Considering Yang Ziping was a rare live catch, Su Junyu still pulled Wang Qi away, to prevent the always unrestrained Wang Qi from stomping the fellow to death in a fit of anger. Then, Ai Qinglan stepped forward to seal a bit of Life Flame into Yang Ziping's head, replacing his own Life Fire to sustain his life. Once they were done, Su Junyu sighed, "It's a pity for this guy."
Zhen Chan pondered and asked, "Is the biggest obstacle for you Modern Cultivators often not your own desires, but rather your unwillingness to believe in the Dao Fruit you seek?"
Su Junyu helplessly said, "After all, the Great Dao won't follow your ideas, can you dictate what the 'Dao' should look like?"
Zhen Chan remained silent.
Wang Qi, however, raised his ring and said, "Old man, if you want to be a Modern Cultivator remember this, the Heavenly Dao is constant, it does not exist for the saints nor perish for the demons. The Heavenly Dao will not change its very nature because of your whims, and if the Dao Fruit you seek is true, no matter how much you deny it, it remains true."
"Is it so perilous..." Zhen Chan sighed.
Wang Qi smiled and said nothing. On Earth, many scientists had designed experiments that negated the very theories they sought to prove. Michelson and Morley initially wanted to measure ether to solidify the foundations of Newtonian Mechanics, but their experimental results perfectly negated the existence of ether, shaking the whole classical mechanics system; Gödel initially responded to Hilbert's call to prove the completeness of mathematics, but his most brilliant achievement was called "Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem"; John Stewart Bell designed the Bell Inequality to support Einstein in his debates with Bohr, ultimately, the Bell Inequality did conclude the debate — with Einstein losing...
There were too many such examples.
"Modern cultivation is not the path of one person, but the Dao sought by countless individuals. If there's something you're unwilling to believe is true, eventually, someone else will find it," Wang Qi continued, "Instead, it's better to be prepared to accept it from the start."
Although that's what he said... it's easier said than done; very few truly manage to do this. The more accomplished the scientist, the deeper their emotional attachment to their theories, and the harder it is for them to accept their mistakes. Many young geniuses have pointed at their senior and rapidly outdated predecessors and said, "I hope I don't become so obstinate when I'm old," but half a century later, once-brilliant geniuses have aged and the cycle of stubborn old predecessors and new generation geniuses began anew.
"Seeking Dao should be like treading on thin ice, careful with every step, never trusting too much the ground you've stepped on."
"Treading on thin ice? That's an interesting expression." At this point, an elderly man emerged nearby.
The elder was thin and had a handsome appearance but high cheekbones and a prominent nose, clearly of Northwestern Qiang descent. He wore a blue robe extravagantly embroidered with a fierce, claw-wielding Bai Ze. Most strangely, this man exuded an air of "quirky" "wealth". This kind of noble air wasn't like that of Bao Xiaoya, who came from a genuinely wealthy background—Wang Qi would describe it, rather, like that of a rural nouveau riche from his grandfather's time...
It was indeed a quirky disposition.
But Wang Qi immediately realized who this man was.
"Bai Ze Divine Monarch?"
Bai Ze Divine Monarch Apuna, the Carefree Great Cultivator.
The old man thoroughly enjoyed Wang Qi's astonishment. Su Junyu, however, curiously asked, "Master, what brings you here?"
Bai Ze Divine Monarch chuckled and gave Su Junyu a slap on the head, like a true father or grandfather would, "You lad, suddenly throwing you and Ai Qinglan girl two thousand miles away from Wanfa Sect to Jingxiang, Jiyin Valley, how would you explain? How much effort would it take for you two to make a trip back?"
Then, he turned to Wang Qi, "Moreover, there are some things that must be handled by me personally, nobody else is of sufficient rank to deal with them."
Su Junyu was startled, "What's going on?"
Wang Qi realized something and covertly looked towards Ai Qinglan. Fortunately, Ai Qinglan, though not very emotional, was intelligent enough to lightly nod her head.
The demon items encountered on Xin Mountain... Were they actually worth Bai Ze God Monarch, a top-tier figure even among the Carefree Great Cultivators, to come personally?
First, Bai Ze God Monarch gestured towards Yang Ziping, bringing him into his sleeve, then looked at Wang Qi with a friendly smile and said, "Child, you seem very tense. What happened to you today? Tell us everything."
Wang Qi nodded and began to explain the reasons behind his conflict with Chi Lianxue. When speaking of the moments of battle with Chi Lianxue, Ai Qinglan was astounded, "Tsk, tsk, junior brother, you are indeed very lucky. You dared to resist the Silent Annihilation Sky Burning Palm with the Heavenly Entropy Technique and the half-assed Heavenly Calculation Atlas."
"If it weren't for your pointers, senior sister, I might have really died." Wang Qi nodded and continued to speak.
When he brought up the Heterodox Demon Statue, Bai Ze God Monarch became serious. He asked, "Where is that basement? Over there?"
After clarifying the situation, the elderly man led the three towards a small building. Upon reaching the basement door, he said, "You all wait here."
Su Junyu hastily asked, "Grandmaster, what exactly are you planning to do?"
Bai Ze God Monarch thought for a moment and then said, "Well, you might encounter this in the future too, so it would be good for you to see it now—Miss Ai, use the Life Flame to protect the two of them as you come down with me."
Ai Qinglan, having already seized all the essence of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, placed the Life Flame around herself without any intention of retracting it. Upon hearing Bai Ze God Monarch's order, she casually split the fireball, dividing it into two melon-sized Life Flames which entered Wang Qi and Su Junyu's bodies respectively.
Then, the four of them entered the basement together.
The foul-smelling Blood Pool had already been scorched dry, and there were signs of the altar being melted as well. Bai Ze God Monarch was shocked, "Here, this Demon Statue... Has it become active?"
Wang Qi said, "The junior has indeed been possessed by something inside the Demon Statue..."
Apuna's complexion changed dramatically, and he extended his palm, covering Wang Qi's head. A surge of formidable strength enveloped Wang Qi's entire body. Wang Qi, treated so suddenly, felt so distressed inside that it seemed he might vomit blood.
Su Junyu cried out, "Grandmaster..."
Bai Ze God Monarch waved his hand, and with his powerful strength, he continually cleansed Wang Qi's body. Gradually, his expression turned from solemn to strange. The elderly man let go of Wang Qi and said, "I apologize. That creature is very fearsome, and a Cultivator below the level of Primordial Spirit has almost no resistance to its possession. Even someone of my level, a Carefree, might have succumbed to it."
Wang Qi was alarmed, "Senior, I'm alright! Maybe... you should check again?"
Bai Ze God Monarch waved his hand, "No, that thing is just rather cunning, not very strong by itself. You have already eradicated it..."
As he said this, Bai Ze God Monarch's expression grew even stranger.