled by the staff; he doesn't need to do it personally.
However, just as the Prefect of the Prefect of Jingzhao was about to depart, the great shaman Mi Xin appeared again.
However, Li Qi was not with him.
"Great Shaman Mi, what brings you here? If it's because of that young master, you'll probably need to ask the Honglu Temple; that's their responsibility." The Prefect of Jingzhao looked at Mi Xin with a hint of disgust in his voice.
This great shaman ran away as soon as he rescued the people, forcing him to use his official seal to command all living beings in order to suppress the Three Lives Ancient Mirror... which damaged his foundation of cultivation.
Furthermore, the Chang'a Fengshui Map absorbed all the power of the Three Lives Ancient Mirror's explosion and also suffered some damage.
If Mi Xin intervened just now, these losses wouldn't have happened.
If he hadn't helped, the Prefect of Jingzhao would have understood. But when the Prefect of Jingzhao first arrived, he was berated by him.
They both insulted and refused to help; naturally, they wouldn't be well received.
"The Honglu Temple is probably not capable of handling this matter; it needs to be dealt with by the Dali Temple." Mi Xin's expression was also unpleasant.
The Dali Temple, meaning the place where criminal cases are investigated and handled, was an institution that jointly managed the judiciary with the Ministry of Justice.
"The Dali Temple? What's wrong?" The Prefect of Jingzhao frowned.
"Young Master Li Qi was assassinated in Chang'an. The Three Lives Ancient Mirror was your examiner, arranged by Li Cike, the Imperial Academy Chancellor. You should mention it when you report to the capital." Mi Xin said with his head held high.
Then he turned and left.
Upon seeing this, the Prefect of Jingzhao frowned.
But soon, he turned and left, his face expressionless.