In the dim Space, a Mountain Range filled with Death Qi lay before Zhao Li.
It was clearly a Mountain Range, yet Zhao Li felt an indomitable and resolute will on it, intertwined with tyranny and resentment. This feeling was as if there were many different emotions within the Mountain Range.
He thought of what Nine Nether had just said: this place was the burial ground of Evil Demons. If that were true, perhaps it wasn't just Evil Demons buried here. Could the Dou Di who had fallen on the Dou Qi Continent also be interred here?
Thinking this, Zhao Li extended his Soul Power, covering the Death Qi-churning Mountain Range. Immediately after, he felt some Willpower that was even stronger than before. They were roaring, either with unwillingness and malice, or reluctance and resolve, or confusion and regret, or steadfastness and no regrets...
All sorts of emotions, although intertwined, were clearly divided into two categories, just like the two camps that had fought for countless Thousand Years back then.
"This..."
Zhao Li seemed to be eroded by the emotions within it, and a strange sadness welled up in his heart. He wanted to say something but didn't know why.
It wasn't until a spark of spiritual light from the depths of his Soul emitted a faint glow that this feeling was dispelled.
"I'm afraid this strange Mountain Range is truly built from the bones of countless powerhouses, including Dou Di and Outer Realm Demons..."
This thought flashed through his mind, and then he truly began to examine the core of this Grand Formation.
With a thought, his perspective began to rise, taking in the scene of this place completely.
Aside from the winding Mountain Range that divided this place into two, there were also two Stone Pillars that looked like pillars supporting the sky, standing on either side of the Mountain Range, facing each other from afar.
Zhao Li murmured, saying with some uncertainty:
"Is this... the Yin-Yang Fish?"
In his vision, if this entire Space was viewed as a whole, that winding Mountain Range was exactly like the boundary separating Yin and Yang, and those two heavenly pillars were like the eyes of the Yin-Yang Fish.
Having Cultivated until now, he also had some understanding of the Dao of Cultivation. Of course, he wouldn't think that things like Yin and Yang and the Eight Trigrams were unique to his previous life.
The Dao does not perish for the wicked, nor does it exist for the benevolent. It is inherently some simple Rules of the universe. As long as one's Realm reaches a certain level, they will always understand the principles within it.
In his previous life, this wisdom appeared within five Thousand Years, and the Dou Qi Continent had developed for such a long Time, so naturally, there would be people with extraordinary Talent who would comprehend these things.
"If it's the Yin-Yang Fish, then perhaps breaking the Formation will start from these two heavenly pillars. Will it be Yin giving rise to Yang, and Yang giving rise to Yin, a mutual transformation between the two?"
Zhao Li's heart stirred as he studied the mysteries of this Formation, preparing to break it.
Of course, the reason he was breaking the Formation wasn't because he was incited by Nine Nether, but because he already had this idea.
As early as when he went to Chaos and learned of the existence of that Grand Formation, he discovered a scene different from what Ye Yunsheng had seen. At that time, he already had a faint guess, and now that he had received news from Nine Nether, he had basically connected the dots.
The era of the Dragon Emperor Ao Xue should have been in the middle to late stages of the resistance. When the Emperors laid down the Grand Formation, the struggle on the Dou Qi Continent had already decided the victor.
As for Nine Nether saying they went to Chaos, Zhao Li also had a guess. Perhaps the Great Thousand World also encountered an attack. With the lips gone, the teeth would be cold; they had to go. But to protect their homeland, laying down a Grand Formation also made sense.
As for the disappearance of Origin Qi, perhaps they simply overestimated the power of the Grand Formation, or perhaps it was intentional. After all, powerhouses are like the sun; the stronger they are, the more dazzling they become and the more easily they attract attention. Since they wanted to hide, they might as well hide completely.
Moreover, the Dou Qi Continent had just won a war that lasted for Ten Thousand Years at that time and needed to rest and recuperate. Perhaps they also thought that after returning, they could accumulate a group of Dou Di through steady progress. However, they never returned, which indeed sent the Dou Qi Continent on a downward Route...
There were many possibilities, but no matter the reason, it was basically certain that the disappearance of Origin Qi occurred after the appearance of the Grand Formation.
After breaking the Formation, there was a high probability that Origin Qi would appear on the Dou Qi Continent. At that time, he could let Ye Yunsheng break through to Dou Di, and he could also go to the Great Thousand World. If he stayed on the Dou Qi Continent, it would be difficult to have Deities reside in all the Acupoints around his body!
As for Hun Tiandi and Gu Yuan, honestly, if they still had such limited Horizon and only wanted to cause trouble on the Dou Qi Continent at that time, then he wouldn't mind slapping them to death.
Since a few months after Wutan City, although his Realm wasn't Dou Di, it was definitely no less than Dou Di!
Moreover, if he could thoroughly study this Grand Formation and then control it, wouldn't the initiative still be in his own hands?
Thus, Time passed quietly in research. Zhao Li was immersed in it. The more he pondered, the more he Cultivated, and the more Zhao Li felt that the wisdom left by the ancestors was indeed extraordinary. Leaving aside the difference in whether the two worlds could Cultivate, just in terms of summarizing the Rules of the universe, the Seniors on Earth were definitely not inferior to those on the Dou Qi Continent.
He didn't understand before, but now as he pondered, understood, and verified against the Grand Formation, it was as if he had entered a state of Enlightenment. The words that were once only superficial had transformed into his Foundation.
Time flowed by, and as Zhao Li continuously pondered, researched, and verified, the aura on his body also gradually changed...
"This kid, what terrifying Talent! He actually mastered the true meaning of this Seal in just three months! Fortunately, I am more skilled."
Seeing Zhao Li's changes, Nine Nether felt a surge of surprise, followed by relief.
He had been sealed for Ten Thousand Years and was most familiar with the Rules of this place. When he saw the aura appearing on Zhao Li's body, he almost instantly confirmed that it originated from this Seal!
"This child must not be kept. With such terrifying Talent, the Soul Imprint may not be able to suppress him forever."
Nine Nether no longer had any pity and had decided to kill Zhao Li the moment he escaped.
Although the Soul Imprint was strong, a Heavenly Supreme was not weak either. If Zhao Li broke through to Heavenly Supreme, he might not be able to control him, which was too great a risk, so great that he didn't dare to gamble.
Then, he fell silent, waiting for Zhao Li to break the Formation. Since he had already comprehended the true meaning of the Grand Formation, even if he couldn't break it, he could definitely influence it slightly. At that time, he could leave.
Zhao Li didn't know what Nine Nether was thinking; he was still in the process of research and transformation.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes and looked at the whistling Astral Wind around him. When the Astral Wind touched him, it no longer eroded his Soul as before; instead, it had the effect of nourishing his Soul.
Yin-Yang Reversal, it reversed more than just Yin and Yang!
Although the Formation Core of this Formation was not a specific Yin and Yang, the principle was indeed the same. What it transformed was Life Force and Death Qi!
At this point, Zhao Li also completely understood the meaning of this Formation's existence: sealing, dissolving, and providing energy for the Grand Formation!
The Death Qi on that Mountain Range was actually transformed from Life Force from who knows where, and then that Death Qi formed the Astral Wind that whistled through this place, thereby dissolving the existence sealed here and becoming the energy for the Grand Formation's operation!
"As expected of the great ones, they are truly incomparable to Mortals like me."
Zhao Li was inwardly shaken. Whether it was the Mortal sages with physical bodies from his previous life or the Dou Di Seniors with great power in this world, their understanding of the operation of the universe's Rules had indeed reached an extremely profound level.
These people, no matter which world they were born in, could probably see the highest scenery of that world!
"Now, can we start trying to break the formation?"
Zhao Li looked at the Mountain Range where Death Qi surged, a smile flashing in his eyes. Then he got up and walked towards the mountains.
Stepping into the Mountain Range, he found that the emotions he had felt before were not an illusion; they were real.
At this moment, it felt like walking into a world filled with Wandering Souls and Obsessions. The Wandering Souls were like a Torrent, constantly washing over Zhao Li's Soul, allowing him to occasionally perceive the Will left behind by who knows whom.
As soon as he stepped into this Mountain Range full of Death Qi, Zhao Li felt a sense of Space-Time tearing. Past, future, it seemed like Ten Thousand Years passed in an instant, and everything within seemed to appear before his eyes in various forms.
Immediately after, he felt as if his Soul was being pulled out of his current Physical Body and then thrown into another Space-Time. Some blurry images slowly intertwined with his memories. There were projections of the past and the future he had foreseen. Various scenes constantly changed, jumped, and cycled!
Zhao Li knew this was by no means a true Time loop, nor was it the so-called transmigration or rebirth. His Soul was merely affected by the living beings here, coupled with his knowledge of the future, which blurred his perception of Time.
As Zhao Li traveled and jumped through Time, within the Mountain Range covered in Death Qi, the tangled Obsessions finally separated and then looked at Zhao Li, this true living being.
Although they were only left with their final Obsessions, they still did not want to return to nothingness. They craved existence, and thus they clung to the Mountain Range. Now, they had found a more suitable place to go and surged towards Zhao Li like mad. As long as they invaded his Soul, they could exist in another form!
Zhao Li, who had been eroded by the Torrent of Obsessions, was completely unaware of this until he felt the images were no longer blurry or jumping.
He seemed to have entered the memory of an Obsession from before its death. Before his eyes was a Remnant Soldier with only half its armor remaining. Through the armor, one could vaguely see its stark white bones. This was its last memory.
Immediately after, the scene Zhao Li saw suddenly changed. He saw a woman leaning by a Gate, watching and waiting. She bit her hair but had no mind for grooming. With the slightest movement, she would go out and gaze into the distance, as if waiting for her Husband to return. Time passed easily, and her once delicate face, like a fresh flower, had grown old, but the one she waited for never returned.
In a trance, Zhao Li understood that this scene was the root cause of this Obsession's existence!
Before he could think further, the scene he saw changed again. Zhao Li knew he was being eroded by a new Obsession, taken to a scene from its life, and then would be pulled into its Obsession again, just like before.
Indeed, compared to the previous Remnant Soldier, this scene was not just a small segment from its final moments. What Zhao Li saw was almost its entire life.
This master of Obsession had no parents. In its childhood, it survived by snatching food from wild dogs. This life made it firmly believe that one could not stand firm without being ruthless. Relying on that beast-like ferocity, it actually survived and became a decent strong person, until it fought to the death against foreign enemies, exchanging its life for another's!
Afterward, Zhao Li felt the pull again and entered its Obsession. What he saw was this person who had died in battle being resurrected. Its remaining Obsession was actually to live, to live no matter what!
Since it had memory, it had never enjoyed any of the life a normal person should have. Others treated it as a wild beast, and even it did not consider itself human. As a wild beast, survival was instinct. It wanted to live forever!
From the invasion of the Outer Realm Evil Race until the two races determined a winner, it had been at least Fifty Thousand Years. During this Time, how many people died in battle, and how many became a small part of this Mountain Range?
Zhao Li knew that those scenes were merely illusory images within the Obsessions. Regardless of how many human tragedies there were, he watched with cold eyes, making no judgments.
Life was one's own wealth; everyone had their own way of living. He did not believe he had the right to judge others. He just watched...
The first, the second, and then countless more. Numerous Obsessions eroded his Soul, taking him into one era after another, allowing him to see one kind of life after another. Whether selfish or great, every form had its own reasons. Because of the Obsession in their hearts, even if their Body and Soul were Annihilated, they were unwilling to just dissipate.
For Mortals, death was only limited to the Physical Body. The body returned to the Earth, and life came to an end. But for Cultivators, the Physical Body was merely a shell carrying the Soul. After reaching a certain Realm, if the Physical Body was damaged, it was damaged; they could just replace it with another.
Especially for someone at Zhao Li's Realm, only Soul Scattered and Body and Soul Annihilated could be considered true demise.
But was Soul Scattered truly complete demise? Why did these Obsessions before him exist?
"They want to live!"
Zhao Li didn't know what kind of existences they were, but after being eroded by who knows how many Souls and being shown those various scenes, the final conclusion he reached was this simple.
Whether it was the innocents who were crushed to death by the residual energy waves from the battles of those strong people, or those who, strong or weak, participated in the struggle because of the desire to protect the people they cared about, or those who broke through to Dou Di and should have lived a comfortable life but in reality spent their entire lives fighting, or even the demons who invaded the Dou Qi Continent just to complete their mission...
They didn't want to die!
"You want to live, and I don't want to die either!"
Zhao Li closed his eyes, and a transcendent aura appeared within his Soul Power, gradually dispelling the Obsessions that had eroded his Soul!
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