The Eternal Way-Chapter 156: The Ruler of the State

Chen, the measure of celestial phenomena (units of celestial measurement).

The Chen mentioned in the context of the sun, moon, and stars refers to the points where the sun, moon, and stars intersect in the sky at different times.

This point, Li Qi had already reviewed when he was in the Earth Oil World. *(For details, see Chapter 121)

A shichen(2hr), refers to the time during which celestial phenomena change.

This is... the 'Chen Qi' of the Grand Diviner.

Once, when Li Qi was taken in by Young Master Zhu, just like the Green Mountain God, he gave his junior something to protect his life.

What the Green Mountain God gave was a strand of Metal Qi, which, once activated, could summon a pre-set casual strike from the Green Mountain.

Li Qi's gift, however, was the four qi of the sun, moon, stars, and Chen created by the Grand Diviner. These not only helped Li Qi perceive celestial phenomena and distinguish between good and bad omens but could also be released in critical moments to save his life.

But Li Qi never imagined it would be in such a cool and flashy way.

The Chen Qi erased the fact that the opponent had attacked from the Light of the Cosmos, restoring everything to its original state.

The previously shattered sky was restored, and all damage caused by the Green Mountain God's residual effects was completely healed.

As Li Qi was stunned and amazed by the power of the Chen Qi, in the distant Green Mountain:

"My attack disappeared?" The Green Mountain God woke up from his seclusion.

He had been in seclusion for years, trying to advance to the Fifth Rank (Rank 5), rarely appearing in the outside world and almost never communicating, except for a few spirit divisions that were watching over a few children, especially Jin Buhuan.

When the Metal Qi on Jin Buhuan's body was activated, he almost immediately woke up from his seclusion.

Then, he clearly saw his attack being nullified.

"Neutralized? Someone is protecting him? An unfamiliar aura, not that old thing." The Green Mountain God frowned, sensing that it was not the Ruler of the Green Mountain State.

Was it another Sixth Rank... or even a Fifth Rank who intervened?

He didn't see clearly how his attack disappeared, and the aura dissipated very quickly, making it impossible to trace now.

Someone wants to interfere with this matter?

That young man...

Jin Chi looked into the distance through a spell and clearly saw Li Qi standing there, stunned.

He stretched out his hand.

This time, it wasn't a casual strike.

He wanted to capture Li Qi alive and ask who was meddling in the affairs of the Green Mountain State.

With this thought, he stretched out his hand.

The Metal Qi condensed into a large hand, crossing a distance of two thousand miles in an instant, rushing directly to Li Qi!

Li Qi finally came to his senses and smiled.

He didn't even pay attention to the large hand approaching him.

Instead, he calmly drew his Tang Dynasty saber and walked to the unconscious Jin Buhuan.

In front of the Green Mountain God, he slashed down with his saber.

"Rogue, how dare you!" The Green Mountain God was shocked and angry.

He had already made his move, and this person was still so arrogant! Does he really want to fight to the death?!

A mere Ninth Rank (Rank 9) junior, even with a powerful backer, how could he dare to do such a thing? Isn't he courting death by making an enemy of me? Where does a Ninth Rank junior get such courage?

But no matter what, the Green Mountain God no longer held back and prepared to kill Li Qi before he could act.

Compared to capturing him alive, his son's life was more important.

The metal qi hand tore through the sky.

Then, clouds surged.

A palace suddenly appeared in the sky.

The palace was luxurious, with red and purple glazed tiles, painted pillars, and carved flying immortals. The paths were lined with willows and elms, reflecting the mountain scenery. The palace was like a painting, with green vines growing and flowers blooming, and the jade dew forming pearls on the twin towers, reflecting the light of the Milky Way.

On the left were aquatic creatures, such as snakes, turtles, and fish, swimming in the air, swaying like a landscape.

On the right were birds, such as parrots, ospreys, and hawks, circling the palace like guards.

The palace stood alone in the center of the sky, with mountains bowing below it and the clouds stretching for thousands of miles.

It was as if the sky outside the palace was water, and the palace itself was a sky in the water.

This palace happened to block the path of the Green Mountain God's large hand.

The two collided with a loud boom.

It was like a million lions roaring simultaneously or a celestial deity wielding thunder, lashing down to the earth, with a hurricane forcing its way up.

Jin Chi struck with all his might, shattering the dragon pool, snow dancing in the air, and the sky clearing for thousands of miles, revealing a vast and majestic landscape.

However, this strike was blocked, and all the force was neutralized, leaving only a spectacular aftereffect.

In that moment, Li Qi's saber blade had already reached its target.

The blade was sharp, cutting through with almost no resistance.

Jin Buhuan's head was severed.

His spiritual essence seemed to want to leave his body but was shattered by the malevolent qi Li Qi released from his saber.

It wasn't a complete soul destruction, but he had no memory left.

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"Rat! You—!" Jin Chi was furious, shouting so loudly that even Li Qi could hear him!

But the killing intent and power contained in his shout were effortlessly blocked by the palace.

"Jin Chi, a Sixth Rank, why bother with a junior? The conflict between juniors, if adults intervene, isn't that petty?" A lazy voice came from the palace.

However, despite the lazy tone, it was clear that the speaker was enjoying himself.

He must have been in a good mood.

"This junior killed my beloved son, I must kill him. Please step aside, Ruler, or don't blame Jin Chi for being impolite." The Green Mountain God manifested his powerful White Tiger avatar on the Green Mountain, facing off against the palace from two thousand miles away.

"Ah, Jin Buhuan's spiritual essence is shattered but not destroyed. Jin Chi, if you take him now and send him to the cycle of rebirth, he can be your son again in a hundred years. If you insist on this face-saving, when his spiritual essence is completely destroyed, you will truly lose your son." The Ruler of the Green Mountain State sighed.

Then, with a stretch of his hand, he grabbed the shattered remnant soul of Jin Buhuan: "I won't hold it against you for acting on your own. Take it. With your wealth, bribing a few underworld officials shouldn't be too difficult. Although your son's memories are gone, you can still try to recover other things."

"Or do you insist on embarrassing a junior here? Didn't you notice that the initial blow wasn't blocked by me?" The lazy voice of the Lord of Green Mountain disappeared, then he seriously answered Jin Chi.

This was a threat.

If Jin Chi insisted on acting here, he would face a siege.

Because Li Qi had already proven that he had someone backing him.

Although that person wouldn't actually help him.

But Jin Chi didn't know that, and neither did the Lord of Green Mountain. The Chen's Qi had no damage at all, and there was no aura except for Li Qi, so it seemed ordinary, merely blocking Jin Chi's casual attack.

Both of them firmly believed that if they really acted, a third party would intervene, turning the current situation into a two-on-one battle.

That aura couldn't be faked.

This was the situation where two tigers fighting would turn into a battle of three tigers.

It was also the source of Li Qi's survival.

Although Li Qi knew that his teacher had no need to act.

If the struggle among ninth-rank juniors was like kindergarten kids fighting, then the involvement of fifth or sixth-rank figures would be petty and shameful, like rushing to a school to beat up the other child.

For a Great Priest, even the involvement of a fifth-rank figure would be like a senior kindergarten student bullying a new student. If he had to personally protect, it would be even more shameful.

And Li Qi felt that his teacher might not even know about this.

This person didn't seem like someone who would always keep an eye on him... probably more like letting him fend for himself.

On the other side, holding the remnant soul of Jin Buhuan, Jin Chi gritted his teeth.

Although he was powerful and usually cruel, he wasn't stupid.

So, he held the remnant soul and turned to leave.

The top priority was to find a familiar underworld official to send his beloved son into the cycle of rebirth.

This way, there was still hope.

The White Tiger manifestation dissipated, but before leaving, he gave Li Qi a deep look, as if trying to memorize his appearance and aura.

Li Qi naturally knew all this.

However, he wasn't nervous because everything so far was within his calculations.

Of course, he also understood that if things went out of control and beyond his calculations, he would likely face a major setback.

But what can be guaranteed to succeed?

It's up to humans to plan, but success is up to heaven.

Fortunately, this time luck was on his side, and everything went according to his script.

So, he calmly collected Jin Buhuan's body, cut off his head, and hung it on his waist, then dug a hole to bury the body.

He didn't touch the inheritance, leaving it all for the burial.

However, the two streams of Jin Qi were still suppressed in Li Qi's body. Although he couldn't extract them temporarily, he accepted them with a smile.

The reason he took the head was simple: the job wasn't done yet.

Killing Jin Buhuan alone wasn't enough.

Killing someone means destroying their heart.

After doing all this, Li Qi looked up at the magnificent palace floating in the sky.

It was truly huge, a palace that could rival the entire Clear Mist City.

But... where do these people usually hang out? Beyond the domain? How many realms out there can withstand the chaos this bunch causes?

If the world were full of such powerful figures, it wouldn't take long for the world to be shattered.

Because Li Qi noticed that when they fought, they deliberately held back to prevent the aftermath from affecting the ground and harming the innocent.

There must be some restrictions. If such powerful figures could act freely, how much of the world would remain intact?

While Li Qi was thinking about these things, a voice came from the palace in the sky: "Li Qi... right?"

"Yes, this is me, I greet the Lord of the Country." Li Qi immediately bowed.

"Quite bold, to take such a gamble. You removed the Jin family's influence in Clear Mist City in one night, much better than the fox I raised. She spent a hundred years in Clear Mist City, but the Jin family's influence only grew stronger. You did it efficiently." The voice in the palace said kindly to Li Qi.

"It's not the fault of the Lord of Clear Mist. Overthrowing Jin Buhuan hinges on the true form of the Green Mountain God. If there wasn't a powerful figure behind me, things wouldn't have been so easily resolved. It's because of this variable, not the Lord's incompetence. If the Lord were incompetent, how could I have gathered those forces in one night and suppressed Jin Buhuan's other helpers?" Li Qi stood straight and answered formally.

"Reasonable, but it doesn't change the fact that you did a good job. You persuaded forty-five families in one night and even went to the Clear Mist Sect. Regardless of other things, just your eloquence and audacity are commendable." The Lord of Green Mountain praised him.

"Your praise is too kind." Li Qi replied.

"However, I have a question. Why did you act? Don't try to fool me with empty words; I'm not Hu Xian'er." The Lord of the Country asked again.

"We both know that if it were for justice, there are so many unjust things in the world. Would you risk your life for each one? There are so many things in the world; can you handle them all?"

Li Qi chuckled and shook his head.

He spoke differently to different people. To convince the Lord of Clear Mist, he used some arguments about benefits, and to Hu Xian'er, he said he did it for his own interests.

However, it was clear that the Lord of Green Mountain didn't believe this.

So, Li Qi answered seriously: "I have my own scale to weigh gains and losses, to judge right and wrong, and to decide what to do."

"There are so many unjust and unfair things in the world. Some I can handle, some I can't, and some I don't have the right to handle. This is natural. So, should we just ignore the world as it is?"

"If we ignore it, why bother cultivating? Life and death are natural, so why resist through cultivation? Injustice and unfairness are naturally present, so why intervene?"

Li Qi answered.

"Currently, my cultivation is low, so I handle things within my capabilities. When my cultivation is higher, I will handle more things."

"There are so many things in the world, and I can't handle them all. Sometimes, things happen right in front of me, but I can't handle them due to my limited abilities. But no matter how many or how difficult these things are, they are not reasons to ignore other things."

"Why do you only see so many things you can't do and not see so many things you can do?"

Li Qi looked up at the palace and solemnly gave his answer.

Yes, why only see "so many things you can't do" and not see "so many things you can do."

The Lord of Green Mountain laughed heartily but said no more.

Li Qi continued: "I've heard a saying, 'Do not refrain from doing good just because it is small.' My inner scale tells me that if something can be done, I will do it. If it hasn't reached that line, I won't do it."

Hearing this, the Lord of Green Mountain finally showed some interest and asked, "Interesting, how do you determine that line?"

"If it can be done easily, I will do it. If it requires a cost, I will weigh it. It can't be a one-size-fits-all approach."

The Lord of Green Mountain asked again: "What if two things conflict and you can't resolve them?"

Li Qi, hearing this question, spread his hands: "Then I won't do it. I do righteous deeds out of my own heart, not because someone forces me to complete a task. What if I don't do it?"

The Lord of Green Mountain's voice echoed through the palace: "Ha ha ha! Interesting, interesting. You, a junior, have a bright future. I wonder what kind of family could raise such a child. If you didn't already have a teacher, I would want to take you as a disciple."

"However, even if I don't take you as a disciple, just for helping me remove the Jin family's influence, I will reward you. What do you want? Just say it!"

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