Fox

Before anyone knew it, the few strands of hair that had been pulled out from the middle-aged swordsman were now in Li Qi's hands.

Li Qi held the hair in his hands, muttering something to himself.

The middle-aged swordsman's pupils contracted, then he raised his sword with both hands and thrust forward!

The Martial Dao Inner Qi tore Li Qi's body apart in an instant, and his body was directly cut into dozens of pieces!

But the shattered body quickly turned into flowing water, seeping into the ground.

It's still Inner Gods, but this time it's a water god.

The water god's divine power was severely damaged.

Martial Dao Inner Qi is the result of refining countless types of energy into one. Regardless of what kind of energy a martial artist absorbs, what they ultimately condense is Martial Dao Inner Qi.

Therefore, Martial Dao Inner Qi also has the property of devouring and eroding other energies, just like a martial artist's appetite.

Therefore, Martial Dao Inner Qi can destroy all Technique Method and has a special effect on all defenses. When used in defense, it can also dissolve the opponent's attack.

Aside from lacking any special features, Martial Dao Inner Qi has no weaknesses in terms of pure offense and defense.

Unlike martial arts, Shaman Path is the complete opposite.

The Qi absorbed by the Shaman Path is mixed and abundant, which is completely different from the martial arts Path's emphasis on refining and purifying. Therefore, the Shaman Path has many tricks, but it is much weaker in serious offense and defense.

For this reason, with just two strikes, Li Qi's two Inner Gods were already severely injured.

A seventh-rank martial artist, and so close at that, it's very dangerous.

However, Li Qi was no ordinary seventh-rank Shaman.

The swordsman became even more anxious after realizing that Li Qi had escaped.

But there was no use in being anxious, as all of Li Qi's Inner Gods had already appeared and blocked his way.

Mountain gods and water gods joined hands, Sun Moon Heavenly God hung in the sky, strange phenomena frequently occurred all around, countless divine energies surged, and mountain and water energies were frequently mobilized.

The swordsman took a deep breath and twirled his longsword in a flourish.

He didn't speak, nor did he call out the name of the move.

Not everyone shouts out the name of their special move when they fight; that would be too stupid.

But not shouting doesn't mean he didn't give it his all.

He was already aware of the danger!

Because Li Qi's true form was hiding two miles behind the Inner Gods, performing a ritual!

Li Qi held up the hair he had just stolen while the swordsman wasn't looking, and used it to make a lamp wick. In front of an illusory lamp, he kept repeating his words.

This is Shaman's Curse!

The wick of that lamp was the swordsman's hair, and it was burning fiercely!

The swordsman knew he had to stop the Shaman's actions!

The longsword was drawn again, its light like a dragon, and the Martial Dao Inner Qi surged like a wild wilderness, wanting to destroy all obstacles in its path!

But looking at Li Qi's side—

The more urgent the Curse, the dimmer the lamp, and the dark shadows lingered beneath it.

The last shadow, dark and inky, stood out starkly against the ground, motionless. Suddenly, the candlelight blazed brightly, and the shadow remained imprinted on the ground, like a faint ink stain. Then, Li Qi raised his hand and set it ablaze.

At that very moment, the swordsman's sword arrived as promised.

Li Qi's Inner Gods was completely shattered!

Faced with the Martial Dao Inner Qi, the Inner Gods has almost no defensive capabilities whatsoever!

However, his Sword Qi only traveled fifty steps.

As the candle burned out, in the next instant, the middle-aged man who had launched a full-scale attack suddenly froze, losing his fighting ability and ceasing all his actions.

His veins bulged all over his body, his eyes were bloodshot, his lips were purplish-black, and he seemed to be trying to breathe but it felt like something was choking him.

Even his heart stopped beating. An invisible hand pierced his chest, pressed down on his heart, and squeezed every blood vessel, stopping all his physiological functions.

The attack, which seemed capable of cleaving a mountain, thus ceased.

This is Curse.

Li Qi's direct combat ability is very poor.

However, if you give Shaman a single hair, Shaman can kill you.

The lamp in his hand was the swordsman's life lamp. If it were completely devoured by the shadow, which was Li Qi's curse, the swordsman would die instantly, without any cause of death.

If I had to pinpoint a reason, it would probably be sudden death caused by cardiac arrest.

However, Li Qi did not intend to kill him.

The next second, Li Qi's illusory lamp vanished.

The swordsman suddenly knelt on the ground, breathing heavily, large beads of sweat dripping onto the ground.

He stopped because his hands were trembling and his eyes were darting around.

But then, the swordsman looked up in disbelief, staring at Li Qi.

How is this possible?! Shaman actually reacted within a hundred paces?! And defeated him?!

He is a seventh-rank martial artist, and should have a sure win against Shaman within a hundred paces!

However, what he didn't know was what kind of enemies Li Qi usually faced.

When he was at the Imperial Academy, those prodigies who practiced martial arts were faster, stronger, and more refined in their skills than him. Their Martial Dao Inner Qi was ten times more refined than that of these 'martial arts heroes'.

Although Li Qi didn't visit often, he would occasionally exchange ideas with him.

In most cases, Li Qi, who is not good at fighting, would be pinned to the ground and beaten by martial artists or other Dao Path.

After all, Shaman are not good at fighting in the arena, nor do they fight in the arena. They just hide thousands of miles away, draw a circle to Curse you, and then you really die.

But such battles are also a good thing for Li Qi; at least he has learned how to buy himself enough time in battle.

Therefore, Li Qi was not complacent. He waved his hand, and an invisible force directly threw the swordsman away, sending him flying three miles away, where he rolled around on the ground with a thud.

As for the others, they had already all run away.

You can curse someone, but you can also run away, right? The people of Baiyue are masters of this.

Only Chan Master Kaiwen, who arrived late, seemed somewhat displeased with Li Qi's domineering behavior, but said nothing.

But Li Qi didn't care. He simply stretched out his hand and drew a simple flat map of the surrounding area in the air, only showing the terrain within a two or three-mile radius.

But that's enough.

After confirming his location on the floating flat map, Li Qi stretched out his hand and drew a circle with a diameter of about 500 meters on the map, at the location of the Buddha sculpture.

The circle was quite regular because Li Qi now had exceptional control over his physical body, after all, he was already a seventh-rank cultivator.

Just after he finished drawing the circle, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed. An invisible barrier enveloped the area, and a transparent barrier that blocked everything stood in front of everyone. This barrier stipulated that only exit was allowed, and no one was allowed to enter.

A circle drawn on a map is projected onto reality and directly alters reality.

This is the magic of Shaman; when it comes to unpredictable methods, Shaman are among the most skilled in the world.

However, what seems magical to outsiders is actually based on the same principle as stabbing someone with a voodoo doll in Li Qi's view.

Make a straw effigy, write the effigy's name and birth date on it, and then prick it with a needle. The effigy will be injured and in pain, and may even die.

It's the same now. Draw a map, then draw a circle on the map, and separate this area from the map. And that's how it's really separated.

Thus, this place was cut off from the outside world, with only Li Qi and Chan Master Kaiwen living in this area.

However, although it sounds complicated, in reality, from the time Li Qi arrived here and drove everyone away, it took less than a minute, and the battle only lasted a dozen seconds.

Faced with all this, Chan Master Kaiwen frowned and said, "Benefactor, you seem to be in a bit too much of a hurry. What have you discovered?"

"Danger, this Buddha sculpture is dangerous," Li Qi said.

"What do you mean? Dakini Heaven compassionate. Although she used to enjoy eating human hearts, she has now become Guardian Spirit. It is impossible for her to spread anything particularly dangerous," said Chan Master Kaiwen.

He was correcting Li Qi, because it was very impolite to say that something arranged by Dakini Heaven himself was dangerous.

"It's not that it's dangerous. Dakini Heaven himself may not have any ill intentions, but that doesn't mean this thing is safe. That's why I had to drive everyone away, otherwise they might die," Li Qi said.

He didn't continue explaining because there was no point in explaining further; seeing was believing.

This time, Li Qi sat down and, as before, began to examine the Buddha sculpture using the Thirty-two Forms a Buddha.

Undoubtedly, a new Visualization Diagram appeared before his eyes once again.

However, Li Qi did not use this Visualization Diagram; he simply ignored the Thirty-two Forms.

First, visualize the Thirty-two Forms, then combine them with a Buddha sculpture to create that Visualization Diagram.

After that, Li Qi smiled.

Sure enough, it was exactly as I had guessed.

The Buddha is characterized by Thirty-two Forms.

So here's the question: does having Thirty-two Forms of a Buddha mean that person is a Buddha?

Li Qi slowly rose and recited a verse. "Clay sculptures, wooden carvings, silk paintings, piled with green and painted with gold, if you say this is the image of the Tathagata, I laugh at Namo Avalokiteshvara."

If we consider the Tathagata based on the Thirty-two Forms, then how many Tathagatas are there?

This Buddha sculpture is not the 'Buddha sculpture' I see in front of me at all!

Li Qi suddenly understood a sentence in the Buddhist Scriptures he had been reading, which was called "attachment to appearances".

Li Qi once jokingly told someone, "You're too attached to appearances."

But now I understand what true attachment to appearances really means.

If you are fixated on the Thirty-two Forms of a Buddha, you will never be able to come into contact with a real Buddha sculpture.

The Buddha sculpture's ordinary appearance leads to attachment to form, which is the first layer of delusion. The saying "so it is, so it is" is the second layer of delusion. Furthermore, the claim that one should view the Buddha through the Thirty-two Forms of a Buddha is yet another layer of delusion.

In this way, the sculpture deviates further from reality, and its purpose is achieved.

Chan Master Kaiwen heard Li Qi say this, his face was filled with surprise.

He glanced at Li Qi with surprise, scrutinizing him closely.

Then, Chan Master Kaiwen chanted a Buddhist mantra and solemnly said to Li Qi, "If one views the Sacred King through the Thirty-two Forms, then the Universal Monarch is the Tathagata. Although the Universal Monarch has the Thirty-two Forms, how can he be the same as the Sacred King? The World Honored One used words to dispel subtle doubts, so that future generations of sentient beings would not see the wrong things. Today I will tell you the words of the World Honored One."

"Thus have I heard: Sound, form, and appearance arise from the mind itself; the mind that makes distinctions falls into Evil Dao."

"The Buddha's teachings are not based on form, yet you mistake them for form. The Buddha's teachings are not based on appearance, yet you mistake them for appearance. If you observe the Buddha with nine colors and seventy-two marks, you are merely clinging to existence and non-existence. You cannot hear the supreme meaning from him."

The World Honored One said, "The Universal Sacred King has a dignified appearance and possesses the Thirty-two Forms of a great man, but he does not understand the Buddha-nature. He only enjoys worldly blessings, which will eventually come to an end. He has the mark of self and cannot attain great freedom."

Upon hearing this, Li Qi was startled before the words were even finished. He immediately stood up straight and listened attentively.

The words begin with "Thus have I heard," and the World Honored One is mentioned in the text.

These are the words spoken by the Buddha, the Great Sun Tathagata, the legendary Vairocana Buddha!

Similar to the teachings of the sorcerer on Wushen Mountain!

Therefore, Li Qi dared not miss a single word, listening carefully to every single one and then memorizing it firmly.

However, like all languages written and spoken by powerful beings, these languages are clear and easy to understand, and can be easily memorized, written, recorded, and disseminated.

However, they also contain some profound principles that can provide people with deep guidance.

Li Qi pondered these words, while also wondering why Chan Master Kaiwen would suddenly tell him what the Buddha had once said.

Such words should be top secret, and only a very few people are qualified to hear them.

The meaning of this statement is very simple.

All forms and appearances arise from the mind; to try to distinguish their actions is to fall into Evil Dao and make it difficult to hear the supreme meaning.

Just like the Sacred King of Reincarnation, who has a dignified appearance and possesses the Thirty-two Forms of Sacred King, but does not understand the true meaning of them, he will eventually come to an end. Although he has my 'appearance', he will never attain true freedom.

That's what the World Honored One said, so... why did Chan Master Kaiwen say this to Li Qi?

There must be a reason for this.

What effect did his statement have?

That's easy to understand. What he said was an affirmation of Li Qi's statement, indicating that Li Qi's thinking had touched upon the truth.

So he used the words of the World Honored One to acknowledge Li Qi and gave Li Qi a hint.

Li Qi did not answer him.

Instead, he looked at the Buddha sculpture again.

If all of the above ideas are true, then...

Li Qi closed his eyes again. This time, he even withdrew his True Knowledge Dao Charm and stopped perceiving the outside world in any form.

Then, apply the method you have just realized.

Li Qi formed hand Hand Seals, and a miniature world unfolded within his body.

Suddenly, Buddhist phenomena appeared around him.

Its heart shines with light, emitting five-colored rays, covering the sky like a canopy, illuminating all.

Li Qi shut down all his senses.

He discovered that even so, he could still clearly 'see' the Buddha sculpture.

He couldn't quite explain whether this sensation was 'vision,' but in the darkness, the Buddha sculpture was definitely there.

However, it's not a Buddha sculpture.

Buddhist sculptures are merely a facade. Being attached to the facade of Buddhist sculptures is essentially the same as being attached to the Thirty-two Forms of a Buddha statue; both are forms of delusion.

Everything that the senses see is appearance; to be attached to the world seen by the senses is to be "attached to appearances".

If we want to get away from this...

Li Qi closed his eyes and began to try.

Just a few minutes later, Li Qi opened his eyes.

The Buddha sculpture has disappeared.

Instead, a drop of blood floated on Li Qi's hand.

The blood of the Five Aggregates Demon is mixed with the blood of the Affliction Demon, the Death Demon, and the Heavenly Demon, but the main body is that of the Five Aggregates Demon.

Chan Master Kaiwen finally lost his composure. His elegance vanished, and in shock, he chose to prostrate himself in devout worship. After bowing, his face began to transform into a fox's face, and four fox tails emerged from his back.

"Under the throne of Dakini Heaven, Kaiwen greets the Buddha Child!"

He's a fox!