The Eternal Way-Chapter 194: The Terrifying Rabbit

Outside the Pagoda

Two days have already passed.

Shen Shuibei was engrossed in drawing an array diagram.

Wang Baisan, standing beside her, wore a pained expression. "Marquis Shen, the resources you've requisitioned are beyond what the entire Guangyang City can afford. I had to speak with the main house to gather all these materials..."

"Isn't the 'Xuanmen Treasure Sea Scripture' enough? Don't tell me that your Eighth Rank is so unappreciative?" Shen Shuibei replied absentmindedly without looking up.

"It's... it's enough," Wang Baisan said through gritted teeth, his face turning even more bitter at the mention of it.

He was now somewhat confused about who exactly this new Marquis was.

Wang Baisan had investigated the methods of this new Marquis.

Her strategies were complex and vast, tightly woven like pieces on a chessboard.

In just eight double-hour periods, she effortlessly seized control of the entire Lower Nine Gates, firmly grasping everything in her hands.

It was rumored that she had eyes and ears in every branch and business venture opposing the Lower Nine Gates.

She knew all too well about any plots against her, always keeping herself mysterious, unpredictable, and always aware of everyone's weaknesses, even upon first meeting.

She could always seize the key points in intricate power struggles, her thinking as free as a wild horse, leaving her subordinates unable to predict her next move.

Therefore, whether they were her subordinates or enemies, they lived in constant fear and worry.

If killing everyone in the Lower Nine Gates was rated a difficulty of one, then completely controlling the Lower Nine Gates would be at least ten.

Because not everyone was willing to be controlled; some would rather die than abandon tradition and the rules of their factions.

But none of this could escape her notice.

No one could forget how, after becoming the new Marquis in two double-hour periods, the Lower Nine Gates immediately launched a series of counterattacks, including power struggles, assassinations, poisonings, using traditions to dethrone her, inciting the lower ranks, and other means, but she remained unscathed. Instead, she turned the tables, converting her enemies into allies or destroying them, proving unequivocally the cunning of this new Marquis.

Especially during conversations, she liked to casually mention things as if by accident, making most people break out in cold sweats.

For instance, when talking to Wang Baisan, she lightly mentioned the Jianan Wang family.

After such incidents, those 'warned' people soon realized they had no idea how this new Marquis knew these things and quickly understood they had to treat her with utmost respect.

It seemed she held everyone's secrets in her hand.

Sometimes, she would let slip outrageous false information, yet somehow these rumors would turn true as if they had been real from the start.

For example, upon meeting Old Marquis Wang, she remarked that he looked close to death.

This startled Old Marquis Wang, who flew into a rage and wanted to kill her but collapsed unconscious due to overwhelming anger before giving any orders.

No one believed that Old Marquis Wang, a powerful Eighth Rank, could be so fragile.

This was definitely a trick by the new Marquis!

...

But no one knew how she did it, and even while saving him with an expression of exasperation, she claimed that Old Marquis Wang's cultivation method had gone awry, damaging his heart meridian, suggesting he should surrender to her for improvements.

This was clearly a threat!

Countless people found that their vulnerabilities and weaknesses had long been discerned by her, and the only way out was sealed shut.

And the key—was in her hands.

She toyed with everyone as if they were puppets.

This was a terrifying woman.

Wang Baisan deeply understood the terror of this person, so hearing her words made his teeth ache.

When did she know that an Eighth Rank from the main house was arriving?

Did she have spies within the Grain Alliance?!

What else did she know?

These were questions Wang Baisan couldn't answer. The only thing he knew was the unfathomable and unpredictable nature of this new Marquis.

Truly unpredictable—you couldn't tell if she trusted you, liked you, or despised you.

Most of the time, she was extremely cold to everyone, but occasionally she would suddenly bestow great gifts, such as advanced cultivation techniques or solutions to long-standing problems, which were immense favors that could change one's life—or even a family's fate.

How many generations of effort would it take for a family to acquire a better cultivation technique?

Now, she tossed them around casually.

But sometimes, she would become extremely irritable, especially when her eyes turned red, causing many to suffer, though not losing their heads, they lost their positions.

Don't think that just because she gave you a cultivation technique, she values you. When you fawn over her without permission, she will likely give you a cold look, perhaps not even remembering who you are.

Unpredictable, yet controlling the overall situation, knowing countless secrets, it seemed her spies and scouts were everywhere.

You didn't even know if your friends, brothers, or wife were spying on you, following orders from this new Marquis.

Because there were many things known only by the closest people.

Yet this new Marquis also knew them and would casually mention them, startling people.

Hard to understand, impossible to describe.

What kind of person does something like this?

But these thoughts Wang Baisan kept to himself.

At this moment, facing the new Marquis, he could only bitterly smile and reply, "Marquis Shen, compared to the price, it's enough... However, transporting goods from Tang Dynasty to Baiyue requires passing through many areas under surveillance. Slowly, it might not be a problem, but given the urgency, it exceeds my capabilities. It's not just about having enough funds..."

"Then send whatever you can get." Shen Shuibei answered without looking up.

"That goes without saying, but we still need a couple of days. Given the urgency, even I am at a loss," Wang Baisan complained.

"Alright." Shen Shuibei responded succinctly.

Seeing that she agreed readily and remained focused on her work, Wang Baisan didn't say anything further and obediently withdrew.

That day, Shen Shuibei was busy with matters at hand, specifically the array diagram she was drawing.

This array could bypass the blockade of the Pagoda and establish contact with Li Qi inside.

The most urgent task at hand was to restore communication with Li Qi, so Shen Shuibei had basically put aside all other matters. She even paused her research on restoring the Yang Spirit cultivation method to focus entirely on developing this array diagram.

For some reason, without Li Qi by her side, she felt an unbearable sense of anxiety.

She used to be fine being alone.

Thus, an inexplicable restlessness filled her heart, and she was driven madly to reestablish contact.

Fortunately, she still maintained her basic Daoist resolve, understanding what needed to be done at this moment.

She still had one way to contact Li Qi—through a method that Chan Zhi the monk would never think of, bypassing the seal of his Pagoda.

Therefore, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

-------------------

On the other side, Li Qi was also engaged in strenuous mental labor every day.

He was contemplating how to establish contact with the outside world.

In fact, after two full days, he had already come up with a plan.

What remained was execution. Now under the watchful eyes of Chan Zhi the monk, he couldn't do anything suspicious or he'd risk trouble.

Chan Zhi the monk treated him kindly, but Li Qi dared not act recklessly.

His life was at stake.

Another ten double-hours passed, and Li Qi finished analyzing the third demon, named the Violent Wrath Demon.

Like the Lust Mind Demon, the Violent Wrath Demon also represented a "trend" in mentality.

It was the gradual shift from order toward chaos—a "trend" where even the best patience would wear thin, anger would accumulate increasingly, and eventually erupt violently to subside.

Li Qi had analyzed three demons so far, and they all shared this commonality.

They all represented a trend...

No, it wasn't just representation—they *were* the trend itself.

These demons naturally existed within all sentient beings who possessed thought and wisdom.

Was this... the retinue of the Heavenly Mara?

According to Chan Zhi's explanation, the demons Li Qi had devoured were retinues of the Transforming Mara, also commonly called Heavenly Mara Retinues.

These demons could hinder people's virtuous pursuits, detest and envy the holy Dharma, and create various disturbances. They delighted in infiltrating the minds of cultivators, devouring their Dao hearts, becoming part of their demonic thoughts, and ultimately destroying their Dao hearts completely, leading them to fall into the demonic path.

And these were only the retinues.

The true Heavenly Mara was terrifying beyond measure—not something as simple as Ninth Rank.

From what Li Qi had read, the claws of the Heavenly Mara spread across countless realms, forming a vast and dreadful power.

But those were irrelevant to Li Qi now. The Heavenly Mara was rarely seen in Tianxia. It was said that powerful figures had driven the Heavenly Mara away, forcing them to remain rampant only beyond the borders.

As for the method to counter the Violent Wrath Demon, shortly after finishing its analysis, Li Qi devised it using the balancing methods of Wu Dao, accumulating the Qi of Winter Sovereign to clarify his mind and suppress violence.

Then, he once again ascended to the fifth floor to perform the ritual for Chan Zhi the monk.

Of course, Chan Zhi the monk greeted him with a smile, providing him with a new bed, bedding, and some food.

...

These were things Li Qi had previously requested—some food and a bed to sleep on.

Chan Zhi probably thought these were normal requests, so he prepared them for Li Qi.

After the ritual was over, Li Qi exchanged a few casual words with Chan Zhi, then carried the bed downstairs and placed it in the center of the second floor.

Then, he obediently lay down on the bed and went to sleep.

At this moment, Chan Zhi's attention should have been fully focused on experimenting with the new cultivation method.

However, Chan Zhi, unfamiliar with Wu Dao, could never have imagined—

A bed could also serve as an altar.

It even had its own deity, like the Door God or the Kitchen God. As the saying goes, "Buy sweets for the Kitchen Emperor, pour water to honor Lord Bed." These sayings all highlighted the mystical nature of beds.

The ways of Wu Dao were numerous and wondrous, always catching others off guard.

This was the unique characteristic of Wu Dao, impossible for others to replicate.

By placing the bed in the center of the second floor, with the head pointing north, Li Qi adhered to specific principles. The center of the room corresponded to the Fifth Yellow of the Luo Shu, the most revered position of the Nine Palaces.

This was called "raising the four corners, aligning the four directions with the bed."

Normally, a bed should face east or south, following the principle of "sleeping with the head always facing east, embracing the vitality of life." The *Jia Yu* (Family Sayings) states: "The living face south; the dead point their heads north."

All these arrangements were meant to align the altar closer to the aspect of 'Yin.'

Only then could Li Qi achieve what he intended.

That is, astral projection—even summoning ghostly attendants!

With his Ninth Rank cultivation, he was attempting to traverse the heavens!

Ordinarily, this act would be a death sentence because venturing into the celestial realms posed three main challenges:

First, leaving the soul from the body was inherently fatal. Only the Yin Spirits of the Dao Sect and the Golden Bodies of the Divine Path could leave the body. Wu Dao practitioners did not possess this skill. Forcibly separating the soul would inevitably result in the death of the physical body.

Second, the soul needed to withstand the myriad dangers beyond the mortal realm. A disembodied soul was extremely fragile, easily damaged by even a gust of wind. Only a few paths could resist such threats: Yin Spirits were immune to wind, Yang Spirits to fire, and Golden Bodies to external stimuli. After reaching the Yang Spirit stage, one could roam freely, invulnerable to external harm.

The souls of Shamans and Diviners were particularly fragile, prone to injury from even minor disturbances.

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Third, one had to find their bearings.

If lost in the outer realms, one might never return. With good luck, one might stumble upon another small world to reside in while devising a way to locate Tianxia. With bad luck, one would drift endlessly until perishing.

The outer realms Li Qi had glimpsed resembled vast distances—what seemed enormous required light-years of travel. Even at the speed of the soul, it would take a lifetime to reach.

But precisely because this act would lead to certain death, Chan Zhi the monk would never suspect it.

He had imprisoned Li Qi's body, believing his soul couldn't escape, allowing him peace of mind.

Over the past two days, Li Qi had diligently helped Chan Zhi dismantle demonic thoughts, using Wu Dao and True Knowing Resonance to resist the demons.

In Li Qi's view, this monk wouldn't imagine he'd dare risk his life to venture out.

Even if he suspected, Li Qi would still try.

Trying didn't cost anything. Over the past two days, he had already demonstrated his value, so Chan Zhi wouldn't kill him lightly.

Li Qi also had confidence he wouldn't die.

Because he held a trump card.

He was now someone enshrined in ten thousand households.

Those hundreds of thousands of commoners fervently prayed for Li Qi, building shrines to worship him and thanking him as their benefactor!

Li Qi planned to traverse the heavens, offering himself as a deity!

Through the prayers of these commoners, he could use the Divine Path to temporarily forge a Golden Body for himself, resisting external dangers.

Then, relying on their prayers, he would locate Tianxia and contact Shen Shuibei.

At that point, everything would be negotiable.

This was Li Qi's plan.

Perhaps it was karma that good deeds bring good rewards. If Li Qi hadn't helped, he wouldn't have this trump card now.

But if he hadn't helped, perhaps Chan Zhi wouldn't have acted against him at all.

Every sip and bite has its cause and effect—who could say for sure?