The Fall of the Second Rank

Li Qi found it difficult to describe that scene.

Above him was nothing but a dark dome.

But at this moment, above their heads, is rising at the ends of the earth.

It was a red disc with an exquisitely perfect curve. It shone with a deep red light, and even here you could feel its scorching heat.

It's like the sun rising from the horizon.

The universe collapsed, Li Qi could see that the Great Daos were intertwined and torn apart.

The rules of the universe have never been so chaotic at this moment. Li Qi could even feel that his inner world was being affected. A destructive force was invading all the Great Daos, including the inner worlds of everyone.

Just as Human Path plundered 'silver', removing it from the five metals, the five metals became incomplete, and silver no longer existed in the myriad realms.

Now, that sun rising from the edge of the universe is also trying to 'plunder' all the other suns.

The Yang Energy of the entire universe began to converge.

Li Qi could see that compared to that sun, the universe seemed so... broken.

The world is filled with so many intersecting paths, like a graffiti painting, or like living in a dilapidated universe riddled with cracks.

The universe is too vast and chaotic, with all sorts of conflicting elements mixed together, making it so crude, like a dilapidated building on the verge of collapse.

But that sphere of light illuminating the entire universe was so 'pure'.

Li Qi had never seen anything with such a simple shape, like a piece of 'data' that only exists in theory, an absolutely flat wilderness, and a halo with a perfect arc.

The light and simple geometric lines in this scene were simply captivating; he stared at them intently, his expression becoming somewhat dazed.

How can I describe it?

It's like... the physics problems of 'perfect smoothness', 'no friction', 'perfect rigid body', and 'a true circle' have come to life.

Especially a 'real circle'.

As we all know, pi is infinite, which means that no circle is perfect.

If a perfect 'circle' were to appear, then we would say that pi actually has a limit, or... that the world is infinitely divisible and can be infinitely broken down.

These are all absolutely revolutionary.

'Circle' is a concept; it is not a physical object, nor can it exist as one.

All natural circles are approximate circles. If you magnify them, you will find that the edges are all bumpy and polygonal, rather than perfect curves.

Without exception.

But now, there are exceptions.

That sun, illuminating all of space and time in the universe, appeared. It was more perfect than anything in reality, a pure and absolute product of concept, and it had already reflected in reality.

But... there is only the sun.

But there was no Taiyin.

The Demon Prince also gazed at that sun.

He knew more than Li Qi.

Now, 3.5 billion years after silver disappeared from the world, this unprecedented spectacle has finally reappeared in the universe.

The universe we know today is essentially just a remnant of the Dao Lineage of the past.

This world appears to be falling apart, with the great principles in disarray, and even the physical rules differing from place to place. The speed of light can be altered at will. This is because the universe is riddled with holes and is gradually cooling down. The great principles of the universe are slowly weakening, and the Primal Gods are unable to reforge new great principles.

The Primal Gods could no longer accomplish the feat of separating all things from chaos as they had done before.

Therefore, Human Path wants to take over this matter.

As for those ordinary worlds and ordinary civilizations that have emerged in this shattered universe, they are nothing more than cockroaches that have just hatched from the ruins of war.

Furthermore, these worlds began to pursue the Dao and develop technology, which was entirely based on a 'false universe'.

These worlds will never know that the great path of 'gold' actually includes five metals.

No matter how they explore, practice, search, or reason, as long as no one who knows the truth tells them, these civilizations, from their birth to their destruction, will never know that the 'Golden Path' also contains a silver one.

Their perceived interests, their perceived survival, their perceived path to civilization are nothing more than competing with other cockroaches for the few resources available for survival amidst these ruins and rubble.

Occasionally, they will be swept up in real wars, just like the countless worlds destroyed by the Human Path constructed 'Great Wall'. Only then can they catch a fleeting glimpse of the truly great beings in this ruined universe.

Even the Demon Prince was somewhat moved by this scene.

Hmm... I just don't know what the Heavenly Demon is thinking.

Never mind all that, just enjoy the ceremony.

This was a leap by a second-rank cultivator, and the Demon Prince held him in the highest esteem, respecting the courage of a seeker of the Dao Pursuer.

At this moment, it is either the instant a first-grade being born, or the instant a second-grade being falling.

Such a great achievement is truly rare.

Li Qi didn't know as much as the Demon Prince, but he had a vague feeling that he knew what was happening.

The sun continued to rise relentlessly, but the moon never appeared.

Now, patches of dazzling white light are shining down, growing ever more intense.

Then... the sun shattered.

All the sounds from the main road fell silent in that instant.

Li Qi suddenly felt a suffocating sensation, as if some force had gripped his throat, even penetrating his skin and bones, and squeezing his heart!

All the strange phenomena vanished in an instant, and Li Qi felt a thrill he had never experienced before.

The entire universe seemed to fall silent, countless worlds flickered, and all the suns were covered by black spots at this moment.

A second-rank official has fallen.

The first powerful being in the Shaman Path to attempt to embrace the Great Dao Opportunity and advance to the first rank died at this moment.

Just as originally stated.

When the Great Dao Opportunity arises, the Shaman Path will have a pre-selected second-ranked member lined up.

One at a time.

The previous one dies, and the next one takes their place, until someone succeeds.

If everyone dies and still fails, then it's a complete and utter defeat. Countless second-rank warriors die, countless combat forces are lost, and ultimately nothing is gained.

The goal of Human Path is to directly confront the location of the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron before the Shaman Path successfully gives birth to a new first-rank cultivator, to seize back the Great Dao Opportunity, or to disrupt the advancement of the second-rank cultivators of the Shaman Path.

All wars are for this purpose.

During this period, all the sacrifices, all the joys and sorrows, everything was for this goal.

Human Path is the offensive force, while Shaman Path is the defensive force.

However, the responsibilities are different in specific war zones.

The vanguard battle is merely a game of rock-paper-scissors before the real battle begins, determining who goes first.

Now, Li Qi has gained the initiative.

Li Qi let out a long breath.

The war has only just begun.

The pioneering battle that claimed trillions of lives and caused countless worlds to fall was merely a cherry in the appetizer; the grand feast was yet to come.

Li Qi gradually regained his senses from the shock of falling from the Subordinate Second Rank, and he immediately chose to accept the 'alliance' message.

He was an unknown person, but held a higher position than Zhu Fengdan.

He ordered Li Qi to leave the war zone immediately and go to the rear, saying that the vanguard battle was over and he didn't need to worry about the subsequent battles.

This left Li Qi both puzzled and apprehensive.

But after glancing at the Demon Prince, Li Qi decided it would be better to leave as soon as possible.

So Li Qi said, "Then let's say goodbye, my friend... I just hope you won't bring the Heavenly Demon next time..."

Hearing Li Qi call him a friend, the Demon Prince's voice carried a hint of amusement; even without seeing his face beneath the mask, one could tell he was in a good mood.

But his reply was, "That's not up to me. You should take your niece back first, Human Path is about to sweep over us."

Li Qi said nothing more, turned around, and quickly left the place with Li Shiwei, who had not yet broken free from the Technique Method.

The Demon Prince watched him leave.

Once Li Qi's figure was completely out of sight, the Demon Prince flew up and slowly approached Liu Junyi's jade pendant.

Liu Junyi's physical body has been destroyed by Li Qi, but his mind is currently inside this jade pendant, being washed by the massive amount of information following the collapse of the Nexus of All Realms.

"I'd like to challenge you... a renowned gentleman, but... it's a pity you didn't lose in a fight, but rather to the collapse of the Nexus of All Realms. It's truly a bit shameful." The Demon Prince shook his head and sighed.

But then, the jade pendant suddenly lit up.

"Even so... you still can't kill me... even if the two of you join forces, it'll be the same." Liu Junyi's pained voice came, and the surrounding energy began to gather and condense into a human shape.

Liu Junyi did not lose to Li Qi; he only lost due to the Demon Prince's sneak attack.

Even someone as strong as Liu Junyi couldn't handle the combined forces of Li Qi and the Demon Prince, which is why he failed and was swept away by the information deluge from the Nexus of All Realms.

But... after all, it's Liu Junyi.

The torrent of information from the Nexus of All Realms failed to kill him; he even had the strength to condense his Dharma body, and it seemed he was not prepared to surrender.

"Stop insisting. I know that even now, I can't capture you alive, but your death won't do me any good either. So I'm not here to fight you. Even if we were to fight, we'd have to wait until you're at your peak." The Demon Prince shook his head.

"Then... what does the Demonic Path want to do?" Liu Junyi used his energy to condense a barely usable body, stood up with difficulty, and stared at the Demon Prince.

"Nothing special." The Demon Prince looked at Liu Junyi and handed him a challenge letter.

"I have finally found a gentleman of the fifth rank. I challenge you to a duel. I will come to challenge you when you have recovered to your full strength. I hope you are prepared."

After speaking, the Demon Prince put down the challenge and turned to leave.

Only Liu Junyi remained in the same spot.

He was stunned for a moment, then immediately rushed to the location of the base station.

We must repair the base stations immediately, rebuild the command system, and direct the army to retreat!

The battle was lost, but not due to a lack of skill. If the Demon Prince hadn't intervened, he could have held out for a day and easily repelled the Shaman Path. After that, he could have consolidated his cultivation and then made his move slowly.

Unfortunately, the Demon Prince's sneak attack disrupted the Nexus of All Realms, directly leading to Liu Junyi's defeat and inevitably causing the collapse of the frontline command system.

So, rebuild quickly, and save as many lives as possible!

This war, which lasted for more than half a year, ultimately ended in victory for the Shaman Path.

No one expected that they would win in just over six months!

Everyone originally thought that fighting for several decades would be considered short.

Even Li Qi felt that if they fought for more than ten years, until Liu Junyi reached the fifth rank, the battle should end, and then the winner should be decided, because after Liu Junyi reached the fifth rank, he would likely become ridiculously strong.

When the battle began, everyone thought that Li Qi's advancement to the fifth rank was too slow. His advancement to the fifth rank was truly a "slow and steady wins the race." Although the path had been paved, he still had to walk it. It was all a matter of slow and steady progress, and it was quite normal for it to take a thousand years or so.

After all, the path Li Qi himself chose was to become Shaman, a connecting point of 'cause and effect', and the cultivation required to manipulate cause and effect is far too high, requiring a great deal of accumulation.

However, he himself did not expect that he would reach the fifth rank even faster than Liu Junyi.

The White Chen Fox King Bodhisattva provided him with that Jade Bead, allowing him to borrow cultivation from his past and future selves, thus tripling his cultivation level. This enabled him to break through the bottleneck he needed, skipping the arduous process and directly becoming a fifth-grade cultivator.

Because of this, Li Qi was able to break through earlier than Liu Junyi, rushing straight ahead and forcing Liu Junyi to lose the initiative, leaving him helpless and forced to fight desperately to break through.

Fortunately, he did break through, which exceeded Li Qi's expectations and almost allowed him to turn the tide.

Thanks to the sudden appearance of the Demon Prince, everything was finally settled.

Without the command and coordination of the Nexus of All Realms, Human Path is no longer a unified whole, and a disorganized group can never defeat the Shaman Path, which has a complete command system.

In short, aside from the Human Path, everyone was happy.

Human Path quickly repaired the Nexus of All Realms, and with an organizational system in place, they swiftly withdrew, leaving the War Fortress to the Shaman Path.

No need, they can just take Gansong City with them.

Then, War Fortress are the spoils of war from those worlds.

Those who survive the war will receive a rich reward.

The War Fortress originating from Human Path contain technologies, Technique Method, and even the War Fortress themselves that are treasures that are normally inaccessible to people in these worlds.

For these civilizations, the Human Path Fortress represents true Zenith technology, enabling many to make great strides forward, regardless of whether the road ahead is good or bad—it is progress.

But Li Qi wouldn't see any of this, because he had just returned, handed Li Shiwei over to Shen Shuibi, and then immediately headed to the rear war zone, which was much further back than the vanguard war zone.

Li Qi has been relieved of his command of the war zone, and someone will take his place.

Zhu Fengdan has no right to interfere in this matter; this is a direct summons from Ranked Shaman!

He received a very serious order—yes, an order.

Ranked Shaman ordered Li Qi to immediately drop everything and rush over. All war zones must fully cooperate, regardless of the cost, even if it means shattering the Liesu, to send Li Qi back alone.

This made Li Qi somewhat apprehensive.

Why... why is this happening?