Sudden Descent

The Tao is the rule that guides the operation of all things.

Dao Yun, on the other hand, is the remnant of the Dao, a lingering echo.

However, the Daoist principles can clearly also guide some of the underlying patterns.

After discovering the unreliability of memories and thoughts, Li Qi immediately realized that the material world might bear traces of the Heavenly Demon.

However, this mark is obviously not so easy to find; we need to find another angle.

For example...

The traces of the operation of the microcosm within the human body are guided by the demonic path.

Memory can lie, thought can lie, but the real world cannot.

Of course, the real world might also be fake, but there's no need to consider that. If we were to consider that the real world is also fake, then everything would be meaningless, and there would be no point in thinking about it so much.

Once the Dao is revealed, it will inevitably cause changes in the rules, unless that Daoist principle does not have any external impact.

However, if that Heavenly Demonic Dao Charm does not cause any external impact, it means that one's memories and thoughts have not been altered.

If it has been altered, it means that the Heavenly Demonic Dao Charm has had an impact.

Based on this logic, the appearance of the Heavenly Demonic Dao Charm will inevitably trigger some kind of reaction.

Some practitioners who cultivate in isolation may not feel it very strongly because the demonic path does not conflict with them, so there is no trace of it at all, which is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

But Li Qi was the one who had all three Dao Path within his body.

If other people's personal world is a stable mountain, then his is an upside-down mountain.

It is top-heavy, with the base of the mountain above and the peak below, and it could topple at any moment. It would take a great deal of effort to keep this mountain from collapsing due to the struggle for power.

In this environment, even the slightest external fluctuation can disrupt this delicate balance.

However, in the previous six months, Li Qi had put in a lot of effort to stabilize himself, so he was no longer so easily collapsing.

However... in this situation...

It's better if it collapses.

Thinking of this, Li Qi immediately put his arm around Wan Wuheng's shoulder.

"Sir, please stop for a moment and give me a few minutes," Li Qi said.

"What does the young master intend to do?" Wan Wuheng asked, puzzled, unsure of Li Qi's plans.

"I would be grateful if you could protect me. I need to try and find out how the Heavenly Demon is affecting me," Li Qi replied.

Wan Wuheng frowned slightly, seemingly puzzled. "Why bother? There are eminent monks at White Horse Temple who can dispel your demonic thoughts. It's only a few Chen from Chang'an to Luoyang."

"It makes no difference to the Tang Kingdom, but it is very important to me, as it concerns our future. I hope you will understand," Li Qi replied immediately.

Wan Wuheng didn't understand at first, but after thinking about it carefully, he immediately understood what the young master of Wushen Mountain meant.

According to the information he had received, a high shaman wanted him to notice the abnormality in himself, so he left it alone.

But after being left to his own devices for so long, this young master doesn't seem to have noticed anything at all... Now that I've reminded him, this is probably his last chance to impress his teacher.

Being taken to White Horse Temple like this, I'm safe now, but I'll definitely get a bad evaluation from my teachers in the future.

So, this young master wants to try to find out where the Heavenly Demon is parasitizing on his own?

Wan Wuheng nodded immediately, not forcefully stopping Li Qi, but still imposed restrictions. "Since you want to try, then try it. It won't take much time. The carriage will arrive some time later. However... there is only one Chen. If it still doesn't work by then, please go to the White Horse Temple to prevent your demonic thoughts from entering your body and causing your death."

He feared that Li Qi might get stuck in a rut and be invaded by demonic thoughts, which would directly lead to his death here...

Although, Li Qi's death was actually a good thing, wasn't it?

He had also heard that the young master had come to Chang'an as a hostage, because he had learned the Polaris Golden Core Method by fortuitous opportunity and had become the focus of the dispute.

The Tang Kingdom actually wanted him dead; when it came to keeping secrets, no hostage was as simple and convenient as a dead man.

However, Wushen Mountain could not kill its own disciples, so at Zhu Fengdan's suggestion and Li Qi's own wish, he finally came to Chang'an.

However, from Wan Wuheng's own perspective, he did not actually want this young master to die here.

Putting aside the various controversies that would arise after his death, and the responsibilities he would have to bear... just considering the young master's character, he really didn't want him to die here.

It's quite a coincidence that Wan Wuheng actually has a close friend who is the key to his current rise to power and establishment of a firm foothold.

This friend is a book spirit from the household of a fifth-rank senior, and the kind that can get close to him. He is responsible for helping that Fifth-Rank Great Expert copy books and record daily life.

Unlike many people from the Central Plains, Wan Wuheng did not despise those lives that were not classified as 'humans'. Therefore, he had good relationships with many demons, which was also a source of much of his intelligence as a bandit hunter.

When he reciprocates, he will also use his strength and connections to help these demons live a better life.

But even earlier, when he was just a young boy, his book-demon friend had been secretly copying down the fifth-rank scholar's insights and sending them to him.

Wan Wuheng was able to advance to the sixth rank thanks in no small part to his friend, the Book Demon, who risked his life to copy the text. Therefore, the two of them had a life-or-death friendship.

A month or so ago, he heard from a friend that the book demon circle had spread the word that Li Qi had saved a book demon's life and that he treated all kinds of spirits and monsters serving in the Imperial Academy very well, without the slightest arrogance or harshness.

Perhaps this is related to his identity Shaman Path; it's said that Shaman Path are all like this.

Therefore, Wan Wuheng himself did not want Li Qi to get into trouble, after all... his intelligence indicated that Li Qi was a good person in a less strict sense.

Because of these considerations, he agreed to protect Li Qi.

Li Qi immediately expressed his gratitude and said, "A Chen is more than enough. Thank you for your leniency. When you are protecting me, please be careful to suppress my fluctuations. I may lose control of my cultivation at that time. Please stop the aftershocks and do not let them spread and damage other people's houses."

Upon hearing this, Wan Wuheng smiled and said, "In that case, why don't we find a paid cultivation cave abode and cultivate there? It would be more efficient and there would be other protective measures. It's better than doing this on the street."

A paid cultivation cave abode? Li Qi was slightly taken aback.

Oh, you mean the kind of cave abode where you pay money to go in and cultivate, with all sorts of facilities, drinks, snacks, professional training partners, doctors, and lifeguards?

He had heard of it, but had never used it, so he couldn't recall it at the moment.

He doesn't have that need, and his cultivation won't cause much of a commotion; it's very peaceful.

However, since things are as they are now, this kind of thing is perfect. So he nodded and said, "That's perfect, let's do it this way. Would you please lead the way?"

"Okay." Wan Wuheng agreed, and then led Li Qi to his usual cave abode.

cave abode have long been developed into a mature business in the Tang Kingdom. As a resource that cultivators often use, many people naturally engage in this business. Moreover, due to the existence of the ultimate government in the Tang Kingdom, prices are well controlled, and the social economy and resources are full of vitality due to the plunder and replenishment from outside the region.

So these places are actually very lively, and many people go there.

However, Li Qi's detached and otherworldly cultivation method meant that Li Qi had no need for these external things and naturally rarely learned about them, remaining at the level of hearsay.

He didn't know how to contact these things.

Fortunately, Wan Wuheng was very familiar with these things. He arranged everything and brought Li Qi to a cave abode within ten minutes.

Li Qi entered the cave abode, paid the money, and again used silver to pay.

The price is quite high, probably enough to buy a standard Ninth Rank Magic Treasure, and you only have one day to use it.

But upon closer reflection, it's acceptable. After all, this is a room that can withstand a seventh-rank rank fighter's full-force attack without any aftershocks spreading out, and it also offers other services and snacks.

Li Qi entered and weighed it in.

The array here is quite stable, enough to cause some trouble, and it's absolutely soundproof and can also block detection. However, the shop has its own internal surveillance to prevent customers from causing any trouble here.

After confirming these things, Li Qi sat down.

Then, based on his conjecture, he began to try it.

First, the body's processes are paused.

Then... expand!

Li Qi directly and violently unleashed all the rules of Human Path, Shaman Path, and Daoism, stirring up a struggle within his body!

He simply gave up on maintaining the balance and let the mountain collapse!

His microcosm began to collapse instantly, with countless laws of nature clashing, incompatible, and contradicting each other, causing his cultivation to completely spiral out of control and directly reach a point where he could self-destruct at any moment.

Li Qi's cultivation overflowed, with hundreds of millions of strands of energy bursting out of his body. He saw that there were Earth Fire, wind and water, mountain and water energy, human energy and divine energy all around him. Countless complex energies, numbering over a thousand types, surged out uncontrollably!

If they were outside, their rampaging cultivation alone would be enough to annihilate an area within ten miles, creating a vacuum.

However, now that he is protected by an array, all his destruction is suppressed to within three feet of his body, preventing any other damage.

Even Li Qi couldn't withstand such chaos; it would probably last for about a minute before he exploded.

However, all of this was within Li Qi's expectations. He was not nervous, but instead began to use the True Knowledge Dao Charm to closely monitor the situation inside his body.

When the internal laws are out of control, all the laws expand and operate according to their original rules. If they encounter other laws, they will conflict. This is the essential manifestation of their nature as laws.

At such a time, if one has ever been influenced by the demonic path... then the demonic path will surely manifest itself in this chaotic situation.

Memory can lie, thought can lie, but the world won't lie.

Li Qi self-destruction to force the demonic path to reveal itself!

Whether he shows up or not, he has to come out!

Suppressing the instinct of Daoist rhythm and preventing it from regulating other energies also requires power.

In other words, regardless of whether the Heavenly Demon intervenes or not, as long as Li Qi's observation accuracy is high enough, he can detect the clues!

This method was devised by Li Qi to find traces of the Heavenly Demon!

In his prediction, the Heavenly Demon would inevitably reveal a flaw, and whether he paid attention or not, there would be a trace of it. It was just a matter of how big the flaw was. If he couldn't detect it, it was because his observation accuracy was not enough, and the Heavenly Demon had evaded it.

In terms of observation accuracy, True Knowledge Dao Charm is trustworthy.

If we still can't observe it, then let's make things even bigger and just disperse all our cultivation, leaving only the framework of the seventh rank!

It might take one or two years to rebuild one's cultivation, but during the process of dispersing one's cultivation, all the Dao principles will spontaneously begin to conflict. Under such a chaotic battle, the Heavenly Demonic Dao Charm will definitely not be able to be hidden!

Moreover, there was one thing he lied to Wan Wuheng.

He hinted to Wan Wuheng that he was taking the initiative to do this because he was afraid the Great Shaman would look down on him.

This makes sense logically and successfully deceived Wan Wuheng.

In reality, whether Mi Xin valued him or not was of no importance to Li Qi. Even if he wanted to prove himself, it had nothing to do with Mi Xin.

If he were to take a hundred steps back, he should try to please Mi Xin Zhu Fengdan instead of Mi Xin.

So, that was just an excuse.

Li Qi's true purpose was to draw out what was behind it all. He wanted to seize that wisp of the Heavenly Demonic Dao Charm and then trace its origins!

He didn't believe in Human Path, nor in Buddhism; he wanted to take matters into his own hands.

Even if it means facing the Heavenly Demon head-on.

However, that's unlikely.

This is Chang'an; the Heavenly Demons would never dare to truly descend here.

Let's not even talk about what happened to Li Qi in the cave abode.

Outside the rented cave abode, the innkeeper was chatting with Wan Wuheng.

These ordinary people, as well as various shops and forces on the streets of Chang'an, all had good relationships with Wan Wuheng.

When it comes to catching thieves, you always have to deal with all sorts of people, and these are all Wan Wuheng's informants.

Li Qi was a high-ranking young master who rarely dealt with these forces in the marketplace, but he was different; a large part of his work required the cooperation of these lowlifes.

"Wan Jidao, whose son is this? Why did you personally deliver him? And why were you waiting outside? This relationship must be quite special," the owner of the rented cave abode asked with a smile.

"Kid? Don't talk like that when you come out later. Don't ask about his identity, or you'll be scared to death. You might even wet your pants!" Wan Wuheng changed his serious demeanor in front of Li Qi, crossing his legs and laughing with the shopkeeper.

"Haha, even a sixth-rank..." The shopkeeper was about to say something, but suddenly, a thud was heard in the room!

A muffled thud echoed through the cave abode.

The shopkeeper's pupils contracted! He abruptly stood up. "The protective formation of the cave abode is broken! How is that possible? Even if a seventh-rank cultivator inside self-destructed, they couldn't possibly destroy the formation. It was set up by a sixth-rank cultivator!"

Wan Wuheng didn't waste any more words and immediately rushed into the house!

However, just as he set off, the surroundings suddenly darkened.

Immediately--

In the darkness, the light of space stood still.