Unreliable Memories

Is such a thing possible? Is there a demonic influence within me?

After a moment of confusion, Li Qi immediately realized something. At the same time, he became alert and asked Wan Wuheng, "What should we do with this? Where are you taking me?"

Regardless of whether he was influenced by the Heavenly Demon, even if he was, Li Qi could not trust the Tang Kingdom.

Who knows if the place he takes me to will examine my physical condition, and maybe cause even more trouble.

The demons are gone, but Human Path has entered, which makes the problem even bigger.

"Go to the White Horse Temple, the birthplace of Source of Buddhism in the Central Plains, and ask the monks there to help you expel the demonic thoughts," Wan Wuheng immediately said to Li Qi.

Li Qi certainly knew this term.

He had learned about it before when he was in the Three Lives Ancient Mirror.

In the Western Buddhist kingdom, there was a monk Kashyapa Matanga, with great perseverance, transported scriptures from the Central Plains to spread the Dharma. He translated Twenty Billion Sutras of the Sangha for the monks and, through a vast amount of tribute and witty debate, persuaded the emperor of that era to allow him to build temples, and from then on, he spread the Dharma.

After that, he built the White Horse Temple in Luoyang, another major city in the Human Path, and spread Buddhism there. It was known as the "Source of Buddhism in Central China" and was called the "Ancestral Court" by Buddhist practitioners in Central China, Southeast China, and even further afield.

"To the White Horse Temple? Now?" Li Qi straightened his clothes and asked.

"Of course, the demonic thoughts are deeply rooted in your heart, and you yourself are unaware of it. But your behavior, thoughts, and memories will be affected little by little. You will slowly become unlike yourself and do things that you would never have done before. This matter is of great importance. If we let you continue to develop like this, not to mention your own safety, Chang'an will not allow the demonic thoughts of the Heavenly Demon to lurk here." Wan Wuheng explained to Li Qi neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Clearly, the latter is the key point. To be honest, what happens to Li Qi only affects diplomacy, but if something like the Three Lives Ancient Mirror incident happens again, the problem will be much bigger.

However, Li Qi was not satisfied with this explanation and was somewhat reluctant to go to the White Horse Temple.

He wasn't sure if there were any demonic thoughts within him, and he couldn't say for sure, because Li Qi understood that it was very difficult to detect such things on one's own.

Damn it, Mara of Self-Transformation- rank demon, and he's targeting him. What can he do?

They didn't even have the strength to resist.

However, he didn't want to go to the White Horse Temple either, because Li Qi felt it was extremely dangerous.

Therefore, Li Qi said, "The demonic thoughts or Daoist aura of the Heavenly Demon can silently and easily infiltrate the body of an ordinary person, and you cannot prevent it. It is simply impossible to guard against. Why should I act in this way?"

Yes, if it's about being afraid of risks, then anyone would want to go to the White Horse Temple. That demon would be overjoyed. He could just cast a wide net and do whatever he wanted, since no one could stop him anyway.

It's easy to paralyze Chang'an; all you need to do is keep sending out demonic thoughts without any target.

He didn't even need to send it, because demonic thoughts are already rooted in people's hearts. No cultivator dares to say that they have no demonic thoughts. Even the Buddha had them, otherwise he wouldn't have been invaded by the Heavenly Demon before he attained enlightenment.

That's why his Mara of Self-Transformation King is so terrifying...

How could someone who controls such immense power not be frightening?

Wan Wuheng patiently replied to Li Qi, "Demonic thoughts are impossible to guard against, so there's nothing that can be done about it, but the damage they cause can be estimated."

"Even if ordinary people are corrupted by demonic thoughts, their actions are nothing more than those of a common man; killing two people is already the limit."

"Cultivators may be able to damage some roads and public facilities, but that's about it; they will be quickly subdued by others."

"However, at a higher level, such as the time of the Three Lives Ancient Mirror, nearly half of Chang'an was shrouded in the danger of being blown up."

"Therefore, the reason why demonic thoughts are so terrifying is because the people affected by them are so terrifying. Forgive my bluntness, but ordinary people can't cause much of an impact. However, if something happens to you, young master, it will probably cause a huge uproar. So I hope you will pay attention to the big picture and not put both sides in a difficult position. After all... regarding the matter of the Polaris Golden Core Method ..." Wan Wuheng reminded Xia Li Qi slightly.

Li Qi frowned.

This person was a bit impolite, but their reasoning was sound.

He came to the Tang Kingdom essentially as a hostage, because the Central Plains did not trust Wushen Mountain, and the two sides were still arguing over the ownership of the Polaris Golden Core Method.

To ensure that the Polaris Golden Core Method did not fall into the hands of Wushen Mountain, Li Qi came to the Tang Kingdom as a hostage. He explained that although he knew about the Polaris Golden Core Method, he had not passed it on to others or given it to Wushen Mountain. Therefore, the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron was still safe and would not be forcibly taken away from the Great Dao Opportunity within.

You must understand that as long as Li Qi is safe, the Polaris Golden Core Method will be safe.

Because the Polaris Golden Core Method cannot be stolen. This level of Cultivation Method cannot be truly obtained even through soul-searching and mind-reading. It must be Divine Will Inheritance on to others by the person who has learned it.

Therefore, Li Qi must be encouraged to either pass on the knowledge or make it public.

If Li Qi were to be corrupted by demonic thoughts and, in a moment of madness, reveal the Polaris Golden Core Method...

Good heavens, that means the second-rank officials will probably have to personally engage in a chaotic battle.

It's like having a safe where the combination is unknown and someone is guarding it; naturally, not many people would be interested.

But what if the password is leaked to the whole world...?

Even if Wushen Mountain and Tang Kingdom don't want to fight, can you guarantee that those lone travelers stuck at the second rank who can't advance any further won't take risks?

Because everyone knows about the Polaris Golden Core Method, it's like getting a safe means getting the opportunity to unlock the Great Dao Opportunity...

These people are taking a dangerous gamble, and forces from all over the world are eyeing them covetously. Whether things will descend into chaos or not will no longer be up to the Tang Kingdom and Wushen Mountain to decide.

They can still control it now, but they won't be able to then.

Therefore, Li Qi's safety is the key to the stability of both sides.

Therefore, Li Qi felt that what the other party said made a lot of sense, and he was unlikely to refuse the matter.

Then they said that the high priest Mi Xin had told them about this beforehand...

This estimate is likely true.

Looking at it this way, it also has a very Mi Xin- like style.

Don't tell Li Qi; let him figure it out himself. If he's really slow to understand, then find someone to back him up to prevent things from getting worse.

In fact, Li Qi felt that if his death or demonic possession did not have any substantial impact on Wushen Mountain, he would not have notified the Tang Kingdom to come, but would have watched him die.

Even if he could save himself with just a few words, he wouldn't speak.

Looking down on all living beings from a high position, without interfering with any of their choices or outcomes, this is probably the habit of this great shaman, and also a habit of Shaman Path.

People who deserve to die must have a reason for dying, even if that reason is an accident or bad luck, it doesn't matter.

There is no unnecessary good, nor unnecessary evil. Good and evil are unimportant to the shaman; he can do whatever he pleases.

Thinking of this, Li Qi sighed.

So, looking at it this way, no matter how you guess, taking the trip is the best choice for yourself.

Although Li Qi had no recollection of the 'Heavenly Demon' exerting its power on him, he dared not gamble.

This kind of thing, being parasitized by a demon... is probably the first time it has happened to him.

Since it's something I have no experience with...

Wait, is this really the first time?

Li Qi suddenly fell into a series of indescribable confusions.

He covered his head, looked up and asked, "Your Excellency, is this the first time I've been invaded by a demon?"

Wan Wuheng paused for a moment upon hearing this, then shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure about that either. Perhaps only you and the Mara of Self-Transformation know the answer?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qi took a deep breath.

He then said, "In that case, please inform the school for me, and I will go to Luoyang with you right away."

Wan Wuheng breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving this answer, and then said, "It's good that you've come to your senses, young master. Shall we set off now?"

"I'll be leaving now. I'll leave it to you to testify for me at the school."

"That's natural."

The two quickly reached an agreement and then stopped talking.

Li Qi packed his things, walked out of the courtyard, and then closed the gate.

After that, he left with Wan Wuheng.

He knew in his heart that the place he was going to this time was Luoyang, and he would be away from Chang'an for a while. Moreover, for safety reasons, he did not plan to take public transportation, but to travel by private vehicle.

Leaving Chang'an, heading to Luoyang...

He wasn't sure what this meant, but...

As he walked, Li Qi examined himself, constantly scrutinizing his thoughts, consciousness, memories, and so on, trying to recall every detail that had happened in the past, wanting to see where things had gone wrong.

However, it cannot be found.

No trace could be found.

Not only did they search, but they also couldn't recall anything that could prove this had happened.

This made Li Qi's heart skip a beat, and he couldn't help but think about something.

Is his memory truly reliable?

This can even lead to another question: is his thinking credible?

Memory is the cornerstone of thought. If even memory can be altered, then what about thought, its thinking, and its free will? Do they truly exist?

Li Qi knew that many times, seemingly free choices were not actually free. Many decisions seemed to be made by oneself, but in fact, they were made under the influence of many factors.

Of these effects, memory plays an absolutely dominant role, and if memories can be altered...

Wait a minute, Li Qi, who was deep in thought, suddenly thought of something.

Memory itself can be altered!

He remembers watching a very interesting movie review, so catchy that he still remembers it to this day.

On the 2nd, I went to listen to a sermon, stayed at a hotel that night, and on the Number Three, I went to a restaurant and then watched a movie.

By simply repeating these words, one can fabricate things that do not exist, and in the memories of others, these fabricated things become real memories.

Memories can be altered from the very beginning!

There's no need to tamper with it, because memories themselves are unreal; they are filled in by the mind, a reaction of the brain based on the stimuli it receives.

Memories generated by the brain are inherently unreliable. Li Qi had taken biology class and knew that even if the frog's brain was damaged, it could still accurately peel off the piece of paper stained with sulfuric acid stuck to its belly using only the spinal cord as the central nervous system.

Memory and will are not necessarily what we imagine them to be. Sometimes, after things are done, we convince ourselves that it was our free will that was carried out, but in reality, that's not the case at all.

In other words, if you want to catch any trace of the Heavenly Demon, you can't rely on these unreliable things.

If memory is unreliable, then what is reliable?

Li Qi exhaled a breath of stale air and then continued to think.

Memory itself is unreliable, but there is one thing that is reliable.

That is the objective fact, that is the world.

If the world itself is no longer reliable, then there is nothing to believe in, and everything will lose its meaning. Therefore, Li Qi can only believe that the world is reliable.

How can we find evidence of the Heavenly Demon's parasitism through this point?

Assuming this is believable, let's make another assumption: that everything leaves a trace.

The search for traces left by the Heavenly Demon is not done through memories or thoughts, but simply by seeking material evidence of the Heavenly Demon's existence. This could help confirm whether one has been invaded by the Heavenly Demon.

So, what kind of substance would the Heavenly Demon leave behind as proof that he was here?

Is this substance detectable? Do Buddhists rely on something like this to search for traces of demons?

Li Qi began to consciously search for such traces, even if it was in vain.

Within the physical body, specifically the microcosm of the human form composed of qi, there should be no trace of it, since it is not material...

Wrong!

Li Qi immediately realized something.

"Wait, Wan Wuheng." In his intense emotional turmoil, Li Qi even forgot to use honorifics and addressed him by his first name.

Fortunately, Wan Wuheng didn't seem to care about this matter. He just turned his head and glanced at Li Qi.

In the few minutes since he stepped out the door, the young master had been silent with a downcast look in his eyes, as if he were thinking about something. But now he has reacted so strongly. It seems that... he has thought of something.

Just as Wan Wuheng had guessed, Li Qi immediately asked, "The Heavenly Demons usually use demonic energy, demonic thoughts, and Daoist rhymes to corrupt, right? Is there any record of this in your Tang Kingdom's records?"

Upon hearing this, Wan Wuheng nodded. "That's true, but everyone has demonic thoughts, which are almost impossible to distinguish. Demonic energy, on the other hand, is something that anyone who cultivates the demonic path or has been in contact with it will have, so it's not reliable either."

"As for Daoist rhyme... Heavenly Demonic Dao Charm is quite rare, but it is recorded. For some reason, Heavenly Demonic Dao Charm is mostly harmless and never leaves any trace. Only in a few cases does it lure victims and produce negative effects."

After saying this, Wan Wuheng asked, "Why is Young Master asking this? Is there something on your mind?"

"Daoist rhyme is a fragment of the Great Dao, a part of the Dao, which can guide the operation of things and is a kind of law," Li Qi asked again.

Wan Wuheng nodded, but still seemed a little confused. Why was Li Qi bringing this up?

Li Qi then raised his head. "In other words, if I possess Daoist principles within me, then is my personal microcosm guided and operated by the demonic path?"