The Eternal Way-Chapter 196: The Horn of Counterattack

In an instant, Li Qi understood.

Of course, Shen Shuibei didn't know how to call upon him or his newly registered divine name. So, she chose to use brute force enumeration.

For example, the array under Li Qi's feet, based on his basic understanding of formations, was clearly a Divine Manifestation summoning system. It contained parameters Shen Shuibei knew about Li Qi and had set up an automated naming mechanism that continuously generated possible divine names for Li Qi, calling out to him non-stop. This was just one of the thousands of formations on this platform.

The entire platform was densely packed with such automated naming mechanisms, encompassing various paths and methods, with thousands of formations and precious materials woven together into a... very valuable naming device. Every second, it could generate hundreds of thousands of different summoning methods, including those from the Divine Path, Wu Dao, Reason Dao, Humanism, Demon Path, and more.

Thousands of methods were all working automatically, constantly trying to call Li Qi. While Li Qi could discern the effects of these formations, he could only see their outcomes. It was like knowing how a phone works but seeing Shen Shuibei personally craft it, soldering every transistor, handcrafting all chips and screens. Not to mention the technology, even some of the materials Li Qi couldn't recognize. Integrating so many formations required unimaginable effort.

Moreover, this thing was incredibly expensive. Even the recognizable materials alone were priceless; Li Qi certainly couldn't afford it, not even if he sold his Eighth Rank Metal Qi, as there were visibly four or five Eighth Rank materials in it. Let alone the technological content, being able to combine thousands of formations was beyond Li Qi's comprehension. If used to make a magical artifact, it would be at the pinnacle of Eighth Rank, possibly reaching the threshold of Seventh Rank.

Even for Shen Shuibei, completing this was no easy feat, especially since her cultivation had long been exhausted, and she was struggling to rebuild it. She might have figured out the technical aspects herself, but she despised mundane business dealings. Imagining her going through all that effort to procure materials and negotiate deals made Li Qi appreciate her dedication.

Understanding this, Li Qi felt touched. But seeing the rabbit turned away, annoyed by him, he quickly reacted, walking over and using his golden body to hold her hand, saying, "Miss Shen—"

The rabbit stopped, looking back angrily.

Li Qi, usually eloquent, had prepared many sweet words but found himself unable to speak them when she turned around. After a moment of hesitation, he awkwardly said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Her angry expression softened at these words. She looked down shyly but couldn't suppress her pride, muttering, "Knowing it's hard work is enough..."

It was clear she wanted to show off but felt embarrassed.

Seeing this, Li Qi smiled, relieved. Emboldened, he reached out to pat her head, saying, "Alright, leave the rest to me."

To his delight, Shen Shuibei made no resistance. In fact, she showed no reaction at all, as if nothing happened, neither happy nor resistant. She simply nodded, "Okay, I'll leave it to you."

Then, she reverted to her usual quiet self, standing obediently as if waiting for orders. It was almost surreal compared to her earlier liveliness.

Li Qi was surprised. He hadn't fully grasped the situation yet... How did she suddenly go offline?

So, he patted her shoulder, "Ahem, Miss Shen, wake up. Can you tell me what happened in the past few days?"

Shen Shuibei regained her composure, giving Li Qi an annoyed look, as if saying, "You're so annoying." Still, she continued to explain recent events, eager to finish and return to her own affairs. She truly disliked handling such mundane tasks and interacting with the outside world.

Rabbits loved immersing themselves in their own world, quietly doing their own things. Poetically, they were ethereal, untainted by worldly concerns. Harshly, they were severely socially anxious and introverted. But rabbits were cute, so it was fine.

Because of this trait, something Li Qi had noticed but Shen Shuibei hadn't realized was that she always relied on someone else to handle these matters, leaving her free to follow orders. Previously, Luo Fu Niangniang had been that person. For countless years, she had lived like this. Now, that 'someone' was Li Qi.

Without anyone to rely on, the rabbit had become extremely agitated, unable to calm down. But with Li Qi's return, she instantly relaxed, her anxiety disappearing as if a heavy burden had been lifted, allowing her to retreat into her comfort zone.

As for Li Qi, he was delighted. He was thrilled!

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Several hours later, Li Qi had fully understood everything Shen Shuibei had done. Meanwhile, the rabbit had entered energy-saving mode again, exhausted from the overload of the past few days. She curled up in Li Qi's arms, ears covering her eyes, fast asleep. Completing the formation and taking over the Lower Nine Gates had drained her immensely.

She rested in Li Qi's arms, wearing small clothes, which was quite meticulous. Taking over these responsibilities immediately, Li Qi devised his plan. First, and most urgently, was to find Wang Baisan.

Based on Shen Shuibei's account and Wang Baisan's actions, Li Qi concluded that this little scoundrel didn't care about the refugees. His goal was to make Li Qi disrupt the blood sacrifice, inciting demon attacks on Guangyang City, while he profited by playing both sides.

However, Wang Baisan hadn't anticipated that the blood sacrifice wasn't to resist the Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest but merely Chan Zhi's method of self-preservation. The situation became crystal clear now.

Currently, there were four main factions in Guangyang: the first being the Jianghu forces led by Righteous Sword Palace. These people could be trusted, judging by Zhang Lan's character. They fought against the Swallowing Heaven Demon Nest without seeking any reward, driven purely by chivalry. Zhang Lan's bravery in facing two Eighth Rank opponents for the refugees showed his heroic nature. If they knew about the situation, Li Qi saw no reason for them not to intervene, hence leaving a letter for Zhang Lan before leaving (Chapter 187).

The second faction was the local powers of Guangyang, largely paralyzed. According to Li Qi's experience, the governor had returned to the capital to report (Chapter 174). Initially confusing, it now made sense. Obviously, he fled to seek help, fearing becoming another puppet of Chan Zhi. He must have discovered that the Guangyang Sīmǎ and Sītú had become Chan Zhi's puppets and promptly withdrew the army, setting up defensive formations, then rushed back to the capital for reinforcements. However, no one came to Guangyang's aid, suggesting something significant had occurred in the Hundred Forests Kingdom's capital.

The third faction was the Humanism forces led by Wang Baisan, aiming to use Li Qi's shamanic abilities to secure a small world as a resource. Another goal was to manipulate Li Qi into disrupting the landscape formation and blood sacrifice, misleading him into weakening Guangyang's defenses. By saving the civilians, Wang Baisan aimed to gain fame and pull Li Qi into defending against backlash from Wu Dao, using him as a shield.

Finally, there was Chan Zhi himself, a practitioner of the Dàhēitiān sect, who had killed one and driven away another Seventh Rank opponent. He sought genuine Wu Dao techniques to balance his inner Buddha mind and demonic thoughts, laying the foundation for advancing to Sixth Rank.

Li Qi realized everything was part of a scheme, not coincidental. This bald monk had likely targeted him from the start, using the ten thousand refugees, the border defense, White Rhino Army, and everything else to make Li Qi willingly offer Wu Dao secrets. Seeing Li Qi's tendency to do good deeds, Chan Zhi arranged for him to encounter the White Rhino Army, setting up the blood sacrifice trap. Despite having the ability to extract information directly, Chan Zhi refrained, perhaps due to fear of Wu Deity Mountain or the necessity of Li Qi's voluntary cooperation.

Summarizing the needs, capabilities, and positions of the four factions, Li Qi formulated a clear strategy. Using his divided consciousness to escape during Chan Zhi's experimentation, Li Qi decided not to fight him openly. "Damn it, bullying a Ninth Rank with a Seventh Rank? Don't blame me for calling for backup."