Dao Charm Cluster

In the void, aboard a flying boat commonly used by Shaman Path, Li Qi looked at the Little Heavenly Master with a serious expression and asked, "Tell me, what's wrong with the Demon Prince? Is there anything unusual?"

"Something's not right about him. There's a feeling that he's being manipulated and not free." As the Little Heavenly Master spoke, he put down the teapot, picked up the teacup, and savored the aroma of the tea.

This tea is produced in the sixteenth blessed land, and it contains the Daoist charm of the blessed land. Drinking it allows one to feel the rocky charm, and smelling it can also promote enlightenment. It is quite valuable, but Li Qi deserves to be entertained with such a fine tea.

"The feeling of not being free? I don't think so. Powerful beings wouldn't be so tasteless, would they? Besides, he's the son of a Heavenly Demon. Would a Heavenly Demon really..." Li Qi stopped there.

Generally speaking, that's true. Just like Li Qi, no one would come and tamper with his memories, modify his personality, or directly possess him, even though that would be a very simple and easy thing for a powerful being.

Great beings are very open-minded; they will not stifle geniuses, even those from other Dao Lineage.

The various Dao Lineage cultivate geniuses so that these geniuses can practice their Dao Path and forge new paths.

For example, the sorcerers would not attack Liu Junyi, let alone try to kill him in advance, even if Liu Junyi would become a great enemy in the future.

Because every genius has the potential to forge a new path, even if it's not a path rooted in their own Dao Lineage.

But that also proves that there's still a road ahead.

Li Qi felt that if someone could prove the existence of that elusive ultimate Dao, they would be more than willing to let these first-rank cultivators die.

If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening.

Therefore, geniuses may be subject to arrangements, but they will certainly be able to retain their own will and think in their own way from beginning to end.

What's the point of trying to distort the thoughts of ordinary people? A powerful being can easily distort or even destroy the will of an ordinary person, but that's like creating a clone—they become a puppet, losing the possibility of forging a new path.

Distorting one's thinking is something that great beings would disdain to do; it's completely pointless.

They are very broad-minded; as long as a genius shows that they 'have the potential to go further,' they will tolerate anything and anything.

Li Qi had this confidence in all other powerful figures from various Dao Lineage.

That is...

This is a demon king, after all; it's hard to say what he's thinking.

After much deliberation, Li Qi asked, "What evidence do you have to support your claim?"

"I'm still alive, that's the proof," the Little Heavenly Master said.

"..." Li Qi remained silent.

This reason is absurd, but it's also realistic.

As everyone knows, unless there's no other way, the Demon Prince will definitely go for the kill, and the Buddha Child Shariputra has already been reincarnated.

If Li Qi hadn't broken through at the last moment of battle, he would most likely have died.

The Little Heavenly Master was able to survive only because of the protection of a powerful figure in the Daoist sect.

The Demon Prince was never a merciful person. Those who lost to him either had the strength to admit defeat early or were beaten to death.

"So, you challenged the Demon Prince, lost, and didn't even have time to surrender, but he still spared your life?" Li Qi asked again to confirm.

"That's right, that's exactly it. You know, it's hard to change the way people like us do things. There must be a reason why he let me live," the Little Heavenly Master said calmly.

"So what happened in your battle? I know you went straight to him after you reached the fifth rank. What were you thinking?" Li Qi didn't rush to make a judgment, but continued to ask the Little Heavenly Master for details about the battle.

The Little Heavenly Master did not hide anything and answered truthfully, "In the battle at the seventh rank, the Demon Prince relied on his willpower to persevere and forcibly resist death with his own selfish theories, which is how he won against me. In fact, his combat strength was not that much different from mine."

Li Qi nodded slightly; that was indeed the case back then for the seventh rank.

"So, after reaching the fifth rank, I carefully observed the Demon Prince's battles, reviewed his battle reports and videos, and after confirming his combat strength, I made the judgment that he was no match for me at this moment," the Little Heavenly Master said.

"Explain in detail," Li Qi said, frowning slightly.

He was well aware of the weight of the Little Heavenly Master's words.

Everyone has already reached this level, and this isn't just for bragging, so it's highly likely to be credible.

Li Qi completely trusted the Little Heavenly Master's judgment. Even after learning about the Demon Prince's immortality, the Little Celestial Master still concluded that "he is no match for me," which made the conclusion highly credible.

So... what response did the Demon Prince take that led to the Little Heavenly Master's failure once again?

Without beating around the bush, he said directly, "The Daoist aura... there is a great deal of Daoist aura emanating from him."

"So many? And no conflict occurred?" Li Qi asked in surprise.

The more of a Daoist spirit you have, the better.

The essence of Daoist rhyme is a fragment of the Great Dao, a tiny crack on an existing Great Dao. Therefore, Daoist rhyme is generally produced in the world of death, and it is the Heavenly Dao of the world of death, the local Dao principle.

In very rare cases, these are fragments that fell from the body of a powerful being after they were injured or even died.

There are also some special ones, such as the Heavenly Demonic Dao Charm, which is Devil Master himself, who shattered his own Great Dao and sent it out.

Because of this characteristic, Daoist Rhyme itself is actually a kind of Dao Lineage, an interpretation of the world, which is why it can cover and even modify the world.

When many Daoist principles come together, a conflict between them is almost inevitable. If the powerful forces of these principles clash, they can easily kill the cultivators.

The Demon Prince has collected a lot of Daoist essence, and he's still alive? Even Li Qi wouldn't dare to collect too much Daoist essence.

"There was no conflict because they were all from the demonic path. In addition to his original Earth Mother Daoist aura, he also possessed the Daoist auras of the Four Demons, which he may have collected specifically for this purpose," the Little Heavenly Master said.

Four Demons?

In other words, he had collected the Daoist essences of the Heavenly Demon, the Death Demon, the Five Aggregates Demon, and the Affliction Demon.

"The Heavenly Demon and the Affliction Demon are manageable, but the Demon of Death is already asleep, Five Aggregates Demon is nowhere to be found. Can these be collected?" Li Qi said.

But as soon as he finished speaking, he immediately realized something.

Li Shiwei now also possesses a trace of the Death Demon Dao Charm.

What a coincidence! When did the Death Demon Dao Charm start appearing so frequently?

"I don't know the specifics, but with so many demonic Daoist auras existing, I don't believe you can say they have nothing to do with the demonic path as a whole. Moreover, it's strange that the Death Demon Dao Charm didn't choose to kill me." The Little Heavenly Master said, "Recently, there has been cooperation between the witches and demons, so after thinking it over, I came to you to tell you something."

"Why are you looking for me? I don't think I'm anything special, do I?" Li Qi was confused as to why he had been sought out.

"My master, the real Celestial Master, told me that as long as I speak these words to you, the Witch God will hear me. Tell me, did the Witch God hear me?" the Little Heavenly Master said.

Li Qi felt that the teacup he was holding no longer smelled good.

However, he could only shake his head. "They must have heard it. I'm a key person they're keeping an eye on now."

"Then congratulations in advance, Brother Li! You'll probably Sea of Suffering soon," the Little Heavenly Master said with a smile.

"Why do you say that?" Li Qi asked, puzzled.

"With a powerful being personally overseeing things, how could you be allowed to remain idle here? As I said, no matter how much you do, it's all insignificant. Rather than letting you be the master of slaughter, it's more about letting you experience more things." The Little Heavenly Master said, "Ten or twenty thousand fifth-rank soldiers are completely irrelevant. On a large-scale battlefield, what you do is meaningless."

"Perhaps, but great things are made up of many small things; we can contribute what we can." Li Qi remained noncommittal.

"So, to the Witch God, everything you're doing on the battlefield right now is just part of the process of shaping you. That's just how we are. We have to get used to it. Freedom is a luxury for us," the Little Heavenly Master said with a smile.

"Are you one of them? Doesn't Daoism always advocate freedom and ease? Would it interfere in your life?" Li Qi asked curiously.

"Of course it will, after all... it's for my own good. Intervention is necessary before I become truly independent." The Little Heavenly Master sighed, clearly quite dissatisfied with the situation.

"Independence? You mean, reality?" Li Qi asked again.

"Reality? What do you mean?" The Little Heavenly Master had never heard of this term before, so he asked.

"This is a term I created myself, one that I gleaned from understanding cause and effect and spacetime," Li Qi said, beginning to explain the meaning of reality.

After hearing Li Qi's explanation, the Little Heavenly Master was stunned for a while.

His expression was quite interesting. After a long while, he said, "I see. That's right. Really, truly, that's a good word. Indeed, only those beings that truly possess reality are qualified to pursue freedom... But how do you know about the existence of things like rewinding?"

"Don't you know?" Li Qi asked, somewhat surprised.

"Of course I don't know. Nobody told me this... But since you can tell me, it must be true." The Little Heavenly Master shook his head. "I originally wanted to tell you something, but I was surprised to be stunned by you, Brother Li."

"This information is very important. Sharing information is the essence of communication. Well then, let's have some tea." Li Qi sighed, and they each drank their tea.

But neither of them spoke again after that.

Li Qi began to think about the Demon Prince Dao Yun.

Almost simultaneously, two strands of the Death Demon Dao Charm appeared, and the Daoist auras of the other three demons also appeared on the Demon Prince... This is probably not a coincidence.

The Little Heavenly Master, who had previously been carefree and elegant, began to wear a worried expression, his mood shifting unpredictably.

Clearly, the existence of retrospection also made his Dao heart unstable, and he began to have wild thoughts.

Qin Lan, the young girl standing next to them, couldn't understand what the two were talking about. Things like "real" and "Four Demons" were beyond her knowledge, so she just made the most of her time to drink her tea, finishing off the rock-rhymed tea until she was completely full.

This kind of good fortune only happens once in several lifetimes, so why not hurry up and drink it?

This Little Heavenly Master is such a kind person, she must take this opportunity to savor the taste of rare heavenly materials and earthly treasures, she doesn't usually have the chance!

Not long after, the Little Heavenly Master left. He had come here in the name of the celestial master to deliver a message to the sorcerer god; speaking with Li Qi was secondary.

After all, under normal circumstances, Daoism and Shaman Path have no connection and little interaction between them.

Li Qi sighed and said to Qin Lan, "I'll pilot the flying boat. We've been delayed for a while. I'm faster, so you should go and digest your tea first."

Qin Lan lowered her head in embarrassment, but her stomach was indeed a little bloated, and there were signs of some leakage from her insides.

Li Qi didn't care about any of that, and instead sat in the pilot's seat of the flying boat.

But then, the scenery before him rushed past, and in the next instant, he found himself sitting on the airship shortly before it had set off.

Sigh, here we go again.

Li Qi, who was already numb, did the same things exactly as he remembered them, as if it were the first time.

He didn't know why he was imitating his previous actions; it was probably just... a habit?

He seems to feel that this gives him a greater sense of control, allows him to anticipate other people's actions, and ensures that the situation doesn't deviate too much from its intended course.

Anyway, let's just do it this way.

The airship continued its journey.

I met the Little Heavenly Master.

Drinking tea.

Then, Qin Lan drank tea until it overflowed, and Li Qi took over driving.

As you drive, everything returns to the very beginning.

As always, as always.

In this cycle of reincarnation, Li Qi sometimes ponders a question.

Teacher Zhu Fengdan, what are your views on this cycle of reincarnation?

Perhaps, in this situation, you could ask your teacher.

I'll ask him when I'm done working overtime and have some free time.

Because Li Qi himself was truly confused.

In the past, he always believed that there are always crossroads in life where choices need to be made, and as long as one's thoughts are not controlled, it doesn't really matter where these crossroads come from.

Whether it's a natural crossroads, a man-made crossroads, or some other random Ox Ghosts and Snake Gods, you still have to walk the road. As long as it's your own path, you've made your own choices and are responsible for the consequences, there's nothing to complain about.

It was precisely because of this view that Li Qi was able to persevere amidst constant manipulation. He firmly believed that even if the choices before him were predetermined by human intervention, it was ultimately his own choice that made the decision.

It's like a game with countless choices that lead to different endings, but in reality, the whole game is made by someone else. Every ending, every line, every punctuation mark, every piece of code, every model is written and made by someone else.

So, after you finish playing this game, can you say that the game was actually played by the creators, and that you yourself never played it?

No.

Regardless of who makes the game, the person playing it is always yourself.

Li Qi firmly believes that he is the one making choices, not a manipulated NPC, and that players and game developers exist on the same level.

That's why he's been able to persevere until now.