The Situation Stabilizes Slightly

Li Qi truly felt that he was about to die.

The countless deaths he endured during the Blood Sacrifice began to surge forth the moment he regained consciousness.

Li Qi controls the lives and deaths of countless people, using their deaths as the source of his power. As the price, as the central figure, he will also accumulate death energy.

So much death energy surged into his inner world at this moment, covering his body!

Li Qi was sweating profusely, and the intense pain began to surge, as if his skin was being ripped open and then filled with boiling red-hot iron, scalding his flesh and tendons!

The molten iron melted the muscles and internal organs, causing excruciating pain.

A large amount of death energy will strip away vitality and corrode life.

Unless you are a cultivator of the Death Demon lineage and can use this as a resource for cultivation, such a large amount of death energy will definitely not end well.

But Li Qi completely ignored all of this and began to deduce again. Using his own 'self' as the focal point, he could deduce outwards along the dense web of cause and effect from everyone who was causally connected to 'self', and finally, by touching a certain thread, he could get the result.

If the calculation is wrong, the movement of this line will produce unexpected results, causing a lot of chaos. The resulting ripples will be difficult to smooth out and will have a great backlash on the person who moved it.

However, even if it succeeds, the oscillation between cause and effect will still have a backlash.

Think about it, cause and effect are interconnected. Places, people, and things are all intertwined, each with its own cause and effect. A change in one thing can affect the whole.

So, as the most central point, if I were to touch any one of the lines, it would definitely have a huge impact on myself and the outside world.

Li Qi didn't know how significant this impact might be, but he seemed to have a vague sense of it...

The great web of cause and effect is like countless crisscrossing lines, drifting through the universe, sometimes gathering and sometimes scattering, sometimes intersecting. These intersections manifest as all things in this world, and 'I' am one of those intersections.

The birth of 'I' is essentially the intersection of cause and effect. One 'cause line' intersects with another 'cause line'. The two lines intersect at a point, and their connection point is the 'effect point'.

A point moves to form a line, and thus the 'effect point' moves, forming a new 'cause line'.

Ultimately, everything in the world is both the result and the cause.

Everything in this world that can be foreseen arises from the intersection of cause and effect. With cause and effect, everything that people see, hear, and feel comes into being, and people themselves come into being.

So, play this thread like a musical instrument string...

If my existence is not strong enough, my connections are not tight enough, and my importance in the universe is not significant enough, then recklessly using myself as a sacrifice to manipulate other causes and effects could very well backfire by accidentally severing my own causal links...

It is foreseeable that if such a thing really happens, then 'I' will definitely disappear directly from the web of cause and effect, because 'my' causal threads will no longer intersect.

What consequences would occur if 'I' disappeared from the web of cause and effect?

Li Qi didn't know, but no matter how he thought about it, it wouldn't be good.

It might just disappear.

You will disappear completely; no one will remember you anymore; you were never here.

Li Qi vaguely sensed this possibility.

Plucking the thread of cause and effect is not a simple matter; it is an extremely dangerous tightrope walk. If one makes a slight mistake, the backlash could be extremely severe, and one's own existence could be wiped out.

But correspondingly...

What if you forcefully manipulate the threads of cause and effect, keeping yourself heavy enough not to slip off the thread, while simultaneously 'shaking off' the causal connections of others?

Does that mean that disappearing means you're on the other side?

This thought echoed in Li Qi's mind.

He continued to consider all sorts of things, but his thoughts remained clear.

His goal was simple: to save Shen Shuibi.

Although there would inevitably be a backlash, he hadn't considered the risk at all, nor was there any need to. He wanted to do it, so he did it. If he didn't do it, even if he survived, his Dao heart would still have a huge flaw.

Just like the disciples in the mind of the Great Shaman Yun Fang.

True demonic thoughts are not some kind of demonic energy.

Crushing demonic energy is easy, but are you really willing to reach out and crush it?

So, don't worry about those things, just do it.

Death energy surged into Li Qi's body, constantly draining his life force and causing his body to show signs of aging.

But it didn't matter; Li Qi's mind sank into the web of cause and effect he sensed.

This feeling is extremely wonderful.

He seemed to be able to see countless starlight points scattered throughout the universe, these points of light attached to everything, faintly extending into countless threads.

Through this network, he can 'access' countless things, extending countless lines little by little.

It's like... being able to see the 'essence' of things.

Every individual and every thing is born for a certain 'reason'.

And the 'reason' for their existence arises from other 'reasons'.

In other words, as long as you find the corresponding cause, you can create the corresponding result.

By tracing back the relevant results, we can find the cause of everything.

Creating a cause can lead to an effect.

By repeating this cycle, one can become aware of all the relationships around them.

His relationships with Shen Shuibi, Zhu Fengdan, Li Shiwei, the Demon Prince, Liu Junyi, the Shaman Path, Human Path, and the demonic path—

This includes various objects, such as the relationship with the Ghost Chariot and the relationship with Shen Shuibi's hairpin.

This also includes locations, such as its relationship with Xuanjing Mountain, Wushen Mountain, and Chang'an Imperial Academy.

There are many different kinds of things.

All of this is clearly visible. Li Qi can clearly perceive the foundation of his existence. It is because of his connection with these things that Li Qi is Li Qi.

A completely new Li Qi appears out of nowhere. Even if he has the same memories, this 'new Li Qi's has not experienced these causes and effects, nor has he established these connections. Therefore, he is fake, while Li Qi is real.

At the same time, through the connection of these causal threads, one can trace back to the causal relationships of other people. For example, by investigating the causal relationships of Shen Shuibi, one can trace back to Lady Luofu.

However... when Li Qi tried to rewind, he only felt a fog of confusion before his eyes.

At the same time, a voice came from beside him. "Huh? Li Qi? How is that possible? You're only a sixth-rank official?"

"Retreat quickly to avoid being affected. Don't pursue me; it's too dangerous."

After speaking, Li Qi was directly repelled by the mist and forced to retreat back into Shen Shuibi's causal threads.

As expected, a third-rank official is beyond my reach, and... it seems the other party is very busy.

They're probably on the battlefield just like me.

Never mind that. Now we should find the cause and effect around Shen Shuibi and observe what 'coincidences' might happen near her.

Ignoring the backlash he would suffer, Li Qi forcibly searched within the network of cause and effect.

Even searching requires enduring backlash. In any case, his investigation and manipulation of cause and effect must start from 'myself,' pulling and launching a certain 'line' himself.

These behaviors will all affect 'me' and weaken 'my' presence in the web of cause and effect.

It's like this: the connection points of this net were fine originally, and if you don't move it, it will never have any problems. But Li Qi just insists on moving it around, twisting it every now and then. Naturally, the connection points of this net will loosen, and it might even fall off in the end.

If it falls off, then it has completely disappeared.

As he searched and investigated, he could clearly feel his own 'existence' gradually becoming weaker.

He's only a sixth-rank official; he's still too 'light' and not heavy enough to weigh down this great web of cause and effect.

To truly and heavily crush someone on the great net, making them extremely difficult to sway by other things, one would probably need to be at least at the third rank, becoming the greatest cause around oneself.

This also combined Li Qi with the 'influence' he had previously comprehended. (See Chapter 346)

It turns out that so-called influence is actually a side manifestation of the 'heavy burden of cause and effect'.

When you become the 'cause' of more and more things, you can create thousands of 'effects' with a wave of your hand. Under the pull of these 'effects', you become more and more important. Countless things happen in the universe every moment, but if you trace the cause of many of these things back, they will eventually trace back to you.

As a result, you become increasingly important and capable of stirring up more things.

Li Qi was comprehending the mysteries of the web of cause and effect, because only after the Blood Sacrifice did he truly have the ability to use this powerful force, and it was also the first time he had truly manipulated cause and effect.

This is not a power that a sixth-rank cultivator can access. Without the Blood Sacrifice of many world groups, he would not be able to investigate the web of cause and effect; he simply does not have that ability.

But Li Qi did not stop.

The act of tracing back put him under immense pressure. Although the cultivation he consumed was replenished by Blood Sacrifice, the death energy in the Blood Sacrifice was constantly eroding Li Qi.

Finally, through his connection with Shen Shuibi, Li Qi traced all the causes and effects surrounding Shen Shuibi, and even saw General Zhou Li Qi.

Just as he began to try to create the 'fruit', Li Qi suddenly stopped.

A new 'cause' has been established.

He exited the traceback state directly.

Having stopped consuming large amounts of energy, the deathly aura on his body began to fade away.

There's no need for that anymore; Shen Shuibi is already alive.

This time, I won.

Wow, what good luck!

But luck is also a certain degree of inevitability.

The probes found no reinforcements from the Shaman Path because they were well hidden.

However, the Shaman Path's reinforcements found the detector, successfully located themselves using it, and are now heading towards the detector.

If the rabbit holds on a little longer, General Zhou and that Mohist cultivator will face an attack from more than a dozen fifth-grade Shaman Path.

On the Human Path side, they have also been pushed back into the War Fortress. The previous situation of using the high mobility of superior troop quality to tether the Shaman Path has disappeared.

Upon arriving at the War Fortress, the initiative in the war had already shifted into Li Qi's hands.

Having broken free from the causal network, Li Qi stood firm and, through the alliance, began issuing orders to the realm lords. "Reduce the intensity. The reserve forces can withdraw. From now on, maintain the offensive intensity at a level where Human Path must hold the position. Specific implementation will be based on local conditions. I will now cancel the Blood Sacrifice, but the spoils of war will still be decided by each war zone and will not need to be handed over."

After issuing the orders, he began the actual allocation of combat power, deciding which war zone would be guarded by which specific world, in order to give full play to the advantages of everyone.

Now, Human Path has been forced to unite and hold their ground; all that's needed now is a series of attacks to overwhelm them.

Even cultivators have limits to their energy. Human Path has limited manpower and a severe shortage of troops. All that is needed is for the worlds under the command of the Shaman Path to continuously attack cities and for them to continuously defend them.

Once the siege on this side gets tiring, they withdraw and the second wave of worlds begins.

Let tens of millions of battle worlds take turns teaching Human Path what it means to have superior military strength.

Even if you are very strong, you will be overwhelmed and exhausted.

If we can't hold on, we'll have to keep shrinking our defenses.

Eventually, Li Qi gradually closed the gap, leaving them with no choice but to either wear him down or engage in a final battle.

This was Li Qi's plan: to fully utilize the Shaman Path army's numerical advantage, even if it meant trading lives with the enemy, he could still kill them.

The situation has reversed.

Previously, the Shaman Path was suppressed by the Human Path using their mobility. Each side fought against the other, and the Witchcraft faction was easily restrained and outmaneuvered, unable to raise its head.

However, after this battle, Human Path will be forced to abandon its mobility advantage and will have no choice but to confront Li Qi head-on.

Because if they give up on confronting the enemy head-on, it would be tantamount to handing over the base station of the Nexus of All Realms' central authority to the Shaman Path. Once this thing is destroyed, Human Path will be completely scattered, all connections will be terminated, the war zone will be unable to connect with each other, and the command system will completely collapse.

Compared to the 'alliance' of Shaman Path, the Nexus of All Realms are much more convenient. Everyone can use them, and they have a near-infinite flow of information. No matter how complex the message, it can be transmitted without worrying about a lack of signal. The Nexus of All Realms exist in every corner of the universe.

However, the cost is that the Nexus of All Realms must rely on base stations to function; otherwise, you cannot connect.

The alliance has limited functionality, but it is decentralized and has no restrictive measures. Although only realm lords of the seventh rank or above are qualified to participate, resulting in poor communication capabilities, it is still sufficient.

At this point, the outcome is becoming increasingly clear.

However, Liu Junyi was not at the point of admitting defeat.

Through the Nexus of All Realms, he issued new commands.

"The entire army should abandon the outer defense lines, shrink the war zone, and give our soldiers a chance to take turns resting so that we can hold on."

This order is strategically useless; it's nothing more than a slow death. It's meaningless as long as we can't break through the stalemate and keep the Shaman Path under our control.

But...

Who says we can't break through?

He continued, "Everyone, hang in there, hang in there until... I advance to the fifth rank."