Legend of the Great Sage

Chapter 1374: Comprehension

However, while that was a nice thought, he still needed further consideration before he decided exactly how he went about it. Surely he could not directly descend from the sky and just rally everyone to write novels, right? There had to be someone responsible for organising the people and spreading the news so that they could build a proper system and ensure normal operation.

With a thought, he had already found a suitable choice, and he soon descended into a courtyard.

Under the great apricot tree, moonlight flowed like water as the shadows rustled.

The King of Southern Yue in the past, Qian Lingzhi, was playing a game of chess. The Kingdom of Southern Yue no longer existed. He had already become the Human King of the new continent.

On the other side of the chessboard was a banyan tree bonsai. Its roots and trunk were twisted, filled with strength and sturdiness. The aerial roots formed something that resembled a hand, clutching a black chess piece that slammed down on the board.

Qian Lingzhi sighed. “Despite such a great disaster, not only has your skill at chess not regressed, but it’s even improved.”

The Great Banyan Tree King said without holding back, “It’s because you’ve been playing terribly!”

Qian Lingzhi sighed with a smile. “You didn’t talk like that in the past.”

The Great Banyan Tree King said, “The past is the past. The present is the present. Let’s go for another match!”

Qian Lingzhi suddenly turned his head, only to see a figure fade into existence within the moonlight, turning into Li Qingshan who clasped his hands. “Fellows, long time no see.”

Qian Lingzhi stood up in a hurry to receive him, casually brushing the chessboard aside. He jokingly said, “Welcome, great god. How may I be of service?”

“I do have something that I need your help with. Let me take my time and tell you.”

As a result, Li Qingshan told him about the matters regarding the Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance in the Myriad sect. He did not even hide his gamble with Le Tian.

Qian Lingzhi said, “I never expected the Human realm to be so dangerous. You have nothing to worry about, fellow. Leave this to me. I’ll make sure that person called Le Tian doesn’t get too complacent with himself.”

The Great Banyan Tree King said, “I’m free, and I’ve been looking for something to do, so let me lend you a hand too!”

“I don’t have to worry if that’s the case.” Li Qingshan smiled. One of them was part of nobility, while the other was the king of daemons. They were both skilled at organising work, so everything would become simpler if he left it up to the two of them.

“Thank you. Once this is complete, I’ll definitely reward you for your contributions. I can’t let you toil about for nothing!”

“It’s a mere trifle. You don’t have to thank me. However, I do have something that I’ve been wondering about. When will the World of the Five Continents grow larger?”

Qian Lingzhi was close to the fourth heavenly tribulation as well. This was without a doubt the matter he was most concerned with.

Li Qingshan shut his eyes and sensed around. He saw a gradually-expanding star in outer space. The space-devouring beast had already travelled a very, very long distance now. He opened his eyes again and said, “Soon.”

That also meant he had to remove the Heaven Climbing Vine from the Human realm before Navy Li’l Fatty reached the new world, but if he did that, Xiao An and the others would be in a dangerous situation. Their path of retreat would be severed. As a result, he had to find a new dwelling and bring them over before then.

Qian Lingzhi said, “Then I don’t have to worry. The nine provinces already possess the school of Novels, so I already have a starting point. However, it’ll still take some time to draw up and plan out.”

“Yep. Time passes very quickly in the Human realm, so I can afford to wait. I was originally from the school of Novels, or I never would have thought of this. If you need anything, just let me know!”

“Don’t worry. You won’t be disappointed.”

Li Qingshan gave them some more instructions on how to handle and operate the entire matter before bidding farewell and leaving.

As Qian Lingzhi sank into his thoughts, the Great Banyan Tree King had already returned the messy chessboard to its original state. “Your turn.”

Qian Lingzhi felt helpless. He shook his head. “Tree king, oh tree king, you weren’t like this before. It’s almost as if you’re a completely different tree now.”

“Hurry up. Once I beat you, let’s get to work with this.”

……

Li Qingshan woke up slowly beneath the Golden-leaved Bodhi tree and stretched his arms. The cool breeze was gentle, making the golden leaves rustle. Ruan Yaozhu was nowhere to be seen. He did not sit up. Instead, he rested his head on his arms and crossed one leg over the other, placing the jade slip that recorded the Heavenly Tome of Liberty on his forehead. He just began comprehending like that.

Perhaps because it was truly compatible with his disposition, the comprehension process was extremely smooth. The cultivation method was deep, extensive, and absolutely ingenious, but it could not stop him. He had the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine as a foundation. The deductive abilities of the Spirit Turtle Transformation and the Ape Demon Transformation’s liking to do whatever it wanted became powerful sources of assistance before he knew it.

Two types of light appeared on his body at the same time. At first, they conflicted and restricted one another before gradually merging together, forming an unpredictable glow that enveloped Li Qingshan, reflecting his expression. Sometimes, it was twisted and terrifying like a vicious demon’s, and at other times, it was soft and gentle like a woman’s. Toward the end, the two faces gradually merged together, and the light was absorbed into his dantian.

He had just comprehended twenty or thirty percent of it, and he had unified the Sovereign’s Limit Record of World Prosperity and the Sovereign’s Limit Record of World Destruction, combining the concepts of birth and death, prosperity and decline. Then he converted it into the Heavenly Tome of Liberty.

Li Qingshan suddenly opened his eyes and gazed at the sunlight that flickered between the golden canopy. He said to himself, “Only the saviour of the world possesses the right to destroy the world. Only the destroyer of the world possesses the ability to save the world.”

With a rumble, the light consolidated.

A half-transparent infant appeared in Li Qingshan’s dantian, which bore great resemblance to him. That was the Soul Nascence which all great cultivators possessed.

Originally, he thought he could no longer condense a soul nascence after entering the demonic path, but he never expected the Heavenly Tome of Liberty to be so impressive, actually able to reverse his demon heart and recondense a soul nascence. It truly was a feat that the lord of the demons, Maheśvara, was capable of.

The path of great liberty was not simply a demonic path. It had surpassed the regular concepts of good and evil, right and wrong, paving a path that all people strived towards.

The buddha had said that all people could become buddhas, but that also meant all people could become demons.

What all people were after was liberty. They wanted to let their hearts and desires run free so that they could do whatever they wanted. Humans were probably closer to demons than buddhas. Could he say that Maheśvara understood people better than the buddha?

The various demonic thoughts all sprouted from the heart. A single thought was all that separated them from becoming demons that haunted people.

When mortals wanted to accomplish something, they needed to be careful. They had to show humility, self-awareness, and self-restraint. Once they made the wrong step, then their entire life would go to waste. It might even cost them their lives.

It went even more without saying when it came to something as significant as cultivation. Their bodies contained terrifying powers, and thousands of thoughts flew through their heads with each moment. As such, how could they dare to be free and act as they pleased? If they acted on all of their thoughts, they would suffer from cultivation deviation, which would lead to eternal damnation from the slightest carelessness. They would not even be able to enter saṃsāra. As a result, this was both a path that everyone yearned for, yet it was also even more difficult than buddhist cultivation that was riddled with precepts. Very few people could walk a path like this.

Li Qingshan rubbed his belly. It’s as if I’m pregnant! Haha! He could not help but laugh complacently as the thought of this “ingenious” comparison.

“You’ve already comprehended the Heavenly Tome of Liberty!”

Sensing the disturbance, Ruan Yaozhu came over to take a look. She was astonished.

The Myriad Heavenly Tomes were all extremely profound. Back then, she had taken several years to comprehend the Heavenly Tome of Nature, and that was already very fast. He had only snoozed under the tree. A short moment after waking up, he converted his cultivation into the heavenly tome. Was he perhaps some rare genius of cultivation?

This was not just due to Li Qingshan’s foundation from the Sovereign’s Limit Record of World Destruction and the Sovereign’s Limit Record of World Prosperity and the great support from the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine. It was not just due to his compatibility with the cultivation method either.

The Heavenly Tome of Liberty was filled with difficulties and dangers, but it did come with one benefit, which was speed. It was so fast that it could leave the cultivator afraid, so fast that he could lose control at any moment and suffer from cultivation deviation.

Li Qingshan got up on his feet. “Senior sister, I can start working now.”