Time Flies Like a Shuttle

Above a field in the Lingxiao Kingdom, beneath the Gale Layer, Li Qi was discussing some matters with the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom.

That's why we came here.

Li Qi wanted to ask the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom about Buddhism.

If he had the time, he would like to go and see the Western Paradise.

Among the people he knew, the one with the greatest connection to Buddhism was naturally the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom, who had grown up on the walls of the White Horse Temple when he was young.

Oh, no, that's not quite accurate. Among the people he knows, the one with the greatest connection to the Western Paradise is probably the Heavenly Demon.

After all, they were Buddha's sworn enemies. When Buddha attained enlightenment, the Heavenly Demon personally tried to obstruct him, attempting to corrupt Buddha 'Dao heart in three ways: desire, violence, and finally, the one still in practice today: substitution.

The first two methods failed. The Buddha resisted the chaos of the entire Desire Realm, proving that there was no demonic thought in his heart. He also used his Divine Ability to fight against the Heavenly Demon and all the demonic armies under his command. Thus, the Buddha attained enlightenment, and the Heavenly Demon did not obstruct him.

But the last method is still effective to this day.

The Heavenly Demon Society will infiltrate the Buddhist path with demonic forces, allowing its demonic offspring to don cassocks and brazenly enter the Sangha. Wearing cassocks, they will distort Buddhist Scriptures, twist the Buddhist path, and ultimately merge Buddhism and demons into one.

Therefore it is said, "The demon king Bojun is also like this, taking the forms of monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen, and even transforming into the form of a Stream-enterer, an Arhat, and a Buddha. With this defiled form, the demon king uses the form of an undefiled form to destroy the Buddha's true Dharma and break the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. In the future, the demon king will transform into the form of a Shramana, enter the Sangha, and preach all kinds of heretical teachings. He will lead many beings into wrong views and preach Evil Method."

The demon appears as a monk, a nun, a layman, or a laywoman; it also transforms into a Stream-enterer, and even into an Arhat or a Buddha.

Bhikkhus and bhikkhunis are ordinary monks.

Upasaka and Upasika are believers in Buddhism.

Stream-enterer (Sotapanna) is a Buddhist Fruit Position, a prerequisite for the Fruit Position, and many monks hold this position.

The body of an Arhat is naturally easy to understand: from a Stream-Enterer to an Arhat, one attains the Fruit Position.

The physical form of a Buddha goes without saying; that is, he has already attained Buddhahood.

The Heavenly Demon will transform into the lowest level of believers, ordinary monks, practitioners, and even enlightened Buddhas—all could be transformations of the Heavenly Demon.

It told the Buddha its purpose directly, then laughed and led the crowd away.

Therefore, strictly speaking, the Heavenly Demon and Buddhism/Daoism are the closest, because they have been mixed together for so many years, and can even be said to be one.

For example, the lineage of the Chanzhi Zhi...

However, Li Qi went to the Western Paradise to find the Dark Agent and... any way to counter the demonic path, so the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom was more knowledgeable about it.

Upon hearing Li Qi's question, the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom was slightly taken aback, then covered his lips with his hand and chuckled softly, "Asking about matters of the Western Paradise, what are you planning to do, young master?"

Li Qi immediately understood from her behavior.

This is a sensitive topic for the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom, and it's not something he can just tell others. Li Qi had better explain things clearly, otherwise the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom probably wouldn't say it.

So Li Qi said, "Last time, I was tainted by the Five Aggregates Demonic Blood and became entangled with the demonic path. Therefore, I want to go to the Western Paradise to find a way to suppress the demonic path. I would appreciate your guidance, Your Majesty."

"Oh, I see. If I were to keep something from you, I'm afraid you would hate me to death. Please come closer so I can tell you in detail. But there is one thing I hope you will remember," said the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom.

"What is it?" Li Qi knew that the other party was making demands, so he readily agreed.

"As for the clan, I would like to ask you to put in a good word for me, young master. Lingxiao Kingdom has just encountered a great calamity, and the country's fate has been jeopardized. I have recently been considering capturing more worlds from beyond the realm to make up for it. However, since I am only a fifth-rank official, I am not able to be in two places at once. If the clan has other arrangements, I am afraid it will be difficult to continue. If you could put in a good word for me..." The Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom said, looking at Li Qi.

Li Qi smiled and said, "The clan is very strict, so there's no point in even thinking about using back channels. Although Wushen Mountain isn't as strictly regulated Human Path, it still has its own set of rules, otherwise things would be chaotic. However... if the king only needs resources, I do have another method."

"Another method?" Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom blinked, then said, "Please speak frankly, young master. Lingxiao is all ears."

"I also have some businesses outside the realm, and I'm currently preparing to expand them. My wife is still working on the corresponding formations. These formations were obtained from the Sky Swallowing Demon Lord. If Your Majesty is in urgent need of supplies, you might as well give them a try," Li Qi said.

Upon hearing this, the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom chuckled and said, "If you, young master, have this intention, then that is naturally good. Joining in is also a good thing. I believe in your abilities and you will certainly not suffer any losses. So it is settled then. However, I have another suggestion to make to you, young master."

"Oh? There are no outsiders here, so please speak freely," Li Qi nodded and said.

Upon hearing this, the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom sized up Shen Shuibi, and then glanced at the Old Ma pretending to be dead below.

There were no outsiders...

Um...

Okay.

The Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom continued, "My suggestion is that if you wish to develop the outer realms, given your status and current strength, young master, why not join forces with the Sky Swallowing Demon Lord? The Demon Lord is currently in the outer realms, and I've heard that he and young master have some misunderstandings. However, since we share the same goal, why not join forces?"

"With our respective rulers joining forces, our power will surely increase significantly, allowing us to reach more world groups. However, in the past, our status was different, and being too arrogant could easily lead to trouble. Now, with Young Master's support and endorsement, we have more areas to reach out to. In this way, within a hundred years at most, the territory we can control will probably exceed 100,000 worlds, of which at least seven or eight will reach the sixth rank. What do you think, Young Master?"

Using Li Qi's identity as an endorsement, and then having the rulers work for him while everyone shares the profits, it's indeed a good idea since there's no fear of causing any trouble.

But Li Qi shook his head. "No, I don't trust Devouring Heaven, nor do I trust the other rulers. Expanding the world is certainly for resources, but we can't lose our original intentions because of it. Their methods are too cruel, and I don't like their methods of refining the world. No, I have no intention of refining the Heavenly Dao of any world. I just want to get what I need."

"If the king can accept this, then I think we can cooperate very well. I know that the king was born in a temple and should have a kind heart. He is not as cruel as Tuntian. I can trust the king to cooperate with him, but I am extremely unwilling to cooperate with Tuntian. You and I both know that no one in Baiyue can control him."

After Li Qi finished speaking, he looked at the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom, waiting for his reply.

"So it turns out that you don't trust Tuntian, then I am truly fortunate to have won your heart. In that case, it's alright. I agree. Please just send me a letter when you wish to take action. Whatever you want to know, I will tell you without hesitation." The Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom nodded, thus completing the deal.

It seems that everything she and Li Qi do is based on transactions, with no regard for personal favors. Perhaps this is simply due to the personality of the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom.

Next, they communicated from a distance. The Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom resolutely refused to get close to Li Qi, and spoke from afar about some precautions for going to the Western Paradise, as well as the Sovereign of Lingxiao Kingdom's own network of connections.

These are all important, especially connections. When you go to a new place to do business, if you're not there for tourism, and you really want to get something done, the help of some locals is absolutely crucial.

Given the various taboos and the intertwined power dynamics, Li Qi didn't think the Western Paradise would be a good place.

Chanzhi Zhi had already warned him, and given his understanding of the Heavenly Demon, the Western Paradise might be a huge demon's lair.

It's really not good to go if you're not prepared.

The conversation lasted for ten Chen.

In ten Chen, Li Qi had obtained a great deal of information about the Western Paradise, which was more than enough.

So, after bidding farewell to the Trumpet Flower God, Li Qi and Shen Shuibi set off again.

This time, we didn't plan to linger on the road. We drifted along until we arrived at Liesu.

Activating the Liesu, almost in the blink of an eye, he was back at the entrance of his cave abode.

That's so convenient.

Take a deep breath, and the rich Spiritual Qi is refreshing. Compared to anywhere else in the world, Wushen Mountain has a good environment, after all, it is a place where even stones can become spirits.

Old Ma shrunk his body and ran off in a flash, probably because he was extremely bored and wanted to find some fun. He's always been lively and active, but this trip has really kept him quite bored.

Although he should feel that it was worth it, after all, he witnessed the Demon Prince's battle with the Little Heavenly Master, which is not something that can be seen casually. Consider the boredom of the journey as the ticket.

Li Qi and Shen Shuibi glanced down the mountain, where everything seemed peaceful and serene.

Life in the village continued as usual. The people there did not have the same colorful lives as the people of the Tang Kingdom, but they still had their own kind of fun.

Li Qi also saw a young man with an eighth-grade cultivation level. He had already packed his luggage and was saying goodbye to the villagers.

A passionate young man, unwilling to spend the rest of his life in this village, honed his skills and prepared to venture out into the world.

The area under the rule of Wushen Mountain enjoys almost absolute freedom, so there are so-called 'big cities', though they are relatively few. However, there are many outsiders there, similar to the East Isle in the East China Sea, which serve as a connection and communication hub with the outside world. Just like the East Isle, you can see people from all walks of life and from all Dao Path there.

This young man is probably also heading to a big city, or maybe even further afield.

Um...

Having witnessed so much and learned so many Dao Path, I realize I am ultimately just Shaman.

With these thoughts in mind, Li Qi and Shen Shuibi entered the cave abode and closed cave abode door.

Next, let's just do what we need to do.

And so, time passed.

In the blink of an eye, seventy years have passed.

These seventy years were the most peaceful period of Li Qi's life.

For seventy years, he did almost nothing, devoting himself entirely to self-cultivation.

What he does every day is study, practice meditation, and occasional entertainment.

In the beginning, he had many ideas, such as being lazy or something else, and he wanted to go out and do something.

In short, I'm restless, thinking about both good and bad things.

However, he suppressed his anger with self-control and insisted on going to the library on Wushen Mountain every day to read, study, broaden his knowledge, and learn Technique Method.

Of these seventy years, the first decade

As a prince, he had access to almost all books and materials, except for those that were dangerous.

However, the books on Wushen Mountain are truly vast and numerous.

Even the phrase "vast as the ocean" doesn't do it justice. In any case, even with the help of True Knowledge Dao Charm to memorize his lessons, and after reading voraciously for ten whole years, Li Qi found that he hadn't even finished reading a single drop of water from that ocean.

There are too many, too many.

Wushen Mountain doesn't accept just any book. The books that make it into the library are all very powerful and profound. They contain Technique Method, principles, analyses of the Dao, prescriptions, notes, local chronicles, astronomy, geography, and knowledge from countless disciplines. They are all piled up there for anyone to use.

The knowledge contained in these books would likely require a person to dedicate their entire life to researching and summarizing it before they could write it down. Even an immortal would probably need to devote themselves to it for many, many years to complete just one book.

However, there were so many books of this caliber that Li Qi was numb to them.

This indirectly reflects how many people actually live on Wushen Mountain.

Li Qi also saw a lot of compiled questions and solutions, which were quite interesting. These things must be the 'tickets' for the Liesu.

Using Liesu requires solving a problem for that Liesu as a ticket.

The wisdom of countless people throughout the heavens is laid out here for Li Qi to absorb.

For a bookworm like Li Qi, these books were certainly not to be missed, and it was these books that helped him suppress his wild thoughts.

After reading for ten years, the restlessness in his heart had completely disappeared. He had realized how much he actually knew and how little he truly understood.

The most valuable quality in a person is self-awareness, and Li Qi clearly has it. After ten years of reflection, he has become calmer and less impetuous.

Of course, Shen Shuibi also played a significant role in this. Over the course of ten years, Tutu taught Li Qi how to cope with long periods of time and how to persevere in doing something instead of getting frustrated and wanting to give up after a few years.

Adapting to a long life is something that needs to be learned, not something that can be done casually.

If a person were to gain immortality without adaptation and learning, he would probably be tormented by the endless lifespan to the point of giving up thinking.

After all, people need to have goals in life. A life without goals is like a game without any objectives, which is extremely boring.

After the first decade passed, Li Qi's mind calmed down.

In the second decade, Shen Shuibi discovered she was pregnant.