True Dragon at the Door

Suddenly, the Fifth Rank Treasure Ship burst forth with powerful energy, as if its defensive formation had been activated!

Li Qi and the Monk Jingmo stopped talking and looked at each other in bewilderment.

The Reason Way members on the ship had already rushed out. They were the ship's staff, and when the ship encountered trouble, they were the first to go out and deal with it.

Li Qi coughed twice. "The treasure ship is of the fifth rank. High-ranking experts in the world will not break the rules at will, so it is safe for the time being. However... it is very strange that someone dares to attack the treasure ship. Shall we go out and take a look?"

"I have a bad feeling, let me cast a divination." Monk Jingmo said, and began to perform the divination.

"How do you plan to perform divination? By tortoise shell?" Li Qi asked curiously.

"No." Monk Jingmo shook his head. "Turtles breathe Primal Qi, and are intelligent and long-lived. But killing a turtle, skinning it, and drilling into its shell dissipates its essence. Yet one tries to find auspicious symbols on its charred bones. This is absurd and illogical. According to the teachings of Shaman Path, a diviner should be in harmony with the virtues of heaven and earth, with the brightness of the sun and moon, with the order of the four seasons, and with the fortune and misfortune of the spirits. Killing a sacred turtle and using its withered shell to resolve doubts is neither in accordance with virtue nor with wisdom."

Li Qi was taken aback when he heard this.

This monk actually knows so much about Shaman Path?

Seeing Li Qi's surprised expression, Monk Jingmo continued, "Sacrifices do not require a corpse; if a corpse can be abolished, then divination by tortoise shells can also be abolished. In ancient times, bells, drums, and other instruments were made using dog and pig blood and other items to ward off evil spirits. Now, these rituals are not used, yet we have not heard of any adverse effects from these items. Divination and building divination sites are all nonsense. Cleaning altars to seek blessings, and farmers and silkworm farmers worshipping plants, animals, and birds are also absurd practices."

After saying this, Li Qi became somewhat displeased.

"If it's an absurd act, how can it be effective? Master, your words are insulting both the divine and the Shaman Path," Li Qi reminded him.

"To understand the virtues of the divine and to comprehend the nature of all things is difficult even for the most intelligent. To teach this is the ultimate learning in the world, how could it be considered an insult? However, all beings need to awaken. The meaning of awakening is to break free from blind faith and to learn from the shallow to the deep, reaching all things. To know fire without knowing it is not to act; to act without knowing is not true knowledge. Knowledge and action must advance simultaneously, one after another. This is 'awakening,' and only those who are awakened can become Buddhas." Monk Jingmo said earnestly to Li Qi, his hands clasped together.

Li Qi did not refute it, because he knew that this was a Buddhist viewpoint, and the other party seemed to want to preach to him.

The central idea of Mahayana Buddhist Scriptures is to help people form their own understanding of the world. The so-called "awakening and seeing the truth" is actually to let you put aside the appearance of things and think about their underlying essence. This is also the origin of the saying "the Tathagata is in your heart".

The core concept is to urge people to think. When all beings think, all beings see their true nature and the Tathagata within. In this way, all beings are liberated and free, and ultimately, All beings are Buddha.

Enlightenment is the attainment of great wisdom after continuous reflection, enabling one to be liberated from all causes of suffering.

People are confused about right and wrong, mistaking falsehood for truth, and are drowning in Sea of Suffering they cannot extricate themselves.

Ultimately, it is because almost every life, every person, is like a slave, bound by numerous relationships in the world. These heavy shackles enslave and bind us, and no living being can be their own master, can truly be their own boss.

It's like employees being bound by their bosses, children being bound by their parents, lovers being bound by each other, and Lineage being bound by each other.

Endless constraints weigh them down, so they are not free. They are born against their will, die against their will, love and hate against their will, and toil and struggle their whole lives against their will. They do not know why they are like this, nor how to get rid of it all. They just live by habit, going through birth, aging, sickness and death. They are driven by many things under the shackles and will never be free.

Li Qi could certainly understand the Buddhist perspective.

However, he simply doesn't agree.

For Li Qi, his lover, Lineage, and sect were neither constraints nor burdens, so he did not admit that he was sinking into Sea of Suffering. Although he was constantly drifting along because of this, such as now rushing to the East Sea because of the Mount Luofu incident, Li Qi did not feel any suffering.

Buddhism views suffering as the 'cause of suffering,' but Li Qi does not.

So he shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about that. How does the master plan to perform the divination? I'll wait until you've finished and see the result before making a decision."

But then Monk Jingmo shook his head and said, "I have already completed the divination."

"Huh? When?!" Li Qi was taken aback. When did the divination end?

He didn't see anything. He didn't even see any fluctuations in the Technique Method in his information flow vision. True Knowledge Dao Charm only sensed normal fluctuations in the monk's body, without any abnormal or extra energy fluctuations.

Is there any Art of Divination that can remain completely undisturbed?

Monk Jingmo said quite naturally, "Since it is self-awakening, learning is useless. Reciting scriptures behind closed doors without curing one's ingrained habits will not lead to enlightenment. The teachings of Bodhisattvas and the enlightenment of Buddhas are all empty talk. If one has more experience on paper, one will have less experience in the world. If one places one's hopes on the longevity of a spirit, but then kills it prematurely, mutilates its flesh and drills its bones, and its essence is reduced to nothing, and one's repentance arises from the ashes, is that not a futile act? Therefore, just as I said before, the Art of Divination lies within oneself, just as the mind of enlightenment lies only within oneself. Therefore, it is naturally without leaving a trace and does not need any other rituals to assist it. One can still divine simply by thinking about it."

Li Qi remained noncommittal.

This monk is still preaching.

Is it an instinct of Buddhism? I've heard that Buddhism is known for its love of spreading its teachings and persuading others to join them, and now it seems that's indeed the case.

Li Qi had no affinity for Buddhism, so he didn't respond. Instead, he asked, "I see. What was the result of the divination, Master? Could you please tell me?"

Monk Jingmo didn't keep Li Qi in suspense and said directly, "This humble monk only divined an ominous sign, which seems to be a life-or-death calamity, but... it's not mine, but yours, benefactor. However, I can't see much more."

"You can tell my fortune?" Li Qi frowned.

He should have been protected by Yun Fang obscures the Heavenly Mechanism, and given the unique nature of his identity, he should be unable to be divined. He asked the Monk Jingmo about the divination results, actually wanting to know what the ship would encounter, but he never expected to hear about the divination results concerning himself.

"No, divination is never done to anyone. Things develop naturally, like a web of cause and effect, intertwined. Who is whose? When I divined about this matter, I felt that it was extremely dangerous, and within the danger was a fog. On this entire ship, only one person is shrouded in this fog, and that is you, benefactor," said Monk Jingmo.

"Therefore, I assert that the danger we face this time is none other than you, benefactor."

As the Monk Jingmo spoke, suddenly, a violent sound and tremor erupted outside once again.

Now, both Li Qi and the Monk Jingmo felt that something was wrong.

It should be noted that the first tremor was somewhat understandable and could be considered an accident.

However, the second explosion and tremor indicated that even after the group from Reason Way dealt with the situation, something was still trying to shake the ship.

This is Fifth Rank Treasure Ship! Who has the audacity to do this?

Thinking this, Li Qi decisively sealed the altar where the Old Ma was sleeping, and then went out to see what was going on outside.

However, as soon as Li Qi stepped outside, he saw... a real dragon.

It has scales, mane, claws, and horns, all shining brightly and exuding a fragrance. Its two whiskers hang down like dragon whiskers, reflecting gold and emerald.

Graceful and slender, scales like rocks, Dragon Bone shifting and mountains turning, left changes and right shifts, wind rises and clouds gather, emerging from ghosts and entering gods.

The dragon's head is held high, exuding a fierce aura. The clouds of war pierce through the blue sky. It is magnificent and majestic, with black scales and jade-like purity. White patterns appear around it, and its eyes shine like bright stars and are as lush as clouds. At first glance, it is indeed a rare and auspicious sign, a sign of peace and prosperity!

This is a genuine dragon! No joke, and it looks to be of extremely high quality, at least a fourth-grade dragon.

A fourth-rank true dragon is considered a high-ranking figure even in the world, capable of commanding a region.

Now, this true dragon is circling around this Fifth Rank Treasure Ship, seemingly somewhat angry.

But that's all. The immense pressure that the dragon unconsciously releases is the reason why the surrounding area keeps vibrating.

The enormous dragon, stretching for tens of miles, coiled and circled on the sea surface, golden lightning trembling, and boundless pressure descending from the sky. At the same time, the dragon spoke in human language, "Still unwilling to hand over those seven people?"

Upon hearing this, Li Qi was stunned, then realized, seven people? It was Shen Yijun's dragon-slaying squad?

Wait a minute, isn't there eight people in the Dragon Slaying Squad?

Has someone fallen from grace?

Before Li Qi could figure it out, he heard a powerful Reason Way master at the bow of the ship, seemingly confronting the true dragon. "If you want to find someone, why did you come to the research ship? Our Reason Way has always refrained from interfering in the affairs of various Dao Lineage and has always maintained neutrality. Ao Guangxiao, you have overstepped your bounds."

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that this powerful being of Reason Way was not made of Law Treasure, but of flesh and blood. He looked like an ordinary middle-aged man, but he exuded a certain pressure of reason.

"Dharma Image..." Li Qi vaguely sensed that an invisible Dharma Image was standing in the center.

Li Qi proactively activated his True Knowledge Dao Charm, observing the Dharma form of that powerful being of Reason Way.

Through the True Knowledge Dao Charm, he indeed saw a Dharma image.

However, this Dharma image is formless and intangible, unlike the magnificent and enormous Dharma images of Li Qi or Shen Shuibi's Dharma Form, which directly demonstrate their power. Instead, it is more hidden.

This image does not have a human form; it is more like a special "aura".

Within this 'energy field', reason comes first, then energy. There is no reason outside of energy. Reason is fundamental and arises from reason.

There is reason in things, that is, reason is in things. If reason is in things, then reason, energy, and mind are actually one thing. Heavenly affairs are called Heavenly Principle reason, human affairs are called human reason, and things are called physical reason. Reason is seen in things, there are no things outside of reason, and no reason outside of things.

Having understood the 'aura' around him, Li Qi immediately realized why the true dragon was merely circling around the treasure ship instead of attacking directly.

Under the protection of this aura, if one were to launch an attack indiscriminately, the qi that makes up the body would likely collapse along with it due to the collapse of 'reason'.

This is... an absolute defensive stance! If we act rashly, the Qi and Li that make up the true dragon's body will betray the true dragon itself, and no matter how strong the defense is, it will probably collapse instantly.

This is not harm, but a modification of the underlying rules, an application of the Tao.

Is this... a scene of confrontation between four ranks?

However... they probably won't fight, right? It's an ironclad rule that beings of the fifth rank and above are not allowed to fight each other. These two fourth-rank beings will at most stand their ground, and it's highly unlikely that they will actually come to blows.

Therefore, Li Qi wasn't too worried.

As for divination... he has never really believed in divination about himself. Even the eye of the Heavenly Demon and the legendary Three Lives Ancient Mirror could not trace his past and future lives. In addition, with the Great Witch Yun Fang's cover-up, all divination was just a paper tiger to Li Qi. They could only see a cloud of mist.

With that in mind, Li Qi stood steadily on the deck, carefully watching how the two fourth-rank beings were going to resolve the situation.

"The people you carried killed a true dragon, and now they have escaped. Even I cannot trace them. Tell me, where else could they be if not on your ship? Nothing within a million miles can escape your senses except this ship. I believe in the Reason Way of neutrality. So just lower your shield and let me take a look. If there is nothing wrong, I will leave immediately."

"Ao Guangxiao, this ship is sailing in the East China Sea. It was the result of discussions between the mentors and the Dragon King. Everything is documented and certified. If you try to search it at will, you will probably die," the powerful Reason Way said calmly.

"A junior has already lost his life because of the people on your ship. He was killed at the Gates of Hell. I didn't even have time to stop the cycle of reincarnation before I was caught up in it and my soul was scattered... Now I just want to tell you, whoever stops me will die right now." The true dragon exhaled some smoke, his voice booming.

Li Qi could tell that the smoke was some kind of water vapor condensed to the extreme, seemingly... water from the Milky Way.

Li Qi felt a chill run down his spine.

Did this real dragon drink the entire Milky Way into its belly?

In layman's terms, he refined a celestial river by drinking it, so that with each breath he exhaled, a celestial river could descend from the sky with such power that it could easily wash away most of the world's inhabitants.

A true dragon... truly worthy of being the master of water.

The powerful Reason Way shook his head. "Stop talking nonsense. Under the suppression of the Heavenly Dao, can you actually make a move? Or are you prepared to risk your life for your nephew? Believe me, if you dare to make a move, the enforcers of the Heavenly Dao in Chang'an would probably be more than happy to pull out the dragon's tendons and skin it."

"Of course, I certainly won't take action anywhere in the world." The true dragon shook his head.

"So... Devil Lord, I'm leaving it to you. This place is the Gate of Hell, where the World Barrier are weak, and with the Ghost Emperor's approval, is there any problem?"

Just then, a sinister voice rang out. "Don't worry, I'll take care of things here."

With these words, the true dragon spread its claws and said, "Then I invite you all to journey together beyond this realm."

Li Qi was astonished to find that the space around him was beginning to distort—

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