Clone

Soon, all the demonic energy was removed, and Li Qi's inner world became completely pure.

Li Qi originally didn't want the Witch God to do it; he wanted to accomplish these things himself.

But after thinking about it, he realized it didn't really matter.

However, to his surprise, the demonic energy did not dissipate, but instead condensed around him.

That was Li Qi... who was entirely composed of demonic energy.

Li Qi turned his head and glanced at it, a word popping into his mind.

The Ship of Theseus.

When a ship replaces a part every now and then, after many years, all the parts of the ship have been replaced, and none of them are original parts anymore.

Meanwhile, he reassembled the parts he had removed onto the shore into an identical ship.

Which one is the ship?

Li Qi was horrified. He looked at himself, which was completely composed of demonic energy, and a murderous intent suddenly surged in his heart. He wanted to burst out and destroy this thing!

Aside from being made of demonic energy, this thing is no different from Li Qi himself!

Even the materials were taken from Li Qi.

This is the demonic energy that was removed from Li Qi, and the place where this demonic energy originally was has been filled by other pure energy from the Witch God.

So, who is he?

Who is the real Li Qi?

A surge of intense fear rose within Li Qi, to the point that he wanted to destroy the Demonic Energy Li Qi in front of him.

But he held back.

After all, this was in front of the sorcerer god.

The shaman must have had a deeper meaning in doing this.

As expected, after all the demonic energy was removed and a lifelike Demonic Energy Li Qi was completed, the Great Earth Shamanic God spoke.

He said, "Although your Dao Path still has some characteristics of the demonic path, I have removed all the demonic energy."

"Now, if you don't actively practice demonic Technique Method and Cultivation Method, no one can see your demonic characteristics. At the same time, you can also develop some resistance to demonic Technique Method, especially demonic illusions, which can generate great resistance."

"Moreover, if there's any dirty work to be done, you can also hand it over to him." The Great Earth Shamanic God pointed to the demonic body behind Li Qi.

Li Qi glanced back, mustered his courage, and asked the sorcerer god, "Does he... have a mind?"

"Mind? Of course it exists," said the Great Earth Shamanic God.

Li Qi's heart skipped a beat.

However, the sorcerer immediately added, "However, I have temporarily sealed his mind, because directly giving him a mind without your long-standing thoughts and memories would cause a lot of trouble. So for about a hundred years, he will only have instincts and will only be controlled by your consciousness."

"As you manipulate him, he will slowly influence your thinking, eventually mature, and adopt your way of thinking. It's a win-win situation."

Li Qi broke out in a cold sweat, stood up, and solemnly asked, "I wonder what the Witch God's intention is in doing this?"

The Great Earth Shamanic God spoke in his usual calm and gentle voice to Li Qi, saying, "First, I'll find you a helper to improve your self-defense capabilities. No helper is as convenient, quick, and trustworthy as yourself. After all, before he awakened, he was no different from an ordinary clone, and perhaps even stronger."

"Because ordinary clones share the energy within the body, but this Demonic Energy Clone has its own complete cultivation system, which can give you double the combat power."

"The second thing is also a test for you. You see, apart from the different qi you are made of, he is almost exactly the same as you. In a hundred years, he may even completely acquire all your memories and ways of thinking."

"You can use this time to think about why you are you and he is him."

"Think carefully about the question of why I am who I am; it will be very helpful for you in the future."

Li Qi frowned as he listened to the Great Earth Shamanic God's words.

To be honest...

He's a bit of a pain in the ass.

However, he also sensed the effects of that Demonic Energy Clone...

How should I put it? It's like having an extra hand?

It was completely at my command, as if my thoughts existed in two bodies simultaneously.

It was very unusual, but Li Qi had experienced it before.

In Guangyang, he once constructed a golden statue for worship, and at that time he had already controlled two bodies, so he was still able to maintain control.

At the same time, he also understood what the 'hundred years' the witch god meant.

Because... this Demonic Energy Clone is 'learning'.

While Li Qi was controlling this body, there seemed to be an unconscious true spirit in the mind of the Demonic Energy Clone, imitating and learning his methods.

In other words, if I control this clone for a hundred years, it will have its own way of thinking, experience the same things as me, and may even have the same memories.

At that point, it's really hard to say who's real and who's fake.

Furthermore, Li Qi felt that...

The connection between the two bodies seems to be... bidirectional.

If that true spirit awakens, as a consciousness born from the same origin as oneself, it might also be able to control one's own body.

If... no, not if, according to the sorcerer, that's exactly how it is.

"Why me...?" Li Qi remained silent.

He had no answer, nor could he prove that the Demonic Energy Clone was not himself.

"Don't rush, think about it slowly." The Great Earth Shamanic God didn't seem to think he had done anything wrong, and was just comforting Li Qi.

Then, he reached out again, and a picture floated out.

To be honest, Li Qi was a little afraid to watch, fearing that the Witch God would give him some trouble again.

But he had no choice but to take the drawing.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a map.

No, it looks like a map, or... an anatomical diagram? Like the body of a long, serpentine creature.

Li Qi examined it carefully, and then suddenly felt a chill run down his spine!

This is what the cave looked like in its entirety!

He put in a lot of effort, had students from the Imperial Academy work for him, and it took him a long time to piece together a part of it.

Now, the sorcerer god has given him the complete blueprints, so he can take them back and start assembling them right away.

The Great Earth Shamanic God said to Li Qi, who was looking at the blueprints, "Your approach to this Demon Dragon is correct. The rest of the work is just a matter of time. I will just assemble it for you, and then you can go and observe it directly without wasting too much time."

"But other things still require you to experience them yourself in order to truly grow."

"Also, you can stay here to observe and comprehend the Shang Ritual for dispelling the yin Yin Qi, which should be beneficial to you. However, the armor you are wearing can only support you to stay here for about a month. When the time comes, you should leave."

Li Qi understood that the Witch God had seen what he wanted to know in him, but he probably wouldn't tell him the specifics.

In return for this, he created that demonic clone for himself, gave him the blueprints for the Demon Dragon Heaven, and allowed him to observe the Shang Ritual.

Honestly, it's actually quite good. Li Qi has everything he should have, and he can even use this to reach even greater heights.

Li Qi then bowed again.

The Witch God nodded slightly, and that wisp of will vanished without a trace, leaving only two Li Qi standing in place.

That's right, there are two, including that Demonic Energy Clone.

Li Qi glanced at the clone, wondering if he could destroy it now.

In this way, there's no need to think about who your true self is.

But after thinking it over for a long time, he finally shook his head.

Never mind.

In doing so, one would appear weak and incompetent.

This meeting was so brief that I don't even know what to say. All I can say is that the Witch God is really efficient and decisive, getting it done in just a few minutes.

It should be noted that it took Li Qi several days to get here, but he only said a few words.

However... if I say that out loud, I'll probably get beaten up.

That's an audience with the God of War! Even if it's only for a few seconds, some people would probably be willing to sit for a hundred years to get that chance.

Li Qi suppressed these distracting thoughts and simply sat down.

He was about to begin observing the Shang Ritual personally presided over by the sorcerer.

Even if he only gleaned a tiny bit from it, it would be more than enough for Li Qi to greatly advance his understanding of Shaman Path.

Observing the rituals of a shaman is not a common occurrence!

As for the two Wu Yu, they didn't seem to be in a hurry and just waited there.

After all, to be honest, Li Qi only stayed here for a month.

For these immortals, a month is just a nap away.

They are not young people like Li Qi.

Only young people feel that time passes slowly; when they reach that age, ten years will pass in the blink of an eye.

For the past month, Li Qi has been sitting here, getting used to the existence of two bodies at the same time, and trying to take in the other body. All the other time he has spent is observing the ritual performed by the Witch God.

Only...

Can't read.

In the past, Li Qi could always see something in everything and discover something, which he would then make into his own understanding and ultimately deepen his knowledge.

This trait of Li Qi is also the reason why his cultivation has progressed so rapidly.

However, when faced with the power of the sorcerer god, he racked his brains and came up with various methods to observe it, but he could not comprehend the divine will at all.

It's truly... I can't understand a single thing about it; it's like reading gibberish.

For the past month, it has been the same.

Li Qi had no choice but to use a clumsy method: simply memorize everything and try to understand it later.

As for how much you can remember, that depends on how hard you try.

If you can read three hundred Tang poems by heart, you can recite them even if you can't compose them.

Memorize it by rote first, and perhaps one day in the future, when faced with a certain predicament, you will suddenly realize it, slam your fist on the table, and exclaim, "So that's how it is!"

A month slowly passed.

The scenery here seems to never change, an endless Shang Ritual.

An endless array of monsters and strange beasts, wearing masks with shaved heads, blue faces, and fangs, danced around a giant.

The scene was so bizarre and horrifying.

They seem to be dancing a bizarre dance here forever, stretching their long, thin limbs, playing instruments and singing in the chaos, sometimes singing, sometimes crying, making eerie sounds.

The Great Earth Shamanic God in the center remained motionless, simply supporting the base of the Wushen Mountain.

No one could have imagined that such a scene would be at the foot of Wushen Mountain.

Li Qi kept all of this in his heart.

He also had some guesses in his mind.

The ghosts here danced continuously, and the two servants of the witch god also Wu Yu.

Is there any connection between these two things?

A month passed, and Li Qi's armor began to dim, and he began to feel the intense heat and immense pressure of the place.

However, there was still no clue.

The dance of these ghosts seemed to be improvised and random. Li Qi never saw them make any regular or identical movements. It was as if they were simply swaying their bodies and twisting their limbs into strange postures.

They can't even summarize the commonalities; it's just a tangled mess with no starting point.

However, at that moment, two Wu Yu silently appeared behind Li Qi.

"Young master, it's almost time. If you stay here any longer, you'll die," they kindly suggested.

Li Qi immediately stood up. "Then please take me back, senior."

Now, the Demonic Energy Clone has disappeared from this place.

This clone has already been put away by Li Qi.

The method used is very simple, similar to... pouring water into sand.

If a cup is filled with sand, is the cup really full?

Of course not.

You can still pour water into it, and after pouring water, you can drip alcohol in, using the method of drilling holes to make different substances overlap together.

Li Qi used this method to make his Demonic Energy Clone overlap with himself in the same area, acting in perfect synchronization, so that from the outside, it would appear as if he were the only person.

However, there is a problem: his weight has doubled.

But it doesn't matter anymore; nobody cares about such a trivial matter.

Moreover, this also saves effort, as he doesn't need to control two bodies at once. As long as the two bodies are in sync, they will naturally synchronize.

But... if they continue to synchronize like this, won't the two bodies develop some kind of strange harmony?

Forget about those vague and unrealistic things.

The two Wu Yu stood up and, together with Li Qi, floated upwards.

Even a distance of over a million miles can still take several days to travel.

They just surfaced much faster, taking only about three or four days.

On the way, Wu Yu gave Li Qi some instructions.

They solemnly said to Li Qi, "Young Master, please note that the matter of the Witch God must not be told to others."

Li Qi was puzzled and replied, "That's natural, but if someone really wanted to know, they should be able to find out easily through soul searching. I'm only a seventh-rank, so I shouldn't be able to resist."

The Wu Yu shook their heads. "You can't find it by searching the soul. Even if the status of the Witch God exists in your memory, touching it without permission will attract the Witch God's attention. However, young master, you must not reveal it to others."

"Understood," Li Qi immediately agreed.

After giving these instructions, the Wu Yu fell silent and focused solely on rising to the surface.

Li Qi did not disturb them.

He could take this opportunity to review and familiarize himself with the final blueprint of the Demon Dragon puzzle that the Witch God had given him.

With this, as long as we return to the Tang Kingdom, we can obtain the secret of that grotto.