Things That Do Not Exist

Li Qi immediately bowed respectfully. "This humble one is all ears."

The Grand Tutor then sat down where Li Qi had been sitting and asked, "Do you know why the Heavenly Demon came looking for you?"

Li Qi did not hide anything and revealed his guess. "Young man, may I be so bold as to guess that it is... because of my identity as Outer Dao?"

"You're right, that's why. However, your heretical Outer Dao Great One from ordinary Outer Dao, so I'm going to explain it to you in detail and answer your questions," the Grand Tutor said.

Li Qi lowered his head. "Is the Grand Tutor worried about what the Heavenly Demon said at the end?"

Hearing Li Qi's doubts, the old man nodded. "That's right, I'm a little worried. You are indeed a very curious person. If I keep too much from you, I'm afraid you will really go to the Heavenly Demon to seek answers."

The Grand Tutor sighed and said, "Therefore, I will answer many questions for you, but I hope you will believe me that there are some things that you should not know."

"You haven't completely fallen into demonic ways yet, and you can't withstand some of the shocks on your Dao Path. I'm not telling you this really for your own good."

"I understand, sir. So... may I ask now?" Li Qi looked up and said.

He really had too many doubts.

He needs answers.

Perhaps the Heavenly Demon was right; Li Qi's curiosity was his greatest weakness in his Dao heart.

This was an irrepressible curiosity. Li Qi's initial reason for cultivating was to witness things he had never witnessed before.

"Ask away," the Grand Tutor nodded.

Immediately, Li Qi asked, "May I ask, Grand Tutor, what exactly are these Outer Dao?"

Upon hearing this question, the Grand Tutor pondered for a moment, stroking his beard and looking up at the sky, as if considering how to tell Li Qi.

Because this is a rather broad question.

What are Outer Dao?

How should I describe it?

The Grand Tutor pondered for a moment, then suddenly waved his hand.

The sky suddenly changed.

It was daytime, and the sky over Chang'an was a clear blue, with clouds and strong winds swaying about.

Then, suddenly, the sky turned into night, and the sun and moon both set, transforming into a dazzling starry sky.

The light of the stars seemed magnified, making the sky exceptionally beautiful at that moment.

The dragons and stars howled mournfully in the deep ravine, their reflections trembling, and the view was as small as a hair's breadth across billions of miles.

It was truly magnificent, an awe-inspiring sight that defies description.

Especially when Li Qi learned that the countless stars in the sky were actually clusters of worlds.

This magnificent picture is essentially a miracle composed of infinite space, infinite life, and the infinite, splendid civilization they created.

Moreover, he understood that this starry sky was probably not fake, not an illusion.

Instead, it truly pushed back the sun and moon, revealing the starry sky.

I wonder how chaotic things are outside right now...

However, it doesn't seem like things will get chaotic.

Because, it seems, the light of the universe is still lingering?

As long as this state of stagnation is maintained, whatever is done, and everything is restored before the light of the universe begins to flow again, then nothing will happen.

The power of a first-rank official... truly terrifying.

Li Qi gazed at the starry sky, awaiting the Grand Tutor's answer to his question.

After the Grand Tutor waved his hand to unfold this starry sky, he said, "If you want to discuss Outer Dao, you must first know the composition of the universe."

"Li Qi, the Shaman specialize in studying celestial phenomena, so you should know very well that this starry sky appears exactly the same to all worlds. Do you know why?"

As I've said before, the celestial sphere is the same in all worlds.

The Four Symbols, the Big Dipper, and the Twenty-Eight Mansions —these stars that can be seen in the world will not disappear just because you move to a different world, nor will they change due to changes in their positions.

All worlds share the same starry sky, and even their positions remain unchanged, as if they were using the same texture.

If changes occur, it is a revelation from the stars to mortals, signifying that the world is about to change.

"I don't know," Li Qi replied immediately.

He really didn't know. Although he understood that such a phenomenon existed, he was still clueless about what it represented.

"Because the world itself cannot see the stars," the Grand Tutor said.

"The stars that are now displayed to all the worlds were hung up in the sky little by little by the Star Official. Each star represents a Star Official, not a certain shining world."

"It was the ancient Star Official who jointly forged the Great Dao of the Stars, thereby intervening in the way of the sun and moon's movement, and becoming one of the Three Powers of the sun, moon and stars."

"Originally, only a few worlds had natural stars, but the Star Official extended this to all worlds, making the starry sky a standard feature of all worlds."

Upon hearing this answer, Li Qi felt a chill run down his spine.

Is the starry sky... forged by human hands?

Did the Star Official hang them up one by one?

The world itself has no stars? In other words, there isn't enough bright light to see between worlds. Originally, all worlds should only have the sun and moon? Or perhaps there aren't even sun and moon?

Was the Way of the Sun and Moon also forged by someone else?

Li Qi dared not think about it.

But the Grand Tutor continued, asking him, "Do you know what this means?"

He looked at Li Qi.

This time, Li Qi didn't want to admit he didn't know, so he lowered his head and pondered what it meant.

Li Qi was a smart man, and he quickly found the key.

Not every world has stars, nor does it have the sun and moon.

It's hard to say about the sun and moon, since in Li Qi's understanding, they are essentially fixed stars and satellites, although they are different in the world...

The sun and moon are of equal size; the sun and the moon are essentially the same, and neither is superior to the other.

But Li Qi knew about other world groups, such as Douxiu Six, which he had visited. It was an entire world group, consisting of hundreds of thousands of worlds, sharing a pair of sun and moon.

These world groups revolve around the same pair of sun and moon.

So what does this mean?

The representation of 'sun, moon and stars' is not universally applicable.

The sun, moon, and stars all have their own limitations; they are not like physical laws that apply everywhere.

That means...

The ways of the world are not universal.

The rules of the world are that everyone calculates their own way.

This is actually a terrifying thing, because think about it, the entire universe follows the same set of Principle on Earth.

But here, Li Qi suddenly realized something.

Every world follows different Principle!

He misunderstood.

The 'universe' under heaven is not the universe as Li Qi understands it!

Seemingly noticing Li Qi's expression, the Grand Tutor nodded. "Now you understand, right? What are Outer Dao?"

"In the endless outer realm, there are countless world clusters. The worlds in these world clusters vary in size. The large ones contain the universe, while the small ones are flat and round. There are even some strange worlds, such as worlds carried by turtles stacked on top of each other, giants that toss worlds around like balls, and so on."

"The universe refers to all of time and space, not any single system," the Grand Tutor said.

Li Qi understood.

He had always thought that... the extraterrestrial realm was actually the universe as he originally understood it.

The world, though somewhat strange, should be no different from a planet.

But after hearing what the Grand Tutor said, he understood.

The world and a planet are vastly different.

In terms of hierarchy, the entire universe in which Earth is located is probably just one 'world' in the context of the universe.

The Observable Universe, spanning hundreds of billions of light-years, is just one 'world'.

Hundreds of billions of light-years... that distance.

Perhaps... it's a First Rank World?

No, it's hard to say.

Li Qi knew too little about that level; he had no way of knowing or judging it.

However, we can also draw a conclusion.

The entire outer region is not a universe composed of a single planet or galaxy.

Or is it a 'multiverse' composed of one world after another?

The Grand Tutor said, "Therefore, this is Outer Dao, a world different from the world we know, with completely different rules."

"However, there are differences even among Outer Dao."

"For example, in the infinite worlds beyond the realm, many of these worlds share the same Great Dao and all the constants are the same, but the way they are arranged is different. Thus, this is the most recent Outer Dao. Have you seen the Golden Platform?"

Li Qi nodded; he had seen many world groups on the Golden Platform.

He knew that these world clusters were worlds that could be reached quickly. By using the Golden Platform's transportation, even if the distance was countless light-years, he could easily arrive within a few Chen.

"The world encompassed by Golden Platform is a world unified by the same Dao Lineage. The world within it has been almost completely assimilated by the world." The Grand Tutor calmly stated a terrifying fact.

"The world outside of Golden Platform, such as the Sixth-Rank World you have in your hands, is a world with significant differences. Its basic laws are roughly the same as our universe, but the constants may be somewhat different. It can give birth to more special products, and these special products are also one of the driving forces for the world to continue to expand outward. This is the second most distant Outer Dao."

"There are even more distant Outer Dao, which previously only existed in conjecture. They are different even from the most fundamental path, and their various settings and constants are completely different."

The Grand Tutor looked at Li Qi and said calmly, "This third-farthest Outer Dao is where you came from. It was just a guess before, but it's not now."

Li Qi's breath hitched.

This Outer Dao is indeed quite far away.

"Of course, there is also the fourth level, the furthest one, but that is even more absurd. It is said to be a Dao that is completely different from all that we know, with no resemblance whatsoever. It is not even a complete conjecture, just like a dream."

"Do you understand? What is Outer Dao, and how important is the Outer Dao within you?" the Grand Tutor said.

Li Qi bowed again. "I understand, but I have another question. Why does the Heavenly Demon value me so much?"

"Why? Hmm... for transcendence, I suppose." The Grand Tutor pondered for a moment, then quickly gave his answer.

"Transcendence?" Li Qi frowned.

What can one transcend? As a person of the highest rank, is there anything that one cannot transcend?

Even the Principle of physics cannot control him. He can arbitrarily modify the world, manipulate the light of the universe, trample on space, and even easily erase and rewrite people's memories and thoughts.

Li Qi couldn't understand what else could prevent him from transcending this state.

Faced with Li Qi's question, the Grand Tutor replied, "Li Qi, do you know the weaknesses and characteristics of the demonic path?"

Li Qi immediately replied, "I know a little bit... It was just that the Heavenly Demon himself told me."

The Grand Tutor said he understood, and then explained to him, "The demonic path believes that all things are empty and void, and only one's own heart is real. Therefore, for Dao Path, how to fill their own heart is of utmost importance."

"And the Mara of Self-Transformation is naturally the strongest among them. His human body is a small world... also known as the Desire Realm, or the Demon Heaven of He-Who-Transforms-Himself-at-Will Heaven."

"In the Desire Realm, everything in the outside world can be reproduced and satisfied here. All your desires and pursuits can be fulfilled in the Desire Realm. You can even pursue the path in the Desire Realm. The path in the outside world can be reproduced in the Desire Realm, just like in other worlds, and it is actually usable."

"It was a... dreamlike world, constructed by the Heavenly Demon using all its knowledge, intelligence, and everything seen by all the secondary Heavenly Demons scattered throughout the myriad worlds."

Li Qi listened to the Grand Tutor's description of the Desire Realm, he became somewhat numb.

What exactly is it that these top-tier beings cannot do?

What meaning does this world still hold for them?

By reversing time and space, reversing cause and effect, and making wishes come true, the Desire Realm can now easily replicate everything in the myriad worlds. To the Heavenly Demon, this world is something he can create at will.

What else does he aspire to?

At this moment, the Grand Tutor tapped Xia Li Qi head and said to him, "This is the characteristic of the demonic path, but at the same time, it is also the weakness of the demonic path."

Li Qi immediately became respectful and listened attentively to the weaknesses of the demonic path.

"The demonic path constructs a complete world within one's own heart. This world itself is flawless and perfect, but... perfection means stagnation."

"Mara of Self-Transformation, renowned for his transformations. But when something possesses all transformations, it loses the ability to transform. When he transforms into reality, can his heart still transcend reality?"

Upon hearing the Grand Tutor's question, Li Qi fell into deep thought.

He pondered the answer to the question.

The meaning of "Grand Tutor" is:

The demonic path's human body is a small world, destined to be unable to transcend reality. The Desire Realm has already encompassed everything in reality, yet it is always difficult to transcend it.

This is the shackles of the demonic path, the endless chains that imprison the unfettered Mara of Self-Transformation.

Even if there is no internal conflict within you, and you can set it up however you want, and adjust all the parameters as you please, can you create something more exquisite than the real world?

If you want to achieve something more exquisite than reality, you need to transcend reality itself.

Impossible, it can't be done.

The reason why it can't be done is quite simple.

Can a human imagine something that doesn't exist?

Or to put it another way.

Can the Heavenly Demon use his transformation techniques to create things that don't exist in the real world at all?

Wait, then what about myself, as a third-level Outer Dao...?

Is it something the Heavenly Demon cannot 'imagine'?