The Eternal Way-Chapter 155: Flowing Like Clouds and Water

Jin Bu Huan no longer hesitated, nor did he consider any losses. Two streams of Eighth Rank Metal Qi swirled around him as he thrust towards Li Qi.

One Yin, one Yang, one in front, one behind.

The front to probe and test the opponent's strength, the back to support and deliver the fatal blow.

The Yang changed to seven parts, while the Yin retained three, not a direct thrust without holding back because the mixture of Yin and Yang added many variations, making it much harder to counter.

However, Li Qi had been waiting for this moment, engaging Jin Bu Huan to prepare for this very confrontation.

In his eyes, Elder Si was an illiterate.

Wasn't Jin Bu Huan just the same?

Li Qi swung out with a willow branch, using it to temporarily entangle the two streams of Metal Qi for defense.

This defense wouldn't last long since the willow branch wasn't specifically made for this purpose, but he could still buy about ten seconds.

During these ten seconds, Li Qi performed a ritual, clasped his hands, and completed the Western Rite.

Then, he spoke, rebuking Jin Bu Huan loudly, "Metal is from the West, where all things are formed, the beginning of killing energy! Ancient kings raised armies and established banners to punish rebels and suppress violence, bringing peace to the world. Killing must follow righteousness, to align with the Metal Qi!"

"Metal represents punishment and weapons. Unjust punishments and uncontrolled weapons lead to loss of propriety, arrogance, and destruction of Metal Qi!"

He directly rebuked, using the power of words and reason.

Why did witch doctors need preparation, quoting classics, and creating elaborate rituals with special incantations?

Because lengthy chants, ornate rituals, and solemn ceremonies themselves held power.

This was the power of 'words' and 'language'.

When Cang Jie created writing, millet rained from the sky, and ghosts cried at night.

Even heaven was startled by the written word, raining grain, and ghosts wept continuously in awe.

Because words and language inherently possess astonishing power, various spells and talismans required written words to carry them.

The phrase "the pen startles the wind and rain, poetry moves the gods and spirits" is an example of the application of the power of words. It was said that among human paths, there were schools specializing in this, known as calligraphy and Confucianism.

However, their use of words and language was learned from witch doctors.

Regarding the interpretation of rituals, even Confucians fought with witch doctors over who should control the rites, believing they belonged to them, though no conclusion was reached.

Ultimately, those who first used these methods were witch doctors. In the earliest rituals, they loudly chanted incantations to summon the deities they wished to communicate with.

Now, Li Qi was utilizing the power of the ritual incantation to denounce the unjust Metal Qi, causing it to naturally resist Jin Bu Huan's unjust actions.

Wishmasters excelled in communicating with all things, not just gods, spirits, and ghosts, but truly 'all things'. Any entity with spirit, whether heavenly dao or mountain spirits, could be communicated with by wishmasters.

Even Li Qi's consultations with others, running around Qingwu City overnight, were forms of communication.

But such communication required the wishmaster to have virtue to ensure its effectiveness.

If a wishmaster betrayed their word, how could all things believe their claims?

Thus, a wishmaster could be evil but must never betray the trust of all things. Even if being a villain, they must treat rituals seriously and honor their promises.

Li Qi conveyed the power of the wishmaster and the righteous words of the ritual onto the two streams of Metal Qi.

Upon hearing this, although the Metal Qi lacked consciousness, its spirit began to waver.

Jin Bu Huan grew angry and forcibly drove the Metal Qi.

Fortunately, the witch doctor's words weren't commands that could manipulate directly, so the Metal Qi only hesitated slightly, losing some sharpness but retaining over eighty percent of its killing power.

Sharp and fierce, mixed with overwhelming killing intent, Jin Bu Huan manipulated the Metal Qi to explode fully, blasting before Li Qi.

Previously unbroken, part of the willow branch snapped under the combined attack of the two streams of Eighth Rank Metal Qi.

This caused some Metal Qi to leak.

Friction between the Metal Qi and air produced sparks. Due to the entanglement with the willow branch, it hadn't hit Li Qi yet, but the advancing waves pierced through him!

Li Qi couldn't dodge in time, and the force pierced his chest.

Metal Qi penetrated his chest, injuring his heart meridian, severely wounding Li Qi!

But at this moment, despite the pain, Li Qi's eyes gleamed with triumph.

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Blood flowed, wrapping around the Metal Qi.

Heart is fire, the peak of yang, strong yang energy. Li Qi used his blood to guide the peak yang, overpowering the Metal Qi. In his small world within the body, the Five Mountains transformed from his organs, with the Southern Mountain Heart suddenly bursting with surpassing power!

Simultaneously, the seasons in Li Qi's small world began to lose balance.

Normally, the proper rotation of the five elements ensured the normal cycle of the seasons.

Now, with his heart meridian severely injured and a large burst of fire energy, although temporarily containing the Metal Qi, how could a Ninth Rank small world suppress Eighth Rank Metal Qi?

Moreover, Jin Bu Huan was controlling the Metal Qi forcefully, trying to restore it quickly and tear Li Qi apart from within.

Both sides were locked in a struggle.

So, suppression was temporary and would lead to absorbing a large amount of fire energy.

Suddenly, Li Qi pulled back his willow branch.

Willow branches undoubtedly belong to wood.

The broken branch released a large amount of wood energy and scattered divine energy.

Li Qi absorbed the wood energy into his body without hesitation.

Normally, fire controls wood. Under balanced conditions, excessive wood energy would be burned by fire to maintain stability.

But now, almost all fire energy in Li Qi's body was used to suppress Jin Bu Huan's Metal Qi.

Wood energy surged, and fire energy was nearly nonexistent, even the heart's fire energy was absorbed.

Originally lacking one element in his small world, losing another and having one dominate led to complete imbalance.

Organs, blood, internal sun and moon cycles, and the alignment with the correct energy of heaven and earth became chaotic.

Jin Bu Huan observed all this and sneered. Indeed, though the opponent had Eighth Rank artifacts, he himself had two. Forcing both Eighth Rank divine weapons, how could Li Qi possibly compete?

Once his small world's timing lost balance and collapsed, Li Qi would die, with no chance of survival.

So, he took a deep breath, veins bulging, ignoring damage to his liver and lungs, and forced the Metal Qi to emit a humming sound, attempting to shatter Li Qi from within.

Within twenty seconds of starting the fight, both sides were fighting for their lives.

But Jin Bu Huan suddenly felt—

What's happening?

The Metal Qi, out of control?

Impossible! Why was it out of control? Why wouldn't it obey?

He didn't understand.

But Li Qi did.

Because his small world's timing had shifted from early spring to late summer, early autumn.

This was commonly referred to as the dog days of summer.

Dog days, what were they?

Dog days were when Metal Qi was suppressed.

Seasons changed cyclically, each supporting the next. Spring replaced winter, water nourishing wood; summer replaced spring, wood nurturing fire; winter replaced autumn, metal generating water. Autumn replaced summer, metal fearing fire, hence on the day of metal, it must be suppressed.

Meaning, at the end of summer, early autumn's Metal Qi began to rise, but fire energy remained at its peak, burning itself out to suppress Metal Qi before transitioning into the golden autumn.

Thus, the third geng after the summer solstice marked the beginning of the dog days, the fourth geng the middle, and the first geng after the autumn equinox the end, collectively called the three dog days.

During the dog days, the fiery energy of heaven and earth was strongest, the hottest time of year, suppressing autumn's Metal Qi.

Li Qi's recent surge of heart fire, combined with a large influx of wood energy to fuel the fire, aligned perfectly with the final explosive burning of the dog days. His small world's imbalance and chaotic timing coincided with the dog days.

During the dog days, Metal Qi was suppressed, the most restraining period.

Using fire to suppress metal, continuous during the dog days.

Thus, Jin Bu Huan's Metal Qi suffered Li Qi's four or five suppressions!

First, reasoning weakened it by a third, then heart blood further weakened it by a third, finally, the small world's timing suppression weakened it by another third.

Only a tenth remained.

Li Qi grabbed the Metal Qi and directly inserted it into his body.

Using his small world to suppress it!

Every step was precise.

Flowing like clouds and water, from planning to execution, without any flaws.

Li Qi had mentioned earlier that Jin Bu Huan's techniques required artifacts as carriers.

By suppressing two streams of Metal Qi with his own body, he rendered Jin Bu Huan unable to use artifacts.

Then, he charged at Jin Bu Huan.

Despite severe injuries, his physical abilities and combat skills surpassed Jin Bu Huan's.

Seeing the Metal Qi temporarily suppressed, Jin Bu Huan panicked, immediately taking out two small bells from his belt.

He calculated Li Qi's approach and prepared to shake the bells, producing sounds to affect Li Qi's movements.

But Li Qi moved far faster than expected.

Suddenly, his whole body inflated like a balloon, exhaling white smoke, muscles bulging, skin turning red, growing taller.

It was the Bull Strength Technique.

After reaching Ninth Rank, Li Qi rarely used this technique, as it was primarily for novices to practice communicating with deities.

But now, the sudden increase of six thousand pounds of strength made Li Qi move a bit faster.

Jin Bu Huan couldn't react in time and was punched squarely in the face by Li Qi.

His once handsome face instantly caved in, nose crushed inward.

Without artifacts, ninety percent of Jin Bu Huan's power vanished.

He stood no chance.

As always,

Witchcraft gave Li Qi knowledge.

Martial arts, however, ensured dominance in close combat at the same rank.

Against a severely weakened Jin Bu Huan, even injured Li Qi was more than enough.

A punch landed squarely on the nose, blood spurting, Jin Bu Huan's nose skewed.

Li Qi's muscle strength and combat techniques flowed smoothly. Though lacking refined combat instincts, hitting someone defenseless was easy.

Honestly, without Jin Bu Huan's backing, killing him would take mere minutes, rendering previous plans unnecessary.

This was the advantage of a complete lineage.

Another punch shattered the skull.

Jin Bu Huan fell unconscious, losing mobility.

Li Qi didn't stop, delivering another punch.

But on the fourth punch, a bell sound emerged from Jin Bu Huan's body.

The resonant, rhythmic bell sound echoed, accompanied by distant bells.

Li Qi's heart raced!

Intense pressure descended!

A visible wave surged from Lushan's location!

A loud bell sound!

Though sound, it moved faster than sound, clearly perceptible even two thousand miles away.

The shockwave erupted from Lushan, illuminating the sky, outshining the sun and moon!

Though terrifying, the scene was beautiful, golden light streaking across the sky, as if the heavens were expanding and cracking.

Li Qi watched in awe.

This was a casual strike from a Sixth Rank Green Mountain God, triggered passively by the protective Metal Qi in Jin Bu Huan's body.

Yet, it was terrifyingly magnificent.

Could a Sixth Rank deity achieve such feats?

What about himself at Sixth Rank?

Li Qi closed his eyes, recalling his first experience with 'Observing Qi' in Dalu Kingdom, witnessing the awakening vitality of an entire city.

That awe-inspiring scene replayed vividly.

Yes, such grand spectacles were why he pursued cultivation—to witness more magnificent scenes, ideally surveying the entire world.

This scene far surpassed the initial county-level spectacle.

Li Qi didn't try to resist, knowing he had no chance against such power.

Wondering how spectacular future events might be,

Li Qi lifted his hand.

The battlefield trembled.

Seemingly distorting space-time, matter disintegrated into basic particles, even time seemed to unravel.

Li Qi felt a force capable of annihilating everything surge from his fingertips.

Yet, nothing was destroyed, everything remained calm, as if the emerging power was an illusion.

Others noticed nothing.

But a distant, timeless power appeared.

Past and future merged.

No energy was released, not even a breeze.

Yet, Li Qi clearly saw.

The event 'Green Mountain God strikes' was erased.

Within the Light of the Cosmos, the event of 'the Green Mountain God taking action' no longer exists.

The incident of 'the Green Mountain God taking action' has collided with itself at different temporal nodes.

This event crashed into 'another possibility' of itself at other points in time, and they evaporated each other.

Time did not rewind, but the event itself was interfered with, causing its existence within the Light of the Cosmos to be erased.

Is this the power of 'Chen'(辰)?