There were two questions that Li Mu wanted to be answered the most.
First, why had the solar system become the enemy of the whole universe? And how come the people living there were called sinners and became the object of everyone’s attacks like rats crossing the street.
Second, in addition to the sects in the galaxy, where did the so-called world-destroying foe come from? Why did Lao Zi and the other ancient sages leave Earth to search for a way to survive?
After hearing Li Mu’s question, Li Bai posed another question instead. “Do you think there is an end to the vast universe?”
Li Mu deliberated for moments and gave his answer. “The universe is vast and boundless.”
Physicists on Earth believed that the universe had no boundaries. The four sides were all parts of the universe. It was believed so since ancient times. The word “universe” itself indicated the meaning of boundlessness.
Li Bai asked again, “Then tell me, is there really a form of life that can live forever in this world?”
Li Mu said, “Legend has it that the cultivators who have reached the extreme, become out of the world, and get rid of the shackles of the Great Way, can live forever. They can shine as long as the sun and the moon shine, and live as long as the stars live. However, I have never seen such immortals before.”
Li Bai said, “The so-called Great Way is just the law, fate, and spiritual power in this universe. Living creatures born in this galaxy are like grains of sand in a bow. If they get out of the bow, they will no longer exist. So how can they rise above the world? Even if they transcend the Great Way, how can they transcend the universe? These experts you’ve mentioned, though can shine as the sun and the moon shine, and live as long as the stars live, once the stars begin to fall and the universe began to collapse, they will eventually be eliminated as well. So how can they be called eternal?”
Li Mu carefully brooded on the meaning of Li Bai’s words and then asked, “Senior, are you saying that the vast universe actually has boundaries?”
“Yes, there is an end to the universe, and there is a limit to the void,” Li Bai notified, “The answer you want is right in this conclusion.”
Li Mu mused for a while and said, “Senior, do you mean that the great enemy of Earth comes from another world outside this universe?”
Li Bai nodded and said, “Yes, but not exactly. Not only Earth but all the living creatures living in this universe are from another universe. We call the universe we live in the Primitive Universe. Beyond the Primitive Universe, there are various other universes. The horrible killing tribulation also comes from the worlds outside the Primitive Universe.”
Li Mu was enlightened.
“But what about the other question?
“Why has Earth been called the Sinned Star?”
Li Bai smiled and said, “Do you know where Earth came from?”
Li Mu immediately thought of the answer in his physics book in high school on Earth. He had learned the long history of Earth. But he also knew that that answer was not the one Li Bai wanted.
“Senior, please clear up my doubts,” Li Mu said respectfully.
Li Bai hesitated for a moment, as if he was seriously weighing something. Finally, he shook his head and said, “Forget it, your strength is not strong enough. It will only harm you if I tell you. One day you reach the King Realm, you will naturally know.”
Li Mu couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
But he believed that Li Bai would not say that for no reason. There must be certain serious causality behind it.
“I’ll teach you the intendment of the Gallant Sword Deployment. Maybe you can integrate it into your own Dao-using methods, which will be helpful for your cultivation,” Li Bai advised. “I’ve left some Cultivation Methods here. But the Qi-refining mental cultivation method you just displayed in the Green Lotus Sword Pool is full of wonders. Even I can’t see through it. It’s an even more brilliant method. So, it seems that you no longer need my cultivation methods.”
Li Mu said, “Thank you, senior.”
The intendment of the Gallant Sword Deployment could be said to be Li Bai’s most prized work in his life. Li Mu had long had his eyes on it. If he could learn and master it, this adventure would be perfect.
Nevertheless, the other legacies Li Bai mentioned was bound to be secret works that would astound the world. Presumably, Li Bai had left them here in order to protect Mount Shu. But if those methods didn’t get publicized at this point because of Li Mu, wouldn’t it be a waste?
“Senior, I have something to say after plucking up my courage. If we leave the mental cultivation methods here and let them be covered in dust, won’t it be a waste of your efforts? So, can I take the manuals out and pass them on to other disciples on Mount Shu?” Li Mu asked.
Li Bai laughed and said, “Of course.”
Ye Wuhen was sitting by the Green Lotus Pool, adjusting her breathing with her eyes closed.
But the slightly furrowed eyebrows betrayed her anxiety deep down. Occasionally, she opened her eyes and looked at the inside of the cyan deployment shade, but she saw nothing except for layers of the thick white mist of spiritual liquid.
If one’s heart wasn’t calm, one’s mind would not concentrate.
If not concentrated, one would not be able to cultivate any Cultivation Method. Otherwise, one would likely suffer the Qi Deviancy.
Ye Wuhen, a great master of martial arts, was certainly well aware of this.
She heaved with a sigh and simply stopped practicing. She sat quietly on the bank, staring blankly at the lotus pool with her chin in her hands. A rare look of confusion appeared on her cold and beautiful face, which made her look like a jade statue.
This was the expression that she would never show to others in daily life.
Suddenly, a strange power surged from the Green Lotus Pool. Ye Wuhen was alarmed. When she looked up to see what was the matter, a wave of eccentric power suddenly shot out of the cyan deployment, wrapping her in and pulling her into the Green Lotus Pool.
“What’s happening?”
Ye Wuhen did not have time to resist and plunged directly into the Green Lotus Pool.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
As the sun rose from the east, the red sunlight cut through the sea of clouds in the sky and dyed them scarlet.
The curtains for the battle between the decent and the devil on the Bitter Star were slowly raised.
It was time for the 10 matches.
On the floating fighting ring, a fierce battle was going on.
Dragon the Fifth, the head of Dragon King Ridge, a branch of the Devil Cult, was engaged in a fierce fight against Ran Guangyao, Lord of Sunset City, one of the nine sects. And the battle had entered a white-hot stage.
This was the first of the 10 matches on the fighting ring.
Dragon the Fifth’s weapon was a pair of long-handled, purple-golden dragon claws. It was a high-quality Taoist Treasure. As he brandished the claws, soul-stirring roars of a dragon were heard. There was a vision of a dragon twining around the pair of claws, which seemed to be able to tear the void apart.
Mount Shu had existed for hundreds of years, so its strength could not be underestimated. This battle was the opening battle of ten matches, so both sides paid considerable attention to it.
Meanwhile, Ran Guangyao, Lord of Sunset City, was holding the Sunset Sword, which contained the dazzling afterglow of the setting sun. As he waved it, the others could not help but feel as though his life was like the setting sun and he did not have much time left to live, causing his will to wither. It was the most precious treasure in Sunset City.
Ear-splitting rumblings kept ringing out from the huge floating fighting ring.
Both of the combatants were in the Void-breaking Realm. Sometimes they moved fast, sometimes slow. They suddenly disappeared and reappeared. When they dashed, they were fast as light. When they slowed down, they were like tigers pausing before the next attack. They vanished like butterflies dancing in the air, then, emerged again like calvaries launching an ambush. Their moves contained profound meaning. Taoist Principles were surging. To live or die was up to every instant of their duel.
In the west of the floating fighting ring was the camp of the nine major sects.
Numerous flying shuttles were hovering in the void, blotting out the sky and the sun. Flags in various colors and shapes were billowing in the void like long dragons. Dozens of floating spaceships that were hundreds of meters long were imperiously suspending over the camp. Moreover, a tactical deployment was flowing in the void. The heads of the nine major sects were all watching the battle attentively at the bow of their own flying spaceships.
In the east of the floating fighting ring was the camp of Mount Shu.
A flying shuttle, which was a Taoist Treasure, was shrouded in flashing divine light and floating in the air. It was 1,000 meters long, and was surrounded by layers of mysterious Taoist figures. It was a shuttle that could both attack and defend. The back of the flying shuttle was relatively flat, as though a small square. The experts of the various branches of Mount Shu were all standing on this flying shuttle. There were about several hundred of them, each of whom looked very solemn.
In terms of the scale of the battle array and reinforcement, Mount Shu was much more inferior to the Decent Alliance.
But in fact, the discrepancy of the strength of the two parties was not very large. Actually, the numbers of their members were almost the same. More than 70% of the Mount Shu members were still stationed in White Emperor City, guarding the tactical deployments placed at the various fortresses, in case the nine major sects launched a surprise attack at White Emperor City during the battle.
“Why hasn’t that brat show up yet?”
On the huge flying shuttle of the West Sea Sword Sect, the young woman in the black gauze dress from the Black Killing Tower had been secretly observing the field for a long time. Li Mu was not on the flying shuttle of Mount Shu in the opposite, which made her a little anxious.
“That brat is arrogant and unscrupulous. He won’t be afraid to fight, but why has he concealed his tracks? Is he plotting something in secret?” The girl in the black gauze dress speculated.
During the battle in the Tomb of the God of Sin that day, Li Mu set up tactical deployments along the way, which killed a lot of elite disciples and experts from the Tianyi Palace, the Heavenly Devil Sect, and many other sects who came after him. His means were cunning and his scheming was smart, which left a deep impression on the girl in the black gauze dress. Later, when facing the siege of several powerful experts, Li Mu lured an assassin from the Shadow Flowing Sect in and killed him with the Heart-striking Pestle. It could be seen that Li Mu was definitely not a reckless boor.
The girl in the black gauze dress was a member of the Black Killing Tower, which was also a well-known killer organization in the Brilliance Immortal Star Region. She was best at all sorts of scheming and assassination, so she inevitably started to see Li Mu in the light of a killer. The more she thought about it, the more cautious she became about this matter.
In the end, she decided to keep a straight face and cope with all kinds of changes by remaining the same. She wanted to see what kind of plot Li Mu was hatching behind her back.
Anyway, in this world, her strength was invincible and could definitely outclass Li Mu’s. For that reason, she felt there was no need for her to take an unconventional path.
The battle lasted for an entire day.
At sunset, the first round of the battle between the decent and the devil finally came to an end. Dragon the Fifth from the Dragon Ridge, who struck only a little bit faster than his opponent, crushed Ran Guangyao’s head with his purple-golden claws. Ran Guangyao, Lord of Sunset City, was killed. But at the same time, Dragon the Fifth’s chest was also pierced by the Sunset Sword…
It was a bitter victory!
Anyway, Dragon the fifth had won the first round for the Mount Shu Sect.
On the gleaming flying shuttle, the disciples of Mount Shu cheered boisterously.
However, not long after returning to the flying shuttle, Dragon the Fifth lost his balance and spat out a mouthful of blood, which dyed the purple whickers red. The sunset power of the Sunset Sword was constantly invading his body and corroding his source of vigor. He could not hold on any longer and fell on his back. His qi and blood declined sharply, and he began to age rapidly. It seemed that his life was on the line.
“Master!”
“Sect Head…”
There was a burst of horrified shouts.
At last, Dragon the Fifth survived the attack, but he fell into a deep sleep and could not be awakened.
This was undoubtedly a huge blow to the people of Mount Shu, who had been cheering only moments ago. The joy of the first victory was overshadowed by the loss of their master. As the first battle was already so fierce, it could be imagined how painstaking the upcoming nine battles would be.
At the end of the battle, it was very likely that both sides would suffer a lot.
Then who would be the one to benefit from this?
The setting sun was blood red.
Both sides withdrew their troops.
The second match would take place tomorrow.
