A dragon’s head and a deer’s horns, a lion’s eyes and a tiger’s back, a bear’s waist and a snake’s scales, a horse’s hooves and a pig’s tail…
A magnificent, glorious divine beast strode through the space, slowly emerging from the darkness. Its steps were unhurried and steady, without any sense of violence or malice. It met Li Qingshan’s gaze with its faint-green eyes that were filled with life, refreshing like a spring breeze in March.
It lowered its head and licked Li Qingshan’s face. Li Qingshan’s firmly-furrowed brows eased up, and he murmured, “This is the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine’s… new transformation!”
The feeling it gave him was completely different from the other transformations. The three demonic transformations went without saying, but it was very different from the two divine transformations as well.
It was noble, but it did not possess the phoenix’s reservedness and pride. It was intelligent, but it did not possess the spirit turtle’s depth and coldness.
Even the most feeble creature would not feel threatened before it. His heart with filled with a sense of peace and harmony, unable to help himself but to get closer with it.
The strange charm it possessed was unable to be put into words. It made him sense the beating of his heart, the flow of his blood, the warmth of his skin, the taste in his mouth… These complicated, detailed sensations merged together to form a feeling called “life”.
Nothing was more precious than life. Even those as small as ants had the instincts of survival. That was the driving force engraved in the souls of all living creatures, triumphing over everything else.
Even for beings as powerful as cultivators, the exact thing they pursued was “longevity”, no different from ants. If they could compare themselves with others, they would definitely learn the will of all living creatures and sympathise with the difficulty of life.
Compared to being a hypocrite, I’m better off being a tyrant where I’d rather let everyone down than have everyone let me down. Life will instead be much more simple and satisfying that way. Unfortunately, I’m just not a tyrant at the end of the day. Even when I’ve committed all these sins, I still want to be a ‘hero king’ with a strong sense of justice!
Li Qingshan sighed and shut his eyes. A mantra slowly appeared in his mind. The Qilin, With its Hovering Steps, Sympathises With the Living.
Legends had it that the qilin was born during the creation of the world. It was the sovereign of all beasts. It spent its life striding through space without ever setting foot on the ground, not because it was reserved and prideful, afraid to dirty itself, but because it refused to harm even a blade of grass. It possessed great power, yet it did not abuse this power. Instead, it acted with even greater caution. It was a beast of utmost benevolence.
If the world was without the qilin, then people would doubt the truth that the heavens took pleasure in the welfare of the living creatures. They would firmly believe the world was not benevolent, and it treated all life as worthless to be the utmost truth.
This was the third divine transformation of the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine, the Qilin Transformation.
The qilin raised its head and let out a neigh before leaping enthusiastically into his chest. It turned into the Qilin’s Conventions of Longevity.
……
After watching Li Qingshan enter the Heaven Climbing Vine, Gu Yanying and Rāhu Xiaoming waited at the bottom of the mountain. However, even when the sun sank in the west and stars filled the sky, they still saw no sight of him.
“Why hasn’t he come out yet? Don’t tell me he’s hiding inside and crying?”
Ever since Gu Yanying obtained the kunpeng’s legacy, she discovered that she was becoming more and more restless. She was tempted to spread her wings and take off immediately.
Rāhu Xiaoming shot a glance at her and ignored her.
Having just made a fool of herself, Gu Yanying rubbed her nose. “Alright then, those with the same rotten tastes are drawn together and those with the same illness sympathise with each other. A good person like me just doesn’t understand how you feel.”
“No, he might still have an idea!” Rāhu Xiaoming’s eyes twinkled before telling Gu Yanying earnestly, “It’s your luck to obtain his legacy, but don’t forget who you are. If your sense of self is eroded away, you won’t make it too far at the end of the day.”
Gu Yanying said solemnly, “Thank you for your warning. I will never forget this.”
For some reason, she thought of that first disciple of hers. If she had accepted her suggestion back then and chosen a path that was more comfortable, perhaps she would still be a measly Foundation Establishment cultivator even now. She might have died in a random upheaval. Even if she managed to survive, she would only be taken away by the flow, never able to control her own fate.
The sun rose; the moon fell. Time passed in a hurry. The mouth of the hungry ghost ripped open faster and faster, rapidly devouring the living creatures.
Rāhu Xiaoming suddenly opened his eyes and gazed at the top of the mountain.
Before he knew it, Li Qingshan had arrived by the cliff, nodding towards Rāhu Xiaoming. Then he gazed into the distance, looking over the mountains.
Countless vines curled towards him, but this time, he did not use the power of tremors. He allowed each vine to pierce his body.
Gu Yanying said in surprise, “What’s he trying to do?”
Rāhu Xiaoming smiled. “Probably to save the world!”
In the blink of an eye, Li Qingshan was swallowed by the vines. The vines twisted and wrapped together to form a sphere, enveloping him firmly.
Even with Li Qingshan’s current cultivation, he could not endure an extraction like that. His essence rapidly depleted as his sturdy body withered away. His gaze remained peaceful and harmonious the entire time, giving off a faint green colour as he silently circulated the Qilin’s Conventions of Longevity.
In the small world within his body, a tender blade of grass suddenly grew from the vast land. It was so feeble and tiny, yet it changed the entire world all of a sudden, like breathing life into a puppet.
Earth, fire, wind, water, and space were the basic elements that formed a world, but if it lacked the existence of life, then what was the point of existence even if it was the six realms of sa?sāra, the trichiliocosm, or even beyond the Nine Heavens?
It was exactly because of the existence of these many lives that they were like sparks, illuminating the vast night.
Not only did the new Qilin Transformation leave the balance of the small world completely untouched, but it even merged with it perfectly, granting Li Qingshan new powers.
He waved his right hand gently, and the vines opened up.
Rāhu Xiaoming beamed with joy. “He succeeded!”
Actually, Li Qingshan had not managed to reach the first layer of the Qilin’s Conventions of Longevity in such a short amount of time. However, it did give him a sliver of the qilin’s bloodline, which was enough for him to connect with all the living creatures in the world and influence them. In the past, none of the transformations possessed an effect like that. Even when he reached the first layer of the Ox Demon Transformation back then, it only made him stronger and larger.
The nature of this power was not as simple as controlling plants. Instead, it was a power much more fundamental than that. It was the path for all living creatures to grow.
He used this exact power to connect with the Heaven Climbing Vine. With a thought, the other end of the Heaven Climbing Vine pulled back from the Human realm and curled up on the top of the mountain, becoming extremely docile.
Li Qingshan felt very fortunate. If he had lost his true self and become blinded by slaughter, only wanting to challenge those stronger than him and forgetting about the living creatures weaker than him, he would never be able to comprehend the true meaning of the Qilin Transformation.
And now, it had only demonstrated a hint of what it was capable of, yet the wondrous powers of the Qilin Transformation already left him amazed. This was definitely no weaker than any of the previous transformations. It was even much stronger when it came down to certain aspects.
However, the Qilin Transformation also came with its unique limitation—only thriving was allowed, not killing. He could not develop any malicious intentions when he connected with the living creatures, much less use them for destruction and slaughter.
For example, if he tried to kill the Heaven Climbing Vine or use the Heaven Climbing Vine to destroy enemies, that would never work.
The many mysteries and wonders involved still required him to uncover them slowly. Right now, all he wanted to do was save the living creatures.
The space-devouring beast swam over from afar. Li Qingshan ordered.
“Devour the world, Navy Li’l Fatty!”
