The Immortal Empress, Unrivaled Through Eternity

As soon as the carriage entered the outer city, Li Yunqing heard a commotion.

Through the carriage window, one could see squads of soldiers clad in iron armor and wielding long spears.

A constable with a sword at his waist and a demon-suppressing guard dressed in a black robe with cloud patterns wandered around.

There were also many civilians being escorted away.

The sounds of gentle rebukes, loud shouts, and cries of injustice blended together.

The entire city of Qingzhou was in chaos.

"Are they arresting members of the Shinto cult?"

Li Yunqing spoke in surprise, because among those who were captured, few were martial artists of high rank; most were ordinary people.

"This isn't some kind of cult of worship; it's just a bunch of believers!"

As soon as Li Yansong finished speaking, his expression tightened, and he looked at Li Yunqing, asking, "Do you know why the God Worshipping Cult attacked you?"

"I don't know!" Li Yunqing shook her head.

She did not reveal her innate intelligence, and there were some things she herself could not explain.

"Be more careful when you go out in the future!"

Li Shuo's expression also turned serious, and his tone became solemn: "The true members of the God Worship Cult are extremely well hidden, and their cultivation is no less than that of some Demon Suppression Guards."

"Some core members are even comparable to the captains, lieutenants, and captains of the Demon Suppression Team."

"In the end, it is always the ordinary people who suffer from such arrests and purges."

"Moreover, these sects that worship evil gods will never be eradicated."

Hearing her brother's words, Li Yunqing frowned slightly and subconsciously asked, "Why?"

"Now that you've learned martial arts, there are some things I can tell you!"

Li Yansong said, "You should be able to feel the difficulty of practicing martial arts. You have to refine your qi and blood, hone your physique, and generate strength. You can't slack off at any step."

"But even if you reach the perfection of the initial stage, it doesn't count as entering the path of martial arts."

Li Yunqing fell silent for a moment. She didn't find it too difficult. In just over ten days, she had already developed internal strength.

Li Yansong continued speaking: "A true martial artist can only be considered to have entered the realm of Qi cultivation."

"The Great Yu Kingdom was founded on martial arts, and there are countless people practicing martial arts throughout the land. There are no fewer than ten million martial artists at the initial stage, but there are not many martial artists at the Qi stage."

"Of a thousand people practicing martial arts, if even one reaches the Qi Realm, that's an incredible stroke of luck. Do you know why?"

Li Yunqing shook her head, not knowing why.

It is rarely mentioned in some books and biographies.

But she knew that in the entire Qingzhou, only those at the peak of the initial stage were considered experts, and only those at the Qi stage were considered great figures.

Within Qingzhou City, the known Qi Realm experts are those members of top-tier families and the top ten martial arts schools.

Then there's the commander of the Demon Suppression Division, and the four commanders.

As for the Demon Suppression Captains and Colonels, most of them are not at the Qi Realm.

The 30,000 Demon-Suppressing Guards were merely entry-level martial artists.

Qi Realm cultivators are rare, but in her view, Qingzhou is not a bustling capital city, hence the scarcity.

"Then you probably don't know why those smaller families would go to such lengths to curry favor with larger families!"

Li Yansong sighed slightly.

Some smaller families, in order to curry favor with larger families, would not hesitate to sacrifice the lives of ninety percent of their entire clan.

The major families in Qingzhou City are few, but the smaller families will fight each other to the death within a few years.

"Because of the Qi Realm?" Li Yunqing frowned slightly, already having a guess.

"That's right!" Li Yansong nodded and said, "To be precise, it's because of the fundamental diagram of intent required to break through to the Qi Realm."

"The fundamental diagram of artistic conception?" Although Li Yunqing's expression remained calm, a hint of astonishment flashed in her eyes.

She has the artistic conception.

Although she hasn't found any use for it yet, she has indeed grasped a wisp of sword intent through practicing the Frost Sword Technique.

"The Fundamental Diagram of Artistic Conception was created by martial artists at the upper level of Qi Realm, the perfect level of Qi Realm, and the grandmaster level of Xuan Realm, who imprinted their own insights onto the fields of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting."

"In the initial stage of cultivation, a strong physique gives rise to internal energy; this is the foundation!"

Li Yansong said with a hint of longing, "And in order to condense true qi and break through the qi realm, one needs to comprehend the intent."

"The power of true qi is such that even a wisp can pierce through iron armor and split mountains and rocks; its power is extremely strong."

"The most fundamental reason is the artistic conception!"

"Without qi, nothing can take root; without intention, qi will dissipate. Only by taking qi as the root and intention as the bridge can one condense true qi and break through the qi realm."

"To condense true energy, one needs to comprehend the essence of the art."

"All things in heaven and earth can be interpreted, even those seen with one's own eyes, but very few can be truly comprehended; one must rely on the fundamental diagram of artistic conception."

"Does Father mean that the core concepts and designs of this art form are controlled by those powerful families?"

Li Yunqing suddenly realized.

She practiced the Frost Sword Technique and did indeed comprehend the Frost Sword Intent, but its power was limited.

Now she probably understands that only when sword intent and true qi are combined can they possess extremely terrifying power.

"That's not all!" Li Yansong shook his head and said, "This Fundamental Diagram of Intent is indeed the key to breaking through to the Qi Realm, and it is indeed in the hands of the major families."

"But those sects that worship evil gods also have ways to break through to the Qi realm."

"Back when the founding emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty first rose to power, didn't he also believe in evil gods before he rose to power and conquered the territory of the Great Yu Dynasty?"

"Evil gods are transformed from immortals and gods. Powerful immortals and gods can split mountains with a thought, boil seas with a thought, and freeze all things with a thought. Isn't that kind of power also a powerful state of mind?"

"Now you should understand why the cult of evil can never be eradicated."

Hearing her father's words, Li Yunqing understood immediately.

The reason why immortals and gods are powerful is because of their powerful magic, and the origin of magic is also derived from understanding the world.

Those who are weak rely on hand seals and magical power to perform spells in their cultivation.

They know what it is, but not why it is.

Those immortals and gods who have grasped the true essence of those spells can cast them in an instant.

The true meaning of magic and the essence of martial arts may be the same thing.

That's why some people worship evil gods, just for the chance to comprehend their inner thoughts.

And her ability to comprehend that wisp of frost sword intent was precisely because of the Frost Sword Technique.

"In that case, those who worship evil gods will certainly not let me go!"

Knowing the reason, Li Yunqing felt a renewed sense of urgency.

If a large family controls the fundamental map, it can drive countless smaller families to madness and bloodshed.

The evil god possesses the ability to comprehend the essence of things, which can also drive countless beings mad.

The fact that the God Worship Cult captured her must be because they wanted her to break through to the Qi Realm, so how could they let her go so easily?

"My father wants me to marry into the Jiang family, and I'm afraid that's why!"

Li Yunqing understood that if the fundamental diagram could be preserved, it would ensure the family's continued prosperity.

If she marries into the Jiang family, her father will be able to leverage the Jiang family's resources.

By comprehending the essence of the art and condensing true energy, one can become a great figure and bring prosperity to one's family.

Seeing Li Yunqing's silence, Li Shuo clearly knew what she was thinking.

My younger sister is not only quiet, but also extremely intelligent; she understands things very quickly.

Thinking of this, he gently comforted her, "Sister, there's no need to worry. Once I join the Demon Suppression Guard, as long as I make enough contributions, I will also have the opportunity to comprehend the Fundamental Diagram."

Upon hearing this, Li Yansong remained silent for a moment before saying, "Yunqing, your father shouldn't put all the pressure on you."

But deep down he knew perfectly well.

The Demon Suppression Division is directly under the Emperor of Great Yu, wielding immense power, even surpassing that of officials of the same rank.

Naturally, one possesses the fundamental diagrams of various artistic conceptions, but that requires fighting demons and evil gods, risking one's life to obtain them.

It seems like there's a chance, but it's equally slim.

It is also the means by which the Great Yu Dynasty controls all martial artists in the world to fight against demons and evil gods.

Especially the demons, who possess powerful demon kingdoms.

The strong are no less powerful than those of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Even though the current emperor is already a Grandmaster of the Profound Realm, he doesn't dare to really fight the Demon Kingdom head-on.

Upon hearing this, Li Yunqing composed herself.

Given time, the artistic conception is just a matter of sketching, what's so difficult about that?

Once you've grasped enough of the artistic conception, you can draw one yourself.

She claims to be second only to Qin (a stringed instrument), Qi (chess), Shu (calligraphy), and Hua (painting), and probably no one would dare to claim the first.

She's determined to call off the engagement; it won't matter who comes.

She doesn't need to find some random man to ruin herself; all she needs now is time.

Thinking of this, she spoke softly.

"Don't worry, Father, I know what to do."