On the streets of the Tang Kingdom, the Great Shaman and Li Qi walked one after the other.
No one noticed them; in fact, Li Qi could see many people walking right through their bodies. No one could see them or touch them.
It was as if they didn't exist in this world.
But this was likely the Great Shaman's doing, so there was no need for Li Qi to be surprised.
Instead, he focused on the rare opportunity to have a private conversation with the Great Shaman.
Senior Yunfang had mentioned him to this Great Shaman?
Li Qi pondered curiously.
However, being a smart person, he quickly understood the underlying reason.
Most likely, Senior Yunfang had learned that this Great Shaman would lead the envoy delegation and had approached him beforehand, asking him to look out for Li Qi.
The Great Shaman's motivation wasn't hard to guess—it probably aligned with what Senior Yunfang had claimed: Li Qi really did resemble his disciple.
This kind of care, honestly, felt heavy and uncomfortable to Li Qi.
Ah well... he'd just keep it in mind.
Besides, normally, this kind of thing should've been done by his own teacher...
Unfortunately, his teacher's carefree personality likely made him forget such matters, leaving Senior Yunfang to handle it instead.
Thus, Li Qi immediately asked, "Senior Yunfang... what did he say?"
"Not much, just some basic information about you so I wouldn't be completely unfamiliar," the Great Shaman replied indifferently, his tone flat.
Indeed, there wasn't much room for emotional fluctuation in such matters.
So Li Qi changed the topic: "Then, Great Shaman, since you refer to Senior Yunfang as 'Senior,' is it because he's very powerful?"
"We Shamans don't judge seniority by strength. Combat is secondary to us. How could we call someone 'Senior' just because they're strong? If we're talking about strength, your teacher Zhu Fengdan is among the top in the Third Rank. Do you see me calling him 'Senior'?"
Li Qi immediately responded, "That makes sense. But Great Shaman, could you tell me about my teacher and Senior Yunfang? You know my teacher's personality..."
Zhu Fengdan's character certainly wouldn't bother with trivial matters, and even useful information might not be shared—it all depended on his mood.
"Your teacher's affairs... it's better for him to tell you himself. After all, those are matters between master and disciple, and I shouldn't interfere. He'll tell you when he's in the mood," the Great Shaman said, clearly reluctant to get involved with Zhu Fengdan.
But he quickly added, "However, regarding Senior Yunfang, it's fine to tell you."
Li Qi immediately straightened up, ready to listen attentively.
Such matters deserved basic respect.
"The reason I call him 'Senior' is simple: he truly is a senior. Among those of Senior Yunfang's generation, most have either reached the Second Rank or passed away. Only he remains at the Third Rank, alive to this day," the Great Shaman explained.
Li Qi remained silent, listening quietly.
He could already guess the reason.
Senior Yunfang's disciple was also his inner demon, sealed within him.
As long as the inner demon existed, his cultivation would forever remain stagnant, stuck at that level.
For beings like him, external demons were easy to destroy—those so-called inner demons could be reduced to ashes with a flick of the wrist.
All he needed to do was wave his hand to eliminate the 'demon' residing in his small personal world, freeing his cultivation from its shackles.
But that was precisely what made inner demons terrifying.
The true inner demon wasn't the demon itself... but the fact that you simply couldn't bring yourself to make that decisive move.
To do so would mean truly killing your own disciple, erasing them forever without any hope of return.
Thus, even though his cultivation had stagnated, and even though his disciple had gone mad trapped within, Senior Yunfang still hadn't granted him liberation.
Nor had he liberated himself.
This left Li Qi feeling deeply moved.
Even a seemingly omnipotent Third-Rank expert had things they couldn't resolve...
But the Great Shaman continued: "Senior Yunfang is extremely old, so he knows a great deal. That's why we all respect him. If we encounter something we don't understand, we seek his guidance. Among the Third Rank, he's like a teacher to everyone, and we treat him with half the respect due to a mentor, addressing him as 'Senior.'"
"And aside from his vast knowledge, he's also warm-hearted and eager to help others without expecting anything in return. You must have experienced this yourself, right?" the Great Shaman remarked.
Li Qi wholeheartedly agreed.
Just the fact that Senior Yunfang had remembered to arrange for someone to give him advice before his journey to the Tang Kingdom made Li Qi feel deeply honored.
The Great Shaman sighed: "Being elderly, respected, and possessing the virtue to command admiration naturally earns one the title of 'Senior.' Moreover, Senior Yunfang accomplished another great feat that earned widespread praise from the Wu-Deity practitioners."
"What was it?" Li Qi asked.
The Great Shaman casually waved his hand, and a three-dimensional map-like image appeared before Li Qi's eyes.
It wasn't a two-dimensional map but a three-dimensional representation, marking part of the heavens under the control of Wu Deity Mountain.
Pointing to a specific area, he said, "Beyond our domain, there was a region containing 4.26 million worlds. Previously, it was ownerless because its natives were ferocious, and multiple Third-Rank worlds guarded it. Later, Senior Yunfang single-handedly integrated it, forming a star district governed by the Wu Dao instead of the Heavenly Dao. Now, that region is peaceful and stable, standing firm as a stronghold. It faces another domain across the void, halting the encroachment of the Northern Pole Heavens and drawing a boundary for the northern celestial realm of Wu Deity Mountain, preventing the spread of the Spirit Dao into our territory."
"The most crucial point is that Senior Yunfang didn't use force or coercion. Instead, he spent years preaching and resolving doubts in that region. Through sheer personal charisma, he accomplished this feat without shedding a single drop of blood, persuading the star district to become part of the Wu Dao. Thus, the Wu-Deity practitioners highly praised him."
Speaking of this, the Great Shaman sighed deeply: "Ah, it's just a pity. After completing this task, he should have advanced to the Second Rank long ago. If not for that inner demon holding him back, how could Senior Yunfang be content with stopping here? But if he truly abandoned that inner demon, he wouldn't be the Senior Yunfang we all know."
Li Qi deeply agreed.
Indeed.
If he had simply discarded the inner demon, forsaking his disciple for his own advancement... Senior Yunfang likely wouldn't have been capable of such an act.
The world often works this way.
After expressing his admiration, Li Qi immediately asked another question that had been on his mind: "By the way, you mentioned the Northern Spirit Dao earlier. What is that? Why do I read about the Northern Pole Beast Clan in books? Is there a mistake in the books, or are there two powers in the North?"
He had heard of the Northern Pole Beast Clan before, but the Southeast was also home to beast clans. He thought it was because the beast clans were powerful, occupying both regions.
But now, why was there also a Northern Spirit Dao?
Addressing this topic, the Great Shaman pondered slightly: "Hmm... this is somewhat confidential, but telling you won't hurt."
"The Northern Pole Beast Clan differs from the Southeast Beast Clan. Both our Humanism and your people belong to the human race, but even within one race, the paths pursued can differ."
"The Northern Pole Beast Clan and the Southeast Beast Clan, the Southeast faction calls itself the 'Beast Dao,' while the Northern faction refers to itself as the 'Spirit Dao.' Apart from being beast clans, they have almost nothing in common."
"The Southeast Beast Dao believes that everything is a beast. A beast is a comprehensive entity, including us humans. Their great sages strive to transform the entire universe into beasts."
"To achieve this, they even developed Emperor Flow, using it to continuously catalyze demonic creatures, aiming to turn all unawakened beings into beasts. They believe these beings inherently possess wisdom and should naturally awaken, only hindered by something. Other awakened entities have an obligation to help them awaken."
"Now, their research has progressed to the point where many natural-born demons have emerged, some reaching the Fourth Rank, and even one reaching the Third Rank."
"Wait, born at the Third Rank? What kind of creature can be born at the Third Rank?" Li Qi exclaimed in shock.
Ordinary beings should have a limit of Seventh Rank at best, maybe Fifth Rank at most. How could there be beings born at Third and Fourth Ranks?
"Ordinary things, of course, wouldn't do. But that time, they demonized a Guixu," the Great Shaman said.
Li Qi felt a chill run down his spine!
Guixu…
In other words, a black hole!
They turned a black hole into a beast?!
Wait, meaning they believed everything has spirit, not limited to cats, dogs, lions, tigers, flowers, and plants.
Stones, soil, mineral veins, rivers—all are part of awakening, even celestial bodies like comets, and even stars and black holes are included!?
Then... Li Qi suddenly realized something!
He instinctively looked down at the ground.
Seeing this action, the Great Shaman smiled: "Correct, they've always aimed to awaken the 'world' itself, though it seems unlikely now."
"Why would they do this... what benefits does it bring?" Li Qi couldn't understand.
Continuously turning other things into beasts... what necessity or motive is there?
Hearing Li Qi's confusion, the Great Shaman shook his head and countered with a question: "What benefit would there be for us shamans to transform the world into a state of clear skies and tranquil earth, a state of natural harmony?"
This made Li Qi think.
Indeed, pursuing righteousness and justice—what benefit does it bring to oneself?
It doesn't seem to bring any obvious benefits, so why pursue it?
Then, the Great Shaman continued: "I don't know your answer, Li Qi, but for me, it's simply because I want to do it."
"I want to apply my wisdom, abilities, and knowledge to shape the world as I wish. In the words of some, that's my worldview."
"I want to mold this world—and every world within my sight—to fit my worldview. I like the world to be a certain way, so I make it that way."
"I believe living in a place that aligns with my worldview is the most comfortable. That's my answer."
"You will also find your own answer, which may be similar or different from mine. It's your path, and no one can comment on it. But think carefully and proceed cautiously."
"But remember, don't let your current perspective limit you. Not everything needs to pursue 'benefits.' For many people, interests and benefits aren't important; they seek other things."
Li Qi listened respectfully and bowed: "Thank you, Great Shaman. I will keep your words in mind."
Seeing Li Qi's agreement, the Great Shaman nodded slightly and continued: "Alright, let's continue talking about the Northern Pole Beast Clan."
"This particular clan, accurately speaking, doesn't consider themselves part of the beast clan."
"They abandoned their original physical forms, believing it to be a worthy pursuit."
"These beasts lived in harsh cold lands, originally known for their formidable physical bodies. But later, they concluded that the body was merely a constraint."
"After reaching this consensus, through secret techniques of their great sages, they transformed themselves into spiritual beings, converting their terrifying physical bodies into energy forms, freeing them from the cold and all material desires."
"Wait, wouldn't that be similar to us shamans?" Li Qi realized and asked.
Because through books, Li Qi knew that completely detaching from the physical body was also achievable in Wu Dao.
In high ranks of Wu Dao, merging with heaven and earth, the body becomes optional, dissolving when unwanted, with consciousness existing independently, eternal and ever-present.
The Great Shaman explained: "Yes, but that's after reaching the Third Rank. If you join the Spirit Dao, you can achieve this at Ninth Rank."
"After becoming pure energy beings, lifespan is greatly extended, free from bodily constraints. Whether destructive power or survivability is significantly enhanced, and you can truly possess 'your own will.'"
"Imagine, without material desires, you won't be influenced by most temptations. You can focus on what you truly desire without external disturbances."
"Therefore, besides natural expansion, the Spirit Dao generally avoids conflicts. They don't engage in disputes with other doctrines, preferring to remain isolated, not seeking to change the material world. The Spirit Dao focuses solely on pure ideological research. Mathematics is one area where they excel. I've heard they're working with a branch of Daoism on mathematical universes... but I don't quite understand it, so I can't explain it further."
Saying this, he expressed regret for not being able to delve deeper, as he himself didn't fully understand the Spirit Dao.
Even at the Third Rank, one can't know everything.
"Young master has already benefited greatly; there's no need for self-blame, Great Shaman," Li Qi quickly said.
"I'm not blaming myself either," the Great Shaman replied.
Li Qi felt embarrassed.
But the Great Shaman didn't care and led Li Qi into a large mountain.
"Alright, get ready. We're almost there. This is where we're going tonight. Remember, follow me closely, don't speak, and don't wander off."
Just as he spoke, Li Qi suddenly sensed a light-filled cavity appearing in the dark mountain.
Inside, countless threads spread out.
Li Qi decisively activated his True Knowledge Resonance.
"Wait, this is the aura of a Dragon Vein?!" Li Qi exclaimed in surprise.